Lu Xiaoyun snorted coldly, showing no panic at all at the words that threatened to kill her.
She took the bow and arrow from the phantom's back, pulled the reins with one hand to make the phantom suddenly turn to the side, and at the same time drew the arrow, nocked it, and pulled the bowstring.
His gaze was indifferent and calm as he looked at Xiong Haiquan, who was leading the group. Even before he got close, his murderous aura was already there, and his gaze was as cold as the chill of early spring, or as deep as a frozen pool in winter.
She calmly released the arrow.
The arrow sliced through the air with a whoosh, heading straight for Xiong Haiquan.
As the arrow flew toward his brow, Xiong Haiquan's pupils shrank, and he seemed to forget to dodge.
Upon hearing the sound of arrows piercing the air, the guards beside Xiong Haiquan kicked the horse beneath him.
The horse neighed in pain and slid quickly to the side, carrying Xiong Haiquan, barely avoiding Lu Xiaoyun's arrow.
However, the arrowhead pierced through the palm of the guard who had been blocking it, and with unstoppable force, it went straight through the armor and into his heart.
Blood splattered, and the guards fell to their knees with a thud before Xiong Haiquan's raised horse hooves.
The next moment, blood gushed from the soldier's mouth, and he collapsed to the ground, dead.
Xiong Haiquan held tightly to the reins. It was a close call; if this man hadn't kicked his horse, he would be the one lying dead on the ground right now.
Prince An, Zhu Yu, is indeed formidable!
When Lu Xiaoyun first looked over, she saw a dark mass of people, probably numbering twenty to thirty thousand.
So, Zhu Heng's private army still has at least 20,000 men in Shengjing City.
Moreover, Zhu Heng would never dare to rebel with just a private army and five thousand imperial guards, so it is highly likely that there are still his men at the four city gates of Shengjing.
Furthermore, the recent uprising in Mucheng was quite strange, and it must have involved his people. Perhaps the missing prefect of Mucheng, Lin Yuanqing, was also one of Zhu Heng's men.
Unfortunately, they didn't have much time to prepare, while Zhu Heng had been planning for many years.
Xiong Haiquan brandished his knife and shouted, "Kill!" before charging towards them.
Lu Xiaoyun spurred her horse, drew her soft sword from her waist, and charged towards the opposite side.
The two sides immediately engaged in a chaotic battle.
The streets of Shengjing City are deserted today, with people staying at home to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
The once bustling street was now deserted, as quiet as a ghost market. The spring breeze stirred up dust and debris, and the sheds erected in front of several shops were overturned, leaving the area desolate and forlorn.
Especially after the shouts of battle and the sounds of clashing weapons came from the direction of the palace, the city gate was suddenly filled with deafening shouts of battle.
How could the situation in Shengjing City change so suddenly?
No one knows how the Northern Army withdrew from the war against Chen, who started the uprising, or if the Northern Army is defeated, whether the victors will go on a killing spree and not even spare ordinary people like them.
The men, with their wives and children, hid in their houses, silently praying that Heaven would have mercy and grant the Northern Army victory, preventing those treacherous officials from ruining the capital city.
Qi Shaocheng led 5,000 Northern Army soldiers toward the palace, but was stopped by a large number of soldiers who suddenly appeared two streets away from the palace.
Qi Shaocheng recognized the man leading the troops as Lin Yuanqing, the prefect of Mucheng!
"Lin Yuanqing, how dare you aid the Second Prince in his rebellion!"
"Treason? Ha! This throne should rightfully belong to the Second Prince's biological father! Kill him!" Lin Yuanqing was the first to charge towards Qi Shaocheng.
What does that mean? What do you mean by saying that the throne should have belonged to the second prince's biological father? Isn't the second prince's biological father the emperor?
Some people were puzzled, but their puzzlement became insignificant amidst the sounds of clashing weapons.
·
The students who were writing furiously in the examination hall also heard the deafening shouts of battle.
They all stopped writing and stared out the window in horror.
Some of the more timid ones were even sweating profusely and on the verge of tears. They were worried that their lives might be lost here on their way to the capital for the imperial examination.
However, the officials in the examination hall all seemed very calm, and they didn't even change the distance they took with each step.
At this moment, a gentle and calm voice rang out, like a spring breeze, suddenly soothing their restless hearts.
"Students, please focus on your examinations. I, Zhu Dan, assure you, the villains will not be able to reach here, nor will they affect this spring examination in the slightest." Zhu Dan walked slowly, a faint smile on his face, and even adjusted his oversized sleeves.
He was already handsome, with fair skin, sculpted features, a tall and slender figure, and an upright posture. Seeing the Fifth Prince like this, the students suddenly felt fearless.
Yes, even the Fifth Prince, who is unparalleled in the world, has said so, and he is also the chief examiner this time. What do they have to be afraid of?
"Your Highness, do you know who that thief is?" one of the students asked.
Zhu Dan smiled faintly: "Don't worry, you'll see. Alright, focus on answering the questions."
Students who were struggling to find a starting point suddenly found themselves overflowing with inspiration and writing with divine inspiration.
Zhu Dan walked out of the examination hall and went to the place reserved for him to rest.
Zuo Xiu, holding Zhu Dan's armor in her hands, stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, shall we depart now?"
"Mm." Zhu Dan replied as he took the armor from Zuo Xiu and put it on.
Before leaving, he said to another examiner, "I have high hopes for Ren Yushan and the others."
"yes!"
Zhu Dan, sword in hand, led Zuo Xiu away in a long stride.
Deep inside the examination hall, Ren Yushan and more than a dozen other civil officials were bound, their mouths stuffed with rags, and thrown into the woodshed.
Those people stared at Ren Yushan with wide, horrified eyes, making gurgling, unpleasant noises.
Ren Yushan was much calmer. He completely ignored the buzzing civil officials around him and looked out the window with his cloudy eyes.
The deafening battle cries were the best sound in Shengjing City.
Just like twenty-seven years ago, on the eve of the dog emperor seizing the throne, the palace was filled with shouts of killing.
The difference is, they lost that time.
This time, however, they haven't lost yet.
As long as His Highness the Second Prince can control the old emperor, the country will still belong to the Second Prince.
As long as the country exists, his life will continue.
As Zhu Dan walked out of the examination hall, Lu Yucheng arrived with five thousand black-clad soldiers.
"Your Highness, Fifth Prince." Lu Yucheng bowed respectfully.
Zhu Dan raised his hand to stop the soldiers from saluting, and smiled slightly, saying, "No need for formalities, lest we disturb the students' examinations."
Lu Yucheng lowered his voice and said yes, thinking to himself that the Fifth Prince was indeed a dragon among men. Even in this situation, he still thought about letting the students focus on the imperial examination. Only those selected in this way could be considered true pillars of the Great Zhou.
Zhu Dan leaped onto his horse and galloped toward the palace, his red cloak fluttering in the spring breeze.
·
In the palace
Zhu Zhi pulled the knife out of Consort Ye's body and had just closed the palace door that Consort Ye had opened a corner of when a powerful force smashed the door open again.
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