Chaos in Chang'an
Now Chang'an is deathly silent. The once bustling city of Chang'an is no longer filled with laughter and joy. Only occasionally, faint sobs can be heard from a corner of a courtyard.
Xuanping Prince's Mansion
"Madam Gu, everything has been arranged properly, ensuring they have no way to escape."
The soldier knelt on one knee and reported to Gu Qingyi.
"Really?" Gu Qingyi scoffed, slamming the booklet in her hand in front of him. "Then tell me how the Pei family got out of the city?"
"This..." The soldier was at a loss, stammering for a long time without being able to say anything.
"You may leave now," the visitor said as he entered the study.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"What? Can't I reprimand your subordinates, Prince Wei?" Gu Qingyi's expression was cold, clearly displeased.
The man opposite her chuckled and stepped forward to put his arm around her shoulder, but she dodged him. He paused for a moment but wasn't angry. Instead, he continued to laugh, "Why bother getting angry with them? They're just two kids. I'll send someone to capture them."
"madness!"
Gu Qingyi walked towards the city defense map. "If the Pei family can get out, they must have a special route. Send someone to monitor them and find out the secret passage."
The Prince of Wei walked to her side, his brows furrowing slightly. "Secret passage? What makes you say that... Never mind, I'll send someone to investigate. Don't be angry anymore. Yong'er has been clamoring to see you lately. Don't you really want to even glance at your own son?"
“What’s there to see? In the current situation, if he truly cares about me as his biological mother, he should stop causing me trouble.” Gu Qingyi raised her hand to lightly press her temples, then turned to look at him. “How did you raise him to be so stupid? He’s nothing like A-Ling…”
After saying that, her face suddenly darkened, and she waved her hand at him, "You can go now. I want to be alone. If you have something to say, go find Sima Xian. You don't need to come to me."
Of course, the Prince of Wei wouldn't leave. He hugged Gu Qingyi from behind and said, "I've been guarding the northern lands for many years, so naturally I can't take care of Yong'er. He's just a bit of a spoiled brat. With your guidance, he'll naturally correct his ways. Besides, if it weren't for his personality, he wouldn't be able to fool the people in the palace."
"The three of us have been separated for so long, don't you miss us at all?"
His tone was quite resentful, so Gu Qingyi had to brace herself to deal with him.
He's the only force she can hold onto right now.
"How could that be? I've just been a bit tired lately. You know that Jiang Li's side has run into trouble, and Xin Yi is dead. There's a ton of stuff left for me to handle, and I haven't slept a wink these past few days. I'm just a little irritable."
Gu Qingyi held the Prince of Wei's hand and leaned against him. "When I gave birth to Yong'er, I almost had a difficult childbirth, and he went to the North with you at a young age. Mother and son have been separated for many years. How can I not be in pain? As long as we can win, the three of us will never have to be separated again."
"Don't worry, I have a million soldiers, I won't fail." King Wei leaned on Gu Qingyi's shoulder, unable to see the coldness in her eyes.
"I...of course I hope so."
Back then, he was the heir apparent of the first Prince of Wei, the Prince of Wei who fought on the battlefield and followed the late emperor to conquer the world, a Prince of Wei with unwavering loyalty. Human hearts are unpredictable, and the Prince of Wei, who had been stationed in the north for many years, far from the prosperous Chang'an, had long harbored resentment.
She was the link between the Yu Dynasty and the King of Wei. Marriage was a common method, and she would give birth to a child with his bloodline to maintain the relationship between the two sides.
This method was proposed by Ye Taoyao's father, the Prime Minister.
Gu Qingyi recalled that on the eve of Lu Kou's wedding, she had unknowingly become a driving force behind it all.
"Qingyi, I miss you so much."
The King of Wei acted intimately, as if they were truly a married couple of many years, but in reality, they had never even had a grand wedding.
But she was indeed listed in the Chu family genealogy.
A thin emotional bond can give rise to eight or nine parts genuine sincerity when catalyzed by self-interest.
"I miss you too. You've changed a lot over the years."
"Back then I was just a greenhorn, but now I've matured a lot. You, on the other hand, haven't changed much and are still as beautiful as ever."
Annoyance flashed in Gu Qingyi's eyes. "Enough of that. Tell me about Yong'er. I heard he's recently found a woman he likes? Do you know who it is?"
"He wanted to see you because of this matter; he has taken a fancy to the Sui family's wife."
"The Sui family? Who?!" Gu Qingyi was a little flustered, but quickly covered it up.
"Qingyi, what's wrong?"
She spoke gently, "I'm just a little surprised. Which woman has he taken a fancy to? If he really likes her, saving her life wouldn't be difficult."
"If that's what Yong'er said, it seems he's taken a fancy to Madam Sui, the young master of the Sui family."
Gu Qingyi's face was perfect and elegant, but when she heard the person's message, a slight crack appeared on her flawless face.
Her tone was ambiguous, "He certainly has good taste..."
"Um?"
"I'm thinking, no wonder she's my biological child."
These words delighted the Prince of Wei, and Gu Qingyi asked him to make proper arrangements for the streets of Chang'an and the palace, to which he readily agreed.
Hearing the door creak open, Gu Qingyi sat down in a chair and finally managed to get rid of it.
Why did it have to be Ah Ling?
When Sima Xian returned, he was clearly in a bad mood. He only said that Jiang Li had betrayed him and that Xin Yi had died.
As for the specifics, Gu Qingyi guessed that it was related to A Ling, what exactly that child, the child she personally taught, did?
Thinking of the child's background, she couldn't help but look towards the direction of the palace.
Arrows rained down outside the palace gates, and Prince Wei, having agreed to Gu Qingyi's request, decided to come himself.
He rode a tall horse, raised his hand, then lowered it, unleashing another volley of arrows.
The imperial guards on the palace walls had long since run out of arrows. Broken short arrows, soaked in blood, were embedded in the cracks of the walls, forming dark red streaks.
King Wei: "Keep ramming the palace gates! Haven't you eaten enough? Ram them harder!"
The battering ram pounded against the gate again and again, producing a dull, resounding crash that echoed throughout the entire Daming Palace.
Chaoyang suddenly heard a loud noise, and her belly suddenly felt heavy. She grabbed Cui Wan's hand, "It hurts! I'm going into labor! Wan, go and call for help!"
"Princess sister-in-law! Hang in there, the midwife is coming soon, just hold on a little longer."
As soon as Cui Wan called out, the palace servants of Chaoyang Palace rushed to call the midwife to prepare for Chaoyang's delivery.
Upon hearing the shouts from outside, Chu Shize immediately dropped what he was holding and ran out.
"Chaoyang!" He quickly carried Chaoyang to the delivery room. "Quickly, quickly call over the waiting midwives and imperial physicians! Send someone to inform the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."
"yes."
Chaoyang nearly fainted, and when she opened her eyes again, she was in waves of abdominal pain, as if it were tearing her apart.
She couldn't tell what the sticky stuff under her body was, and all she could hear were the midwives' shouts and the sounds of palace servants moving around.
"Chaoyang, Chaoyang, wake up!"
"Chu...Chu Shize!" She could barely hold back any longer, letting out a long groan as a huge wave of pain rendered her speechless.
She remembered when her mother, Consort Zhou, gave birth. As a child, she stood outside the palace while her grandmother covered her ears. Even though her ears were covered, she could still clearly hear Consort Zhou's painful groans.
She felt like she was really going to die, otherwise how could she have remembered things from her childhood?
She turned her head and vaguely saw Chu Shize's face. That damned bastard, that scoundrel—it was all his fault. She wanted to issue an order to kill him immediately!
She cursed everyone in her mind, including the royal guards who were ramming the palace gates—beasts! A bunch of beasts! Lowly things born of mothers but raised by no fathers!
Chaoyang couldn't tell how many people she had cursed. Her mind suddenly went blank, followed by an indescribable pain. She raised her neck and howled in agony.
"Princess, please stop shouting. The crucial part is yet to come. Please save your energy."
"Chaoyang, save your energy. If it hurts, just bite me." Chu Shize stretched out his arm.
As the sun rose, it shone on him. He held a handkerchief in his other hand to wipe her sweat. She desperately wanted to speak, but couldn't utter a single word.
What use are you!
Why wasn't it you who gave birth! This princess will never have another child! Lu Zhuqiao will never have another child!
The pain came in waves, one wave after another, and she couldn't hear the people around her or Shi Ze speaking.
She actually bit his arm, and seeing him wince in pain, she felt a surge of pleasure, but it was only for a moment before the pain overwhelmed the pleasure.
After an unknown amount of time, the midwife picked up the child and exclaimed, "It's born! It's born! It's a little princess!"
Chu Shize's arm was covered in blood from bite marks, which he concealed with his robe. He leaned close to Chaoyang's ear and said, "Aqiao, she's a little princess."
"The palace gates..."
Chu Shize didn't hear clearly at first, and looked blankly at the look in Chaoyang Daoren's eyes.
"How are the palace gates?"
"His Majesty has already sent more Imperial Guards. You should rest well first. I'll handle these matters." Chu Shize wiped the sweat from her brow, his gentle gaze tinged with sadness.
The palace gates are about to collapse.
The sun beat down in waves, and outside everything was being battered. The King of Wei's iron cavalry was brave and skilled in battle, originally sent to guard the northern lands against the barbarians. Although the Imperial Guard was elite, it could not withstand the King of Wei's relentless attacks.
Exhausted, Chaoyang closed her eyes and fell asleep. Chu Shize held her hand tightly, his expression inscrutable. Only when the palace servants outside came to his side did he get up and go outside.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager stood in the hall, and he stepped forward to pay his respects.
"Why be so formal at a time like this?"
The Empress Dowager held the little princess in her arms and gently coaxed her. When she saw him arrive, she sighed, "This child is well-behaved. He stopped crying after a while."
Chu Shize's joy at becoming a father for the first time could not mask his worries about Chaoyang and the current tense situation.
"Father, nowadays in Chang'an, besides the Imperial Guards, only General Chu Feixuan holds the military tally. However, the general is trapped in his residence. Has Father been able to contact the general?"
The Emperor remained expressionless, and Chu Shize lowered his head, not daring to say anything more, as he had already said too much.
"Soon."
After he finished speaking, a eunuch rushed over to report, "General Chu has arrived with his men, and the two groups are currently facing off at the palace gate."
A glimmer of hope ignited in Cui Wan's heart; they were saved. If they could hold out a little longer and reinforcements were brought in from elsewhere, this catastrophe should be over.
"Good, good!" The Emperor laughed loudly, "You truly are worthy of being my beloved Minister Chu."
"Your Majesty, please go to the front to discuss matters. With me, the Empress Dowager, looking after things here in Chaoyang, nothing serious will happen."
Cui Wan: "This humble woman will also take good care of Princess Sister-in-law."
The emperor nodded and strode away.
"Respectfully seeing off His Majesty!"
Chu Shize felt much relieved, at least Chaoyang could rest in peace. He took the child from the Empress Dowager's arms.
The tiny face was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the eyebrows and eyes resembled his and Chaoyang's; this was his and Chaoyang's child.
Chu Shize reached out and gently touched her, but she grabbed his fingers and wouldn't let go.
"Cousin, let me see."
He lowered the child a little so she could see, and Cui Wan's eyes lit up. "His nose and mouth look like my cousin's, and his face shape and eyes look like my sister-in-law's."
"Chaoyang looked just like this when she was born, so tiny." The Empress Dowager recalled the past with a look of nostalgia in her eyes. "Take me to see Chaoyang."
Chu Shize led the Empress Dowager inside. In front of the palace, he looked up at the sky, which was shrouded in mist.
Under the same sky, Chu Feixuan led his troops to the front of the battle formation, exclaiming, "What a magnificent display of power, Prince Wei!"
"General, why waste words with him? Let's fight first!" the lieutenant general suggested.
"Of course we should fight, but we also need to see how we should fight." Chu Feixuan raised his eyes to look at the King of Wei, a mocking expression on his arrogant face.
"Our young master said he wants to have some fun with you all." A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he drew his sword, faced the Prince of Wei, and smiled.
Half a month ago, Sui Zhixu sent Liu Lü to secretly enter Chang'an to meet him. Chang'an, which had just been besieged, was filled with wailing and the news of the Prince of Wei's rebellion swept through the entire city. No one was not worried.
When the northern motorcycles broke through the gates of Chang'an, the vendors on the streets scrambled to make way, and passersby abandoned their shopping baskets and fled in chaos.
The King of Wei's army surrounded Dongfang with lightning speed, trapping a large number of officials in their sleep. The moment they opened their eyes, a knife was at their throats.
Chu Feixuan quickly stood up when he sensed something was wrong, but the other side had a large number of people and he had no choice but to remain still without orders from the head of the family and the emperor.
Now he can finally take action.
"Proceed according to plan," he said to the lieutenant general, before charging forward first.
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