Flags fluttered, war drums thundered, Gu Zhen, wearing silver armor, stood facing the eldest prince of Xianbei. The fierce war horses neighed and paced. In a flash of cold light, Gu Zhen and the eldest prince of Xianbei simultaneously raised their swords and led thousands of troops to gallop across the battlefield.
Bright flags fluttered in the wind under the blue sky, bright armor gleamed with dazzling luster, swords shone with a sharp cold light, shouts of killing were heard everywhere, the deafening war drums were mixed with wailing and screaming, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
Gu Zhen was covered in blood, his armor was stained dark red, and his eyes were filled with blood red, making him look solemn and intimidating.
The eldest Xianbei prince's bloodstained face revealed an unconcealable panic, and his eyes were full of fear after failure. He had not expected that the pampered Crown Prince could be so brave and good at fighting. His hair was disheveled, the wounds on his body were slightly painful, and he made an unbearable painful sound in his throat. Blood kept flowing from under his armor, leaving a bloody mark on the ground.
Suddenly, a murderous sword energy came and cut off the eldest Xianbei prince's throat. He threw away the knife in his hand and covered his bleeding neck tightly with both hands, but still could not stop the blood from flowing. He fell under the horse's hooves, twitching and died with his eyes open.
When the Xianbei soldiers saw that the eldest prince was dead, their morale immediately dropped and they were quickly killed. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince won this battle!
Song Jiaren received good news from the front-line camp, and her heart finally settled down.
Gu Zhen took General Changfeng and rode back to the tent first, leaving Luo Wenhao behind to take care of the injured soldiers.
When he met Song Jiaren at the door of the big tent, he quickly reached out to stop her from rushing over. "Don't come over, I'm covered in blood."
The silver armor had turned dark red, and there were mottled bloodstains on his face. He reeked of blood. Song Jiaren asked anxiously, "Are you injured?"
"None of them belong to me. They belong to others." He took off his sword and threw it to Song Jiaren. "I'll go wash up first. Please help me clean the hilt."
Song Jiaren held the sword she had just fought in a bloody battle with in both hands. The scabbard was cold and emitted a hint of chill, and the inlaid gems shone with a moving luster. However, it was really heavy!
Normally, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wears it on his body every day and he doesn’t think it’s heavy. Why does it feel so heavy in her hand now?
It took some effort to wipe the blood off the scabbard and hilt. Gu Zhen changed into clean clothes and came back with the fragrance of a bath.
"Why is it so heavy? It doesn't look so heavy when you wear it on your body normally." Song Jiaren couldn't help complaining.
Gu Zhen sat over and said with a smile, "A sword that has been tempered through thousands of times is naturally heavy. I'm used to it, so it doesn't feel heavy to me. You'll definitely feel it's heavy when you hold it for the first time. In the future, clean it for me often, and you'll get used to it."
Song Jiaren hummed and said, "Why should I help you clean this sword so often?"
Gu Zhen slowly drew out the sword from its scabbard, its sharp edge gleaming with cold light. "This sword can cut through iron like mud..."
Song Jiaren was stunned for a moment before she twitched the corners of her mouth and said, "...Okay, I get it, stop talking."
Although she didn't believe he would use this sword that could cut through iron like mud to kill her, she still succumbed to his power.
Luo Wenhao comforted the wounded soldiers, and led the army back to the camp with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. In the tent, he saw Luo Zhen, the lord of Luobian City, who came over covered in dust.
Inside the tent, the original joy of victory was diluted a lot by Luo Zhen's arrival.
"Your Highness, General, I'm late." Luo Zhen apologized guiltily.
Gu Zhenshen glanced over and said sarcastically, "It doesn't matter whether City Lord Luo comes late or not. I was thinking of visiting City Lord Luo in two days. After all, the emperor already knows about this matter and will definitely not let off those who disobey military orders easily." When he learned that Luo Biancheng had not sent troops, he had already sent a letter to Gu Shen.
Luo Zhen broke out in a cold sweat and knelt down to beg for mercy, "Your Highness, my daughter is confused. As soon as I heard about this, I rushed here without stopping. I beg Your Highness to show mercy and spare my daughter." He only knew about this matter when Hua'er let the cat out of the bag two days ago. In a rage, he locked Hua'er in the room to reflect on her mistakes. After all, his wife had been married to him for many years, and she guessed that she had caused a big disaster. It was rare that she did not plead for Hua'er, and asked him to come to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to plead for mercy, hoping that he would forgive Hua'er this time and discipline her well in the future.
Gu Zhen snorted coldly, laughing at how he had indeed been dragged down by the mother and daughter, becoming an incompetent and weak person, with none of his original high spirits and lofty ambitions. "It's too late. I can't let this matter go unpunished. Do you know what the consequences would be if I hadn't taken out the tiger talisman and returned to mobilize the troops? The consequences would be that I and these 50,000 soldiers would die on the battlefield, and the front line would be lost. Do you think Luobian City in the rear would be any better? The people would be displaced by then. Can you bear the responsibility for these crimes?"
Luo Zhen collapsed to the ground. He didn't expect such serious consequences. Even if he had thought about it, hasn't he won now?
Why can't Your Highness forgive Huaer? If it weren't for Your Highness, Huaer wouldn't have been so stubborn and done such a thing.
Luo Wenhao looked at City Lord Luo who was lying limp on the ground with disgust. He thought it was a shame that he still had the nerve to come here. It was such a waste of the Crown Prince's guidance to him in the past. He actually raised such an ignorant daughter and still didn't repent.
"Your Highness...can't you...for the sake of our past relationship...spare my daughter's life?" Luo Zhen knelt on the ground in frustration and pleaded, "I am willing to take all the blame, and I only hope that you can spare my daughter's life."
Gu Zhen was extremely disappointed in him. Even though he loved his daughter dearly, he could not interfere in this matter. Things were different now. "Go back. The emperor will make the final decision. I am already an exile and will not care about the affairs of the court."
Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was determined, Luo Zhen could only leave in despair. Luo Wenhao had no sympathy for him and watched him leave with a look of "he deserved it".
Song Jiaren also heard about this and asked curiously, "How will the emperor punish me?"
Gu Zhen's face remained unfazed when he mentioned Luo Zhen. "He disobeyed military orders and should be executed according to the law. He failed to educate his daughter properly and allowed her to act recklessly. Luo Zhen has done his best as the city lord."
Zhihua didn't feel sorry for their family at all. This was retribution.
Gu Zhen suddenly asked, "You didn't plead for them, do you think the punishment is too harsh?"
Song Jiaren said with disdain, "Such a shameless person, why should I plead for their family? Have you forgotten that Zhihua designed you to take her in? Even such an act was not punished by City Lord Luo and the City Lord's wife. Instead, they think we are making a big deal out of nothing. Isn't this a problem with our values? It's simply that we don't take human life seriously."
He became increasingly angry as he spoke, and continued, "If you hadn't recalled 30,000 elite soldiers, this battle would have resulted in heavy casualties, and we wouldn't have been able to win so quickly."
Even a woman like Song Jiaren could think of such an obvious truth. How could Luo Zhen, the city lord, not think of it?
The more Gu Zhen thought about it, the angrier he became. If he had known this would happen, he would not have bothered to persuade Luo Zhen. He would have just let him fall into depravity.
When Luo Zhen returned to Luobian City, he looked depressed and his eyes were bloodshot. He had just stepped into the house and had not even had a sip of hot water when he was stopped in the front hall by his wife, who asked him anxiously.
"How is it? Are you okay?" The lady clenched the handkerchief in her hand and held her breath.
Luo Zhen was very tired and didn't even have the strength to speak. He said weakly, "Let me sit down and drink some water first."
"Why are you still drinking water? What happened? I'm so worried. Hua'er hasn't eaten properly for two days, and you're still keeping her in suspense!" The lady's voice was sharp, her face wrinkled, complaining that he still had the mind to drink water.
Luo Zhen felt sad. Ever since he knew Hua'er was in trouble, he had been rushing to the camp non-stop all night long. Now he was rushing back without stopping. His legs and feet were swollen, his back was sore, and he was starving. His wife wouldn't even let him drink water, and that naughty daughter had been spoiled by her. She didn't even come to admit her mistake even after knowing he was back.
Luo Zhen closed his eyes, and his sore eyeballs relaxed for a moment, and he slowly said, "Your Highness is not in charge of the affairs of the court now, and there is nothing you can do. Everything depends on the will of the emperor. At worst..." At worst, he, as a father, will atone for his daughter's sins, and he will bear the consequences alone.
The lady cried out, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't care about our lives anymore. It's a waste that you've been thinking about us for so many years. It's also because Hua'er was blind to fall for such a man. What should we do now~"
I cried so hard that my snot and tears fell together.
Luo Zhen wanted to comfort her and tell her that he would take care of everything, but the next words made him feel cold all over.
"My dear husband, Hua'er is our only child. Nothing must happen to her. If His Majesty really blames us, why don't you take the blame for our daughter? She's still young and she can't bear it!"
Is this still the same wife who traveled far away with him, shared hardships with him, and stayed with him in Luobian City?
"Do you know what the crime of disobeying military orders is?" Luo Zhen's voice was empty, as if it was lifeless.
The lady didn't know. I heard that the battle was won, so it shouldn't be a serious crime. At most, she would suffer some physical pain, which Hua'er would definitely not be able to bear. "No matter what punishment the emperor wants to impose, you just have to bear it for Hua'er."
At worst, she would serve him day and night after she came back, and everything would be fine. After this matter was over, she would find a good marriage for Huaer, marrying her off with equal status in a grand ceremony. Then they would return to their former glory.
Luo Zhen chuckled twice without moving a muscle. He was willing to die for his daughter, but he felt cold inside when his wife asked him to die. He crossed his arms weakly, feeling the cold wind blowing in from outside the hall. This winter seemed to be particularly cold.
Zhihua hid in the room and didn't dare to go out. Anyway, her mother had gone out to discuss with her father, and she would definitely be fine. No matter whether His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would help or not, her parents would not watch her being punished. She just let the cat out of the bag, and it was also her father's fault. Why didn't he just pretend he didn't hear it? He had to go to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to beg for mercy.
Maybe the Crown Prince didn't care about this matter at all after winning the battle, so he got angry when his father reminded him. It's all his fault.
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