A commotion broke out outside the main house, with several voices chattering amongst themselves.
"The general has returned safely!"
"I knew the general was blessed with good fortune and a long life; he was not one to die young. It is truly a blessing from heaven for our Great Liang!"
"The Huan people only have these tricks up their sleeves. General, your divine skills are unparalleled, I doubt they would dare to act rashly!"
The crowd either rejoiced or laughed wildly, probably unaware that Gu Yi had betrayed military intelligence and murdered their own general; they simply assumed that Xiao Ziwu had escaped from the jaws of death.
As the saying goes, those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune, and their general is sure to be one of those who will have good fortune in the future!
Xiao Ziwu exuded a low-pressure aura, was slightly out of breath from the long run, and had a slightly taut lip.
Ignoring the flattery of the crowd, he spoke in a low voice, the last syllable carrying a hint of coldness and unmistakable urgency: "Where is the woman who was brought back being held?"
Upon hearing His Highness's familiar, low, husky voice, Tianyun's heart skipped a beat, and a faint joy spread across his face.
She immediately put down the fan used to control the fire, ignoring even the bubbling medicine in the pot, and turned to run outside.
The handsome young soldier stood ramrod straight behind her, his gaze fixed on her intently. Seeing her suddenly run outside, he assumed something had happened and hurriedly followed her.
"Oh, young lady..."
Like a bird returning to its nest, Tianyun flapped her wings and rushed out of the doorway, her flowing black hair drawing a graceful arc behind her.
When Xiao Ziwu's pale pupils met her figure, they seemed to be painted with intense colors, like a dull landscape painting being painted with vibrant colors, and they shone with a dazzling light.
With so many people around, Xiao Zi couldn't resist the urge to pull the woman tightly into his arms and soothe her. His warm, gentle hand steadily took her small hand and held it firmly in his palm.
The tightly pursed lips finally loosened a little.
Are you injured?
"I'm fine..."
Touched by his worried tone, Tianyun felt a warm current flow through her heart, and she smiled gently and shook her head at him.
Xiao Ziwu breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious.
If anything happens to her, he can't guarantee that he'll still have his mind and won't tear Gu Yi to pieces!
"Gu Yi ate something bad and is currently unconscious. I secretly poisoned him while taking his pulse. There's no antidote I made that anyone can cure!" Tianyun whispered quietly into his ear, her tone just like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish.
Gu Yi captured her to manipulate Xiao Ziwu at will, but she seized the opportunity and turned the tables on him. It can only be said that he brought this upon himself.
"Yes, my darling helped me a lot," Xiao Ziwu said, his ears tingling.
He gently pinched the little woman's slightly smug face, and his cold expression suddenly softened.
Originally, when she was decocting the medicine, she wanted to add some dosage to it, but the little soldier kept a close eye on her from behind and never let his guard down for a moment, so Tianyun gave up her idea.
It seems that the young soldier held Gu Yi in high esteem and feared that she might harm him, which is why he paid close attention to her every move.
As His Highness led him to his side and protected him, Tianyun muttered to himself.
Unbeknownst to them, a heartbroken gaze lingered listlessly on her from behind the half-open door…
Tianyun was completely unaware of all this. At this moment, she was sitting quietly beside His Highness, listening to Yang Yong analyze the latest developments in the capital.
"His Majesty is unwell and has not attended court for ten days. Consort Lin is extremely worried and visits the Qianqing Palace every day to attend to him. Meanwhile, the Second Prince, who commands 20,000 imperial guards, controls the entire palace and forbids court officials from entering to visit him."
Rumors are already circulating among the people that His Majesty's days are numbered...
At this point, Yang Yong hissed, not daring to continue with those treasonous words, and instead frowned, saying, "Currently, the court is in a three-way power struggle, but the faction that supports Your Highness the Third Prince can be largely ignored..."
When news of Xiao Ziwu's ambush and death on a cliff reached the capital, some opportunists succumbed and sided with Xiao Ziyan. The remaining loyalists were only Yuwen Yi and a few others, who were weak and insignificant compared to the other two groups.
Despite his seemingly sarcastic words, Xiao Ziwu remained calm and composed, not even raising an eyebrow.
Yang Yong's attempt to be cheeky failed, so he could only laugh awkwardly and say, "The other two factions are the Emperor Protection Party, which is loyal to Mu Chengye, and the Second Prince Party, which supports the new emperor's ascension to the throne. The two factions are fighting fiercely, and quite a few officials have been dragged off their posts. They've almost turned the capital upside down!"
Mu Chengye naturally couldn't expose Xiao Limin's wolfish ambitions so quickly, so he had to pretend to uphold the banner of the emperor and wait until Xiao Ziyan was brought down before supporting the emperor's younger brother, Prince Qi, Xiao Limin, to ascend the throne in the name of the great Liang dynasty not being able to be without a leader.
In the eyes of the people, they are all of royal blood; whoever sits on the throne is just sitting on it.
Xiao Limin only needs to maintain his feigned reputation for virtue, and Mu Chengye will clear all obstacles for him and help him succeed to the throne smoothly.
This scheme was so well-planned that even Tianyun, thousands of miles away, could hear it!
Yang Yong was unaware that Mu Chengye had the powerful Prince Qi behind him; he only knew that the current situation was extremely unfavorable for the general.
He slapped his thigh and said, "It's no exaggeration to say that even if you rushed back to the capital immediately, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock to confront the Second Prince and Prime Minister Mu."
Xiao Ziwu asked in a calm voice, "If that's the case, why are you willing to tell me all this?"
He had no chance of winning against Xiao Ziyan, and Yang Yong's willingness to analyze the situation with him was a tacit way of siding with Xiao Ziwu.
Tianyun played with the prince's slender fingers, paused slightly upon hearing this, and cast a questioning glance at him.
She also wanted to know what Yang Yong was thinking.
Yang Yong scratched his head, and I said somewhat embarrassedly, "In the battle of Wuwang Pass, if it weren't for the general shooting down the enemy's stray arrow for me, I wouldn't be standing here safely right now. My worthless life was given to me by the general!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
