Chapter 313 Falling into the Trap
Shen Qingci's fingers unconsciously caressed the intricate embroidery patterns on her sleeves. She lowered her head, biting her lower lip tightly until she tasted a faint metallic flavor.
Chu Jichen loves her, and she knows it.
He tried every means to protect her, even at the cost of separating from her and sending her out of the perilous imperial city, because he felt it was more dangerous around him and wanted to protect her.
How could she possibly betray such profound affection?
Naturally, she also needed to be more careful about her own life.
The current situation is turbulent and unpredictable, with every step fraught with danger. The best help she can give Chu Jichen is to protect herself, avoid being lured by the rebels' schemes, not become a pawn in their hands, and ensure Chu Jichen has no worries about the future.
Shen Qingci closed her eyes and silently warned herself: I must not put myself in danger, I must not implicate Chu Jichen, and I must not distract him from worrying.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. The only option now was to wait.
Waiting for news from Chu Jichen, waiting for the situation to become clear.
However, while Shen Qingci suppressed her urge to check the situation, someone else couldn't resist.
Not long after, a member of the secret service rushed in, and before he could even bow, he hurriedly reported, "Master, something has happened! Commander Qingming has led his troops into battle against the rebels!"
Shen Qingci's eyelids twitched suddenly, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart: "What's going on? Wasn't she told to stay put?"
"The heads of the late emperor and Huo Yunting were hung on the palace tower. When the rebels saw them, they were immediately like a group of dragons without a leader. Their morale collapsed and they were thrown into chaos. The whole army was like a pile of loose sand."
The Dark Division member explained quickly, "Seeing this, Commander Qingming felt it was a golden opportunity and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to launch an attack and crush the rebels in one fell swoop."
"She originally sent someone back to report to her master and ask what should be done."
"But at that time, some of the rebels were already preparing to abandon their armor and flee. The opportunity was fleeting, and Commander Qingming felt that the opportunity should not be missed. So, without waiting for your reply, he directly ordered the siege of the rebels and engaged them in battle!"
Shen Qingci felt a buzzing in her head. She raised her hand and pressed her temple, feeling the veins on her forehead throbbing.
She was busy arranging for people to gather information and analyze the situation, but she forgot to send a message to Qingming, repeatedly instructing her to remain still.
Although Qingming is brave, he is still young and impetuous. If he falls into the enemy's trap of luring him deep into their territory...
Shen Qingci closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down: "The enemy has most likely set a trap, a trap to lure us in! Immediately send a message to Qingming to stop the attack and withdraw their troops immediately, regardless of the situation! Preserve our strength!"
The rebels had already surrounded the palace while she and Qingming's men were still outside the city. They had no idea how many men they had deployed or how many trump cards they were hiding.
Qingming had just returned with the Shen family's troops and only saw the rebels' forces that were openly placed outside the palace. He hadn't yet had time to find out whether the rebels had secretly amassed troops and set up ambushes elsewhere.
Judging from the current strange situation, it's highly likely that it is.
Shen Qingci gritted her teeth, secretly calculating in her mind.
If she was the rebel leader...
If she were the rebel leader, having already employed the tactic of displaying a severed head, she must have made thorough preparations. She would also undoubtedly have secretly amassed some elite troops as a surprise force.
They wait for the Shen family's troops, or Chu Jichen's troops, to recklessly surround the bait they had placed in the open, or even impatiently tighten the encirclement and engage the rebels in battle.
The hidden force will then quickly flank them from behind, completely surrounding them and capturing them all!
Shen Qingci's fingers trembled slightly, and a chill ran through her heart.
If the rebels really do this, the Shen family army led by Qingming will probably be in danger.
"Arrange for some highly skilled martial artists to hide in the shadows and provide backup."
Shen Qingci made a decisive decision and ordered in a deep voice, "If Qingming and the others are completely surrounded and unable to break through, you should rush directly into the encirclement of those rebels and try your best to tear a gap in their encirclement to help Qingming break through!"
"We must try our best to rescue as many of Shen's soldiers as possible."
The guard nodded solemnly: "Your subordinate obeys! Your subordinate will make the arrangements immediately. After leaving enough people to protect our master, we will mobilize all the elite troops we can to provide support!"
Shen Qingci responded, but her mind was still in turmoil.
Although they had the help of secret guards, each of whom was highly skilled in martial arts, and might be able to create a small opening, it would be a drop in the ocean compared to the overwhelming force of the rebel army.
That's not enough.
Of the soldiers originally conscripted, only a few were veterans who had served in the Shen family army.
Moreover, Qingming only brought this many elite troops into the city in order to speed up the journey.
The number of troops that can be mobilized in the city is extremely limited.
Shen Qingci stood up and paced back and forth in the room, her skirt swaying slightly with her steps, just like her anxious heart at that moment.
What should she do?
What else can we do?
She spun around a few times, then suddenly stopped, a memory flashing through her mind of when Chu Jichen issued an edict to conscript troops, and she went to war with Qingming.
At that time, she thought that because of the long and dark injustice suffered by the Shen family, and the indifference of other officials and common people when that injustice occurred, Qingming would definitely not be able to recruit any troops even if he raised the banner of the Shen family.
But things took an unexpected turn.
Countless people applied, and countless people were willing to risk their lives for the name "Shen Family".
Shen Qingci bit her lip, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.
This shows that the people were not unaware of what her father, brothers, and the Shen family had done and sacrificed for the Great Zhou.
They were not unaware of who were loyal ministers and generals, and who were traitors and rebels.
They were just too weak and powerless to do anything about it.
if……
A desperate madness flashed in Shen Qingci's eyes. What if she arranged for someone to tell all the people in the capital the truth about everything that was happening, with great fanfare?
Tell them that the late emperor faked his death and disrupted the government, and that the Huo family has betrayed their promise!
Tell them that the Shen family's troops, who were conscripted to protect the Emperor and safeguard the peace of the capital, have fallen into a trap set by the rebels and are now surrounded and on the verge of death.
Shen Qingci gritted her teeth, turned around abruptly, and called out to the departing members of the Dark Guard: "Wait!"
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