Musician (8)
By the time Li Chiyin staggered into the hall, the place was already in chaos with everyone arguing and trying their best to clear themselves of suspicion.
In the chaos, only King Fujue was left sitting on the throne, furious.
Huyan Hu was his most valued son. Now someone dared to kill the crown prince so openly. This was tantamount to challenging him.
There is no doubt that the remaining two princes are highly suspicious in this assassination.
After all, Huyan Nu has not abdicated yet. As long as the crown prince is killed, Prince Fujue can be forced to appoint a new crown prince.
"Who is it! Who killed my tiger?" King Fujue roared at the ministers below the stairs, with veins bulging on his forehead and a terrifying look on his face.
But there was only murmur of discussion everywhere, and no one came forward to confess his crime.
This situation made King Fujue even more angry. In a rage, he pointed at everyone's noses and cursed, listing their crimes one by one.
"Hu Yanxiao! Don't think that just because your mother's clan is powerful, you can inherit the throne after my Hu'er dies! You are just like your mother! Both of you are bullies who take advantage of your power and are treacherous!"
"Huyan Jun and you! If it weren't for your loyalty, your hands that can't even lift a bow wouldn't be worthy of being my son! You're not worthy of being a citizen of Fujue!"
"Guliang Thrush! Look at you, you servile bastard! You talk about being wieldy and loyal, but in the end my Tiger still died for nothing!"
"And you useless bunch..."
…
The sight of Prince Fujue going crazy and biting anyone he caught in the palace was truly disgusting. All the ministers below the stairs clenched their fists, but had no choice but to swallow their anger and dared not resist.
Suddenly, Hu Yanjun's voice rang out, interrupting Prince Fujue's roars and curses: "Father, you must understand that I was traveling with you at that time. When I found my eldest brother's body, I was also with the Fifth Lady. You still doubt me, which is a bit unreasonable!"
"Tiger's wounds clearly indicate he was stabbed to death! All of you are suspects! Who knows how you could have killed such a strong Tiger like me! If the murderer is not found today, each of you will be buried with him!"
Sadly, King Fujue completely ignored Huyan Jun's explanation. Instead, he became more and more agitated and threatened to execute him.
Under the spit of King Fujue, Huyan Jun put aside the father-son relationship of the past and clenched his teeth.
Amidst his seemingly endless curses, Huyan Jun walked through the crowd, took a step forward, and approached King Fujue under everyone's gaze.
"What do you want to do!" King Fujue kept roaring at him, but his roar did not scare Huyan Jun away. On the contrary, Huyan Jun continued to press forward.
"You lackey! What on earth do you want to do?" King Fujue's roar remained undiminished.
"What do you want..."
Before he could finish his words, he paused. The ministers below the stairs were dumbfounded and covered their mouths with their hands in disbelief.
Prince Fujue felt his abdomen tighten. He looked down blankly and saw Huyan Jun inserting a dagger into his body. The more he tried to move, the deeper the dagger went.
"You didn't expect it, father? These hands that can't hold a bow aren't what you thought." Hu Yanjun tightened his grip on the hilt. "You've sat on the throne long enough. It's time for me to take over!"
Seeing this, the guards on both sides of King Fujue were about to swing their swords at Huyan Jun, but were interrupted by a sudden flying arrow.
In the blink of an eye, the guards around the hall raised their swords and surrounded everyone present. Screams and cries for help rang out one after another, which was exactly what Huyan Jun had expected.
When Prince Fujue's mouth began to bleed, Huyan Jun said his final goodbyes to him: "Father, thank you so much for thinking I was useless and handing over the palace's military power to me, allowing you to enjoy the beauty surrounding you. Without your help, how could I have deployed my guards to every corner of the palace? Now, you've brought this upon yourself!"
King Fujue stared wide-eyed, and in anger and shock, he took his last breath in this world.
As King Fujue breathed his last, the entire hall became increasingly chaotic.
Roaring, hacking, and the sounds of weapons clashing were heard one after another. In the blink of an eye, the magnificent hall was dyed red with blood and the ground was in ruins.
Hu Yanxiao, whose left arm was stabbed, lost the energy to resist. He hid in the corner with disheveled hair, gasping for breath.
The indiscriminate killing monster pushed him into a desperate situation. His unfocused eyes suddenly caught a figure approaching, and the blood-stained blade still reflected a dazzling light.
Seeing Huyan Jun gradually approaching, Huyan Xiao could only move backward while begging for mercy, but Huyan Jun deliberately quickened his pace and appeared in front of him in a moment.
He held the dagger that had killed his father and held it in front of his embarrassed brother.
The cries of pleading for mercy were piercing his ears, causing him to bare his teeth and look fierce. "Second brother, my ability to successfully usurp the throne now depends on you. I was just worried about not being able to deal with this strong and reckless eldest brother, but you took action against him before I did and helped me resolve this last hidden danger."
Hu Yanxiao had never seen such a scene before, and asked tremblingly: "You...how do you know it was me..."
When Huyan Xiao said this, Huyan Jun raised an eyebrow and feigned slight surprise. "Do you think that just because that fool of a father doesn't know about your use of a powerful crossbow, we don't know about it either? I was the one who found Big Brother's body. Wasn't it a crossbow bolt that pierced his chest? I simply stabbed him with a dagger to confuse the public and prevent them from identifying the murderer. Do you really think I don't know about your dirty deeds?"
“You…you…”
"If you want to blame someone, blame my father. I had no intention of taking action so quickly. He threatened to kill us all, so I had no choice but to go on a killing spree today."
"Hu Yanjun, you..."
Huyan Xiao seemed to want to say something, but Huyan Jun covered his mouth and slashed his throat with a knife very neatly.
Blood spilled down Huyan Jun's face along the raised blade, and the corners of his mouth, nose bones, and eyelashes were all stained with blood.
But the flying blood was no more cruel than his eyes. He signaled his guards to cut off the necks of the rebellious ministers, and the cruelty in his eyes seemed to be pouring out.
After a while, the massacre ended, and the remaining ones were his old ministers who knelt down and swore to support him.
Killing the father and the brother was the only way for the Fujue royal family to ascend to the throne by force. Relying on force to decide victory became a difficult tradition in the succession of the throne of this nation.
Li Chiyin arrived late, only to see all the old ministers kneeling on the ground with their chests pounding, and shouting in unison, "Your Majesty, the new king, we swear allegiance until death."
Standing in front of them was Huyan Jun, his hands covered in blood and his eyes fierce.
She found it hard to accept the bloodshed before her eyes, nor the reality of the dynasty's rebellion.
While she was standing there, Huyan Jun caught sight of her figure out of the corner of his eye and walked towards her with a chuckle.
He held the dagger in reverse and wiped the blood on the hem of his clothes.
Then, Hu Yanjun pinched Li Chiyin's chin and glared at her with his bloodshot eyes: "Fifth Lady, it looks like you will become my Queen. I advise you to obey me. If you make me angry, killing you will be easy."
Li Chiyin stared into Huyan Jun's eyes, and the fear in his expression was seen through a wisp of blood mist by Huyan Jun.
After saying this, Huyan Jun sneered, then turned away from her face and left without any mercy.
Li Chiyin couldn't help but frown.
She felt powerless about her future survival. She wanted to withdraw from the dispute, but she was already a trapped beast in a cage.
The coronation ceremony for the new king and the ceremony for the conferment of the title of empress were held simultaneously. Li Chiyin, who had worn Fujue's wedding gown twice, was already despairing. In her opinion, how could a woman marry a father and a son successively? It was completely unethical.
But the people of Fujue are accustomed to this, so what can she do?
In order to save her life, she had to follow their wishes and observe their customs even though she was extremely reluctant.
But fortunately, things are not too bad. At least Huyan Jun will not kill her at will.
Now that Kuixi's army has sufficient food and supplies, if he wants to raise an army, Fujue is no match for him. Therefore, no matter how arrogant Huyan Jun is, he will not easily kill her as a hostage, so as not to anger Emperor Kuixi.
But having said that, it was extremely difficult for Li Chiyin, who was far away from home, to communicate with his hometown. Even if he could save his life, he would still suffer.
The ceremony was scheduled for seven days later, and the news that Hu Yanjun had killed his father to ascend to the throne spread throughout Fujue in less than an hour.
When Xiao Lin and Mu You heard the news, several of the teacups in their hands broke.
"Huyan Jun?" Mu You pulled Xiao Lin to a corner of Liuxiang Residence, just to avoid the sight of the guests. "Why is it Huyan Jun? Wasn't the person we saw killing Huyan Hu that day the second prince, Huyan Xiao?"
"Yes, we saw it with our own eyes. The person who fired the crossbow was Hu Yanxiao!" Xiao Lin didn't know what was wrong and was so scared that he clenched the rag in his hand.
Yes, logically speaking, the person who rebelled should have been Huyan Xiao, so how come it was Huyan Jun who sat on the throne?
However, no matter who kills his father to ascend to the throne, one thing will not change - that is, the King Fujue has been replaced, and Li Chiyin has to remarry Huyan Jun according to custom.
Even as modern people, Xiao Lin and Mu You felt disgusted by such "inherited" bad habits.
In their eyes, women have become objects, objects without dignity and used only for entertainment.
It's absolutely disgusting.
Although Li Chiyin was indeed a few years younger than Huyan Jun in terms of age, since the ceremony had been completed, she was originally Huyan Nu's concubine and should not be tied to the throne and "inherited" by Huyan Jun together.
Presumably, Li Chiyin's spirit is on the verge of collapse at this moment.
At this moment, Mu You suddenly had an idea and grabbed Xiao Lin's arm: "Let's go find Jiang Yu and let him take the princess away!"
Xiao Lin didn't quite agree with him: "You want them to elope?"
"Yes!" Mu You's eyes were extremely determined. "Aren't we trying to change their fate? Why don't we just be good people? Since we've already kidnapped Jiang Yu, wouldn't it be better to just let them escape?"
"You can't escape! If the princess escapes, the people of Kuixi will face war!"
Only after hearing these words did Mu You calm down.
It is true that he was arbitrary just now. He only thought about Li Chiyin's love affair and forgot about her mission behind her.
Otherwise, is there any other way to have the best of both worlds?
She couldn't just sit there and watch Li Chiyin become Hu Yanjun's concubine, staying by that madman's side forever, could she? Was there really no ending for her and Jiang Yu?
No, there is still a chance.
Xiao Lin took a deep breath and tried his best to come up with an extremely risky plan. He discussed it with Mu You: "There is another way, which is to let the princess escape with her life."
"Death escape?"
"That's right. As long as she 'dies' in front of Hu Yanjun, she can legitimately change her identity and stay with Jiang Yu. After all, if she died accidentally, no matter how much the Fujue royal family pursues the matter, it's their fault."
After hearing this, Mu You pursed his lips and thought carefully.
Escaping by death is the worst option, but the ceremony of Li Chiyin and Huyan Jun being crowned as concubines is approaching. If Li Chiyin wants to escape from the den of the Fujue royal family, she really has no choice but to die.
So, Mu You gritted his teeth, raised his eyelashes, and revealed a pair of determined eyes below: "Okay, let's do it."
After experiencing two stories, Xiao Lin and Mu You were both quite dissatisfied with the ending. It was a pity for them that they were unable to save everyone.
Therefore, this time, they must take the initiative to attack, at least to ensure that Li Chiyin will not die in vain in a foreign land.
Logically speaking, even though the conferment ceremony will be held in the palace seven days later, Li Chiyin still has her freedom to act, so she will still visit Aili's clothing shop in the next few days.
Xiao Lin and Mu You's plan was to sneak into Aili's clothing store and talk to Jiang Yu and Li Chiyin.
However, in order to meet Jiang Yu or Li Chiyin, the task at Liu Xiangju had to be put on hold for the time being, but Chu Mo was really a profiteer and was not willing to give the two of them a vacation at all.
There was no other way, Xiao Lin and Mu You had to scrape together money from here and there, almost having to pawn all their clothes, before they could scrape together enough for a day's wages, which they reluctantly handed over to Chu Mo.
"What a profiteer!" Mu You cursed under his breath, smacking his lips. "How can he be so heartless? We were clearly trying to save people, but he's guarding us like we were thieves!"
"Okay, okay, stop complaining. The money has been paid, so let's get going."
Fortunately, Xiao Lin still retained his rationality and dragged the cursing Mu You out of the door.
After going out, the two of them crawled through the dog hole in the backyard of Aili Garment Shop, sneaked into the yard, found a haystack, and squeezed in. It was very stuffy.
Fortunately, this embarrassing scene did not last for half a moment, and the figures of Li Chiyin and Jiang Yu appeared in front of Xiao Lin through the gaps between the haystacks.
While Li Chiyin was still instructing the embroiderer on her skills, Jiang Yu unknowingly retreated to the corner.
Xiao Lin was still worried about how to meet him, but he didn't expect him to approach them step by step.
Just as he was about to step onto the haystack where he was hiding, Mu You immediately took action and grabbed his wrist, scaring Jiang Yu so much that he immediately looked back.
Mu You reacted quickly and immediately made a gesture to silence him.
Jiang Yu was about to shout, but when he saw Mu You's familiar face, he immediately reached out to cover his mouth, blocking out the shouting.
"Bring the princess to the riverside later. We have something to discuss."
Jiang Yu's brows were still furrowed, but the two people in front of him were not bad people. If it weren't for them, he would still be hiding in Tianling's shabby house, trembling with fear and being a coward.
So, after just a moment, he nodded to Mu You and Xiao Lin.
Now that they had seen Jiang Yu, it was inconvenient for Xiao Lin and Mu You to stay there any longer, so they hurriedly changed their positions and arrived at the agreed riverbank first.
As soon as they arrived here, Jiang Yu led Li Chiyin and secretly followed them.
This was the first time that Xiao Lin and Mu You saw Li Chiyin at such a close distance.
She was truly extraordinarily beautiful. Even after having stayed in Fujue for half a year, her face was still rosy and clear. Even when she was wearing local clothes, the dignity and grandeur that emanated from her bones still came to the fore without reservation.
"Your Highness, it's them." Jiang Yu said, moving a step to the side to allow Li Chiyin to take a good look at them.
Afterwards, Li Chiyin walked around Jiang Yu and looked directly into Xiao Lin's eyes, but said nothing.
Seeing this, Xiao Lin finally came to his senses and stepped forward to reveal her and Mu You's plan. "Your Highness, I'm Xiao Lin, and he's my good friend Mu You. We want to help you."
"Are you from the Central Plains?"
Unexpectedly, what Li Chiyin blurted out was these words. Xiao Lin was a little at a loss for a moment, and his eyes were a little wandering.
Therefore, Jiang Yu explained further: "It was these two who abducted me from Tianling. Otherwise, I am afraid I will never see His Highness again in this life."
They? Such young people?
Li Chiyin hesitated, but since Jiang Yu had said it himself, she believed it and bowed to them, saying, "Thank you very much."
Xiao Lin and Mu You felt something was wrong, so they quickly knelt down and gave her a big gift in return.
Li Chiyin stepped forward and helped the two of them up, then returned to the previous topic: "I heard from Ah Yu that you have something to discuss with me?"
"Yeah." Xiao Lin responded first.
After that, Mu You immediately responded: "We have a plan that can help you escape from this predicament."
Li Chiyin stood up straight, not daring to relax his gaze at all.
"We can help you fake your death. After that, you will no longer be Princess Kui Xi. You can find a place where no one knows you and live a good life with Jiang Yu."
Li Chiyin listened to every word, but his expression did not change.
Xiao Lin didn't know why, so he continued, "You can pick a date, but the sooner the better. Come up with a reason to drive the carriage to the cliff three miles to the east, and you'll be done!"
"What are you talking about?" Jiang Yu was also confused about the situation and asked first.
Xiao Lin ignored him and continued to talk to Li Chiyin, "We've explored it. There's a dense bush on the edge of the cliff. Once we get to that bush, you can send the attendants and maids away. We'll startle the horses, and while you're sending the maids away, we'll take the opportunity to jump out of the carriage through the window, roll to the bush, and let the carriage fall off the cliff. We'll then fake our own death!"
Faking death and living with a completely new identity, isn't this what Li Chiyin has always dreamed of?
Jiang Yu suddenly realized what was going on. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Li Chiyin's arm, shouting, "What a great idea! Your Highness, if this plan works, you can escape this sea of suffering!"
Everyone was looking forward to the fake death, except Li Chiyin, who looked hesitant.
Xiao Lin didn't know what she was hesitating about. Wasn't escaping from Fujue and staying with the one she loved what she wanted in her life?
For a long while, Li Chiyin stood there, swallowing her worries and looking straight ahead, with worry and fear coexisting.
Jiang Yu was puzzled and held her arm even tighter.
Then, Li Chiyin opened his thin lips slightly and stared straight into the eyes of the person in front of him, not daring to lose his mind for a moment.
"You said you wanted to go and pay respects?" Hu Yanjun stood on the steps of the palace, looking down at Li Chiyin. "When are you going?"
"Tomorrow." Li Chiyin straightened her sleeves and stared into Huyan Jun's eyes to hide her inner anxiety. "Isn't it because the wedding is approaching and we are afraid that something might go wrong that we follow our Kuixi tradition and go to the suburbs to pay homage to ensure safety?"
Hu Yanjun has always been suspicious, and Li Chiyin's sudden decision this time might be a trick.
Li Chiyin was not very confident that she could get Hu Yanjun's consent. After all, to be safe, locking her in the palace was the best option.
But soon, Hu Yanjun's response was unexpected.
"Okay." He agreed to her request calmly.
Li Chiyin had not expected that he would agree so readily, which made her a little panicked.
"I respect your traditions, but don't try to play tricks on me. You should know that when it comes to capital punishment, I am more familiar with it than any of you..."
Facing Huyan Jun's increasingly close face, Li Chiyin's mouth trembled and finally stopped at a fixed height.
The tears in her eyes flashed, and she replied softly, "As you command."
But even though Li Chiyin agreed so easily, her heart still beat fast when Huyan Jun approached.
His height, his cruelty, and every inch of his terrifying face were deeply engraved in Li Chiyin's heart.
Her desire to escape from this place suddenly reached its highest point.
But, for some reason, there was always a voice in her heart, whispering to her that she couldn't escape, she couldn't escape...
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