"Seize this vixen for me immediately!" Tuoba Ze finally seized the opportunity and immediately gave the order without further ado.
Yi Shangyun glared at him angrily, and a hint of guilt flashed in Tuoba Ze's eyes.
Soon, she turned her gaze to Tuoba Hong, who was heartbroken at the moment.
"What are you doing? Let me go, let me go!" she cried, as she broke free from the guards' grip on her arms.
He kept loudly explaining to Tuoba Hong, "Second Prince, it wasn't me, it really wasn't me, you have to believe me, I didn't kill the old king, I really didn't kill the old king."
However, Tuoba Hong just stared blankly at the ground beneath his feet, his fists clenched tightly, as if he were completely isolated, unable to hear anything, only his shoulders seemed to be trembling faintly.
"Ever since the Second Prince left, you've been the only one serving the old king. No wonder you're so attentive every day; you've been plotting something all along. Someone even saw you hurriedly pack your things and sneak off on a fast horse the night you left the old king's tent. If it wasn't you, who else could it be?" The messenger added, perfectly timed.
Tuoba Ze seemed quite satisfied with the guard's actions. The two exchanged a secret glance, and a sly smile crept onto their lips.
"You're spouting nonsense! The reason I rushed to get here overnight is because I promised the old king I would bring..." Before she could finish speaking, Yi Shangyun suddenly realized something was wrong and immediately understood that she had been tricked.
He glanced at Tuoba Ze, then at the face of the guard who had brought the news of the death, and thought to himself, "A mere guard wouldn't dare to so brazenly distort the truth in front of the two princes. He must have a powerful backer behind him, that person..."
Yi Shangyun glanced again at the two brothers' completely different attitudes after suddenly learning of their father's death, and immediately concluded: "That person must be... Tuoba Ze. Could it be that the real murderer of the old king... is actually his own son?"
Upon realizing this, Yi Shangyun was immediately stunned.
She hadn't expected Tuoba Ze to be so ruthless, but upon closer reflection, what evidence did she have?
How could she possibly explain this to the two brothers?
Tuoba Hong was clearly not ready to tell Tuoba Ze about the fact that the old king had passed on the Heavenly Horse Military Seal to him.
Tuoba Ze must not know that he had retrieved the Heavenly Horse Military Seal from the tornado and returned it to Tuoba Hong's hands; otherwise, he would have already been unable to contain himself.
They were, after all, brothers born of the same mother. Even if she told him everything, given how ruthless and heartless she had been towards him, would Tuoba Hong still believe her?
Furthermore, if this matter continues to be investigated thoroughly, her visit to the Western Qin military camp and her meeting with Xuan Yuanhan will inevitably be exposed. Who knows what they will think then? She will probably be completely unable to defend herself.
As she pondered this, she dared not think any further...
Just as she was pondering this, Tuoba Hong, suppressing his immense grief, slowly and predictably asked in a deep voice, "From the heartland to the military camp, you should have arrived yesterday. So where did you go during this time?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze immediately raised his head and stared nervously into Yi Shangyun's eyes, fearing that she would reveal that he had fought with her for the Heavenly Horse Military Talisman, and that Tuoba Hong would become suspicious of him.
Yi Shangyun stared intently at Tuoba Hong's lowered face, feeling like she was swallowing a bitter pill, unable to express her grievances.
Instantly, the hearts of all three jumped to their throats, and the air became extremely tense.
"I...I..." Yi Shangyun stammered with a solemn expression, finally letting out a heavy sigh in his heart, giving up all chances to defend himself.
"What? Speechless?" Tuoba Hong raised his eyes slightly, his eyes filled with coldness and sarcasm as he spoke coldly.
Yi Shangyun froze on the spot, remaining silent for a long, long time.
"Guards, lock her up. No one is allowed to approach her without my order." Tuoba Hong remained silent for a while, took a deep breath, and finally gave the order.
Immediately, two soldiers moved closer to him again.
"Second Prince, I really didn't kill the King, please believe me, I really didn't, I really didn't..." Yi Shangyun shouted as he was dragged away.
Seeing this, Tuoba Ze finally breathed a long sigh of relief, slowly stood up, and walked to Tuoba Hong's side with a feigned melancholy expression. He put one hand on Tuoba Hong's shoulder and patted him lightly twice, asking with concern, "Brother, are you alright?"
Unexpectedly, Tuoba Hong suddenly raised his head and looked deeply into his face, asking quite seriously, "Brother, no matter when, in the past, present, or future... you will never lie to me, right?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze was momentarily stunned by the unprecedented look he had received from Tuoba Ze, before smiling and saying, "We are brothers, we are sworn brothers, of course I, your elder brother, would not lie to you!"
Tuoba Hong searched for a long time in Tuoba Ze's dark and deep eyes, but he could never find the same familiarity and attachment he had felt in his childhood.
Suddenly turning his gaze away, he remembered when he was five years old. He saw that Tuoba Ze was particularly good at horsemanship, and Tuoba Ze wanted to help him get on a horse and teach him, but he never dared to try.
Tuoba Ze then stretched out a hand to himself and said, "Brother Hong, don't be afraid! We are brothers, we are siblings, of course your elder brother would not lie to you! I will always be by your side to protect you."
Warm memories still lingered in his mind, but at this moment, an unprecedented sense of extreme fear was slowly rising in his heart.
He couldn't believe what he suspected, yet his intuition compelled him to believe it.
Perhaps, only now, does he finally understand where he went a few days ago?
Despite her deep disappointment and heartache, she maintained a bitter smile, silently asking herself, "Wule, of course I believe you wouldn't have killed Father. But what are you deliberately hiding from me? And how did you get all those scars?"
With this thought in mind, he decided to go back and thoroughly investigate his father's death.
So, suppressing all his emotions, he silently said, "That's good!" and stood up and walked straight out of the tent.
Just as they reached the entrance of the main tent, he suddenly turned back and said, "Brother, I'll leave everything on the battlefield to you for now. I must go back and personally see Father off, and I must also bring her back to confess her sins to Father in person."
Having said that, he staggered out the door, his face pale and dejected. After giving some instructions to his guards, he mounted his horse and galloped towards the heart of the land, calling out sadly in his heart, "Father, Hong'er is back. I'm sorry, Hong'er is late..."
Tuoba Ze stared at his departing figure, utterly bewildered...
Around midnight on the second day, in the Western Qin army camp.
Xuanyuan Han was holding a candle in his tent, making final arrangements and reviews for the upcoming final battle.
Cheng Liang suddenly seemed preoccupied and hurried into the main tent, stammering, "Your Highness, I just overheard the Northern Lie woman who helped the army doctor treat Miss Wu Le the other day saying...saying..."
"What did you say?" Xuan Yuanhan raised his head and looked into his eyes, asking in a deep voice.
Cheng Liang took a breath and mustered his courage to say, "I'd like to say that Miss Wu Le has a very conspicuous phoenix mark on her body."
"What?" Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan's eyes widened and he stood up in shock.
Coming to her senses, she looked at Cheng Liang again to confirm: "Are you sure? She really didn't see wrong?"
Cheng Liangchao nodded seriously and said, "Absolutely true!"
"So, that woman named Wu Le, she really is... Yun'er! Yun'er isn't dead, she's really still alive!" Xuan Yuanhan was truly shocked, as if a huge boulder that had been weighing on his heart for a long time had finally been lifted.
It turns out his feeling was absolutely right.
Then he remembered the mysteriously disappeared silver needle pouch, and Xuan Yuanhan suddenly realized: "So, that missing silver needle pouch must have been taken by her when she left. No wonder it felt so familiar. I finally remember, that pouch of silver needles was the one she used to heal my wounds when we first met in the woods outside Hundred Herbs Valley."
After a long silence, Cheng Liang, who was standing to the side, thought for a moment and asked, "This battle is about to end. What does Your Highness intend to do next? Are you still not going to take Miss Yi back?"
Xuanyuan Han's slightly excited expression suddenly turned gloomy, and he slowly sat down.
After thinking for a while, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes. He reached up and pinched his brow, closed his eyes and said, "I remember she said she was going to the heart of the Northern Lie region before she left. I'll have someone find her and protect her. As for the rest, let me think about it some more."
Just then, a commotion suddenly arose outside the tent: "Your Highness, Your Highness, the King of Qin..."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang frowned and was about to step out to investigate when a guard rushed in, bowed respectfully, and reported, "Your Highness, we just captured a soldier from the Northern Lie Kingdom outside the camp. He's insisting on seeing Your Highness in person."
Cheng Liang immediately rebuked, "You scoundrel! He's just a mere prisoner. He can be dealt with however you would normally treat him. How dare you bother His Highness with this?"
The guard immediately lowered his head, then turned to Cheng Liang and reported, "Reporting to the general, I initially thought the same thing. But the soldier from the Northern Lie Kingdom said he had a very important military report and insisted on reporting it to Your Highness in person."
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