Hearing the cheers around her and feeling the slightly damp warmth of someone, Yi Shangyun seemed to gradually relax and come back to her senses. She cried out excitedly, "Your Highness, Yun'er has finally found you!"
She looked at Xuan Yuanhan's face with surprise. Although Xuan Yuanhan was smiling, Yi Shangyun was still quite frightened.
Xuanyuan Han dismounted and scooped her up in his arms. As soon as her feet touched the ground, he quickly reached out to pull her up and urged, "Your Highness, hurry up and leave this place. No matter what Your Highness plans to do tonight, Your Highness must leave this place of trouble and leave Dongning Kingdom immediately. Hurry, or it will be too late."
Before she could finish speaking, she reached out to pull Xuan Yuanhan away. Xuan Yuanhan smiled slightly at her, took her hand in return, and reminded her, "Yun'er, I said that once things here are settled, I will take you home. For the rest of my life, I will be with you. So, no matter what happens, I will never let go of your hand again."
Yi Shangyun looked anxious, but the two of them were still surrounded by many onlookers. She seemed to have something she couldn't say too obviously, so she lowered her voice and continued to urge them: "No, Your Highness, you don't know, the Third Prince and Young Master Yi have somehow formed an alliance. I only managed to escape their control just now. Tonight, they have already laid a trap all over the city and are sending people to search for you everywhere! If Your Highness is discovered by them, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Xuanyuan Han looked into her eyes with a doting expression, reached out and patted her head, and said, "Yun'er, don't worry! I know what you're worried about."
Seeing that the crowd, having had their fill of watching the spectacle, was gradually dispersing, Xuan Yuanhan lowered his voice and said, "Do you also think that I intend to blow up the entire Dongning Imperial City tonight?"
Just as Yi Shangyun was gazing into his deep eyes and hesitating, a shrill shout suddenly rang out: "Do you know who this person in front of you is? You're just clapping for him indiscriminately."
Upon hearing the sound, the people who had gradually dispersed in all directions gathered together again, whispering and discussing among themselves.
The person who spoke was Mei Zhixuan, who had received news on the way and heard that someone had spotted Xuan Yuanhan in the vicinity. He had come after hearing the news. At this moment, he led a group of soldiers and emerged from a gap in the crowd as it slowly parted. He stood in front of Xuan Yuanhan and Yi Shangyun, holding a horsewhip and pointing at Xuan Yuanhan, saying, "He is the famous Spirit Void War God, the King of Qin of Western Qin."
In an instant, everyone in the crowd was talking at once, and things immediately erupted into chaos.
"The King of Qin? He is the King of Qin of Western Qin?"
"He is indeed the invincible King of Western Qin! He is a truly handsome man!"
"The King of Qin is so handsome!"
"His Highness the King of Qin is so young!"
"The King of Qin is not only young and promising, but also very devoted! He's nothing like the cold and heartless person the rumors say he is! It's clear that rumors are just rumors and not credible at all!"
...
Hearing the unanimous praise around him, Mei Zhixuan felt that these people were extremely foolish. He gave a cold, mocking smile and said, "Why don't you ask this person, whom you all regard as a great hero, what brings him all the way to my Dongning Kingdom?"
The people looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing the sound, of course not knowing the reason behind it.
Mei Zhixuan then shifted his gaze to Xuan Yuanhan and said in a strange tone, "Why doesn't the King of Qin personally explain things to these kind people who admire you?"
Xuanyuan Han pondered for a moment, and was about to speak: "This king..."
Suddenly, Qi Liaoyi stepped forward, blocking Xuan Yuanhan's path and shielding him with her arms outstretched. She said, "Your Highness, she came to Dongning Kingdom to help me find my relatives who have been separated from me for many years."
Mei Zhixuan had no desire to hear Yi Shangyun's story in public, so he loudly interrupted her, saying, "Nonsense! His Highness Prince Qin is busy with countless affairs of state. How could he do such a trivial thing for a nobody like you? I have already secretly investigated and found out that Prince Qin brought his men into Dongning City this time in order to blow up Dongning City during the Lantern Festival."
After saying that, he didn't forget to sneer and mock him, saying, "Am I right, Your Highness? Great hero!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned in disbelief: "What...!"
"You're talking nonsense! What evidence do you have to say that?" Yi Shangyun shouted in defense of the people around him, whose expressions had instantly changed.
“Evidence…” Mei Zhixuan sneered and ordered, “Guards…”
In an instant, a group of soldiers, numbering several dozen, came forward in pairs, carrying seemingly heavy black wooden boxes and arranging them neatly.
Mei Zhixuan then confidently and solemnly ordered, "Open all of these for me!"
In an instant, everyone present, including Xuan Yuanhan himself, was stunned by the contents of the dozens of black wooden crates that were simultaneously opened in front of them: "Gunpowder! So much gunpowder!"
Seeing that his wicked scheme had succeeded, Mei Zhixuan continued to add fuel to the fire, pressing his advantage by saying, "These are the gunpowder and ambush troops that you call great heroes, who secretly led men to ambush me in Dongning City."
Immediately afterwards, another group of men in black, their masks removed, were brought forward with their hands tied behind their backs. One of them, as soon as he was forced to kneel, apologized to Xuan Yuanhan and begged for mercy, saying, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I am incompetent. Tonight's plan has failed!"
Seeing what was happening before his eyes, Xuan Yuanhan instantly realized that he had been tricked first.
At this moment, he noticed that when Yi Sanshao met his gaze, his eyes darted around, probably because Yi already knew everything. He couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.
The very thing he least wanted to see happened in the next second.
Yi Shangyun remained in the position of spreading her arms to protect herself, staring blankly at the witnesses and physical evidence placed at her feet and in front of her, remaining silent for a long time.
It seemed as if time and space had completely frozen at that moment; perhaps she was waiting for him to give her an explanation himself.
But he ultimately said nothing.
After a long time, perhaps because she had waited too long, or perhaps because she was desperate and tired, she finally lowered her arms, which she had been holding open for too long.
Just then, Cheng Liang caught up after hearing the news. Upon seeing the scene before him, he immediately said to Xuan Yuanhan, "Why doesn't Your Highness defend yourself? This is not..."
But before he could finish speaking, a cold, sharp look from Xuan Yuanhan silenced him completely.
Just then, a group of women watching on the street seemed to suddenly remember something and began to discuss, "Hey, isn't it common knowledge that our Princess Yongle of Dongning Kingdom has already married off to Western Qin, becoming a concubine of this King of Qin? Then who is this young lady, and why is she being so affectionate with the King of Qin on the streets of Dongning? This..."
Immediately, a commotion arose in the crowd, with people pointing and whispering about Yi Shangyun.
"Bad woman!"
"Shameless!"
"That vixen dares to steal my country's princess's husband."
...
However, Yi Shangyun stood there blankly, seemingly unable to hear anything.
Upon hearing that the woman he desired was being criticized in public, Young Master Yi immediately stepped forward, about to speak up in her defense: "Who dares to criticize her? She is..."
Just then, a stern voice, emanating authority without anger, suddenly rang out from the crowd, declaring, "She is the most esteemed legitimate princess of my Dongning Kingdom. Who dares to criticize her?"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Mei Zhixuan hurriedly looked around and discovered that the King of Dongning had appeared at the back of the crowd. He quickly bowed and knelt before him, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"
Instantly, a large number of people in the crowd knelt down, bowing their heads and saying, "This humble subject pays homage to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The King of Dongning, dressed in a bright yellow casual suit, stepped forward with a stern expression and one hand behind his back. Mei Zhixuan hurriedly reported to him, "Your Majesty, I have gone through countless hardships over the past few days and discovered that the King of Western Qin has led his men to set up an ambush in Dongning, intending to turn my capital city into ruins tonight on the Lantern Festival. The evidence is now irrefutable, and I beg Your Majesty to make the final decision!"
However, the King of Dongning seemed not to have heard what he said. He walked straight to Yi Shangyun, who was looking indifferent, and said with great joy, "It really is you! Father has finally waited for you!"
Yi Shangyun's eyes were filled with tears at some point, and she could no longer tell whether they were from disappointment in Xuan Yuanhan or from the surprise of the sudden arrival of kinship.
Only when the King of Dongning looked at her with a kind expression and finally reached out his strong arms to embrace Yi Shangyun, who seemed so pitiful at that moment, did her tears flow freely and unrestrainedly.
The next morning, the sun shone brightly on the earth and all things, seemingly unchanged, yet everything had changed.
Everything in Dongning City was in perfect order, except for one piece of news that spread rapidly throughout the streets and alleys.
That is, the only bloodline left in this world by the late Empress, who was rumored to have been lost in the Western Qin Kingdom, has finally been found.
For many days afterward, the palace and its surroundings were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
A grand sacrificial ceremony to heaven, a parade of floats through the streets, and all sorts of elaborate rituals to announce the news to the world were all scheduled.
Finally, life seemed to return to its usual tranquility on the surface.
Meanwhile, another piece of good news has recently begun to circulate in the palace: the Kingdom of Dongning will soon form an alliance with the Kingdom of Nan'an.
Because the Crown Prince of Nan'an Kingdom had taken a liking to the legitimate princess of Dongning Kingdom, and the King of Dongning Kingdom was also very satisfied with Yi Sanshao, who had entered the palace to pay homage through Mei Zhixuan's introduction, the two countries reached an agreement to form an alliance to fight against Xiqin Kingdom together.
At this moment, in the Heavenly Prison of Dongning Kingdom.
Cheng Liang, who had also learned of the news from the guards coming and going, sat in a corner of the cold cell, dressed in prison clothes, looking utterly dejected, his eyes filled with bloodlust, feeling deeply sorry for his master.
Hearing someone come in, he weakly squinted his eyes...
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