Pot Falls from the Sky
The headquarters of the commander in Yunzhong was the prison camp.
The candlelight illuminated the cold walls, and the air was filled with a faint smell of blood.
Lu Wenzhong was tied tightly to a wooden frame, his face pale and cold sweat on his forehead. He was obviously exhausted both physically and mentally.
Lu Xingchuan stood in front of him and said coldly, "Lu Wenzhong, I know your Lu family is dissatisfied with His Royal Highness Prince Xiang. But have you ever thought about whether your dissatisfaction is worth sacrificing the Lu family's foundation for generations?"
Lu Wenzhong forced a smile, his voice hoarse, "Lord Lu, the Lu family has such glory, how can you erase it with just one sentence? I want to know, your Jingxi Palace has been blessed by the country for generations, but you are associating with the thieves who killed your father and the king. Aren't you afraid of being ashamed of your ancestors?!"
Lu Xingchuan said calmly, "If the death of the late emperor and the death of Prince Jin were both attributed to one person, then Qin Shu couldn't be the murderer."
Lu Wenzhong laughed out loud. "Impossible? Just because Prince Jin, Qin Huaizhang, is the only member of the imperial family who supports Qin Shu? Lord Lu, Prince Jin, Qin Huaizhang, is the late emperor's younger brother, and has shared the late emperor's hardships for decades. Did Qin Shu kill the late emperor and keep Prince Jin as his uncle, waiting for Prince Jin, Qin Huaizhang, to kill him?!"
"It seems you haven't realized your situation yet." Lu Xingchuan said slowly, "I already have a plan in mind for this matter. I don't need anyone to tell me what to do."
Lu Xingchuan's tone was slightly cold: "Who sent the three people who broke into the prison last night? How did your Lu family communicate with the assassins?"
Lu Wenzhong clearly wasn't going to cooperate. Seeing this, Lu Xingchuan slowly turned around and whispered to his guards, "Find a way to get him to speak."
The guard understood what he meant and took out a whip embedded with iron spikes and lashed him hard. Lu Wenzhong groaned, sweat trickling down his forehead.
The guards' hands kept moving, causing the sound of flesh and clothing being torn apart. Lu Wenzhong's body trembled violently, and he let out a low, muffled groan.
Lu Xingchuan outlasted Lu Wenzhong for two whole days.
Every time Lu Wenzhong was taken off the wooden frame, he was thrown to the ground and rested for less than a quarter of an hour before being dragged up again.
In two days, Lu Wenzhong was on the verge of collapse.
Once again, the guards secured the man to the wooden frame. Lu Wenzhong was already soaked all over, and it was hard to tell whether it was blood or sweat. His mind seemed to be in and out under the high pressure.
Lu Xingchuan raised his hand, signaling to stop the torture.
He walked up to Lu Wenzhong and said, "Lu Wenzhong, let's do this. Let's both take a step back. I only have one question for you."
Lu Xingchuan said slowly, "Ren Xuan, have you always had a secret connection with your Lu family? Did Ren Xuan know about the Lu family's scheme against Prince Jin? Give me an answer."
Lu Wenzhong ignored him.
Lu Xingchuan sighed softly: "Lu Wenzhong, do you know what kind of person you are protecting?"
He spoke slowly: "Lu Shian is dead."
Suddenly, Lu Wenzhong raised his eyes and saw the man on the rack struggling violently.
Lu Xingchuan looked at him leisurely: "I guess Ren Xuan didn't tell you?"
…
In the middle of the night, an arrow with a black shaft and white feathers shot into Ren Xuan's military tent.
There was a note tied to the tail of the arrow - Lu Wenzhong confessed to what happened to Qin Huaizhang. Hurry up and leave, or disaster will come.
Ren Xuan's scalp went numb. What kind of person is Lu Wenzhong? I was still thinking about saving him, but he left me in just two days?
Ren Xuan felt a headache. He almost buried this mess in his previous life, and now it was dug up this time.
His mind raced, and he made a prompt decision: he had to leave first.
This is not some groundless rumor. He really stabbed Qin Huaizhang back then.
As a result, Qin Shu lost the only support from his clan members and fled in panic amidst the political struggles in the imperial city.
The night was dark, with dark clouds hanging overhead. Ren Xuan rode his horse at full speed, still thinking about the arrow and the note.
Whose hand was this? If he really escaped, would he become someone else's pawn?
Unfortunately, it is an indisputable fact that he stabbed Qin Huaizhang with his own hands.
If it were really uncovered, it would be fine for everyone else, but Lu Xingchuan would definitely be scattered along with his ashes.
Suddenly, a faint glow of fire appeared ahead, accompanied by the dull sound of metal colliding.
Ren Xuan reined in his horse and slowed down, thinking to himself that something was wrong.
There is an ambush.
Ren Xuan's eyes focused, and he did not intend to fight the opponent head-on. He just took a quick look at the terrain and then spurred his horse to rush towards the weaker side.
The black-armored cavalry were clearly prepared. Bows and crossbows on both sides fired simultaneously, sending arrows hurtling through the air. Ren Xuan swung his sword to deflect several arrows, but one still grazed his shoulder, leaving a trail of blood.
He groaned, endured the pain, and continued to urge his horse forward.
Just when he was about to break out of the encirclement, a group of people appeared in front of him and blocked his way. However, they were not in a hurry to take action. Instead, they dispersed and formed a battle array, surrounding Ren Xuan in the center.
The sound of horse hooves stopped, and in the darkness, murderous intentions were everywhere.
In the brief silence, a horse slowly stepped out of the line, and the horse's hooves made a dull sound as they stepped on the dry grass.
The light and shadow of the torch fell on the man, and Lu Xingchuan's face turned cold.
"Ren Xuan, it really is you."
Ren Xuan looked around, his heart trembled, and it was finally the other way around.
——Fell into the trap.
That arrow was a test from Lu Xingchuan. Everything was just Lu Xingchuan's way of "luring the snake out of its hole."
Ren Xuan laughed at himself, thinking that he had done something wrong and was afraid of ghosts knocking on the door.
Ren Xuan tightened his grip on the knife slightly. He looked at Lu Xingchuan and forced himself to remain calm. "What a spectacle! Lord Lu is mobilizing so many troops to come and meet me. That's a bit too enthusiastic."
Lu Xingchuan's face took on a stern expression as the torch flickered. "You're running out in the middle of the night, and you've come to this desolate place. General Ren, can you tell me where you're going?"
Ren Xuan sneered: "Where should I go? Do I need to ask Lord Lu for instructions?"
Lu Xingchuan stroked his sleeves and said calmly, "Since General Ren doesn't want to explain to me, then you should explain to His Highness yourself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Xingchuan dismounted and bowed slightly to the army: "Now, Your Highness, take my word for it."
Ren Xuan was startled when he suddenly saw a figure stepping out from behind the array of soldiers and armor.
The night wind blew, and the man's clothes flew up and down. Qin Shu's eyes were dark and unclear: "Ren Xuan. Tell me, it wasn't you who did it. Lu Wenzhong, I'll kill him."
Ren Xuan's breath hitched. If he couldn't shake the charge of "assassinating Qin Huaizhang," the consequences would be disastrous. But the secret he'd buried deep within his heart for years was now exposed. There was no way he could hastily weave together a flawless story—one that even Lu Xingchuan couldn't find a flaw in.
Torches flickered, their shadows stretched out to great lengths. The night wind howled, filling everyone's hearts with a chilling chill. Ren Xuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, speaking word by word: "Your Highness, if it truly comes down to distinguishing right from wrong, then I have nothing to say."
Qin Shu's expression was impassive, as if he was trying his best to suppress the turmoil in his heart. Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, the sound of hurried horse hooves and loud shouts suddenly came from the direction of the central army camp.
A scout came galloping over, dismounted, and hurriedly reported, "Report! Your Highness! Lord Lu, the central army is under attack!"
This sudden news shocked everyone present.
Lu Xingchuan glanced at Ren Xuan and his expression changed instantly.
Lu Xingchuan jumped on his horse and said, "This place is handed over to Your Highness."
Ren Xuan understood. The Central Army was his territory. Lu Xiyun was in the Central Army. Lu Xingchuan was afraid that he, Ren Xuan, was setting a trap to harm Lu Xiyun.
Qin Shu waved his hand, and Lu Xingchuan immediately turned his horse around and left.
As Lu Xingchuan's men retreated, Qin Shu turned to look at Ren Xuan, but at the same moment, several cold auras suddenly burst out from the surrounding jungle.
Ren Xuan suddenly became alert and was about to draw his sword when a dense rain of arrows came through the air, forcing him to dodge sideways.
"Protect His Highness!" Several guards shouted and immediately engaged in close combat with the assassin.
However, the gap between these guards and the assassin was like that between a firefly and the bright moon; they were completely incomparable.
The guards instinctively charged forward, their swords drawn, but were easily repelled like fallen leaves swept by an autumn wind. The dark figure was like a dragon swimming in the water, its blade sharp as autumn frost, its form moving effortlessly through the flickering flames, as if it didn't belong anywhere in the night.
In a flash, the cold knife shadow approached Qin Shu with a force as strong as thunder, which was unstoppable.
Ren Xuan's heart tightened, and he jumped off his horse, suddenly standing between Qin Shu and the assassin.
He swung his sword horizontally, and with a clang, he took the opponent's heavy blow as heavy as a mountain.
The huge recoil force forced Ren Xuan to retreat several steps. He felt a dull pain in his knuckles and broke out in a cold sweat.
Ren Xuan steadied himself, feeling horrified. This assassin's martial arts skills far surpassed those of ordinary opponents.
Ren Xuan gritted his teeth and raised his voice, holding his sword in front of him: "Take His Highness away! I can't win."
But unexpectedly, the black-clad assassin suddenly put away his knife and had no intention of continuing to attack Qin Shu.
In other words, that person's target was not Qin Shu at all.
The assassin turned around and whispered to Ren Xuan in a deep but familiar voice, "That's enough. You pass... and go."
Before Ren Xuan could react, the assassin had already grabbed his arm and was sprinting deeper into the woods. Behind him, he could hear the fighting still going on, the sounds of fire and shouting intertwined, but Ren Xuan had no time to pay attention.
An assassin actually came to rescue him, right under Qin Shu's nose? !
The assassin reined in his horse after a bumpy ride deep into the forest. The forest was pitch black, with only the faint moonlight illuminating it.
There was no one around, the horses were puffing white steam, and the men were panting heavily. Ren Xuan's mind was in a tangle, and he turned to look at the assassin: "Thank you for your help, sir... Who are you?"
The masked man was silent for a few seconds, then finally reached out to remove the veil.
For a moment, Ren Xuan almost thought he had seen it wrong: "Prince Lu?!"
Lu Xiyun's expression was stern, but he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes: "Uh... General Ren, are you okay?"
Ren Xuan was speechless, with countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
The prince, who had always lived a life of luxury, actually disguised himself as an assassin to save him? He had been worshipping this prince like an ancestor for half a month, so it was... not in vain.
Lu Xiyun curled her lips helplessly: "Go back and thank Jiang En. He knelt down and begged me."
Ren Xuan understood instantly that the so-called attack on the central army was just a self-directed act by Jiang En to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
Lu Xiyun's expression was somewhat complicated. After all, ever since their time in Yinshu City, Ren Xuan had always been there to protect him. Lu Xiyun had his own way of judging right and wrong. After hearing Jiang En's words, he pondered for a moment before gritting his teeth and agreeing.
And just now, facing his temptation, Ren Xuan subconsciously defended Qin Shu, which once again confirmed his thoughts like ironclad evidence.
Lu Xiyun slowly retracted his sword and said, "Ren Xuan, if you have any inside information, I will take you back and explain it to Qin Shu face to face."
Ren Xuan wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Lu Xiyun glanced at him with a complicated expression, as if she wanted to say something else, but in the end, she only sighed softly: "General Ren, Qin Shu trusts you deeply, and I hope you... can trust him as well."
The moonlight was cold, illuminating the dark ups and downs between Ren Xuan's brows. He finally clasped his fists and promised, "I will return with the prince."
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