Chapter 330: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince
Generals Chen, Li and Zhao, who were standing on the periphery observing the situation, looked at everything happening in front of them in some astonishment.
The three of them immediately looked around carefully, trying to find the figure of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
However, they looked around but couldn't find it, and couldn't help but look at each other.
"This... Is the Crown Prince really alive and here?" General Li lowered his voice and asked, "If the Crown Prince is still alive, there's no reason for us to follow Qu Wenminqing and become his imperial attendant!"
General Zhao nodded and said, "Let's wait and see what happens. Let's figure out the situation first."
At this moment, General Chen suddenly pushed through the crowd with a look of surprise on his face, walking towards the soldier in black iron armor. He said loudly, "Huh? Isn't this Brother Luo? Some people say you followed the Crown Prince in a rebellion, became a rebel and were killed. I, Old Chen, never believed it! Look, you're still alive and well, aren't you? By the way, why are you here?"
The "Brother Luo" that General Chen mentioned was none other than the general who led the soldiers in black iron armor, and was also Luo Yan, whom the exile team had met on the road.
After that separation, Xiao Yunshuo was protected by Yuan Xu and continued to travel north with the exile team in hiding his identity so that Chen Fenghe could help him get rid of the poison in his body. Luo Yan took his men to secretly contact the prince's old subordinates and the brothers of the Divine Fire Camp who were scattered by the prince's confidants.
They and Xiao Yunshuo have always communicated with each other through the mysterious intelligence organization "Dark Pavilion" in the underworld.
After learning that Qu Wenmin was secretly manufacturing firearms and gunpowder in the mountains with the intention of rebellion, Luo Yan disguised himself and led the assembled brothers of the Shenhuo Camp, traveled day and night, and just arrived.
It just so happened that Yuan Xu and his men also moved back the firearms and gunpowder that Chen Fenghe had deliberately left behind. Everyone equipped themselves with ease, and when they learned that Xiao Yunshuo had infiltrated the enemy, they immediately attacked to provide support.
They originally belonged to the Divine Fire Camp, and their skills and accuracy in using firearms were many times stronger than Qu Wenmin's men. Therefore, although they did not have the advantage in numbers, they were still unstoppable and broke through Qu Wenmin's guards like sharp arrows.
Luo Yan hadn't expected to see an acquaintance here, and he called out in surprise, "General Chen?"
General Chen laughed heartily and said, "Isn't it me, Old Chen? You were also called here by Old Qu? We fought side by side all the way to the capital and asked the emperor for justice for the crown prince! Anyone in the world can rebel, but the crown prince can't - this doesn't make sense! By the way, why did that young lady just shout that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here? What does that mean? Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really still alive? Old Li and Old Zhao looked around, but couldn't find the crown prince. Could this young lady be your lover, Old Luo, and you deliberately let her shout like that for fun? But to be honest, this young lady is really good with firearms. It must be because of you, Old Luo, who taught her..."
Chen Fenghe: “…”
General Chen was a straightforward man and a chatterbox. Luo Yan could hardly get a word in. When he heard him talking about the Crown Princess like that, his face turned dark and he almost stepped forward to cover the mouth of this outspoken guy.
He quickly interrupted General Chen and said, "General Chen, stop talking nonsense! I'll tell you the details later."
As he spoke, he walked up to Xiao Yunshuo, knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I am late. Please punish me!"
General Chen was even more surprised when he saw him kneeling in the direction of Qu Wenmin. He laughed and said, "Old Luo, are you stupid? That's Old Qu, where did His Highness come from?"
Before he finished speaking, Generals Li and Zhao, who had been standing by just now, had come over. Together with Luo Yan, they knelt before Xiao Yunshuo and said loudly, "Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Generals Li Hong and Zhao Liang pay their respects to His Royal Highness. We have failed to recognize the true emperor, and we beg Your Highness to forgive us!"
General Chen didn't react yet and said with a smile: "Lao Li, Lao Zhao, why are you following me..."
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Yunshuo said calmly, "Everyone, get up."
General Chen was startled. He looked up at Xiao Yunshuo, then looked suspiciously at Luo Yan, General Li, General Zhao, and the others. He said with a smile, "He's the crown prince? How does he look like a crown prince? Are you guys being tricked by some quack?"
General Li tugged hard at the hem of his shirt and whispered, "Old Chen, you fool! Did you see that white marble dragon pendant on his waist? It's not something an ordinary person would dare wear."
Upon hearing this, General Chen quickly glanced over. A cold sweat broke out on his back, and he quickly knelt down with a thud, saying in a trembling voice, "Is it really His Royal Highness? Your Highness, Your Highness, I... am used to being reckless. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
He recognized this white marble dragon pendant; it belonged to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Luo Yan said unhappily, "And the young lady you just mentioned is none other than the Crown Princess..."
"Ah?!" General Chen's forehead was covered with sweat.
At this moment, Qu Wenmin suddenly spit out the cloth stuffed in his mouth and questioned loudly:
"Wait a minute! You said you were the Crown Prince, right? Many of you here have seen the Crown Prince, but how do you look even a little bit like the Crown Prince? Just by having a white marble dragon pendant, you think you can pretend to be the Crown Prince. If that's the case, then anyone in the world can pretend to be the Crown Prince just by having a jade pendant, right?"
Luo Yan was so angry when he heard this that he was about to open his mouth to refute.
At this time, a gentle and noble voice sounded:
"I'm here to prove that he's the Crown Prince. If anyone among you still doesn't believe it, then you can doubt my identity and that of the Ninth Prince's Crown Princess as well!"
Everyone looked back and saw that Qin Mengyue and Xiao Yunhao were protected by Yuan Xu and had arrived here without them knowing when.
Luo Yan and the men of General Chen and General Li hurriedly knelt before the Queen, "Long live the Queen, and long live His Highness the Ninth Prince."
Qu Wenmin's eyes were filled with hesitation and forbearance. He looked at Qin Mengyue deeply, then he suddenly knelt down on his injured knee and bowed his head and said:
"Since the Empress has testified, I believe it. It was my negligence to fail to recognize Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will atone for this sin. Your Highness, I have gathered here to rescue the Empress and the Ninth Prince from the exile group. I have also invited Generals Chen, Li, and others to come here. We are all outraged by the Crown Prince's false accusations against him, and we are determined to travel to the capital to seek justice for him before His Majesty. The Empress and His Highness the Ninth Prince both agree with this. Now that Your Highness has survived this ordeal, please issue the order and lead us all the way south to the capital to execute the villains serving His Majesty and restore the Crown Prince's name!"
Xiao Yunshuo raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his lips.
Chen Fenghe couldn't help but say coldly, "General Qu's words are clever. If Your Highness were to confess in front of everyone now, wouldn't it immediately confirm the crime of treason? And with all the evidence, it would be impossible to clear your suspicion!"
When others heard this, they thought about it for a moment and realized that this was the truth.
Chen Fenghe continued, "General Qu claimed to have rescued the Empress and the Ninth Prince from the exile group. However, I only know that the Empress, the Ninth Prince, and I, following the imperial decree, were wholeheartedly headed for Youzhou, with absolutely no intention of escaping or rebelling. This is attested by the officials who escorted us along the way and the prisoners exiled with us. Instead, General Qu repeatedly instructed his men to embarrass us, both overtly and covertly. General Qu's daughter, Qu Wan'er, even tried to frame us, accusing us of smuggling weapons and colluding with the Northern Rong. This is a fact known to all the people of Qingzhou City. As for General Qu inviting Generals Chen, Li, and Zhao to the capital to appeal for the Crown Prince's cause, and claiming that the Empress and the Ninth Prince approved of this, this is pure nonsense. It's clearly you, Qu Wenmin, who was plotting rebellion and forcibly abducted the Empress and the Ninth Prince as a pretext! Now, you're trying to pin the entire charge of treason on the Crown Prince, the Empress, and the Ninth Prince, while completely shirking responsibility for it yourself!"
After saying this, Qin Guihong kicked Qu Wenmin to the ground and said coldly, "You worthless thing! Even when you are about to die, you still harbor evil intentions and intend to frame the prince? I will kill you today!"
Qu Wenmin had been guarding the area for many years, and he had always been the one to kick others, but today he was kicked to the ground by a young boy. He had never suffered such humiliation before, but at the moment he was under someone's control, so he couldn't get angry for the moment. He just said in a cold voice: "Who are you? How dare you disrespect me!"
Qin Guihong ripped off the human skin mask on his face and sneered, "It just so happens that I've long wanted to reveal my identity to you, an ungrateful bastard, and avenge my grievances! I'm Qin Guihong, the one who almost went to hell because of you!"
Qu Wenmin was stunned, and when he saw Qin Guihong's face clearly, his eyes turned cold.
Qin Mengyue was also shocked, and then her lips trembled: "Gui...Gui Hong? Is it really you...you...you're still alive?"
A few years ago, her father, brother and two nephews went to war together to resist the Northern Rong soldiers who were marching south. At the beginning, they won victory after victory and recovered a lot of lost territory. They had already repelled the Northern Rong army and were about to return to the court.
Unexpectedly, the Northern Rong army returned, fully aware of Dayu's marching formations. Her father, brother, and nephew went to rescue the besieged Qu Wenmin, a lone soldier of several thousand men, but were ambushed by the Northern Rong army and annihilated, with every member of the Qin family killed in action. Qu Wenmin, however, managed to escape and, using the Qin family's deaths as a pretext, stirred the Dayu army's grief and indignation. Ultimately, under Qu Wenmin's leadership, they defeated the Northern Rong troops.
After that battle, although the Qin family was honored as a family of loyal martyrs, the family also declined. However, Qu Wenmin rose to prominence thanks to this military achievement.
Qin Guihong knelt down and bowed to Qin Mengyue, saying in a trembling voice, "Aunt, Guihong is unfilial. Because I haven't avenged my great hatred, I haven't paid my respects to you for many years..."
"Great revenge?" Qin Mengyue asked: "What is the real story? Could it be that your grandfather and father and elder brother..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
