Chapter 3: This Emperor Liang is either a madman or a traitor.
Pop.
The sound of whips was deafening.
A centurion swung his whip, the sound like a broken gong, making people's ears numb. "In compliance with the imperial decree of Emperor Liang! All refugees from Jin State must immediately go to Ci'en Temple to register! Those who resist will be executed without mercy!"
Shu Yaoyao was pushed into the gate of Ci'en Temple.
The Heavenly King Hall had long lost its majestic appearance.
All I could see was a sea of people, thousands of men, women, young and old, huddled together.
There was a mixture of crying, coughing, and scolding.
The smell of blood, sweat, and foul air rush directly into the fontanelle.
Shu Yao's breath was choked, her neck drooped slightly, and a few strands of black hair fell down, barely covering most of her face.
A glimmer of light flashed between the trembling eyelashes, and silently slid across the corpses piled up in the corner of the hall.
He raised an army in winter and destroyed Jin in one night.
This Emperor Liang... is either a madman or a lunatic.
Just at this moment, two gatekeepers outside the hall started chatting.
The sound was neither loud nor soft, just enough to reach Shu Yao's ears.
"Did you hear? The general personally interrogated an old mute."
"My God! General? Is that so? He's just an old mute. We are here to destroy Jin, not to investigate a case."
"Idiot! The higher-ups want the hostage of the Li Kingdom. If she dies or is abducted by the Jin bandits, how can we control the Li Kingdom? How much do you know about this world..." One of the soldiers spat.
"Forget about the general and the mute. There are so many mouths here, all crying for food and life. What can we do?"
"What are you afraid of? We have that old bald donkey to take care of us. Even if there are a few starving people, it's not our fault anyway." The soldier spat again.
Shu Yao sneered in her heart.
This Emperor Liang...
They did a lot of superficial work to take in refugees and appease people.
Behind the scenes, even the elderly and children were not spared.
Before they could settle down, they heard the scraping sound of armor leaves splitting the crowd apart.
A soldier picked up a young girl like a chicken.
The girl's height and age were surprisingly similar to Shu Yao's.
Chuntao was so frightened that she jumped up and was about to hit the pillar of the hall.
Shu Yao grabbed Chuntao's shoulder.
His gaze passed through the crowd of people and fixed on the corridor behind the broken window in the northwest corner.
His mind was as fast as lightning, and he suddenly pulled out the banknotes from his arms and threw them into the air.
Crash.
Ink-stained banknotes fell on the crowd.
“Huh?!”
“Silver…silver notes?!”
"Mine! It's mine!"
Several howls were heard.
Countless hands were tearing and fighting like crazy.
The crowd tangled together, and immediately knocked several Liang soldiers who were maintaining order to the ground.
The noisy crowd is the best barrier for Shu Yao and Chun Tao.
"Walk!"
Shu Yao growled and grabbed Chuntao tightly, dragging her forward.
Two gray shadows, sticking to the wall, took advantage of the chaos to slide out from the edge of the hustle and bustle, and headed straight for the broken window in the northwest.
clang.
The window frame was knocked open, and the two people disappeared into the shadows of the corridor.
Shu Yao kept walking, dragging Chuntao between the walls of the abandoned monastery.
When I was almost in despair, a rotten wooden door came into view.
The door panel was half tilted, the paint had fallen off, revealing the pale wooden frame.
This broken door...
A strong sense of familiarity suddenly gripped Shu Yao's soul.
However, this feeling came and went quickly.
In a flash, only a vague impression of the corner remained.
Without thinking too much, Shu Yao rushed into the door and pulled away the dead vines entangled in the corner of the wall.
The cool and smooth touch of the vines penetrating the finger bones strangely coincided with the vague impression in my heart.
Shu Yao tore away the thorns desperately, and the dark dog hole came into view.
"Chun Tao, come quickly!" Shu Yao's voice was filled with the excitement of having escaped from a desperate situation. "There is a hole here that can lead us out."
The west tower of Ci'en Temple.
Ruburt was chained to the battlement, his tattered coat rustling in the cold wind.
Beside the battlement, Zhao Yan sat upright like a mountain, carefully wiping the sword in his hand with a piece of white silk.
The sword light reflected the morning light, making the surrounding personal guards look even more solemn.
Zhao Yan did not open his eyelids, his eyes moved across the sword, and his fingertips brushed across the sword's spine, as if playing the rhythm of a piano.
Suddenly he snapped his fingers.
Zheng.
The clear sound breaks the wind.
Lu Bo's withered body trembled violently as he saw two of his personal soldiers holding Lu Xiaolang.
The child's pale face turned purple in an instant, but he couldn't even cry out, and his eyes rolled up in despair.
"Point." Zhao Yan uttered the word calmly.
Lu Bo's cloudy old eyes widened, and his bloody index finger pointed directly at the figure in the northwest corner of the Heavenly King Hall.
Zhao Yan's eyes were as sharp as lightning, accurately catching the darting gray shadow. "Archer! Northwest corner! The man in gray clothes who broke the window!"
Next to the battlement, the archer suddenly opened his arm, and the iron bow instantly stretched as long as a full moon, and the bowstring made a slight buzzing sound.
Arrowheads like cold stars chased after the vague shadows floating in the corridors, filled with murderous intent.
Just wait for the command, the arrow will shoot through the clouds, and even the gods will not be able to escape.
"General?" A very low voice rolled out from the archer's throat, and his fingertips tightly gripped the feathers, pinching his knuckles until they turned pale.
Zhao Yan's eyes were cold and his lips slightly parted.
At the critical moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from under the tower.
The sergeant who delivered the seal rolled off his horse and stumbled towards the tower.
His face was pale, and he was barely breathing when he reported, "General! The secret document has been presented to the emperor! His Majesty has ordered..." The sergeant's throat tightened, and his voice suddenly rose, "Capture the hostage alive, and do not harm her in the slightest! If there is any mistake, you will be immediately dismissed and handed over to the Ministry of War for strict investigation!"
Zhao Yan's hand, which was wiping the sword, paused almost imperceptibly.
The feeling of absurdity was like a bucket of ice water poured over my head.
Why should he be dismissed from his post for just hosting a girl from a vassal state?
Inside the wall.
Shu Yao half-stuck her body through the hole in the wall, her neck slightly stretched.
"Don't move, anyone inside!" A sudden shout came from outside the wall.
"Girl!" Chuntao's pupils suddenly shrank, and she grabbed Shuyao's ankle regardless of anything and pulled it back with all her strength.
"Ugh!" Shu Yao was caught off guard. With a thud, the back of her head hit the edge of the cave wall hard, and golden stars splashed in front of her eyes.
As the world spun around, Chuntao dragged the man back into the wall and pressed him against the cold earth.
Still in shock, Shu Yao sucked in a breath of cold air, her eyes wide open, staring at the outside through the huge crack in the door.
I saw a figure in black armor approaching the door frame.
The toe of the boot was stuck about an inch into the door.
Chuntao suddenly pushed away Shuyao's blocking arm.
She grew up with Shu Yao and knew better than anyone the stubbornness in her own girl that she would rather die than live in disgrace. She hated the life of being a caged bird living under someone else's roof and depending on others for her life.
She would never let the girl be captured.
Chuntao slammed the wooden door open, and her thin figure was exposed in the dim sunlight.
She straightened her spine, her thin chest rising and falling violently. She used all her strength and shouted, almost tearing her throat apart: "I am Princess Jiang Shuyao of Li State! Let my maid go, and I will go with you!"
Shu Yao's heart sank suddenly.
Chuntao, this silly girl...
Zhao Yan stared at the girl who suddenly appeared.
Her face was covered in dust, and she was wearing old coarse clothes. At first glance, her figure looked a bit like a princess.
However, the panic in her eyes was too obvious, far from the forbearance and calmness of a noble lady from the royal family. Instead, it was intertwined with a kind of desperate madness.
Zhao Yan's eyes moved slightly, and his glance swept past the battlements of the tower.
Ruber, whose head was held down by his personal guards, shook slightly.
Zhao Yan was very disdainful of Chuntao's substitution, and a sneer flashed through his heart.
His eyes did not linger on Chuntao, but went straight to the door.
A hint of murderous intent quietly filled his eyes.
Raise your right palm horizontally and move your index finger.
More than ten long swords lined up in front of the door were unsheathed half a foot long, and the murderous aura penetrated into the door as if it were tangible.
More than ten black armors were approaching.
Shu Yao knew that if she didn't take action now, she would lose even her last chance.
Biting my lower lip, the severe pain forced out a ray of clarity.
In a flash, the word "capture alive" split the spiritual consciousness.
Shu Yao's fingers moved as fast as lightning, picking up a sharp-edged stone from the base of the wall.
"Don't come over!" She screamed and took a step forward, pressing the sharp edges of the stone in her hand against the vitals on the side of her neck, her knuckles turning pale from the force.
"General!" She turned her gaze towards Zhao Yan. "If you take another step closer, I'll kill myself right here! Let's see how you respond!"
The stone edge twisted slightly, and a streak of dazzling crimson suddenly meandered and rolled down the neck.
Outside the door, Zhao Yan suddenly raised his left palm upwards to stop the attack.
The sword light disappeared and the murderous aura suddenly stopped.
Zhao Yan's pressure did not loosen, and his eyes pierced Chun Tao.
The look in his eyes was an order, and the two soldiers nearby pounced like cheetahs.
One soldier twisted Chuntao's arms, and another soldier covered Chuntao's mouth and nose.
"Jiang!" Zhao Yan lowered his voice to a whisper, "Put aside this suicidal trick!" His eyes fixed on Shu Yao's face, "His Majesty has issued a strict order, demanding that you remain unharmed! How can you harm yourself in the slightest?" His cold gaze shot towards Chun Tao, "She will bear the consequences a hundredfold!"
"You dare to commit suicide?" His words were chilling and piercing. "I will have this servant and that old man torn to pieces and left exposed in the wilderness! You won't be able to walk peacefully on your journey to the underworld."
"Now, Abandoned Stone, get out!" He changed the tone, his pressure even more intense, "Count on three breaths!"
"one!"
This breath was heart-wrenching and bone-chilling.
Shu Yao's fingers, which were clasping the sharp stone, trembled violently.
Yes.
The next moment.
The fingers stopped shaking.
Shu Yao seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and suddenly calmed down.
"two!"
Shu Yao suddenly raised her head and interrupted Zhao Yan sternly: "General, did you just say that there was no harm at all?!"
Zhao Yan's pupils suddenly shrank.
I never expected Shu Yao to ask this question.
Before Zhao Yan could come to his senses, Shu Yao had already gotten the answer from his eyes. She thrust the stone shard into his neck, and the blood gushed out even faster.
"That's it! General, if you dare to hurt Chuntao even a finger, or touch even a hair of Lu Bo's grandson! I will immediately make the wound even deeper, and see how you respond!"
"You!" Zhao Yan stared at the glaring red on her neck and a low growl rolled out of his throat.
Seeing this, the soldiers holding Chuntao couldn't help but loosen their grip a little.
Shu Yao's heart was pounding, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. "I won't make things difficult for the general. As long as the general guarantees with his own head that the lives of these three people are safe, I can go with the general..."
She tilted her head slightly, revealing the glaring wound. As if hinting at something, her other hand gently stroked the blood oozing from the edge of the wound, her movements so slow it was heart-wrenching. "I want to see them taken away with me in the same car! And Lu Xiaolang, send a doctor to treat him immediately! If I know anything is wrong with them, even if it's just a missing hair..."
She suddenly raised her eyes, staring straight at Zhao Yan, and spoke rapidly: "I can kill myself today, I can hit my head against the wall tomorrow, and I can go on a hunger strike the day after tomorrow."
Zhao Yan's eyes were fixed on Shu Yao.
Your Majesty's strict decree...
After a few breaths, his face twitched and he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Okay... I will agree to your request!"
"Yes!" His voice suddenly rose, carrying a strong warning, and he threw it at Shu Yao, "Listen carefully to this general, the survival of these three people is only possible if you don't cause trouble or seek death! If you dare to make any unusual moves, don't blame me for grinding them to dust!"
Then he waved his hand fiercely and shouted to his personal guards, "Order! Take the old man and the young man in the tower, as well as this lowly servant, into the accompanying convoy! Find a doctor for that sickly person immediately!"
"As for you..." Zhao Yan tightened his jaw and gritted his teeth, "Remember your words, and remember my words too! Throw away the stone immediately!"
clang.
The sharp stone slipped from the fingertips that had lost their strength, hit the mud with a dull sound, and splashed a few turbid waves.
Two lines of clear tears slid down silently, shattered in the dust, leaving wet marks, and disappeared in an instant.
The only pair of eyes were surprisingly bright.
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