Chapter 51 The Paper Kite. The Crime of Deceiving the Emperor.
As soon as the door closed, the sounds of clashing swords and fighting could be heard from inside.
Lu Zhouxue hugged Jing Hui's waist and looked down at her.
Everyone looked at Jing Hui; Lu Songyuan was her husband.
A situation where you have to choose one of two options.
Flames flickered in Jing Hui's tear-filled eyes. Looking at the tightly closed door, she said, "Go!"
Without pausing for a moment, everyone quickly mounted their horses.
Someone was chasing after them from behind. Jing Hui turned around and saw that Lu Songyuan's men were holding them off.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse in the dark night, but the horses' hooves never stopped. After weaving through the forests and leaving those behind, they headed straight down the mountain.
The sound of horses' hooves echoed eerily through the forest at night. After reaching the foot of the mountain and shaking off the relentless pursuers, the group intended to ride as fast as they could to the capital. However, their path was unexpectedly blocked by another group of people.
"Princess, where are you going in such a hurry?"
The newcomers were also a group of people dressed in Imperial Guard uniforms. Jing Hui and Lian Zhu did not recognize the leader, but Jing Hui could inexplicably sense that this person was the same group as the people who had just entered the palace.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
After finishing his sentence, Lian Zhu slapped his horse's back and leaped into the air, then drew his longsword to confront the enemy.
Lu Zhouxue also led the Northern Border Army, and in less than half an incense stick's time, they were surrounded by corpses lying on the ground.
Seeing that they couldn't win, the others turned around, mounted their horses, and rode off to the capital to deliver the message.
Jing Hui's eyes grew increasingly dark as she looked at the numerous corpses before her, her unease becoming more pronounced.
The emperor was drugged and fell into a coma.
As long as the will remains unchanged, his life will not be in immediate danger.
However, Jingning is still in the palace.
If they want to ascend the throne, they must first kill her and those he cares about. The only person she cares about in the palace is Jingning.
It is unknown how great the disparity between the enemy and ourselves is. If the Empress Dowager can manage Jingning, that would be the best outcome. However, if the Empress Dowager does not manage Jingning, then when news of this matter reaches the capital, Jingning will probably commit suicide rather than cause trouble for himself.
Now, the only option is to hurry back and save Emperor Jingwen.
Jing Hui's chest heaved as she looked around at the people who had fought their way out with her and said, "Take a headcount and reorganize the ranks."
Lu Zhouxue quickly counted the number of soldiers; the Northern Army had just lost seven.
"good."
Lu Zhouxue asked, "Princess, shall we go?"
Jing Hui turned back and gave Xiaolishan a deep look, then gritted his teeth and said, "Thirty of you go back. The rest of you, come with me!"
"yes!"
The army was disciplined and quickly split into two groups, each heading to different destinations.
It is late at night now. If we ride at full speed, we will surely reach the capital by dawn.
The group dared not stop for a moment. Along the way, they encountered several groups of people who came to assassinate Jing Hui. Lu Zhouxue and Lian Zhu were both injured to varying degrees. As dawn approached, the group arrived at a small town outside the capital, where Jing Hui reined in his horse.
“We’re dressed too conspicuously, so we need to ask the villagers for some coarse cloth clothes.”
"good."
Every person missing now means one less layer of security.
The group found a house in the small village, gave them some jewelry in exchange for clothes, and Lu Zhouxue took off Jing Hui's hair bun and styled it into a simple cloth bun commonly used by ordinary women.
Jing Hui's temperament was too outstanding, and even in this attire, she could not hide her noble air. As she walked out of the house, she casually took down the veiled hat that the villagers used when farming, which was hanging on the wall, and put it on her head.
"That's much better."
Lian Zhu and Bai Zhi waited at the door. All four of them were dressed in coarse cloth. Jing Hui frowned as he looked at the Northern Army soldiers, who were all dressed in black.
A night has passed, and things should have calmed down inside the palace by now.
Lu Songyuan.
Why haven't they caught up yet?
Lianzhu looked at Jing Hui's somewhat empty gaze. After such a chaotic night, the pampered little princess in front of her seemed to have grown up in an instant.
She exuded an indescribable aura of majesty.
"It should not be delayed."
Knowing the pain Jing Hui was feeling, Lian Zhu stepped forward and said, "Only when His Majesty is at peace can they be safe."
The crimes are deceiving the emperor, killing a prince, and privately amassing troops.
Every single one of these things could cost you your head.
Jing Hui nodded.
Just as everyone was about to leave, they suddenly heard the sound of a group of horses galloping back along the road they had come from outside the village.
They cleaned up the traces along the way, so there shouldn't be anything to tell.
I wonder if they will come into the village to search.
"Wait, let's hide first!"
The peasant woman who took them in knew they were wealthy people, and upon hearing this, she quickly said, "We have a cellar in our house, so it's very safe. Please come in, esteemed guests!"
Jing Hui glanced at the peasant woman, stood still, listened to the sound of horses' hooves, and said, "No need, just stay still."
The group stood still, the dark mass of the Northern Army almost filling the small farmhouse courtyard. They held their breath and stood there watching Jing Hui.
Jing Hui looked at the source of the sound.
The thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoed in everyone's ears, so loud that they could feel the sound travel from the back of their heads to their ears, then to their foreheads, before gradually fading away towards Mount Li.
"He really didn't come!"
Lianzhu was overjoyed and turned to look at Jing Hui.
This place is only ten miles away from the capital city. After thinking for a moment, Jing Hui instructed Lu Zhouxue, "Send someone to scout the way in front of the capital city gate."
Lu Zhouxue immediately agreed and sent a Northern Border Army soldier to the capital.
The group waited there until almost noon when the man returned.
"Your Highness, the gates of the capital are not closed, but there are many more guards, and the checks are very thorough. They even have people specifically checking the beards on men's faces and the chests and buttocks of women. If anything is found to be amiss, they will be arrested and interrogated, and those who disobey will be executed immediately."
Disguise is not an option.
The reason the city gates were left open was probably to prevent a riot; they were waiting for Jing Hui to return on his own.
Jing Hui frowned.
She was worried about Lu Songyuan. He only had a few men; how could they possibly withstand wave after wave of treacherous people?
She said, "No matter what, we must go to the capital."
"yes!"
Hearing the crowd's enthusiastic voices, Jing Hui felt a rare sense of urgency. Disguise wouldn't work; if she feigned surrender and entered the palace first, perhaps...
"Princess."
Jing Hui heard Bai Zhi's voice from beside him. He turned his head and heard Bai Zhi say, "Perhaps we can ask my third uncle for help."
Jing Hui suddenly remembered that Bai Zhi's third uncle, Bai Du, had once said that there were passages leading to various parts of the capital city beneath his house.
How can I contact your third uncle?
Bai Zhi took out a long, thin object from her sleeve and unfolded it; it was a paper kite.
"This is?"
Jing Hui asked, "A kite?"
"right."
Bai Zhi smoothed out the kite and said, "Fly the kite in the northwest. It's very close to my third uncle's house. Once he sees it, he'll definitely come down from underground."
Bai Zhi handed the kite to Lian Zhu and said to Jing Hui, "Princess, don't worry. The passage leading out of the city from my third uncle's house is wide enough for three people to walk side by side. Even if we have this many people, we will definitely be able to get into the city."
Heaven did not forsake her.
Jing Hui nodded. Unwilling to wait in place, she simply said, "I will go with Lian Zhu and Bai Zhi. Zhou Xue, you stay here and use your clairvoyance to watch the kites. If they sway and fall down, it means there's nothing to worry about, and you can go directly over. If they fall directly down, then something has happened, and you should go back to find Lu Songyuan."
"yes!"
Lu Songyuan once said that when he was not around, Jing Hui's orders were military orders, and they dared not disobey them.
"Princess, please be careful in everything you do."
"Um."
It was no longer advisable to ride horses, so the three of them walked forward together.
There is a relatively high hill in the northwest of the capital, which is the best place to fly kites.
They blended in with the caravan without attracting the attention of those searching outside the city gates, and then climbed up the hill together.
The kite soared high into the air, and all three watched it nervously.
A quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour...
Standing here in the winter, Jing Hui's palms were constantly sweating. Several white clouds drifted by overhead, and Jing Hui cleared his throat.
"Ah Zhu, don't worry."
Lianzhu looked at Jing Hui and offered a word of comfort.
Jing Hui nodded. There was no use in being anxious; at this moment, all he could do was hope that Bai Du would see it soon.
"My third uncle should be in the capital city..."
As soon as Bai Zhi finished speaking, the three of them saw a rustling sound coming from a tree branch below the hill where they were standing.
The three held their breath and watched as the ground where the sound came from shook for a long time before suddenly caved in, revealing a huge hole in front of Jing Hui.
Bai Du crawled out of the cave, his face covered in dust and dirt. The fine yellow dust made him cough for a long time, "Cough cough cough—"
A local scrambled up to Jing Hui, saying, "Greetings, cough cough, greetings, Princess!"
"Um."
Jing Hui raised the corner of her lips slightly, "Thank you for your hard work."
Bai Du waved his hand, wiped the dirt off his face, and said, "When I dug this hole, I was preparing it for escaping after killing those people. I never imagined that it would one day be able to help the princess!"
"Thanks to you."
You're too kind!
Bai Du waved his hand and explained the events in the capital to the three of them in detail.
"At noon that day, Emperor Jingwen suddenly issued an edict, ordering all officials in the capital to immediately convene a court meeting in the imperial city."
Bai Du was sitting on the street playing cards with someone at that time. "I've never been an official, but in the days I've been in the capital, I've seen quite a few officials. This midday court assembly is unprecedented. Aren't court assemblies usually held early in the morning?"
Bai Du chuckled halfway through his story, "Then I remembered that Azhi was with you all, so I thought of finding someone to send a message to Xiaolishan. As a result, the palace gates were locked that night and never opened again the next day. After that, many people with long spears appeared patrolling in the capital, and I had a feeling that something had happened. I don't have the ability to see into the world, but the trust between my uncle and me is always there. She has a kite on her, so she has been watching this place for the past two days, and I saw it as soon as I woke up today."
Lian Zhu said, "The palace coup has been going on for three days."
Bai Du nodded: "Yes."
Then, looking at Lianzhu, she asked, "Are you the Prime Minister's son? Oh dear, you look so haggard. Speaking of which, when I went out to buy groceries yesterday, some people in the market were saying that the one who angered Emperor Jingwen this time was the Prime Minister. Let me think... what did they say... that the Prime Minister was abusing his seniority, interfering with imperial power, and committing treason..."
The more Bai Du spoke, the darker the faces of the three men became.
"Haha, it's just a rumor, nothing more than a rumor."
Bai Du chuckled twice and said, "Let's hurry inside; we shouldn't stay here any longer."
Jing Hui nodded slightly and said, "Alright, brother, cut the kite string."
"good."
Lian Zhu pulled a sharp blade from her bosom, decisively cut the kite string, nodded to Jing Hui, and said, "Let's go."
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