Chapter 129: If you die with him, where will that leave me?
"Of course she acted on her own initiative. How could His Highness issue such an order?"
"He is a traitor and a traitor, his heart is worthy of death. Your Highness, please do not follow his ways!"
"How can a ruler confess his guilt to his subjects and be executed..."
As soon as Xie Xuanlan finished speaking, the officials surrounding the noble lord on the tower immediately erupted in a clamor, mocking his wishful thinking. They subconsciously and naturally assumed that the noble lord would never risk his life for an insignificant aide.
Princess Chun'an remained silent.
Only Gan Jiu was worried and looked at her nervously: "Your Highness, please think twice..."
Princess Chun'an turned to her and said, "Gan Jiu, you have been with me for more than ten years. I know you, but you don't know me."
Gan Jiu said, "The princess is the master, the ruler. As subjects, we only need to look up to her and obey her, and we dare not speculate on her own."
Princess Chun'an gave a bitter smile. "My father was harassed by treacherous officials in the palace, and I couldn't save him. My best friend was kidnapped, and I couldn't save her either. With a lord like that, why should I look up to and follow him? Besides, all this..."
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath into her chest, and then, under the gaze of the ministers and generals, she suddenly raised her voice and shouted:
"Jiang Congying's actions were indeed manipulated by me, not of her own accord! Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its creditor. I will exchange with you!"
As soon as these words fell, there was a sound of people gasping for air all around.
“No!”
"Absolutely not!"
"Your Highness is confused!"
Facing the ministers kneeling on the ground and Gan Jiu who rushed to her and hugged her legs and refused to let go, Princess Chun'an calmly advised:
"If I were the general defending the city, I would fight to the death today, even if my loved ones were threatened, I would not waver. But I am not a general. I am the princess of the Great Zhou. My duty is to protect my people, including the common people, you, and Jiang Congying. A general must not lose his courage, and a ruler must not lose his benevolence. She is following my orders, so I should not let her bear the undeserved disaster in my place."
She dismissed everyone, pushed Gan Jiu aside, and turned to walk down the city wall.
Gan Jiu cried out in a mournful voice behind him, "Your Highness's words are very high-sounding. If that person wasn't Jiang Congying, would Your Highness be so willful? Do you dare to say that you have no selfish motives?"
Princess Chun'an paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."
"My selfish desire is this... If I were not a princess, I would die for my friend."
Seeing Princess Chun'an turn around and go down the city wall, Xie Xuanlan slowly loosened his grip on the reins.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that things were different from my previous life after all.
There is no mistake in looking at her.
He dismounted, walked up to Congying, and untied the cloth wrapped around her mouth. Seeing that her face was covered with tears, her eyes were swollen, and her face was bruised, she laughed out loud at an inappropriate time.
He raised his hand to wipe her tears, but the armor on his sleeves rubbed her skin so hard that it hurt, so he had no choice but to give up.
"Don't cry," he said. "I haven't had a good chat with you these days. Before we go, please smile at me, or give me some advice."
Cong Ying had been speechless until now, and when she spoke, her voice was hoarse, as if she was filled with unbearable pain and grievance. Unable to stop crying, she said, "You have such a big idea, what else can I tell you? Will you be alright on your way to the underworld?"
Xie Xuanlan smiled when he heard this: "That's not bad either."
Cong Ying was so angry that she raised her palm, but she couldn't bear to bring it down, so she moved it to the side and hit his hard shoulder armor, causing her to feel a sharp pain in her bones.
"Aying, good Aying..." Xie Xuanlan sighed softly.
Whether crying or hitting someone, it was all one less sight to see her. Xie Xuanlan wanted to hold her in his arms and have a few words with her, but in front of tens of thousands of elite cavalry and important officials on the city wall, he didn't dare to do so. The most important thing for him right now was to sever ties with her.
It is indeed a bit regrettable.
But this kind of regret is better than hurting her.
"You are a smart girl. You actually understand my feelings, don't you?"
Cong Ying said anxiously, "What's the point of me understanding? If the whole world thinks you're plotting a rebellion, you'll still be dead!"
Xie Xuanlan smiled and said lightly, "Don't you still have me? Since your lord dared to risk his life to choose you, the world should belong to her. In the future, you will assist her, and she will use you. You will be in charge of the Imperial Academy, enter the Imperial Library, and serve as an assistant to the Prime Minister. The pen of history will be in your hands. Whether I am plotting rebellion or have other difficulties, isn't it something you can refute with just a few words?"
Cong Ying said coldly: "What's the use of a reputation after death? If you die, I will never be alone-"
Before he could utter the word "live", Xie Xuanlan covered his mouth with his hand.
With deft movements, he wrapped the cloth around Ying's mouth again.
He said, "The King of Jin would be so heartbroken if he knew. It was not easy for him to find you. Can you bear to abandon him again?"
Zong Ying glared at him with red eyes and whimpered twice.
Xie Xuanlan nodded with a smile: "Yes, I have always been so dignified as a queen."
The tightly closed Xuanwu City Gate slowly opened before his eyes, and Princess Chun'an walked out on horseback, followed by several generals and Gan Jiu, who looked anxious.
The princess dismounted from her horse about ten feet away and raised her chin towards Xie Xuanlan: "I'm here. Third Young Master Xie, do you keep your word?"
"certainly."
Xie Xuanlan carried Cong Ying, who was tied up like a dumpling, on the horse's back. Seeing that she was twisting and turning with all her might and refused to cooperate, he had no choice but to take out a rope and tie her up tightly.
Then he patted the horse's buttocks gently and said, "Go, walk slowly."
Cong Ying was unable to speak or move, and watched helplessly as Xie Xuanlan and Princess Chun'an passed by each other, heading towards the Xuanwu Gate of Yunjing, but he was getting farther and farther away from them.
When the horse disappeared behind Xuanwu Gate, Xie Xuanlan put away his whip and raised his hand to order, "Everyone, take off your armor!"
The military orders spread like a tide to the elite cavalry behind him. In an instant, there was a neat sound of clicking. Tens of thousands of soldiers simultaneously put away their swords, dismounted, and took off their helmets. Their momentum was like a silver dragon retracting its claws or a Kunpeng folding its wings, which made the spectators feel a chill in their hearts.
If these elite cavalrymen, as strong as tigers and wolves, were led by a general as talented as Xie Xuanlan, they would be able to capture Yunjing and massacre the entire court in less than a day and a night.
Princess Chun'an seemed to have seen the throne change hands, and closed her eyes unwillingly.
She said, "Last year, when Third Young Master Xie asked me to dispatch troops to Guikuizhang, he promised me a favor."
Xie Xuanlan thought for a moment and asked, "Why, do you want me to spare your life?"
Princess Chun'an shook her head and said, "You and your son have occupied Yunjing. If Xizhou is left unguarded, I'm afraid the Western Tartars will seize the opportunity to invade. Apart from you, the most suitable commander of Xizhou is Xuan Xiangling. I want you to spare his life and let him guard Xizhou."
Hearing this, Xie Xuanlan sneered twice: "I'm going to keep him alive and wait for him to come and take revenge?"
Princess Chun'an said, "He won't. Only when I die and he returns to Xizhou will he be relieved."
Xie Xuanlan had heard a little about their affair during a casual chat with Xuan Zhiyuan, and thought that they were also a pair of seemingly heartless but actually affectionate lovers. It was just that he himself had fallen into such a state, so how could he have the energy to sympathize with others?
He didn't comment, but said, "I have something I want to let Your Highness know. This is not the place to talk. Princess, do you dare to go with me to Xuandu Temple to talk?"
Princess Chun'an nodded: "Okay."
So the two of them left the cavalry and archers who were confronting each other on both sides, each mounted their horse, and headed towards Xuandu Temple.
＊
"Xuandu Temple? What on earth does Xie San want to do?"
The palace was still in a mess. Emperor Fengqi had no time to clean up the rebels and anxiously asked about Princess Chun'an's whereabouts.
Gan Jiu fell to the ground and cried, "Princess, there was no need for you to be in this danger. You fell into Xie Xuanlan's hands in exchange for Jiang Congying. That traitor Xie has a deep grudge against you. I'm afraid you won't survive this trip!"
Emperor Feng Qi followed her gaze and looked at Jiang Congying who was standing next to Prince Jin.
Prince Jin calmly moved Congying behind him and corrected him, "It's not for Jiang Congying, it's for Princess Jin."
He coughed weakly a few times, and was so weak that he seemed like he would faint at any moment. However, everyone looked at him with caution and a hint of fear. After all, he controlled the imperial guards and the twenty-four guards, and the entire palace was under his control. As long as he wanted, he could be the oriole behind the mantis, kill everyone in the palace, and ascend the throne himself.
So the Prince of Jin was very blunt in his words: "If she doesn't save my princess, why should I stand up for her against Xie Huanzhi? This is an exchange between me and my cousin. Gan Jiu, you're putting the blame on the princess. Do you really not want the princess to live?"
His tone was slow, but the threat in it made everyone feel a chill in their hearts.
Emperor Feng Qi's face was unfriendly, and he scolded her, "Stupid as a pig, why don't you leave now!"
Gan Jiu shuddered, replied yes, then bowed and left.
Cong Ying then stepped forward and repeated to Emperor Feng Qi what Xie Xuanlan had said before the two armies. "He said he hadn't come to Yunjing to rebel, but was simply angry that the court, while demanding he fight to the death, was simultaneously plotting his own death, which had chilled the hearts of the soldiers. He said every wrong had its perpetrator, and that the only way to avenge his anger was to execute the true culprit. He would then lead his troops back to Xizhou and await the court's decision."
She glanced at Emperor Fengqi with a pointed look, "Your Highness the Princess admitted that it was she who issued the imperial decree to secretly punish him."
Sure enough, when Emperor Fengqi heard this, his face turned very ugly and he looked even older.
He was silent for a moment, then stood up and said, "Chun'an was not aware of this matter. It is my fault."
After Gan Jiu left, the remaining people in the hall were all smart people. Upon hearing this, they lowered their heads and remained silent, not daring to answer.
Only Prince Jin stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Emperor Fengqi leisurely.
Emperor Fengqi said to him in a negotiating tone, "Every wrong has its perpetrator. I intend to go to Xuandu Temple and exchange Chun'an for him. Ruyu, what do you think?"
The King of Jin nodded slightly and said, "I am willing to escort Your Majesty."
He turned around to prepare his troops. Cong Ying quickly followed him and grabbed his sleeve when no one was around: "Take me with you."
The King of Jin looked at her and said, "Just now you told him that if he died, you wouldn't want to live alone. Is that true?"
Cong Ying's expression immediately changed: "How... did you know?"
"I heard it with my own ears."
Prince Jin took a step closer to her, and Cong Ying subconsciously stepped back, his back pressed against the cold red-lacquered dragon pillar. From a distance, the two of them looked very close, as if they were passionately whispering sweet nothings to each other.
The Prince of Jin did indeed have a gentle expression, but his eyes were dark and gloomy, like an ancient well hiding huge waves, or a long night filled with dark clouds.
He asked her softly, "If you want to follow him and commit suicide for love, where does that leave me, huh?"
Cong Ying felt extremely guilty and speechless, her eyelashes drooped and she remained silent.
What could she do? The situation was urgent. She felt that Xie Xuanlan was determined to die and was really afraid that something would happen to him. Apart from the threat of following him through life and death, she didn't know how to keep him.
Although this is not a lie.
"I ask you, where do you put me? Speak!" King Jin's voice became a little deeper.
An idea suddenly occurred to Congying. If Prince Jin could know what she said to Sanlang, then what about what she said to Prince Jin? Could Sanlang also hear it?
Thinking of this, she suddenly raised her eyes, took a deep breath, and said to King Jin word by word: "Yes, I do intend to live and die with him. If he dies, I will never live alone."
She hoped that Xie Xuanlan would hear this and be more cautious in his every move, leaving herself a way out.
But is this too much for King Jin?
Her arm suddenly felt a pain. It was because Prince Jin was holding her and suddenly lost his strength.
The rage that was about to burn in his eyes seemed to be suddenly extinguished by a basin of cold rain, and the light dimmed and turned as gray as paper ash.
He laughed coldly, as if mocking, and as if mocking himself, and said three good words in a row: "Princess Jin, do you still remember who you are?"
Cong Ying looked at him, her tone mournful: "What about you? Do you still remember that he is you? You and he are one and the same. Saving him is saving yourself..."
The King of Jin looked indifferent and unmoved. He said, "That's why I've indulged you both too much, letting you get addicted to his company and fall deeper and deeper into his trap. I watched you become like wild mandarin ducks, reckless and reckless."
"I shouldn't have continued to indulge you even after knowing you dared to forge an imperial decree for him. I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted as to let you go to Xizhou... No, I should have skinned him alive much earlier, as soon as I was reborn."
The hint of hatred in his tone chilled Cong Ying's heart: "Your Highness, what are you going to do?"
The Prince of Jin did not answer, but let go of her and turned away, continuing to mobilize the elite troops of the Imperial Guards and the Twenty-Four Guards and arrange for the emperor to ride in the carriage.
Cong Ying refused to give up pestering him and wanted to go with him, but the King of Jin shook her hand off and shouted, "Chen Zhang, Chen Cheng!"
The two brothers came and blocked Cong Ying's way, one in front and one behind.
The Prince of Jin didn't even look at her and ordered the two men, "Take her back to the Prince of Jin's mansion and keep her under guard."
Chen Zhang and Chen Cheng: "Yes!"
It was the first time for the two men to see the Prince of Jin so furious. They did not dare to speculate on the twists and turns of the matter and quickly took Cong Ying back to the Prince of Jin's mansion for custody.
On the way back, he met Zi Su, and only then did he know from Ying that Xie Xiang had been executed by drinking poisoned wine.
Zi Su patted his chest and sighed, "Originally, His Royal Highness Prince Jin was going to do it himself. This is the first time I've seen His Royal Highness kill someone with his own hands. He looked really scary..."
Zi Su's original intention was to persuade Congying not to provoke King Jin at this time, but unexpectedly Congying's face turned pale after hearing this.
"You said he was going to personally attack Prime Minister Xie..."
Shisu nodded and said yes.
Ying felt a chill in her heart.
She thought to herself, in his last life, he was so crazy, but he still had a bottom line and didn't kill his father. Now, he doesn't even care about the wrath of God or man. What is he planning in his mind?
The more she thought about it, the more she collapsed. She suddenly stood up and slammed into the locked door of the carriage, startling Zisu, Chen Zhang, and Chen Cheng. She reached out and pulled out the dagger from Zisu's waist, pressing it viciously against her neck. The sharp blade instantly drew blood, frightening Zisu so much that she screamed and almost knelt down before her.
Despite being extremely anxious, Cong Ying seemed calm: "Take a shortcut to get me to Xuandu Temple right now, or I'll die in front of you!"
Rogue, but useful.
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