After saying this, Zhang Manguan got up and left.
Hongyu knelt on the ground, stunned and heartbroken. Zhang Manguan wanted her but not her money, which clearly indicated that Yan Wang was manipulating things behind the scenes, wanting to continue controlling her, or even eliminate her.
Right now, besides Chen Yu, only Song Hua and King Gu Huai want to save her.
Song Hua is just a nobody who hasn't made a name for himself yet. Alas, his voice carries little weight!
As for the Ancient Locust King, I'm afraid that before she even returns to the Guli tribe with him, she will be wiped out by General Qiu.
She stood up shakily, supporting herself on the ground. Songhua bent down and helped her lift the heavy wooden cangue...
Suddenly, Gu Huaiwang stormed in, grabbed her wrist, and started to walk out.
"The Emperor has said he will spare your life. As long as you are alive, I will take you away. Let's see who dares to stop me."
"How dare you!" Just as the Sixth Prince was about to order the King of Ancient Locust Trees to be stopped, Song Hua reached out to stop him and whispered in his ear.
"I beg the Sixth Prince to give Hongyu a chance to escape."
What do you mean?
"If Hongyu falls into Zhang Manguan's hands, she will either become a slave or lose her life. It would be better to let her leave with King Guhuai."
Song Hua's voice choked with emotion as she finished speaking, and her eyes welled up with tears.
------
At this time, the area outside Dali Temple was still packed with people, completely blocking the wide Songgui Street.
Shen Yu had already learned the result from the bailiffs. Seeing the gates of the Dali Temple open, she hurriedly went to greet Zhang Manguan and stopped him, smiling obsequiously as she said:
"How much compensation does Lord Zhang want from Hongyu? I'm willing to offer double."
Zhang Manguan suddenly looked at Chen Yu, but remembering Yan Wang's instructions, he glanced at Chen Yu and walked away.
But before he could take two steps, he felt a large hand suddenly pull him aside from behind. He lost his footing and fell to the ground. Before he could even curse, he heard a commotion.
"Wow! Zhang Hongyu is out."
"Acquitted?"
"The ancient locust tree king has rescued the damsel in distress!"
"..."
King Guhuai stopped in his tracks, took Hongyu's hand, looked at the crowd, and said loudly, "His Majesty has pardoned Hongyu's death sentence. From this day forward, she is my woman, King Guhuai's woman..."
"Bullshit! Zhang Hongyu is my servant."
The ancient locust tree king looked in the direction of the sound and saw a trembling old man? Could this be Zhang Manguan, whom the emperor had mentioned... who wanted Hongyu as his slave?
The emperor feared the people would say that he was unjust, but King Guhuai was not afraid.
He pulled out a wad of silver notes and slapped it on Zhang Manguan's chest, sternly warning, "Take this, this is ten thousand guan. From now on, Zhang Hongyu is my woman, and has nothing to do with you."
Zhang Manguan scoffed. He hadn't even taken Chen Yu's 20,000 guan, so why would he be interested in 10,000 guan?
So Zhang Manguan, head held high and chest puffed out, feigning arrogance, pushed away the arm of the ancient locust tree king, and was about to leave.
With a whoosh.
King Gu Huai drew his dagger and pressed it against Zhang Manguan's forehead, angrily asking, "Do you want your life or your money?"
"Murder is a crime. Does King Gu Huai treat human life as worthless in Guli as well?"
Zhang Manguan pushed aside the old locust tree king's arm and continued walking. The crowd was furious and deliberately huddled together, refusing to give way.
Suddenly, the crowd parted to make way for a man with a face full of pustules who stumbled over.
He was a cripple, and Cuiwei followed behind him.
Shen Yu hurriedly went to meet him, but the moment she got close to the cripple, he quickly retreated and stopped, keeping a distance of eight or nine feet from Shen Yu.
The crowd instantly gathered, blocking Zhang Manguan's path once again.
"Make way, make way!"
The crowd remained unmoved, staring at Chen Yu and the cripple.
In recent days, a rumor has been circulating in the capital: Mu Chenyu is willing to marry down, and has taken a fancy to a beggar. Could it be this ugly monster with a face full of pustules?
King Jing was also curious, so he hid in the crowd and carefully observed the cripple. He had a tall and slender figure, a round face and a pointed chin. Suddenly, he frowned, as if he had thought of something.
Seeing that Chen Yu handed the cripple a face towel, the cripple took it and put it on.
Seeing this, King Jing had already made up his mind.
At this moment, the guard came and said that the emperor had summoned him, so he quietly left, still reluctant to look back. The lame man did not get close to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu was puzzled as to why the lame man had suddenly come to see her, so she began to ask, "Have you been taking your medicine on time?"
The lame man nodded.
"Are you out of rice?"
The lame man shook his head.
Seeing that Chen Yu was about to ask another question, the cripple pointed to the pustules on his body and then looked at Zhang Manguan.
Shen Yu suddenly realized that the cripple had come to help.
So she shouted at the lame man, "If nothing's wrong, why did you run out here? If someone touches your sores, they'll surely get a terrible disease! Aren't you endangering others?"
Upon hearing this, everyone stepped back, and Zhang Manguan used all his strength to squeeze into the crowd.
At this moment, the cripple suddenly ran towards Hongyu and grabbed her other hand.
Seeing the cripple's face and hands covered in pustules, Hongyu was naturally terrified and screamed, "Ah... Help me..."
Upon seeing this, Chen Yu shouted, "Crippled man, let go of her hand! You'll pass this incurable disease on to her if you do this!"
The ancient locust king was terrified. He abruptly shook off Hongyu's hand and retreated into the crowd.
Hongyu stopped struggling and gave a weak, cold laugh. She never imagined that the King of the Ancient Locust Tree, who had repeatedly vowed to marry her, would abandon her in her time of crisis.
That's it! Hoping the Ancient Locust King will save her is impossible. Since everyone fears the disease, why doesn't she use the cripple to force Zhang Manguan to back down?
So, she grabbed the lame man's hand and rushed towards Zhang Manguan, while everyone else quickly retreated.
Zhang Manguan limped away, but the people seemed to be against him, leaving no exit. He had no choice but to bury his head in the crowd, his back to Hongyu.
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