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Do you really think she's doing everything in her power because she loves you?
Song Shiliu smiled disdainfully: "How good do you think you are? There are many excellent men in Huailai, and you... are only the worst among them."
"Whether she loves me or not is not for you to judge." Yu Baizhou's aura was in no way inferior to his. "I will naturally ask, and she will naturally tell me herself."
Song Shiliu smiled and didn't refute him. "When you're young, you always think the best of things. I used to be like that too, but I also suffered the consequences later."
“Ah Ling has been intelligent since childhood. Apart from being a bit mischievous, she understands everything I teach her very quickly. To be honest, I feel a little sorry for her.”
He said this, but there was no apology in his eyes: "But the sect leader of Huailai will eventually die. I was thinking... she's still young, and no matter how much she learns, it won't compare to what I've learned in my lifetime. And I know far more than her, and my value is far greater than hers..."
“I feel that I have a greater reason to live than Ah Ling.”
As he spoke, Song Shiliu smiled gently, but his words sent a chill down Yu Baizhou's spine.
"The sect leaders of Huailai never live past thirty. I was already thirty-four at that time, living in constant fear of death... But one day, I found a secret technique in the bamboo house..."
"It talks about the birth chart, lifespan, and..."
Yu Baizhou listened intently, gripping the dagger at his waist. Just as he finally uttered that word, he drew the dagger and held it to his neck, gritting his teeth: "A-Ling's illness is because of you."
“It doesn’t really count. Ah Ling was going to die sooner or later anyway.” Song Shiliu stood up nonchalantly: “I saved her life and taught her for five years. It’s only right that she gives me some compensation, isn’t it?”
"It's only been ten years, nothing more."
Song Ling had just celebrated her seventeenth birthday. She was only three years away from turning twenty.
Yu Baizhou wished he could kill this person immediately.
"Don't be angry, General Yu." Song Shiliu slowly poured tea. "A little tea might calm you down."
“Ah Ling always thought she would only live to be twenty. Thinking about it that way is for the best. Without hope, there will be no disappointment, right?” He gently blew on the tea. “I know my apprentice. She has a tenacious persistence when she makes up her mind about something.”
“I just didn’t expect her to value her life so much that she would risk everything to change her fate. Originally, I came here to correct all of this.” Song Shiliu smiled slightly. “But not long ago, she was struck by my sword. Perhaps the headache cleared her head, and that’s why she wanted to make a deal with me.”
“I am very interested in this deal.”
"It is also related to General Yu."
"Would you like to hear it?"
*
Luoyang
"What's wrong, Chen Hejun? Scared? Hahaha!" Zhou Chengyu laughed until tears welled up in his eyes, then lowered his head and grabbed the woman in his arms by the neck: "Fourth sister, aren't you going to say hello to your lord?"
"That's the husband you've been waiting for day and night in the manor."
Chen Hejun gripped his sword tightly and discussed with the Second Prince: "You can ask for anything, just release her!"
"What do I want?" Zhou Chengyu shouted frantically, "Isn't it Marquis Wu'an who wants both? Why aren't you staying in your Northwest? What are you doing in Luoyang? Huh?"
The woman trembled slightly from fright.
Marquis Wu'an sensed something was amiss in his words, but before he could ponder it further, the Fourth Princess on the city wall suddenly broke free from Zhou Chengyu's grasp and cried out, "My lord, please don't make things difficult for me!"
As she shouted, she drew a short sword from a nearby guard and committed suicide on the city wall.
Blood splattered all over the face of the man who had rushed forward to seize the sword...
"lady!!"
Chen Hejun's eyes widened in fury. He raised his longsword and hurled it at Zhou Chengyu, who was still in a daze. Hearing the piercing sound of the sword cutting through the air, Zhou Chengyu instinctively dodged.
But it was too late; he was stabbed in the shoulder.
"ah--"
After watching this good show, Lü Shangwen couldn't help but sigh inwardly that the Fourth Princess was truly a woman of strong character.
Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and shouted sharply, "Attack the city!"
Zhou Chengyu, clutching his wound, screamed from the city wall, "Defend! Defend!"
"Use bows and arrows!"
"If you don't have enough manpower, go and transfer more people!!"
………
"The rebels are about to break in! Our prince's fate is unknown! Run!"
"The Second Prince killed the Marquis of Wu'an's wife, we're doomed!"
"Why aren't you running for your life now!"
The news, which originated from an unknown source, started as a few sparks but quickly spread like wildfire. The situation escalated, with the rebel army outside the city advancing aggressively, and even the imperial guards and palace guards were transferred to the city walls.
No one would care whether the household was missing any insignificant servants.
"Brother Zhang, what are you doing?"
He Tingfang looked at the chaotic scene before him, while his retainer, Brother Zhang, stood with a sullen face and carried a cloth bag on his back.
"What are we doing?" Brother Zhang sighed. "Of course, we're taking advantage of the chaos to run away! What, you really want to sacrifice yourself for His Highness?"
“Those guys got wind of it a long time ago and ran away, leaving only the two of us! I think you should come with me.” Brother Zhang grabbed his arm: “Don’t you have no family? At worst, you can come back to our hometown in Yuzhou with me. My wife runs a small plot of land, and she can easily support you.”
It's just a pity that he re-entered officialdom at the age of forty, thinking that the Second Prince was a benevolent ruler... In the Second Prince's mansion, his ambitions were not realized, and now he is about to lose his life.
Brother Zhang shook his head. "Ambitions can't put food on the table; survival is what matters. Your Highness killed the Marquis of Wu'an's wife. Once that devil of a man, the Marquis of Wu'an, enters the city, not only will Your Highness not survive, but everyone in our Imperial Palace will die!"
What are you still hesitating for!
He Tingfang pulled away from Zhang's hand, saying, "You go first, I have things I must do!"
Seeing He Tingfang running back against the crowd, Brother Zhang stomped his foot angrily: "I kindly helped you up, why don't you appreciate it!"
"You're so eager to die, I'm not going to care about you anymore!"
-
Shouts and footsteps echoed outside the hall, but inside it was deserted, with only one person remaining.
Su Yunruo poured herself a glass of wine, and just as she was about to fill it, the door was suddenly kicked open—
My hand trembled, and the wine spilled.
He Ting, his face flushed and covered in sweat from running, walked up to Su Yunruo and said, "Your Majesty, the rebels are about to break in."
"Come with me."
Su Yunruo paused slightly, then downed the wine in one gulp and turned the glass upside down on the table.
"You can leave now."
She stood up and was about to walk into the inner room.
"Why?" He Tingfang gripped her wrist, his voice pleading, "Because of this child? Come with me, I'll adopt it as my child, okay..."
“If you stay here, they will kill you.”
What would the rebels do to a defenseless woman if they stormed in? He Tingfang dared not even think about it.
"Tingfang, have I ever told you that I love horseback riding?" Su Yunruo slowly raised her head, suppressing the tears that were about to spill from her eyes: "If I weren't a daughter of the Su family, if I weren't the Second Prince's consort, I would go with you today."
“The Su family daughter doesn’t have that courage.” Her voice weakened. “It’s only been a few years. I don’t have the courage to leave this mansion again…”
As he spoke, a ticking sound came from inside the hall.
He Tingfang realized something and hurriedly pulled her over... only to see blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
The red blood, against the pale skin, was like a sharp blade piercing He Tingfang's heart.
"You'd rather die than come with me?" He Tingfang's eyes were bloodshot, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "Why are you doing this to yourself..."
As he pulled her into his arms, Su Yunruo's eyelashes trembled as she tried to open her eyes through her blurry vision to see the person at the head of the table. "You... go quickly."
"I won't leave, I'll stay with you, okay?" He Tingfang frantically reached for the wine pot, but was suddenly pulled back.
Su Yunruo used all her strength to knock over the wine pot, spilling the wine all over the ground.
"You wouldn't even ask me to come with you, even if it meant death?"
Tears streamed down her face. He Tingfang picked her up, his voice choked with emotion, "I'll take you to see a doctor. They'll definitely have a solution."
"No need." Blood spilled from Su Yunruo's mouth again. She endured the pain in her internal organs and grasped He Tingfang's hand: "You leave... and live."
"Give the letter in my arms to...my father."
"This...is very important..."
"I beg you... please..."
"Okay..."
Seeing the pained expression on the person in his arms, He Tingfang couldn't help but feel heartbroken: "Alright, I will give it to Lord Su... Last time, Lord Su asked you, Yunruo, don't you want to see your parents?"
"Don't close your eyes, Yunruo."
He Tingfang carried her outside, his voice hoarse, "Open your eyes, Yunruo... Lord Su and the others want to see you..."
"Actually, I initially intended to use you." Su Yunruo raised her hand, wanting to touch his cheek. "Actually, I secretly aborted that child..."
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and the world went dark.
A cold hand brushed against his cheek as he fell.
He Tingfang stood frozen in place, his gaze vacant, not daring to look down...
After an unknown amount of time, a furious and angry shout suddenly came from behind: "Are you crazy! He Tingfang, do you even know who she is?"
Brother Zhang ran over, shouting, "Quickly, leave her behind and come with me!"
Heaven knows that even after Brother Zhang left the Prince's residence, he still remembered that fool He Tingfang and came back.
I actually saw this person in the princess's courtyard!
Holding the body of the princess!
He stood there, bewildered. It took him a long time to find his own voice.
This He Tingfang is truly a man of few words, but when he speaks, he's astounding! Is this the kind of person he should associate with? Especially in such a critical situation!
"Brother Zhang, I'll take her away."
He Tingfang stared at him blankly, her eyes filled with sadness and pain.
Seeing that look in his eyes, Brother Zhang suddenly froze. The words that were originally on the tip of his tongue just wouldn't come out.
"Fine, I give up. Come with me!"
But as soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, they were suddenly stopped by a woman. The two of them almost stopped breathing and broke out in a thin layer of sweat on their backs.
He Tingfang hugged the person in his arms even tighter.
Wang Wanning stared at the person in his arms for a long time, then looked at He Tingfang and said, "I can report you."
"But never mind, I've decided to do one good deed today."
“Come with me, there’s a path in the backyard. The front gate has been blocked.”
He Tingfang and his companion exchanged a glance, thinking they were going to take the plunge... and followed after them.
The path leads directly to a quiet, deserted street.
He Tingfang thanked him in a low voice.
Wang Wanning suddenly said, "If the rebels attack the city, they will definitely enter from the west street. I don't recommend that you leave the city now. There is an old Wei family residence on the east street."
She handed him the key: "That's part of my mother's dowry. If you trust me, you can go and hide there first."
"However, I still suggest you seek the protection of the Su family."
Wang Wanning glanced meaningfully at the person being carefully protected by He Tingfang, and said, "That's all I have to say."
………
After pouring the last bucket of oil on it, Wang Wanning couldn't light it no matter what she did. Someone next to her quietly handed her a torch.
"Don't you walk silently?"
Wang Wanning was so frightened that she almost fell over, and Bai Yu instinctively grabbed her.
She threw the torch at the doorway, and instantly, raging flames rose both inside and outside the hall, scorching people's faces.
After doing all this, Wang Wanning clapped her hands, then paused for a moment.
"No, she didn't even agree to my deal, why should I help her clean up the mess!"
She angrily kicked away a stick beside her, yelling, "Ugh! They'll never stop even if they're dead!"
"Why would I want to die! I'm still waiting for her to cooperate with me!"
As she spoke, Wang Wanning's eyes reddened, and she slumped down: "That wretched prince is no match for her. At worst, she can just escape, change her identity, and remarry!"
"Why do you want to die..."
"And you! Why aren't you protecting your Second Prince and instead following me?!"
Wang Wanning quickened her pace, but the person behind her followed silently.
“The child is gone, we have no connection anymore!” Wang Wanning turned to look at him: “You don’t need to be afraid that I will expose you, and I don’t have the time to do so.”
Bai Yu felt a pang of pain in his heart from her words, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Does it still hurt?"
Wang Wanning stopped in her tracks. "What exactly do you want to do?"
“Your Highness once saved me. Over the years, I have investigated people and killed people for him. I should have repaid the debt of gratitude long ago.” Bai Yu looked at her, afraid of missing any changes in her expression. “The rebels are about to break in. I will take you away.”
Wang Wanning: "Even if I abort your child?"
“But do you know?” Wang Wanning laughed, “Before Luoyang even received the news, Yunzhou had already changed hands. My sister is the new master of Yunzhou.”
“Her lord will unify the world sooner or later. If I want, I can leave now.” She pointed to herself: “In the future, I hope my sister can help me become a princess or a county princess.”
Why should I go with you?
Bai Yu lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment: "Then, can I stay by your side?"
"To protect you."
Wang Wanning: "Why?"
"I don't know." Bai Yu clutched his chest, somewhat bewildered. "It just hurts a lot here."
Wang Wanning realized something and suddenly laughed, "Actually, more than being a princess or a county princess, I'd like to open a tavern."
At that time, her eldest sister had been attacked by bandits and her whereabouts were unknown. She knew that her sister must not be dead. She must be going to do something more important.
To avoid arousing suspicion from the Second Prince about Yunzhou, Wang Wanning took the initiative to find Madam Wei and register her under her name, thus marrying into the Second Prince's household in place of her elder sister.
This can be considered a way of repaying the kindness that her sister and Madam Wei had shown her and her aunt.
Now that the debt of gratitude has been repaid, perhaps she can go and ask for the life she longs for.
"Bai Yu, do you want to know why?"
Wang Wanning reached out and pulled him down a bit, then stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips: "That night, you kissed me like this too."
"You said you loved me."
"I've said it so many times..."
Bai Yu's pupils dilated, and as his body hesitated to push her away, he realized his true feelings.
"and you……"
"My answer?" Wang Wanning smiled and pulled his hand to her lower abdomen.
Bai Yu's heart was pounding, and the hand he placed on her abdomen was trembling slightly.
He heard an answer that almost took his breath away.
She said, "I did not abort our child."
"Bai Yu, take me away."
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