Li Mu and Qiao'er exchanged a glance, both seeing deep worry in each other's eyes.
This is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin; one wrong move and you're doomed.
"Your Majesty..." Li Mu wanted to persuade her again, but Chen Qingwan stopped him by raising her hand.
"No need for further words, my mind is made up!"
Chen Qingwan's tone was firm.
"I believe that there is always a way out! The Great Tong dynasty will not be lost forever!"
Qiao'er bit her lip, but ultimately said nothing more.
Once Chen Qingwan makes up her mind, nothing can change it.
For now, we can only take it one step at a time.
Outside Jingzhou City, Zhang Xinwang, the prefect of Huai'an, was overjoyed to receive Chen Qingwan's reply.
"Hahaha! This Empress really can't keep her composure after all!"
Zhang Xinwang held the letter and laughed triumphantly.
"Send word to break camp immediately!"
His advisors, however, were somewhat worried:
"My lord, could this matter... be a trap?"
Zhang Xinwang glanced at him disdainfully:
"A trick? What tricks could a little emperor trapped in the city possibly play?"
"She's in dire straits, barely able to save herself. What waves can she possibly make?"
"But……"
The strategist wanted to say something more, but Zhang Xinwang impatiently interrupted him.
"No buts! I have been waiting for this day for a long time! As long as I marry this Empress, the entire Great Tong Empire will be mine!"
A greedy glint gleamed in Zhang Xinwang's eyes, and he could already see himself ascending the throne and ruling the world.
But soon, his smile vanished, and he stroked his chin, a sinister glint in his eyes.
"Someone, bring me pen and ink!"
Zhang Xinwang picked up his pen and began to write on the letter paper. After a moment, he handed the letter to the messenger.
"Deliver this letter to the Empress!"
The messenger accepted the order and departed.
In the letter, Zhang Xinwang requested that she send the Imperial Seal of the State out of the city.
She also demanded to be granted the title of "One-Character King" and specified that she would marry Zhang Xinwang.
As a condition for his deployment of troops.
...
At the same time, Li Mu secretly found Qiao'er.
"Miss Qiao'er," Li Mu said in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, she..."
Qiao'er sighed and put down the wooden comb:
"Her Majesty still refuses to leave, saying that she wants to live and die with Jingzhou."
Li Mu frowned:
"Foolish! Jingzhou City is on the verge of collapse. Your Majesty staying here will only increase the danger!"
"Zhang Xinwang is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Once the city falls, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Qiao'er understood this principle perfectly well, but she knew Chen Qingwan's temperament best.
Once a decision is made, nothing can change it.
"Does General Li have any good ideas?" Qiao'er asked.
Li Mu frowned, paced back and forth in the room, and said anxiously:
"Miss Qiao'er, the only option now is to ask Lord Lu for help!"
"The troops of Shannan Prefecture are strong and well-equipped, and Lord Lu is full of cunning schemes; he will surely be able to lift the siege of Jingzhou!"
Qiao'er put down the wooden comb in her hand and sighed softly:
"General Li is quite right, but how should we send this letter for help? Jingzhou City is now completely besieged, and it's probably impossible to escape."
"That is indeed a difficult problem."
Li Mu pondered for a moment.
"How about... we find a clever guard, disguise him, and sneak out?"
Qiao'er shook her head, her delicate brows furrowed:
"The enemy troops are swarming outside the city, each one like a wolf or a tiger. How easy is it to get out? Even if we manage to get out by chance, what if the messenger is captured and His Majesty's identity is revealed? Wouldn't that be..."
"What Miss Qiao'er says is absolutely right,"
Li Mu agreed.
"The best course of action now is to announce to the public that His Majesty is taking refuge here, and we must not reveal His Majesty's true identity."
Qiao'er wholeheartedly agreed, but she still had some concerns:
"Even if we can send the letter out, what about the others... Alas, I really can't rest easy about them."
Li Mu understood Qiao'er's meaning; whether others could complete this arduous task was indeed an unknown.
Qiao'er bit her lip, a resolute glint in her eyes:
"Fine, for His Majesty's safety, this servant will risk everything! This servant will personally go to Shannan Prefecture!"
Li Mu was startled upon hearing this:
"Miss Qiao'er, this is absolutely not allowed! The journey to Shannan Prefecture is long and fraught with danger. You are just a weak woman..."
"General Li, there's no need for further words,"
Qiao'er interrupted him.
"Your Majesty gave me this life, and I would gladly die for you!"
Seeing that Qiao'er was determined, Li Mu stopped trying to dissuade her, but only gave her some advice:
"Miss Qiao'er, you must be careful on your journey and remember not to reveal His Majesty's identity!"
"This servant understands."
Qiao'er nodded solemnly.
That night, Qiao'er took advantage of the darkness and quietly slipped into a secret tunnel.
This tunnel was left behind during the attack on Jingzhou, and only a very few people know of its existence.
Following this tunnel, Qiao'er could bypass the enemy's blockade and reach the outside of the city.
After exiting the tunnel, Qiao'er found a fast horse and galloped through the night towards Shannan Prefecture.
What would normally be a three- or four-day journey, Qiao'er completed in just two days, reaching the territory of Shannan Prefecture.
However, Shannan Prefecture was heavily guarded, and Qiao'er encountered strict checks and searches when she entered the city.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
The soldiers guarding the city stopped Qiao'er, speaking to her in an unfriendly tone.
Qiao'er forced a smile, trying to remain calm:
"Sir, I've come to visit some relatives."
"Go to live with relatives?" The soldier looked Qiao'er up and down, his eyes full of suspicion.
"Why are you carrying a package when you're staying with relatives? Open it and take a look!"
Qiao'er's heart tightened; the package contained some tokens that proved her identity.
If discovered by soldiers, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Sir, this package contains my daughter's personal belongings, which are really inconvenient to show to others..."
Qiao'er tried to get away with it.
"Stop talking nonsense!" the soldier snapped impatiently.
"Open it now, or you're not getting into the city!"
Helpless, Qiao'er had no choice but to bite the bullet and open the package.
The soldier roughly searched through the contents, his gaze lingering for a moment on the tokens.
He glanced at Qiao'er again, as if he had noticed something.
"Who exactly are you? Tell me the truth!"
The soldier asked sternly.
Qiao'er was flustered, but she still tried to remain calm:
"Sir, I really only came here to stay with relatives..."
Just then, another soldier walked over and whispered a few words in the first soldier's ear.
The first soldier's expression softened slightly after hearing this, and he said to Qiao'er:
"Alright, go in! However, this is a temporary pass. You must leave Shannan Prefecture within three days, otherwise..."
"Thank you, sir!"
Qiao'er felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and quickly took the pass and hurried into the city.
She disregarded the tedious procedures, her mind preoccupied with Chen Qingwan's safety.
After obtaining the pass, they immediately headed to the Shannan Prefecture government office, hoping to see Lu Yan as soon as possible.
After asking around, Qiao'er finally found the government office.
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