Gu Wen, lost in thought, jumped out of the window.
Yu Ling used a clever trick to pull the person into her arms with almost no effort, but he simply raised his hand to take her and put her down, completely ignoring Gu Wen's already stunningly beautiful appearance.
"Miss Gu, please leave quickly."
Seeing that Gu Wen was still lost in thought, Yu Ling kindly reminded her.
"Um... This time, thank you very much for saving me, Your Highness. But... but An Jingxuan... I beg Your Highness, please... please save him too..."
As she spoke, Gu Wen choked up. She was actually only somewhat clever, but her knowledge of history, gained through her rebirth, allowed her to gain the upper hand in various events.
Now that things have gone too far off track and An Jingxuan's protection is gone, she has long since panicked.
"Ha, you think I, a cripple, can save him?"
Yu Ling was so angry at Gu Wen that she almost laughed. His martial arts were crippled, and he was even weaker than an ordinary person. How could she save him?
"Jingxuan, he's your own brother!"
Gu Wen wanted to say something more, but was ruthlessly interrupted by Yu Ling's furious growl:
"He doesn't treat me like his own brother."
Yu Ling turned and left, completely disregarding the fact that Gu Wen was still recovering from her shock and fear, and he didn't want to drag her into the mess himself.
If you won't save me, I'll save you myself!
Gu Wen thought to herself, then turned around and shouted:
"Jingxuan! I've escaped! No matter what they say, please, please don't believe them!"
After speaking, Gu Wen turned and ran, disregarding the etiquette expected of a well-bred young lady, fearing that the Xiongnu people behind her would react and catch up with her. She knew that An Jingxuan's capture was largely due to her; if she hadn't been used as a hostage to threaten An Jingxuan, with his martial arts skills, he wouldn't have been afraid of those Xiongnu people at all.
At least, escaping is still an option.
Unfortunately, she and the Regent are probably doomed. Although she feels sorry for the Prince, she absolutely cannot let An Jingxuan be in danger!
An Jingqiu is finished. With his sickly body, it's impossible for him to ascend the throne again like he did in his previous life. If something happens to An Jingxuan as well, the royal family will probably be completely wiped out.
Then Gu Wen is the eternal sinner who caused the country's downfall.
Because her legs had been bound for too long and she hadn't been able to move freely, Gu Wen stumbled as she ran. The chaotic footsteps behind her grew closer and closer; the Xiongnu were chasing after her. Their words were interspersed with a few broken Beijing phrases that roughly meant "the emperor has run away." Knowing that An Jingxuan was safe, Gu Wen was completely relieved and ran towards the main road.
She refused to believe that the Xiongnu would dare to make a move in full view of everyone.
However, she underestimated the character of the Xiongnu. In fact, if they were not afraid of alerting the Xiongnu, they would not have hesitated to massacre the entire city.
In those years of scarcity, the death of a few people was nothing. Countless impoverished families with many children drowned their newborns just to get a little more food. It wasn't heartlessness, but rather a product of the times. The choice was simple: one person die, or struggle for a few days only to have the whole family perish? It wasn't a difficult choice.
Massacring entire cities was also an option for reducing the population burden in ancient warfare.
In Gu Wen's previous life, the Xiongnu's brutality was rampant, but it subsided when An Jingqiu ascended the throne.
In this life, she naturally found a way to unite with Prince An Jingxuan to save the border people, which also means that the Xiongnu's disaster of lacking clothes and food has not passed. This is probably one of the reasons that forced the Xiongnu to penetrate deep into the capital and cause trouble.
If everything went smoothly, then he wouldn't be an ordinary person. Gu Wen's idea was good: as long as one person who was bound to die was sacrificed, she could get rid of the Xiongnu. But the truth was not what she expected. The Xiongnu gradually approached, and the crossbows they raised were aimed at Gu Wen, who was running away!
"Screech!" The sound of an arrow piercing the air rang out.
The arrow pierced through Yu Ling's back and then emerged from her front, its force so great that her chest was instantly covered in blood, a bloody mess.
"An... An Jingqiu?"
Gu Wen felt a sudden weight behind her; scalding blood soaked the back of her clothes. Turning around, she was immediately horrified.
"Your Highness, how are you?"
"Quick, let's go!"
As soon as Gu Wen turned around and shouted, Yu Ling sensed something was wrong. With his body, he couldn't run very far, so he could only choose another alleyway towards the restaurant. He would either escape with his pursuers or walk into their trap.
It was all or nothing, and Yu Ling's desperate plan worked unexpectedly well. Everyone was so focused on Gu Wen that they didn't even notice that someone else had secretly run away.
Although the host is far away from danger, the system can't sit still. Gu Wen's reckless behavior is likely to lead to her death. If the protagonist dies, wouldn't the heavens of this world strike the host, this stowaway, dead with a bolt of lightning?
Urged on by the system's incessant chatter, Yu Ling had no choice but to follow at a distance behind those chasing Gu Wen, ensuring her safety. When the Huns raised their crossbows, Yu Ling, unable to help, could only rush forward and offer herself as a sacrifice to Gu Wen.
Thanks to Yu Ling's deliberate actions, the arrow barely passed by her heart, just millimeters away.
It's certain that Gu Wen is alright; he has already detected that An Jingxuan's secret guards are on their way. As for himself, his health was already bad, so a little worse wouldn't be a big deal... right?
Thinking of this, Yu Ling only had time to say "Hurry up and go" before she lost too much blood and fainted. She didn't know how Gu Wen managed to drag her broken body to Yi Cui Lou afterward. She only knew that she woke up three days later.
"Hiss... Is Miss Gu alright?"
When Yu Ling opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Yi Luo, who was anxiously guarding his bedside. He disregarded his own serious injuries and hurriedly asked about Gu Wen's whereabouts, his expression showing obvious anxiety.
"Miss Gu Wen has already returned to the palace. She is under His Majesty's care, so there's no need for you to worry about her!"
Yiluo, who already favors her maternal grandmother's family, replied.
"You silly child, you didn't even say goodbye to your sister before leaving home, and... well, it's good that you're awake. I'll stop your medication right away! Oh, by the way, a male... doctor has been taking care of you these past few days, so don't overthink it or avoid seeking medical help!"
Yu Ling: "..." Female doctors are the scariest, okay?
"Um."
From her weak voice, one could tell that Yu Ling's body was now like a candle flame that had been extinguished, barely clinging to life.
But Yiluo preferred to remain unaware.
Is everything alright in the city?
After administering the medicine, Yiluo withdrew, leaving the doctor to continue tending to the conscious Yuling. However, Yuling's first question wasn't about her health, but rather about the current situation in the capital. This greatly pleased the seemingly middle-aged, patriotic doctor…
"Everything is fine. His Majesty has sent troops to pacify the capital and has also dispatched General Gu Cheng to lead an expedition to guard the border. It seems that defeating those wicked Xiongnu people is just around the corner."
"That's...very good..."
Yu Ling looked somewhat tired. She gently lay down on the bed, supporting her forehead, and waited quietly for the doctor to take her pulse. She didn't ask any other questions.
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