In the Southern Kingdom's palace, Uncle Li was reviewing memorials when a eunuch arrived to announce, "Sir, an envoy from Dazhao has arrived."
Uncle Li kept writing when he heard the eunuch say, "The person who came here calls herself 'Princess Jinrong'." With a scratching sound, the rice paper in Uncle Li's hand broke.
He raised his head, seemingly in disbelief: "Jinrong?"
The chief eunuch nodded heavily: "That's right..." Before he finished speaking, Uncle Li had already strode out of the hall and galloped towards the palace gate without stopping.
The scorching sun above was blocked by dark clouds and the air was stuffy.
Xihe and others were waiting in front of the embassy. The summer in the South was different from that in Dazhao. It rained a lot and the air was humid. Everyone felt very uncomfortable as soon as they entered.
At this time, Yuanfu was wiping the sweat off his face while fanning Xihe: "Princess, are you hot or thirsty? Come and have some water."
Xihe pushed his hand away, stood up slightly, and looked at the end of the street: "Here I come."
Yuanfu subconsciously turned his head and saw a group of people striding towards him at the end of the road. Before everyone could react, they walked up to him. When they saw the man rushing in front, they were all shocked.
He was dressed in an imperial robe, his hair was occasionally gray, but his face was still clear and his bearing was dignified, with the majesty of having held a high position for many years.
However, why is it so similar to their Majesty?
Uncle Li stared at Xihe intently, his body trembling slightly. Xihe stepped forward and said with a smile, "Jinrong greets Uncle Li. Is Uncle Li alright?"
Everyone was stunned by the word "imperial uncle".
Uncle Li's face darkened immediately, and he scolded him harshly, "Only your irresponsible father would dare to let a little kid like you come here! He's not afraid of anything happening, even if you've traveled thousands of miles and crossed mountains and rivers!"
He strode forward, looked her up and down, and asked, "Is everything okay on the road?"
Xihe smiled and shook his head: "Father sent the best imperial guards to Jinrong, and he had a safe journey."
The group immediately followed Uncle Li into the palace. The southern architecture was more refined, with rockery and gardens, not as majestic as those in Dazhao. Uncle Li was very concerned about Xihe. He was usually a man of few words, but now he became a chatterbox and wanted to know everything.
Xihe kept responding with a smile, and when Uncle Li asked about Dazhao's condition, he took the opportunity to tell her the purpose of his trip.
"Borrowing troops?"
Uncle Li repeated it.
At this time, the moon was at its zenith, and the bright moonlight fell on the lake, creating ripples on the water.
Xi He's face was heavy. "The Gu family controls one-third of Dazhao's forces. The remaining troops are partly under General Yuan's command, and partly scattered among various generals. However, General Yuan's position is unclear right now. Relying solely on the Imperial Guard and the assembled forces, our chances of victory are less than 50%."
Uncle Li was silent. He had been paying attention to Dazhao and knew there was a problem, but he didn't expect it to be so big.
He spoke carefully, "As far as I know, the best generals in Dazhao are the Gu family army. If the two sides go to war... for example, if you have sufficient troops, does your father have capable generals?"
His eyes were blazing and his words were sharp.
Even if he agreed to lend them troops, they didn't even have a general, so wouldn't that mean they would be sending their lives in vain?
Xihe nodded: "Yes."
Uncle Li raised his eyebrows: "Oh?" How could he not know.
Xihe turned his head slightly, picked up the wine pot on the table, leaned over to pour a glass for Uncle Li, and made a "please" gesture.
Uncle Li picked it up, tilted his head back to drink, and then put it down casually.
"ah!"
An exclamation.
Uncle Li frowned, but when he lowered his head, the cup had already broken into white powder.
He looked up suddenly.
Xihe smiled brightly: "Jinrong will personally ask for the battle."
-
The next day, everyone gathered together.
Gu Qingyun's brows knitted together: "The King of the Southern Kingdom is your uncle?"
Xihe responded casually, and then followed Uncle Li's fifth daughter to visit the yard. The little girl was about the same age as her, but she had a naive personality and kept chattering about the surrounding scenery.
After getting the answer, Gu Qingyun became more and more anxious. Fang Jinrong was already very capable, and now he had an uncle who was the king. How would his brother deal with it?
His expression kept changing, but at this moment he had no choice.
He touched the bottle of medicine on his chest, took a deep breath, and decided to drink it when he got home in the evening. He hoped that Fang Jinrong would spare the Gu family's lives for the sake of his promise.
However, before evening, the accident happened.
On a clear summer day, the fifth princess took everyone to the suburbs for a boat trip on the lake. There was a gentle breeze and everyone was laughing and talking happily. Suddenly, several men in black broke out of the water and ran towards everyone with machetes in their hands.
Yuan Fu was stunned and immediately rushed forward: "Princess!"
Xihe couldn't help but curse: "Are you a pig?"
Is she pointing out her location specifically because she is afraid that others don’t know where she is?
As expected, the man in black rushed towards Xihe upon hearing this. The boatman and guards were kicked into the water, and the palace maids screamed. Xihe picked up the fruit plate on the table and threw it out, dodging it nimbly.
But Song Chenyin was not so lucky. He twisted his foot while running and fell to the ground.
Gu Qingyun was fighting fiercely with the man in black and couldn't pull his hands away. He could only shout: "Fang Jinrong, my sister-in-law!" Xihe took a look and immediately kicked a vase over, but the man in black dodged it easily.
The man in black bent down, gently lifted Song Chenyin up and held her in his arms, then he swung his sword towards the front of Xihe.
Gu Qingyun was stunned, and Song Chenyin screamed in fear. However, the next second, she felt a familiar breath, her eyes lit up, and she hugged the man's waist tightly, saying happily: "Husband!"
Xihe barely dodged the sword, with a streak of blood running down his face.
She immediately looked at the tall man in black. With a pair of gloomy and cold eyes, Xihe smiled: "Gu, Ye!" She kicked a man in black away, picked up the sword on the ground and rushed over.
Soldier, bang.
The long sword is like a divine weapon.
Each strike of his sword hit the precious sword hard, causing his palm to go numb.
Gu Ye held Song Chenyin in one hand and fought with Xihe with a sword in the other. At this moment, the voice of guards came from a distance. He fought and retreated, and finally ran towards the distant barren mountains with Song Chenyin in his arms, and Xihe chased him closely.
The group came to a cliff. Gu Qingyun was angry and panicked: "Thief, let go of my sister-in-law!"
Gu Ye glanced at him and looked at Xi He: "Are you sure you want to go against me?"
Xihe twisted her neck and snorted, "If you hand over the Gu family army, maybe I will spare your life." Gu Ye's face suddenly darkened, which meant that they would fight to the death.
Gu Qingyun was dumbfounded: "Brother?"
However, neither of them paid any attention to him and they started fighting again, with their swords aiming at each other's vital points. Soon, their clothes were torn open, revealing flesh and blood. The people around them were filled with panic, but no one could get in.
Xihe slashed Gu Ye's shoulder with a sword, and Gu Ye's hand loosened. Xihe pulled Song Chenyin into his arms.
He retreated to the cliff and laughed: "Gu Ye, who do you choose?"
The black-clad men were almost dead or wounded, and several of the imperial guards who followed them were also killed. The two sides formed a standoff. Xihe put the knife on Gu Qingchen's neck and smiled: "Tell me, is he saving you or Song Chenyin?"
Gu Qingchen bit his cheek tightly: "Fang Jinrong, don't waste your efforts."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
