The Crown Prince forced a smile. “Thank you for coming, Lord Liu. I am very touched. I, like you, believe that I can recover. If I cannot recover, then so be it. I will not force it.”
This time, when he referred to himself as "I am alone," it was not a joke, but rather a very serious statement of his attitude: "If I gain something, I am fortunate; if I lose something, it is my fate. I will let things take their course and not force anything."
After saying that, he turned to Peng Rui and asked, "I wonder how Uncle Nineteen is doing? The young general has come to Guanzhou. I wonder who is protecting Uncle Nineteen?"
Peng Rui found it quite strange that the first question His Highness the Crown Prince asked was who was protecting Prince Yong. He clasped his hands and replied, "Your Highness, Deputy Commander Zhang and Deputy Officer Guo are still here. Please rest assured, Your Highness and Princess, the Prince has returned from the south and will surely arrive in Guanzhou before the end of the year." As he spoke, he did not forget to look at Zhao Shu with a strange expression.
Zhao Shu was also listening intently. If the situation outside wasn't still unclear, she would have immediately asked how her father was doing. Hearing Peng Rui's words, she felt a little relieved. Without the Crown Prince by her side, her father would be much safer. She curtsied and said, "Thank you, young general."
"Your Highness is too kind. Protecting the Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince is my duty. I don't deserve your thanks." Peng Rui was dressed in military uniform, exuding a chilling aura that made people want to stay away. Although he was young, he had been training in the military camp for more than ten years and had grown up in the army since childhood. Although he was quite handsome and not the kind of person who was burly, Zhao Shu knew that he was not to be underestimated.
After they finished speaking and exchanged greetings, they began to talk about the situation outside. It was Peng Rui who said, "Your Highness, Princess, Miss Huo, you can no longer stay here tomorrow. I will send troops to escort you back to the city. Your Highness should stay at the temporary palace. The Emperor's decree also requires Your Highness to stay at the temporary palace to fulfill your filial duties to the Empress Dowager on behalf of the Emperor, and then return to the capital after some time."
"Father's decree?" the Crown Prince asked doubtfully, a chill running through him. People aren't afraid of being down on their luck, but of seeing the coldness in the hearts of those around them when they are down on their luck.
He didn't blame his father for not doing his best to find him, but no matter how he tried to convince himself, his heart still ached. He was able to escape this time entirely thanks to the Huo family, Jiang Zuo who was the first to rescue him from the dungeon, and his nineteenth uncle who shielded him from a sword.
Therefore, he trusted Zhao Shu almost without a doubt and was willing to give her the gold mine. In his heart, the Prince Yong's Mansion and the Empress were of equal status.
He dared not tell Zhao Shu about Prince Yong shielding him from the sword, for fear of worrying her. He understood what Prince Yong meant to Zhao Shu; without Prince Yong, his sister A-Jun would truly be left without anyone to rely on.
"Yes, it is the Emperor's decree." He took out a bright yellow imperial edict from his robes, but did not read it aloud. Instead, he handed it to the Crown Prince for review.
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, everyone hurriedly knelt down. Just as they knelt, an arrow whistled through the air. The crown prince was sitting on the bed, and with everyone kneeling, there was no one to shield him. The arrow went straight for his heart.
Kneeling before the bed were Liu Huan and Peng Rui, followed by Huo Danlan and Zhao Shu, with Sun Yun one step behind Zhao Shu.
The arrow shot through the air and arrived in an instant. Before anyone could react, Xiao Guozi, who had been following Zhao Shu, saw the arrow coming and immediately reached out to catch it, pulling Zhao Shu aside.
The magpie was equally swift; with a single whirl, she pulled Huo Danlan to safety in the blink of an eye.
Zhihai reacted extremely quickly, rushing over like a gust of wind, grabbing the arrow that was flying through the air, and throwing it away with a flick of his wrist. At the same time, he burst out of the door like a soaring eagle and chased after it.
Peng Rui and Liu Huan were both still shaken and secretly alarmed, never expecting that there were so many experts in such a small room.
Zhao Shu was furious, her face radiating an almost tangible chill. "Little Guo, why didn't you protect Miss Sun?"
Upon hearing Zhao Shu's words, Xiao Guozi knelt down with a thud, "Princess, please forgive me, this servant knows his mistake."
"Alright, alright, I'm fine. Why are you so angry? It's no big deal." Sun Yun quickly comforted him, while winking at Xiao Guozi, urging him to kowtow to Zhao Shu quickly.
Xiao Guozi hurriedly kowtowed, "Princess, please forgive me. I know I was wrong. I will definitely protect Miss Sun better next time." Just now, in that critical moment, he only thought that the princess must not be hurt. He didn't remember that Zhao Shu had said that he must protect Miss Sun. Although he knew that the Sun family's assassins were protecting her in secret, just like just now, the assassins were caught in the crossfire and couldn't react in time. This time, it was his dereliction of duty.
This was not the time to punish Xiao Guozi, so Zhao Shu went along with it and said coldly, "After we return to the city, you can collect your fifty strokes of the cane yourself."
"Yes." Xiao Guozi breathed a sigh of relief. At most, a beating would make his buttocks hurt for a few days. Fortunately, the princess didn't punish him too harshly.
"Young General, have the people outside been dealt with yet?" Huo Danlan asked. Someone was secretly launching a sneak attack, which was really hard to guard against.
Peng Rui cupped his hands in greeting, "This humble general has brought ten thousand men with him this time, so there should be no suspense. Please wait a moment, Your Highness, Princess, Miss Huo, and Miss Sun, while I go and take a look."
With a cold face, he received the prince's nod and then left, clutching the sword at his waist. Tonight, he led ten thousand men on a long march of a thousand miles, rushing here day and night. The soldiers were all eager to fight back, and as soon as they arrived, they divided up several groups of black people.
He believed that his soldiers were definitely elites. Although they could not compare with those under Lord Wei, they were dozens of times better than the good-for-nothings under Hao Zi and Marquis Ningguo.
He strode away from Junhua Tower through the snow and soon saw Zhihai return. His ugly face was even more terrifying in the night. However, Peng Rui was not the kind of person who judged by appearances. His gaze fell on the head of the person in Zhihai's hand and he was secretly shocked. If he was not mistaken, this person was with Princess Jun and was the most skilled in the room.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
