The wishing well wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. It was surrounded by shady trees. Prince Yong and Sun Yun hid in the well, and those who couldn't squeeze in took off their robes, wet them, and covered their mouths.
The raging fire seemed to descend from the sky, turning the centuries-old temple into a sea of flames. The surrounding giant trees and houses were all engulfed in flames, crackling and popping as they burned.
Outside, shouts of battle shook the heavens; the clashing of weapons and screams filled the entire Huguo Temple, leaving no place in peace.
Someone shouted, "The arsenal has been burned down! The arsenal has been burned down!"
"What?" It seemed to be the voice of the wise king. "Useless!" he roared in anger.
However, tonight was destined to be a night of misfortune, for then came the cry: "The grain supplies have been burned! The grain supplies have been burned!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Yong muttered to himself, "Why shout it out loud? Are you afraid others won't know? Are you afraid of disrupting the morale of the army? My third brother is getting more and more foolish."
As expected, when the wise king's troops heard that the armory and food supplies were gone, they immediately fell into chaos.
A short while later, the King's furious voice rang out: "Attack! If you dare to retreat, I will kill you!"
No more, no less; he'd been imprisoned for years and had lost all sense of propriety. How could he threaten his soldiers like that now? He should have said, 'Men, charge! Charge into the capital, become a marquis and prime minister, and you'll have everything!'
The group listened at the wishing well, feeling sorry for the wise king's intelligence; it was tough on him, yet he still dared to rebel.
“These soldiers are all good-for-nothings,” Sun Yun said. “I guess the people who lent him the troops weren’t really helping him, and they didn’t give him any elite troops.”
"Whoever enters the capital first will be granted the title first. Who's stupid?" Sun Yun looked down at Sun Yun beside her, not expecting her to know these things.
After a while, Xiao Fuzi and Mo Qin and the other three sneaked over and, despite the chaos, found Prince Yong and his group.
"What's the situation outside?" Prince Yong asked hurriedly.
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has arrived. The Prince Xian and the Noble Consort are negotiating with the Empress Dowager in the front hall," Mo Qin reported.
Negotiations so soon? It seems they're outnumbered. But what do they have to talk about?
"Are there still many of them?" he asked again.
“Not many. The archers have run out of arrows and have all surrendered. Except for the main hall, the rest of the place is a sea of fire. Your Highness, we must get out of here as soon as possible. I have received a signal from Steward Fu,” Mo Qin said.
Upon hearing this, Prince Yong thought for a moment and said, "Let's go."
They rolled around in the water, getting completely soaked, and crouched low as they rushed out, killing any rebel soldiers they encountered along the way.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, someone suddenly came running up ahead with great agility. Mo Qin, with his sharp eyes, was the first to recognize it as Xiao Zhu Zi. "Xiao Zhu Zi," he called softly.
Following behind Xiao Zhuzi was the stout Uncle Fu, each carrying a wet monk's blanket. Upon seeing Prince Yong, they didn't even have time to pay their respects before helping each other rush out of Huguo Temple.
They were walking along a small path. There weren't many houses, but the trees were all on fire. The hot wind blew, and wave after wave of flames made them choke.
The main hall, which was deliberately preserved, is much better than the other halls, but it's not much better; the eaves still caught fire.
The Empress Dowager stood gracefully in front of the mountain gate. Besides Ji Yun and others, Peng Rui was leading the troops beside her. He was looking coldly at the Mahavira Hall of Huguo Temple, where the Prince Xian and the Noble Consort were being protected behind him.
They weren't far apart, but they couldn't easily hear what was going on inside, so they sent a representative from inside.
This person is around sixty years old, from the generation of the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager is still charming, while she has already turned gray at the temples and her back is hunched.
"Your Majesty, what have you thought of what I said just now?"
When Prince Yong and his companions rushed out of Huguo Temple and arrived at the Empress Dowager's side, they only had time to hear this one sentence.
The palace maid was clearly delighted to see Prince Yong and looked hopefully at the Empress Dowager.
"Mother, why are you here? Is everything alright?" Prince Yong rushed behind the Empress Dowager, ignoring his singed hair, and anxiously asked her with great concern.
"It's been many years since we last met, and the Prince is still so filial, much like the Third Prince." The palace maid's words were ambiguous, whether it was praise or criticism.
But these words sounded particularly harsh to the Empress Dowager. “My eldest son is not someone that anyone can compare to. I was too kind to let her go back then, but I didn’t expect that it would embolden her. But it doesn’t matter. I have said that a defeated opponent will always be a defeated opponent. I can make her lose once, and I can make her lose a second time. That is the reason why I spared her life back then.”
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, the palace maid's face darkened, and she immediately turned to Prince Yong and said, "Your Highness, do you still remember the baby boy who died fifteen years ago? The princess's twin brother."
"You lowly servant!" Granny Zhong slapped her across the face, sending the palace maid sprawling to the ground with a trickle of blood on her face.
The Empress Dowager gave a slight nod, and Peng Rui swiftly and cleanly killed the palace maid. Inside the Great Hall, the Wise Prince and the Noble Consort, seeing their envoy dead, immediately shouted, "In times of war, envoys are not to be killed. Why does this lowly woman break the rules?"
"Shut up! There is only one country in the world, Dayong. All the world pays homage and all directions submit. Where is the second country? Offending the Empress Dowager is a crime punishable by immediate execution!" Peng Rui shouted. The negotiations had reached the final stage when Prince Yong rushed out. Now the Empress Dowager was probably furious and would burn down the entire forest.
The Prince Xian and his mother are truly haunting. If they had just stayed at home and lived a life of leisure, none of this would have happened.
"Zhao Chongjing, your power is gone, why don't you surrender? Out of brotherhood, I'll grant you a proper burial!" Prince Yong drew the sword from Xiao Zhuzi's waist, choosing to ignore the words spoken by the palace maid.
The Empress Dowager trembled, and two lines of tears fell down her cheeks. Why was Heaven so cruel to her son?
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