Chapter 115. Eagle's Lair. ...
Eagle Fall Ridge.
Like snowflakes falling gently, the world is enveloped in a silent, pure white.
The horses' hooves sank into the deep snow with a dull thud.
King Lema of the Alna tribe stopped in front of a canyon and looked up at the steep ridge.
A tall figure stood with his back to the canyon, silently enduring the wind and snow, his shoulder armor already covered with a thin layer of snow.
The king of the Alna tribe roared with laughter: "Baili Xunzhou, your death is near. This is your burial ground!"
His response was a clear and composed voice: "I'm afraid Your Majesty's dream has come to an end."
The young general, clad in silver armor, slowly turned around, revealing a gentle and handsome face.
The king was startled and incredulous: "Who are you? Where is Baili Xunzhou?"
Gu Chunwen slightly raised her eyelashes, and a smile that was neither a smile nor a frown appeared on her lips.
Shengjing.
Under the clear sky, a troop of elite armored soldiers swept across the long street with a chilling aura like wind and snow, attracting the attention of everyone present.
Bai Lixun's spear moved like a dragon, and he treated the guards on both sides as nothing, smashing open the palace gate with a roar.
The blindfolds fluttered in the wind, blurring the view on the Baili Xun boat to the point where only the outlines of figures could be seen. He held a gun behind his back, the tip pointing at the figure on the high platform, and said coldly, "The Crown Prince is plotting a rebellion, and the Prince of Dingbei's heir has been secretly ordered to come to the rescue of the Emperor!"
In the case of the production, the arrows on the high walls on both sides gleamed, their cold light converging on the boat that sailed a hundred miles away.
A commotion erupted among the court officials in the square. Caught between the numerous armored guards facing off, they dared not move, whispering amongst themselves: "What's going on? The Empress Dowager, Princess Qingping, and the Prince of Dingbei's heir all say the Crown Prince is plotting a rebellion... Could it really be..."
“Princess Qingping is the Crown Prince’s consort. I think we should reconsider her relationship with His Highness…”
A cacophony of noise swept past Feng Mian's ears like a tidal wave. She gazed at the distant boat on Baili Xun, her eyes suddenly reddening.
Before parting, Ah Xue clearly said that his eyes would regain their sight in another week or two, but so much time has passed, and he still hasn't taken off the silk bandage covering his eyes...
Chu Jingze noticed Feng Mian's expression, and his eyes instantly darkened.
With a cold and stern expression, Lord Luo stepped forward from the crowd and shouted, "His Highness the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Dingbei has left the northern border without imperial decree and led his troops into the capital without authorization. This is tantamount to treason!"
Baili Xunzhou didn't know who was speaking, so he turned his spear around and pointed it at the source of the voice, coldly retorting without any politeness: "Are you deaf? I just said that I was sent to the capital to defend the emperor by secret orders. Where did the words 'without imperial edict' come from?"
After discussing with Gu Chunwen, he decided that Gu Chunwen would impersonate him and take charge of the Dingbei Army, while he would lead the entire Jiyu Camp on a secret march, proceeding cautiously and quickly, enduring wind and rain, and concealing his tracks, all to prevent people in Shengjing from finding out that he had left the northern frontier and taking advantage of the situation to turn the tables on him. Now, how could he let this person smear him?
"I have no idea, whose orders are you following?" Chu Jingze asked, his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed in cold eyes.
"By order of Your Majesty." Supported by her maid, the Empress Dowager slowly stepped forward. She seemed somewhat nervous, gripping the maid's wrist tightly, and pleaded softly, "Ze'er, don't be so stubborn. What do you want? Tell your grandmother and father. Let's discuss it behind closed doors. Why make such a fuss?"
Chu Jingze pursed his lips, raising an eyebrow as if puzzled. "What is Grandmother talking about? Because Father Emperor was seriously ill and unconscious, I ascended the throne in a time of crisis amidst the expectations of the officials and the people. Does Grandmother believe what outsiders say and think that I am plotting to usurp the throne?"
One of the court officials echoed, "Lord Luo was right before. The Crown Prince's position has long been decided. The Princess and the Heir Apparent have been accusing the Crown Prince of treason, which is an accusation that shakes the foundation of the country. If there is no real evidence, it is framing the Crown Prince!"
A rapid hoofbeat rang out, accompanied by a booming voice: "Your Highness, you want evidence? Where is it?"
Chu Jingze, who had rushed over, dismounted and strode to the front of the court officials. His eyes were sharp, and he laughed loudly, "It's more than just something!"
He threw a stack of secret letters heavily into the arms of several court officials, saying, "There are many!"
"All the secret letters between Lord Luo and the Arna tribe over the years, as well as the account books of the private mines in the Northern Frontier, are right here!" Feng Ciyan looked at Lord Luo with a sneer. "Lord Luo, you don't think that using Diwen for bookkeeping will guarantee everything will be foolproof, do you?"
Moreover, the Alna tribe are barbarians, but they are not fools. How could they not keep the secret letters between Dayong and those who colluded with them, so as to use them as a threat in the future?
He could infiltrate the Alna tribe once, and he could infiltrate it a second time; finding these things was relatively easy for him.
The court officials passed around the letters and translated account books, exchanging surprised and uncertain glances. "Why is Imperial Censor Liang's name on this account book? Isn't he always at odds with the Luo family?"
"Grand Secretary Liu, Military Advisor Qi, Physician Fang... This... this is simply outrageous!"
A moment of panic flashed across the faces of the people whose names were read aloud. Some, who were too thin-skinned and lacked self-control, hurriedly waved their hands in denial, and were quickly isolated by the courtiers.
Luo Gong was only initially shocked when he saw the letters and account books. He quickly regained his composure and looked at Feng Ciyan with suspicion. "Who are you? How dare you spout such nonsense here!"
“My surname is Feng.” Feng Ciyan looked at Lord Luo with satisfaction as his expression suddenly changed. “It seems that Lord Luo is not so old and senile as to forget my elder brother who was killed by you and the Alna tribe.”
"Could you be General Feng?!" An elderly courtier, trembling, stepped forward, clutching a letter. "Is what's written in this letter true? Did the Luo family collude with the Alna tribe to leak military intelligence, leading to General Feng's tragic death?"
"Old Lin, do you believe everything anyone comes here to bark at?" Luo Gong cast a cold glance at him.
"Lord Luo's composure is truly admirable. If you think the physical evidence is insufficient, there are also witnesses." Feng Ciyan clapped his hands three times, and several men who looked like miners walked in shakily.
After days of travel, all of them looked pale and sickly.
When the mine collapsed, they rescued many miners. These men happened to have seen Rochelle at the mine, so they stepped forward and offered to be witnesses.
The evidence was irrefutable. No matter how eloquently Lord Luo tried to refute it, the scales of justice in the hearts of the court officials had already tipped. A righteous censor jumped out and berated Lord Luo, only to be covered in the mouth and dragged away by Lord Luo, his eyes flashing with cold light. The situation was still undecided; rushing out now would only make one a target!
“Brother, it’s not too late to turn back now.” Feng Mian’s gaze was earnest, still wanting to try one last time to persuade him to turn back.
Chu Jingze suddenly laughed, his eyes unfathomable: "Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back."
He gently raised his hand: "How will you know it won't work if you don't try?"
Before he finished speaking, he gently hooked his raised hand down, and a rain of arrows suddenly fell!
The officials scattered in panic, and Feng Mian hurriedly protected the Empress Dowager and retreated, shouting, "Quickly, protect the Empress Dowager and hide!"
After the Empress Dowager safely entered the palace, Feng Mian immediately took advantage of the chaos to run along the corridor towards Mingxin Palace. She deliberately left Qingyi with her uncle; with him and the Crown Princess there, her uncle would surely be safe. When her uncle awoke, all of this…
A pair of hands suddenly grabbed his wrist from the shadows.
Feng Mian staggered as she was dragged into a spacious side hall, where she looked up to meet Chu Jingze's bloodshot eyes.
"Brother..."
"I've given you everything you wanted, so why are you still running away?"
The dull thuds of arrows piercing the beams echoed incessantly. In the chaos, he pinned her against a palace pillar, their foreheads pressed together, their breaths mingling. "Without you, what use is this throne..."
Darkness engulfed all sound like a tidal wave.
The Crown Prince disappeared, and Luo Gong was captured by Baili Xunzhou in an instant. The palace coup was gradually quelled with the intervention of the Swift Feather Camp.
In the post-disaster plaza, the Swift Feather Camp soldiers were busy securing key routes and cleaning up the battlefield when Baili Xunzhou grabbed Shanyi, who was directing the defenses, and asked, "Where is the princess?"
Shan Yi looked around blankly: "It seems they're escorting the Empress Dowager into the palace..."
"The princess has gone to the Mingxin Palace!" a passing soldier hurriedly added.
Baili Xunzhou immediately grabbed a palace maid and took her to the Mingxin Hall.
"Her Highness the Princess has not come," Qingyi reported crisply. "His Majesty will awaken in an hour at the end of the month..."
Before he could finish speaking, Baili Xunzhou turned and left, his steps hurried as he strode out of the Mingxin Hall.
His eyesight had only recovered slightly, and through the silk ribbons, he could only see blurry outlines of light and shadow. He stopped and ordered, "Bring a palace hound."
A moment later, Wu Liu, who had been rescued by the Crown Princess, brought a greyhound with the help of palace servants. Liu Ying, while crying, brought over Feng Mian's clothes and choked out to the greyhound, "Smell carefully and find our princess quickly!"
The greyhound whimpered twice and rushed into the palace road.
Bai Lixun followed closely behind, holding the rope, stumbling forward through the unfamiliar palaces with only faint, blurry vision.
They arrived at a side hall, where the greyhound's paws anxiously scratched at a hidden door.
The narrow, dimly lit passageway inside the hidden door actually allowed him, a man who had been blind for over a month, to move freely. He took a few steps, supporting himself against the wall, when his ears twitched slightly, catching a familiar, soft hiss of pain.
"Mianmian?" He followed the sound and called out softly and cautiously.
Her breath caught in her throat, followed by Feng Mian's tearful cry: "A-Zhuo? A-Zhuo, where are you..."
Several muffled thuds sounded, as if she was trying to stand up but then collapsed back to the ground.
"Don't move, I'm coming to find you!" Baili Xunzhou said anxiously. He caught a faint smell of blood, which was particularly noticeable in the damp, dusty passage. He became increasingly panicked and ran a few steps, only to find the smell of blood in the air growing stronger.
His knees buckled, and the moment Feng Mian's figure blurred in his eyes, he lunged forward, crawling two steps to pull Feng Mian into his arms. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, are you hurt anywhere? I smell blood..."
He ran his blood-stained fingertips through her disheveled hair, asking in a trembling voice.
Feng Mian shook his head, "It's...it's my brother's...the Crown Prince's blood. I...I'm carrying the dagger Father gave me...I..."
Warm tears rolled down Bai Lixun's neck.
Is he still alive?
Baili Xunzhou then noticed that there was another figure lying on the ground behind Feng Mian. He carefully pulled Feng Mian behind him and groped around to check on him.
It was faint, but still beating.
That's terrible, still alive.
"Don't worry, he's not dead."
Baili Xunzhou ignored Chu Jingze and went to Feng Mian's side to ask, "Can you still stand up? Did you twist your ankle?"
Feng Mian nodded, her right foot peeking out from under her skirt.
Baili Xunzhou reached out to set her bones, but paused when his fingertips touched the edge of her sock. He glanced at Chu Jingze lying on the ground without making a sound, then withdrew his hand. "I'll carry you out and have the imperial physician take a look."
Feng Mian was lifted into the air by his arms, and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. "What about him?"
"Get a few people to carry him out later." Baili Xunzhou quickened his pace. Luckily, he reacted quickly, otherwise he would have had to carry the person out himself.
He's not cut out for this kind of work.
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