Chapter 97 Threat
“Zheng——”
The sound of metal hitting metal exploded in my ears.
The arrow was blocked by the long sword, brushed past Jiang Ran's shoulder, and stabbed deeply into the ground, the feathers still vibrating.
Jiang Chuan's eyes were bloodshot, he almost couldn't catch up.
If he hadn't suddenly realized that something was wrong and rushed over immediately, he would have had to watch his little sister get hurt.
It was he who brought my younger sister and Zhaoyang into the palace. How stupid!
Jiang Chuan protected them behind him, holding his sword and glaring at the team of soldiers.
"This is the palace. You brought weapons into the palace without permission. Are you planning a rebellion?"
The man snorted coldly and walked out from the shadows.
The familiar face gradually became clearer, and all three of them were surprised.
"General Xiaowei, why are you here?!"
Jiang Ran's heart sank. His Majesty had appointed him to lead the troops, but he didn't even go to Jingyang County. How could this be?
General Xiaowei seemed to see through her thoughts. He smiled sinisterly and asked, "Can't I be here?"
"If I don't leave, how can Prime Minister Lu lead his troops to rebel?"
All the clues that had been unable to be connected before suddenly pointed to the same answer.
Concubine Ru captured them and brought them into the palace, and selected Jiang Chuan to join the Jinwu Guard, all in order to force the Crown Prince, Lu Weiqing, and the Jiang family to rescue them.
As soon as they come, they will be charged with treason.
At that time, the third prince would come to Beijing in the name of clearing the court of evil officials, and he would be able to inherit the throne legitimately.
Jiang Ran and Jiang Chuan looked at Zhao Yang at the same time. The only solution now was to send her out together.
As long as the prince can keep his composure, there is still a glimmer of hope.
Unfortunately, General Xiaowei had already thought of this. Without waiting for them to act, he drew his bow again and aimed at Lu Zhaoyang.
At the same time, the soldiers behind him also surrounded them.
The well-trained soldiers were completely incomparable to the mob, and they were unable to withstand it in an instant.
In the chaos, Jiang Chuan blocked the arrow with his body and a big gash was opened on his shoulder, but he did not say a word and continued to fight.
It was only when Jiang Ran was protecting him and touched blood on his hand that he realized how seriously he was injured.
They fought hard but were captured before they could even hold out for half an hour.
The soldiers mercilessly handcuffed their hands behind their backs, tied them tightly with thick hemp ropes, and escorted them to Concubine Ru's residence.
Concubine Ru was getting impatient, but when she saw them being pushed into the hall, her expression relaxed a little.
"Hey, what's going on? You're so dirty."
"Is this how you treat our distinguished guest? How rude!"
Ru Fei made a few hypocritical accusations, walked forward, lifted Lu Zhaoyang's chin, and looked at him carefully.
During the fight just now, Lu Zhaoyang's face was covered with dust and had many small scratches from tree branches, making him look a little embarrassed.
Even so, it is difficult to conceal her natural beauty.
Ru Fei looked her up and down several times, then smiled, "Such a beauty, the Crown Prince would be reluctant to let you die, right?"
Lu Zhaoyang twisted his neck, broke free from her grip, and snorted coldly, "Empress Rufei thinks too highly of me. When he becomes emperor, he'll have all the beauties he wants. Will he really give up his kingdom for me?"
Ru Fei laughed loudly towards the sky, then walked to Jiang Ran.
"The Crown Prince can't say for sure, but the Prime Minister is a love-struck man."
"He has two hundred light cavalry at his command. How could he not rescue the lady if he knew she was under house arrest?"
Jiang Ran looked at her determined expression, not wanting to argue with her, and said nothing.
She secretly prayed that Lu Weiqing would calm down.
She believed that with Lu Weiqing's keen sense, he must have seen through Ru Fei's calculations. All she could do now was to trust him, try her best to protect herself, and not cause him any trouble.
Concubine Ru always hated seeing others showing this kind of stubborn and indifferent expression, as if her painstaking calculations were not worth mentioning in their eyes.
She suddenly drew the sword of the guard beside her and pointed it at Jiang Ran.
"Prime Minister Lu is a little late."
The tip of the sword tickled the pearl on Jiang Ran's ear, making a crisp sound.
Ru Fei gritted her teeth and leaned closer to her. "Do you think if I cut off one of your ears and gave it to him, would it make him come faster?"
"You vicious woman, let A Ran go!"
Jiang Chuan suddenly jumped up, knocked Concubine Ru away, and was quickly controlled by the guards.
As he struggled, the wound on his shoulder and back split open, and blood kept flowing down, forming a small pool in a short while.
Although Concubine Ru was supported by someone and did not fall, the violent impact still made her dizzy and half of her body numb.
She paused for a moment, then in a rage ordered her men to come forward and force Jiang Chuan to kneel on the ground.
"Since you're seeking death, I'll cut off one of your hands and give it to your brother."
Her sharp voice was really irritating, but Jiang Chuan still looked carefree. He tilted his head and covered his ears.
“It sounds terrible.”
"Shut up, if you want to chop it, chop it quickly."
"Oh, and we have to expedite it. Otherwise, it will be rotten by the time it arrives. How will we recognize it as my hand?"
Jiang Chuan's provocative expression really aroused Ru Fei's anger.
"Don't think you can hide it from me! Jiang Yi has ulterior motives. He pretended to send the delegation south, but in fact he never left Chang'an."
When these words were spoken, Jiang Chuan and Jiang Ran were both surprised.
They really don't know about this.
Seeing that their expressions did not seem fake, Concubine Ru felt a little confused, but she ignored it.
"Cut! Cut off his hands for me!"
She pointed at a guard at random.
The man received the order and drew his sword without hesitation to strike.
"stop--"
At this time, Princess Le'an, who had been knocked unconscious, woke up and saw that blood was about to be splattered on the spot, so she immediately stopped it with a stern voice.
"Let him go first. I'll write to my brother. Zhaoyang and I are both in the palace. He will definitely come."
Ru Fei raised her hand to signal a pause, squinting her eyes and looking between the two of them, as if she was hesitating. Her words were somewhat credible.
In fact, not long after Xuan Jiangran and Lu Zhaoyang entered the palace, she forged an imperial decree and asked the prince to enter the palace to make suggestions.
But he didn't show up at this time.
She was also a little unsure whether the prince would take the bait.
If he hadn't come, the show tonight wouldn't have been able to go on.
After hesitating for a long time, Concubine Ru finally compromised, had Princess Le'an's ropes untied, and provided her with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Princess Le'an was not vague either. She dipped the brush in ink and started writing. She finished the letter in just a quarter of an hour.
After reading it, Concubine Ru was sure that what was written on it was all a cry for help, but she was still not sure, so she asked someone to copy it again.
"Don't try to cheat. Write your name here."
In order to ensure that there was no secret code in the envelope, she only asked Le An to sign her name, and then pulled out the hairpin from her hair and stuffed it into the envelope as a token of trust.
After the letter was sent out, the atmosphere in the hall became solemn and everyone was waiting for news.
In order to hide her anxiety, Concubine Ru went to feed the emperor medicine again.
When she came back, three incense sticks had already burned out, and she could no longer hold back.
Concubine Ru ordered Lu Zhaoyang to be brought over, untied her ropes, and pressed her fair left hand on the table.
"I'll cut off one of your fingers first and send it to the prince."
"If he doesn't come in a quarter of an hour, I'll chop off another finger."
"Until he shows up."
Ru Fei's eyes were bloodshot and she was laughing crazily. She raised high the dagger that was searched from her body and could cut through iron like mud.
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