Chapter 204 Standoff and Negotiation
But the princess's actions did not end there. She looked at the remaining Imperial Guards and said:
"All rebellious Imperial Guards, listen to my command! The situation is now in my hands."
If you lay down your weapons and abandon darkness for light, I may spare your lives.
I hereby reiterate that I will absolutely not involve your family members.
The general of the Eagle Guard echoed this sentiment:
"Eagle Guard!"
"Powerful, powerful!"
The Eagle Guards in the courtyard responded in unison, their voices low and oppressive, chilling everyone to the bone.
Soon, the scattered sounds of weapons falling to the ground could be heard.
If one person throws down their weapon, the others will be affected and will soon follow suit, abandoning their swords to save their lives.
The princess waved her hand, and all these people were captured by the Eagle Guards and taken away.
The eldest princess, along with the empress, Consort Rong, and the third prince, walked into the center of the courtyard, directly facing the corner where Prince Rui was hiding.
He said to Prince Rui from afar, "Come, let's talk."
Prince Rui naturally heard the commotion outside, but he dared not be distracted by looking outside.
Because he already had enough to endure inside the room.
As Yin Fengshan followed the Crown Prince out of the cave, the Crown Prince noticed that Xiao Ling had an arrow in his arm.
Fang Qing was covered in blood and grime, his condition beyond repair.
The Crown Prince asked Xiao Ling with concern, "Are you alright?"
Xiao Ling shook his head, but said, "I'm more worried about Yu'er."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince looked up and glanced ahead, suddenly noticing that Xie Yunyu had moved.
The Crown Prince quickly pulled Xiao Ling up, grabbing Xiao Ling's left hand.
"Ah, what are you doing?" Xiao Ling exclaimed in a low voice.
The crown prince didn't even look at him, but instead gestured for him to look at Xie Yunyu.
Xiao Ling frowned, enduring the pain in his arm, and looked over. He froze at the sight of it.
Xie Yunyu woke up and looked over, rubbing her head with a puzzled expression.
Xiao Ling immediately prepared to push through the crowd and go forward, but the Crown Prince held his arm tightly.
Ignoring the pain in his arm, Xiao Ling turned and glared at the Crown Prince, asking:
What are you doing?
The Crown Prince calmly replied, "She is behind Prince Rui."
Xiao Ling fell silent after hearing this.
"You go and keep her calm. I'll have Yin Fengshan and Cui Gong meet her," the Crown Prince continued.
Xiao Ling nodded in agreement.
Taking the opportunity, the Crown Prince said to Yin Fengshan and the old eunuch Cui beside him:
"Assist the Princess Consort in capturing Prince Rui."
The old eunuch and Yin Fengshan naturally saw Xie Yunyu wake up.
"Your Highness, stay here and don't move."
The old eunuch Cui confessed.
The crown prince had no choice but to nod.
Xiao Ling, along with Eunuch Cui and Yin Fengshan, pushed through the crowd and arrived at the front.
Two of the men in the front row who were confronting Yuan Che also saw that Xie Yunyu had woken up, and their eyes involuntarily fell on Xie Yunyu.
However, Prince Rui's attention was diverted by the eldest princess.
Yuan Che and his personal guards stared intently at Yin Fengshan and Xiao Ling as they approached.
No one noticed Xie Yunyu lying on the ground behind Prince Rui.
Xiao Ling glanced at Xie Yunyu first, his left arm still pierced with an arrow, his right hand hanging down, giving Xie Yunyu an OK sign in a concealed position with his clothes.
He learned this from Xie Yunyu.
Xie Yunyu had just woken up and was initially a little dazed, but after seeing the situation clearly, she gradually came to her senses.
As Xiao Ling led his men forward, he immediately noticed the arrow on Xiao Ling's arm and was about to speak.
Suddenly, I noticed that Xiao Ling's right hand was first waving incessantly, and then he made an OK sign.
Then it stopped moving instantly.
I just stared at the scene before me with my eyes open, and my breathing became lighter.
I had a headache just now, but now that I'm so focused, I can't feel the pain anymore.
Seeing that Xie Yunyu had stopped moving, Xiao Ling continued to gesture with his hands.
Suddenly, Princess Chang saw Le Shou, who was beside the Crown Prince, waving at them through the window.
A member of the Eagle Guard stepped forward, and Le Shou whispered something to him. The Eagle Guard then turned to relay the message to the Princess.
The eldest princess nodded and began to speak with Prince Rui:
“Brother Rui, tell me your terms.”
Prince Rui, still holding the dagger to the emperor's neck, turned to answer the question:
"Find someone to escort us out of the palace."
The eldest princess asked, "You? Who does that include?"
"All of my people."
"Your people?" the Princess chuckled. "Including Consort Rong?"
“That’s natural,” Prince Rui replied.
The eldest princess looked at Consort Rong with a half-smile and said:
"It seems there is true love between you two."
After saying that, he turned to Prince Rui and said, "Okay, I agree."
Then he asked, "When will you release His Majesty?"
Prince Rui replied, "If we can escape safely, we will naturally release Your Majesty."
"Successfully escaped? What do you mean by 'successfully'?"
What level of safety is considered safe?
"Do you only consider it safe if you bring His Majesty into your northern border territory?"
“Your Majesty, you are overthinking it. I will release him once he leaves the capital,” Prince Rui replied.
The eldest princess then asked, "His Majesty is currently unconscious. How do you plan to ensure His Majesty's safety?"
"If you leave the capital and kill His Majesty, I'll be at a huge loss."
Prince Rui sneered: "This is something you should be considering, Your Highness. If you don't want him to die, then prepare a carriage and medicine."
The eldest princess scoffed inwardly: "They've thought of everything quite thoroughly."
Even dogs know to take hostages, and it's best to take one who is physically able-bodied, but you took one who was unconscious.
Unless you hold the hostage in your arms or carry him on your back all the time, I can send someone to shoot you if the hostage leaves you for even a moment.
The reason I'm wasting my breath talking to you here is simply because the archers haven't found a suitable position.
If I can lure you out, I guarantee you won't live more than two breaths.
But he didn't show it on his face, and said to the people around him:
"Prepare the carriage, medicine, and imperial physician."
The eunuchs then turned and went out to make arrangements.
At this moment, Xiao Ling had already made several hand gestures to Xie Yunyu.
Xie Yunyu had already figured it out: this was a plan to have her take advantage of the situation to restrain Prince Rui, so that the drab old eunuch could make his move.
She could see the old eunuch constantly adjusting his position, gradually moving closer to Prince Rui.
She slowly sat up, shuffling backward along the floor, and leaned against the wall to rest for a while.
They didn't care at all about the sticky blood on their cheeks and neck.
He pulled a pouch of gold needles from his pocket.
Take out all the needles, pin them to your sleeve, and throw the empty needle case aside.
The Thousand Bull Guards standing in front naturally saw Xie Yunyu's actions, but quickly realized what was happening and shifted their gaze.
The eldest princess's voice continued:
"I have already agreed to your conditions."
After finishing speaking, he calmly continued:
“Brother Rui, it’s probably not appropriate for you to still be acting on His Majesty’s behalf.”
Besides, we siblings haven't seen each other for many years. Your elder sister misses you terribly. Why don't you show your true face and meet me?
Prince Rui sneered, "Hmph, you think I am? That's a huge joke. My sister probably dreams of killing me."
After saying that, he added, "Do you think I care about having his face?"
From childhood to adulthood, his face has been the most hated thing to me.
No, I hate you two siblings the most.
The eldest princess burst into laughter upon hearing this:
“Brother Rui, after all these years, it’s quite surprising that my brother and I still hold such an important place in your heart.”
However, I also really dislike your face, which looks exactly like Consort Ye.
She was clearly a lowly maidservant from the Langya Wang clan, yet she was sent to the palace to bewitch the emperor and covet the throne.
That's wishful thinking.
Prince Rui couldn't stand anyone talking about his mother.
Hearing the eldest princess scolding Consort Ye, he immediately became agitated.
He was already hiding by the window, and now he excitedly peeked out a little and said to the outside:
"That old hag Empress Dowager is a despicable woman. I've taken her son hostage, so why hasn't she come over?"
Oh, right, she's been poisoned and is dying...
Hahaha……"
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