Chapter 62 The Fox Blocks the Sword: "Thank goodness I'm back..."
Inside the Western Army's tent, the general was polishing his sword. "Your Highness is quite capable, managing to send the message out, but it was still a miscalculation and ultimately futile."
The crown prince, bound like a dumpling, scoffed disdainfully, "You don't actually think you can take the capital with this number of troops, do you?"
"Your Highness is extremely intelligent, how come you don't understand the principle of capturing the king first to capture the thief?"
The crown prince was stunned. "You want to kill my father?"
But killing that old man won't change anything...
"Wrong, not Your Majesty, but the Ninth Prince." The general sheathed his sword, his smile growing increasingly sinister.
"You can't even take the capital, and you still want to kill Tinglan?"
"Your Highness is mistaken again. To kill the Ninth Prince, we don't need to conquer the capital, but killing the Ninth Prince will make it much easier to conquer the capital."
The crown prince frowned. "How do you intend to kill me?"
He usually didn't like Tinglan, but at this moment, Tinglan absolutely couldn't be harmed.
"I have set up chess pieces in the palace, but I haven't used them for many years. Taking advantage of the chaos, I can still kill a powerless eunuch." The general clapped his hands and laughed.
The prince felt ice-cold all over and slowly closed his eyes.
He can't send a second letter now, no matter what. Tinglan, you'd better be tough.
*
Fox wasn't really good at riding horses. After all, he used to live in the mountains and didn't have any horses to ride. This was his first real time riding a horse, without Tinglan by his side to help him.
He gripped the reins tightly with both hands, his palms sweating. The wind whistled past his ears. They had traveled for a long time, and the fox's back was stiff. Even with the wind blowing so hard, beads of sweat slid down his temples.
The fox was having trouble breathing, and he used only brute force to hold onto the reins so that he wouldn't fall off the horse.
I feel terrible, my chest feels heavy, and my mouth tastes like rust.
The Imperial Guards behind them even praised, "Your Highness has excellent horsemanship."
The fox had just opened its mouth to smile when it saw a plume of smoke rising in the distance.
The rebel army is about to arrive and besiege the city.
Within half a day, the capital was plunged into chaos. Everyone was filled with anxiety and fear. With their families and relatives still in the city, the decision of whether to stay or flee was extremely difficult...
The palace was in complete chaos. The Taoist priest, clutching all his belongings, squatted at the entrance of the Directorate of Ceremonial, pleading, "Please, have mercy and let me in to take refuge."
Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable! I only wanted to go down the mountain to supplement my family's income and support my large family. How did I end up in this situation?
If I had known, I would have had my fortune told too, and just run away with Ji Qing.
Chen Yu strode out. "Master Zhou, what brings you here? Is there something important?"
"Is His Highness the Thirteenth Prince still in the palace?" The Taoist priest, disregarding all decorum, patted his backside and stood up to ask.
"Not here."
The Taoist priest finally breathed a sigh of relief, picked up his bundle, and rushed into the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, asking, "Is your seal of office there?"
Every single day, the fox couple is a handful, each one bringing misfortune upon the other.
"He's not here either. The commander went to supervise military affairs and hasn't returned yet."
"Ah, then I can only trouble you, sir, to pass on the message and warn His Highness to be careful of bloodshed..." The Taoist stopped and sighed helplessly.
Well, at least the fox ran away beforehand, so he should be safe this time.
The Taoist priest casually found a room, sat down, and entered a meditative state.
Unbeknownst to anyone, the fox had successfully entered the palace. With the waist token given to her by Tinglan, she could enter and leave the palace without hindrance, even under citywide martial law.
Chaos reigned in the palace, everyone was on edge, and occasionally someone was pushed and shoved to the ground.
The fox refused the escort of the Imperial Guards and transformed into his original form. Four paws are always faster than two legs.
But he couldn't find Tinglan. She wasn't in the Directorate of Ceremonial, she wasn't in Changqiu Palace, she wasn't in the garden, and she wasn't in the small kitchen either.
The fox was exhausted and had to stop and catch its breath after running a few steps.
If it were a fox from the past, it could easily run three laps around the palace.
He raised his paws blankly, stood up on his hind legs, and looked into the distance.
The smell of burning wood filled his nose, and in the distance, he could faintly hear the clinking of metal.
What happened? He was perfectly fine when he went out, how come he came back like this?
The fox's heart was pounding, and he plopped down on the ground.
He really couldn't hold on any longer. He hadn't stopped running the whole time. He rode back on horseback and then ran all the way. He was so tired that he had no strength left in his hands and feet.
"All the ministers and princes are in the Golden Palace. It's said that His Highness the Ninth Prince will be arriving soon." A passerby hurried along, whispering to his companion.
The fox was overjoyed and immediately pricked up his ears, but he didn't know where the Golden Palace was.
So he reached out and hooked his claws on the man's clothes. "Hello, could you tell me which way to the Golden Palace?"
"Ah!! A monster!"
The man didn't answer the fox; instead, he turned and ran away in a panic.
The fox stood there dumbfounded, looking down at his little paws, feeling somewhat sad.
He sniffed, thinking, "It's alright, as long as Tinglan isn't afraid of monsters."
Hmph, that person has no taste. I'm a very beautiful fox.
The fox rested for a while, then continued running, swishing its big tail.
Anyway, he has legs, so he can always find the imperial palace.
But after taking two steps, he turned back to the corner and silently transformed himself into human form.
Forget it, what if I scare Tinglan?
The fox followed the crowd and finally found the Golden Palace. He found a corner, sat down next to a pillar, hugged his knees, his vision blurred, and he couldn't hear what others were saying. He fell asleep with his head down.
Tinglan had just come down from the city wall when the battle situation stabilized. The enemy had a large number of troops, but the morale of the troops in the capital region was unstable. After all, this was an attack on the imperial city, and the word "rebellion" was looming over them.
The situation is much more optimistic than imagined. If the enemy does not send reinforcements, the capital will be safe for the time being. But if reinforcements do come... it will probably be a fight to the death.
Fortunately, the young prince was sent away first.
Tinglan sighed and stepped into the Golden Palace. He still needed to give some instructions to the Emperor.
At this moment, people inside the Golden Palace were restless.
After all, the rebels outside were fighting under the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials," and many people thought that if the emperor stepped in and took down the "Nine Thousand Years Old," the matter would be resolved. After all, it was the crown prince who started the rebellion, and his family would not be so easily wiped out.
But when Tinglan arrived, these people immediately shrank back like quails, not daring to speak.
Tinglan stepped forward to greet the emperor, "Your Majesty, thanks to the timely message from the Crown Prince and the prompt response from the capital, the war situation is temporarily under control."
"Oh? According to you, the Crown Prince isn't actually with those traitors?"
Tinglan nodded. "It was the traitor who kidnapped the Crown Prince."
The emperor closed his eyes and said nothing more. He was helped to rest by several eunuchs.
The news caused an uproar in the entire Golden Palace. It meant that they were facing a real traitor, not the Crown Prince whom they cherished.
"You're talking nonsense! You must be afraid His Majesty will hand you over, so you're making up this lie!" Someone suddenly shouted, craning their neck.
The entire Golden Palace was thrown into chaos.
The fox was awakened by the noise. It opened its eyes groggily and vaguely saw Tinglan's figure. It immediately jumped up happily.
Great! I've found the right place!
Oh dear, I feel so dizzy, I got up too quickly.
The fox's face turned ashen. He bent over and leaned against a pillar to catch his breath for a while before squeezing through the crowd, trying to go forward to find Tinglan.
His ears were filled with sharp, unusually noisy and jarring sounds.
These voices seem to be criticizing Tinglan.
The fox didn't understand the situation, but since he was standing behind Tinglan, he could see a flash of cold light passing through someone's sleeve in the crowd.
This person carried a sharp weapon.
Is it for self-defense?
But why bring it out at this time? There are so many people here, what if someone gets hurt by accident?
Unless he intended to kill someone in the first place...
Fox's heart suddenly pounded. He desperately pushed through the crowd, trying to get closer to Tinglan's figure.
"Tinglan, danger! Danger!"
The fox shouted loudly, but his voice was drowned out by the noisy crowd, and no one noticed.
Tinglan raised his hand and rubbed his temples. He had been so busy setting up defenses that he hadn't paid attention to the rumors in the palace, and now things had turned out this way.
Never mind, it doesn't really matter. The most important thing right now is to defend the city. We can talk about the clarification later.
Tinglan couldn't stand the noise any longer and turned to walk towards the door.
The assassin noticed that Tinglan seemed to be leaving, so he quickly changed direction and thrust his sharp blade at Tinglan's back.
But some people are faster than him.
With all its might, the fox finally broke free from the crowd's restraints, rushed forward, and pounced on Tinglan.
But he didn't have the extra strength to deal with the assassin.
The sharp knife plunged straight into his chest.
Blood splattered out.
The fox stared blankly with its head down, feeling a bit cold, it thought.
"Assassins! Come quickly and protect the Emperor!" Screams finally erupted from the Golden Palace.
The Imperial Guards waiting outside the hall rushed in immediately, swords in hand.
But none of this had anything to do with Tinglan.
He turned around and looked at the familiar figure on the ground not far away.
As if in a dream.
"Your Highness?" he called softly.
Like a murmur, like a whisper.
You must be mistaken. How could Your Highness be here?
His Highness has left and gone home.
He went to build his snowman, eat his grapes, and happily roasted chicken by the stove.
How did you end up here?
“Ji Qing?” Tinglan asked, trembling, as she grasped the fox’s hand.
The fox tried to say something, but first coughed up a mouthful of blood, "I..."
Tinglan knelt on the ground, futilely trying to stop the fox's bleeding wound. Warm blood flowed through his fingers, and the little prince's life was also slipping away between his fingers.
Tinglan had seen too much blood in his life, but this was the first time he had been burned by blood.
Tears streamed down his face unconsciously. He leaned down, wanting to listen carefully.
"Thank goodness I'm back..." The fox forced a smile, and with great effort raised his hand to wipe away Tinglan's tears. "Don't cry."
It failed.
The fox's hand merely brushed against Tinglan's cheek before falling heavily to its side.
"Ji Qing!" Ting Lan suddenly grabbed those hands and brought her face close to them.
He muttered to himself, "Nothing will happen..."
"Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician!"
The fox lay on the cold stone slab of the Golden Palace, closed his eyes, and carried with him his unspoken secret.
Meanwhile, a hundred miles away from the capital, some people saw a long, dark shadow looming in the sky amidst the lightning and thunder.
Perhaps it was fate, but my sister arrived, though a step too late.
-----------------------
Author's Note: I ripped my right hand open while opening a can of food today [crying emoji]. My typing speed has drastically decreased; I was hoping to update more [crying emoji].
Finally, the copywriting has been collected! [fireworks] Sorry for the long wait, everyone!
I'd also like to recommend my upcoming ancient romance novel, "My Nemesis Digs Me Up After My Death," featuring a male protagonist and two characters who both escape death.
The former Sword Master of the Immortal Sect, now a traitor, Qin Zhihan has been buried. His death was so coincidental, passing away suddenly before the truth was revealed.
At this moment, he himself was floating on his own grave, watching his nemesis dig up his remains, and he couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
Since he's already dead, it's best not to desecrate his corpse.
Things have changed... He's taking my clothes off!
Jiang Tan, are you a pervert?! How could a paragon of righteousness do such a thing?!
Tsk tsk tsk, the world is going to the dogs.
Luckily, I have a good figure, so I'm not afraid of being seen.
…
As a result, Qin Zhihan has now become Jiang Tan's puppet...
Damn it, I was too naive.
I always thought this guy was a hypocrite. He always dressed very conservatively and spoke very seriously, but who knew he was a pervert.
Since becoming a puppet, Qin Zhihan has been pretending to be a human machine every day, unable to help in any way, and harassing Jiang Tan all day long.
But Jiang Tan seems... happy to see it happen?
As expected of Master Jiang, his composure is truly exceptional.
Later, Qin Zhihan watched as Jiang Tan tirelessly worked day and night to find the truth of what happened back then.
He finally couldn't take it anymore and picked the person up and threw them onto the bed.
Get some sleep.
Why are you blushing?!
We are sworn enemies, we don't get along!
One day, Qin Zhihan took a sword for Jiang Tan.
He thought, "Goodbye, Jiang Tan, your little puppet can't be repaired anymore, we're even."
After getting a new shell, Qin Zhihan casually stole himself out, touching that pale and handsome face, feeling extremely distressed.
What kind of clothes is she wearing? They look like Jiang Tan's. Change them.
When Jiang Tan stormed in, Qin Zhihan was happily playing with himself as a dress-up pillow.
Jiang Tan pressed her sword against his neck, her eyes bloodshot, and asked, "What is your past with Qin Zhihan?"
No, what story could I possibly have with myself?!
Am I not just entangled with you all along?
Small Theater No. 1
Jiang Tan lifted the puppet's chin, looked at the pale face of his old friend, and suddenly felt playful. "Call me 'Master' and let me hear it."
Qin Zhihan turned his dark eyes to him, seemingly oblivious to the meaning behind his words, his voice hoarse, "Master."
Upon hearing these two words, Jiang Tan suddenly lost her composure and became completely disoriented.
Qin Zhihan has always been aloof and arrogant. You are indeed not him. In the end, it was all just wishful thinking...
Qin Zhihan, feeling utterly hopeless, was completely bewildered. What had happened? Why wasn't she herself anymore...?
Small Theater No. 2
Jiang Tan burst through the door and saw the man with disheveled white hair lying in Qin Zhihan's arms.
The person he cherished most was treated with such contempt.
Jiang Tan's eyes were red, her fingers trembling so much she could barely hold the sword. Qin Zhihan, what exactly did you love...?
What is it about me that I lack compared to him?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com