This is absolutely ridiculous!
Xiao Chengyan's eyes turned cold and sharp: "That's your own fault! If you had stayed in the southwest and lived as idle princes, none of this would have happened!"
"What happened back then won't happen again?!" Zhao Qian's eyes reddened. "If it weren't for Xiao Jue's constant pressure, my father wouldn't have had to resort to such underhanded tactics!"
Xiao Chengyan's imposing aura intensified: "So you can joke around with human lives?! Your Ning Prince's Mansion enjoys the support of the people of Bazhou, how dare you poison them!"
Zhao Qian's face suddenly turned pale!
He instinctively took two steps back: "Xiao Chengyan, you...you know that's poison?! That...that Mengxing Village matter..."
Upon hearing "Mengxing Village," Gu Jinghong subconsciously withdrew her hand from Xiao Chengyan's.
Xiao Chengyan looked down at Gu Jinghong. Even though it was just a simple exchange of glances, the two of them reached a tacit understanding that they both knew.
Seeing that Xiao Chengyan didn't answer and only looked at the woman in his arms, Zhao Qian laughed maniacally: "What? Can't say it? Your Highness 'King of Ashes'? When you burned hundreds of people in Mengxing Village to death, you didn't hold back at all! How come you're acting like a mute now?!"
Xiao Chengyan looked at Zhao Qian with a helpless expression: "Zhao Qian, we've known each other since childhood. I'll help you whenever I can. Why did you choose to go down this wrong path?!"
Just then, Gu Jinghong, who had been held in Xiao Chengyan's arms, let out a lazy and charming voice: "Your Highness Prince Ning, your ability to distort the truth is truly... astounding."
Zhao Qian looked at Gu Jinghong, his face showing a hint of anger: "Who do you think you are! What business is it of yours, a mere songstress, that I'm talking to His Highness Prince Jin?!"
Gu Jinghong smiled nonchalantly: "Prince Ning, even though you're pointing a spear at His Highness right now, you still address him as Prince Jin... It's something ingrained in your bones, what's there to argue about? And... don't interrupt me!"
Zhao Qian's face turned pale instantly.
Gu Jinghong stared directly at Zhao Qian, whose expression had suddenly changed, and said loudly, "You keep saying that Mengxing Village is plagued by disease and that His Highness Prince Jin is bloodthirsty. But what I found in the Nanfeng Secret Box is not like that at all."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Qian's pupils constricted, and he shouted sharply, "What nonsense are you spouting!"
He then turned and shouted in all directions, "Falcon! Falcon!!!"
Gu Jinghong said, "Don't bother looking anymore. We can't find the hawk, and we're missing someone, aren't we?"
A bad feeling inexplicably swept over Zhao Qian.
Gu Jinghong continued, "We opened the South Wind Secret Box, and inside was a map of the southwest, marked with several red dots. Mengxing Village was the most conspicuous one. I also found a box of rare red pills. After examination, it was found to be called 'Intestinal-Piercing Evil,' which is extremely poisonous, with symptoms similar to the plague, and spreads upon contact with water."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the horrified guests before finally settling on Zhao Qian's deathly pale face.
"The old prince is truly cunning. First, he used poison to spread the plague, causing chaos in the southwest. When the situation was about to get out of control, he then sent real plague patients into Mengxing Village, which had already been contaminated by the 'Intestinal-Piercing Fiend,' so that the real poison and the real plague would mix together, creating a 'hell' that was beyond cure and had to be completely wiped out!"
"From the very beginning, what you and your father wanted was not simply to stir up trouble in the Southwest, was it? You wanted to force the Crown Prince and Prince Jin, who were in charge at the time, to make the decision to 'burn the village'! You wanted to completely destroy the court's prestige in the Southwest, and even more so, to completely destroy Prince Jin!"
"And you—" Gu Jinghong's voice suddenly rose, filled with icy mockery, "You still have the nerve to use these hundreds of wronged souls created by your father to accuse His Highness Prince Jin, who has taken the blame for your Zhao family for so many years?!"
"Zhao Qian, while the people of the Southwest are all here, tell them," Gu Jinghong stepped closer, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, "that the Southwest epidemic back then, was it a natural disaster or a man-made one?! When you watched those people die from the poison, did you ever for a moment remember that they were also subjects of your Ning Prince's Mansion?!"
boom--!
Gu Jinghong's words were like cold water poured into boiling oil, instantly causing an uproar throughout the banquet hall!
All the guests were stunned, staring incredulously at Zhao Qian, who was pale and trembling.
The truth is so shocking and outrageous!
Zhao Qian was completely stripped of his pretense and descended into utter madness. Seeing the situation turn against him, all his anger, fear, and resentment were instantly and twistedly transferred onto Gu Jinghong!
"You bitch! I'll kill you!!"
He let out a roar that was not human, and completely disregarded the fact that Xiao Chengyan was right next to him, and pounced on Gu Jinghong like a mad dog!
His martial arts skills were already quite strong, and this sudden, seemingly suicidal attack was incredibly fast!
Xiao Chengyan reacted quickly, immediately pulling Gu Jinghong behind him and raising his hand to meet Zhao Qian.
However, at that very moment, something unexpected happened!
Several warrior leaders who had been pointing their spears at Xiao Chengyan immediately joined the attack when Zhao Qian made his move. However, their target was not Xiao Chengyan, but Gu Jinghong, who was being protected by Xiao Chengyan.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye!
Xiao Chengyan was momentarily distracted by the desperate attacks of Zhao Qian and the Xuanjia men. In that split second, one of the cold spears bypassed him and the tip of the spear stopped precisely on Gu Jinghong's temple!
Another steel-like arm gripped her neck tightly, forcefully pulling her away from behind Xiao Chengyan!
"Don't move! Your Highness King Jin! If you move even slightly, I'll kill her instantly!"
The leader of the Xuanjia soldiers shouted sharply, his arm tightening suddenly. Gu Jinghong immediately had difficulty breathing, his cheeks flushed red, and he let out a painful groan.
Xiao Chengyan's movements froze instantly, and all his attacks came to an abrupt halt.
He watched helplessly as Gu Jinghong fell into enemy hands, the cold tip of the spear pressed against her skin, the shock and pain that flashed in her eyes felt like a sharp knife stabbing into his heart!
An unprecedented, almost tearing fear instantly seized him!
Gu Jinghong was breathing with difficulty, but she tried to give Xiao Chengyan a look that said, "Leave me alone."
Xiao Chengyan received her gaze, and his heart ached as if it were spasming.
How could he possibly ignore her?
His domineering inner energy suddenly gathered in his hand, and the sharp and stern aura emanating from him seemed to come from hell: "Let her go."
Seeing this, Zhao Qian burst into maniacal laughter: "Hahaha! Xiao Chengyan! You've finally met your match! You still dare to be so arrogant?! You still dare to be so cocky?! Put down your weapon! Otherwise, I'll have them stab your precious darling through the holes right now... Ah!"
Zhao Qian didn't even realize he had been infected. By the time he realized it, his throat was filled with a metallic taste, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Before anyone could react, Gu Jinghong seized the moment when the warrior was distracted and counterattacked him!
At the same time, the leader of the Xuanjia soldiers was pinched by Xiao Chengyan's hand, which was suddenly extended in front of him.
With a "crack," his head tilted to one side, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Seeing that Gu Jinghong, despite the red marks around her neck, still looked bright and alert, without the slightest fear of being kidnapped, Xiao Chengyan's emotions fluctuated wildly. Even with his good upbringing, he couldn't help but swear—so Jinghong's feigned capture was to force him to take action.
Just at this critical moment, Changfeng arrived with his personal guards and broke down the door!
When Gu Jinghong was snatched back and held tightly in Xiao Chengyan's arms, his arms were trembling slightly.
The feeling of having something lost and then regained washed over him again, and he even took a moment to gently pat Gu Jinghong on the head, saying, "Nonsense!"
Then, Xiao Chengyan turned all his pent-up emotions towards Zhao Qian, and slowly lifted him up with his strong arm around Zhao Qian's neck: "Zhao Qian, how dare you touch my woman!"
Zhao Qian's face turned completely red, and he instinctively grabbed Xiao Chengyan's strong arms with both hands, while his legs shook rapidly up and down.
Xiao Chengyan's sharp gaze swept over the surrounding Xuanjia soldiers: "What?! You still dare to attack?! According to the laws of the Great Yong Dynasty, becoming a rebel is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family!"
The armored soldiers suddenly looked at each other in bewilderment.
Zhao Qian was still unwilling to give up: "Never mind... me! Go, go! Kill him! Hawk, Hawk is with... people are waiting at the door!"
"Is that so?" Xie Yan, dressed in a red dress, kicked the door open and threw the hawk on the ground in front of Zhao Qian.
"You!" Zhao Qian stared at the hawk lying motionless on the ground, his mind suddenly going blank.
Xiao Chengyan tossed Zhao Qian onto the hawk, saying, "How you explain yourself is up to you."
Perhaps realizing that all was lost, Zhao Qian suddenly rammed into a pillar in the hall.
He snapped out of his daze, his face covered in blood, but he still managed to continue, "Xiao Chengyan, you should know very well that someone can open the Southern Wind Secret Box, and that person is the biggest variable! Hahaha! Hahaha..."
Both Gu Jinghong and Xie Yan were startled.
Xiao Chengyan replied coldly, "No need for Prince Ning to worry about it."
After speaking, he picked up Gu Jinghong and walked towards the entrance of the Prince Ning's mansion.
"Hey...you." Xie Yan was about to say something, but was blocked by Chang Feng's strong figure.
With everything settled, the rebels were imprisoned, and the Nanzhao army, influenced by the false defense map, was annihilated by the Southwest Army.
Even those emerging rumors, after the personal involvement of all the guests attending the banquet today, Xiao Chengyan has nothing to worry about.
Everything was within Xiao Chengyan's calculations, except for one thing: Gu Jinghong's risky actions exceeded his expectations.
Although she managed to clean up the mess herself in the end, the lingering fear that washed over her made Xiao Chengyan unable to control his behavior any longer.
...
Southwest travel
Xiao Chengyan carried Gu Jinghong in one arm and strode into his room, slamming the door shut.
The attendants at the imperial camp were all very perceptive; seeing His Highness carrying a woman back to his bedchamber, they all withdrew.
Only the two of them remained in the room.
Seeing Xiao Chengyan's tense jawline, Gu Jinghong finally remembered to explain: "Your Highness, I didn't mean to just now. Xuanru told me that you need to mobilize your maximum internal energy..."
Xiao Chengyan suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
