hijack
Wu Yuan doesn't usually send messages easily, but once he does, he's definitely not simple. He Lin should have realized this long ago.
The capital city remained as bustling as ever, and the common people were completely unaware of Ma Zhang's rebellion, continuing to live their lives as usual.
He Lin asked Gu Ziyu to take Jiang Yi back to the general's mansion first, while he and Shan Yanzhi went to the military camp.
If Ma Zhang rebels, there must be someone in the capital to help him. Perhaps the palace is already in chaos or under the control of the rebels. He Wei and He Yu are both at the border and will definitely not be able to return with troops to help in a short time. The only way to turn the tide is to seize military power first. Otherwise, the country will change hands!
When Jiang Yi returned to the general's mansion, it was unusually quiet; not a single maid or servant was to be seen.
Before they even reached Luoying Courtyard, Gu Ziyu immediately sensed something was wrong. Before he could explain, he grabbed Jiang Yi and ran outside, only to be surrounded by people after just a few steps.
Just as Gu Ziyu was about to charge out, a man in armor walked over laughing. He seemed to be their leader. He stepped forward and fixed his gaze on Jiang Yi, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, making people feel very uncomfortable.
"You must be the wife of Young Master He. The Prince has ordered that all women in the General's Mansion be captured alive. Stop making futile resistance and surrender obediently, or else..."
He waved his hand, and two soldiers brought over, swords at the necks of the First Lady and Lady Tong.
"Yier!"
Jiang Yi's heart clenched, and she cried out urgently, "Mother!"
Gu Ziyu held her tightly, his eyes scanning the area like a hawk's. These people were no match for him. Leaving with Jiang Yi was no problem, but with the two ladies in their hands, he wouldn't be able to explain to He Lin if something happened to them.
As if sensing Gu Ziyu's concerns, Su Tong frowned and said to him, "Ziyu, don't worry about us, take the young mistress and leave, quickly!"
"lady!"
"mother!"
The two shouted at the same time, and Gu Ziyu grabbed Jiang Yi's arm tightly.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yi shook her off: "I'm not leaving!"
She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, her eyes fixed on the leader without a trace of fear: "The prince you speak of must be Ma Zhang, the Prince of Hannan, right? People get old and their minds inevitably become muddled. How could you suddenly decide to raise an army in rebellion? Treason is a serious crime. Wouldn't it be better to go back and persuade your prince? Wouldn't it be better to have a peaceful old age? Why did you have to cause this trouble!"
"How dare you! You, a mere woman, address the Prince by his given name! You have no respect for your own life!"
Jiang Yi's stubbornness flared up: "So what if I call him Ma Zhang! Ma Zhang Ma Zhang...! He's a traitor, does he dare to do it but not admit it? What's wrong with calling him that?! Even eight hundred years from now, he'll still be a traitor, bearing the infamy, and forever despised by posterity!"
"you……"
The man was about to teach Jiang Yi a lesson when Gu Ziyu stepped in front of her, his eyes fierce and sharp, as if he were ready to fight to the death.
"Hahaha... Well said!"
Qi Shuangyun truly lived up to her title as the eldest princess of Liang. Even with a knife to her throat, she remained unfazed, laughing and clapping her hands, undoubtedly acknowledging Jiang Yi's words.
"I originally thought you were just a concubine's daughter who couldn't read or write much, but I never expected you to have such courage. I underestimated you."
Then she sneered, looking straight ahead with composure and grace, and said, “What is there to fear in death? If my brother is defeated, you may kill or torture him as you please. My son and husband, as well as the millions of loyal and righteous men of Liang, will certainly not let you traitors go unpunished. But if you lose in this mutiny, you will die without a burial place and bear the infamy for eternity. That old bastard Ma Zhang, he dared to raise an army in rebellion, wasn’t he also gambling? There’s nothing more to say, it’s not certain who will have the last laugh.”
"Madam, you must not know the situation in the palace if you say such a thing. Emperor Liang and Empress Dowager have been taken into custody by the Prince. General He's troops are all on the border. It is hard to say whether they will be able to return in time. Once the Prince gains military power, all the troops of Liang will be under his command. I hope that you will still be as stubborn as you are now at that time."
After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling his men to take the man away.
"Young Madam, please come in as well."
Jiang Yi stepped out from behind Gu Ziyu, put her hands behind her back and shook them slightly, indicating that he should run away on his own. Gu Ziyu understood this.
She thought that He Lin's identity must be extraordinary, and perhaps there was a way to save them. It would be better for Gu Ziyu to go to He Lin than to be tied up in the general's mansion with her and unable to do anything. Besides, she didn't know martial arts, and taking her along would only be a burden.
"No, Miss Jiang, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yi seized the opportunity, rushed forward, drew the general's sword from his waist, and slashed wildly. The surrounding soldiers were frightened by her reckless frenzy and took several steps back.
Jiang Yi shouted, "You go! Don't worry about me! If this continues, no one will be able to leave! Go find He Lin to save us!"
"Miss Jiang!"
Let's go!
Gu Ziyu hesitated for a moment, then turned around and kicked the soldier behind him away. He used the trees next to him to leap onto the wall, and quickly disappeared from sight.
The man said that Ma Zhang, in order to regain military power, would definitely set up an ambush near the military camp, and the young master and his men were in danger! It was time to mobilize all the hidden agents in the capital...
Jiang Yi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Gu Ziyu escape. She then threw her sword on the ground and offered her hands for them to tie up.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, fearing a trap. They had never seen anything like it before. Why would anyone willingly come forward to die? Were they out of their minds?!
Jiang Yi is perfectly fine; she's just tired from running and wants to rest.
Being chased all the way, and now being held hostage, this is really enough.
She didn't want to think about anything, she just wanted to sit down and rest for a while, or lie in bed and sleep for a while. What the Great Liang Dynasty, what the emperor's throne, had nothing to do with her, she didn't care what anyone thought!
The sins of Heaven may be forgiven, but the sins of oneself are unforgivable. Evil will be punished by Heaven, so it shouldn't matter if she goes on strike and slacks off for a while. Besides, if the main character dies, what's the point of the game? The entire world system will collapse, won't it?
As it turns out, Jiang Yi's imagination was too idealistic; becoming a prisoner is not something just anyone can do.
"Hey, can't you be a little gentler? My hand is going to break!"
Her response was a shove, which nearly caused Jiang Yi to trip and fall.
Those people led her to the front hall, and when she arrived, she was surprised to find that everyone from the General's Mansion was there.
Apart from the First Madam and Madam Tong, who were treated better and weren't tied up, the rest weren't so lucky. They were all bound together with a rope and lined up in several rows on the ground.
Xia Zhi caught sight of Jiang Yi and, disregarding everything else, stood up excitedly and cried out, "Miss!"
Jiang Yi had been searching for Xia Zhi, and when she heard someone call her name, she immediately looked in the direction of Sheng Yuan: "Xia Zhi! How are you? Did they give you a hard time or hit you?"
Xia Zhi's eyes were red, and she couldn't say anything. She shook her head at her, looking like she was about to cry.
At this moment, the soldier behind her shoved Jiang Yi again, and the anger in her heart immediately turned into a raging fire. She was so angry that her teeth itched, and she turned around and shouted, "Get away from me, don't touch me!"
Qi Shuangyun and Su Tong, who were sitting in the hall, both looked up and looked outside when they heard Jiang Yi's voice.
Su Tong walked out quickly, and when she saw Jiang Yi, her eyes welled up with tears. Gu Ziyu wasn't there, and she quickly realized what had happened.
"Yi'er! What happened to you..." Her face was full of worry as she ran to Jiang Yi's side to untie the ropes binding her.
"Mom, I'm fine, don't worry."
The soldier behind him opened his mouth to reprimand him, but the general on the steps slowly raised his hand, signaling him to ignore it.
After untying Jiang Yi, Su Tong lifted her sleeve to take a look. Her fair and delicate wrists were already covered with purplish-blue marks, which looked particularly jarring.
She said with heartache, "My good child, you've suffered so much."
Jiang Yi felt a lump in her throat and almost burst into tears. She had gone through countless hardships and dangers on her journey, and Su Tong was the first person to care about her.
"General Zhao, this is my daughter-in-law. Could you please make an exception for her?"
These women were to be held hostage by Ma Zhang, and if anything went wrong, he would not escape blame.
The general surnamed Zhao stepped aside slightly to make way for him and raised his arm in a gesture of invitation.
"Please proceed, Second Madam."
When Su Tong led Jiang Yi into the hall, Qi Shuangyun, who had been resting with her eyes closed, condescended to open her eyes and look at her, asking, "Why didn't you follow He Lin's guards?"
Jiang Yi wiped her nose and said honestly, "I can't run anymore."
"Okay, just stay put."
Jiang Yi was stunned. She never imagined that Qi Shuangyun would speak to her so gently. Was this still the arrogant and domineering First Madam she knew?
You can't judge a book by its cover...
Su Tong gently combed through her messy long hair and asked in a low voice, "Yi'er, where's Lin'er? Why didn't he come back with you?"
Jiang Yi craned her neck to look at the guards outside, covered her mouth and whispered, "Mother, I'm sorry, I don't know where he went after he came back."
Su Tong gently shook her head: "It's alright. As long as Ma Zhang doesn't get military power, he won't dare to break off relations. Don't be afraid."
Jiang Yi nodded vigorously: "Mm."
Inside the Prime Minister's residence, in a secluded, abandoned woodshed.
Yin Zhaobai was tied to a solid wooden pillar and could not move.
"Yin Zhaobai, are you there?"
"Mmm..."
His mouth was stuffed with rags, so he couldn't speak and could only make some sounds with his throat, which made his face turn red.
Clearly, the person outside heard him and whispered reassuringly through the crack in the door, "Don't worry, I'll let you out right away!"
Yin Zhaobo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Zhu Qing, give me the key."
"Miss, let me do it."
"It's alright, give it to me."
"..."
The moment the door opened, the bright moonlight poured in, making him squint slightly.
A faint light enveloped Shangguan Muya, who hurriedly ran forward to help him remove the cloth from his mouth. She asked anxiously, "I was wondering why I hadn't seen you these past few days. If Zhuqing hadn't overheard Father and the steward's conversation, I wouldn't have known you were locked up. What happened?"
After the ropes behind his back were untied, Yin Zhaobai moved his wrists a few times and tightly wrapped his arms around Shangguan Muya's arms.
"There's no time to explain. You absolutely cannot go out during this period, do you hear me? Zhuqing, keep an eye on Miss."
After saying those words, Yin Zhaobo disappeared in a flash.
Zhu Qing felt uneasy: "Miss, this key..."
Shangguan Muya also vaguely sensed that something was wrong. A few days ago, a Prince of Hannan came to the mansion and talked with her father for a long time. Since then, he has not allowed her to leave the mansion. Her cousin has also been frequently entering and leaving the Prime Minister's mansion, which is really strange.
"Go and call the butler. Tell him I need to see him. You sneak in and return the key."
"yes."
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