Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside, like a gale before a storm, foreshadowing the coming storm.
With a loud bang, the door was violently pushed open, and a group of soldiers rushed in. They carried spears, wore armor, and their shields reflected the moonlight, appearing particularly dazzling.
The crowd was terrified by the sudden momentum and scattered in all directions, but they were eventually surrounded by a dense array of shields and spears.
The leading general, clad in a battle robe and gleaming armor, walked up to Xu Yuehuai, knelt on one knee, and gave a standard military salute: "Sir, please rest assured, these traitors have been subdued by us."
Xu Yuehuai looked at the crowd forced to their knees by spears and shields, their eyes filled with fear and confusion. A complex mix of emotions welled up within her: sympathy for these innocent people, and anger towards the mastermind behind it all.
"Release them all."
The general clearly hadn't expected Xu Yuehuai to make such a decision. He looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "What did you say? Did I hear that right?"
Xu Yuehuai looked at him calmly and repeated, "I said, release all these people. They are all innocent people who have been misled by others. If we arrest them, we will chill the hearts of the entire world."
At this moment, Xiao Rui also stepped forward. He knew the general before. He glanced coldly at the general and said, "Hurry up and tell your men to release the person."
Although the general was unwilling, he dared not disobey Xu Yuehuai's orders. He helplessly made a gesture, and the soldiers put away their spears and made way for him.
The villagers snapped out of their daze, stood up, dropped their weapons, and fled as if their lives depended on it.
The woman turned and glanced at Xu Yuehuai, her eyes filled with gratitude and surprise. She hadn't expected that Xu Yuehuai wouldn't kill them even after she had been so unreasonable; she had spared their lives.
As villagers fled, they shouted, "Everyone, run! We don't know if what they're saying is true or false, so let's get out of here quickly!"
The other villagers also dropped their weapons and masks, realizing they were no match for the officials. It turned out the real assassins were just using them as shields!
Xu Yuehuai, Yan Qing, Xiao Rui, Xiao Liu, and the general watched the villagers leave. The courtyard returned to tranquility, but a turbulent feeling stirred within each of them.
Xiao Rui looked at Xu Yuehuai and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Then our lead has gone cold again?"
Xu Yuehuai shook her head and said, "It's okay, we can look for clues again if we lose them, but innocent people must never be harmed."
"Understood."
Xiao Rui saw that Xu Yuehuai was a person with a heart for the world and a kind and virtuous character. Although her decision cut off the clues, it won the hearts of the people.
"Let's go back to the palace," Xu Yuehuai said.
The others also packed up their troops and prepared to return to the palace.
On the way back to the palace, Xu Yuehuai was lost in thought.
This incident is just the tip of the iceberg; there may be even bigger conspiracies and schemes behind it. We need to be even more vigilant in the future.
By the time they returned to the palace, the sun had already set.
Suddenly, Yan Qing staggered back to the palace, his face pale. He had just crossed the threshold when he stumbled and fell forward uncontrollably.
Xu Yuehuai was engrossed in her thoughts when she heard the noise. She suddenly looked up, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.
She quickly stood up, walked briskly to Yan Qing's side, and helped him up. She noticed traces of blood seeping from Yan Qing's clothes; his wound had clearly worsened.
Xu Yuehuai's expression was solemn. She immediately took out a row of exquisite silver needles from her bosom and skillfully performed acupuncture on Yan Qing.
"Why didn't you tell me that your wound had worsened?" Xu Yuehuai's voice carried a hint of reproach.
Yan Qing smiled weakly and said softly, "Your Highness, I don't want to cause you any more trouble."
Looking into Yan Qing's firm and loyal eyes, Xu Yuehuai felt a surge of emotion. Her voice softened slightly: "Yan Qing, you are my partner, and you have never been a burden to me. On the contrary, I have troubled you far too much."
A hint of emotion flashed in Yan Qing's eyes. He shook his head slightly and said in a weak voice, "Your Highness, please don't say that."
Xu Yuehuai said in a deep voice, "Then don't say things like that again. I will take full responsibility for your injuries."
Yan Qing nodded slightly, without saying anything in rebuttal.
Xu Yuehuai continued to administer acupuncture to him until the pain on his face gradually subsided. She put away the silver needles and then took out some ointment to apply to Yan Qing's wounds.
After settling everything in, Xu Yuehuai settled Yan Qing on the bed to rest. She gently covered her with the blanket and instructed, "From now on, you should rest well and not do anything for me. Don't even think about getting out of bed until I'm sure your injuries have fully healed."
"Um."
Yan Qing responded, his eyes full of trust.
Xu Yuehuai knew he had his own ideas, so she didn't stay to nag. She turned and left to go back to her room to rest.
Just as she reached the door, Bai Yu rushed over. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Xu Yuehuai was unharmed, then revealed a cynical smile: "Looks like your plan failed."
Xu Yuehuai glared at him and said irritably, "Don't talk nonsense. I'm almost there. It won't be long before I take down all those people."
Bai Yu laughed and said, "Okay! Do you need me to add some more people for you?"
Xu Yuehuai glanced at him and said strangely, "Aren't you afraid that I'll run away with your people?"
Bai Yu shrugged and said nonchalantly, "If you have the ability, then go ahead and run! But no matter where you run to, I will bring you back."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai couldn't help but laugh. Looking at Bai Yu's confident face, she couldn't help but wonder, "Bai Yu, who exactly are you? Why are you always so confident?"
Bai Yu smiled mysteriously and said, "Guess."
Xu Yuehuai rolled her eyes and said, "You and I both came from the modern world. But I really don't remember ever seeing you in the modern world. Did you come from here when I was very young? Is that why I don't have a deep impression of you?"
Bai Yu smiled but didn't answer directly. He walked to Xu Yuehuai's side and whispered, "You guessed half right. But my identity is much more complicated than you think."
Looking at Bai Yu's deep face, Xu Yuehuai felt that Bai Yu seemed to be hiding some secret, and this secret might be inextricably linked to her original family.
"Who exactly are you?" Xu Yuehuai asked again.
"Take your time and guess. If you can't figure it out, then you'll never find out."
After leaving those words, Bai Yu departed, leaving Xu Yuehuai lost in thought.
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