Chapter 216 [VIP]
When a cat catches a mouse, it doesn't kill it with a single bite, but rather plays with it until it dies.
The multifaceted breathing paused.
That day in the capital, he chose to leave, and Miss Gu did not attack again. He assumed that this time would be the same, and as long as he chose to leave for Blackwater Beach, Miss Gu would not attack again. Whether they lived or died was their fate.
He overlooked the fact that she never said that!
Excessive blood loss and days of tension left him unable to think clearly.
It led him to a dead end.
"Walk."
Duo Feng brandished his sword to block the arrows, but the arrows kept coming, like a rain of arrows, covering the sky and the earth.
Just a few breaths later, Duoleng was hit by another arrow.
If he had fought desperately just now, he would most likely have managed to take a few people down with him before he died.
Now, there's no going back.
Going back is a dead end.
Continuing to stand here will also lead to certain death!
Forward...
Apart from the commander-in-chief, the rest of the soldiers generally used one-stone bows, which had a maximum range of about three hundred paces.
Keep running forward; if you're lucky, you might still find a way to survive.
No, it should be said that this is the only way out.
"us……"
This could be a path to survival, or it could be a path to death.
"Walk."
In this volley of arrows, only one person survived besides Duoleng. Sau covered Duoleng as they rushed into the darkness.
"Young lady, he's really lucky," Qin Chen couldn't help but say.
They showed no mercy whatsoever, yet after several rounds of attacks, Duoleng managed to escape each time by a hair's breadth, and even when injured, none of the wounds were fatal. While his injuries appeared severe, they were all superficial, with no serious damage to bones or muscles.
It should get better in three to five days.
This luck is incredible!
“Yes, he’s incredibly lucky.” Gu Zhizhuo held the telescope and kept watching the other person, saying, “When they first arrived in the capital, my senior brother did a divination for him. He said he would face a calamity within the next three months, ‘unlucky when encountering earth.’ If he can avoid this calamity, he will be able to overcome adversity and achieve success.”
"earth?"
Qin Chen cautiously stuck one foot out and stepped onto the black water beach.
"Deathly Calamity?"
Qin Chen understood! No wonder Miss Gu had deliberately led him towards Blackwater Beach all the way; she wanted him to die in his fate.
Gu Zhizhuo casually patted him on the shoulder: "Don't look at me, look at him."
A smile played on her lips: "Death has come, there's no way to save us."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Duo Leng, who had just dodged a hail of arrows, suddenly changed his expression. His feet sank into the ground as if they had been bitten.
Oops.
It's a swamp!
Luck left him in an instant; his foot landed on a swamp.
"The eldest prince!"
Sau cried out in anguish, grabbing Duo Leng's arm and trying his best to pull him out of the swamp.
The veins on his forehead bulged, and even as he was repeatedly struck by arrows in the back, he did not flinch.
"Your Highness, let me pull you up!"
Sau gripped him tightly, his fingernails digging into his arm until it bled.
Duo Leng tried his best to take a step forward, but it seemed as if countless invisible hands had sprung up from under the mud. They entangled him, pulled at his feet, and dragged him inch by inch toward the underworld.
Sau's strength gradually ran out, and his body began to lean forward uncontrollably. In that instant, he lost his balance and fell into the swamp.
"Sau!"
Sau fell face down, his mouth and nose sinking into the mud. After struggling for a while, he stopped moving and sank.
He died.
Duoleng was ice-cold, and Sau was dead.
I will die too!
Duoliang's body slowly sank into the swamp, the heavy mud and sand swallowing him up little by little.
This feeling of knowing you're going to die, but not dying immediately, and only slowly waiting for death to come, is like having your flesh cut with a dull knife. At that moment, he even thought he might as well just let an arrow kill him.
However, the rain of arrows stopped.
Why! ?
Duo Leng looked at Gu Zhizhuo, who was standing in front of the Blackwater Beach, in astonishment.
They were less than two hundred paces apart, and in the firelight, he seemed to be able to see the smile on Gu Zhizhuo's face.
He wasn't mistaken; she was laughing! Laughing as she watched him struggle in the swamp, heading towards death.
Just like him back then!
In a daze, Duoleng seemed to have returned to four years ago. With a scheme to sow discord, he made the Emperor of Daqi hand over the life of the renowned general Gu Taotao. He watched as tens of thousands of Southern Frontier soldiers were swallowed by the swamp, and at that moment, he was filled with smug satisfaction.
Now, he is the one trapped in the swamp, and he is the one awaiting death.
die.
Is he going to die?!
"No, I don't want to die. I can't die!"
Duo Leng shouted loudly.
Gu Zhizhuo stared intently at the struggling figure in front of her, her telescope allowing her to see every expression of fear, resentment, and despair on Duo Leng's face.
Until a sharp, dull pain shot through her chest, she placed one hand on the back of the jade lion horse, using it for support to avoid falling.
"Young lady," Qin Chen exclaimed in surprise, "you're not sick again, are you?"
"No." Gu Zhizhu forced a smile and said, "Back then, my father and the others died here. Most of the tens of thousands of soldiers from the Southern Frontier were never found."
Therefore, when Can Can failed to bring back her father's remains, everyone assumed they were sunk in the swamp.
"ah?"
Qin Chen was startled. So this is where it is!
Gu Zhizhuo closed his eyes and quickly calmed himself down. When he opened his eyes again, the swamp had already submerged Duofeng's chest.
She remained calm and smiled at Qin Chen, saying, "The more you struggle in the swamp, the faster you sink."
Duoleng certainly knew this, but when people are on the verge of despair, the desire to survive often overrides reason.
He is still sinking.
The mud quickly reached his chest, and the suffocating feeling of being squeezed made it increasingly difficult for him to breathe.
He vaguely saw shadowy figures moving in front of him.
"Help me..."
Are they reinforcements?
Was it reinforcements brought by Jia Ye?
Duolen desperately reached out his hand to those people, his eyes pleading.
"save……"
His pupils suddenly contracted. No, why were those people wearing the uniforms of the Southern Frontier Army?
How are they able to walk on the swamp?
Aaaaaah!
Duo Leng screamed as pairs of transparent hands pressed forcefully onto his shoulders, pushing him down.
"don't want."
"No--"
He didn't want to die!
The mud reached my neck, chin, lips, and nose...
Holding the telescope, Gu Zhizhuo calmly watched him walk step by step toward death.
Forehead.
His hand was still outstretched, trying to grasp the last bit of light, but it was no use.
Soon, even his hands disappeared; the swamp completely swallowed him.
"Encountering earth is unlucky."
Gu Zhizhuo's lips curled into a smile. She stood there for another half an hour to make sure he was completely dead.
"Young lady, Princess Jiaye has arrived."
Gu Zhizhuo didn't even turn his head: "Let her come over."
Jia Ye stepped forward, glanced in the direction of the swamp, gave Gu Zhizhu a respectful bow, and handed him the wolf fang amulet and the blood-written silk paper.
Gu Zhizhuo took the wolf fang amulet, tossed it casually, and then clenched it in his palm.
After reading the blood-written letter, she returned both the letter and the silk paper to Jia Ye.
"Take this to the Hemuda Grassland." Gu Zhizhuo gently brushed her braids behind her back. "You know what to say, right?"
"Know."
Hand the silk paper and the blood-written letter to Uza.
Uza was Duoleng's maternal uncle, and the queen was his biological sister.
Uza will definitely send reinforcements and come to the rescue in person.
Gu Zhizhuo smiled and said, "I left a few of Balu and the others alive. You take the reinforcements and follow the original route, so that Wuzha will encounter Balu. I have left many traces along the way, so you don't need to say or do anything. They will find this place on their own."
"yes."
Jia Ye kept it in her heart.
Her beautiful eyes swept over the chaotic surroundings. Nova's body was there, and there were footprints leading into the Blackwater Beach. Anyone could guess what had happened.
Gu Zhizhuo made a hand gesture, and Qin Chen immediately ordered the troops to assemble.
"At the appropriate time, make the Queen think that she could become the Regent Queen Mother."
Jia Ye understood.
For the sake of her maternal clan, the queen might swallow her anger, but if there is a regent queen mother in the background, the queen will have other options, such as killing her husband.
The Great Liang Dynasty had a precedent of having a regent empress dowager, so it wasn't impossible.
Miss Gu intends to force the Queen and the King to turn against each other and cause them to fight amongst themselves.
Gu Zhizhu smiled, as if he were talking about the most ordinary thing.
"From now on, you must tell yourself that the Queen is your own mother, and you must wholeheartedly think of the Queen and make her trust you."
Jia Ye's long eyelashes trembled slightly, somewhat bewildered.
"The prerequisite for becoming the regent queen mother is that she must support a puppet as the new king."
"King Liang killed the Queen's son so that his own son could succeed to the throne. King Liang cut off the Queen's lineage. You can appease the Queen, but you will also cut off King Liang's lineage."
Jia Ye's heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her eyes to think it over.
Gu Zhizhuo's voice was seductive: "You are her only child, you listen to her wholeheartedly, and you even almost died to save her son. With such a bond, would she rather support the Prince of Liang's biological son or you?"
"Whether you'll still need a regent empress dowager once you're in that position will depend on your own abilities."
The ambition in Jia Ye's eyes was like a flame, once ignited, it could never be suppressed.
From now on, she will be the Queen's most obedient daughter.
She will help the Queen kill all the King's sons! She wants to become the King of Liang.
Jia Ye's heart pounded like a drum.
In just a few words, Miss Gu clarified the uncertain path ahead for her.
Despite being a girl even younger than her, she couldn't help but admire her. At this moment, not a single thought of resistance arose in her heart.
"Miss Gu, if I can sit on that throne, the Great Liang will forever be a vassal state of the Great Qi, paying tribute every year and never betraying us," Jia Ye made her greatest promise.
"good."
Gu Zhizhu smiled and said in a friendly manner, "Don't worry, Qiguo will help you."
As for these promises, just listen to them and don't take them too seriously.
The king and queen turned against each other, and the internal strife within Liang was endless, but this would at least buy the Western Frontier more than five years to recuperate. As for the future, "peace" would certainly be best; if she wanted to break the alliance, Da Qi would be more than capable of fighting back.
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
The two made a pact by high-fiving each other.
Now that things have come to this, Jia Ye's only way to survive is to become the King of Liang, and the only person she can rely on is not the Queen or the King, but Miss Gu!
Jiaye stood beside her, silently looking at the Blackwater Beach, and murmured to herself: "When I was thirteen, my mother had just died. At that time, Duoleng was trying to win over Moqige, a fierce general who was close to the king. He had someone send me to Moqige's tent."
Her red lips curved upwards, exuding natural charm.
"I'm good-looking; my appearance and figure are what men like."
"After that, the Queen raised me under her wing and adopted me as her daughter."
"I'm seventeen now, and for Duo Leng, I've slept with quite a few men. Miss Gu, you're right. Rather than letting men control my life, why can't I control men?!"
Gu Zhizhuo turned his head to look at her, his fingers tracing her cheek, his fingertips slightly damp.
I will help you.
"I believe you." Jia Ye took a deep breath. "Miss Gu, you can make your move now."
Gu Zhizhuo drew her dagger. She originally intended to give it to Qin Chen, but then gestured for him to move aside.
She turned around and stabbed Jia Ye in the abdomen.
Ugh. Jia Ye endured the pain without crying out.
Gu Zhizhuo avoided all the internal organs with this cut. It looked severe, with blood flowing profusely, but it wasn't actually fatal. In the end, it was just a somewhat frightening superficial wound.
This was to convince Uza and the Queen that Jiaye was "desperately" breaking through to seek help.
Gu Zhizhuo gave her another acupuncture needle, only slowing the blood flow slightly. After removing the needle, Jiaye leaped onto her horse and said, "Miss Gu, I hope to see you again someday."
Jia Ye spurred his horse and galloped away, its hooves kicking up a cloud of dust as it trod on the gravel.
Gu Zhizhuo watched her leave and said, "Let's go. We'll go buy some floral headscarves and then go home. When we get to the capital, I'll treat you to drinks at Tianxi Tower to celebrate our victory."
"Yay!"
The soldiers cheered with joy.
Gu Zhizhuo took the lead.
She was relaxed and cheerful. Even though she hadn't slept for several days, she wasn't tired at all; on the contrary, she was full of energy.
Jiang Youzheng was in charge of military affairs in the western frontier, and Gu Zhizhuo was using his troops there. Naturally, the pursuit and fighting could not be kept secret from him.
Upon arriving in Aur, he made a special trip to pay his respects and inquire after Gu Zhizhuo's well wishes. When he heard that Gu Zhizhuo wanted to buy a floral headscarf, he smiled and said, "Then you've come at the perfect time. I guarantee that the tie-dyed floral headscarves sold in Aur are the most beautiful. Last time you left in a hurry and didn't have a chance to explore them properly."
"I'm in a hurry to go back this time, but I'll come back to visit again in a few days."
Gu Zhizhu readily agreed and, with his guidance, they strolled around and bought various colorful headscarves, as well as some horsewhips made of floral fabric.
Each of these floral headscarves was dyed in a very unique way, and Gu Hezhuo was so overwhelmed by the choices that he couldn't stop buying them.
She simply waved her hand and bought them all, giving one to each soldier so they could take back and please their wives.
"Urgent dispatch within 300 li!"
"Urgent dispatch within 300 li!"
As they were paying, a warhorse galloped towards them from the direction of the city gate.
The old woman selling floral fabric was startled and exclaimed, "Is there going to be another war?"
"No," Jiang Youzheng reassured him confidently. "It's a good thing."
Gu Zhizhuo guessed that this must be an official document from the court deposing the emperor. As the commander-in-chief of the Western Frontier, Jiang Youzheng knew about it even earlier.
Sure enough, in less than half an hour, the official document bearing the imperial seal was posted on the bulletin board of Aur City, and the garrison commander even specially summoned two elderly students to explain the contents to the people.
The people of Western Xinjiang had all had enough of the suffering under the deposed emperor's rule, and this official document struck a chord with them. They rushed to spread the news and even set off firecrackers in high spirits.
On the way back, in every town we passed through, the people were talking about this matter. Along with the official documents from the imperial court, the auspicious omens that appeared during the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven also spread throughout the land.
They all spoke with great enthusiasm, as if they had witnessed it firsthand.
When she arrived in the capital, it was already seven or eight days later. Gu Yican was already waiting for her at Sanliting.
"younger sister."
Gu Yican greeted her with a cheerful smile as soon as he saw her.
Gu Zhizhuo dismounted and ordered Qin Chen to lead the troops back to camp first. After Qin Chen obeyed the order, he asked, "Young lady, what should we do with her?"
Qin Chen was referring to Ji Nanke, who was in the carriage.
Duo Leng was too busy escaping to look after her, so he just left her in the Stone Forest. Gu Zhizhuo had someone pick her up.
“Take him back to the capital and lock him up with Xie Jing.”
"If she's about to die, have the jailer call a doctor for her."
After giving the instructions casually, Gu Zhizhuo took Gu Yican's arm and said, "When Duoling was with her, even her luck turned bad. I caught up with them in no time and it didn't take any effort at all."
Gu Zhizhuo was afraid it wasn't safe, so he simply let Duo Leng take Ji Nanke with him and run away. Sure enough, he was unlucky! He was really clever.
Gu Yican clapped his hands in support.
"Yaoyao, today is the joint trial of the deposed emperor by the three judicial departments. Do you want to go watch?!"
ah?
Yes, of course I'll go!
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