Xie Chao was on horseback from morning till night, not daring to close his eyes for a moment. He was exhausted and had almost run for his life. He had just shouted a few words when he fainted.
Yao Ying took him back home and asked the doctor in the mansion to treat him.
She went into the study and asked Xie Qing to fetch the map of Qing County.
According to Xie Chao's description before he lost consciousness, Li Zhongqian was ambushed in the Qingxian River Valley and was seriously injured. After being besieged for several days, he never received any rescue. Before he lost consciousness, he sent a few people who were familiar with water to break out and ask for help.
Xie Chao was one of them. They escaped through the enemy's blockade, but were discovered on the way. He was the only one who survived.
Yao Ying looked at the map and wondered, "Why did my second brother insist that Xie Chao return to Beijing for help?"
The armies led by Zhao Tong, the third prince, and the fourth prince were closer to Li Zhongqian, so why did he choose to go farther away?
Xie Qing had never been to a battlefield and did not know how to send troops to fight. He frowned and thought without saying a word.
Xu Biao snorted coldly, and slammed the desk heavily with his hand that was missing two fingers, cursing, "Because the king doesn't trust the Third Prince and Zhao Tong! If the king asks for help from the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, they will really be wiped out!"
He suddenly slapped his head.
"I had my suspicions before. The king was only transporting food and fodder on this expedition. He was far away from the front line, so how could he be ambushed? Someone must have betrayed the king and deliberately led him into a trap! Then they just brushed the matter off and didn't send soldiers to search along the river. When they found a few corpses, they said that the king's army was wiped out. They didn't want to save the king at all!"
Yao Ying clenched her hands into fists in her sleeves.
Trap, another trap.
Is Li Zhongqian destined to die on the battlefield?
Even if she stopped him from going to Liangzhou a year ago, would he still die in battle a year later?
Just because Li Xuanzhen wanted to kill him, because he was the biggest threat to Li Xuanzhen, he would definitely die?
She must save Li Zhongqian.
No matter what the cost.
Yaoying closed her eyes, calmed down, and sorted out her thoughts.
Zhao Tong is an old general and a moderate person. He does not favor any prince. He will not harm Li Zhongqian... nor will he save Li Zhongqian.
The third and fourth princes were in a dilemma. In the future, both of them would be poisoned by cruel officials for treason. As for whether they actually committed treason or not, no one could tell for sure.
If the third prince and the fourth prince joined forces to kill Li Zhongqian, Zhao Tong would just stand by and watch.
Why did they want to harm Li Zhongqian?
To seize the throne?
Or is it to please Li Xuanzhen?
Or was this all a vicious plot by Li Xuanzhen? Did the Eastern Palace have a net set up long ago, just waiting for Li Zhongqian to go south?
Yaoying smiled at herself.
In this life, Li Xuanzhen had harmed Li Zhongqian, but he had not used those shady tricks like in the book, so she had naively thought that as long as those things had not happened, she could resolve Li Xuanzhen's hatred.
After all, Li Xuanzhen was not a treacherous and evil person.
Yao Ying failed.
Li Xuanzhen wanted her to marry in place of Zhu Luyun, so he arranged for Chief Yelu to enter the palace to watch the Buddha's birthday ceremony. Although he stopped her at the last minute, it still could not change the fact that he had tricked her into marrying in her place.
Li De is cold-hearted and ruthless. The only person in the world who can shake his mind is his first wife, Tang. Li Xuanzhen hates Li De, but he is actually the person who is most like Li De. He can lose his mind for Zhu Luyun and do whatever it takes.
She shouldn't be complacent.
There were two knocks on the door, and the attendant reported that Xie Chao had woken up.
Yao Ying immediately went to see Xie Chao and asked him about the details.
I don’t know if it’s because he just took some medicine, but Xie Chao was in a trance and his reactions were slow. When I asked him something, he took a long time to respond vaguely.
The doctor said Xie Chao was very tired.
Xu Biao was so anxious that he jumped up and down. He pushed the doctor away, grabbed Xie Chao by the collar and yelled, "Who ambushed the king?"
Xie Chao shook his head: "I don't know either."
"You said the king was injured? How many days has the king been in a coma? How many of you are left? How many enemies are there?"
Xie Chao looked confused.
"Idiot! What else do you know?" Xu Biao was so angry that he punched the wall, shaking the beams of the house.
Xie Chao didn't dare to say anything.
The other bodyguards looked at each other.
Yao Ying frowned slightly and signaled with her eyes to have her guards take Xu Biao away. She walked to the bed and looked down at Xie Chao with a pair of big, long, charming eyes, which were slightly raised at the corners and full of sparkling beauty.
"Why play dumb?" she asked.
Xie Chao lowered his head in shame.
Yao Ying had guessed something and felt mixed emotions: "Didn't my brother tell you... that no matter what happens, you must not disturb me?"
Xie Chao shuddered twice, then struggled to get down to the ground and kneeled: "Princess, please forgive me."
Li Zhongqian was seriously injured. Before he fell into a coma, he told him to find the chief secretary immediately after returning to the capital to find a solution and not to disturb the Seventh Princess. He saw the Seventh Princess at the post station and rushed to her for help in a hurry. Now that he was awake, he remembered Li Zhongqian's instructions and did not dare to reveal too much, wanting to wait for the chief secretary to come before talking.
Yao Ying sighed softly.
Even at the critical moment of life and death, Li Zhongqian still wanted to not involve her.
At the age of nine, he was taciturn; at the age of eleven, he was violent and gloomy; at the age of twenty, he was dissolute and unruly. No matter which Li Zhongqian he was, he always stood firmly in front of her, shielding her from the wind and rain, and holding up a clear sky of peace and tranquility, so that she could grow up carefree in the troubled times.
"You were just following orders, what crime have you committed?" Yao Ying sighed, "Let me ask you, how did my brother get injured? Is the injury serious?"
She slightly emphasized her tone, "My brother's life is hanging by a thread. Now I am the boss of the palace, and the chief secretary also follows my orders. You must answer whatever I ask you, and you are not allowed to hide anything. If you delay, I will only hold you responsible."
Xie Chao thought for a moment and replied, "Princess, the people who ambushed us were from Nanchu! They disguised themselves as pirates and burned our food and grass. The king was chasing the enemy and was hit by their poisoned arrows. In less than a cup of tea, he was paralyzed and unable to move. The people of Nanchu took the opportunity to turn around and counterattack, and the king was stabbed several times..."
At this point, he secretly looked up at Yaoying and saw that although her face was pale, she was not frightened. Her face was calm and she stood there steadily without moving. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued speaking.
"Before the king fell into a coma, he asked me and a few other people to dive out of the valley to seek help. The king also asked me to tell the chief secretary that the third and fourth princes could not be trusted."
Yaoying returned to the study and unfolded the map to take a closer look.
The terrain along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is complex, with Southern Chu, the Wei Dynasty and several separatist forces intertwined. The place where Li Zhongqian was ambushed was very close to Huangzhou occupied by Southern Chu.
Xie Chao said that Li Zhongqian was seriously injured and unconscious, in a dangerous situation, with only a few dozen personal soldiers left by his side.
Nan Chu trapped them in the valley. They couldn't escape and couldn't hold out for more than a few days.
It is even possible that Li Zhongqian had already met with an accident when Xie Chao was on his way back.
Yaoying remembered what he said before he left.
He said that as long as he could come back alive, he didn't mind surrendering.
It was easy to say, but the situation on the battlefield was not something he could control, and he was already unconscious. Since Nan Chu had disguised himself as a pirate and launched a surprise attack, he probably had no intention of leaving anyone alive.
After a while, the chief secretary hurried over. He had already met Xie Chao.
Yao Ying asked: "Which generals in the court can be trusted?"
The Chief Secretary seemed to want to say something but stopped.
Yao Ying frowned and looked at him: "Uncle Hu, what did my brother tell you?"
If Li Zhongqian had not instructed the Chief Secretary in advance how to deal with the situation, why would he have asked Xie Chao to return to the capital for help?
Changshi's lips trembled a few times and tears flowed down his face.
Yao Ying was stunned.
The chief secretary wiped his eyes and sobbed, "Princess, there is no trustworthy general in the court! The king asked Xie Chao to come back for help, not to let me run for him, but to remind me..."
Yao Ying clenched her fingers: "Remind you of what?"
The chief secretary lifted his sleeves and wiped his tears: "The king said that if he sends his personal soldiers back to the capital, it means that I am reminding you to leave as far as possible without delay!"
The bitterness that she had suppressed with great difficulty suddenly roared down upon her face like a tidal wave. Yao Ying could hardly bear it. She swayed twice and managed to stand steady by leaning against the desk.
There is no fallback.
There is no silver bullet.
No allies.
Xie Chao's thousand-mile journey was not for seeking help, but to ensure that she could escape faster and hide farther before the news of his death reached the capital.
This was the only thing Li Zhongqian remembered before he was poisoned and lost consciousness.
Yao Ying clenched her teeth tightly, raised her face, and held back the tears that were about to burst out.
Now is not the time to be sad. Li Zhongqian's life is hanging by a thread. She has to find a way to save him. The longer she delays, the slimmer the hope.
Yao Ying spread out a piece of paper and started writing a letter.
The chief secretary cried, "Princess, you really have to leave now... The king has even sent Xie Chao back. If you don't leave, how can I explain to the king if something happens?"
Yaoying's hands were shaking as she wrote. "I'll write a few letters asking for help. Send someone to deliver them. Have them take the tokens and ride the best horses in the palace."
The Chief Secretary knew that it was useless to persuade her, so he nodded while crying. After she finished writing the letter, he immediately asked his strong servants to deliver it separately.
In the afternoon, Xie Qing received the first reply letter.
Yaoying immediately took the letter and opened it. After reading it, she sighed in disappointment.
She continued to wait.
Some families replied, some did not, and some, upon seeing the royal entourage coming to their doorstep, immediately closed their doors and refused to receive the letter.
Yaoying opened the letters one by one and read them, her face becoming paler and paler.
The letter only contained some words of comfort. Li Zhongqian was a serious threat to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, and no one dared to lend a helping hand.
Changshi wiped away his tears quietly.
Xu Biao counted the number of guards in the palace and challenged Yao Ying to fight: "We were all ruffians. The king did not care about our backgrounds and gave us a future. Now that the king is in trouble, we can't just sit there and do nothing."
The chief secretary quickly wiped away his tears and said, "No, you are the ones the king left behind to protect the princess! If you leave, who will protect the princess?"
Xu Biao choked and was speechless.
After reading the last reply letter, Yaoying walked outside to the steps and looked up at the sky.
The people of Southern Chu were good at using poison. Li Zhongqian was first hit by a poisoned arrow and then chopped. Now he was surrounded and in danger. The longer he delayed, the slimmer his hope of survival would be.
She can't wait.
Chang Shi paused and said, "What if we go to ask His Majesty for help? Will His Majesty send someone to rescue the king?"
Yao Ying shook her head.
Li De would of course send troops, but would the people he sent save Li Zhongqian?
In front of him were Zhao Tong, the third prince, the fourth prince, and the ruthless people of Southern Chu. In the rear were the generals who dared not offend Li Xuanzhen. No matter who was sent to rescue Li Zhongqian, he only had to delay for a day or two and Li Zhongqian would be dead for sure.
Moreover, the battle situation on the front line is complicated, and there must be accomplices from Southern Chu in the Wei army. Even if the reinforcements really want to rescue Li Zhongqian, the third and fourth princes will definitely interfere and sabotage their rescue.
The chief historian sobbed in despair: "Is there really nothing we can do?"
Yao Ying raised her eyelids, and determination flashed in her dark eyes.
"There is another way."
Everyone in the court looked up at her.
Yao Ying stood in the cool twilight of late summer and early autumn, her skin as white as fresh snow, her hair as black as lacquer, and a faint halo lingering around her.
"Prepare the horses and go to the East Palace."
The Chief Secretary, Xu Biao and other followers all widened their eyes in shock.
Only Xie Qing turned around without thinking and went to prepare a mount for Yao Ying.
Before going out, Yaoying went back to her room, found something and put it in her sleeve.
The chief secretary chased to the gate of the palace and said, "Princess, you'd better not go to the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace and we are at loggerheads. How could His Royal Highness the Crown Prince save the king? If you go, you will only be humiliated by that Wei Ming."
Yao Ying saddled the horse.
"Li Xuanzhen will agree to save people." She held the reins tightly and kicked the horse's belly lightly, "Because I know what he wants."
The black-sun horse spread its four hooves and galloped into the golden twilight.
It was already dusk, and the sound of drums rising from north to south echoed above the scattered inner quarters. The blazing sunset glowed a layer of bright rouge on the towering palace walls and the rows of palace roofs and pavilions.
Xie Qing escorted Yao Ying to the East Palace and handed over the sign.
The guard went in to report, and came out a short while later to reply, saying coldly, "Your Highness is busy, Princess, please go back."
Yao Ying dismounted and said, "Please go in and report. I want to see the Crown Princess."
When the guard heard her voice, his momentum immediately softened. He didn't dare to look at her any longer and went in again to report. When he came out, he was followed by someone, who was the maid of Crown Princess Zheng Biyu.
The maid led Yaoying directly into the back hall and said with a smile: "Your Excellency is a rare guest. Her Highness the Crown Princess was extremely happy to hear that you were here!"
Yaoying said nothing, with no expression on her face.
In the inner hall, Zheng Biyu knew that Yaoying was coming, so he quickly changed his clothes and went to greet her in front of the curved corridor in person.
These days she has been worried about what happened at the Buddha's Birthday Ceremony. After Pei Gong secured Yaoying, she wrote a letter to Yaoying to explain that she was not aware of the incident at the time. Yaoying did not reply, and she felt very uneasy.
Zheng Biyu knew that she and Yaoying were not the same kind of people, but she still didn't want Yaoying to look down on her.
Seeing Yao Ying's graceful figure appear beside the lotus pond from a distance, Zheng Biyu took two steps forward to greet her: "Qiniang, why are you here at this time?"
Yao Ying got straight to the point: "I want to see my elder brother."
Zheng Biyu looked embarrassed: "Qiniang... I know why you are here. His Highness will not see you."
At present, all the civil and military officials in the court and the wealthy and powerful people in the capital do not want to see Li Yaoying, because they all know that she came to them to ask them to save Li Zhongqian.
No matter whether Li Zhongqian was alive or dead, no one would help, as they did not want to offend Li Xuanzhen.
The officials in the Eastern Palace were even more eager for Li Zhongqian to die in the south. Wei Ming had been trying to find a way to confirm Li Zhongqian's death in recent days in order to delay the court from sending troops to rescue him.
Li Yaoying came to ask to see Li Xuanzhen at this time. How could Li Xuanzhen possibly see her?
Yao Ying stood under the ginkgo tree in front of the courtyard, which was so thick that it took two arms to hug it, and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, sister-in-law. Just tell me a message. I'll wait here."
Zheng Biyu sighed and told the maid to pass on the message: "Tell His Highness that the Seventh Princess wants to see you."
Not long after, the maid came back.
"Madam, Wei Changshi said that His Highness is discussing important matters with the captain and others and has no time to see guests."
Zheng Biyu looked at Yao Ying with guilt: "Qiniang, you and I are both women in the inner house. We have no say over what happens on the battlefield. Don't be too sad. Tell me if you have any troubles."
Yaoying lowered her head, took something out of her sleeve and handed it to the maid.
"Please take this to the prince."
…
The front yard of the East Palace.
The lights in the inner hall were bright, and Li Xuanzhen, Chief Clerk Wei Ming, and Commandant Qin Fei were discussing something.
As Zhu Luyun's wedding day drew closer, Li Xuanzhen's face became more and more ugly, and his temper became more and more irritable, but he still restrained himself and did not kill Chief Yelu with a single blow.
Qin Fei and the others were chanting Buddha's name in their hearts. Seeing that Li Xuanzhen was absent-minded, they knew that he was upset about Zhu Luyun's affairs every day, so they did not dare to remind him.
Suddenly, a maid's voice came from outside the window, saying that the seventh princess wanted to see her.
Qin Fei and the others exchanged surprised looks with each other: I heard that the Seventh Princess has been running around for the Second Prince recently, and she has nowhere else to turn to, so she just gave up and came to the Crown Prince for begging?
Wei Ming's eyes flashed twice, he walked to the door and scolded the maid.
The maid turned and left, but returned a moment later, presenting something wrapped in a brocade handkerchief: "Your Highness, the Seventh Princess said she has something for you to look at. If you don't look at it, she will keep waiting."
Two rays of light flashed in Wei Ming's eyes.
Before he could take a closer look at what the maid was holding, Li Xuanzhen raised his head, his face gloomy, waved his hands, and said indifferently: "You go out first."
Wei Ming had no choice but to leave with Qin Fei and the others.
The palace maid brought the handkerchief to Li Xuanzhen.
The candles in the house were bright.
Li Xuanzhen frowned slightly and opened the handkerchief.
In the flickering candlelight, a rough, old, faceless clay figurine lay quietly on the table.
Li Xuanzhen's eyes were dim, and his narrow, phoenix-like pupils seemed to melt into the endless quiet night.
"What did the Seventh Princess say?"
he asked, his voice hoarse.
The palace maid bowed and said, "The Seventh Princess said that Ah Yue has been waiting."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud bang. Li Xuanzhen suddenly became furious. He pulled out the long sword hanging on the wall and chopped the clay figure in the brocade handkerchief into pieces with one blow.
The palace maid was so frightened that her soul flew out of her body. Her knees went weak and she fell to the ground.
Li Xuanzhen looked gloomy. He stared at the fragments scattered on the ground in front of the table for a long time, then ran out of the front yard, still holding the long sword that could cut through iron like mud in his hand.
In the gradually rising night, the tip of the sword flashed coldly.
The palace maids and eunuchs on the road were so frightened by the sight of Li Xuanzhen's rage that they trembled and moved away from him.
Li Xuanzhen walked straight into the inner courtyard. There were many people walking in front of the corridor. Li Yaoying was standing on the stairs. When she heard the footsteps, she raised her head and looked over.
Eyes calm.
It is this pair of eyes, which look like a pair of crescents when she smiles and like peach petals when she doesn't smile, that makes it impossible to dislike her.
Li Xuanzhen strode over and raised the sword in his hand.
The maids and eunuchs in front of the courtyard were all shocked and stood there blankly, not daring to move.
Zheng Biyu's eyes widened, and he almost cried out in shock. He stood in front of Yaoying and shouted, "Da Lang! Are you crazy? Qi Niang is your sister!"
Li Xuanzhen took a step forward, his handsome face shrouded in gloom, his eyes filled with sinister anger.
Zheng Biyu had never seen him like this before and was stunned.
During the silent confrontation, Yao Ying also took a step forward.
She raised her head, looked at Li Xuanzhen, met his cold gaze, and said softly, "Brother Changsheng."
Li Xuanzhen looked at her coldly, his eyes as sharp as knives.
Yao Ying didn't seem to notice the sword in Li Xuanzhen's hand pointing at her, "Brother Changsheng, A Yue wants to make a deal with you."
The author has something to say: Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Niaoniao Cui Miao; Xing Sirloin, Beijiuzhen Jinghong
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Xingyun, SL; Zanxian's Tofu Loves Reading; 20788628, 30052797; Jiushao, Beijiuzhen Jinghong; Chengjian; Xixi