Chapter 121 Rebellion
Zhao Xuanxu twisted his wrist fiercely, and the flash of his sword flashed across the air, instantly exploding the neck of the Liao general who blocked his path, sending his head and body tumbling from his horse. Zhao Xuanxu drew his sword and mounted his horse. With a wave of his hand, the surrounding Feathered Guards immediately stopped their movements, staring murderously at Yelu Duhan as he fled swiftly under the protection of his surroundings.
The sound of horse hooves echoed in the distance, and seven or eight Feathered Guards hurried over. Gao Shaoshan swung his sword, and the remaining blood on the snow-white blade splattered. He said, "Did you set the fire?"
The leading Feather Guard nodded: "All three granaries are on fire."
Wen Yao and A's joke had come true. Neither she, Yelu Duhan, nor Han Zhao had expected Zhao Xuanxu to be so reckless and audacious, leading fifty light cavalrymen across the border at night, strangling every patrolman they encountered along the way, suppressing all news, and marching all the way to the camp outside Xijin City, even throwing torches into the Northern Liao granary.
To the Northern Liao people, the Tianshui cavalry was akin to a sudden attack from the heavens. Their attention was drawn to the commotion in Xijin City, and the granary guards were momentarily negligent. By the time they realized what was happening, their own granary was already ablaze.
"Okay." Gao Shaoshan nodded, then looked at Zhao Xuanxu: "Master, Commander Wen--"
"Take the men back." Zhao Xuanxu whipped his horse whip and drove his horse into the swamp without hesitation. "Tell Zhongli He to retreat to the border. Do not move without authorization."
Gao Shaoshan nodded immediately and replied solemnly, "Yes!"
*
There was no one around in the swamp and the moonlight was pale.
Wen Yao frowned and slumped over the horse's back, spitting out another mouthful of blood from the jolting. She put her hand to her mouth, but it wouldn't stop. She then reached out to rein in the horse's mane and said weakly, "Good horse, good horse. I know you're familiar with this place. Could you please go a little slower? I'm really going to throw up."
The horse was human-like, but still couldn't understand human language. When it heard Wen Yao's voice, it raised its neck and neighed joyfully, proudly showing off its nimble and skillful gait to her. The horse's back became even more bumpy, and Wen Yao almost vomited blood again.
Ever since Hao Chunhe's death, the last time she closed her eyes was that rainy night in the palace. She'd kneeled in the Western Emperor's chambers, Hao Chunhe lying motionless in her arms. She hadn't closed her eyes for days and nights. As the horse's back rose and fell, Wen Yao felt a sudden sense of relief. She felt the tingling pain in her body, and slowly, drowsily, her eyelids closed.
Amidst the turbulent sea, she heard Zhao Xuanxu's voice. Surrounding her were figures, a sea of hatred and love on the stage. Kanzi led her and Zhao Xuanxu to their seats, where large red lanterns hung high. In the dim light, she strained her face to look across at Zhao Xuanxu, who looked back. She called him Miss Zhao, and he came over to take her hand.
Their fingers clasped tightly together as the surrounding scenery shifted again, the turbulence becoming more pronounced. Fermented rice cakes, spring rolls, and green rice dumplings were scattered across the cabin, and the river was thick with mist. Zhao Xuanxu leaned against her, his long, silky hair cascading down over her chest. He stared at her intently, his mouth moving as if speaking.
What is he talking about?
Wen Yao carelessly twisted her cold, wet hair and leaned towards him.
"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu's eyes revealed an emotion that was extremely stubborn and intense. "Just look at me."
"Ahyao——"
Wen Yao was startled, her whole body tensing, and she instinctively jerked upright from her horse's back. The surrounding scenery had changed, no longer the dead, silent swamp. She didn't know how long the carefree horse had been carrying her. The sky was turning pale, and the sunrise over the grassland was about to arrive.
"Ayao."
Another shout.
Wen Yao's hazy and chaotic mind finally reacted, and a thunderclap exploded in her mind. She suddenly turned around and looked behind her.
In the distance, Zhao Xuanxu was riding a tall and strong black horse.
It was over, it really was Miss Zhao. Miss Zhao ran out of the dream.
Wen Yao was startled, then burst into laughter. She grabbed the reins to stop the horse, dismounted, and stood there, arms outstretched towards Zhao Xuanxu. Zhao Xuanxu's robes billowed, and he stopped his horse, threw away his sword, and walked over to Wen Yao in two or three steps. He pressed Wen Yao's back with one hand and the back of her head with the other, pressing her tightly into his arms.
"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu quickly lowered his head, his lips hot and soft, like a gentle spring rain falling on Wen Yao's eyebrows and eyes: "I'm here, I missed you so much."
"Hey hey." Wen Yao couldn't help but smile and hugged him back: "I miss you too."
Zhao Xuanxu: "You asked me to wait for you, and I waited for several days and I couldn't wait any longer. I came to find you, please don't be angry."
"I'm not angry." Wen Yao hugged His Royal Highness Prince Yan's thin waist from behind: "I came out today. If you wait any longer, I might find you first."
Zhao Xuanxu didn't say anything. He bent down and covered Wen Yao with his whole body, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. His two arms were wrapped around Wen Yao, the strength like iron, yet they were trembling slightly.
His breathing was also very rapid. Wen Yao felt the tightness in his chest for a while, then suddenly said, "...Wait, let go first, I want to spit out some blood."
Zhao Xuanxu was shocked when he heard this and loosened his arm as if he had been electrocuted.
Wen Yao was extremely calm. She turned her head to the side, spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground, wiped her mouth, and said, "Are you alone? What happened?" She immediately connected the commotion in the military camp with Zhao Xuanxu.
"It's not just one person, there's Shaoshan and Zhongli He." She was calm, but Zhao Xuanxu couldn't calm down at all. He looked down at the blood Wen Yao had spit on the ground, his heart and liver were broken, and he even stuttered: "Ah, Ah Yao, you——"
"It's blood clots, it's better to spit it out." Wen Yao said: "Where are they? Forget it, it's not safe, let's go first."
Zhao Xuanxu didn't dare respond, but followed closely, raising his hand to lightly support her back. Wen Yao walked up to the stupid horse, quickly untied the saddle and reins, and patted the horse's butt. "Let's go! Next time you see someone with green eyes, run away quickly, don't get caught."
The horse was obviously very happy to be untied. It was full of energy, lowered its head to rub Wen Yao's shoulder, then turned and trotted away, running faster and faster, and finally disappeared in the distance like a black lightning.
Wen Yuanyuan looked at its speed and the noise it made when it ran, and finally understood why she was so shaken that she wanted to vomit blood.
Zhao Xuanxu walked over leading the horse, put his arm around Wen Yao's waist and gently placed her on the horse's back. He turned over and sat behind her. The two of them leaned against each other tightly and drove the horse in another direction.
Before meeting Zhongli He and Gao Shaoshan, Wen Yao had speculated on the current situation. Like Han Zhao, she believed that imposing a massive Tianshui army on the border and attacking Northern Liao was a pipe dream. Therefore, she assumed Zhao Xuanxu had come to rescue her himself, accompanied by Gao Shaoshan and the Feathered Guards. As for Zhongli He, perhaps Prince Yong and the imperial court were concerned and had sent him along.
She sighed, feeling that Zhao Xuanxu was being a bit reckless. Although it seemed that Northern Liao was secretly trying to take Bohai first to eliminate the hidden dangers, after all, with its strong military and military, it was not impossible to attack from both sides at the same time.
She had never expected that after Zhao Xuanxu rode her across the border back into Tianshui, he'd continue straight to a fortified city on the border. The fortress wasn't large, with only about 10,000 soldiers, including those stationed there and tending the fields. But as Wen Yao approached on horseback, she could see the Tianshui battle flag hanging high atop the city wall. Patrols were everywhere, and the security was tight. Outside the city, the army was vast, with tents stretching as far as the eye could see.
"This..." She hesitated. "You brought all the Feather Guards with you? Did no one from the imperial court stop you?"
Zhao Xuanxu sat behind her and didn't answer.
Upon entering the building, Wen Yao immediately spotted Gao Shaoshan. Having not seen him for a long time, Gao Shaoshan's beard had grown considerably thicker, and he happily waved and greeted Wen Yao. Wen Yao also spotted Zhong Lihe, imposing and imposing in silver-white armor. Standing beside Gao Shaoshan, he looked at him with a complex expression.
Zhao Xuanxu dismounted first, leaned over and turned his head and said, "Ayao, I'll carry you to see a doctor."
The feeling of reuniting with her boyfriend had vanished. Wen Yao looked at the scene and felt that something was wrong. She slapped Zhao Xuanxu on the back and jumped off the horse. "I told you I'm fine, what's going on?"
Compared to Gao Shaoshan, whose joy was overflowing with words, General Zhongli was much more reserved. He held his sword, nodded to Wen Yao, and said simply, "His Royal Highness Prince Yan has rebelled."
Wen Yao was stunned: "Huh?"
Zhongli He then said, "I defected from Prince Yong's party and joined Prince Yan's army, so this should also be considered a rebellion."
"Shaoshan, bring Bai Rang over here." Zhao Xuanxu frowned, holding Wen Yao with one hand and leading her inside: "Ayao, let's go in first."
Wen Yao felt that she needed Bai Rang to come over and take a closer look. It seemed that forcing her to break through the Hua Gong Powder had not only damaged her heart meridians, but she also seemed to be unable to understand what people were saying.
The group walked in under the gaze of passing soldiers. Zhao Xuanxu was quite assertive, half-hugging Wen Yao all the way. Wen Yao sat down on a chair, feeling dazed. Zhao Xuanxu fed her water and two cakes while Zhong Lihe looked at him with dismay.
"Here I come!" An energetic shout came from the door. Bai Rang, who had not been seen for a long time, hurried in from outside with a medicine box slung over his shoulder. He was startled by Wen Yao's expression from a distance and hurried up to take her pulse: "Hey, your internal injuries are serious. Your meridians are damaged! Don't use your internal energy for the time being. I'll prescribe some warming medicine. You must take good care of yourself, otherwise-"
Zhao Xuanxu followed closely with his gaze, emphasizing, "How else?"
Bai Rang said honestly, "Otherwise, I'm afraid my internal energy will be damaged, and I won't be able to become the best in the world."
Wen Yao waved her hand, completely uninterested in Bai Rang's words. She looked around and saw that everyone around her was calm. The shocking words that had just come out of Zhong Li He's mouth seemed like a dream, as if she had misheard.
She hesitated and asked, "General Zhongli, what did you say at the door just now?"
"Hmm?" Zhongli He raised an eyebrow, looked at her, and repeated, "I said, His Royal Highness Prince Yan rebelled against His Majesty, and I rebelled against His Royal Highness Prince Yong."
oh.
The good news was that there was nothing wrong with her brain and she had heard it correctly. The bad news was that the world was changing too fast and she was having trouble keeping up.
"No, that's not right." Wen Yao murmured, "It's only been a few days, and I've only been away for a few days, how could they rebel? And Yelu Duhan hasn't heard a word, and his spies—"
Zhao Xuanxu stood aside, waiting for Bai Rang to prescribe medicine. He picked up the prescription, glanced at it, raised his hand, and Qianying appeared, lowered his head, and took the prescription.
"Yelü Duhan's spies in Bianliang have been apprehended by Song Mingde," Zhao Xuanxu whispered. "Originally, I followed Jinyun north, and along the way, I sent the three officials to hunt down Northern Liao spies... It wasn't considered a rebellion. We didn't kill the emperor, we just captured Zhao Xuanfeng and silenced him."
Zhao Xuanxu never lied to her, and Wen Yao also believed that he really had no intention of rebelling against the emperor. She quickly sorted out the situation and said, "You just captured Prince Yong and took control of Bianliang."
The Emperor is currently suffering from the Xinman Gu poison and remains in a coma. Originally, Prince Yong was to have taken the throne, taking the Crown Prince's seal and entering the Eastern Palace. Unexpectedly, Zhao Xuanxu, having lost Wen Yao, stormed back to Bianliang like a madman. Without waiting a moment, he immediately led the twelve guards to surround Dongxing Street and the Imperial Palace overnight. He personally led his men into the Eastern Palace and escorted the unsuspecting and bewildered Zhao Xuanfeng and Xu out.
Zhao Xuanfeng was a clever man, and he thought he knew Zhao Xuanxu well enough to know him. Therefore, he had never expected Zhao Xuanxu to suddenly strike at this moment. It was rare for him to lose his composure, losing his gentle demeanor. Zhao Xuanxu also spared no officials in the capital, detaining them all and placing them under house arrest. The entire city of Bianliang was on high alert, and any bird that tried to escape from Bianliang would be shot down and thoroughly searched by the Twelve Guards and the Three Departments.
However, after Zhao Xuanxu quickly turned against the government and took control of Bianliang, he did not kill his father and brother and ascend the throne to become emperor as everyone had speculated. Instead, he abandoned Bianliang and evacuated Bianliang with the Lingyu Guard without any reluctance, and rushed to the border again.
Wen Yao: "How can General Zhongli help you?"
"King Yong and I have different paths, and we will not work together." Zhongli He lowered his eyes and said calmly, "Powerful enemies are surrounding us. A war that will determine the foundation of Tianshui is imminent, but both King Yong and King Qin are only concerned with the struggle for the throne, not the current situation. The Zhongli family is full of heroes and loyal people. Their loyalty is to the wise king and the people of Tianshui, not to the selfish and despicable people who abuse their power."
So that's why. No wonder. Although the Twelve Guards were elite soldiers selected from all over Tianshui, their total number was no more than 150,000. Just now, Wen Yao had seen some of the soldiers wearing armor that looked unfamiliar to him. Now it all made sense. Zhongli He and General Zhongli Lao were stationed at the frontier, and the command to mobilize the 400,000 troops there lay in the hands of the general. When Zhongli He rebelled against King Yong, General Zhongli Lao didn't say a word to stop him, tacitly approving his grandson's actions, and gave the tiger talisman to Zhongli He.
"Good!" Wen Yao gave Zhong Li He a thumbs-up. "Good awareness. So now, Miss Guang is the only one guarding Prince Yong?"
Zhongli He nodded.
Wen Yao immediately sighed, what is this called? This is what it means to be loyal to Prince Yong.
Regardless, Zhao Xuanxu's actions were truly bold. He had caused such a stir in just a few days that no one would believe he had no ambition for the throne. The news of Prince Yan's rebellion would soon spread throughout the world.
Now it depends on how Zhao Xuanshuo reacts.
"You didn't leave any troops in Bianliang?" Wen Yao asked. "What if the King of Qin takes advantage of the situation and leads his troops north from Suzhou and really kills the Emperor, Prince Yong?"
"I've left behind half of the Twelve Guards, along with Zhang Yun and Song Mingde." Zhao Xuanxu said calmly, "If they can't stop us, then let Zhao Xuanshuo kill them. I'll deal with Northern Liao and then fight back. It just so happens that Wang Nu will become emperor, so you and I can leave."
Zhongli He remained noncommittal: "Right now, we must first pacify Northern Liao, otherwise Tianshui might be in danger of extinction."
Okay, okay, you two, you just do what you say, you are really proactive.
Wen Yao took a deep breath, her inner energy surging. Amidst a fluctuating emotional rollercoaster, she suddenly lowered her head and spat out a mouthful of blood. Bai Rang saw this and quickly started to chase them away: "Drink the medicine quickly! All of you, get out and let her get some sleep!"
The medicine Bai Rang prescribed for Wen Yao could soothe internal injuries and also act as a sleep aid. After drinking it, Wen Yao fell into a deep sleep on the bed. Zhao Xuanxu held her hand, lying beside her in his clothes, his warm warmth radiating from him.
Wen Yao slept soundly but restlessly, her brow furrowed. Zhao Xuanxu leaned in close, staring at her for a moment before reaching out to cover her eyes. He then wrapped her whole body, including the soft blanket, in his arms, pressing half of her beneath him.
Wen Yao leaned her head half on his wrist, her frown slowly relaxed, and she fell asleep completely.
Wen Yao slept for about two hours. When he woke up and opened his eyes, he saw Zhao Xuanxu's unparalleled beautiful face.
Bai Rang's medical skills improved. After taking a bowl of medicine, Wen Yao's delicate pain subsided a lot, and she no longer felt like vomiting blood. However, she still hadn't recovered yet, and her head was a little numb. She slowly leaned forward and rested her head on Zhao Xuanxu's shoulder.
Zhao Xuanxu's hand on her waist moved, and he suddenly opened his eyes. He turned his body and pulled Wen Yao onto him, asking her to lie face down on his chest. "Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt. It didn't hurt that much anyway." After getting enough sleep, Wen Yao's mind was much clearer. She closed her eyes and said, "Is Chunyanzi back?"
"Yes. I picked out a place behind Yancang. He'll be staying there from now on. We'll go see him when we get back." Zhao Xuanxu paused and said, "Qianying and the others were very sad. They brought wine and meat to Hao Chunhe and burned some money."
Wen Yao's lips twitched and his eyes blinked: "Yeah."
She had originally brought Fei Ye Ke back from the kitchen of Yongzhou Restaurant in Bianliang's Ghost Market with five hundred taels of silver and made him the instructor of the palace's secret guards. Hao Chunhe never kept anything for herself, and although she often complained about Qian Ying and the others' dull talents, she taught them everything she needed to.
Wen Yao thought that was a good idea. This way, Qianying and the others, like her, were all half-disciples of Hao Chunhe. Perhaps one day, they could establish a new sect, the Feiye Sect, specializing in the art of moon-walking and flower-plucking. She would then ask Bai Xiaosheng to write a detailed account of Hao Chunhe's glorious feat of single-handedly defeating the Western Dynasty Emperor, immortalizing Chunyanzi's fame.
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