Chapter 85 Bloody Live Well, Be Yourself
The army surrounded the people who were coming to rob the execution ground. In the tightly packed cell, Xie Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and raised his hand to protect Lu Tingwan behind him.
He bent forward, ready to strike at any moment. The army treated these people as prey. Xie Zhao said to the people behind him, "I'll fight my way through. Just head towards the city gate. Someone will meet you there. Once you're out of the city, head for Tanzhou. Do you understand?"
Lu Tingwan memorized every word carefully, and nodded silently behind Xie Zhao's back where he couldn't see. The reinforcements were led by none other than Liu Lin, the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.
"A group of bandits who have received the emperor's grace, instead of guarding the imperial city, actually dare to hijack the execution ground. You are so audacious that I will execute you on the spot today." Liu Lin's hand signaled a flash, and the executioner on the execution stand seemed to have received a light, and his panic just now faded away.
He tried to throw the killing token again, but Lu Tingwan caught his eye and saw that she shot arrows swiftly and hit the target every time. The wrist of the executioner was nailed to the table and bleeding profusely. She shot several more short arrows through the gap and disrupted the army's formation.
Xie Zhao and his companions took the opportunity to start a fight. The execution ground was in chaos. Amidst the flashes of swords and sabers, more and more Jingzhao Prefecture soldiers came. Xie Zhao and his companions gradually gained the upper hand. If they dragged on any longer, they would only be captured.
The physical strength consumed in the melee caused the speed of attack to slow down. More and more people fell in the crowd. Even Xie Zhao had several knife scars on his body. Blood seeped out of the scars, but the black robe covered the blood color. The knife scar on his cheek was particularly glaring.
Lu Tingwan didn't know how to fight, and his short arrows were almost used up. The officers and soldiers separated the hostages, and he had to face the siege of dozens of people almost alone. The other brothers were gradually captured, and long spears were put to their necks. Only Xie Zhao was still fighting desperately.
Lu Tingwan was undoubtedly captured by the soldiers. When the spear was against his neck, he was unwilling to put down the crossbow he had raised.
Liu Lin stood on horseback in the crowd, with the air of a superior, and shouted without question: "Xie Zhao, the person you want to save is in my hands right now. Why don't you surrender?"
Xie Zhao's sword had already broken into two parts, and he swept the spear he snatched from somewhere with it. His arm strength was so amazing that he pushed back a dozen soldiers who were pressing forward.
Xie Zhao then stopped what he was doing. With the spear against her neck, Lu Tingwan was forced to raise her head. The sharp tip of the spear would pierce her pulse with just a little force, killing her on the spot.
Xie Zhao clenched the gun barrel tightly, his eyes were bloodshot, and the light in his eyes was like a sharp blade.
Liu Lin continued, "Xie Zhao, you are the commander of a battalion of the Imperial Guards, highly regarded by His Majesty. You also serve under Minister Cheng. You have every reason to rise to prominence. Why ruin your career for an irrelevant condemned prisoner? If you surrender now, I can even speak in your defense to His Majesty, and you won't be accused of disobeying His Majesty's orders."
Xie Zhao remained indifferent for a long time. The blood gathered on his brow bone fell on his eyelashes. The figure in front of him was reflected in the blood, and the white prison uniform was instantly stained bright red.
He smiled, the spear dropped from his hand, and laughed at himself: "Your Excellency is right."
Seeing Xie Zhao surrender and confess his guilt, Liu Linru was released. He raised his hand and ordered the arrest of Xie Zhao and took him back to Hanzhang Palace to await his fate.
In a moment, Xie Zhao shot out another short arrow from the crossbow on his left arm with lightning speed. The short arrow went through the crowd and hit the wrist of the soldier who was trying to capture Lu Tingwan, breaking away from the spear head that was against his neck.
Lu Tingwan was quick-witted and quick-handed. She caught the falling spear and used it as her own weapon. However, she did not know how to use a spear. However, at the moment, it was her only weapon for self-defense. The spear weighed twenty pounds and was not easy for her to use.
In this panic, Xie Zhao rushed through, broke through the encirclement, and reunited with Lu Tingwan. When he broke into the wall of people besieging Lu Tingwan, Lu Tingwan held out her spear, and Xie Zhao took it. The two smiled knowingly in the desperate pursuit.
He puffed out his chest and looked directly at Liu Lin on horseback. "Your Excellency is right. While rising to prominence is tempting, I, Xie Zhao, am not ungrateful. Miss Lu saved my life. To show my gratitude, Xie Zhao must protect her today, even at the cost of his own life. If you want to kill her, you'll have to step over my corpse."
"He's willing to risk his life for his beloved," Liu Lin lamented, mingling with admiration. "But even Minister Cheng wouldn't save her, while someone like him who didn't want to do anything else is willing to protect her with his own life. Even if Lu is beheaded today, he'll surely rest in peace."
There was an inexplicable chill in Lu Tingwan's eyes. She herself couldn't tell whether it was guilt, gratitude, or relief.
She thought Xie Zhao was her best friend and someone who shared her suffering, but she never imagined that there would be someone in Kyoto who was willing to risk his life for her.
"In that case, I, Jiang Yanli, have no regrets in this trip." She turned her head to look at Xie Zhao. Xie Zhao held her wrist tightly with an extremely determined expression, and led his men out of the siege.
But having passion in his heart was not enough. During several charges, he held Lu Tingwan's hand tightly and never let go. He waved his spear with one hand and opened a small path.
Liu Lin looked at the persistent and resolute figure and finally felt a pity for him. But in just a moment, he wiped away this pity and gave a fair and strict order: "Kill!"
A long spear swept across at the two of them, loosening their grip on the wrists. Lu Tingwan was unable to dodge and was hit on the arm by the spear. Her whole body fell backwards to the ground, and the long spear was about to pierce her chest. If she was hit by this shot, she would have no chance of survival.
Fortunately, Xie Zhao reacted quickly, threw the spear in his hand, rotated his right foot and kicked the spear shaft, increasing the force he exerted, and turned the spear that was about to pierce Lu Tingwan's heart. Then, the dark mass of soldiers behind him pressed forward.
Xie Zhao couldn't resist and pulled Lu Tingwan up. Lu Tingwan's body was out of control and he was almost dragged into the air by him. In the chaos, he shouted someone's name.
"Take her away!"
Lu Tingwan was pushed several feet away. When she looked back, she saw Xie Zhao holding off the army with his own body. He blocked the army in front of him, and blood was already flowing on his body. He used up his remaining strength to push her out of the encirclement. The soldiers could not attack her, and Lu Tingwan kept shouting his name.
"Xie Zhao!"
But the man followed Xie Zhao's orders and dragged her away from here.
He was almost exhausted and could not even stand steadily, but he still held the gun and risked his life to fight. His shoulder armor was pierced by a spear at some point, and the tip of the spear in his hand was broken after many attempts to resist, but he still did not take a single step back.
When he could no longer stand, he suddenly knelt on one knee, holding the gun with one hand, still in the posture of resisting thousands of troops, not letting anyone step over him. Blood dripped down his chin, and he stared at the officers and soldiers with his eyes cold to the extreme, as if if anyone dared to step forward, they would die together.
He would not let Lu Tingwan die unless he stepped on his body.
Liu Lin shook his head helplessly, unable to bear it any longer. He raised his head and waved his hand. The soldiers put away their spears, and four spears were passed across, blocking Xie Zhao's head. He was no longer able to move, and his body fell down under the force. His cheekbones pressed against the bluestone slab, and the broken stones hit his cheeks. His bloodshot eyes stared straight at the direction where Lu Tingwan was going away.
Xie Zhao smiled and protected her briefly!
At this moment, several short arrows came, tearing through Changfeng and nailing him to the execution ground.
She didn't leave!
The person who was restrained and unable to move roared at her, like a captured tiger howling: "Jiang Yanli, go! Go quickly..."
"Why did you come back!" Xie Zhao shouted at the top of his lungs, his face full of pain. In his pain was a look of helplessness, guilt and unwillingness for not being able to protect her life in the end.
Lu Tingwan discarded his crossbow and smiled with relief: "I will shoulder the responsibilities that I should shoulder alone. I will do my utmost to get what I want, but it shouldn't be at the cost of your life. I want freedom."
"Xie Zhao, I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble."
"Jiang Yanli..." Xie Zhao's voice was hoarse.
She came back, just like when she was in Qingyao Mountain, Xie Zhao sent her down the mountain several times, but she always turned back. She could not be selfish for once from beginning to end.
Seeing this, the soldiers stepped forward and arrested Lu Tingwan.
There was sadness in Xie Zhao's eyes. This was Lu Tingwan's choice.
"Why bother?" Liu Lin sighed. "Take Xie Zhao back to the Criminal Justice Department to await his sentence."
The executioner saw that the scene had returned to calm, but the sunny and clear sky had been quietly replaced by dark clouds during the fighting, and the execution ground was in a state of desolation.
When Lu Tingwu saw the captured Lu Tingwan, tears rolled down her cheeks.
The executioner's token fell to the ground and the executioner swung his knife. Lu Tingwan looked at Xie Zhao in the distance with a smile that showed she was ready to die. She slowly closed her eyes and waited for the knife to fall.
Even if I am unwilling, even if I have regrets, they are all contained in a pair of clear eyes.
The ghost-head knife was soaked in the executioner's wine. Dark clouds gathered over the execution ground. The knife was about to be swung. At this moment, the sound of horse hooves broke through from the distance of the execution ground, and a loud voice shouted: "Spare his life."
"Spare his life!"
"Spare his life!"
Lu Tingwan suddenly opened his eyes and looked into the distance. A man and a horse came into view around the corner. All the prisoners waiting to be beheaded seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw, and even Lu Tingwu's eyes lit up.
Lu Tingwan saw clearly that the person was Han Jinzhang.
After Han Jinzhang rode closer, Liu Lin asked, "Deputy Commander Han, what is this?"
Han Jinzhang nodded at him and raised his sword. "Proclaim the Emperor's oral decree, pardoning Lu Tingwan's beheading. The rest of the people will be executed immediately. The three battalions of the Imperial Guards disrupted the execution ground and will be brought back to await their fate."
Originally, there was still a glimmer of hope, but when Han Jinzhang said this, Lu Mingqian finally laughed crazily: "Hahahaha, God wants to destroy me, Lu Mingqian, God wants to destroy my Lu family, Queen Mother..."
She was untied and taken away from the execution platform by the imperial guards. Lu Tingwu's eyes showed calmness again. At least at this moment, she could feel at ease. Lu Tingwan would survive, and that was enough.
But for those who enjoy the privilege, witnessing the beheading of their loved ones with their own eyes is a pain that will be difficult to erase for the rest of their lives.
The executioner raised the ghost-head knife again, and the strong liquor sprayed onto the blade. Lu Tingwan stumbled to the ground, stretched out her hand to the person on the stage, and cried silently: "Sister..."
"Awan, live well and be yourself..." Live well, these were the last words Lu Tingwu left before his head fell to the ground.
Because of this sentence, Lu Tingwan propped himself up with his arms and rushed to the execution ground again. But before he got close, his eyes were stained with blood. Several heads fell to the ground and rolled down from the execution ground. The blood before his eyes was even more vivid than the blood-red that the flowers had dyed red when they fell from Chunyu Tower that night.
Her mind went blank, and all her thoughts vanished into thin air at this moment. She slumped to the ground, while Lu Tingwu's head lay there on the execution ground, his eyes still open. She seemed to see something, yet seemed to see nothing.
Her clear eyes suddenly became empty, her face and lips seemed to be covered with a layer of white, without a trace of blood. She almost opened her mouth to call out "Sister", but found that her throat was blocked by a foreign object. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make a sound.
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