Those things submerged at the bottom of the water were not just cold, hard weapons, but also the dignity of hundreds of thousands of Qiao people!
Back then, Qiaochuan was a small border state adjacent to the western border of Daye. Daye was determined to expand westward and stationed 100,000 troops on the border. In order to avoid bloodshed, Li Qingchen's father, the king, endured the humiliation and agreed that Qiaochuan would henceforth be a vassal state of Daye.
However, peace gained through concessions could not last long. In the end, Da Ye conquered Qiao State and incorporated it entirely into its territory through a war. From then on, it was renamed Qiao Chuan, and its ruler was enfeoffed as the King of Qiao Chuan.
Over the years, Daye has outwardly treated Qiaochuan equally, but in reality, it has discriminated against them. Whenever a Daye person injures a Qiaochuan person, they are given a lenient sentence, while a Qiaochuan person injures a Daye person, they are severely punished. In profitable businesses, Qiaochuan merchants are subjected to numerous difficulties and layers of exploitation, but when war breaks out in other regions, Qiaochuan people are the first to be sent to the battlefield.
There are countless similar injustices, and simply submitting is not an option if we want to change this situation.
But he didn't want to kill innocent people indiscriminately.
Li Qingchen stood facing the water, unconsciously clenching his hands. He had saved the person, but now he had to kill him?
Perhaps there are other ways...
"Wait!" Li Qingchen called out and turned around, only to find that Yuan Que, who had been behind him just moments before, was gone. In terms of lightness skill alone, Yuan Que was indeed unmatched.
Is it too late?
...
The luxurious and elegant carriage was traveling on a country road. Due to the undulating terrain, the carriage was bumpy and jolted. The coachman drove the carriage very slowly. Just as they were about to merge into the main road, they heard a strange noise from behind!
Turning around, I saw a man in black leap onto the top of the carriage, kneeling on one knee, his hands gripping a gleaming knife, ready to plunge it downwards!
"Assassin!" the coachman shouted to warn the people in the carriage, while simultaneously whipping the horse to make it gallop away, hoping to shake off the person on the roof.
However, this action only delayed the man in black from bringing down his knife; he remained firmly planted on the roof of the car as if his feet were nailed to the ground.
Wei Shuwan, inside the carriage, heard a sound from above and knew something had fallen on her. Upon hearing the coachman's warning, she immediately realized that the assassin was above them.
"It's dangerous inside the car, get out first!"
At Wei Shuwan's command, Zi Qiao tore down the felt curtain from the window, wrapped it around Wei Shuwan's head, and pushed her out without a word. Then she picked up Miao Xiang and jumped out of the carriage with her.
Fortunately, Zi Qiao possessed the martial arts skills of a triangular cat, and her movements were extremely swift, the entire process taking only a blink of an eye. Almost at the same moment the three of them jumped out of the car, the assassin's blade pierced through the roof, but missed its target.
Wei Shuwan rolled around on the ground several times before stopping. The autumn fields were dense with grain and the soil was loose, so apart from being covered in mud, she was not seriously injured.
However, in the blink of an eye, several suspicious names popped into her mind, all of which were related to the Song family matter, but she quickly dismissed them one by one.
Now, the Song family is either sick or has gone far away, and their most capable member, Hu An, is gone. They have also lost the support of the Prince Jing's Mansion, so they are no longer capable of causing any more trouble.
Who else would want to kill her?
However, she didn't have time to think about this problem, because the assassin caught up in the blink of an eye! Zi Qiao picked up a sickle discarded by a farmer as a weapon and stood in front of Wei Shuwan, saying, "Miaoxiang, quickly take the girl and run!"
Wei Shuwan's ankle was already injured, and with Miaoxiang supporting her, she couldn't run fast. As she moved, she kept looking back, worried about whether Ziqiao could defeat the assassin.
Wei Shuwan's heart pounded like a drum; this was the first time since her rebirth that she felt the situation was out of her control.
As expected, the assassin was no ordinary thief. In a brief exchange, he tricked Zi Qiao aside and leaped over her, heading straight for Wei Shuwan! Although Miao Xiang knew nothing of martial arts, she resolutely spread her arms and stood in front of Wei Shuwan.
The assassin slashed down with his palm, the tip striking the maid's side of the neck, and Miaoxiang immediately fell to the ground.
Wei Shuwan knelt on the ground to check Miaoxiang's breathing. Only after confirming that she was just unconscious did she feel relieved for the time being.
She looked up at the assassin in black, her eyes gleaming, but her tone was not pleading: "Why did you want to kill me?"
There are usually only three reasons for murder: revenge killing, clearing obstacles, or silencing witnesses. She felt she could rule out the latter two, leaving only the first. But this was something that had never happened in her previous life, so the change occurred during her time after her rebirth.
The only difference between her and her predecessors is that she took revenge on the Song family, but the Song family didn't have the ability to do so. Could it be... the Prince Jing's Mansion?
As far as she knew, the Prince and Princess had always disliked the marriage between Princess Yun'an and Song Zijin, and this time they could be said to be taking the opportunity to back down, so they shouldn't hold any hatred towards her. But Princess Yun'an was different. The princess had been in love with Song Zijin since before the marriage, and it was precisely because of this reason that Song Zijin dared to be so frivolous in his previous life.
"Are you someone sent by the Prince's Mansion?!" Wei Shuwan probed.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Que, whose face was covered by a black cloth, paused. She thought to herself, "No wonder the young prince suddenly had murderous intent towards her. It turns out she had seen through their identities and knew they were from the Qiaochuan Prince's Mansion!"
"Heh, now that you know everything, then I can't let you live any longer!"
Yuan Que had no intention of wasting any more words with this young lady. He raised his long sword high... Wei Shuwan slumped to the ground, supporting herself with her hands on the muddy ground as she moved backward. Facing the ghost-like man in front of her, she knew it was futile, but she still instinctively wanted to get as far away from him as possible.
Her jade-like fingers were entangled with black mud and gravel, and bright red blood seeped from her fingertips. A thought inexplicably flashed through her mind: if she died this time, it would be best if she could be reborn, so that she would have a new target for revenge in her next life...
Just as the gleaming longsword slashed down, a suppressed groan rang out. However, the one who made the sound was not Wei Shuwan, but the "assassin".
Yuan Que slowly and with shock turned around, meeting Li Qingchen's unfathomable gaze: "Little..."
Before he could utter the last two words, a strong wave of dizziness washed over him, making Yuan Que unsteady on his feet. He forced himself to stand, staring at the thick stick in his young master's hand, utterly bewildered as to why his master would use it to hit him on the back of the head…
Didn't the young prince just order him to silence him?
“My benefactor, you’ve come… You’ve saved me again…” Wei Shuwan struggled to get up from the ground, ignoring her sprained ankle, and limped to Li Qingchen’s back, tightly hugging his arm with both hands, refusing to let go no matter what.
Li Qingchen's gaze fell on his own arm, then shifted to Wei Shuwan, his feelings becoming somewhat complicated.
It's just like a wounded rabbit seeking shelter from a hunter, unaware that the wound was inflicted by the hunter himself.
Under the unfathomable gaze of the young prince and the delicate, trembling voice of the young lady, Yuan Que's vision gradually darkened. Before completely losing consciousness, a thought flashed through his mind:
Could it be that their master is just trying to create another opportunity for a hero to save the damsel in distress...?
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