Chapter 514: The Cat Substitutes for the Prince
"In this world, only I can save the emperor's life so that she can live."
So, how to change it?
When Yun Chen fell from the wall into the house and saw Madam Su's face which looked exactly like her own, and then looked at the carriage parked next to her, an extremely risky idea immediately popped up in her mind.
Starting last winter, a new trend suddenly emerged in the capital, which was to install "copper floor cages" under the floors of carriages.
When riding in a carriage in winter, you have to put a charcoal basin and hold a hand warmer to keep warm.
I don’t know why the “copper floor cage” became popular this year. A space of less than half a foot is added under the bottom plate, which is wrapped with a thick-bottomed hollow copper plate. Charcoal fire is placed inside, and the temperature can pass through the carriage plate and warm the entire carriage.
However, the modification of this carriage is very expensive. It requires installing interlayers and custom copper plates, building smoke exhaust ducts, fireproofing layers, laying carpets, and having a dedicated person to take care of the charcoal fire.
Therefore, copper floor baskets were only popular among a small number of wealthy families in Kyoto.
Jiao Zuotai and the Black Scale Cavalry had been on the battlefield for a long time, so they had no idea about these things.
Even if they knew, they would never have imagined that such a low and narrow copper cage less than half a foot high could hide a living person.
After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, if Yun Chen wanted to secretly bring helpers into the palace to rescue Nan Lijun, she would definitely bring a man with super strong martial arts skills and a tall stature. It is hard to imagine that she actually brought in a woman -
Mrs. Su is similar in stature to Yun Chen, both of them are thin. And because Su Zhengyang led his troops to fight in the southwest and his entire army was annihilated, his whereabouts are still unknown. This has caused Mrs. Su to worry day and night and she has become even thinner than before.
Yun Chen told Mrs. Su about the plan to rescue Nan Lijun. The latter only thought about it for a moment and agreed.
Yun Chen stuffed Madam Su into the interlayer copper cage, with her head stuck in the flue and her body clamped between the copper plates. Not only was her whole body in pain, but her chest was squeezed so hard that she had difficulty breathing and could only breathe in small breaths.
But even though it was so painful, Mrs. Su still persevered.
It was not until after nine quick attacks that the carriage crashed into the palace gate that she climbed out as quickly as possible and let Nan Lijun lie down in.
She quickly put on the dragon robe and crown, pretended to be Nan Lijun, and hid behind Buyan.
Because Yun Chen was blocking the door, and Yan Shijiu ordered not to touch Nan Lijun for the time being, but only to besiege the Dead Phoenix Yutian Palace, the Black Scale Cavalry did not enter the palace to search, and they never imagined that in just a blink of an eye, the "raccoon cat" had replaced the "crown prince".
Then it’s not difficult to guess what the next plan is.
Relying on the secret code between him and Yun Chen over the years as personal guards of the Huo Gang and the tacit understanding between them as brothers and friends, Buyan and Xiaoze completed the cooperation accurately.
Three days ago, the Black Scale Cavalry stormed the Imperial Palace. Initially, Buyan and Xiaoze joined the Imperial Guards in defending the palace against the enemy.
Later, seeing that the imperial guards were almost all killed or wounded, and that all the brother guards who had just made friends with Bu Yan were dead, the situation was irreversible, so the two of them hurriedly turned to guard Nan Lijun.
Unfortunately, it was too late. At that time, Feng Yutian Palace had been completely surrounded. Buyan and Xiaoze could only hide everywhere, trying to find an opportunity to attack the palace.
When he was wandering anxiously without finding a breakthrough, Buyan suddenly heard Yunchen's signal, and finally cooperated with Xiaoze, allowing Buyan to successfully enter the hall.
Originally, Bu Yan should be happy, as he could finally fulfill his promise to protect Nan Lijun.
But when he saw Mrs. Su's face which was almost exactly the same as Yun Chen's, he was not happy at all.
He immediately understood Yun Chen's next plan:
Madam Su will put on the armor and helmet that Yun Chen wore when he came, lead the Cloud-Swallowing Beast and the carriage that contains Nan Lijun, and take advantage of the darkest moment before dawn. With her appearance that is similar to Yun Chen's twin sister, she will walk out of the palace gate openly under the noses of the Black Scale Cavalry in the palace.
Yun Chen will stay in Feng Yutian Palace on behalf of Nan Lijun. Every quarter of an hour he disguises himself and every hour he delays will allow Nan Lijun to be further away from the palace.
By the time Yan Shijiu finds out, Nan Lijun might have already escaped.
This whole plan is extremely risky and full of loopholes. It will be discovered if you are not careful.
But Bu Yan knew very well that this was the only way and the best way now.
Buyan looked at Yun Chen's face.
It's been a long time since I've seen Yun Chen so closely.
What a sunny person he was in the past, but he was tortured by countless dirty power desires and conspiracies and became what he is today.
Her face was pale and small, her eyes were a little swollen, her eyes were bloodshot, and her lips were colorless. She looked like a rotten wood that was ready to be buried, but was struggling to get up and try to contribute the last bit of heat.
No, she was more like a dying bird being held in the palm of a hand, whimpering.
From the day he resigned until now, Bu Yan has gone from being an insider to a bystander.
He watched helplessly as Yun Chen suffered everything, his triumphant return, his decline from prosperity, being tricked into handing over his military power, and being forced to marry Yan Shijiu.
There were many nights when Yun Chen cried bitterly under the quilt. Buyan used his excellent skills to avoid all the secret guards of the Yan Mansion, quietly listening to her suppressed crying in the corner of the roof, and swallowing tears with her.
Achen, Achen.
My best brother, my friend.
Please forgive my cowardice. I dare not tell you anything. It’s not that I’m afraid of death, but I’m afraid that the young master will kill me.
It's not that I love Nan Lijun more than the bond of life and death between you and me...
But I don’t know how to present the truth to you so that it won’t hurt so much.
No matter who becomes the king in the end, Nanli Jun will surely die.
And Yun Chen can survive.
This completely opposite fate seems to make Nan Lijun look even more miserable.
But Buyan knew sadly that Yun Chen was actually the most pitiful one.
These words stirred violently in Bu Yan's chest, making him feel sore. He opened his mouth to speak, but could only utter the monotonous syllable "ah ah".
He held Yun Chen's wrist, which was so thin that it seemed like it could be broken with a little force, and sighed continuously.
Yun Chen firmly held Bu Yan's hand back, trying to put on a peaceful but extremely pale smile:
"Brother Buyan, there's only a quarter of an hour left. Hurry and bandage your wound. Madam Su will leave the palace in a carriage soon, and there will be a strict inspection when she reaches the palace gate. To prevent any accidents, you must go and watch over her secretly. Besides, the emperor is only wearing a single piece of clothing and has nothing with him. Even if he leaves the palace, he will have a hard time surviving alone. You must go and protect the emperor."
To Yun Chen's surprise, Buyan actually shook his head.
He tried to make his point with the simplest gestures:
"Xiao Ze is outside, he will protect the emperor. I will stay with you. Only if I am here will Yan Shijiu believe it."
Yun Chen thought about it and felt that it made sense.
Yan Shijiu knew that Buyan loved Nanlijun, and he would fight for her until the last moment.
If Yan hadn't escaped through the palace gate, I'm afraid Yan Shijiu would have immediately guessed that something was wrong.
Only if Bu Yan stays here can we create the illusion that Nan Lijun is still in Feng Yutian Palace.
"Then, Brother Buyan, it all depends on you from now on. I'll just have to stand by and watch!"
Yun Chen said this in a joking tone.
Nan Lijun doesn't know martial arts, so Yun Chen stayed in the hall for him. If Yan Shijiu and the Black Scale Cavalry rushed in to arrest people, Yun Chen could only watch and not take action.
If he keeps silent, he will have to face countless Black Scale Cavalrymen alone, and the danger of this situation is self-evident.
Both of them deliberately avoided thinking about this and avoided each other's gaze.
He couldn't speak, nor did he want to say anything about the impending danger that could very well cost him his life. Yun Chen lowered his eyes to hide his inability to lie.
She would never tell Buyan that from the moment she stepped out of the Yan Mansion's gate and decided to save Nan Lijun, she had made up her mind to die.
No, it was Anian who went to find her after completing the rescue.
The two men each had their own tragic thoughts, and neither spoke a word. Seeing that the Black Scale Cavalry outside the door had begun to urge them, they quickly made final preparations.
Yun Chen put on Nan Lijun's dragon robe and dragon crown, while Madam Su put on precious silver armor. When the helmet covered part of her face, it was really hard to tell who was Yun Chen and who was not.
As Bu Yan watched the two women calmly changing their clothes, he felt a mixture of emotions, so complicated that he couldn't put them into words.
Unexpectedly, when the Nan Kingdom was about to reach its end, the ones who finally stood up and tried to turn the tide were two little women.
Yun Chen was a needless matter. Madam Su was a frail woman in seclusion, so there was no need for her to get involved in such a dangerous plan.
If he were to pass through the palace gate later and be discovered, the consequences would be disastrous and he would probably be beheaded on the spot.
Thinking of this, Buyan walked up to Madam Su, knelt solemnly on one knee, and bowed to her respectfully, his eyes full of gratitude and admiration.
Mrs. Su felt embarrassed when she was looked at. Although this gentle woman didn't talk much, she had a strong character.
Madam Su helped Bu Yanxu up, blushing and a little shy, but she said firmly:
"If a country is no longer a country, how can we have a home? We can't let Nan fall into the hands of cannibalistic soldiers. My husband disappeared on the battlefield, and we still don't know whether he's alive or dead. Perhaps he's already... I hope the husbands of other women in the world can survive!"
After Madam Su finished speaking, she patted her precious silver armor like a man, deliberately pretending to be a heroic figure, and said with a smile:
"Don't worry, leave it to me—"
As Bu Yan watched this scene, he felt more and more ashamed for Nan Lijun.
Nan Lijun has always been deeply jealous of Yun Chen's bravery, loyalty... and all his good qualities.
Little did they know that there were thousands of brave and beautiful women in this world, not just Yun Chen! How could one hate a mountain and resent that there was always another mountain higher than the other?
She is Nanli Jun, the king! She should be the world that tolerates everything!
Then, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation now.
Unfortunately, Nan Lijun will probably never understand this.
A moment later, when the urging voices of the Black Scale Cavalry sounded again, as planned, Madam Su, wearing precious silver armor, pulled the carriage slowly towards the palace gate.
Bu Yan once again acted as a guard with a knife, standing firmly in front of Yun Chen, who was wearing a dragon robe and dragon crown.
He pushed a screen in front of Yun Chen to block him.
A few Black Scale Cavalrymen peered around the hall twice, and seeing nothing unusual, they closed the door again.
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