Chapter 396: Realization Dawns
There was continuous unrest in the streets.
The sounds of attacking the palace gates were incessant.
Outside the hall were palace guards, standing solemnly on the steps. The long sabers in their hands gleamed coldly.
The Emperor paced back and forth inside the hall, his face turning green, black, and yellow, his head splitting with pain. He sighed inwardly: It was indeed too hasty. These two did not wear each other down, but they both came for me.
“Purge the evil influences… I’m afraid they want to purge me, the ruler!” He pointed outside and cursed.
Firstly, he didn’t expect the two of them to join forces. Secondly, he didn’t expect that there were so many people hidden under his nose. They even acted so uniformly.
The palace guards were under his direct control. The city defense was his confidant, but it had been infiltrated… At this point, they were barely holding on. Even the south gate was breached once…
He had experienced so many things and faced dangers, so he couldn’t say he was very afraid. However, the biggest taboo for an Emperor has always been rebellion! These two bastards! When the court reconvenes, with a bunch of ministers watching, if he doesn’t kill a few, they’ll probably laugh at me!
The key point is that Li Qi Kuang, since being enfeoffed as Prince, could no longer be hidden in the palace and returned to his Prince Xiang Residence. They will definitely attack the Prince Xiang Residence, and he didn’t know how things were going… Those two bastards, don’t really let him…
If something happens to him, it will completely disrupt my game! And then, I’ll be estranged from the Crown Prince because of Prince Xiang.
So what to do?
Qi Youduan, upon receiving the military tally, wanted to go find Prince Xiang. He didn’t go to the Prince Xiang Residence because he knew it would be the most heavily besieged, and going there would be useless. He took a detour to a courtyard and, as expected, found many hidden guards guarding it. After inquiring, he was relieved: Prince Xiang is here!
“Your Highness!” Qi Youduan deliberately rushed in with a panicked look.
Li Qi Kuang was unexpectedly reading a book under the lamp, displaying an air of “I remain unmoved”. Even Qi Youduan was greatly impressed; “Your Highness, at your age, and without having truly experienced major storms, to possess such composure, I am truly amazed.”
Li Qi Kuang would never tell him that, in fact, his back had been drenched in sweat several times! He didn’t know how lucky he was: He had returned home the night before and then secretly left the residence to meet a guest. Otherwise, he would have been trapped inside!
…
Many people had died in Consort Jiang’s courtyard, and the smell of blood was everywhere.
Jiang Pinting felt waves of nausea and barely managed to order her people to secure the Crown Princess. Wen Yu helped her to another courtyard. Just as they settled in, there was another commotion outside, and a palace maid said joyfully, “Your Highness! The Crown Prince is here!”
They hadn’t even changed their address.
“Pinting!” It was Li Qihuan’s hurried footsteps and anxious voice. He rushed in and saw two women sitting side by side in the room. “Wen Yu? Why are you here?” he asked in surprise.
Qi Wu, who emerged from behind him, was also stunned. His face turned livid as he glared at Wen Yu, almost furious: Didn’t I tell you not to come out?
But seeing that the two women were sitting safely, he felt a little relieved. “How are things here?” Li Qihuan’s tone softened, as if the urgency from a moment ago never existed.
Jiang Pinting said, “Don’t even mention it… Thanks to Wen Yu and Hu Fei coming, otherwise, I would have been done for!” She touched her belly and shivered, the fear only hitting her now.
Li Qihuan’s heart tightened as he took her hand. He probably didn’t even realize that he had developed a feeling called affection for this plain-looking Consort Jiang.
Qi Wu quickly walked to Wen Yu’s side, looking her up and down, his voice trembling, “Are you hurt?”
Wen Yu hadn’t had time to change her clothes, which were now in disarray, and her hair was loose. “Don’t worry, we’re fine.”
“How’s the villa? And the Crown Princess?” Jiang Pinting asked.
Li Qihuan smiled wryly, “We narrowly escaped danger! Fifteen, Seventeen, Wang Lin, and the others are guarding it! Song Shang also rushed over with his people! I was worried about you… Pinting, it was my oversight not to consider things thoroughly enough, causing you to be frightened.”
Wen Yu thought to herself, wow, Li Qihuan! Since when did you learn to speak like this?! Qi Wu saw the obvious disdain on Wen Yu’s face and quickly pulled her aside.
“Tell me what happened here!”
So Wen Yu recounted what had happened, with a mix of grievance and lingering fear, acting coquettishly with Qi Wu, “At that time, Xue Ying even wanted to scratch my face with her hairpin…” She stroked her smooth cheek, still shaken by the memory.
Qi Wu’s face was as cold as ice. “It’s too easy a death for her!” He decided to go trouble the Xue family!
“What do we do now?”
Li Qihuan said, “I estimate that Duke Xingguo’s people will be here soon. Let me take you back to the villa.”
“Aren’t you going to see the Emperor?”
Li Qihuan said, “I don’t want to go!”
“Your Highness… Then, let’s talk while we walk!”
Qi Wu rode his horse, holding Wen Yu tightly in front of him. “Hold on tight, who knows what we might encounter on the road! You almost scared me to death! I told you not to come out!”
✿✿✿
Wen Yu smiled wryly, “I came just in time. If I were any later, something might have happened!”
Previously, Li Qihuan and Qi Wu had driven away all those surrounding the Crown Prince’s villa, and now only their own people were guarding it. After sending Li Qihuan and Consort Jiang inside, Qi Wu and Wen Yu, concerned about the Qi family, took a detour back to the residence.
As soon as they entered the residence, they heard a commotion coming from the study.
“Is that Fifth Master? The Marquis is seriously injured!”
Wen Yu almost wanted to ask: Which Marquis?
Upon entering, they saw Qi Xiao lying shirtless on a stool, with a doctor applying medicine to his back. Qi Wu quickly turned around and told Wen Yu to wait outside while he went in to ask, “Big Brother, how are you?”
Qi Xiao grinned, “The gold silk armor Mother gave me saved my life. Grandfather was hit by an arrow, and when the second arrow came, I blocked it for him. The archer was shot dead by Grandfather’s guards.”
Qi Wu pursed his lips. So both arrows were aimed at the old man? Qi Xiao’s back was bruised but not bleeding. He entered the inner room, where the Marquis was lying on a small couch. The arrow had been removed, and the wound was bandaged.
“Doctor, how is Grandfather?”
The doctor said, “It seems he didn’t injure his heart or lungs, otherwise he would already… But the wound is deep, and it’s hard to say how it will turn out.”
Qi Wu called out to his grandfather twice, but the Marquis didn’t respond. He picked up the arrow lying nearby and examined it. It must have been shot from a crossbow and was slightly off target, otherwise the old man would have been finished.
Suddenly, the Marquis groaned. Qi Wu crouched down, “Grandfather!”
“Where’s Qi Xiao…” The old man’s mind was filled with the image of his eldest grandson shielding him from the arrow.
“He wore armor. He’s injured but okay.”
The Marquis closed his eyes for a moment. “Go…” He looked at a small door on the wall. “Check… the military tally.”
Qi Wu got up, went over, and pulled. The small door opened, revealing an empty space inside.
“Grandfather, the military tally is gone.”
The Marquis became anxious, and a wave of pain washed over him… He was about to faint again. “Qi Youduan… injured me.”
“Grandfather!” Wen Yu entered.
Qi Wu quickly covered the Marquis with a sheet. “Li Daniu is dead.” Wen Yu’s tone was rather cheerful.
The Marquis, angered, closed his eyes again and ignored her!
“It’s not proper to leave her like this. Later… cough, cough, why don’t we find a simple coffin to encase her for now?”
The Marquis still didn’t speak.
“Grandfather, things have come to this. It’s not appropriate to let this murderer, who killed your original wife, continue to enjoy the offerings of the Qi family descendants, is it? If Grandmother knew about it, how heartbroken she would be!”
The Marquis glared at her, “Right now, that’s not the point! Qi Yang, if Prince Xiang wins, then you might… But if Prince Xiang loses, that bastard, if he’s in too deep, will use the military tally to mobilize troops.”
“When he came back to hand over the military tally… I’m worried that he has already secretly mobilized troops to Yanzhou… This way, it would only take two days to get here… If I’m not mistaken, there will be 20,000 troops. I don’t know what he’s up to… You have to stop him!”
Qi Wu pursed his lips, his mind racing.
“As for that person behind the scenes… Wen Yu, I’ll leave the family matters to you! I’m not dead, he will strike again… You…”
The Marquis fainted again.
