Chapter 199 Returning to Luoyang

Chapter 199 Returning to Luoyang

Immediately after the defeat of the Liang King, the Xue family surrounded the Ding Prince's residence from all sides in Luoyang.

The leader was Lie Feng, and at his command, the Imperial Guards stormed into the territory of the Prince Ding's residence.

After several battles, the Prince of Ding's elite guards, numbering in the hundreds, were all overrun by the Imperial Guards he led, leaving no survivors.

On that day, the area around the Prince Ding's mansion was littered with corpses every three steps, and blood flowed like a river.

When the sound of the clapper fell silent, Prince Ding came out and looked at the imperial guards of the Prince Man's mansion.

A crack appeared on his usually composed face.

"General Lie, what do you mean?"

Lie Feng, clad in iron armor, rested his hand on the hilt of the longsword at his waist, his face expressionless, like a sharp weapon exuding coldness.

"I've come to take your head."

Prince Ding's expression remained unchanged, and he then laughed loudly, "The Xue family's dogs dare to bark in front of me."

Lie Feng's eyes were icy cold, and his voice was like a cold blade: "You little mantis, you've been manipulating things from behind the scenes, assassinating Prince Jing and the Sixth Prince, all for that supreme throne, haven't you?"

“Your allies, the King of Zhongshan and the King of Dai, have already been defeated, and now your elder brother, the King of Liang, has also fallen.”

"You're already a stray dog, your life is worthless."

Lie Feng drew his longsword, its blade gleaming coldly in the winter sun.

A sneer appeared on Prince Ding's handsome face. "I am the Emperor's uncle. Without the Emperor's decree, how dare you kill me?"

As he spoke, a signal flare rose behind him, shooting straight into the sky.

Lie Feng knew that this was a call for reinforcements, as he was just a general in charge of the security of the imperial city.

His duty is to receive orders and carry them out.

Looking at Prince Ding, who was gazing at the signal flare soaring into the sky, his eyes were filled with hope.

The longsword in Lie Feng's hand was like a bolt of lightning, fast and ruthless, cutting through mud with every stroke.

The moment the King's head tilted to the side, bright red blood gushed out from his carotid artery.

Like a signal flare, it shot into the air, and instantly the warm, pungent smell of blood filled the air.

The round head landed on the ground, rolled several times, and landed at his feet.

The King of Ding died with his eyes wide open, seemingly dissatisfied with the outcome.

Then he knelt on the ground and collapsed with a thud, the blood that had not yet drained continuing to spread.

Lie Feng glanced at the longsword; there was no blood left. He then shoved it directly into its sheath.

His lieutenant lifted up the head of the Prince of Ding.

Lie Feng turned around. "Let's go back and report."

His tone was so calm that it was as if he had never killed anyone.

Meanwhile, Xie Yu also launched his own hunt.

However, Xie Yu had taken precautions. He had the private army that Grand Commandant Shen had once commanded, and they were currently locked in a fierce battle with the Xue family's forces.

The signal from the Prince of Ding was like a military order being issued.

The Liang King's troops, who had been lying in wait outside Luoyang for months, immediately broke through the city walls and headed towards the imperial palace.

*

Meanwhile, at the Liang Prince's residence, which was 150 li away from Luoyang City.

After the defeat of the Liang King's army, no one knew where they went, and the entire Liang King's mansion was empty.

It seems that King Liang had already prepared for his defeat and retreat.

Prince Cheng and Prince Qi immediately ordered the arrest of Prince Liang.

Shen Nanzi led Xie Chengze to the Liang Prince's residence first.

The decades-old house, the towering old trees, and the weathered stone bridge exude a rustic and tranquil weight of history.

Combined with the intense fighting that had taken place over the past month, it all felt like a dream.

"It's better to live without war, isn't it?" Shen Nanzi asked Xie Chengze.

Xie Chengze, dressed in his armor, held her hand.

"Of course, when there is war in a land, the people suffer the most."

Xie Chengze witnessed the war and knew its cruelty.

He and Zhao Zhendong commanded on the front lines in every battle, and he knew clearly what the casualty figures represented each time.

"Yes, Cheng'er's duty is to let you, the common people, live a good life."

"Mother, Cheng'er knows."

Before Shen Nanzi even reached the main hall, Qinghe hurried over, presenting a letter tied with a red rope in both hands, "Your Highness, a message sent by carrier pigeon."

Judging from the color, Shen Nanzi knew it was sent by Xie Yu from Luoyang.

She immediately unfolded it, and after reading the contents, her eyes instantly darkened. "The Xue family couldn't wait any longer and actually killed Prince Ding. Xie Yu is in danger!"

Shen Nanzi pondered for a moment, then said, “General Zhao, immediately muster your troops and return to Luoyang.”

Xie Chengze asked, "Aren't we waiting for Prince Qi and the masked general?"

This is the purpose of their trip. They are all in the royal city, so how can the king not see them?

They still needed to hear what Prince Qi had to say.

Should we fight here, or return to Luoyang first?

At this moment, she no longer had any intention of dealing with Prince Qi; she had to go back to save Xie Yu.

After leaving the Liang King's mansion, Shen Nanzi and Xie Chengze each rode away on a horse.

They had just left when a carriage appeared in front of the Liang King's mansion.

A soldier rode up on horseback and presented a message: "Your Highness, there is an urgent report."

A hand with distinct knuckles emerged from the carriage curtain and took the urgent report.

A clear, crisp voice came from inside, "We need to get back to Luoyang City quickly."

After a short while, a deep, magnetic voice responded: "Yes, send someone to find out the movements of Prince Cheng's army."

"Let's pack up and leave. We'll leave a few trusted men here to handle the rest."

*

Shen Nanzi returned to the military tent, where Ye Shuyin was lounging on her chair with his legs crossed.

Seeing Shen Nanzi return, she slightly raised her beautiful eyes, a hint of surprise in them, and asked in a lazy tone, "Why are you back so early? Did the talks fall apart?"

Shen Nanzi quickly tidied up the important items on the table. "You should go back to Fang Shuo. We need to go back to Luoyang."

Ye Shuyin straightened his wobbling legs and stood up. "So fast? What happened?"

“Xue Qingning couldn’t wait any longer. She killed Prince Ding and is going to forcibly ascend the throne,” Shen Nanzi said.

Ye Shuyin frowned. "What's the use of that brat ascending the throne? With you and that Prince Qi around, his throne is not secure at all."

“Once he sits in that seat and has a legitimate status, he can still command a group of people.”

"Oh, those neutral vassal kings, right?"

"That's only part of it; she can also use foreign powers to slow us down."

"Then she is truly a sinner, dragging Yunhan into dire straits, with war raging everywhere, and the people are going to suffer."

"We won't let her succeed."

"What about my matter? Is it also on hold?"

"Let's put this on hold for now. If that day ever comes, our deal will continue."

"That's more like it. I thought I'd wasted my time." Ye Shuyin walked to her side. "Then it's a deal. I congratulate you on getting what you want. Now I'll have someone to rely on."

"You've been here so long, I was worried your throne would be taken away." Shen Nanzi finished packing and hugged her things to her chest. "You go quickly, I'm leaving too."

Ye Shuyin looked at her with reluctance, "What's the point of staying for so long? You didn't even give me a hug."

Shen Nanzi glared at him. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll cancel the deal."

Ye Shuyin immediately became obedient and gave in with a pitiful expression: "Okay, okay, I'll leave now. You heartless bad woman."

"However, I will come back and demand recognition."

*

A journey of 150 li would normally take three to four days by military force.

But the situation is urgent now, and we can't let the Xue family kill Xie Yu's last obstacle.

Otherwise, the Xue family would allow Xie Hongrui to ascend the throne. Once he takes the throne, Xue Qingning would definitely lead troops into the country, plunging the world into chaos.

At that time, the people of Yunhan will be engulfed in war on all sides.

We must march a hundred miles, day and night, to prevent all of this from happening.

Without delay, Chengjun set off immediately.

Cheng Jun left Liang Wang's capital city first, followed by Qi Wang's army.

However, less than half a day later, Prince Qi received a secret letter.

The border troops of the Cangjue, which the Xue family had seized, were defeated by the Cangjue and retreated step by step, having already lost fifty cities.

Prince Qi rode over upon hearing the news.

He was in his forties, thin, and dressed in black armor. He ran to the front of the group.

The first ten or so warhorses of the army were the backbone of Prince Qi's forces.

The most conspicuous among them was the masked general, who was also wearing armor and had a tall and upright figure, but his face was covered by a mask.

The mask was made of silver, shaped like a wolf, and revealed a pair of deep, sharp, dark eyes.

The secret letter was in his hands, and his horse was ahead of everyone else, even Prince Qi was half a step behind him.

It seemed as if he was the leader of these people.

"What happened?" Prince Qi asked anxiously.

"This is probably intentional on the part of the Xue family." The masked general wearing the silver wolf mask spoke calmly and composedly, as if everything was within his expectations.

"That damned Xue family, they'd do something as treacherous as colluding with the enemy and betraying their country just for the throne!" Prince Qi cursed.

"Blinded by power, they have lost all sense of shame?" Disappointment lingered in the masked general's eyes.

"This is utterly depraved; this is the Xue family's final act of madness." Prince Qi, spurring his horse, turned his head and asked, "We cannot allow the Cangjue to continue annexing the lands of Yunhan. What should we do next?"

The masked general looked ahead at the road, where dust billowed, left by the marching army of Prince Cheng.

“I have taken precautions and left 30,000 men in the heartland for deployment, but this time the Cangjue have 200,000 troops.”

"Uncle, take this team with you and go reinforce them over there."

Prince Qi asked in surprise, "How can this be done without anyone here?"

"Give me fifty elite troops, take the rest," the masked general said. "Take all the provisions."

“Fifty men?” Prince Qi was surprised, then understood. “Princess Jing’s 60,000 troops are more than enough to take Luoyang.”

Prince Qi knew that the country was currently facing both internal and external troubles. If the throne could be stabilized in the next few days, the internal troubles would be alleviated, and he could then focus on dealing with the external threats.

"Then you must be very careful."

"Um!"

The roads were still cold in early spring.

However, upon closer inspection, faint specks of green have already appeared amidst the withered yellow.

Inside Luoyang, the people who had heard the rumors dared not go out.

The city of Luoyang was exceptionally quiet, with only the imperial guards occasionally passing by.

Especially before that signal was sent out, the people heard the sound of weapons clashing.

It seems that there are imperial guards searching and arresting people outside the homes of wealthy families.

Xie Yu, with his three thousand private soldiers, put up a last stand against the Xue family.

A corner of Luoyang City.

At the Sixth Prince's residence, Consort Wei paced anxiously back and forth in the courtyard, clutching a handkerchief.

Fearing that the Xue family might target the Wei family, Xie Yu brought his mother and maternal relatives to the Sixth Prince's residence for centralized protection.

Listening to the sounds of fighting in the distance, Consort Wei glanced at the doorway from time to time.

"They've been fighting for half a day, how come there's still no winner?"

He then clasped his hands together and prayed to the sky: "May God protect Xie Yu and bring him back safely."

As if in response to Consort Wei's words, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the Sixth Prince's residence.

The vermilion gate opened, and Xie Yu's slightly tired figure appeared.

Consort Wei's face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly went to greet her.

She checked him over from head to toe, asking with concern, "Is there anything that's bothering you?"

Xie Yu knew his mother was worried, "It's nothing, look how scared you are."

"What about your back? The imperial physician said that you have injured a bone in your back," Consort Wei said, touching his thigh. "You can't exert yourself too much."

Xie Yu forced a smile and said, "It's really nothing. If something happened, how could I ride a horse?"

Consort Wei checked him over and then felt relieved. Looking at his robes, which were a little wrinkled, she reached out and smoothed them out. "How is the situation outside?"

"The fighting is still going on," Xie Yu said apologetically. "Mother, please take the people from the Marquis of Pingyang's residence and leave Luoyang first!"

"My son has found a place outside. Pack your things and I'll have someone take you there."

Consort Wei quickly grabbed his arm and held it tightly, asking, "What happened? Have we lost?"

Since Xie Yuan's death, Consort Wei's heart has not had a single day of peace.

Unlike other princes, Xie Yu had worked hard in the court for many years and also had the help of his maternal family.

He entered the game too late and his foundation was weak. When Shen Minghan was around, he still had some ability to fight back.

Later, Shen Minghan was murdered, and his power was greatly reduced.

Now, relying on his status as the sixth prince, he has been fighting against the Xue family for half a year, leading a group of younger princes.

Consort Wei knew that he had used all his strength to barely hold off the other two families.

Now that Prince Ding is dead, the Xue family is about to kill him.

Fortunately, Shen Minghan still had his troops under his control. If it weren't for this small force, they would probably have ended up like Prince Ding, with their heads separated from their bodies.

Xie Yu looked exhausted, and his usually clear eyes were now bloodshot. "The remnants of Prince Ding's army have stormed into Luoyang."

Consort Wei's eyes widened in shock.

Xie Yu said, "After they rushed in, they just surrounded us but didn't participate."

He shook his head. "That's not right. The Prince of Ding is clearly dead. His troops are now without a leader. Once they see the signal flare, they will fight relentlessly until the very end."

“Something must have changed here, Mother. You should go. I will only feel at ease when you are in a safe place.”

Consort Wei looked at Xie Yu with tears in her eyes. She knew that a crisis must have arrived.

Xie Yu had a bad feeling and wanted to leave them a chance to live.

When a son is in danger, what mother would think of saving her own life? She would only want to pay for her son's life.

But she also knew that he could only be at peace when they left.

Consort Wei touched his cheek, "Yu'er, if you can wait for Princess Jing's reinforcements, I will not stop you anymore."

"Mother will bring her in with a grand procession in a sedan chair carried by eight men."

Xie Yu knew that ever since Shen Nanzi risked her life to take care of him when he was injured, his mother had changed her opinion of her.

He didn't want to say more, "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say. Hurry up and take your people away."

Inside the Chongde Hall, Xue Qingning had a knife held to her neck.