Why does the plot of giving won to the male lead in the original book happen to ?
Can’t bla her, right? She was just passing by; it was the Empress Dowager who insisted on giving them.
Rong Heng clenched his fists.
Gu Lan spoke calmly, "It’s okay, Brother Hang. What the Empress Dowager sent to , I’ll send it to you later."
Rong Heng snorted coldly, riding his horse to the other side: "I’m not blessed to accept."
"Maid Lu Ping." At this mont, a plain-looking woman in a green dress, but with sharp eyes, softly smiled at Gu Lan, exuding an uncommon aura indicative of martial arts training.
"Maid Qingzhi, greeting to Young Master." From the carriage behind, a graceful and delicate girl in a blue dress also said respectfully.
Gu Lan glanced again at Little Cheng, raised an eyebrow, and his lips curved into a playful smile: "Both ladies are truly beautiful. Since the Empress Dowager insists on giving, then I shall accept graciously."
The Empress Dowager sighed with relief: "Young Master, please feel free."
Little Cheng, looking unwilling to suffer in Lu State with the Empress Dowager, teased: "I’m not bad either, Young Master. I can wash clothes and cook, and I’m pleasant to talk to. You really should accept ."
Gu Lan’s eyes deepened a bit. Those who the Empress Dowager took along to Lu State from afar, besides Little Xu, who was more like a vase, must be her trusted confidants. Yet, Little Cheng looked quite unwilling, which seed a bit too fake.
Rong Heng knitted his brows, quickly glancing over the Empress Dowager’s ingratiating and harsh face beneath his mask.
Su Xinyu begged Gu Lan for protection, trying to use a few won to test Gu Lan and the Gu Family’s stance to safeguard her power. Her excuse had no obvious flaws, but in Rong Heng’s heart, there remained unease.
After all, Gu Lan was one of the masterminds behind toppling the Su Family and her. For Su Xinyu to survive, was she truly willing to put aside her hatred for Gu Lan?
Rong Heng’s hand clenched into a fist inside his sleeve, a murderous intent flickering in his eyes.
Whether or not Su Xinyu has let go, he has not.
Gu Lan, not paying further heed to the Empress Dowager, also rode to the other side of the team and, seeing Rong Heng’s deep eyes, said: "Rest assured, I won’t use the girl she sent. When we get back, I’ll have Uncle Li investigate their backgrounds first."
Rong Heng furrowed his brows, asking slowly: "How do you plan to use them?"
Gu Lan: "..." The earlier line did sound sowhat terrible.
"The Empress Dowager wants as a free bodyguard, but she forgot one thing. She thinks this way she can preserve her power, but as long as she lives a day, the Crown Prince, who inherits her forces, will not be at peace."
Gu Lan awkwardly shifted the topic, recalling the Crown Prince’s cold gaze directed at her previously in the Taihe Palace, she didn’t believe soone like him would care about any grandmother.
Perhaps soon, the Crown Prince would send soone to kill Empress Dowager Su, to thoroughly control her power.
Rong Heng felt a stir inside, speaking in a deep tone: "The ti has co to test the deep bond between grandparent and grandchild."
The convoy continued moving slowly, the sunset hanging low, casting long shadows on the ground like molten gold.
Gu Lan suddenly recalled the matter of Xie Yun. Empress Dowager Su liked Xie Xu in her youth - could this be why Rong Jing valued Xie Yun?
Substituting herself in, if she were Rong Jing and her own mother liked another man besides her own father... she wouldn’t even consider Xie Yun alive as rciful!
Suddenly, a breeze swept through, rustling the dense woods on both sides of the official road.
Soone was ambushed!
Gu Lan’s eyes narrowed slightly. She had already seen the stone boundary monunt of Mu City standing at the end of the official road; she patted Hong’s head, raised her hand, and the convoy stopped.
Beside the boundary monunt, there were no people from Mu City’s governor to greet them.
Perhaps they arrived a bit early, and the governor’s people hadn’t yet arrived.
"Why has the caravan stopped?" Empress Dowager Su’s voice ca from the Phoenix Carriage.
"Empress Dowager," Gu Lan’s long sword was unsheathed, her eyes cold, "you said you wanted to borrow my reputation to intimidate those who would do you harm."
Empress Dowager Su’s voice ca from the Phoenix Carriage: "That’s right, most of my enemies would have to think twice when they encounter your Dingyuan Marquis Mansion."
"But so people are not afraid of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion—enemy attack, be on guard!"
Gu Lan shouted loudly, and before he could finish, masked n in black appeared from the sky ahead, countless archers took position on both sides of the woods, and a rain of arrows indiscriminately showered the convoy.
"Release the arrows!" the leading black-clad man ordered.
The arrows glead and flashed, although the horses of the imperial guards had small shields for defense, they couldn’t withstand the endless arrows, and so were shot off their warhorses, screams and groans resonated, Empress Dowager’s own guards were even more tragic, hiding frantically behind the carriage, desperately defending.
"Don’t panic, form a line!" Gu Lan ordered loudly, brandishing her sword to fend off attacks.
Though the imperial guard wasn’t as strong as the Pingnan Army or Dingyuan Army, they were at least well-trained, and with Gu Lan present, they quickly ford a military formation.
However, the archers were hidden on both sides of the road, and they had to protect the Empress Dowager’s Phoenix Carriage; the warhorses couldn’t break through the formation quickly and were forced to defend passively.
Seeing Zhao Cheng and Lu Ping leap down from the carriage with drawn long knives and short swords, they defended the sides of the Empress Dowager’s Phoenix Carriage, preventing any approach.
The two of them possessed good martial arts skills, providing stable protection to the Phoenix Carriage.
It was uncertain how long it took before the arrow rain ceased, the imperial guards’ horses were shot in a chaotic manner, and they too bore many injuries from arrows cutting through. The Empress Dowager’s guards were terrified, kneeling on the ground, hiding beside the carriage. For the mont, no one bothered with them.
"This... the Su Family making many enemies, it’s normal for soone not afraid of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, what, what do we do!" Empress Dowager Su’s voice inside the Phoenix Carriage was filled with panic.
With her back facing the Phoenix Carriage, Gu Lan’s long sword was stained with blood, yet her white robes remained pristine: "This is the Capital; we won’t let them be rampant, don’t worry, Mu City’s troops will soon co to assist."
The leader in black raised his longsword, once again ordering: "Kill Gu Lan, kill the Empress Dowager!"
Although he tried to lower his voice, it carried a sharp thinness that made Gu Lan frown.
She observed these people closely, gradually uncovering the clues.
These black-clad n didn’t have high-level martial arts, but each was fierce and fearless; there were at least two hundred of them. What puzzled Gu Lan was that they showed no rcy towards the imperial guard and their primary target of attack wasn’t the Empress Dowager’s Phoenix Carriage, but her.
Surrounded by these people, none attempted to seize the opportunity to assault the Phoenix Carriage; Zhao Cheng and Lu Ping seed just for show, having killed few.
The people thought they were being inconspicuous, but the subtlety in deploynt had already exposed their intentions.
If they were enemies of the Su Family, hiring assassins, it was likely high-ranking officials from the court. How could they be so brazen as to massacre the imperial guard, much less dare to go all out against her?
Gu Lan killed another and took the opportunity to lift his mask—it was an unfamiliar face.
Her eyes narrowed, aiming for the one passable in martial arts among the black-clad people’s commander, ready to strike with her sword.
At this mont, Rong Heng caught up, pulling out a chanical crossbow from his sleeve, and pulled the trigger, shooting at a black-clad man attempting to ambush Gu Lan.
His crossbow arrows were laced with deadly poison, at contact inevitable death.
Suddenly, a large number of people were shot down by the arrows.
Gu Lan narrowed her eyes, looking towards the tightly shut Phoenix Carriage, a cold light flickering in her gaze.
Wonder if the Empress Dowager... will feel heartache.
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