"What do you think you can use to negotiate with now?" Zheng Congyuan spoke slowly, his words sharp like a sword, piercing the chest of the young man, whose complexion turned from pale to convulsive as he struggled frantically.
Yet when he struggled to break free, the two n holding him were about to step forward, but Zheng Congyuan stopped them. The Wen Family Army in the arena was already few, and Old Master Wen Kang, Wen Qun, and Wen Sheng, also pale-faced, staggered.
Wen Sheng quickly stepped forward, pulled Zheng Haoyuan back, and quickly returned to Old Master Wen Kang’s side. Old Master Wen Kang was already holding Zheng Haoyuan tightly in his arms, moving indecisively in the eyes of Zheng Congyuan’s n.
"Zheng Congyuan, you promised to let us go," Old Master Wen Kang said hoarsely, although even he did not believe in the promise, knowing full well he would never give Zheng Congyuan the chance to escape.
Once out, as long as the people of the Wen Family were still there, as long as Zheng Haoyuan was still there, they still had tens of thousands of troops on the frontier of the Southeastern Army, the Northern Border Army, and more...
"Crown Prince, letting the Wen Family go is like nurturing a tiger for trouble," Pri Minister Lin disagreed. The Crown Prince had agreed, but they had not. Even if he had to be the villain, what did it matter?
Pri Minister Lin stepped out, determined not to let the people of the Wen Family leave today.
Old Master Wen Kang’s expression darkened; he knew it wouldn’t be that simple.
"Let them go—" Zheng Congyuan said. The military power of the border regions represented by the Wen Family was nothing in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Old Master Wen Kang stepped back toward Zheng Congyuan’s direction, and the crowd slowly parted a way.
"Crown Prince, that’s not possible—" Pri Minister Lin shouted in despair.
"Swoosh—" An arrow suddenly shot into the arena from outside, cutting through the air at trendous speed along the side of Pri Minister Lin’s left ear, slicing off an inch of skin from his cheekbone. Pri Minister Lin felt a flash of red light before he could even react with pain instinctively, and his ears were already filled with all sorts of sounds.
"It’s an ambush—"
"Protect the Crown Prince—"
"It’s an ambush—" Suddenly, the scene turned into chaos, Old Master Wen Kang also stood stunned on the spot, not knowing what went wrong. Zheng Congyuan’s n imdiately surrounded him, but the next mont—
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh—" Tens, hundreds of arrows rained down, claiming countless soldiers.
Wen Qun and Wen Sheng pulled Old Master Wen Kang into a pile of corpses, using the bodies to shield themselves from the flying arrows, narrowly escaping the calamity. Outside, chaos had already ensued, and even Zheng Congyuan was deeply furrowing his brow, looking for the Wen party when soone thought to deal with Old Master Wen Kang and the others, only to find they had vanished.
"Quick, get inside the hall—" Soldiers lifted their shields, stepping back toward Chenyuan Hall. Barely a few steps in, a second wave of arrows ca flying from behind, and another layer of unprepared people fell.
Soon after, ca the sound of dense footsteps. Zheng Congyuan imdiately looked up, only to see ranks of neatly organized soldiers charging in, followed instantly by a surge of cavalry. They were not just the remnant forces of the Wen Family, but appeared more like an entire troop.
The Marquis of Zhenbei, unable to consider Zheng Congyuan’s situation imdiately, saw the ground full of corpses, mostly from the Wen Family Army, his heart aching sharply—he had arrived too late, despite the rush, he could not save his uncle and the others.
The Marquis of Zhenbei’s eyes, bloodshot, imdiately turned to Zheng Congyuan.
"Zheng Congyuan, you harm the Imperial Heir, you do not deserve the imperial throne—" The Marquis of Zhenbei roared.
"Ridiculous, it was your Wen Family who rebelled first, you are the treacherous subjects." Pri Minister Lin couldn’t contain his anger, almost jumping up.
"Big brother—"
"Big brother—" Wen Sheng and Wen Qun leaped out from among the corpses, joyfully looking at the Marquis of Zhenbei, followed by Old Master Wen Kang and Zheng Haoyuan.
On seeing the four of them, the Marquis of Zhenbei was imdiately delighted.
"Co quickly—"
"Big brother, you’ve arrived just in ti to avenge our Southeastern Army."
"And the Eastern Border Army too," Wen Qun imdiately added.
"There’s no hurry; my n have surrounded this place completely, they won’t escape," the Marquis of Zhenbei said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Pri Minister Lin grew anxious. Their plan had been flawless; how could people from the Northern Border suddenly appear?
From the mont the Northern Border Army appeared, Zheng Congyuan realized that this part of the plan, which he thought was least problematic, still had issues. Even more so, the fact that the Marquis of Zhenbei’s forces were unhard ant that Ju Nanyi had been utterly defeated.
The Northern Border Army was the largest military force and yet had not succeeded against the concerted efforts of the Northwest Army, Ju Nanyi, and Qiandao Temple. It seed he had underestimated the Northern Border Army.
"Your Highness, the pressing matter is for you to escape first through the secret passage—" Despite knowing the predicant, Pri Minister Lin still urged without hesitation. "Your Highness, look, this man has a similar stature to you. If he wears your clothes and mixes into a crowd, his disguise could get you out first."
Pri Minister Lin imdiately pulled a young official forward, his backup plan, audibly committed and showing no fear.
Zheng Congyuan looked at Pri Minister Lin, neither rejecting nor accepting this proposal.
"Pri Minister Lin, the forces of the Northern Border Army are enough to seal the entire Imperial Palace, and our secret passages are blocked within it, leaving us still in their hands," Zheng Congyuan said calmly. "Pri Minister Lin, there’s one thing I must entrust you to do."
Upon hearing this, Pri Minister Lin looked at Zheng Congyuan. Zheng Congyuan then took off a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Pri Minister Lin.
"Pri Minister Lin, take this and leave with Prince Duan. Soone will et you, then help Prince Duan and his family escape the Zheng Capital. Please ensure the safety of Prince Duan’s family..."
Upon hearing this, Pri Minister Lin trembled, uncertain of what to say.
The Crown Prince was compassionate, thinking not of himself at the last mont, but of Prince Duan’s family. Pri Minister Lin finally understood why the Crown Prince hadn’t had the heart to kill the Fourth Prince earlier—they were all family after all.
But was the Fourth Prince truly acting like family?
Prince Duan...
Prince Duan was not the primary target at this mont, and maybe post-escalation...
Pri Minister Lin shook his head; the Wen Family would naturally never allow the Nanzheng Imperial Clan to establish themselves again. Prince Duan’s fate was bleak.
"Pri Minister Lin, Congyuan now only has you to trust," Zheng Congyuan said quietly, his words cutting through the chaos, resonating clearly in one’s ears amidst turmoil.
Pri Minister Lin nodded firmly, but he wouldn’t leave; he was determined to share the Crown Prince’s fate.
"Your Highness, I’m afraid I too can’t escape. Now there’s soone more suitable than , and they are rather inconspicuous in court," said Pri Minister Lin, picking another person from among two inconspicuous attendants.
Zheng Congyuan, upon seeing the person, fell silent; indeed, the choice was fitting.
At this mont he was a military general, but under the Wen Family’s control of the military, a military post was rely a sinecure. However, this man was the illegitimate son of Pri Minister Lin, known to few, a person carefully placed in court by Pri Minister Lin, anticipating potential trouble.
Zheng Congyuan also knew that Pri Minister Lin intended to give his own son a chance at life.
"Your Highness, I shall fulfill the mission without fail," the man said imdiately after hearing Pri Minister Lin’s words.
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