Most of the soldiers of the remote army who went to Zhao Kingdom were temporarily transferred from the border, so there were less than 4,000 people who returned to the imperial capital. The group of people and horses were fast, and they arrived outside the imperial capital in just a few days.【,ka~
After learning that Bai Qige had taken the initiative to issue a letter of divorce, Ou Suiliang made preparations to comfort Yi Chen for a long time early in the morning. However, what surprised the old general was that Yi Chen, who had always been thoughtful and self-respecting, did not show too many negative emotions.
Except for the night before the troop withdrawal, which was very low-spirited, the rest of the time he talked less at least, but other than that, it was no different from before.
"What did the two of them say when the prince went to see Bai Yatou?" During the break, Ou Suiliang caught Fu Chu and asked.
"General, have you known for a long time that Your Highness went to see Sister Bai..." Fu Chu smiled awkwardly, and his expression turned sad, "Sister Bai is very stubborn and knows the current situation very well. She refuses to come back with Your Highness no matter what.
I don’t know.”
"Bai Yatou did the right thing. The emperor has not sorted out the situation at this time. Now asking her to come back to explain something unclear will only increase trouble."
"I just don't know how long it will take for His Highness and Sister Bai to see each other again."
Looking at Fu Chu's young and mature appearance, Ou Suiliang laughed softly: "There are no long-lasting resentments, and there are no eternal enemies. The emperor will definitely make decisions for her if he knows that Bai Yatou is unjust, and the people of Zhao State will be able to get what they have suffered."
To compensate, are you still afraid that the prince will not be able to coax Bai Yatou back? Young man, don’t underestimate the person you are loyal to, his stubbornness... He will not give up until Bai Yatou is married back."
Hearing Ou Suiliang's tone as if he knew Yi Chen very well, Fu Chu didn't say much. He secretly prayed in his heart that things would develop as Ou Suiliang said, and that it would be in vain for him to send Ye Huawan to accompany Bai Qige.
After Emperor Yao's true imperial edict was issued, the expedition against Zhao Kingdom turned into an unjust war. Therefore, this return to the imperial capital was not as festive and lively as before. The long team went all the way to the palace gate, but no one came to greet Yi.
Chen and Ou Suiliang wanted to go directly to Ziyun Palace to report the military situation to Emperor Yao. The four thousand soldiers were led directly back to the imperial military camp by the deputy general. The four old generals who were suspected of colluding with Yi Chenxuan were sent away first, regardless of whether they were deceived or not.
He was imprisoned in the army, and after making arrangements to disperse, only Fu Chu and Qiao Erhe, whom he didn't know well, were left standing alone in front of the palace.
"I arrived in the army late and don't know many things. Brother Qiao will go with me to the East Palace to rest for the time being. If Sister Suyan and the others ask about His Highness's situation, I hope someone can explain it clearly."
"Then, let's go to the East Palace. I haven't been to the palace yet!" Upon receiving Fu Chu's invitation, Qiao Erhe looked very happy, excited and a little shy at the same time, "I'm from the countryside.
I don’t know anything about the rules and etiquette in the palace. Master Fu should remind me more about what to say when I meet someone later.”
Fu Chu chuckled: "Don't call me your lord. Like Brother Qiao, I serve His Highness and don't have any official position. Just call me by my name. You will know when you meet Sister Suyan and the others later that they are all kind-hearted people."
People, Brother Qiao can just talk and do things as usual, there is no need to be worried."
Qiao Erhe was still cautious, so Fu Chu had no choice but to chat with him while walking to relieve his nervousness. When he was approaching the East Palace, Qiao Erhe remembered that he hadn't asked who was in the East Palace yet, so Fu Chu had to explain to him carefully.
"In addition to Your Highness and Sister Bai, there is also a side concubine, Sister Suyan, and there is also Brother Zhan, the guard, and Brother Zhan's sister Li'er. In addition, I and Junior Sister you have met, who stayed at Sister Bai's place.
Little Ye Zi. Oh, by the way, there was Miss Yu Che when Sister Bai was here. There were only a few people in the huge East Palace. The others were ordinary maids and eunuchs. I can’t remember their names and identities clearly."
"Ah... there are quite a lot of people. In the past, my family consisted of my parents, my eldest brother, and me. There were only four people in total."
"It's great to have a brother, I'm very envious of him."
Despite the huge difference in physique and figure, the two young men of similar age quickly became friendly. Fu Chu chatted happily, and when he stepped into the East Palace, he did not notice that the courtyard was unusually quiet.
Yi Chen went to Ziyun Palace, Ye Huawan stayed in Zhaoguo, Suyan was in poor health and had been recuperating. Fu Chu naturally chose to go to see Zhan Ting first, but no one came to open the door after knocking in front of the room for a long time. Zhan Ting
Ting seems not to be here.
"Maybe I went out for something. After moving into the East Palace, I had more things to do with my brother. I was busy all day long." Fu Chu thought for a while, then led Qiao Erhe to the backyard and continued walking.
"Come back to Brother Zhan later. I'll take you to see Li'er first. It's time for her to change her dressing."
Fu Chu said not to worry, but he couldn't help but wonder in his heart, where would Zhan Ting go if he was not in the palace? Walking to the backyard with full of doubts, Fu Chu's heart suddenly sank.
Yi Chen was happy to be quiet, leaving only some necessary servants to help him. It was rare to see maids or eunuchs walking around the East Palace on weekdays, except for the place where Li'er lived. At the beginning, Yi Chen specially selected three maids who were meticulous and conscientious.
Taking care of Li'er, the three of them took turns guarding the door during the day and were not allowed to leave. But now, not a single person could be seen in front of Li'er's door.
Qiao Erhe soon realized something was wrong with Fu Chu. He followed his gaze to the room with the door closed, and his heart rose in his throat: "Fu Chu, what's wrong? What happened?"
"Wait for me here. If anything goes wrong, run away." Fu Chu warned in a low voice, and then hurriedly walked to Li'er's room alone.
The red-lacquered wooden door was closed tightly without a latch. It creaked open with a little effort. Fu Chu did not dare to ask. He scanned the surroundings with vigilant eyes and tiptoed closer to Li'er's bedroom. Li'er had been blind for many years and her hearing was worse than that of Li'er.
Ordinary people are more sensitive. She can usually hear the footsteps of someone walking into the courtyard and tell who it is. Whenever Fu Chu comes, she will happily call him before he steps into the house. She has never been so quiet.
Fu Chu stood in front of the inner door, swallowed, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
"Li'er!" The exclamation came from Fu Chu's mouth in a different tone. His eyes suddenly froze and he rushed into the room quickly.
Li'er's small body was lying in the middle of the room, her wheelchair tilted aside, and a half-sewn embroidered handkerchief hung on the armrest. Her originally pale cheeks were now completely bloodless. No matter how Fu Chu called, her eyes could not see anything.
But her eyes, which are cleaner and clearer than anyone else in the world, just refuse to open.
In the panic, Fu Chu almost forgot that he was half a doctor. He yelled in panic for a long time before he remembered to touch Li'er's veins. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found that Li'er had just fainted, but in an instant, his spine felt cold and the hairs stood on end.
There is someone behind you!
"Who" didn't even wait to ask, a sound of breaking wind hit his back with great force, kicking Fu Chu to the corner. His throat felt sweet, and he vomited a large mouthful of blood on the ground.
Fu Chu, who has always been protected by others, has never suffered such a serious injury. His slender arms were shaking. He tried several times but could not support his heavy body. He could only see a pair of feet approaching silently, and then there was another gust of wind in his ears.
The pain in his chest was as sharp as lightning. The pain gradually blurred Fu Chu's consciousness. However, the frail young man still tried his best to hold on and refused to faint. He crawled towards Li'er with his remaining consciousness until he completely wrapped Li'er in his arms.
Inside, he used his body as a barrier to protect her, and then he closed his eyes.
A flute engraved with strange patterns stood up high. Different from ordinary bamboo flutes, this flute had a cold light at the end, and the short and sharp snow blade was filled with cold air. For some reason, the sharp blade aimed at Fu Chuhou's vest
He didn't stab him decisively, but the man holding the flute tightly seemed surprised by the young man's actions. Behind the half-iron mask, his deep brows showed a complicated expression.
Just as he was hesitating at the stall, there was suddenly the sound of messy footsteps in the yard outside the house, as if someone was running away in a panic. His long, thick fingers held up the fine iron mask, and his brown eyes returned to being cold and ruthless, seriously injuring Fu Chu's
The man left the unconscious couple in the room and ran straight out of the courtyard with his flute in hand to chase after the figure.
The huge palace has high walls and deep alleys, and every corridor is as twists and turns as a maze. Qiao Erhe was in a hurry to choose a path. Whenever he saw a fork in the road, he would make a choice based on his first reaction. He had no idea where the road under his feet would lead.
He was unfamiliar with this palace, where could he go?
In short, just don't get caught by the people behind you. If you can, find a way to find the prince and tell him what happened in the East Palace, so that the prince can be careful and keep everyone away from danger. Then, even if you run and break your legs, it's worth it.
Qiao Erhe was thinking wildly, and unknowingly, tears rolled out of his eyes again in shame.
He knew something must have happened to Fu Chu. He clearly heard the amiable young man about his own age screaming, but he didn't have the courage to break in and find out what happened. He even stumbled to escape. Such a situation made him feel uncomfortable.
Qiao Erhe felt so ashamed that he wanted to hit his head against the wall and die. Where did the courage that he and his elder brother had to fight to protect the Crown Princess with machetes in their hands disappeared? Why did the person who was praised by the Crown Princess and personally thanked by the Crown Prince disappear?
His pace slowly slowed down, and he was so nervous that his legs became weak and he fell to his knees. When Qiao Erhe regained consciousness and remembered that he should go find Yi Chen at this time, he was surrounded by a completely unfamiliar scenery.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" A charming and almost coquettish voice suddenly sounded. Qiao Erhe was startled, and he looked up blankly. A bright red flashed in front of his eyes, bringing with it a fascinating confusion.
fragrance.
Is she a woman from the palace? Then she must know where the prince is? Qiao Erhe was filled with joy, wiped his tears and begged loudly: "Can you tell me where the emperor lives? I have to go to the prince, there is something urgent.
"
Before he finished speaking, the inquiry stopped abruptly.
It was not that the woman in red was captivated by her stunning appearance, but that Qiao Erhe accidentally saw a pool of black and red blood and a long sword lying quietly at the woman's feet.
Qiao Erhe knew that sword, and its owner had been talking to him a few hours earlier, telling him that in a few months after the storm subsided, he would take him to Zhao State to pick up the only one in his heart who was