HCB Chapter 209 Even if I'm alone, I will go to save him.
Chapter 209 Even if I'm alone, I will go to save him.
Zhu Kui, however, became interested in this. If the Crown Princess were to exchange for Princess Yujie, the chances of her returning alive would be extremely slim. In that case, she would surely die alongside Wei Jianning under the enemy's arrows, which would save him a lot of trouble.
It seems he needs to add fuel to the fire.
Thinking of this, he shook his head, feigning concern.
"I also think this is inappropriate. Although the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince have a deep affection for each other, we cannot send them to their deaths in vain. Let's wait a little longer. The snow shows no sign of stopping, and it's still so cold. It will be even colder at night. Those people are only mortals, and they will be freezing to the bone. We can open the city gates when they can no longer bear it."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lin replied with some concern:
“The people of Wu Kingdom were all wearing thick cotton-padded clothes that day. If they were afraid of the cold, wouldn’t the Crown Prince be even colder?”
Her words struck a nerve with Lan Zhi, causing her heart to clench tightly.
She turned her head to look at the high platform where Wei Jianning was tied up. The venomous snakes all raised their little heads and looked at Wei Jianning above them, occasionally flicking their tongues, as if they regarded him as a delicious delicacy.
Looking at Wei Jianning's listless and seemingly soulless appearance, Lan Zhi felt as if her heart had been torn to shreds.
No, she couldn't wait; she had to go save Wei Jianning.
Thinking of this, she tightened her cloak, turned around and drew the sword from Lin Xingliang's waist, her gaze fixed firmly on the direction where Wei Jianning was. She had never been so eager to get closer to him.
'whoosh...'
Suddenly, she touched the ground with her toes, then with light steps, she raised her longsword, leaped into the air, and rushed directly over the city wall.
"Crown Princess..."
Standing behind her, Madam Lin was so frightened that she almost lost her soul. She tried to reach out and grab her, but she couldn't even catch the hem of her fluttering clothes.
Seeing this, Lin Xingliang, still shaken, cried out in alarm.
"The Crown Princess is in danger! Come back quickly! Come back quickly!"
Zhu Kui felt a sense of smug satisfaction, and even wanted to laugh out loud.
Lan Zhi descended from the sky, and the people of Tianwu Kingdom immediately perked up, brandishing their longswords and pointing them at the cage containing the poisonous snakes at Wei Jianning's feet, angrily shouting:
"If you dare to come any closer, I'll take action."
Lan Zhi landed gracefully, looked up at Wei Jianning, and whispered the instructions:
"Xiaoxin, you have to help me this time no matter what."
Xiao Xin's eyes flickered a few times before she replied sadly:
“I can help you save the prince, but it will damage my body. After saving one person, I need to rest for at least seven days.”
"You must not only help me save my husband, but also Princess Yujie, Yuan Tianxiong, and those soldiers of the Northern Wei Kingdom. You must also help me defeat them."
"On your own?"
"No, as long as you can guarantee the safety of the Crown Prince and Princess Yujie, Lord Lin will send troops to meet them."
After thinking for a while, Xiaoxin nodded with sparkling eyes.
“You are my master, and I will help you, but it will be calculated on a per-person basis. For every person I save, I will need to rest for seven days, and so on. You cannot force me to come out during this period.”
"Okay, but you have to promise to leave me enough medicine to treat Wei Jianning."
Xiao Xin blinked a few times and nodded in agreement. She then cast a spell to create a barrier around Wei Jianning, and also used the barrier to protect Princess Yujie, Yuan Tianxiong, and all the people from the Northern Wei Kingdom.
Lan Zhi smiled with relief, then glanced in the direction of Wei Jianning and muttered to herself.
"Husband, don't worry, I will save you."
Leaving those words behind, she took out the tiger tally from her bosom, raised it high above her head, and shouted:
"The Tiger Tally is here! Soldiers of Northern Wei, listen to my command! The people of Tianwu have kidnapped the Crown Prince and Princess Yujie and are attacking us. This is an insult to Northern Wei. We, the soldiers of Northern Wei, cannot accept this and we vow to drive the people of Tianwu out of Northern Wei."
At her command, Lin Xingliang, standing atop the city wall, paused for a moment before preparing to give the order, but was stopped by Zhu Kui.
"Lord Lin, we absolutely must not open the city gates at this time!"
"The Crown Princess holds the Tiger Tally. I am now the commander-in-chief. Upon seeing the Tiger Tally, there is no reason for me not to obey."
“When a general is in the field, he may disobey orders. Besides, if you open the city gates now, what if the people of Tianwu Kingdom rush in? If the Crown Princess rushes out recklessly, even if you open the city gates, you won't be able to save the Crown Prince and Princess Yujie. Wouldn't that be losing both the wife and the army? If the capital falls because of this, can you bear the responsibility?”
Zhu Kui's words made Lin Xingliang hesitate, and Madam Lin also tried to persuade him.
"My lord, Lord Zhu is right. It was the Crown Princess's personal decision to go out of the city alone to meet the enemy. If something happens to her, we can't be blamed. But if we listen to her and open the city gates, our men outside the city will definitely take action after receiving your orders. The people of Tianwu Kingdom will panic and release snakes to bite people immediately. At that time, the Crown Prince will be bitten by a poisonous snake and die. Princess Yujie will also have a hard time escaping unscathed. As the commander-in-chief, if you fail to defend the city and fail to save people, the Emperor will not let you off the hook."
Zhu Kui's words, along with Madam Lin's words, made Lin Xingliang fall into deep thought.
Lan Zhi was surprised that the tiger tally in her hand was ineffective at this moment. She called out for a long time, but no one came out to respond to her.
She immediately smiled dejectedly, then whispered:
"What a cold and heartless world! Everyone is thinking about self-preservation, and not a single person is willing to come out to protect the country. Fine, Xiaoxin, since no one is coming out, I can go and rescue the Crown Prince by myself. I can also go and fight the enemy."
Having said that, she looked directly at the venomous snakes beneath Wei Jianning and whispered her instructions:
"Xiao Xin, prepare some realgar for me."
"Yes, Master."
At this moment, Xiaoxin realized the seriousness of the situation. She no longer cared about her own health and only wanted to help her owner rescue the person as soon as possible.
Lan Zhi carried her long sword and walked towards the direction where the venomous snakes were. Everyone's eyes were fixed on her, and they were all sweating bullets for her sake.
Madam Lin, standing atop the city wall, shook her head repeatedly in worry, muttering to herself:
"No, don't go near them, don't go near them."
Lin Xingliang, panting heavily, shouted angrily.
"The Crown Princess is really overestimating herself. Even if she is skilled in martial arts, she is no match for those poisonous snakes. If something happens to her, and the Crown Prince is not saved, but she and her unborn child also lose their lives, the Emperor will definitely blame us!"
Zhu Kui's lips curled slightly, a disdainful smile playing on his lips, as if he were enjoying the spectacle even more.
"The Crown Princess went to meet the enemy against our wishes. Even if something happens, we can't be blamed. Lord Lin, just guard the city gate."
Although Zhu Kui's words were harsh, they were not without reason.
There was no other way at the moment, so Lin Xingliang could only wait and see.
Lan Zhi stopped a foot away from the venomous snakes. A soldier guarding the spot looked at her and smiled disdainfully.
"You've got some nerve, woman. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Lan Zhi's eyes flickered slightly, and she rushed in front of him before he could react. With a swift movement, she stabbed the man who had fallen on her to death.
"Release the snakes, release the snakes."