kvmb Chapter 322 Don’t look back
Chapter 322 Don’t look back
Feng Su's hands and feet were ice-cold, and he was furious.
Yet a deep sense of sorrow arose within me, followed by boundless grief and indignation.
The Feng family does not take sides. Whether it was the talented and virtuous Crown Prince in the past or the benevolent and gentle Third Prince in the future, they have never shown any clear bias. This is because they are in their prime now, and no matter which prince is currently in the limelight, there is no guarantee that the final winner will be. Once they get involved in factional struggles, it can easily lead to disaster for the whole family.
Therefore, when His Majesty chose him to escort the deposed crown prince to Yuzhou, he had no doubts whatsoever, assuming that the struggle over the deposed crown prince had come to a complete end. However, he never expected that they had no intention of leaving the deposed crown prince any way out.
"They" could be His Majesty or several princes.
During his reign, the deposed crown prince devoted himself to the Great Zhao Dynasty. Even though he ultimately lost the power struggle, he was still a respectable heir apparent. Now, he has come to such an end.
It's really hard to stay calm.
He couldn't help but shout angrily: "Traitors! You traitors!"
"Minister Feng, you'd better save your energy. It'll be your turn soon." Commander He didn't even glance at him and continued to direct the Imperial Guards to surround Zong Que and Lu Yangyang.
Cao Cheng led his men in a fight against Commander He's men, gradually forming a circle around Zong Que and Lu Yangyang, and moving them towards the edge of the deck.
Commander He shouted, "Your Highness, I'm giving you one last chance. Tell us the whereabouts of that person, and we'll continue towards Yuzhou. Otherwise, with your numbers, how long do you think you can hold them off? I've heard that Your Highness was once a man of both literary and martial talents, but unfortunately, you're now a cripple who can't even stand up. Even if Your Highness doesn't think of yourself, think of your imperial consort. I heard she just came of age this year, in the prime of her life, and now she's going to be buried with you, a cripple. Don't you think that's a pity?"
"Shut your stinking mouth! My business is none of your business, you piece of trash!" Lu Yangyang leaped out with her long whip, flying directly towards Commander He. Commander He raised his long sword to block, but unexpectedly, the whip, which seemed light, was as heavy as a thousand pounds. With one lash, his long sword was directly broken in two. He only felt a jolt in the tiger's mouth holding the sword, and his right hand was numb and powerless.
He looked at Lu Yangyang in disbelief. He had just seen Lu Yangyang make a move. Her moves were fierce but lacked any pattern. She didn't seem like someone who had practiced martial arts for a long time. Instead, she seemed to have only brute strength. So he hadn't taken her seriously at all. But he never expected that her brute strength would be so domineering.
A sense of unease rose within him, and he shouted, "Since they won't listen to reason, then let's die! Attack them all together! Wear them down!"
The reason for choosing this place to make his move was because the terrain was remote and the rainy weather obscured the view. In addition to the men following him on the ship, there were several groups of people lying in ambush in the vicinity. Even if Zong Que had wings, he wouldn't be able to escape.
The fighting outside the cabin intensified, and Zong Que and Lu Yangyang, under the protection of Cao Cheng and his men, were getting closer and closer to the deck.
After Commander He's sword was broken by Lu Yangyang's whip, he could no longer hold it. After trying several times, he angrily shouted, "Where are the archers! Attack!"
Above the cabin ceiling, and from the ships that were slowly coming into view, arrows flew towards the deck like a dense rain of raindrops.
If it were just the imperial guards and assassins on the ship, there might still be a chance to escort the two away. However, with a dense barrage of arrows falling, half of the reinforcements that Cao Cheng brought fell instantly.
Seeing the situation was bad, Lu Yangyang hurriedly protected Zong Que. However, no matter how strong she was, she couldn't withstand such exhaustion. In a moment of carelessness, an arrow pierced her shoulder. Ignoring the pain, she lashed out with her whip again, deflecting a bunch of flying arrows.
However, in the blink of an eye, Commander He personally had someone bring over a bow and arrow, coldly clenched his fingers a few times, drew the bow, and fired it at Lu Yangyang.
Lu Yangyang couldn't dodge in time. Seeing three arrows flying straight towards her, she instinctively wanted to raise her hand to block them, but her shoulder injury made her a beat too slow.
At the critical moment, a hand forcefully pulled her up and grabbed one of the arrows, blood dripping down his hand.
Lu Yangyang stared in astonishment, but she was already being held protectively in Zong Que's arms.
Zong Que stood before her, blood dripping from his hand holding the arrow. Suddenly, he turned his head and, to Commander He's horrified gaze, threw the blood-stained arrow. Commander He couldn't dodge in time and was grazed on the side of his face by the arrow, which pierced through one of his ears.
"Ah—" Commander He screamed, raised his hand to cover his bloodied ear, and fell heavily to the ground.
Zong Que held Lu Yangyang in his arms with one hand, then suddenly coughed up blood. Three arrows were stuck in his body behind him, but his thin and frail figure firmly protected Lu Yangyang in his arms.
He reached out and grabbed the longsword that the rushing assassin had thrust at him. With a flick of his wrist, he took the sword from his hand, slashed at the assassin's neck, and then swung the sword to block the incoming arrow. Protecting Lu Yangyang, he took one difficult half-step at a time, walking towards the edge of the deck.
Lu Yangyang then realized that her Crown Prince was actually so tall; when she raised her eyes, she could only see his blood-stained neck.
She knew better than anyone that his legs hadn't recovered enough to allow him to stand. She didn't know how much effort and determination he had expended to stand up, moving each step with pain that felt like being pierced by thousands of steel needles.
She gripped the long whip tightly, trying to break free from his hold, but he held her down firmly.
“Yangyang,” Zong Que’s low, husky voice fell on her ear as he pressed his lips against her cheek, “Listen, Magistrate Ling is one of my men. I sent him to Qingzhou to find someone, your aunt who has been with you for many years. Her name is Rong Xin, and she was the younger sister of the Duke of Rong back then.”
"When she set herself on fire in the palace, the Empress Dowager managed to save her life and sent her to Qingzhou. I have already arranged for someone to pick her up and send her to Changyang County. Remember to go find her, as only she can contact the former Rong family army and reopen the Chenzhou case."
"I'm leaving this matter to you."
"You must live, never look back. Whether you live or die, meeting you in this life is the greatest blessing I have ever had."
Zong Que, his lips stained with blood, gently kissed Lu Yangyang's cheek. Then, as he approached the deck, he released her and pushed her off the deck.
Lu Yangyang fell backward from the deck and saw Zong Que unable to hold on any longer. He knelt on one knee, and arrows flew from all directions, engulfing him.
Just as her vision was about to disappear, she vaguely saw a dark figure fly onto the ship like a blur.