At this time, it had been more than a month since Xiao Yunyan was in Liaozhou. Originally, he always received a safe letter every few days, but these days, there has been no news for more than ten days in a row. Helianyi gradually became restless.
Finally, someone outside the house shouted: "Master He, a letter has arrived."
When Chen Liuxiang heard this, she thought it was Xiao Yunyan's letter. She hurried out happily to pick up the letter and handed it into He Lianyi's hands. Seeing that she looked unsurprised and unhappy after reading it, she asked: " Princess, whose letter is this? What does it say?"
He Lianyi said: "Prime Minister Lu, he has already met Emperor Liang, and there is a lot of clues about this matter."
Chen Liuxiang couldn't help but cheered: "Ah, that's great."
"Well, I've been dreaming about bad things these past few days. If something happens to King Ji, wouldn't we be in vain again?"
Chen Liuxiang suddenly understood: "Yes, Master Xuan asked the princess to try her best to support King Ji. Only in this way can we hope to restore the country. However, she still has no definite explanation. If she just talks nonsense and deals with it casually, wouldn't it be in vain for us? Painful? "
He Lianyi took out the piece of silk from his body that Helian Dingguo had written in blood before he died, stroked it, and said: "My father gave me this instruction before he died. You must trust Master Xuan."
Chen Liuxiang said: "Then let General Du and General Xu go out to inquire and see if they have any news."
Helianyi nodded and agreed: "That's fine."
About an hour later, Du Shaojie came over in a hurry: "Princess, they said that King Ji was injured, very seriously. But there is no definite news."
Helianyi stood up suddenly and said to Du Shaojie: "General Du, let's go to Liaozhou right now."
Chen Liuxiang tried to dissuade her: "Princess, it takes several hours from here to Liaozhou, and the road is difficult to walk in the snow. If we go now, we won't be able to make it in the dark."
He Lianyi didn't allow her to explain: "If you can't go, you have to go. The situation on Lu Zhongjian's side is very good, and there can't be any trouble on Prince Ji's side. Please quickly pack the things we need on the way and we'll set off."
"yes."
****
It was already the second quarter of Hai hour, and there were still troops coming and going in Xiao Yunyan's Chinese army tent. Xiao Yunyan and several generals were arranging their troops: "At Taojian Ridge, I will personally lead the troops."
A general hurriedly stopped: "After all, their garrison has exceeded 10,000, and His Highness doesn't have many people to lead. I'm afraid it's just an egg hitting a stone. For the sake of safety, let the last general go."
Xiao Yunyan resolutely refused: "I'm sure that Zhao Hai will fight in Taojian Ridge in person, and I'm planning to meet Zhao Hai in person. Remember, you have to take Yashan Highlands tonight no matter what. .”
"yes."
Luo Hong said: "Don't worry, with me protecting your highness, nothing will go wrong."
From time to time, a soldier came to report: "Your Highness, two weak scholars came outside the camp gate and said they wanted to see Your Highness. He said his surname was He."
"Congratulations?" Xiao Yunyan was a little stunned for a moment, and Luo Hu reminded from the side: "Could it be Mr. He? If we can't convey this news, she might be worried about His Highness."
Only then did Xiao Yunyan realize that it was He Lianyi's master and servant who had arrived, and hurriedly said: "Please invite them in quickly." He turned around and said to the generals: "Okay, it's settled. You go and prepare."
But for a moment, He Lianyi entered Xiao Yunyan's sleeping tent. There was only one candle in the sleeping tent, and Xiao Yunyan was lying on the camp bed, seemingly asleep. He Lianyi came in quietly, and no one was willing to tell her the extent of Xiao Yunyan's injury, so she had to get closer and look at his face to find out. Unexpectedly, as soon as he leaned forward, he was hugged into the chest by Xiao Yunyan's strong arms.
"Your Highness, you, are you not injured?" He Lianyi was too surprised and overwhelmed at this time. She wanted to leave his chest, but he held her tighter.
"Are you worried about me?" Xiao Yunyan still refused to let go.
"What's more, His Highness didn't give me any news. I asked General Du to inquire and said that His Highness was injured, so he came over in a hurry." He Lianyi finally struggled to break free from Xiao Yunyan's restraints and raised his head.
Xiao Yunyan looked at her with a half-smile, "It's my fault, I forgot to say hello to you. I was indeed shot by someone from Zhao Hai that day...
"Shoot an arrow? Now..."
Seeing her concerned and nervous look, Xiao Yunyan comforted her: "It's okay, it's just a minor injury. Later, Zhao Hai heard that I was seriously injured, so he took advantage of it. No matter how much they clamored in the past few days, they refused to fight. I originally I thought I would wait until tomorrow to send you a message, but I didn't expect the news to spread so quickly." After saying that, Xiao Yunyan stood up and opened his arms to show that he was fine.
"What do you want to do tomorrow, Your Highness?"
"Not tomorrow, but tonight. I will make a surprise attack on Zhao Hai's garrison camp and drive him out of Xuyang."
"However, the disparity in strength between the two of you is too great..."
"The right way to use troops does not depend on the strength of the troops."
"But, His Highness is not King Yi, Zhao Hai is also a fierce general. The reason why he lost to King Yi back then was because he knew nothing about King Yi."
Xiao Yunyan got up and got out of bed, "Don't worry, I've made the arrangements and everything will be fine."
He Lianyi still wanted to try his best to dissuade him, "In fact, Your Highness does not have to take the lead every time."
"But I have to go this time. My purpose is just to drive Zhao Hai out of Xuyang step by step."
Seeing that she could not stop him, Helianyi had no choice but to say, "In this case, I wish your highness a successful victory."
"Don't worry. By the way, how is Lu Zhongjian's side?"
"Everything is going well. I heard that the newly promoted imperial celebrities in the court are Kuocang Sihong. Although these four people are the teachers of the Twelve Princes and have no official or postal positions, your Majesty likes to listen to their opinions. I wonder if His Highness can Have you ever heard of these four people?”
"Of course I know." Speaking of Sihong, Xiao Yunyan's eyes reappeared with a bit of sadness, "If it weren't for those four people, the prince would not have ended up like that. In the early years, these four people made a plan that shocked the world, causing the whole world to All the kings and princes covet them to join the court to help them. Xiao Yunhao and even my father have been trying hard to get them for many years. Last year, my uncle passed away, and his son Xiao Bai returned to Beijing with his soul, which involved a past event. My father Only then did I get the Si Hong as I wished. But before I came to the border area, these four people had not entered the court, and I had never seen them. It is not surprising that my father now listens to their opinions on everything."
"Xiang Lu said that now in the entire Daliang, except for Prince Rui's party, all the other ministers are in full agreement. Even Sihong is strongly in favor of changing the course, so this matter will only take some time. Your Highness, I believe you and I will It will be realized soon.”
Xiao Yunyan looked at He Lianyi's tired face again and said to her: "You guys just have to rest here for one night."
"Okay." He Lianyi was about to leave when she was unexpectedly hugged by Xiao Yunyan. He stared at her with burning eyes. He Lianyi dodged uneasily for a while, trying to get away from him, but she saw him approaching her. Whispering her name in his ear: "Yi'er, Yi'er——"
He Lianyi was thinking about countermeasures when suddenly someone shouted from outside the camp: "Your Highness, the soldiers are ready and waiting for you."
Xiao Yunyan could only respond: "Let them go first."
"Your Highness, go quickly, don't delay important things."
Xiao Yunyan said reluctantly: "Okay, then you - wait for me to come back."
Helianyi forced himself to smile, "That's natural."
Xiao Yunyan then walked out. He Lianyi, who stayed in the tent, looked livid and his heart was still pounding. He Lianyi hurriedly ran out. Chen Liuxiang was waiting outside the camp. Seeing He Lianyi's expression as if he was surviving a disaster, he asked in confusion: "Princess, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing." When he replied, he felt a little embarrassed again.
****
When it was past midnight, He Lianyi suddenly woke up from his sleep, with cold sweat dripping from his forehead and his heart beating violently.
Chen Liuxiang lamented, knowing that she had another nightmare without asking, "What did you dream about again?"
"I dreamed that King Ji was injured again." He Lianyi's eyes were still filled with fear.
"Again..." Chen Liuxiang was a little surprised, and then gave the answer again, "The princess has been dreaming about King Ji's safety in the past few days. It must be due to overthinking."
He Lianyi also knew that Chen Liuxiang was just comforting herself, so she nodded, said "Yeah", and said: "Go to sleep." He lay down again, but he was still anxious and uneasy, and couldn't fall asleep no matter what, until It was almost dawn before I fell asleep again in a daze.
It was not until midnight that He Lianyi and his servant were awakened by a burst of noise. They woke up almost at the same time and hurriedly put on their clothes and went out. I saw Xiao Yunyan being carried in by many soldiers with all hands and feet. The battle clothes on his body were soaked in blood, and there was no trace of blood on his lips.
Chen Liuxiang ran to the side and took a look. Seeing him dying, she couldn't help but screamed: "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Luo Hong and Luo Hu both had red eyes and didn't answer. A person next to Luo Hong said: "He was hit in the vital part by an arrow. The military doctor said that the odds are against him and he may not survive tonight."
Helianyi stood a little further away, listening to these words, holding her eyes open, and almost stumbled, but fortunately she stayed on a pillar next to her.
Everyone carried Xiao Yunyan to the big tent and placed him on the couch. Master Helianyi came in and everyone slowly dispersed. At this time, there was a solemn atmosphere in the army. They had driven Zhao Hai out of Xuyang as they wished, and occupied the high ground so that Zhao Hai could no longer come in. It should have been worthy of celebration, but now Xiao Yunyan was in danger. He always led the charge in the army, and the soldiers were worried about the unpredictable fortunes and misfortunes because they failed to protect him.
Luo Hong and Luo Hu sat on the grass outside the camp, both of them deep in self-blame. There were only two masters and servants of He Lianyi left in the tent. Chen Liuxiang burst into tears. He Lianyi also made preparations for this failure. Seeing Chen Liuxiang crying sadly, he said: "Stop crying, if he really If you can’t survive tonight, the Xuan Master’s predictions won’t count, and at worst, you’ll have to do it all over again.”
For the first time, Chen Liuxiang felt that He Lianyi's words were unpleasant, and she actually retorted: "I'm not crying because he is King Ji. I'm crying for His Highness in front of me. We have walked out of the tiger's den and into the wolf's den. , He is the only one who truly cares about the princess." Helianyi was silent for a while after hearing this.
After Shen Liuxiang cried for a while, she felt better and began to complain again: "It seems that Master Xuan doesn't believe anything he said, otherwise we wouldn't be where we are today. If we had known this, we would have There is no need to approach King Ji so deliberately, only to end up making him sad for nothing."
Chen Liuxiang scolded for a while, then saw that He Lianyi was still silent, "Princess, what should we do next?"
He Lianyi sighed: "When he dies, let's take advantage of the chaos and leave. We can only take one step at a time in the future."
Chen Liuxiang nodded, thought for a moment and said, "Should we believe this Master Xuan?"
