Uncle Zhou and Jin Zhu looked at the still trembling sword in front of them, and their expressions changed.
The prince heard what Qiao Zhongguo meant, and naturally he fully supported Qiao Zhongguo, so he took a step forward and said coldly:
"The moment my father woke up just now, he explicitly asked me to take action, and Eunuch Huang also saw it."
"But my father can risk his own life for the sake of the country and the country, but as my son, I cannot do such treasonous and unethical things."
"In this stalemate today, you have no chance of winning. If you still want to escape unscathed, you will be disrespecting me!"
"Besides -"
The prince glanced lightly at the second prince's shoulder.
"How long can you last with your injuries...?"
"Don't use your father to threaten me anymore. I can only let you go as far as I can. If you dare to touch my father, as hundreds of civil and military officials will testify today, I will fight you to the death!"
In fact, the current situation is already a deadlock. Shen Yuanbai, who holds Emperor Yong's life in his hands, still has the initiative in the final analysis.
But what is being played now is a psychological tactic. The prince's words are not so much for Shen Yuanbai as they are for Uncle Zhou and Jin Zhu.
There is no doubt about the loyalty of Shen Yuanbai's subordinates.
When Liu Yun heard this, he looked at Shen Yuanbai's pale face and the hideous wound on his shoulder. As expected, his face showed worry, not to mention Uncle Zhou, who was feeling guilty at the moment, and Jin Zhu, who was completely weak.
Shen Yuanbai sensed something was wrong when he heard this, and immediately turned around and shouted: "Don't do stupid things! This is just the prince's plan!"
However, Uncle Zhou and Jin Zhu knew that this trip out of the palace was just the beginning of their escape.
Next, the prince's people will surely chase and intercept him all the way, and His Highness will have to run around day and night. The two of them will really only drag His Highness down.
Furthermore, His Highness’s injury really cannot be delayed any longer.
The two looked at each other and made up their minds instantly.
Uncle Zhou reached out and pushed away the secret guard who was supporting him, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, don't worry about Lao Nu and Jin Zhu. You can go."
He turned around and took Jin Zhu, who also had a willing smile on his face.
"Your Highness, my servant came here with the princess back then. Now there is absolutely no reason to abandon the princess and return to her homeland. Otherwise, the princess would be so lonely in a foreign country."
Uncle Zhou backed up Jinzhu step by step, as if nothing could be done to drag down Shen Yuanbai.
Shen Yuanbai's eyes turned red when he saw this, and he shouted angrily: "Don't be fooled! I have already planned an escape route, otherwise I wouldn't have returned to the capital!"
It is indeed dangerous to leave the palace during this trip, but even if you lose, you must fight to the last moment instead of giving up on your own!
However, for loyal subordinates, they always put the master they serve first, and would rather sacrifice than become a drag.
Qiao Zhongguo winked immediately when he saw the opportunity. Xiao Hongda was alert and personally stepped forward to control Uncle Zhou and Jinzhu who had fallen into the trap.
Shen Yuanbai felt angry and anxious when he saw this.
He was almost alone, and they... How could they not understand that this choice only made him lose even more completely!
"The matter has come to this, why don't you leave? I allow you to go three miles outside the city, and then you must let my father go!"
The prince spoke coldly. He knew in his heart that as long as Shen Yuanbai was free, he would not kill his father.
After all, when his father dies, the only person who will benefit will be him who has already received the imperial edict to pass on the throne.
Shen Yuanbai was unwilling to give up. He looked back at Uncle Zhou and Jin Zhu, and then looked out in the distance, passing through the long palace road and landing on the splendid palace eaves in the distance.
He once thought this was his home, but it turned out that he was just a passerby.
One day, he will come back!
Thinking of this, Shen Yuanbai once again looked deeply at Uncle Zhou and Jin Zhu, and then suddenly looked away, his expression extremely cold.
"Prepare thirty horses at Youtianmen, and when we reach three miles outside the city, I will naturally let my father go!"
"Walk!"
Shen Yuanbai supported Emperor Yong and walked out firmly.
Uncle Zhou and Jin Zhu looked at Shen Yuanbai's back, their eyes wet.
I don't know what came to mind at this time, Jin Zhu suddenly pinched the back of his hand and shouted with all his strength:
"Your Highness! When the Yong army came to the city, the princess once said: If the city is broken, it will only die. Jade can be broken but its whiteness cannot be changed. Bamboo can be burned but its knots cannot be destroyed."
When Shen Yuanbai heard this, his steps paused slightly, his heart trembled, and Jin Zhu's voice continued to sound:
"Your Highness, this is the origin of your name!"
"Back then, the princess also held you as an infant and cried her tears. Don't blame the princess, Your Highness!"
Jin Zhu's voice was hoarse due to too much exertion, and tears blurred her vision.
Vaguely, she seemed to recognize His Highness's figure as the princess. When the princess stood alone on the city wall, she was also so tragic and indomitable!
Shen Yuanbai kept walking, and no one knew what he was thinking. Until Uncle Zhou saw that they were about to reach the end of the palace road, he suddenly burst into tears and shouted:
"Your Highness, I'm sorry!"
"At that time, I shouldn't be greedy for life and fear death. I should let Zhufeng leave first! I was wrong, Your Highness!"
"Old slave made too many mistakes. Ten years of planning were all ruined by me!"
"Your Highness, please take care of yourself. I will go and apologize to the princess now——"
A short and sharp sound sounded, and Shen Yuanbai froze suddenly. When he turned at the end of the palace road, he slowly turned his head and looked over.
Uncle Zhou was seen lying next to the knife that Qiao Zhongguo had shot before, blood gurgling from his neck, and his old body twitching slightly...
Uncle Zhou was lying on his back, with the blue sky in his field of vision. He stretched out his hand with all his strength and saw the young His Highness standing in the door, smiling and waving to him:
"Uncle Zhou, come quickly, I caught a cricket!"
The tears burst instantly. Uncle Zhou wanted to cry out, but he could no longer make a sound.
He had never regretted so much, putting all the responsibilities on that young shoulder.
Your Highness, this old slave is sorry for you...
Soon, Uncle Zhou's figure was blocked by the palace wall and completely out of Shen Yuanbai's sight.
Liu Yun also saw this scene. She hurriedly turned back to look at Shen Yuanbai, but Shen Yuanbai's expression was calm and there was nothing strange about it.
He kept a straight face, and he really didn't want to cry, but he felt a strong sense of nausea coming over him, which wrenched his heart.
This time, he really had nothing...
After leaving Youtian Gate, all thirty horses were ready.
Shen Yuanbai ordered people to check each horse carefully. After there was no abnormality, he took off Emperor Yong's belt and tied it tightly behind him. Then he took Emperor Yong and flew onto the horse and galloped towards the north gate.
Behind him, Xiao Hongda and Qiao Zhongguo led the Imperial Forest Army to follow closely.
After speeding out of the North City Gate, Shen Yuanbai saw Qiao Tianjing waiting on the outskirts of the city at a glance.
He tightened the reins suddenly, and looked at each other from afar.
When Qiao Tianjing saw Emperor Yong behind Shen Yuanbai, there was no surprise on his face.
After he returned home, he thought about it and realized that Shen Yuanbai had only one way to escape, and that was to kidnap the Holy Emperor!
Therefore, he came to the north gate in person just to wait for him.
Shen Yuanbai looked at the calm-looking Qiao Tianjing in the distance, and felt more and more clearly that from now on, his most difficult enemy would definitely be the Qiao family!
"Mr. Shen, it's very difficult to go to the Northern Kingdom. Maybe we will meet again soon."
Qiao Tianjing smiled, the May wind blowing his green shirt, making him look particularly handsome and tall.
Shen Yuanbai stared deeply at Qiao Tianjing, "If you have the ability, catch me first!"
He raised his riding whip and walked away again.
