The world was spinning before his eyes, and a sense of despair like falling into the abyss enveloped Xiao Yu's heart, as if the whole world had abandoned him.
Two burly internal officials stood in front of the door, staring at him with cold eyes.
He subconsciously took two steps back, while the two internal officers took two steps forward, murderous intent evident on their faces.
At this time, the hall suddenly became quiet.
Xiao Yu felt a chill in his heart and looked around.
At this time, no one in the main hall was crying for the emperor anymore. Some people were still kneeling, and some people had already stood up.
Everyone present, regardless of their status, looked at him with indifferent eyes.
This kind of gaze makes Xiao Yu feel desperate, maybe this is because he is surrounded on all sides!
He wanted to escape, but when he turned around, he found that he was surrounded
There were already several tall men dressed as officials behind him who were slowly approaching him, but they all had a dagger in their hands.
Everyone else present chose to avoid it, leaving Xiao Yu isolated in the center of the hall.
At this scene, Xiao Yu was even more frightened, and his breathing became more and more rapid. His fear aroused the ridicule of the killer present.
"Who are you! What are you doing! Do you know who I am?"
"An unsuccessful heir apparent." Someone sneered.
The man's voice was slightly thicker, which was very different from the high-pitched tone of the official's voice.
"No, you... you are not from the palace." Xiao Yu shouted.
"He just hasn't been castrated. There is no doubt that we are members of the palace, but you are not!"
The person who spoke was also extremely tall, but his voice was as thin as a woman's, which made people scratch their hearts.
"You...you want to kill me!"
This time, no one answered, but there were a few sharp jeers in exchange. However, no one in the crowd expressed their opinions and continued to watch in silence.
Xiao Yu tried to calm down and try to be as calm as possible.
In any case, regretting is of no use now. Is he really going to become a victim of this change of power in the palace?
He was dissatisfied. If he really died here, it would be a real loss of blood.
But what to do now?
He glanced at the emperor's bedroom with the door closed.
Want to make a desperate move and rush inside to kill Xiao Wei?
If Xiao Yuwan is still here, this strategy will work.
But things are changing rapidly.
Killing Xiao Wei now will only make the Su guards outside lose control, and Jiankang Palace will turn into a sea of blood.
Rescue Xiao Yuwan? That's even less feasible.
These ideas are not feasible in any way.
At this moment, Xiao Yu's peripheral vision suddenly caught a glimpse of a thin figure under the wall on one side quietly touching the back of a human-shaped copper lamp display.
He remembered that the figure was none other than Zhao Jicheng from Xiaohuangmen.
He was small and easily overlooked, but what was he doing there?
Xiao Yu was distracted when he suddenly heard a sharp roar coming from his side.
He turned his head and saw a burly internal official stabbing him with a dagger.
Xiao Yu hurriedly dodged, and the dagger missed the target. Xiao Yu grabbed the dagger with his backhand and kicked his burly internal officer to the ground with a strong kick.
Just when everyone's attention was focused on the thrilling scene just now, a loud "coaxing" sound was suddenly heard from the human-shaped lamp next to the wall.
The huge lamp suddenly fell to the ground, fire oil spilled out, flames suddenly shot into the sky, and the scene became chaotic.
The burly internal officer who had been kicked down by Xiao Yu happened to be within the range of the spilled fire oil. His whole body was suddenly on fire, rolling and screaming on the spot, but no one paid attention to him.
In the chaos, Xiao Yu heard someone shouting:
"Little prince, run quickly!"
That was Zhao Jicheng's voice.
Xiao Yu's eyes swept through the chaotic crowd, but he couldn't find him.
At this time, two burly internal officials seemed not to be disturbed by the chaotic scene. They still stared at Xiao Yu, swung their daggers and stabbed him together.
Xiao Yu dodged, and the cold light made a roar in his ears. During this period, he grabbed a running minister and used it as a shield.
The minister cried and begged for mercy. Xiao Yu pushed him to the two killers. Xiao Yu did not want to fight and ran away in the chaos.
There were sharp shouts from behind: "Catch him! Don't let him escape!"
Xiao Yu ran desperately in the tall palace building. During the process, he met the unknown Ouchi guards, but they did not stop Xiao Yu.
But Xiao Yu felt that more and more people were chasing him behind him. He thought that King Huainan was really well prepared for tonight.
And this huge palace, whose existence is unknown in history, is designed like a maze. Everything is very similar and confusing.
Perhaps this is really not the architectural style of the Southern Dynasty palaces, but it is enough to show that the builders of this palace took great pains to use this maze to cover up their suspicion and timidity.
If an assassin really came to kill him, he might have been trapped before he even found the emperor's bedroom.
This was the case for Xiao Yu. He ran around and could not find a way out, and more and more people were chasing him, including some Ouchi guards who were confused about the situation.
Fortunately, none of them caught up with Xiao Yu. Perhaps they were unfamiliar with the path, so they also bumped into the maze-like palace.
Xiao Yu was tired from running and was holding on to the wall to catch his breath. Suddenly, the sounds of pursuing soldiers came from behind and in front of him.
Xiao Yu was in trouble and just when he didn't know where to hide, the wall on one side suddenly opened outwards, and there was a secret door on that wall!
A beautiful woman's face appeared in the door, and she waved to Xiao Yu anxiously: "Brother! Here!"
That beautiful face surprised Xiao Yu.
"It's you!"
The woman in front of him is Xiao Yurong, Princess of Jincheng. Xiao Yu can't understand why she is here?
But now is not the time to think about this, Xiao Yurong has already extended a hand to him.
"Brother, hurry up!"
Xiao Yu followed Xiao Yurong into the room.
Xiao Yurong immediately closed the secret door, but before Xiao Yu could clearly see the situation in front of him, Xiao Yurong had already blown out the lights in the room.
The room suddenly fell into darkness. Xiao Yu sniffed and seemed to smell the smell of some kind of medicinal herb in the air.
At this moment, chaotic footsteps were approaching.
Xiao Yu held the dagger in his hand and squatted motionless in front of the door, holding his breath and quietly paying attention to the sounds outside.
Waves of yelling and cursing were clearly audible, and countless footsteps shuttled outside the door. Fortunately, no one noticed it.
I don't know how much time passed, but the noise outside the door gradually faded away. Only then did Xiao Yu dare to relax.
But at this time, his whole body was soaked in cold sweat, and he felt a little detached.
He gasped for breath, and suddenly he felt as if a cold hand in the darkness touched his forehead.
Xiao Yu suddenly moved his body to one side.
The owner of that hand also noticed something. He stepped back and seemed to hit something, making a soft sound.
"Brother, I didn't mean to..."
Xiao Yurong's voice was a little awkward in the darkness.
"No...it's nothing. I should have thanked the eldest princess. There is no need to say that..."
Xiao Yurong was silent for a moment in the darkness.
"Brother, you can call me Yurong, you don't have to call me eldest princess."
"Yu Rong..."
"Yes." Xiao Yurong agreed softly, and then he suddenly asked, "Brother, what's going on outside...what's going on outside?"
"The emperor passed away..."
Xiao Yurong was silent for a while: "He is dead."
Xiao Yu frowned slightly. He felt that Xiao Yurong's emotions towards the emperor's death did not seem to have much impact.
But soon Xiao Yurong asked again: "What about you?"
"Someone wants to kill me..."
"Kill you? The emperor loves to kill people. He is already dead. Who else wants to kill you?"
"King of Huainan."
"King Huainan? Why did he do this?"
"He wants to be the emperor and sees me as a stumbling block on his way to becoming emperor."
"So those people just now were..."
"Yes, it was King Huainan who asked them to kill me. King Huainan had already planned it."
"Oh." Xiao Yurong replied softly, and after a moment she suddenly asked again, "Brother, what are you going to do next?"
Xiao Yu smiled bitterly: "I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet! But if you stay here, you can only wait for death. You have to go out to figure out the future."
Xiao Yu stood up as he spoke. He wanted to move his body, but he seemed to have accidentally bumped into something. The sound of porcelain colliding was immediately heard in the darkness in front of him.
Xiao Yurong seemed a little nervous: "Brother, be careful!"
"ah?"
Xiao Yu touched in the dark and found that there should be a table in front of him, with some bottles and jars placed on it. The smell of various mixed herbs should be emanating from these bottles and jars.
Xiao Yu felt that Xiao Yurong must care about the herbs in these bottles and jars, so he quickly apologized.
Xiao Yurong became a little restrained.
"No...it's nothing, but brother, please be careful...be careful of the things on the desk..."
"Well, the smell of medicine is so strong here, what's in it?"
"No...nothing...the ones here...are all medicinal materials that nourish blood and relieve numbness."
Xiao Yurong spoke hesitantly, and Xiao Yu didn't want to reveal other people's privacy, so he quickly changed the subject.
"The pursuers are gone, Yu Rong. It's not safe to stay here. We have to escape. Are you familiar with Hanzhang Palace?"
Xiao Yurong was silent for another moment in the darkness: "When I was a child, I often followed the emperor's brother here to chase jokes. My father was still alive at that time, and my mother and concubine were also there. At that time, there were not so many complicated rooms here. They were all later removed. Your Majesty transformed it beyond recognition, like a maze..."
"No wonder I felt dizzy as soon as I came in, Yu Rong...can you take us out?" Xiao Yu asked again.
"Yes." Xiao Yurong said firmly, "I know some secret passages that others don't know. My father secretly told me when he was still alive. No one knows about it except me. If you can lead to the outside, brother, just follow me. good."
Xiao Yu felt ecstatic in his heart. Just when he didn't know how to express his thanks, he heard Xiao Yurong whisper: "Brother, give me your hand."
"good."
As he said this, Xiao Yu put the dagger on his waist and gently stretched out his hand.
In the darkness, he felt a cold little hand put on his shoulder, and the palm moved down his shoulder until it held his hand.
"Yu Rong, your hands are so cold." Xiao Yu said.
"The imperial doctor said that I have insufficient energy and blood..." Xiao Yurong replied quietly, "Stop talking about this, brother, follow me."
The two of them groped forward in the darkness. Xiao Yu could not tell the direction at all and could only rely on Xiao Yurong to guide them ahead.
But he could feel that Xiao Yurong seemed to have turned over a secret door on the wall, and then they entered a narrow and low corridor.
Although it was dark ahead, the corridor was straight and there were no turns in the middle.
The two of them seemed to have walked not far when they heard shouts of death coming from outside. The clanking sound of gold and iron seemed to be right in their ears, mixed with various types of sounds, including shouts of death, curses, wailing, and begging for mercy. Mixed together.
Xiao Yu suddenly heard Xiao Yurong's violent breathing.
"What's wrong, Yu Rong?"
"Again...killed again..."
Xiao Yu felt the trembling in Xiao Yurong's voice. He had no idea about the situation outside. He didn't know who was fighting with whom. It was probably the Su Weijun and the Ouchi guards.
But at this time, Xiao Yu felt Xiao Yurong's hand holding him tighter.
"Yu Rong, it's okay, brother is here." Xiao Yu comforted.
Xiao Yurong said softly "Hmm" and asked softly: "I'm not afraid."
Xiao Yurong's voice was sad and sad. For such a fragile girl, Xiao Yu felt a surge of heat in his heart and wanted to do his best to protect her.
Just as Xiao Yu was thinking of this, Xiao Yurong's faint voice came from in front of him: "Brother, no matter who fights with anyone outside, you have to run, run far away, and never return to this terrible palace."
"Yu Rong..."
"Brother, you are so similar to my royal brother. Seeing you today always reminds me of him back then. You are both the same type of people, and neither of you are suitable for palace struggle. You are kind-hearted, and there are hundreds of thousands of people like you who are not like you. With such a blind mind, you can only become a victim of someone else's superiority."
The elder brother of Princess Jincheng was Luling King Xiao Yuwei. Xiao Yu didn't have much impression of him. He only remembered that he kept holding the scroll, but was killed for no reason when Xiao Yuheng usurped the throne.
"I know." Xiao Yu replied, but he had no intention of leaving.
He is a royal family member of the Da Qi Empire, and his blood is the blood of Gao Emperor Xiao Daocheng and Wu Emperor Xiao Yu.
"The end of the passage is ahead. This is where I can help my brother."
Suddenly a bright light flashed in front, and the humid air under the rain curtain came towards me. It happened to lead to the platform outside the main hall. In front of me was a huge load-bearing pillar, which happened to block the secret door.
The location here is a little off, and only about twenty steps away can someone vaguely be fighting for his life with a knife.
Xiao Yurong jumped out of the secret door and looked around. It was still safe here. She turned around and pulled Xiao Yu out.
"Brother, let's go quickly!" Xiao Yurong said.
Xiao Yu agreed, but was suddenly stunned: "Wait, Yu Rong, aren't you leaving?"
Xiao Yurong shook her head, a smile appeared on her face.
"Ever since the death of her father, Yu Rong has been afraid of fire, swords, and dead people. She is extremely afraid. Instead of going through such torture outside, it would be better to hide in the dark room and wait for the rebels to pass. It’s peaceful, Yu Rong will go out again.”
Xiao Yu thought about it. It was really unsafe to take a girl among the soldiers. Although he was reluctant to give up, he had to agree.
"Okay, then you have to be careful too!"
"Staying in the darkroom is definitely safer than brother being outside. By the way, I have something to ask of brother."
"What's up?"
Xiao Yurong immediately took a hairpin from her head and handed it to Xiao Yu's hand.
Xiao Yu took the hairpin and looked at it carefully in his hand, but he couldn't see anything special about this hairpin. He was confused and looked up at Xiao Yurong: "This... what is this for..."
"If brother goes out, give it to Yang Hua for me."
Xiao Yu frowned, vaguely feeling that something was wrong.
Xiao Yurong seemed to see what Xiao Yu was thinking and smiled calmly.
"Brother has misunderstood. Yu Rong has no intention of committing suicide. It's just that Yu Rong and Yang Hua had an agreement. Seeing Chai means that Yu Rong is safe and sound, so that Yang Lang can rest assured."
"Well, if I can really get out of the palace wall, I will go to see Yang Hua right away." Xiao Yu said and put the hairpin into his arms, raised his head and smiled at her.
But soon, Xiao Yu's smile froze.
He felt that Xiao Yurong's thin figure was cold and miserable in the night rain, and tears could not stop flowing down her beautiful face.
Xiao Yu felt something was wrong and wanted to wipe the tears on Xiao Yurong's cheeks, but the princess of the empire took a few steps back.
"No...tell brother, what's wrong with you?"
Xiao Yurong retreated behind the secret door. She took one last look at the cold rain curtain. Listening to the shouts of death from far and near, she seemed to feel much relieved.
"Brother, take care along the way..."
