Chapter 110 Leaving the Capital 57.8%
Wei Hong held his wife, whom he had lost and then found again, tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his very being.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his arms trembled slightly. Only when he saw her with his own eyes, held her in his arms, heard her voice, and felt her body temperature did his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settle back into his chest and return to its place.
"This isn't the place to talk," a subordinate who followed in whispered. "Your Highness, we should go."
Although they trapped Wei Chi with a fire and attracted most of the people in the palace, they were still outnumbered and outgunned. It was better to escape as soon as possible, lest more and more people arrive and the secret passage be blocked, which would be troublesome.
Wei Hong nodded and helped Yao Youqing up.
"Can you still walk? If you can't, I'll carry you."
"You can walk."
Yao Youqing said, then opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something more, but couldn't.
Wei Hong knew what she was worried about and said, "Don't worry, I've already sent people to rescue your father, but he's a bit far from here. Let's go first, and they'll catch up after they rescue him."
After saying that, he pulled her outside and left without staying there for even a moment longer.
Yao Youqing was stunned. Looking at the man's profile, which had become even sharper due to his thinness, tears rolled down her cheeks again.
...
On the other side, Feng Mu and his men also led their troops into the place where Yao Yuzhi was being held, and pulled him away.
For the past few days, Wei Chi has kept Yao Yuzhi confined in the palace under the pretext that he is unwell and unable to move, and needs to be cared for by the imperial physician to rest.
He had just learned of the fire outside and felt something was wrong, wondering if Wei Hong's men had infiltrated the palace.
Seeing Feng Mu and the others confirmed his suspicions, but he was not happy to be able to escape. Instead, he broke free from Feng Mu's grasp.
"Thank you all for coming to my rescue, but I do not intend to leave the palace. When you return, tell the King of Qin that it was my own insistence to stay, and he will not blame you."
Feng Mu frowned, about to say something, when he heard him continue, "Also, after you see the King of Qin, please pass on a few words for me, just say..."
“I don’t think I was wrong about what happened back then. Whether it was for the country or for the emperor, from my point of view, I would have made that choice.”
“But the Imperial Concubine did die because of me. I owe him my life, and it has dragged on for so many years without being settled. Today I will repay him with my life.”
“From now on, we are even, and there will be no more grudges between us. I only hope that he will treat the princess well and not take his anger out on her because of me. Just pretend that the princess does not have a father like me.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Mu frowned even more deeply: "Lord Yao, I don't know what you're talking about, but no matter what happened in the past, the Prince's order to me is to rescue you. Since that's the case, I have no choice but to obey."
"Furthermore, if the prince were to hold a grudge against the princess because of you, he wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles to rescue her personally, and he wouldn't have instructed us to take you out with him as well. Your worries are really unnecessary."
"Instead of telling me all this now, you might as well leave with me right now, so you can reunite with the princess and enjoy family life in the future."
When Yao Yuzhi heard that Wei Hong had come in person, her eyes lit up and she nodded with satisfaction.
The fact that he came in person shows that he really values Ning'er.
Even the best marital relationship can be strained if a feud involving the murder of one's mother stands between them.
In the past, when he was in the capital, he didn't appear in front of the Prince of Qin and Ning'er. The Prince of Qin might not have thought of him often, and even if he did, he would let it go because he didn't want to see him.
But if he is rescued, he will definitely not be allowed to stay in the capital. He will inevitably be taken to their side in the future.
At present, the King of Qin and Ning'er are deeply in love, and he is willing to temporarily put aside past grievances for her sake.
But what about the future?
When life settles down.
When he recalls the death of the Imperial Concubine and, as before, mocks and ridicules him, Ning'er, out of filial piety, defends him as her father.
Can he continue to treat her as he does today, without mentioning the past, and cherish her dearly in his heart?
Yao Yuzhi only has this one daughter. In the past, she was always worried about her and couldn't let go of her worries, which is why she didn't dare to talk about dying easily.
Now that he knows the King of Qin truly loves her, he has nothing to worry about.
If possible, he would certainly like to enjoy the happiness of family life with his daughter, and in the future, he would be surrounded by his grandchildren and children.
But the King of Qin was no ordinary son-in-law; there was an unresolved feud between them. When he ascended the throne, Ning'er would be his empress, and he, as the "father-in-law," would become the emperor's father-in-law.
A father-in-law who caused the death of the new emperor's birth mother.
Yao Yuzhi knew she would become a thorn in the side between Ning'er and Wei Hong.
It's fine if Wei Hong doesn't remember, but once he does, he'll be in pain anytime. If he's in pain too much, will he start to feel disgusted when he sees his daughter?
He dared not let Ning'er take that risk.
He would rather die than let Ning'er live a life without worry. What Wei Hong will always remember is the image of her coming from the Great Jin and Southern Yan, and how she called him a great hero in front of all the civil and military officials in the court.
Thinking of this, Yao Yuzhi smiled and said to Feng Mu, "Young man, if you really care about your prince, then stop insisting on rescuing me. My leaving alive is of no use to your prince; it would be better if I died here."
Besides Ning'er, Wei Chi was probably the person he least wanted to die.
His death might not have mattered much before, but given what Ning'er said in court some time ago, Wei Chi will be unable to defend himself after his death. No matter how he explains, he will be suspected of murder to silence him, which will give Wei Hong another reason to send troops, which will be entirely beneficial to him.
Feng Mu nodded knowingly: "You're right."
Yao Yuzhi thought he had listened, and said gently, "Don't worry, I won't die right away. After you leave, I'll come back in a few days..."
Before he could finish speaking, the young man in front of him suddenly moved closer and chopped him on the back of the neck.
Yao Yuzhi's vision went black, and she immediately fainted.
Feng Mu casually hoisted him onto his shoulder, turned around and strode out, saying as he walked, "Why do you talk so much nonsense!"
The group quickly returned along the way and encountered a fair-skinned young eunuch on the way.
It was this young eunuch who just helped them send away a squad of imperial guards, saving them a lot of time and allowing them to avoid fighting and come directly here.
The young eunuch claimed to be a servant of Princess Chenglan, saying that the princess had ordered that if the Prince of Qin entered the palace to rescue the princess, he should help as much as he could.
Although Feng Mu didn't know why she wanted to help, speed was of the essence in war, and in the current situation, it was naturally better to finish the business and leave the palace as soon as possible.
It's just a mystery why this young eunuch hasn't left yet and is still standing here.
The eunuch, who had been hiding and hunching over, rushed over after seeing them and said to Feng Mu, who looked kind and was the leader, "General, you...you give me a stab?"
Feng Mu: "...?"
He looked puzzled, and the young eunuch quickly said, "The palace is in such a mess. The Imperial Guards just saw me in this area again. If they start investigating, it wouldn't make sense if I didn't have any injuries."
"Give me a knife, preferably one that looks really gruesome, but not fatal, so I can get away with it."
Feng Mu understood, and with one hand carrying Yao Yuzhi, he raised the knife in the other.
The eunuch, with his eyes closed, instinctively called out again, "Don't hurt my face! I still need to eat in the palace!"
Isn't the purpose of making contributions now to have a better future? If your face is injured, you won't be able to serve in the palace anymore!
Feng Mu: "..."
He swung his knife, leaving a wound on the eunuch's arm, and said, "Thank you!"
The eunuch, his face pale as he clutched his wound, shook his head and said, "No, it's nothing. General, you should go quickly. Someone might be coming soon."
Feng Mu nodded, carrying Yao Yuzhi as they continued forward. The group soon entered the secret passage and left the capital smoothly as expected. However, the fire in the palace burned for an entire night, destroying countless palaces. It was unknown how much silver it would cost to rebuild them to their original state.
Although Wei Chi escaped the fire with the help of his subordinates, he was covered in soot and looked extremely disheveled, and his throat was choked by the smoke.
Upon learning that Yao Yuzhi and Yao Youqing, father and daughter, had both been rescued, he became even angrier, his face turning red with anger, veins bulging on his forehead, and he couldn't help but let out a furious shout.
This shout made his already poor voice even worse, and he couldn't speak for three whole days, almost becoming a mute emperor.
Chapter 111 Fitting 66.0%
Guo Sheng was on high alert near Hutou Village. When he heard that Wei Hong had escaped the capital safely with Yao Youqing and would soon arrive here, he immediately mobilized all the troops he could muster and went to meet them for more than a hundred miles.
Ever since Wang Zhong was beheaded by Guo Sheng for preventing the Jingyuan Army from entering the city, and Meng Fu was hung on the city wall for colluding with the court to betray Wei Hong, no one near Hutou Village dared to oppose the infamous Prince Qin. At most, they neither became close to him nor rejected him, but simply watched from the sidelines.
Now that they hear that the King of Qin has completely broken with the court, and that there are rumors in the court that the current emperor has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, and that he has colluded with the Jin and Southern Yan to take away the King of Qin's wife in order to frame the King of Qin, many people who were originally uninvolved have made their choice and sided with the King of Qin.
Even those who remained cautious and hesitant to make decisions dared not help the court stop the King of Qin. They all closed their doors, pretending not to know that he had escaped from their territory.
Wei Hong's journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe. Although there were many pursuers from the capital behind him, he encountered no significant obstacles on his way and successfully shook off his pursuers, eventually reuniting with Guo Sheng and the others.
"Your Highness, rest assured, although we are not yet in Shuozhou, it is already no different from our own territory. Generals Sun and Liu have already surrendered to us and sent their families to Shuozhou. You can rest here for a few days in peace."
Sun and Liu did not come to help when Wei Hong personally came to persuade them to send troops to fight against Southern Yan. Now they say they are surrendering, but it is not easy to believe them. However, it is different if they send their whole family to Shuozhou and hand them over to Wei Hong.
Wei Hong nodded upon hearing this, and then asked, "You didn't force them to send their families there, did you?"
To prove his loyalty, Guo Sheng demanded that they send their families to Shuozhou—something Guo Sheng was capable of doing.
Guo Sheng quickly said, "I didn't force them; they brought it up themselves! Lord Zhao and the others all think the two of them are cunning and treacherous!"
Things are different now. Wei Hong set fire to the palace, nearly trapping Wei Chi to death. It's likely that the court will soon send troops to attack and execute him for treason.
Wei Hong will certainly not surrender easily, and a fierce battle between the two sides is inevitable.
The Hutou Village area is adjacent to Shuozhou and is a necessary route to Shuozhou. It is likely to become a battlefield, and it would be dangerous for families to stay here.
If it were in the past, when the battle between Wei Hong and the imperial court was evenly matched, they would naturally not have sent their families to Shuozhou.
But now, with Yao Youqing's testimony in court, Wei Hong's chances of winning have greatly increased, and Shuozhou has become a relatively safe place.
Sending their families there at this time not only demonstrates their loyalty but also provides a safe haven for their loved ones. Why not do it?
Wei Hong's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he said, "Then let's find a clean place to stay and tidy up. I'll take the princess to rest for a few days before we leave."
Until absolute safety could be confirmed, he had been traveling with Yao Youqing almost constantly and hadn't had a proper rest in a long time.
He himself didn't care, but Yao Youqing was delicate and hadn't been eating or sleeping well along the way. She had lost a lot of weight from being jostled on horseback all day, and he had wanted to stop and let her rest properly.
Guo Sheng responded with a "yes," and then said, "I've brought a carriage. You...you can take the princess in the carriage."
He then ordered the carriage to be driven over and stopped in front of them.
When Wei Hong saw the carriage, he patted Yao Youqing on the shoulder with satisfaction and helped her into the carriage.
Guo Sheng had never liked Yao Youqing before. Even when he addressed her as "Princess" upon meeting her, it was merely a perfunctory gesture, and his attitude was not particularly respectful.
Seeing Wei Hong helping her walk past him, she unusually lowered her chin, which she always held high in front of her, and no longer gave him the perfunctory attitude she had shown before.
After the two men boarded the carriage, he mounted his horse, walked to the carriage, and said, "Let's go."
The group then walked forward in a grand procession until they reached their resting place.