Девять песен - Глава 108
Yuan Yuan rubbed his aching head, hesitating whether to be envious, while Huang Yan chuckled and scratched his head.
Meng Tai lay on the ground, completely powerless, as San Chi turned him over and tied him up. His clothes were wrinkled, his headscarf was disheveled, his face scraped against the ground several times, leaving several patches of skin raw, his nose was covered in dust, and he almost choked on some of it.
He had never suffered such humiliation in his life. No, he had, it was when Qingyan first caught him.
"Where did you get the poison?" Finally tied up and standing in front of Qingyan, Meng Tai couldn't help but ask. He remembered clearly, and had searched her more than once. All the poison on Qingyan's body had long been thrown away, and even her clothes were newly changed. There was absolutely no way there could be any residue.
So where did she get the poison she used to subdue herself this time?
Furthermore, she even knew the map to the secret passage?
Could it be that there is a spy among my own people?
Qingyan looked at him with a half-smile, understanding what he was thinking, but she refused to answer his questions and turned away.
Actually, even if I told him, he probably wouldn't understand. From childhood to adulthood, she might not know much about other things, but she certainly knew a great deal about poisons. She was very knowledgeable. Because her demon master's soup was made with all sorts of strange and wonderful poisons, and he always carried countless bizarre poisons with him, just in case he tempted her to cook them for him.
Her demon master had also taught her various toxicologies. So-called poisons, besides those that are inherently highly toxic, could also be just a combination of several common things. Everything in the world has something that counteracts it. There are theories that combining ingredients can enhance their effects or cause toxicity. For example, the powder used to subdue him today was just a few ordinary foods that she casually took from the room before leaving.
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Jin Ling urged Meng Tai to follow after seeing his master walk away.
Meng Tai was furious, convinced that Qing Yan's silence was almost certainly what he had guessed. He paid no heed to Jin Ling and the others' shoving, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with a sinister and venomous light.
Who could this spy be?
Chapter 238: The Commander's Tent
Outside Gushan City, at the headquarters of Meng Tai's 100,000 elite troops.
On this day, several strangers suddenly arrived. The one in the lead, draped in a long robe and wearing a gauze hat, walked slowly and deliberately, exuding an extraordinary air. Behind him, several attendants also carried long swords, their steps were powerful and vigorous, their eyes gleaming, and their faces resolute.
Several people held up a token and proceeded unimpeded from the gate until they were stopped outside the commander's tent.
The guard outside the tent looked at the token with some doubt and stammered, "Please wait a moment while I go into the tent to report."
After he finished speaking, he put away the spear in his hand, gave a wink to his companion, bowed, and entered the tent.
"Reporting to the Marshal, there is someone outside the gate holding a tiger tally requesting an audience."
"Tiger tally?" The crowd, who were discussing military matters, were shocked and stood up abruptly.
The Tiger Tally was the highest-ranking token for mobilizing troops in the country. It consisted of two pieces: one kept by the Emperor, and the other, which the Emperor would hand over to the commander of the army in court during the campaign. After the war, the Tiger Tally was returned to the court and kept by the Emperor. This was the common practice in all countries.
When the army is out in the field, those who come to see the emperor with the tiger tally are either the emperor himself or high-ranking officials who have been fully entrusted by the emperor with the power of life and death and the authority to execute first and report later. Therefore, when the generals heard this, they all turned pale.
The most horrified of them all were Yu Senting and Lei Bian, the commander-in-chief and deputy commander, respectively. They looked at each other, their faces almost bloodless. Only they knew that the tiger tally of their nation had disappeared after that incident, and even now, as commanders of the army, the two commanders did not possess it.
Before the two could react, the tent flap was lifted, and several people walked in.
"General Mo... Zuo Yi... Oh, it's you two?" Everyone was surprised. Zuo Yi was a famous warrior of the country, but hadn't he been missing for a long time? And General Mo, he was originally supposed to be the commander of this campaign, but in the blink of an eye he fell off his horse and was seriously injured and bedridden. How did he recover so quickly, and he seems to be quite agile?
The two men whose names were called stood ramrod straight behind the man in the long robe and gauze hat, their faces cold and unchanged, remaining silent and stern. However, the commander Yu Senting and his deputy Lei Bian's expressions changed upon seeing the two enter the tent, let alone leading the others to kneel in welcome as customary. It seemed the atmosphere was rather tense.
Sensing something amiss, everyone's gazes were fixed on the person in the long robe and gauze hat. The person's figure was completely shrouded in the gauze, and their face was not visible, so it was impossible to tell who they were. However, just by standing there so calmly, there was an undeniable sense of sorrow and majesty. Looking at Zuo Yi, who was usually resolute and never bowed his head, standing respectfully behind him, a thought suddenly flashed through the minds of some of them. Those people immediately trembled, hurriedly lowered their heads, and were so frightened that even their lips turned blue.
A solemn atmosphere filled the entire tent, and it was completely silent for a moment.
Zuo Yi suddenly shouted, "Where do you think you're going?" He rushed to the back of the tent, his long sword roaring as it swiftly slashed towards the back of Yu Senting's head. Yu Senting hurriedly turned around to greet him, but his martial arts skills were far inferior to Zuo Yi's. Now, in his panic, he only wanted to escape, and he was defeated even faster. In just a few rounds, Zuo Yi's sword had knocked his spear away, and he fell to the ground. Before he could get up, a cold blade pressed against his neck, and his face turned pale, his heart turning ashen.
At the same time, the tent flap was lifted again, and General Mo returned from outside the tent. With a casual toss, he struck the acupoints of the deputy commander Lei Bian, who had slipped out of the tent in the chaos, and threw him to the ground.
"You, you all, have you rebelled?" the bewildered general roared.
Suddenly, the man in the long robe and gauze hat, who had been silent all along, slowly extended his hand, holding the tiger tally that should have been kept by the emperor. With a gentle wave of his other hand, the long robe and gauze hat fluttered to the ground, revealing a cold and stunningly beautiful face.
Chapter 239: The Second Prince
He was dressed in a light blue robe, his long hair loosely tied back in a bun. His exquisitely handsome features were as cold as a frozen pool in the dead of winter. His gaze swept over the crowd with a stern and authoritative air. It was indeed Ru Ying, only now she was dressed as a man.
"Second Prince!" the general exclaimed.
Suddenly remembering something, he hesitated and looked back at everyone. He saw that everyone was equally surprised and uncertain, and a buzzing sound filled the tent.
The Second Prince... Wasn't he executed recently for rebellion, patricide, and usurping the throne? And, and his mother, heartbroken by his actions and feeling guilty towards her husband, committed suicide as atonement? How... how is it that the Second Prince is still alive... And, moreover, he even possesses the Tiger Tally...
Yu Senting and Lei Bian exchanged glances upon seeing the look in everyone's eyes. Yu Senting shouted, "It really is you, Second Prince! You murdered your father to seize the throne, killed your own mother, and stole the Tiger Tally. You are already unforgivable by heaven and earth. Do you think you can control the army now? Don't think you can succeed so easily. Even if you kill us, there are still many generals to help you."
Lei Bian also shouted, "Yes, we can't be scared so easily. You only have a few people. If you are trapped among my 100,000 elite soldiers, even if you have three heads and six arms, you will not be able to escape."
Hearing the two commanders' words, the crowd felt even more apprehensive. They looked at each other, each taking a step forward, all with the intention of attacking.
Yu Senting grew bolder and shouted, "All generals, listen to my command! Seize these scoundrels!"
With a whoosh, weapons were drawn, and all the generals surrounded them.
Regardless, the incident escalated to such a degree; the Second Prince was accused of treason, and the Imperial Concubine committed suicide—these are undeniable facts. The Emperor fell seriously ill and, while he neither issued an edict to punish the Second Prince for his involvement with others, he also did not exonerate him. Although the whole affair didn't quite seem like the Second Prince's doing, and the Emperor's reaction was somewhat strange, matters of the throne—brothers turning against each other, fathers and sons killing each other—have occurred throughout history; who can truly say for sure? As for the present, as generals, how could they stand idly by and watch their two commanders be controlled by others? How could they disobey their commander-in-chief's orders?!
All the weapons thrust forward at once, their blades flashing and their cold light chilling.
Suddenly, a blue figure rose up and turned slightly. Everyone felt an immense force rushing from the hilts of their swords and the tips of their spears, causing their hands to go numb. They involuntarily dropped their weapons and stumbled back several steps before finally stopping, all of them stunned.
Ru Ying gave a soft snort, released her grip, and countless weapons fell to the ground. She stood there calmly, without even raising an eyebrow, and no one dared to utter a sound.
Yu Senting and Lei Zhen turned pale, their faces covered in cold sweat, and dared not utter another sound.
"Zuo Yi, read the imperial edict," Ru Ying said calmly.
"Yes!" Zuo Yi stepped forward, holding a bright yellow imperial edict in his hands. He coldly glanced at everyone and read aloud, "By the grace of Heaven, His Majesty decrees: Prince Meng Rulei has committed treason and rebellion, a crime unforgivable. His associates, such as Yu Senting and Lei Zhen, are all to be imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice for further investigation. The 100,000 soldiers under his command are all to be placed under the command of the Second Prince Meng Ruyun. All generals must heed this decree without fail."