mtl008 Chapter 321 The journey is long, you'll have to endure some hardship.
Chapter 321 The journey is long, you'll have to endure some hardship.
After giving Zong Que the acupuncture, Lu Yangyang turned around and leaned against the window, muttering complaints.
"When will this rain stop? It feels like the boat is moving slower and slower. It's so annoying."
Zong Que knew that she wasn't complaining about the weather, but rather worried that the excessively damp environment in the cabin from the rain would put a strain on his legs.
The escorting ship was very large, capable of holding over a hundred people, but the rooms left for them were not large. After just enough space for a single bed, it was difficult for a wheelchair to even turn around.
Logically, Zong Que was only exiled and didn't need to serve in the military. He was still a prince and shouldn't be treated so harshly. However, he was now the deposed crown prince, and throughout history, very few deposed crown princes had been able to return to power. Therefore, even though Commander He made such an arrangement, no one dared to object.
As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Feng Su was supposed to be part of the escort team, but most of the people he brought were imperial guards. Feng Su couldn't say anything, and could only help in any way he could, trying not to mistreat them in terms of food and drink. He was powerless to do anything else.
Lu Yangyang's medicine kit had already been sent away in advance. She only secretly kept two familiar knives, a pack of silver needles, and a few bottles of commonly used medicine on her person. Without medicinal herbs, she could only rely on acupuncture to help Zong Que relieve some of his pain. She had originally thought things would get better once they arrived in Yuzhou, but the continuous rain still made her irritable.
The sky grew increasingly gloomy. Although it was still daytime, visibility was decreasing, and the entire river surface was shrouded in mist.
Lu Yangyang became increasingly irritable.
When she turned her head, the irritated expression on her face hadn't completely disappeared, but she saw Zong Que staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought.
She leaned closer suspiciously, waving her hand in front of Zong Que's eyes: "Your Highness?"
Zong Que suddenly grasped Lu Yangyang's hand and pulled her into his arms with a little force.
"Your Highness?" Lu Yangyang threw herself into his arms, her face pressed against his chest. Listening to his heartbeat, her own heart couldn't help but race.
The room was small, with only one small bed. These days they had been huddled together on that small bed. When they didn't think about it, it was fine, but whenever they did, they couldn't help but blush and their hearts would race, and they would feel an indescribable flutter in their hearts.
Zong Que lowered his head, his lips close to her ear, and whispered, "Yangyang, if we separate, remember to go to Yuzhou first. If you can't wait for me there, go to Changyang County. If I still don't come, go to Chenzhou in the north and wait for me."
Lu Yangyang was surprised and tried to raise her head, but Zong Que pressed her head down. "It's Chenzhou, the place where the Rong family army was wiped out. I will definitely wait for you there."
Lu Yangyang didn't understand why Zong Que was suddenly telling her this, but she immediately agreed, "Okay."
Zong Que gently stroked her hair, his lips brushing against her ear, his voice low and husky: "The journey is long, you'll have to endure some hardship."
Lu Yangyang grabbed his sleeve, puzzled, and asked, "Your Highness, what exactly are you...?"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly felt the boat rock slightly, as if the entire surface of the water was shaking.
Lu Yangyang stood up abruptly and turned to look out the window. On the misty, rainy water, assassins dressed in black suddenly took to the air and flew towards the large ship they were on.
There are assassins! They're after Zong Que!
Lu Yangyang hurriedly turned around and saw Zong Que bend down, press a button on the wheelchair, and open a compartment. He pulled out a black iron whip and stuffed it into Lu Yangyang's hand: "I've tried many weapons, and I think the most suitable one for you is a heavy sword, but I really can't bring it with me, so I can only bring this temporarily. Take it well. No matter what happens, remember, escaping is the most important thing, understand?"
Lu Yangyang had already anticipated that the journey might not be peaceful, so the appearance of the assassin wasn't too surprising. She gripped the black iron whip tightly and nodded to Zong Que, "I understand."
Suddenly, the sound of fighting broke out outside, and Lu Yangyang pushed the Crown Prince out of the small room.
The assassin had already bypassed the Imperial Guards and rushed into the cabin. Lu Yangyang gripped her whip and, the instant the assassin leaped forward, lashed out with it, decapitating the assassin.
But this was only the first. Soon, more and more assassins poured in. Lu Yangyang nervously protected Zong Que, constantly waving the black iron whip in her hand.
In no time, his hand movements became more and more skillful.
“Go to the deck, Cao Cheng should have arrived by now,” Zong Que said to her.
Lu Yangyang knew that Zong Que would be on guard. She whipped away an approaching assassin and pushed Zong Que toward the deck with difficulty.
Once outside the cabin, she discovered that there were far more assassins than imperial guards. To her disbelief, Feng Su, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, had been kidnapped by the imperial guards. The imperial guards who were supposed to protect them were actually in league with the assassins. The fighting she had just heard was actually Cao Cheng's men, along with some of their men planted within the imperial guards.
No wonder those assassins rushed into the cabin so quickly!
Commander He had been waiting outside the cabin since early morning. When Zong Que came out, he seemed completely unsurprised: "Your Highness, let's be frank. If you tell me where that person is, I will safely escort you to Yuzhou. If you don't, and our ship encounters bandits today, Your Highness may unfortunately perish. Do you understand, Your Highness?"
Lu Yangyang glared angrily at Commander He: "So, you brought so many people not to escort us, but to find a place to silence us!"
"You've realized it too late! Your Highness, on the other hand, should have known all along, right?" Commander He didn't even glance at Lu Yangyang, his gaze fixed on Zong Que.
"Commander He, you shouldn't be too happy yet," Zong Que said calmly.
The next instant, no one saw him pull out a crossbow from somewhere, and a cold arrow flew straight toward Commander He's face.
Commander He's pupils constricted sharply; he never expected Zong Que to possess such a weapon! It was a repeating crossbow; he had only heard of such things but had never seen one before! Commander He had no time to be astonished as he narrowly dodged the incoming short arrow and shouted, "If you don't confess, you will surely die today!"
Before he could finish speaking, another arrow came flying at him, and Commander He finally understood what Zong Que meant.
He gritted his teeth and waved his hand: "Kill him, but leave him with a whole corpse!"
The kidnapped Feng Su angrily shouted, "He Cong, you traitorous scoundrel! You dare to murder a prince, aren't you afraid of having your entire family executed!"
Commander He sneered: "Minister Feng, do you really think that if I dare to make a move today, someone will really exterminate my entire family? If you want to blame someone, blame your bad luck. Since the deposed crown prince refuses to cooperate, he has no choice but to die."
Feng Su's eyes widened, and his body stiffened.
Commander He is one of the commanders of the Imperial Guards and a confidant of His Majesty.
Even if he was bribed, those who could bribe him would undoubtedly be the princes.
They wanted the deposed crown prince to die on his way to exile.