Ning Que held the crutch and looked at Hua Shanyue. Half of his body weight was on the crutch. Because of his posture, he looked very serious, as if he wanted to see through the restlessness between Hua Shanyue's eyebrows.
Hua Shanyue felt a dull pain between his eyebrows. He felt that Ning Que's eyes were like two sharp knives, so he took a step to the side while holding Xiao Man's hand.
He moved away from the darkness outside the terrace and shielded Lee Yu, who was sitting behind the desk, behind him.
He had said that there were 30 Shenhou crossbows in the darkness, and it was not a lie. As he moved aside, a shrill sound suddenly broke out in the quiet garden.
Dozens of crossbow bolts shot out from the trees beside the courtyard wall like lightning, aiming at Ning Que on the terrace.
The snowflakes falling in the garden were sparse, but at this time it seemed to suddenly become denser, and there was a strange power attached to it, forming countless sharp lines.
The sharp arrowheads of the crossbow bolts, after passing through the snowflakes, broke and fell as if their heads had been cut off by a sharp knife. Then the bolts broke into pieces and scattered in the air.
Dozens of crossbow bolts could not pass through the wind and snow. They turned into countless pieces, scattered with the wind and snow, and then slowly fell down, no different from the dead branches falling from the tree.
The fragments of the crossbow bolts fell on the thin snow, making a messy sound. The people inside and outside the terrace had long been shocked by the scene, and they did not come to themselves until they heard the sound.
With two shouts, several Tang soldiers pulled out their swords from their waists and slashed at Ning Que's head.
Ning Que leaned on the crutch and did not even look at the swords, but still looked at Hua Shanyue quietly.
Hua Shanyue felt the stabbing pain between his eyebrows getting worse, and his body and mind were cold.
Several Tang soldiers pulled out their swords and slashed down. But before they could reach Ning Que, the hard swords broke into two with a crisp sound, and then their hands holding the hilts were broken.
Two very clear cuts appeared on their chests and abdomens. Blood slowly seeped out from the two cuts, and gradually spread. The wounds gradually separated into two sides, becoming more and more horrible.
Ning Que did not draw out his knife, but slashed the Tang soldiers twice. The knife wounds were only in front of them, but the knife intent seeped into their backs. The cloaks behind the Tang soldiers were cut off by the wind and fell to the ground.
Half of the cloak rolled up when it fell to the ground, revealing the bright red side. It looked like a pool of blood. The Tang soldiers knelt in the pool of blood and could no longer stand up.
Hua Shanyue's pupils shrank slightly, but his expression remained calm. He looked at Ning Que and asked, "Is this the character?"
Ning Que leaned on his crutch and looked at him, still silent. Then, he slowly straightened his body, his right hand loosened the crossbar under the crutch, as if preparing to draw a knife or write something.
The previous two scenes had already shown the unimaginable gap in strength between the two sides. Seeing Ning Que's actions, everyone knew what he was going to do next.
At this moment, Chao Xiaoshu's hand landed on Ning Que's shoulder.
Ning Que wanted to hear an explanation.
Chao Xiaoshu looked at the Tang soldiers and asked, "Have you just come back from the front?"
It was very quiet on the terrace. No one answered his question, because they did not know why he asked it.
Ning Que knew that Chao Xiaoshu's question was for him. He looked at the weathered faces of the Tang soldiers, and after a moment of silence, his right hand grasped the crutch again and leaned on it.
He looked at Hua Shanyue and said, "No matter how you think about it, it's just wishful thinking."
Hua Shanyue looked at his subordinates lying in a pool of blood beside him and was silent for a long time. Then, he withdrew his right hand that had been covering Butchie's eyes. He looked at Ning Que and said, "Sometimes it's ridiculous to think about it. But even if you kill me, you can't stop me from thinking about it."
When he said this, the expression on his face was very complicated. There was some regret, some self-mockery, and some unwillingness on his face. In order to save Lee Yu and leave Chang 'an, he had made very careful arrangements. However, who would have thought that on this snowy night, the Princess Mansion, which had been deserted for many days, would actually welcome two guests, Ning Que and Chao Xiaoshu.
…
…
The Princess Mansion, which had been deserted for a long time, became lively again tonight. The Bodyguard Office and the Chang 'an Local Government had sent a lot of people to the mansion. The street in front of the mansion was brightly lit by torches. Many people gathered on both ends of the street, looking at the movement over there and talking about it. Basically, there were no good words.
The war was tense, and the Tang people were still fighting in the front line. But those high officials and nobles still caused so much trouble in Chang 'an City. No one would show any sympathy to the losers.
Hua Shanyue and more than 50 Tang soldiers from the Gushan Commandery were disarmed and taken out of the Princess Mansion. What awaited them was the prison of the Military Ministry. As for what price they would eventually pay, no one knew yet.
In hindsight, this rescue seemed to be too wishful thinking. It was not a problem to be judged as crazy. But in fact, Hua Shanyue was worthy of being the leader of the Young and Vigorous Faction of the Tang army. He was not as incompetent as he had shown in this plan. His plan could be said to be perfect.
As soon as he returned to Chang 'an, he took action with lightning speed. He was prepared for every step. As long as he could take Lee Yu out of the Princess Mansion, neither the City Patrol Office nor the Bodyguard Office could stop them from leaving Chang' an. And if he really took Lee Yu back to the Gushan Commandery, who knew what would happen to the Tang Empire in the future?
It was a pity that he was so unlucky. No one expected that Chao Xiaoshu would go to see Lee Yu. What was even more unexpected was that Ning Que followed him to the Princess Mansion.
The bustling and discussions on the street outside the mansion did not affect the peace in the depths of the mansion.
Ning Que said to Chao Xiaoshu, "Do you still want to talk to her now?"
After a moment of silence, Chao Xiaoshu said, "I saw her. Then there is no need to talk."
"Then wait for me for a while."
Ning Que said, "I suddenly have something to talk to her about."
…
…
The terrace was quiet, and the accumulated snow on the lake made it even colder. Xiaoman was taken to sleep by the servant woman. However, he did not know if he could fall asleep after seeing such a bloody scene.
Ning Que put down his crutch and sat by the table with some difficulty. He picked up the cup of cold tea in front of Lee Yu and took two sips to moisten his throat. Then he said, "Actually, I really don't want to call you an idiot anymore."
Lee Yu looked at the cup of tea and said, "Are you tired of it?"
Ning Que said, "Staying quietly in this garden, even though the scenery is a little monotonous, it is better than dying. You should understand this. Why don't you give up?"
"I said that I would rather choose the latter than being killed. Moreover, Hua Shanyue risked his life to save me. What else can I do? Do you want me to tell you? "
Lee Yu looked at him and said with slight mockery, "That night in the imperial study, you told me that I would slowly see your coldness. Then you killed Huiyuan in the palace. Now is it time for you to show your coldness? If you want to kill me, you'd better be direct. Don't use my idiocy as an excuse. "
Ning Que said, "I want to call you an idiot, not because of what happened tonight, but because you still seem to be very confident that you will not be killed by me after what happened tonight."
Lee Yu said, "If you really want to kill me, you won't stay here and say these words to me."
Ning Que shook his head and said, "It is very easy to kill you. It is indeed more troublesome not to kill you, but it is not the kind of trouble you think it is."
Lee Yu frowned slightly but did not speak.
Ning Que looked at her beautiful face and seemed to see the maidservant who held Xiaoman and listened to his fairy tales beside the bonfire many years ago. He said, "It seems that you have thought through a lot of things these days."
Lee Yu still did not speak.
Ning Que said, "There is nothing special in this world. Whether it is Xiaoman's background or your influence on the grassland, it will not affect the decision of Her Majesty and I."
Lee Yu stared at his eyes and her hands in her sleeves trembled slightly. She could imagine that Ning Que could see through her thoughts and support, but she did not expect that Ning Que would still be so cold after knowing all this.
Now that the whole world was against the Tang Empire, other than the West-Hill Divine Palace, the real threat to the Tang Empire was the cavalry of the Golden Palace invading from the north. If the Tang Empire wanted to completely eliminate the threat from the north, Xiaoman's background and her influence in the Golden Palace were very important.
It was because of these reasons that she was sure that the Academy and the imperial court would keep her.
"In fact, you are not wrong. But the Academy and the imperial court may not do this, especially when I find that you want to use these as bargaining chips."
Ning Que looked at her and said, "Even if Butcher Li is dead, I can still eat pigs. The Academy is still powerful and invincible even if the Headmaster is gone. I have long planned for the Wilderness that the Golden Palace owns. It would be better if I have your help. Even without you, I will still win in the end."
Lee Yu looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "Even if many people die?"
Ning Que said, "As long as it is not the Tangs who die."
Lee Yu thought of a possibility and her expression changed slightly. She looked a little lonely. She said, "It seems that the Tang Empire really does not need me and Xiaoman. Did you already make arrangements before the war?"
Ning Que did not expect that she could guess his plans for the Golden Palace with just a few words. He said, "It seems that you are indeed not an idiot in these aspects."
Lee Yu said self-deprecatingly, "Then it means that I am still an idiot in other aspects."
Ning Que said, "Yes."
…
…
The street in front of the Princess's Residence gradually became quiet after the troops and horses left. The snow on the street that had been trampled into dirty water could not be restored to its clean and white appearance for a while.
Ning Que and Chao Xiaoshu walked on the street. The soles of their boots stepped on the snow, making splashing sounds.
"To kill or not to kill, this is a problem that you have to solve eventually." Chao Xiaoshu said, "After all, she is the most beloved daughter of His Majesty. It is best not to kill her if possible."
…
…
(The next chapter, before 11 o 'clock.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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