Everyone, from birth, began to shoulder certain things: the expectations of their parents, the responsibilities of the family, and the bone-deep hatred that people like Yang Fan shouldered.
As one grew older, the things a person shouldered increased. As long as there was a chance, there was no one who didn't want to stand out and fight for a better life for themselves and their family. But there was too much bloodshed in the imperial court. Yang Fan gently stroked Dugu Hui's eyes and felt waves of coldness in his heart.
The man was like a tiger, the horse like a dragon. Smoke billowed as they headed straight for Zhongnan.
Yang Fan mounted his horse and said to the guards beside him, "Leave two people to take his body back to the city!"
Finishing, Yang Fan kicked the stirrup and galloped in the direction of Mount Zhongnan.
At the foot of Mount Zhongnan, Yang Si Xu looked at the five or six horses left in the col and then looked up at the lush forest. He said anxiously, "Quick, surround this place immediately and send people back to mobilize troops. We can't let the Crown Prince escape!"
Lu Maofeng hastily mobilized troops to defend along the mountain. Fortunately, the pursuers were all cavalry, so it was easy to spread them out. On the way here, Yang Fan met the messenger who had returned to the city and learned that the Crown Prince had gone up the mountain. Even if he went to the foot of the mountain, he wouldn't be able to find him. Because he wanted to save the horses, he slowed down.
Yang Fan rushed to the foot of Mount Zhongnan with a dozen guards and saw Yang Si Xu anxiously pacing back and forth at the foot of the mountain. This area of the mountain was sparsely populated and the vegetation was exuberant. The villas built by the grand families were not in this area. If they entered this lush forest, it would be like a fish in the sea. It would be very difficult to find them.
Seeing this situation, Yang Fan couldn't help but scratch his head. With the current situation, he could only report to the Emperor and mobilize a large group of troops to search along the mountain.
In the forest on the mountain, Li Zhongjun leaned against a towering pine tree and muttered to himself, "How could this be? How could this be? How could he be defeated in such a short time? "
Li Chengkuang looked at the pitiful worm with pity. The great ups and downs, the stimulation of joy and sorrow, seemed to have made this Crown Prince somewhat abnormal. Thinking of the sudden failure, Li Chengkuang could not help but sigh.
He looked around and saw the four surviving bodyguards sitting on the ground, exhausted. Two of them were injured, while the other two were tearing off their clothes and bandaging their wounds.
Li Chengkuang climbed a huge rock and looked down the mountain. The undulating jungle was like the waves of the sea. From here, it was impossible to see the situation in the col. Li Chengkuang could not help but worry.
Such an outcome was truly out of his expectations. It wasn't that he hadn't considered the possibility of failure, but according to his thinking, if he failed, he would fail in the palace. If he failed, he would use the chaos to escape. He had already arranged a house in Chang 'an and had prepared enough water and food for ten days. He would hide for a while and then go to Young Master Lu.
But he did not expect that he would have to escape with the Crown Prince. Moreover, he was in a panic and did not know which way to go. Only after leaving Chang 'an did he think of escaping to Mount Zhongnan. The current situation was completely out of his expectations. What should he do?
… …
After a night of fear, the palace finally quieted down at dawn. The civil and military officials entered the palace to visit the Emperor. The Prince of Xiang, Li Xian, and Princess Taiping also hurried over. Halfway there, they ran into a group of people from the Wu family, dressed in silk mourning garments, wailing as they entered the palace. The two groups cooperated and walked into the palace.
Inside the palace, Li Xian was like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow. He arranged for the Wu family's cousins, nephews, and son-in-law to be placed in the Yulin Guard. They temporarily took control of the palace and sent people to interrogate the captives and arrest the remaining members of the Crown Prince's faction.
Suddenly hearing that the Crown Prince had escaped to Mount Zhongnan and that a large number of troops had to be sent to search the mountains because of the high mountains and dense forests, Li Xian immediately ordered Commandant Guo Yi, Zhao Sishen, to lead a large group of troops to reinforce him. Li Xian hated Li Zhongjun and would not allow him to escape. Besides, the Crown Prince's identity was too sensitive. If he really escaped, no one could predict what kind of trouble would ensue.
Li Chengkuang waited for the Crown Prince to regain his composure and regulate his breathing before discussing a way out with him. But what idea could Li Zhongjun have?
It was true that Li Xian had been a good-for-nothing when he was the Crown Prince, but Li Zhongjun had been even more good-for-nothing than his father. If Wu Zetian had not tightly controlled Li Xian and he had the courage to resist, as long as he could escape, there would always be a group of high-ranking officials who would dare to take him in and use the banner of restoring Li Tang to help him rebel.
But now it was Li Tang's world, and Li Zhongjun, the Crown Prince, had never made friends with any important ministers. No matter who he sought refuge with, there would only be one result: being kidnapped and sent to the capital. The only people who had the ability to help him and use his banner were the Prince of Xiang and Princess Taiping, but would these two help him?
Li Chengkuang pondered the matter and suddenly remembered that the Lu family had a courtyard on the other side of Mount Zhongnan. He could only take the risk of contacting the Lu family and asking for countermeasures. Li Chengkuang told the Crown Prince that he wanted to go around and spy on the situation so that he could decide on his next course of action.
Li Zhongjun had always treated Li Chengkuang as his best friend, his brother. At this moment, he still did not have the slightest suspicion of Li Chengkuang. He did not suspect that Li Chengkuang had always been using him, nor did he suspect that Li Chengkuang might flee for his life in the face of disaster. Li Zhongjun's trust made Li Chengkuang feel ashamed.
But this shame was quickly tossed to the back of his mind. It was not that Li Chengkuang did not have feelings, but in his heart, there were far too many things that were even more important than feelings. They were benefits and everything related to benefits.
By the time Li Chengkuang arrived at the southern foothills of Mount Zhongnan, a cluster of small villas hidden among the green pines and cypresses, Li Xian's troops had yet to arrive. Li Chengkuang carefully searched through the forest and finally found an elegant manor with a signboard with the words' Lu An Thatched Hall 'hanging on it.
Li Chengkuang saw that there was no one around and gathered his courage to charge into Lu Nunnery. He had originally wanted to find the servants of the Lu family who were guarding here and have them report to Young Master Lu in Chang 'an. But to his surprise, he actually saw Ding Yue here. Ding Yue was the blue-robed man who had always been by Lu Binzhi's side. He was Lu Binzhi's chief strategist.
When Li Chengkuang saw Ding Yue, he couldn't help but be surprised and happy. "Mister Ding, why are you here? Is the young master also here?"
Ding Yue coldly snorted and said, "How could the young master risk his own life?"
"Then?"
Ding Yue said, "The young master has always been paying attention to your movements. You fled to South Zhongnan. The young master guessed that it was very likely that you would find our people nearby, so he sent me here to wait for you. You are smart to really find us. What did you do? This was originally in the bag. How could it go wrong? "
Li Chengkuang said with a bitter face, "Mister Ding, I …"
Ding Yue waved his hand and interrupted him. "Okay, there is no point in saying more. Quickly tell me, is the Crown Prince okay? What is the situation now? "
After Li Chengkuang explained the situation, Ding Yue muttered to himself and began to pace.
Li Chengkuang said, "Mister Ding, the Crown Prince's power is lost and can only be abandoned. Why don't we leave now?"
Ding Yue glanced at him and said, "Just give up like this? Do you know how much effort the young master has put into you and the Crown Prince? "
Li Chengkuang said with a bitter face, "But … the Crown Prince has already failed. He is no longer useful."
Ding Yue said darkly, "No! He … still has another use. "
Li Chengkuang was stunned. "What use?"
…
Crown Prince Li Zhongjun paced anxiously in the forest. Last night, after the palace coup, he had not eaten anything since escaping Chang 'an. His stomach was like a drum, but Li Chengkuang had not returned. He could not leave and could only wait anxiously.
After a while, there was a rustling sound in the grass. Li Zhongjun hurriedly retreated two steps and said in a low voice, "Who is it?"
The four bodyguards immediately drew their sabers and stood guard. Li Chengkuang came out of the grass with a head full of sweat. "Thank the heavens," he said, "I made a mark along the way, but I almost got lost."
As soon as Li Zhongjun saw him, he quickly went forward and asked, "Chengkuang, how is it? Have you found a way out?"
Li Chengkuang shook his head with a bitter face. "Crown Prince, the outside of the mountain has already been heavily surrounded by the imperial army."
Li Zhongjun was dumbfounded. "Then … then what should we do?"
Li Chengkuang said, "Crown Prince, we can only go into the mountain and get as far away from them as possible. When it gets dark, we can think of a way to sneak out. There are many mountains here. I don't believe they can set up defenses everywhere. "
Li Zhongjun said dejectedly, "We can only do this. Come, let's leave immediately!"
The six of them quickly left their original spot and walked into the depths of the dense forest.
Li Chengkuang had already gotten some food at Ding Yue's place and drank some water. Although he tried his best to pretend to be exhausted, he was actually much stronger than the five of them. However, his steps were muddy and he still pretended to be very tired.
The few of them didn't go far. The forest grew thicker and thicker. Only one person could draw his saber and hack at the front while the others lined up to follow the path he had opened up. As they walked, Li Chengkuang suddenly stopped and said, "Crown Prince, go first. I need to relieve myself."
Li Zhongjun didn't suspect anything and followed behind the saber-wielding bodyguard, pushing aside the branches and leaves to move forward with difficulty. Li Chengkuang was the last. His eyes turned slightly and a trace of ruthlessness flashed through them.
"No! He … has another use! "
"What use?"
"The Emperor has already passed down an edict to kill the Crown Prince. Li Qianli, Li Duozuo, Shazha Zhongyi, and the others are all dead. As long as the Crown Prince is also dead, who will know that the Crown Prince's rebellion was your idea? Your current position isn't high. No one will suspect that you are the main culprit of the rebellion. As long as you kill the Crown Prince, not only will you be innocent, but you will also be meritorious. The Emperor is in need of people. As the person who killed the Crown Prince, how can he not trust you? At that time, you will be the Emperor's confidant! "
"What? This … this is too dangerous. What if the Emperor doesn't spare me … "
"Idiot! What kind of status is the Emperor? How can he go back on his word? If he kills you, who will be willing to submit to the Emperor when there is another incident in the future? Would the Emperor be willing to break his promise to the world for you? Chengkuang, riches come from danger. You don't want to hide your name and wander the jianghu, do you? "
Thinking of his conversation with Mister Ding, Li Chengkuang gritted his teeth and quietly pulled out a glittering dagger from his waist. Like a leopard, he crept forward.
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