0p0 Chapter 208 The Crown Prince in Danger
Chapter 208 The Crown Prince in Danger
Upon hearing this, Lan Zhi realized that they must be hiding something from her.
She turned to look at Lin Xingliang, brushing the snowflakes from her forehead against the wind and snow, and raised her voice to question him.
"Lord Lin, are you hiding something from me?"
Lin Xingliang rubbed his hands together, sighed with great difficulty, and casually glanced at the city wall.
"We just received the news that the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince may have already arrived outside the city."
what?
Upon hearing this news, Lan Zhi didn't linger and ran straight towards the city wall. Seeing this, Madam Lin reminded her to be careful while following her.
Lin Xingliang and Zhu Kui exchanged a glance and followed closely behind.
Lan Zhi arrived at the top of the city wall and peered out. She saw countless enemy troops stationed not far from the city in the vast white expanse. The most conspicuous thing was a high platform made of wood, and on that platform, a person was tied up...
one person……
A disheveled, unkempt, pale-faced, and bloodied man...
Wei Jianning?
Although his face was so bloody and mangled that his eyes were closed and his hands and feet were bound tightly, Lan Zhi still recognized him at a glance as her man, Wei Jianning.
Seeing his disheveled appearance, she felt a chill instantly creep over her body, and her heart was filled with an indescribable sorrow.
She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, calling his name in her heart, but dared not utter a sound. Her tears, along with the snowflakes falling on her face, poured down.
It's so cold, yet he's dressed so lightly and barefoot. He must be freezing.
"Ms. sir..."
She called out softly, and Madam Lin quickly stepped forward to stop her.
"Your Highness, you are pregnant now, so please don't get agitated. Let's think of a way slowly, and we will definitely be able to save the Crown Prince."
Lan Zhi stopped her tears from flowing and turned to look at Lin Xingliang.
"Lord Lin, do you have any strategies to defeat the enemy?"
Lin Xingliang frowned and nodded.
"Yes, we have men lying in ambush outside the city, but look, the Crown Prince is tied up there, and there are countless venomous snakes with their mouths wide open in the cage beneath him. If they are released, the consequences will be unimaginable. So we dare not send troops rashly now, lest they become desperate and harm the Crown Prince!"
Poisonous snake?
She had only noticed Wei Jianning and hadn't paid attention to where he was standing.
When she looked in Wei Jianning's direction again, she saw countless venomous snakes flicking their tongues at his feet.
She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, and a cold, eerie aura emanated from her body, as if from the underworld.
"But we can't just sit here and wait to die. I have to go save him."
After speaking, she moved towards the city wall, but Madam Lin quickly pulled her back.
"Princess Consort, please don't be impulsive. The enemy is only putting on a show of force right now, and no messenger has come to deliver a message. We don't know their intentions, so we can't rush things."
Lan Zhi shook her head vigorously, her gaze fixed on Wei Jianning's location, and muttered to herself:
“The Crown Prince is tied up there, his life hanging in the balance. You may not be worried, but I cannot be.”
"But there's no use in worrying. Look at those venomous snakes beneath him. If they bite him, not only will the Crown Prince be powerless to fight back now, but even a strong and healthy man wouldn't be able to withstand it!"
Lin Xingliang also stepped forward to persuade him.
"Princess Consort, do not panic. This time, the enemy has captured not only the Crown Prince, but also Princess Yujie..."
"Yu Jie? Is she also in their hands?"
Lin Xingliang handed her the telescope.
"Please take a look, Your Highness."
Lan Zhi took the telescope from him and looked in the direction of the enemy.
Sure enough, in the prison cart amidst the enemy troops, Yu Jie and two maids were imprisoned, Yuan Tianxiong was in another prison cart, and the rest of the people were all bound hand and foot and kneeling on the ground.
Upon seeing this, Lan Zhi couldn't help but gasp.
She was willing to risk her life to save Wei Jianning, and if she failed, she was willing to die with him.
But what about Princess Yujie?
She had to find a way to save her; she couldn't let her fall into enemy hands.
Just then, someone rushed in from below the city wall to report...
"Reporting, Lord Lin, the enemy has sent a message."
Lin Xingliang hurriedly waved his hand and said:
"read……"
"If you want Wei Jianning and Princess Yujie to live, open the city gates..."
Lin Xingliang asked in surprise,
"Gone?"
The soldier nodded.
"That's all."
Lin Xingliang's face immediately turned ashen with anger, while Zhu Kui smiled disdainfully.
He regretted not forming an alliance with Huo Batian sooner; otherwise, wouldn't he have been able to save himself a lot of trouble?
Even so, he was not afraid. As long as the people of Tianwu Kingdom attacked the city, he would seize the tiger tally from Lan Zhi and then use his 100,000 elite troops to form an alliance with the people of Tianwu Kingdom. Then, he would support the emperor to ascend the throne tomorrow, and the entire Northern Wei Kingdom would be under his control.
While Zhu Kui was making a huge mental calculation, Lin Xingliang was pacing anxiously.
The current problem is quite thorny.
If the city gates are opened, Xinglong County will surely fall, and the people of Tianwu Kingdom will march straight to the capital.
If the city gates are not opened, the Crown Prince and Princess Yujie will be in danger.
Lin Xingliang was unsure what to do and dared not make a decision.
Zhu Kui then said with schadenfreude:
"I dare not make the decision on this matter. Lord Lin, you are the commander-in-chief, so you should decide!"
Lin Xingliang frowned, pondered for a long time, and finally turned his gaze to Lan Zhi.
After all, she is the Crown Princess, half a member of the royal family, so it is most appropriate for her to come up with this idea now.
Most importantly, Lin Xingliang and Zhu Kui both understood that no matter what they did, it was wrong, and whoever came up with the final idea would have to take responsibility.
Although Lin Xingliang was determined to rescue the crown prince and was wholeheartedly concerned for the Northern Wei Kingdom, he did not want to ruin his reputation because of it.
"Your Highness, what do you think is the proper course of action regarding this matter?"
Lan Zhi had already thought it through, and when Lin Xingliang asked her, she immediately replied:
"I think opening the city gates is the most appropriate course of action."
Zhu Kui immediately retorted.
“If we open the city gates now, the enemy will swarm in, and Xinglong County will surely fall. What will happen to all the people in the city? The Crown Princess’s idea is too hasty.”
"Then what should we do according to Lord Zhu's suggestion?"
Lan Zhi glared angrily at Zhu Kui and continued to question him.
"If we don't open the city gates, the Crown Prince and Princess Yujie's lives will be in danger. Are we just going to stand by and watch them be killed by the enemy? Aren't you afraid of being punished by the Emperor when we return?"
Zhu Kui hesitated for a moment, then replied insincerely:
"Of course I hope to rescue the Crown Prince and Princess Yujie, but opening the city gates is not the safest solution right now. Let's think about it some more!"
Lan Zhi turned to look at Lin Xingliang and said righteously:
"Lord Lin, I've thought about it. I'll go out of the city to exchange for Princess Yujie. As long as Princess Yujie can return safely, I'll have a way to save the Crown Prince."
"Absolutely not."
Lin Xingliang immediately interrupted her.
"Let alone the fact that the Crown Princess is currently pregnant, even if she were still healthy, we would not dare to let her take such a risk."