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Chapter 70 Malice
Wu Jie pinched her arm hard to make sure it wasn't sleepwalking, and then looked around to make sure it was by the small river behind the elephant garden.
Why is Yuan Jing here? Before, he led his troops northward to exterminate the remnants of the Yelan Country, but instead he was killed by the troops of the Di tribe in collusion with his own Capital City.
At that time, Lin Desheng and the others speculated that Yuan Jing should have missed these soldiers and horses. When he received the news that Capital City was besieged, he would definitely return soon, gather reinforcements, and wipe out these barbarians who dared to provoke the majesty of the Great Wei.
But the ideal is beautiful, but the reality is cruel.
From Queen Gao's response and the tragedy in the Emerald Garden before, Wu Jie was sure that this time it was definitely not the barbarians who discovered a secret passage to the south, but the plan of the Northwest King's tall general.
Gao Tanyu should have colluded with the barbarians and intended to rebel.
A flood broke down the city wall, and Di Bing entered Capital City. Everyone from nobles to ordinary people was frightened and slaughtered.
And General Gao commanded the army, expelled the gang of thieves, regained Capital City, and saved the people of Li from fire and water.
As for the emperor who went north, according to the perfect script, he should have unfortunately died in the raid of the gang of wolves, and the great Wei Guozuo had no successors. Whether General Gao will support the new king to ascend the throne and control the power himself, or just add a yellow robe to his body, it depends on how happy the old man is.
During these days in Changqiu Pavilion, Wu Jie thought about the layout of the Gao clan in every possible way, and felt that this should be the whole process. Unexpectedly, Yuan Jing not only escaped, but also appeared in Capital City, in the palace, and in front of herself.
She bent down and looked carefully under the moonlight.
Yuan Jing's eyes were closed tightly, and she lost all consciousness.
It seems that it is only a month or so since the last time we parted, but it seems that it has been a matter of the last life.
last life...
I couldn't help but think of the pain in my previous life, and the harm this guy caused me.
Wu Jie suddenly had a malicious thought.
How about throwing this guy in the water? The current is so fast, he will definitely drown, if he can't drown, he will add another stone...
Well, the malicious thought only flickered for a moment.
Wu Jie leaned down and stared at this face that once moved her heart, but now she was a stranger.
Should we take care of him?
Just leave him here, maybe he will be rescued by his loyal guards, escape in hiding, maybe he will be discovered by the minions of the Gao family, and then he will die. The bigger possibility is that no one has come here all this time. In the water, he slowly cooled, and eventually turned into a corpse.
Rescuing him is a way to survive. I have already made an enmity with Empress Gao, and the act of going to Empress Gao to remind Shuiyan to attack the city before seems to be asking for a dead end.
Being able to lure so many concubines to the Emerald Garden to die, Wu Jie didn't think that Empress Gao and the others would spare her a fishnet that slipped through the net. What's more, compared to those completely innocent concubines and palace people, she also knows the secret of Gao's fornication with barbarians.
Rescuing Yuan Jing here is undoubtedly choosing a way of life that is beneficial to him.
The best way to give up saving him is to leave with Chen Jiao.
Going to South Chen Jianye City?
Far and strange place...
Wu Jie has never realized that she is at a fork in the road of her life as she is now.
She looked down at Yuan Jing who was in a coma. His cheeks were flushed abnormally, but his lips were pale. Obviously in high fever. Coupled with the distressed appearance, it is simply vulnerable to a single blow.
You've never seen this guy like this before, can't you? Now your life and death are just in my mind!
Knowing that this thought was too distorted and despicable, Wu Jie still had a kind of gloating complacency.
Realizing this, Wu Jie stretched out her hand and poked him in the face.
However, before her fingertips touched Yuan Jing, a blur suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.
A black shadow flashed past, and the world spun for a while. She felt a pain in her back, and then her throat was locked hard.
Wu Jie desperately raised her hand to resist, but Yuan Jing held him tightly. His opened eyes were glowing red, which made people feel shuddering.
Just when Wu Jie thought she was going to be strangled to death, the hand on her throat suddenly loosened.
"It's you..." A hoarse voice came, and the redness in Yuan Jing's eyes slowly faded, and a little clarity returned.
He recognized Wu Jie.
Wu Jie hurriedly got up from under him, and took two steps back to look at him vigilantly.
Yuan Jing also stood up, but wobbled a bit and almost fell.
Has he been so weak? It must have exhausted the last of my strength to attack myself just now.
"Your Majesty..." Wu Jie asked tentatively.
Yuan Jing took a long breath, and looked up at her: "Take me back to your side first." He ordered succinctly.
Wu Jie: ...
Can I say no?
She hasn't made a final decision yet, whether to save him or not! Maybe leaving with Chen Jiao is a better choice...
Now she regrets her slut just now, why did she insist on seeing what happened? Curiosity killed the cat, and if she turned around and left at that time, wouldn't there be nothing wrong? Shouldn't even be out tonight. The secret way and so on are all deceitful in the script!
She was full of entanglements, but Yuan Jing didn't seem to realize it, and only ordered: "Hurry up!"
In desperation, Wu Jie could only nod her head in response.
I don't know whether Chen Jiao will turn his head, and what expression he will have if he bumps into Yuan Jing.
With Yuan Jing, Wu Jie certainly couldn't walk the tunnel. Fortunately, the elephant garden is not far from Changqiu Pavilion, half an hour longer than the twists and turns in the tunnel.
Not long after they left, they returned to Changqiu Pavilion. didn't even meet anyone along the way, at least didn't meet a living person.
Yuan Jing walked staggeringly along the way, almost fell several times, Wu Jie had no choice but to support him.
"This is...Changqiu Pavilion?" Standing in front of the door, Yuan Jing paused.
He actually knew about this attic, Wu Jie turned her head to look, wondering if it was an illusion, she seemed to see a trace of complicated light in Yuan Jing's eyes.
Soon Yuan Jing regained his composure, and he quickly stepped into the attic.
His condition is very bad, and he needs to choose a place to heal immediately.
He went upstairs, chose a cleaner study room, and sat down on the soft couch.
Wu Jie watched him sitting on the bed where she slept before, she was speechless, this guy can always pick out what she likes the most.
"Bring me some clean clothes." He turned his head and told Wu Jie. He is obsessed with cleanliness by nature, and he doesn't want to wear this kind of muddy clothes for a moment, let alone soaked through.
Wu Jie had no choice but to obediently follow his wishes, put all the clothes in this room, and there was no need to go elsewhere. Wu Jie rummaged through the cabinet twice, and found an embarrassing thing.
"Your Majesty, these are the clean clothes for my concubine, why don't you choose one?"
Yuan Jing looked at the long pink and willow green dresses in her hands, and her face darkened immediately.
"Go and find a guard or eunuch's clothes."
Wu Jie categorically rejected this proposal. She didn't want to go out to take risks in the middle of the night. The previous trip had caused Yuan Jing's big trouble. If she went out again, who knew if there would be rioters outside.
"Your Majesty, when the flood hit, many palaces were soaked by the flood. I'm afraid that the clothes that the guards and eunuchs didn't have time to take away..."
Yuan Jing wanted to change clothes because this one was dirty and soaked, Wu Jie reminded that other clothes that could be found were in the same situation, unless she could find the living person in front of her and ask for a whole set. But with Yuan Jing's current situation, she obviously doesn't want to be found out.
Being rejected, Yuan Jing lowered her head and did not speak.
Wu Jie thought for a while: "Why don't the emperor change his clothes first, and the concubines wash them with starch, and then put them on after drying."
Yuan Jing was silent for a moment, then hummed in a low voice.
Wu Jie turned around and went out to fetch water.
There was more than half of the water left, so she filled it with a silver basin, covered the water tank, and carried it up to the attic.
Pushing open the door of the study, she saw Yuan Jing was already lying on the couch, her eyes closed, and the clothes she had taken off were thrown aside. This guy is not polite, he looks like an old man.
Wu Jie approached angrily, trying to wake someone up, but soon realized something was wrong.
She called out in a low voice, Yuan Jing was lying on the bed without any movement.
Wu Jie quickly put down the water and walked quickly to the bedside. Yuan Jing's eyes were closed tightly, his face was flushed, and he was completely unconscious.
When she found him by the water before, she knew the situation was not good, but when she woke up, Wu Jie thought that he would gradually recover, but she didn't expect that the short waking and walking just now was just a flashback.
I tried pressing my hand on his forehead, and it was terribly hot, maybe it was because the temperature of her palm was cooler. Yuan Jing let out a low moan, but showed no sign of sobriety at all.
This appearance, I'm afraid it can't be explained by ordinary wind, cold and high fever.
Although Wu Jie doesn't know martial arts, she is very clear that these martial arts masters are far more resistant to diseases and trauma than ordinary people.
Wait, trauma, is he hurt?
Wu Jie hesitated for a moment, pulled down the thin quilt covering his body, and immediately looked at his chest. Sure enough, there was a red bloody mark on his left waist, because he had been soaked in water for too long before. , the skin and flesh rolled up, glowing white. The blood is gone, but the situation looks more serious than the bleeding.
Wu Jie is not a doctor, so she can tell that this injury cannot be overcome by force.
Because of her action of lifting the thin quilt, the cool wind poured in, and Yuan Jing's body trembled.
Wu Jie quickly put down the quilt, her gaze casually swept across his chest, but she was startled again.
Stare closely at the left side of his heart, where the skin is smooth and moist. Wu Jie suddenly felt suffocated.
She stretched out her hand and touched it slightly, making sure that there was no injury at all.
In her previous life, after she regained her favor, when the two were happy, she once saw a long, narrow and sharp scar on his chest. At that time, she was surprised that such a scar could be caused by a sharp weapon like a dagger inserted into his chest. Yuan Jing fought in the battlefield all the year round, and he also had some scars on his body, but none of them were so dangerous. Looks like an old injury from years ago.
She couldn't remember if she had this scar when she first entered the palace as a noble concubine. At that time, she was shy and asked to turn off the lights when she was favored, but she was no longer so delicate.
She was engrossed in watching it, but she didn't know when the bed partner woke up.
Seeing her staring at the scar on her chest, Yuan Jing at that time suddenly held her hand, pressed it there, and stared at her with a smile, "Does the princess feel sorry?" Something that Wu Jie couldn't figure out.
At that time, she didn't think deeply, but just pulled out her hand and said casually: "The emperor's words, my concubines don't understand."
...
At that time, she really didn't understand, but after reliving her life, she vaguely understood.
The moment Zihui killed her, the moment she knew that the person behind Zihui was Empress Chen.
She thought about the fact that she was suddenly offended and fell out of favor. It wasn't the concubine's framing, nor was it the emperor's rejection. It was Zifen who really did the "feat" of assassinating the emperor, which caused the earth-shaking change. Including Zifen, all the palace people around her were slaughtered, and she was reprimanded and imprisoned in the Changqiu Pavilion.
It was just speculation in the past, but now she saw the real evidence, Wu Jie didn't know what it was like.
Yuan Jing's left chest didn't have any scars at all.
Thinking back to the danger of that scar, even though several years have passed, its sharpness and ferocity still make people tremble.
Ha, Yuan Jing in her previous life couldn't be regarded as intact. Just when she fell out of favor, Yuan Jing fell seriously ill. It is said that it was because of the war in the Yelan Kingdom. She became sick from overwork and barely recovered after several months. Not as good as before.
At least in her previous life in the palace, Yuan Jing hardly practiced martial arts, and would fall ill once every spring.
In her previous life, she only got along with Yuan Jing for a few months. Afterwards, she was confined in a deep palace with no news, and she never noticed the difference. Now that think about it carefully, there are actually many clues.
At that time, Yuan Jing must have regarded herself as the mastermind. After all, it was her personal maid who did it. As the master, it is impossible for her not to know.
But he didn't kill himself, because he was concerned about the overall situation of Dongyue, or the affection he got along with during those few months, or both.
Wu Jie stood by the bed, dazed.
The past, said to be the last life, but in fact it was only four or five years ago...
A low moan and moan sounded, and Wu Jie woke up. By the way, he was still ill. With such a high fever, he couldn't delay any longer.
Wu Jie hurriedly moistened it with a towel, put it on his forehead, went to the table and poured a glass of warm water, and brought it to his chapped lips.
But Yuan Jing's situation was extremely bad. Most of the glass of water was spilled, and there were not even two mouthfuls of water in it. Wu Jie immediately realized that it was impossible to reduce the high fever with these means alone.
There must be herbs, preferably herbs that detoxify and dissipate heat, and the wound on the waist also needs to be bandaged.
The palace has just passed through this flood, where can there be medicinal herbs? The imperial hospital is at the east end of the palace, and there are several palaces and gardens away from Changqiu Pavilion. I will go out at night and take a walk, in case I encounter any chaos that has not been cleaned up.
But Yuan Jing's situation cannot be sustained without medicine.
After thinking about it, Wu Jie sighed, it's better to go out for a walk, I can't watch him really die here. It is also very troublesome to dispose of the corpse, especially the emperor's corpse. I don't want to be silenced or buried.
She covered Yuan Jing with a thin quilt, then put on a dark cloak, and hurried downstairs.
I looked around.
After working for so long, where is that girl Chi Rui? No one has been seen since just now.
On the river south of Capital City, Chen Jiao bit the bandage with his teeth, and behind him a young man with gentle eyes was helping him apply the medicine.
"Your Highness is too careless, why did you fall into an ambush?"
"Who knew that people from Lingbei Gao's family were so cruel and ruthless, they wanted to take away the ladder before the bridge was over." Chen Jiao sneered, grinning his teeth while touching the wound.
"It's because His Highness has wasted too much time. Now that you have got the goal, you should leave immediately, otherwise you won't give them a chance to act." Jiang Yue persuaded.
Chen Jiao didn't speak. Before he left Changqiu Pavilion in a hurry, he met the master sent by the Lingbei Gao family, trying to kill him.
He was afraid that these people would find Wu Jie's trace, so he had no choice but to lead them to fight farther and farther. When he was procrastinating, he accidentally fell into an ambush again. get rid of. Fortunately, Nan Chen also had support staff in the Great Wei capital, which allowed him to escape.
Jiang Yue led people to escort him, and hurried back to the fast boat that had been prepared long ago.
"There is nothing to let go of, let the subordinates wait for the effect. Your Highness is related to Guozuo. You must not take such risks again. The emperor is still waiting for you in Capital City." He continued to persuade.
Chen Jiao said helplessly: "I know." Jiang Yue was his childhood companion, and he followed him to Great Wei this trip, and also lurked in Capital City for several years.
After finally bandaging the wound, Jiang Yue packed up the medical bag, looked at the sky outside, and solemnly advised: "Your Highness, we can't delay any longer, we must set off before midnight, otherwise we may not be able to leave the Capital City boundary. "
Chen Jiao said in a deep voice: "Wait a little longer, count the time, and it's time to come back."
He was seriously injured and unable to travel, but he still arranged for his subordinates to take Wu Jie out by taking advantage of the chaos in the palace and the lax defense. hope the girl is not too frightened.
While waiting anxiously, when he heard hurried footsteps outside, his subordinate reported: "Your Highness, the girl you mentioned has already taken over."
Chen Jiao was overjoyed, and got up quickly, regardless of the injuries on his body.
When he went out the door, he saw the slim figure surrounded by three or four subordinates. He immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "It's frightening you, don't worry..."
After speaking halfway, she suddenly stopped, and the girl turned her head, her face full of horror.
Beautiful face, very familiar. But not the one he wanted.
Chi Rui stared at him with a hellish expression. She was waiting for her princess in the study, and was anxiously waiting, when suddenly a group of inexplicable people rushed in from the sky and took her away without explanation.
No matter how hard you struggle. It is impossible for her, a weak girl, to be the opponent of these guys who know martial arts.
Being taken out of the palace, he could only pray that his princess would not fall into the hands of these people.
In Chi Rui's mind, these vicious guys must be the remnants of the barbarians who invaded before. Seeing herself galloping all the way after being taken out of the palace confirmed her guess even more.
I was brought to this ship, and was panicking, when suddenly a handsome man appeared, the more looked at him, the more familiar was, where did meet him?
After distinguishing for a long time, Chi Rui finally recognized: "You are... Gui Po?"
Chen Jiao's complexion changed drastically, he turned his head and sternly asked the subordinates around him: "How do you do things?"
Several people were puzzled, but they knelt down quickly, and the leader argued: "There is only this girl in that attic."
Just as Chen Jiao was about to say more, two more subordinates approached quickly, and hurriedly said: "Your Highness, there are more than a hundred cavalrymen on the west side of the pier. They seem to be searching for something, and I'm afraid they will come here soon."
Jiang Yue immediately said: "Your Highness, there is no need to delay, let's set off and return immediately."
Chen Jiao suddenly raised his head and looked into the distance. As the cavalry approached, the noise continued to spread, and it was directed at him.
His heart sank.
In the west of Capital City, the mansion of Duke Yu.
The usual cold family is rarely lively. The original deep and huge inner house only lived in Gao Zimo, the young master. He also has a dull temperament, so the court is naturally neglected.
Now the real master returns. The whole mansion suddenly became lively like never before.
When Yin Changqing arrived with his men, he saw a long queue of carriages outside the door.
The steward rushed out to greet him, led the horse for him, and said with a smile: "They are all begging to see the general, and they have been lined up since yesterday."
As Gao Tanyu's direct love general, Yin Changqing certainly doesn't have to wait here to see him.
Under the envious eyes of many people queuing up outside the door, he followed the steward directly into the mansion, walked through the vestibule corridor, and entered the main hall.
Gao Tanyu was sitting on his seat, listening to his subordinates' reports.
He is over fifty years old, but he is still burly and has an extraordinary bearing. He naturally has a convincing majesty, which is the killing spirit cultivated by commanding the army for decades on the battlefield.
When Yin Changqing came in, he didn't raise his head, he just frowned and stared at the person who reported in front of him: "Have you searched all the ships by the pier before?"
"I searched again, but found nothing. It's just that three fast boats left the dock half an hour ago, two of which were intercepted by us, and the other one is still in pursuit." The general who responded was also one of Gao Tanyu's adoptive sons. , Kneeling on the ground with a little shame.
"If it's really South Chen's prepared escape route, once entering the river, it will be like swimming into the sea, and it will be difficult to get in." Yu Kai, the counselor on the other side, sighed.
Gao Tanyu also shook his head and said: "If we talk about time, I'm afraid he has already gone south. Forget it, there is no need to pursue, just withdraw your troops and come back."
He has just entered Beijing and has not yet gained a firm foothold. Capital City still has a lot of things to plan, and it is not good to provoke a war on the border at this time. Even this time, if it wasn't for the fact that South Chen and his group were not too much, good allies, he would not have been willing to do this kind of thing.
"This Mrs. Yuheng is very hateful. She even assassinated the queen mother, making it difficult for the general to be a man." Yu Kai said with righteous indignation.
Previously, the Gao family cooperated secretly with a force in South Chen, and South Chen's intelligence provided him with extremely important clues. It was even because of South Chen's assistance that he decided to rebel so quickly.
But didn't expect that this group of people deliberately tricked him before leaving. The death of the Queen Mother was unclear, and even the head disappeared, which would always arouse suspicion in those who are interested. The situation he had painstakingly created was broken by a corner.
Gao Tanyu's eyes fell on Yin Changqing: "How is the situation in the palace now?"
Yin Changqing went forward to report: "All the attendants in the Empress Dowager's palace have been disposed of, and a similar one has been sewn up on the head. The subordinates have followed the arrangement and spread the news in the palace that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill and died unfortunately."
Gao Tanyu nodded: "It's best for things to calm down, and the follow-up funeral should be prepared as soon as possible."
After a pause, he asked again: "You are in charge of the Linwei in the middle of the palace. Has Mrs. Yuheng been hiding Capital City for a year, but she hasn't discovered anything yet?"
Yin Changqing bowed his head and said: "The subordinates have also investigated carefully. This person's whereabouts are secretive. Before I speculated that she was hiding in the palace, but I couldn't be sure where she was hiding."
While talking, Gao Tanyu got up, and Yin Changqing followed behind him.
After the two left the room, Gao Tanyu asked a few more questions about the situation in the palace, then turned his head and said: "This trip was arranged in a hurry, thank you for your hard work."
Yin Changqing said in a respectful voice: "This is the job of the subordinate. It's just that the prince's side, I feel a little emotional."
Gao Tanyu snorted: "This kid is quite careless, so I kept the big things from him, not only from him, but also from Qionghua."
Yin Changqing lowered his gaze. In fact, Gao Tanyu not only hid Gao Zimo and Empress Gao from this incident, but he also received Gao Tanyu's secret letter when Di Renbing approached the city, informing him of the layout.
The soldiers made a dangerous move, and they were able to turn the tables in one fell swoop.
Yin Changqing hesitated for a while, and asked tentatively: "I don't know if the emperor led the troops to the north, and now..."
"Naturally, arrangements have been made for Yelan Country." Gao Tanyu smiled confidently. "There was a hint of sternness between the brows. I was still thinking about the status of a monarch and minister, so I couldn't do it like this. Who knew that the Yuan clan was so cruel and merciless. He was not benevolent, and I was not righteous."
After Gao Tanyu finished speaking, his expression quickly regained his composure. He patted Yin Changqing's shoulder and said with a smile: "Release Zimo a little more these days. Go see more."
Qionghua is the small character of Empress Gao.
Yin Changqing lowered his head and replied: "Yes."