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Yuan Cixian was unable to recover immediately. After these words echoed in her head three times, she suddenly turned over, put on her clothes, got off the bed, moved the door and asked, "What's the matter?"
Jianzhi said solemnly: "The Queen and the Thirteenth Prince were kidnapped from the palace one after another."
She tightened her grip on the door frame and said angrily, "Are those people in the palace dead? Explain it more clearly."
"It was Concubine Xue. Concubine Xue did something that caused the Queen to be kidnapped, and then the Thirteenth Prince also disappeared."
Yuan Cixian’s whole body stiffened and her heart sank to the bottom of the valley.
She knew the real reason why Xi Ju started the rumors.
Since Xi Ju was able to learn the location of the secret passage in Xu's house from Shao He, he must have known who finally ascended the throne in the previous life. Emperor Huining was dead, and what he wanted now was nothing more than the life of the future heir of the Great Zhou. There were two possibilities for the heir, one was Zheng Zhuo, who was judged according to the situation, and the other was Zheng Hong, who was learned from Shao He.
Zheng Zhuo is not easy to approach, so Xi Ju should start with Zheng Hong. However, Lu Shiqing has also made arrangements in the Daming Palace to protect Zheng Hong. It should be very difficult for him to succeed, at least he cannot do it by force.
Therefore, he used a trick and found the only loophole in Daming Palace, a loophole that neither Lu Shiqing nor Zheng Zhuo had guarded against, that is, the latter's biological mother Xue Cairen. They might protect Xue Cairen's safety, but they didn't think about guarding against her actions.
Xi Ju spread the rumor to achieve two goals: first, to cause the old emperor to send the empress, who was the master of the harem, to place Xue Cairen under house arrest, thus provoking the first conflict between the two women; second, to ask Zheng Zhuo to get rid of the old emperor in advance. Without a new ruler, and with chaos in the palace, the empress would take the initiative to preside over the discussion among the court officials on who would inherit the throne in order to gain support. This would provoke the second conflict between them.
Xue Cairen has been out of favor for so many years. She has watched Zheng Zhuo being oppressed and bullied since he was a child, and she has not done anything for him. Now that the situation is critical and her son has not returned to the court, she must be extremely anxious. At this time, if someone instigated her and told her that getting rid of the queen might suppress the controversy in the court, she would probably really try it.
And why did the Thirteenth Prince suffer after the Queen was abducted
Because Shaohe is also a key link.
At this point, Yuan Cixian thought that Shaohe probably didn't betray the Great Zhou out of her heart. Maybe it was torture or drugs that Xiju forced some information out of her, but it didn't make her cooperate willingly. So, he kidnapped her mother and threatened her to exchange the thirteenth prince.
On the Nanzhao side, the only person who could quietly take the Thirteenth Prince away was Shao He. For her, she only needed to sneak into the Daming Palace, and then she didn't even need to use force, just a few words of coaxing, and she could get Zheng Hong, who was still young, had little knowledge of people, and trusted her sister wholeheartedly, to go with her.
Then, the defense of the palace is likely to be useless.
As for why Shao He sacrificed her brother to save her mother, Yuan Cixian thought there might be two reasons. First, this brother is a half-brother after all, and is closer to her than her biological mother. Second, she knew that Xi Ju would not kill her brother directly, but would use him to lure out Zheng Zhuo. With Zheng Zhuo's intervention, her brother would most likely eventually escape danger and ascend the throne smoothly as he had in his previous life.
But Yuan Cixian was afraid of this fate, because if Zheng Zhuo was safe, it would make no sense for Zheng Hong to ascend the throne.
She figured this out and suddenly asked, "Did the Sixth Prince return to the capital safely?"
Picking up branches and shaking his head.
She paced back and forth twice, calmed down, and said, "Whether I can rush to help or not, I can't just sit there and wait for death. Send someone to follow me back to Da Zhou."
After she finished speaking, she saw her father hurriedly approaching from behind Jianzhi. He probably also got the news and said to her, "Dad, take someone there."
Yuan Cixian shook his head and said, "You should stay in the Uighurs to deter the Turks. The battle with the Turks is a head-on confrontation, and I can't do much here, but over the years, I have gotten to know Xiju well, and I am somewhat confident in dealing with him. Besides, the saint has passed away, and the court is in chaos. Right now, no one has the energy to pay attention to our Yuan family, and there will be less resistance when I go back, so don't worry."
Yuan Yizhi knew that his daughter was right. The country comes first, and the family comes second. There is no reason to be selfish at this time. He gritted his teeth and said, "Dad will send troops to escort you, and ask your brother to go with you. You two brothers and sisters must take care of each other and be careful."
Yuan Cixian nodded, quickly packed his luggage, and led his men out of the Uighur border overnight.
She had said that one day, there would be a place in the four regions where she could use her talents. Even if it was to the farthest corners of the world, she would go.
*
Yuan Cixian changed his clothes and headed south, successfully taking the shortest shortcut.
At first, she was surprised that the tactics she had prepared to avoid border searches were not used at all. After entering the country, she learned that the country could not be without a monarch for a day. The queen and the thirteenth prince were abducted one after another, and the controversy in the court was suppressed. Zheng Zhuo's officials had successfully pushed him to the throne and stabilized the situation in the capital, waiting for him to return and ascend the throne. At the same time, these court officials who had worked with Lu Shiqing for many years and knew the inside story also faked the death of the Yuan and Lu families and withdrew the wanted orders throughout the Great Zhou.
Zheng Zhuo was only one step away from becoming the legitimate emperor of the Great Zhou, but Yuan Cixian did not feel at ease at all, especially after confirming with the capital that he had not returned to Chang'an and had not been heard from for a whole day and night, she was even more worried. According to the itinerary, he should have entered the capital, but now there was only one possibility, Xiju used Zheng Hong to lure him back.
The officials under him did not dare to let the news spread, for fear that the Great Zhou would really be in chaos and his surname would be usurped by a few ministers with ulterior motives in the court. They only said that he was on the way to deal with some matters and would return to the capital soon.
But Yuan Cihan knew that this matter could not be kept secret for too long. The smart people in the court would soon notice something was wrong and make some associations. She had to find Zheng Zhuo and Zheng Hong as soon as possible to stabilize the situation in the Great Zhou.
And obviously, there are more people looking for them than just her and her brother.
Three days later, after searching everywhere, she entered Jiannan Road and met Chen Zan, a close confidant of Zheng Zhuo.
This was not a good sign. When Zheng Zhuo went south to pretend to pursue Lu Shiqing, Chen Zhan was supposed to be by his side.
As expected, when the young man saw her and Yuan Yu, he had no time to be surprised or ask questions, and was in a panic. Chen Zhan said that when Zheng Zhuo was ordered by the emperor to return to the capital, his military power was taken back. The army that had originally followed him out of the capital was on standby due to the emperor's order, and all actions were suspended. So he was left with only a group of close confidants.
On the night when the Thirteenth Prince was kidnapped, Zheng Zhuo got the news and quickly turned back to chase him because he found that the kidnapping route just passed him. At first, his followers followed him, but after encountering several waves of assassins, they suffered heavy casualties, and most of the survivors were scattered. In the end, there were fewer and fewer people, and even Chen Zhan separated from him to help him escape during a battle, and they lost contact since then.
Zheng Zhuo didn't chase after him blindly. He should have tried to pass the message to the capital, but he was probably intercepted by the other party. So now, Chen Zhan and the troops from the capital can only look for him all over the world based on the marks he left in the wild.
Yuan Cixian found out the situation, confirmed the mark with him, and then asked him to divide the troops into several groups. After making overall arrangements, he personally pursued the enemy in the south.
There is a reason for choosing the south.
In the past few days, she has also been paying attention to the news about Shi Cui and Cao An. She learned that with the help of the Great Zhou, the two have successfully misled Xi Ju and lured him to go north in person and lead people to chase in their direction.
Now, she only needed to use the route that Shi Cui and Cao An had taken to lure the enemy to find his whereabouts. Once she found him, she would not be afraid of not having news about Zheng Zhuo and Zheng Hong. This was a safe way to work on both fronts.
Late at night two days later, Yuan Cixian settled down near Shiyu River east of Shuzhou, intending to ask everyone to rest for half the night before setting off again. However, he was awakened by the news brought by Chen Zhan just after closing his eyes for half an hour.
In the past two days, whenever there was a break, Yuan Cixian ordered everyone to take turns to rest, and sent a team to search nearby in order to not miss any information. And Chen Zhan brought back information about Zheng Zhuo's whereabouts: he found a mark in the woods on the other side of the river.
Yuan Cixian finally felt a glimmer of hope after hearing the news. At least up to this point, Zheng Zhuo was still safe, and because he was safe, Zheng Hong should also be fine.
She immediately organized a team and ordered everyone to search the woods. Soon after, she found several more marks and went through Shuzhou into Qiongzhou overnight. When they reached Tongguan Mountain, they lost contact again.
The clouds broke and the sun rose. Everyone was sweating profusely, partly because of the heat and partly because of anxiety, fearing that they would run all the way and miss Zheng Zhuo again. At the foot of the mountain, Chen Zhan asked Yuan Cixian where to chase him next.
Yuan Cixian frowned, picked up a tree branch and drew on the mud. After thinking for a while, he was about to point to the east when he suddenly stopped.
Chen Zhan wanted to ask what happened, but just as he opened his mouth, he heard what happened - there was the sound of horse hooves from the east, and it was a person.
If it was just one person, it would be unlikely that he was an enemy. He was ecstatic, and he stared intently along with Yuan Cixian, who was stiff with nervousness. Everyone else also held the hilt of the knife, nervously tightening and then loosening it, loosening it and tightening it again.
In the past five days, after tracking and missing again and again, everyone has reached the end of their strength. It's not their bodies, but their hearts that have grown colder.
What they are looking for is not only Zheng Zhuo, but also the hope of Da Zhou.
And now, this voice brought everyone back to life, but they were also afraid that it was just like all the signs along the way, which were all in vain.
The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, and everyone was holding their breath until a figure in black armor appeared on the horizon at the end of the wilderness. He rode straight up into the morning sun, galloping all the way, with the black tassel in his hair pulled straight by the wind, like a fluttering flag.
The string in Yuan Cixian's head that had been broken for days suddenly relaxed. At the same time, her legs went limp and it seemed as if all the strength in her body had been drained away. Fortunately, she managed to steady herself by holding on to a tree branch.
When they saw clearly that the man on the horse was indeed Zheng Zhuo, and that he was holding the young Zheng Hong in his arms, everyone was so excited that they even forgot to ride their horses to greet him. They just stared at him like a group of fools, waiting for him to get closer.
It was Yuan Cixian who reacted first. She let out a long sigh and said with a smile, "What are you all standing there for? Go and answer it..."
Before she could finish her words, a horse neighed in the distance, followed by a loud "bang".
The smiles on everyone's faces froze, and when they saw that it was Zheng Zhuo who had lost his strength and accidentally fell off his horse, they rushed forward in anger.
Yuan Cixian, however, remained motionless like a carved stone. She seemed to see a heavy arrow piercing the back of the man who had fallen off his horse.
Suddenly, she seemed to hear nothing for a moment, and then, the next moment, countless people's screams and shouting suddenly flooded into her ears.
She could clearly recognize Zheng Hong's voice, he was crying and calling "Sixth Brother".
Yuan Cixian's hand trembled and he ran away wildly.
When she got to Zheng Zhuo, she saw his injuries clearly. A heavy arrow had shot into his back, hitting a vital spot, and the skin around the wound seemed to have turned black and necrotic. Judging from the color, it must have been at least three hours.
Being in such a critical position, he would have died when hit by the arrow, but he miraculously held on for three hours and survived. It was only until he saw her and Yuan Yu just now and knew that Zheng Hong was safe that he became distracted and fell off his horse.
This arrow, coupled with three hours of holding on, has made all the difference.
Yuan Cixian stood there in a daze, unable to move.
Zheng Zhuo struggled to prop up his arm, but he didn't look at her. Instead, he turned to Zheng Hong and panted, "... You are a real man, why are you crying?"
Zheng Hong tried desperately to wipe away his tears, but the more he wiped, the more tears came. The six-year-old child also saw the situation clearly, and said in a choking voice: "Sixth brother, don't die, don't die... I, I haven't finished learning martial arts from you. Last time, you said that we should set a date to fight together..."
Zheng Zhuo's face quickly turned pale after he fell from his horse. He forced a smile and said, "Sixth brother is not dead, but he may not be able to fight with you for the time being, and he can't return to Beijing. You promised Sixth brother that you will help him manage the court for a few years, and then..." When he said this, he coughed and vomited a mouthful of bright red blood.
“Zheng Zhuo…!” Yuan Cixian suddenly squatted down, grabbed his hand and tried to feel the temperature of his palm.
After she finished shouting, he stopped talking again. Zheng Zhuo turned his head to look at her, knowing that he could not hold on any longer and could not say more roundabout words to the child, so he told Zheng Hong: "Listen carefully to what Minister Lu and the county lady say in the future."
Then he looked at Yuan Cixian again and said with a wry smile: "The Great Zhou... can only be handed over to you."
Da Zhou can only be handed over to you.
This sentence is almost exactly the same as in the dream.
Yuan Cixian's eyes were hot and tears welled up, as if because she failed to save Zheng Zhuo's fate, and because she failed Lu Shiqing. She nodded desperately: "Don't worry, don't worry... No one can bully Hong'er, and no one can invade Da Zhou. For ten or twenty years, I will guard it, we will guard it..."
Zheng Zhuo forced a smile: "Don't cry, if he knows, he will be jealous again..."
Yuan Cixian choked, tears welled up in her eyes, and she kept shaking her head, not knowing what else to say.
Zheng Zhuo looked at her, his eyes gradually becoming blurred. Before he lost consciousness, he suddenly saw a strange scene.
He saw himself sitting at a stone table in the back garden of the Prince's Mansion, while Yuan Cixian was facing him, throwing out a pair of five woods. After throwing them, he looked at them and said proudly: "I said I will definitely win this time, but you still don't believe it!"
When he heard the word "you guys", he felt strange. Looking to the side, he saw Lu Shiqing sitting there wearing a "Xu Shan" mask.
He wondered in amazement, how could Yuan Cixian play Wumu with him, and how could Lu Shiqing be so calm and not get jealous? It was indeed the case that when a person is about to die, he will have hallucinations.
He smiled helplessly, and his hands bent at his sides dropped down as if they were exhausted.
Yuan Cixian looked at Zheng Zhuo's tightly closed eyes, and seemed to hear a distant voice slowly approaching, until it was close to her ears, then spread away again, and finally became so loud that it could stop the moving clouds.
That voice said: Father likes to play the game of power, but the game of power can cure Father's heart disease, but it can't rule Father's world. I want to make the rotten wood in the world rejuvenate, the dead grass regenerate, the talented and ambitious people have their talents to use, the common people have happiness to enjoy, and all the countries in the eight directions congratulate our great Zhou for its prosperity, but dare not go beyond the line.
She stood up stiffly amid the cries of people all around her, slowly clenched her fists, looked in the direction of Chang'an, and recited word by word: "Virtue educates the people, justice treats scholars, courtesy stabilizes the country, law governs the country, martial arts stabilizes the four regions, and benevolence cultivates the world."
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