Why, why did Liu Liuyao's left hand press on a wound on her leg, blood staining her white dance dress red, and she stared at Zhou Xian with complex emotions in her eyes. Anger, hatred, regret, and most of all, confusion and puzzlement.
Zhou Xian's pure and beautiful face was almost distorted at this moment, and it was hard to tell whether he wanted to cry or laugh.
Yes, what she did was really incomprehensible. As the conspirator of this action, she was also the queen of the Southern Tang Kingdom. The enemy and us were clearly distinguished. Even if she was weak and couldn't do it, she didn't have the ability to do the work of an assassin; but at the critical moment, she suddenly turned against us and gave the enemy a warning. What did it mean
Even she herself doesn't quite understand.
The surrounding scene had become empty and void, even the women's screams became lonely and monotonous, and she turned a deaf ear to the noisy shouts. She felt that her soul had been taken away. The soldiers shouted and cursed angrily, swinging their weapons, but Zhou Xian was not afraid at all.
Responsibility, as a queen, she should be loyal to the country; concern, concern for her sister and relatives in Jiangning Prefecture; loyalty, the woman's code of conduct that a wife should uphold. Countless pressures, endless cocoons, originally wrapped her up, she had no other choice, there was only one way...
Perhaps if Zhou Xian is given enough time to think and weigh the pros and cons, she will eventually succumb to the cocoon of the world, because the consequences are foreseeable and the pros and cons are obvious; just like when she was in Tokyo, she still left and returned to the Southern Tang Kingdom.
However, this time she was not given the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons. In a rush, she saw the shining weapon and smelled the murderous intent in the air. Liu Liuyao's swordsmanship was quite good. Zhou Xian thought that she would be successful if she approached Guo Shao within a few steps. At that moment, Zhou Xian really felt that Guo Shao would be stabbed to death if he was not prepared.
So she followed her heart and couldn't control herself, shouting out: General Guo, that man is an assassin. Behind these words, how much pressure she endured and how much courage she mustered, probably only she knew.
She was not a courageous person, she was weak both inside and out. But she could not bear the result of Guo Shao being stabbed to death, especially if she could avoid it; if that happened, she would not be able to die with her eyes wide open, she felt that her soul would be buried with her.
Living in this world, she has only felt pain and emptiness in recent years. It was this man who soothed her wounds with his warm eyes. His eyes were like clean sunshine, awakening her love for life with his sincere heart. It was this man who made her no longer numb. For a short and fleeting affection, the price might be a bit high, but she couldn't control herself.
Zhou Xian turned his head and looked up. There were two warriors blocking his way in front of him. Through the gap between the two warriors, he could vaguely see Guo Shao with his head lowered. He said nothing.
The people in the big tent were in a mess with different expressions, but Guo Shao sat on the chair from beginning to end without moving, including when Liu Liuyao attacked, he stood there steadily. He was like a pillar in a pot of boiling water. Now he did not react either, as if he turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to all this.
Although he was behind the crowd, he still had an aura that intimidated the entire scene and brought order to this chaos.
Zhou Xian could see that this young man had gradually grown into a man of great stature and was no longer the simple warrior from the lower class as people had assumed.
Zhou Xian looked at him in silence, and tears finally slid down his cheeks quietly:
I will die, be disgraced and ruined, sacrifice myself as a pious tribute, and offer my soul to sacrifice this love. And you should live well; I believe that your life is worth it and you are more useful to the world.
I remember your domineering look when you looked at the sails covering the sky by the river. Your ambition will surely become a reality. You already have a great bearing, the qualifications to be a hero or even a lord, you own a vast land, and have the strength to command a group of tigers and wolves. Even if I can't see it, I can imagine that one day you will achieve a magnificent hegemony that has never been seen before or since.
I believe that you have a pure heart that loves the world, and that if you achieve hegemony, you will bring light and fire to the world. You will definitely do the great justice you mentioned, and will not let down the life and soul I offer to you today, and will make everything worthwhile.
Zhou Xian was awakened by the angry shout of a warrior who put down his sword and threw it away.
Zhou Xian's face was covered with tears and she looked at a loss. She looked down at the sword in her hand. It was a sword used for sword dancing, but it could also be used as a weapon. She did not put it down, but slowly raised it up.
Her action immediately alerted the soldiers, who had already raised their crossbows on the ground. Someone shouted: What do you want to do
At this moment, a voice suddenly said: Stop, don't hurt her
Guo Shao's voice was filled with anxiety and concern. Zhou Xian's cheeks became hot again, and new tears came out, but a charming smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she smiled at Guo Shao who stood up nervously.
Without pausing, she twisted her upper body slightly and quickly raised the sword to her neck. At this moment, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the sword tip. Blood immediately oozed out from the gaps between the fingers holding the sword tip. Zhou Xian was startled. She was a little blood-shy. Even though she was not afraid of death, she felt weak when she saw blood. When she looked up, she saw a young strong man standing in front of her. He was a young general that Zhou Xian had seen before and was often beside Guo Shao. His name seemed to be Lu Chengyong.
Lu Chengyong seemed not to feel any pain at all, and said expressionlessly: If the lord doesn't allow you to die, then you can't die.
At this time, Guo Shao had walked over quickly. He was the core of the central army tent, and when there was any movement, everyone's eyes were focused on him, and people looked at him with curiosity and surprise.
Liu Liuyao suddenly sneered and said: I finally know
Zhou Xian heard this rather teasing remark, which was obviously a mockery of her shamelessness and unfaithfulness. Her heart was churning, and all kinds of emotions were intertwined. She raised her head and looked at Guo Shao with pleading eyes: General Guo, please let me go, I am more miserable than death.
Guo Shao's face turned pale and blue, and he said firmly: If I can't even protect a woman, what kind of man am I
All the generals and the singing girls looked at him sideways. He took a breath and said, "Do you remember what I said when we first met yesterday? I told you, don't worry, I will take care of everything."
Zhou Xian did remember this sentence, but she didn't think much about it at the time.
Guo Shao's voice said again: But you didn't listen. Now I'll say it again, can you believe me? Just believe me once. Promise me now, don't rush to die, otherwise I will find it difficult to forgive myself.
Zhou Xian's body softened slightly when she heard this, and her excitement just now eased a little. She felt indescribably obsessed with the feeling of being cared for, valued, and treated with care.
She really didn't want to die. She was very attached to life at this moment and couldn't bear to give up this feeling.
At this moment, the envoy of Southern Tang suddenly fell to the ground with a thud. Everyone turned to look. The envoy looked pale and asked, "Who sent this assassin? He wants to put my Southern Tang in an unjust position. General Guo, I swear to heaven that my court has no knowledge of this matter."
Zuo You said coldly: Who has the courage to do this? Who selected these singing girls to do such a thing? Of course it was your king.
General Guo, please calm down. The envoy said hurriedly.
Guo Shao was furious and could not stop. He had long been aware of the assassination from various signs, but before the woman actually took action, he was not sure what she really thought, nor could he figure out why Li Yu would do such a thing and where he got the courage. After all, Li Yu was the king.
I feel angry and ashamed. This is because they think I am a soft eggplant and I am not afraid of my revenge.
Guo Shao managed to suppress his inner anger and chaotic thoughts. He exhaled, looked around, and then looked at the official lying on the ground, and said coldly: Envoy of the Southern Tang Kingdom, I should remind you that you must understand that the assassin's despicable actions tonight will have very serious consequences.
The envoy's face was pale and bloodless. As a bureaucrat who was familiar with government affairs, he should understand.
When Zuo You heard what Guo Shao said, he immediately stood up and said loudly: "The ruler and his ministers of the Southern Tang Kingdom are unrighteous and unjust, and Jiangning Prefecture is under tyranny. They actually used such despicable means to plot against General Guo. Generals, how can we tolerate this?"
Dong Zunhui was the most angry. He raised his fist as if he was going to hit someone and shouted: "The army has razed Jiangning Prefecture and the capital of Southern Tang to the ground. We must take revenge and kill Li Yu's entire family to appease our anger."
All the generals were very angry because they supported Guo Shao very much. Suddenly, there were shouts of fighting and killing in the tent, and a violent atmosphere quickly spread.
Zuo You turned to look at Guo Shao. Guo Shao had been silent for a while, and when he felt Zuo You's gaze, he turned to look at him. Guo Shao understood what he meant, and said at the right time: The war is imminent, and I am very pleased that you are brave and courageous. Our Great Zhou army is justified and will be invincible.
After hearing this, everyone shouted in anger: Invincible, invincible
Amid the noise, Guo Shao noticed Zhou Xian's appearance again. She looked haggard and tangled. Lu Chengyong was still standing beside him, clenching his injured hand into a fist to stop the bleeding. Guo Shao looked at his injured hand with a questioning look. Lu Chengyong clasped his fist and said: It's just a superficial injury, I'm fine.
Guo Shao nodded, patted his shoulder, moved closer and said in a deep voice: Keep an eye on the woman who hurt you, and send her back to my tent later.
I understand, Lu Chengyong said.
Guo Shao glanced at the remaining Southern Tang envoys and singing girls and said, "Keep them all under arrest and wait for the officials to convict them. Do not let anyone go, and do not let them leak the news."
The two generals saluted and replied: Yes.
He looked at Zhou Xian again, but did not show it too obviously, and left here with her. He was the first to walk out of the central army tent.