NFBE Chapter 660: Life and Death Duel in the Sea of Fire
Chapter 660: Life and Death Duel in the Sea of Fire
Upon hearing the news, Wei Xueyan thought that Zhu Junkai was Shi Tianyu's son and she must protect him. Otherwise, she would be uneasy when she saw Shi Tianyu again. So Wei Xueyan hurriedly asked Master Longxiang to "transmit the sound over a thousand miles" to Shi Tianyu, informing him that Zhu Junkai was demoted to the King of Xiliang and would immediately go to the northwest to take up his post. She also dispatched Master Longxiang, the "Five Qians", Shao Qicong, Kou Yanming, Dongfang Xiao and others to escort Zhu Junkai to Liangzhou.
Master Longxiang, Shao Qicong, Dongfang Xiao and others disagreed. They said that they must have the order of the Nine Thousand Year Old Man to leave the capital. Their attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees.
At this time, Wei Zhongxian was mourning over Zhu Youxiao's body!
Wei Xueyan was very smart and she suddenly realized that the mentality and attitude of the super-high-level martial artists such as Master Longxiang, Shao Qichong, and Dongfang Xiao had changed because of the new king's accession to the throne.
Perhaps, these people had already been secretly bribed by people sent by the new emperor.
~
Although Wei Xueyan hated Shi Tianyu for having many wives and concubines, she had already fallen in love with him in her heart.
Wei Xueyan had no choice but to protect Zhu Junkai, so she hurriedly went to Li Zhenhai and Murong Sheng for help, and made an extreme decision to ask Murong Sheng and Li Zhenhai to resign to protect Zhu Junkai.
In this way, Li Zhenhai and Murong Sheng can stay in Liangzhou permanently and protect Zhu Junkai.
Moreover, Wei Xueyan made her position clear that money and food would definitely not be a problem and they would definitely be provided with good supplies. As for the salary, it would definitely be increased more than tenfold for Li Zhenhai and Murong Sheng.
Moreover, Wei Xueyan immediately took out a few gold bricks and gave them to Li Zhenhai and Murong Sheng respectively.
~
Li Zhenhai and Murong Sheng both shook their heads and waved their hands. Neither of them took the gold bricks and were not moved by the money.
In official circles, they always maintain a clean style and never bow down for the sake of money.
Moreover, Murong Sheng refused to resign. He said that he was a servant of the court in life and a ghost of the court in death. In this life, he was only loyal to the court and the Emperor, and was not someone's pawn.
He said that after all, he was one of the "Embroidered Spring Swords" in the hands of the Emperor.
Wei Xueyan suddenly became very depressed and sad. Her eyes turned red and tears were about to fall.
So, Wei Xueyan gritted her teeth and said with a choked voice: "Okay! I'll go!"
However, she also knew that with her martial arts and He Xiangu and Ju Ping, she could not protect Zhu Junkai. The vast grassland, the thousands of miles of yellow sand, the desolate northwest, if Wan Yuankang really wanted to kill Zhu Junkai, how could Wei Xueyan and a few others resist?
~
Li Zhenhai blocked the way with his arm and said, "Princess, that's not what I meant. I will definitely follow your orders and go to the grassland to protect the prince on his journey west. So, princess, please don't misunderstand me. I just don't need these gold bricks. If I carry too many gold bricks, it will be a burden and it will be inconvenient to fight with others. Later, if I have difficulties in life, it won't be too late for you to help me."
At this moment, Murong Sheng also stated that there would be absolutely no problem for him to leave the capital now to protect the prince on his journey west. After escorting the prince safely to Liangzhou, he would immediately rush back to the capital.
Li Zhenhai immediately picked up his pen and wrote his resignation to the Jinyiwei Office.
With tears in her eyes, Wei Xueyan picked up the pen and wrote the word "agree".
At this time, Juping and He Xiangu had already neatly packed the tent, water and dry food and placed them on the saddle of the Arabian horse prepared for Li Zhenhai and Murong Sheng.
~
Li Zhenhai and Murong Sheng then rode out of the city at full speed and chased towards the west.
Li Zhenhai actually already knew that Zhu Junkai was Shi Tianyu's son. So, now, Li Zhenhai was more anxious than anyone else. He was really afraid that the warhorse would slow down and catch up with Zhu Junkai's body.
After Li Zhenhai and Murong Sheng left the capital, the "Two Xuanming Elders" Lu Conglin and Guo Songye also left the capital quickly, galloping towards the grassland. After Ju Ping received a "pigeon letter" from the Jinyiwei spy, she reported the news to Wei Xueyan.
~
Wei Xueyan gritted her teeth and said hastily, "Never mind, I don't want to be a bird princess. Fairy, Juping, you two go and call Chen Hai and Zhang Ziran and follow me to the grassland. Quick! I'll go first."
He Xiangu hurriedly crossed her arms to stop Wei Xueyan and said sadly: "Princess, if you do this, there is no turning back. And Shi Tianyu has many wives and concubines and countless sons. Is it worth it for you to do this for him?"
Wei Xueyan's handsome face flushed red, but she said firmly: "Nothing is worth it. I just went to save the prince, not for Shi Tianyu." After that, she pushed He Xiangu away with one hand and left.
However, Ju Ping stopped Wei Xueyan with her arms crossed and said sadly: "Princess, once you take this step, there is no turning back. Next, the Ninth Thousand Years Old Man may be implicated by you."
~
Wei Xueyan was stunned, feeling extremely sad. It was really hard to choose, and tears immediately streamed down her cheeks. She had to save the son of her beloved, but on the other hand, her father's safety was at stake. She was worried about her own safety. What should she do? What should she do?
However, Wei Xueyan was startled for a moment, then raised her sleeves to wipe her tears, and said, "What my father did was his own fault, and he cannot blame anyone else. Moreover, he abandoned his wife and daughter, which is already unjust. How can I, a weak woman, be able to protect a 9,000-year-old man whose power is second only to the emperor? Moreover, my father controls more than 200,000 Jinyiwei! For so many years, he has only been busy recruiting soldiers, but never asked where the money and food to support more than 200,000 people came from? In the past few years, it was Shi Tianyu who fed more than 200,000 people. Okay, stop talking nonsense. If you are willing, go find Chen Hai and Zhang Ziran and follow me. If you don't want to, don't stop me. Let's say goodbye forever!"
After saying that, he pushed Juping's hand away and trotted away. From the corridor on the third floor, he stepped on his feet, flew down, jumped on his horse, and rushed out of the Jinyiwei office.
She psychologically convinced herself to put the country first, protect Shi Tianyu's son, and protect her beloved.
As long as Shi Tianyu does not fall, the Ming Dynasty court can still be saved and the Ming Dynasty will not fall into Nurhaci's hands.
Wei Xueyan felt better after convincing herself with this reason.
So she rode her horse out of the city and headed west.
~
Wan Yuankang and others who escorted Zhu Junkai all rode top-quality horses.
Zhu Junkai sat in a carriage, accompanied by the four beauties of plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo, and guarding the carriage were Qingqing, An Yinqi and Li Yiyu and his wife. Leading the way was Shi Sanbing with a group of guards, and the rear was Wan Wankangbing with a group of soldiers.
We set out in the morning and by noon we had crossed many mountains and entered the grassland.
They took a short rest, ate some dry food and replenished some water, then set off again at Wanyuankang's urging.
Qingqing tried to persuade Wanyuankang, saying that the prince was only a six-year-old child after all, and might not be able to bear such a hasty journey.
Wanyuankang coldly asked Qingqing: "Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?"
Qingqing's pretty face also changed color, and she said coldly: "What do you think you are, a mere commander of the imperial guards? I am the daughter of Madam Fengsheng, so what? Do you want to go back to the palace to confront my mother?"
Wanyuankang snorted angrily, turned around and rode away, leading the way.
In this way, Qingqing had no way to persuade Wanyuankang anymore.
~
dusk.
The endless flat grassland has been dyed with autumn colors, and the grass is rolled into curls, scattered like stars in the golden color.
The rivers, lakes and forests embedded in it make the grassland colorful and harmonious between movement and stillness.
There were also some herdsmen cutting grass. They harvested the yellow grass and tied it into strong bales half a person's height. They scattered them in an orderly manner on the slopes of the hillside. They were yellow, crispy and round, like harmonious three-dimensional patterns on a carpet.
~
Wan Yuankang and Shi San led a group of people disguised as imperial guards, including Wan Shenle, the leader of the "Yanyan Gong", and his disciples Wan Nengshan, Wan Duliu, Wan Qianzheng, Wan Shijia and others, who had escorted Zhu Junkai to the grassland and had walked more than 600 miles.
Wanyuankang rode his horse to the carriage and suggested that Zhu Junkai rest on the grassland for a night before continuing.
Wanyuankang also pointed to the small hill in front and said that the hill could block the wind at night. If a wild wolf attacked, everyone could climb trees and escape quickly.
Zhu Junkai nodded, his face showing melancholy.
He is very smart, but too young.
Wan Yuankang was also the commander of the Imperial Guards, and his authority was evident.
An Yinqi and Li Yiyu were just cooks.
"Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum and Bamboo" and Qingqing were only palace maids at that time.
There are also two eunuchs.
How can such a team compete with Wanyuankang’s authority?
What's more, if Wanyuankang really launches an attack now, Zhu Junkai and his team will be destroyed by Wanyuankang, and they will probably die unjustly and tragically, and will never be discovered.
~
Ah! Difficult! Therefore, Zhu Junkai, who was still young, looked melancholy.
In the carriage, he whispered to "Mei Lan Ju Zhu" that he would quietly get rid of Wan Yuankang and others as soon as it got dark and midnight arrived. "Mei Lan Ju Zhu" and other four beauties also agreed with concern.
Mei Qing would occasionally lift the curtain of the carriage, and would whisper to Qingqing, the horse-riding guard standing beside the carriage.
~
Qingqing also agreed. She had seen that Wanyuankang, Shi San and others were not good people. Their appearances were in their hearts. Wanyuankang and others had evil intentions. But now, it was still daytime. There was no way to hide in the prairie. There was no way to avoid Wanyuankang and others. She could only wait patiently for the night to fall and use the cover of darkness to escape.
~
So Wanyuankang and others went to set up tents.
At dinner, everyone ate roasted lamb legs bought from the Beijing Roast Whole Lamb Restaurant. Wan Wankang, Shi San and others drank some wine, while the others gathered around Zhu Junkai to drink water and eat roasted lamb.
After dinner, the sky was dark and the curtains fell. On the grassland, the withering autumn leaves, the loneliness of the autumn wind and the beauty of the autumn night were all visible.
The wild wolves howled and began to rush towards the tent of Zhu Junkai and others in groups.
Wanyuankang hurriedly ordered the guards to cut the grass with knives and to light piles of fire around the cut grass.
The wolves that came around were afraid of fire and did not dare to cross the fire, let alone the grass belt. They just surrounded the grass belt and howled from time to time. The sharp howl was very piercing and frightening.
Soon, more and more wild wolves surrounded them.
~
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and the fire spread rapidly, crossing the narrow grass strip and burning the trees around the tent. The flames seemed to be dancing like thousands of golden snakes. In an instant, they had burned the tents and surrounded Zhu Junkai, Qingqing and others in a sea of fire.
Wan Yuankang shouted, "Your Highness, I will lead my troops to fight our way out." After that, he led his men to fly away, and they all jumped out of the burning area which was dozens of feet wide.
On the periphery, suddenly countless people who looked like herdsmen threw bundles of dry and yellow grass into the burning area.
Then, the burning area became wider and wider, and the entire surrounding area of hundreds of feet was engulfed in a sea of fire.
The wild wolves screamed and fled the scene.
Thick smoke was everywhere and Wanyuankang couldn't see clearly what he was doing. Qingqing, "Mei, Lan, Ju, Zhu", An Yinqi and his wife, Zhu Junkai and others couldn't see clearly.