The Fifth Princess? Murong Wanlin?
Cold sweat rolled down Jingzhe's forehead.
The Crown Prince leaned over, looking into Jingzhe's terrified eyes, and slowly asked, "The girl you saved was raised by Wei Jiang, wasn't she? Do you think that when Prime Minister Su was in trouble back then, he might have anticipated Concubine Chen's misfortune? So he sent his most loyal dog, that Wei Jiang from the Ghost Seven Sect with excellent lightness skills, to somehow sneak into the palace, take something away, and flee to other places?"
Jingzhe didn't dare to think deeply. Wei Jiang's desperate pleas before his death were still vivid in his mind.
Could it be that Wei Dongling was really not Wei Jiang's biological daughter as the Crown Prince said, but the Fifth Princess of the current dynasty who should have died in the fire back then?
No wonder at the horse - training ground, the people from the Zhao Mansion kept asking about her relationship with Wei Jiang. It seemed that they accidentally noticed her extraordinary lightness skills and vaguely guessed her true identity. The Zhao Mansion would rather kill by mistake than let her go!
No wonder even after the Zhao family lost power, they still sent people to assassinate her at all costs, even mobilizing Nanny Gao beside Queen Zhao!
Now, even the Crown Prince had vaguely guessed her true identity. I'm afraid the Crown Prince would never let Wei Dongling go in the future!
Cold sweat streamed down Jingzhe's forehead. His whole body trembled uncontrollably. He kowtowed and pleaded, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, forgive my ignorance! I really had no idea!"
The Crown Prince sneered, "I didn't expect my imperial sister to be so capable. When I first saw her, she was flirting with Yu Zixi in the General's Mansion. Later, I caught her hugging Shangguan Yun ambiguously in Master Kong's yard. In the palace, she was loyal and rescued Miss Qi. Now even you are willing to protect her. Her means make even me feel inferior."
Jingzhe said in panic, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, I'm truly loyal to you without any second thoughts! Heaven and earth can testify to my feelings!"
The Crown Prince lifted Jingzhe's chin and said contemptuously, "I naturally trust you. Over the years, you've handled the tasks I assigned quite well. But I didn't expect that you would step in where you shouldn't."
Jingzhe kowtowed in a hurry and said, "I deserve to die. Please punish me, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The Crown Prince stared at Jingzhe on the ground for a long time without saying a word. After a while, he ordered, "I have something for you to do. All the male members of the Zhao family will be exiled to serve in the army, and the female members will be exiled to the desolate areas. After today's encounter, I underestimated the Zhao Mansion. It's really more powerful than I thought. You go with them. Don't leave a single person from the Zhao family alive. As for the capital, you don't need to worry about it."
Jingzhe knew that the Crown Prince wasn't punishing him but just sending him away from the capital. He estimated that he would never be allowed to come back.
Well, so be it. Jingzhe sighed silently in his heart. He quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude and then withdrew after receiving the order.
When Wei Dongling rushed to the Yamen of the Ministry of Punishment with a group of officers and soldiers, the black - clothed men of the Zhao family had retreated completely. They even took away the corpses on the ground.
All the uncles' clothes were tattered, and their bodies were full of arrow wounds. Even Ruan Niang was in the same situation!
Especially Luo Xunlong. In order to rescue Cuihuan, there was still a broken arrow in his chest. At this moment, his face was already pale and blood was gushing out.
Cuihuan hugged Luo Xunlong with red eyes. When she saw Wei Dongling coming, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
Uncle Li didn't know when he was shot in the leg. He limped forward and wanted to pick up Luo Xunlong. In the end, Yu Haiming picked him up, got on the horse, and took him back.
Uncle Li came to see Old Master Su. When he saw the wound on Wei Dongling's shoulder, his eyes instantly turned red with distress. He helped Old Master Su and led everyone back.
Lord Shen rushed over in a hurry after hearing the news. After learning what had happened, he was so angry that his goatee trembled. He immediately ordered an investigation. Then he quickly sent a servant to the palace to invite the imperial doctor. He led several medical officers from the palace into the Listening Wind Tower in a hurry to help treat everyone.
Luo Xunlong was in the most critical condition. A Cheng's face was as white as a sheet. He carried out basin after basin of bloody water. Everyone was extremely worried.
A female medical officer came to check Wei Dongling's wound. Seeing that the knife wound was deep enough to see the bone and still bleeding, she quickly stopped the bleeding for her.
Wei Dongling, pale - faced, looked at Cuihuan who was anxiously pacing around her. She gave a weak smile, indicating that she was okay. This smile made Cuihuan's tears fall one by one.
At this moment, Zhao Chuanyi, who had been stripped of his official position, along with 62 male members of his family, was being escorted by 200 officers and soldiers to the border to serve in the army.
They marched north for five days, and the climate became colder and colder.
The mountain road was rugged. A group of people stumbled along when suddenly they heard a deafening noise. Looking up, they saw a pile of rocks rolling down.
The officers and soldiers didn't care about the prisoners and rushed away with their heads in their hands. Some who couldn't dodge in time were hit by the boulders and died on the spot. Some were knocked off the cliff.
In the chaos, these officers and soldiers could only run for their lives.
After the rocks stopped for a while, they came back to look for people. They only saw a bloody and tragic scene. Some of the prisoners were missing. They didn't know if they had fallen off the cliff.
A group of officers and soldiers returned the same way to report.
In a hidden place on the mountain path, several black - clothed men quickly untied the shackles on Zhao Chuanyi's body.
A man in a black cloak bowed and said, "We're late. Please forgive us, Lord Zhao."
Zhao Chuanyi waved his hand. Dragging his lame leg, he turned back to look at the noisy officers and soldiers under the cliff. A fierce look flashed in his eyes. He couldn't help sighing, "I thought my Zhao family fought bravely for him to eliminate his enemies. Now, we've ended up like this. Isn't it ridiculous?"
The black - cloaked man smiled faintly, "You're about to be promoted and make a fortune, Lord Zhao. Why be so melancholy?"
Zhao Chuanyi glanced at the black - clothed man and nodded to himself, "You're right. For the great cause, these are nothing."
The black - clothed man laughed, "Exactly!"
Zhao Chuanyi asked, "How about the arrangements for the female members of my Zhao family?"
The black - clothed man bowed and said, "Don't worry, Lord Zhao. We've sent people to pick them up. They'll come and join us soon."
"Good."
At the Listening Wind Tower, Ruan Niang was already exhausted after treating everyone with the medical officers. Fortunately, Luo Xunlong, who was on the verge of death, finally survived.
When the wound on Wei Dongling's shoulder was being sutured after being smeared with strong liquor, she almost fainted from the pain.
Wei Dongling lay on the bed, biting a handkerchief. Cold sweat poured down. Her whole body trembled like a sieve. She grabbed Cuihuan's hand and mumbled incoherently, "Huanhuan, come and have a look. Am I going to die?"
Cuihuan's eyes were red. She took out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from Wei Dongling's forehead and whispered soothingly, "Don't think nonsense. You'll be okay!"
Later, when Ruan Niang applied ointment and bandaged the sutured wound, Wei Dongling let out a scream. People outside the door rushed over to check.