Zhao Chuanyi let out a cold snort. "I say she's a spy from the enemy state, and that's what she is. I advise you not to make unfounded accusations and stir up trouble!"
Someone beside Zhao Chuanyi whispered, "General Zhao, but there's that letter from Prince Mingyang..." It clearly stated that not a single hair on the princess consort should be touched. Was General Zhao going to defy the imperial edict?
Zhao Chuanyi sneered coldly. "Letter? I did receive a secret letter demanding the immediate execution of the enemy spy. Men! Take the two of them away!"
"Hold it!" Wei Dongling now understood what was going on. It seemed that Li Mingyang had intended to protect her, but Zhao Chuanyi had simply ignored that and even distorted the truth just to get rid of her. Wei Dongling sneered. "I, the princess, was personally welcomed by your Xiliang envoys to be the princess consort of Xiliang! But as soon as I stepped into your Xiliang territory, you dared to be so arrogant and frame me as a spy from the enemy state! This is simply outrageous! Zhao Chuanyi! Where do you put my husband, Prince Mingyang? Where do you put all the Xiliang envoys? Do you think I won't go and complain to your king?"
Wei Dongling's quick - wittedness surprised Zhao Chuanyi. He sneered. "Fine, go and voice your grievances to our king! Take her away!" What this sentence implied to everyone was that the enemy spy would be presented to the king for a decision. But in fact, he had no intention of letting Wei Dongling see the sun the next morning.
Wei Dongling got anxious. She shouted at the leader of the Xiliang envoys who was standing there in a daze. "You! Did Prince Mingyang order you to protect this princess consort and ensure my safe return to the capital? Zhao Chuanyi has evil intentions and defies the imperial edict. He's rebelling! Since his attempt to assassinate me failed, he's now trying to frame me with a random charge and get rid of me secretly! Are you just going to stand by and watch him act recklessly? Let me ask you, if anything happens to me, will Prince Mingyang hold you accountable? Will he take your head as an explanation to our great dynasty?"
The leader of the Xiliang envoys already thought that Zhao Chuanyi's actions were inappropriate. After being reminded by Wei Dongling, he got flustered. He knew that every word the princess consort said was true. Given Prince Mingyang's affection for her, if something really happened to her, who could withstand Prince Mingyang's wrath?
The leader didn't hesitate anymore. He led his men forward to protect Wei Dongling and said coldly to Zhao Chuanyi, "General Zhao! We have our orders. Please don't make things difficult for us!"
Zhao Chuanyi was extremely shocked. He never expected that with just a few words, Wei Dongling could make a mere envoy leader stand up to protect her. Zhao Chuanyi's face darkened, and he sneered coldly. "You're just a low - level envoy. Incited by a villain, do you think you can stand in my way?"
There were thousands of Xiliang envoys. Although they were the elite guards carefully selected by Prince Mingyang, in front of Zhao Chuanyi's tens of thousands of troops, they were still insignificant.
The Xiliang envoy said calmly and coldly, "We only obey Prince Mingyang. If General Zhao insists on making things difficult for us, then we'll have to give it our best shot!"
Wei Dongling and Cuihuan exchanged a look, and a glimmer of hope ignited in their hearts. As long as the Xiliang envoys could hold Zhao Chuanyi off for a while, the two of them could find a chance to escape. By then, it wouldn't be that Murong Wanlin was reluctant to marry the Xiliang prince, but that the traitorous official Zhao Chuanyi had forced the prospective princess consort to flee in a hurry.
The leader led his men forward and pushed aside all the Xiliang soldiers surrounding Wei Dongling and Cuihuan, protecting the two of them behind him. The surrounding soldiers were at a loss. They couldn't kill their own people randomly, so they all looked up at Zhao Chuanyi.
Zhao Chuanyi roared with a dark face. "Our Xiliang prince has always been wise and sagacious. When has he ever been distracted by a mere woman? Those who aim to achieve great things should never act on emotions! If he can't bring himself to do it, I'll do it for him! Our Prince Mingyang can focus on his grand cause. I, Zhao, am willing to bear the infamy of a lifetime and pave the way for him. I'll cut off the emotions he should let go of! Men! Capture them all!"
The leader of the Xiliang envoys was extremely shocked upon hearing this. Seeing that Zhao Chuanyi was about to take action without hesitation, he didn't have time to hesitate. He immediately drew his sword and stood in front of Wei Dongling and Cuihuan. Although what Zhao Chuanyi said seemed to make some sense, the leader was leading Prince Mingyang's guard team. Even if it was a hopeless fight, he still had to show an attitude of protecting the princess consort. At least when his master got furious in the future, he could absolve himself of the crime, right?
Wei Dongling was quick - witted. She quickly grabbed Cuihuan's waist and fled through the window. With a loud crash, she kicked open the rickety wooden window, and in the blink of an eye, she and Cuihuan had run far away.
Their speed shocked everyone. Zhao Chuanyi reacted and chased out of the door, shouting, "Catch the two of them!"
"Yes!" The deputy general beside Zhao Chuanyi quickly stepped forward to command the drummers to beat the drums. The drums were loud and urgent. All the sleeping Xiliang soldiers were awakened and rushed out in a hurry after getting dressed.
There were flag - bearers directing from high places. The Xiliang soldiers didn't hesitate at all and rushed towards Wei Dongling and Cuihuan.
The leader of the Xiliang envoys didn't expect the princess consort to be so fast. He quickly chased after them and ordered all the guards to protect the princess consort and her maid.
The further Wei Dongling ran, the more uneasy she felt. Everywhere within a few miles was filled with the tents of the Xiliang soldiers! There were Xiliang soldiers chasing and blocking them all the way behind. Wei Dongling ran around in a panic, out of breath, in the snow. Cuihuan in her arms tightly held the dagger in her hand and stared intently at the people chasing them from behind.
Carelessly, a large group of troops rushed towards them head - on, blocking their way. When she tried to turn back, a large number of Xiliang soldiers surrounded them from behind.
Seeing that there was no way to retreat, several fierce Xiliang soldiers stepped forward to arrest them. Wei Dongling let out a silent wail in her heart. Not only was she unfamiliar with this place in Jiangcheng of Xiliang, but the footprints in the snow also made it impossible for her to hide. There were no high places to climb either. Her peerless light - body skill was completely useless!
In the distance, the roar of the leader of the Xiliang envoys came. "All of you step back! Don't be rude to the princess consort!" Then they saw him rushing over angrily with his subordinates.
Taking advantage of the confused look on the faces of the Xiliang soldiers who didn't know what was going on, Wei Dongling and Cuihuan exchanged a look and quickly hid behind the envoy.
In the distance, Zhao Chuanyi also rushed over quickly with his men. He glanced at Wei Dongling, who had almost escaped, and roared angrily at the leader, "You dare to stop me? It seems you're tired of living!" Then he waved his hand at the crowd. "Arrest those who defy the order!"
"Yes!" The roars of the Xiliang soldiers were deafening.
Soon, the two groups of troops clashed again and started fighting.