"Stop!"
Ji Junye's heart tightened. "Ji Huaiyan, don't hurt her!"
The King of Jin took in Ji Junye's worried expression. Seeing the always high - and - mighty Ji Junye show such an expression, he felt secretly delighted. His face was even a bit distorted with this sense of pleasure.
So Ji Junye also had times when he had to beg him?
"If you want me not to kill her, withdraw your troops!"
"Okay."
Ji Junye agreed.
"Let go of Qingqing, and I'll order them to retreat right now."
The King of Jin was stunned.
Did Ji Junye agree so easily?
He looked at Ji Junye's expression. There was no sign of falsehood. He clearly knew that withdrawing troops today might mean letting the enemy off the hook, but he still did it without hesitation.
Shen Qing meant so much to him.
The King of Jin suddenly let out a low laugh.
The more important Shen Qing was to Ji Junye, the more he couldn't let her live.
Why should Ji Junye and Shen Qing be able to live happily together while he had lost everything?
Even if he had to die, he would send Shen Qing to the underworld first!
"You retreat too! Everyone! Retreat thirty miles away from Hongzhou City!"
Shen Qing silently shook her head at Ji Junye.
But Ji Junye said, "Okay."
He raised his hand. "Withdraw the troops! Everyone, retreat thirty miles away!"
The deputy general knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, you can't do this! If we withdraw today, we may be letting the enemy off the hook, and there will be endless troubles!"
"Withdraw the troops!"
Sheng Mei was the first to respond. "The vanguard troops, retreat!"
As Sheng Mei retreated, Zhui Yun also led his right - wing army to retreat. Then the thirty - thousand - strong imperial army gradually withdrew.
Seeing everyone leave, the King of Jin heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at Ji Junye who remained under the city wall. "Aren't you leaving? Do you want to stay here forever?"
Ji Junye took a deep look at Shen Qing on the city wall. He silently left a message and then rode away on his horse.
Shen Qing could see what he said. He said, "Wait for me."
This time, she was holding him back.
The imperial army set up camp exactly thirty miles outside Hongzhou.
Many people were beating their chests and stamping their feet. What a great opportunity! If they had just gone all out, they might have taken Hongzhou City by now!
Just for a woman...
"Your Majesty!"
When the deputy general saw Ji Junye and was about to say something, he suddenly noticed that there were bloodstains on Ji Junye's hand.
He was shocked and ordered the people around him. "Your Majesty is injured?! Go and call the military doctor!"
"No need. I'm fine," Ji Junye said indifferently.
Just then, the deputy general saw his hand. The palm was a bloody mess.
The words of dissatisfaction were instantly swallowed.
He suddenly thought of the little princess in Tanzhou. Everyone in Tanzhou knew of His Majesty's affection for the little princess. He was fortunate enough to have seen it once and knew how much His Majesty cared about the little princess.
Many people had secretly speculated about the identity of the little princess's mother. But after seeing today, it should be the woman on the city wall.
His Majesty was just a man after all!
Seeing that the deputy general didn't respond for a long time, Ji Junye asked, "Do you still have something to say?"
The deputy general suddenly came to his senses. "I'll go and appease the morale of the troops first."
After today's incident, the morale of the troops must have been damaged. He had to appease them properly.
The Mansion of the King of Jin.
When everyone heard the news that the imperial army had withdrawn, they all heaved a sigh of relief.
Listening to the Rain Pavilion.
Concubine Song had better sources of information and naturally knew why the imperial army had withdrawn.
"Using someone's wife as a hostage. How despicable!"
Concubine Song cursed silently. She twisted the handkerchief in her hand, wondering how she had ever fallen in love with such a despicable and hypocritical man.
At this time, something was sent from outside. Yuhe took it and said in a low voice, "Concubine, there's news from the Song family. They said there's movement in the secret passage."
Concubine Song sneered.
Although she had been mentally prepared, when she really knew, she still spat on him in her heart.
This was the monarch they had sworn allegiance to. Once defeated, he would abandon the city and flee.
But how could she let him escape?
Concubine Song tidied herself up. "Come on. Go with me to see the king."
When Concubine Song arrived at the door of the King of Jin's study, the King of Jin originally didn't want to see her, but after thinking about it, he let her in.
"Your servant greets the king."
The King of Jin tried to make his expression look normal. "Why did you come at this time?"
The next second, Concubine Song knelt down with a thud, which startled the King of Jin.
He reached out to help her up. "What are you doing? Speak up if you have something to say."
But Concubine Song shook her head and refused to get up. "Your Highness, the current situation is very unfavorable to you. Although the imperial army has withdrawn, there's no guarantee that they won't come back. Your servant begs Your Highness to think about the overall situation and leave Hongzhou."
Although the King of Jin had already intended to retreat, his face still changed. He said seriously, "The more this is the case, the more I have to advance and retreat with the soldiers. I know what you mean, but you don't need to persuade me anymore."
Concubine Song sneered in her heart. If you're not running away, why did you send people to the secret passage?
But she didn't show a single bit of it on her face. She pleaded bitterly, "Your Highness, as the saying goes, as long as the green mountains remain, there'll always be firewood. As long as Your Highness is still alive, the pillar of the south of the Yangtze River will still be there. One day, you'll be able to make a comeback..."
"Most importantly, Your Highness is the sky of your servant. Your servant doesn't want to see anything happen to you..."
Concubine Song squeezed out two well - timed tears.
"You..."
The King of Jin was deeply touched.
"Your Highness, go! Your servant will ask the Song family to cover for Your Highness. We'll tell the outside world that your servant betrayed you and fled with the valuables..."
The King of Jin really didn't expect Concubine Song to go this far for him. "What are you talking about? How could I push all the blame onto you?"
"But your servant is willing. Your servant just wants Your Highness to escape safely. If anything happens to Your Highness, how could your servant live alone?"
The King of Jin mostly felt a sense of responsibility towards the women in his backyard. Although those women all said they loved him, he always thought it was very fake. But Concubine Song, she loved him so much that she could even give up her life and her good name after death.
How could he leave her alone to bear all this?
"No," the King of Jin helped Concubine Song up. "I won't leave you alone. You come with me."
"Your Highness..." Concubine Song stared blankly at him, almost in tears with gratitude. "Your servant is already very happy that you can say this..."
"Silly girl," the King of Jin picked up Concubine Song's hand and kissed it lightly on his lips. "After I find a place to settle down, I'll marry you. From then on, you'll be my only wife."
Concubine Song didn't care at all in her heart, but on the surface, she still had to pretend to be extremely grateful and touched.
After the two of them showed off their acting skills for a while and performed this fake affection to the fullest, Concubine Song tidied up her expression and gracefully returned to her Listening to the Rain Pavilion.
At the Hour of the Boar, because she needed to recuperate, Concubine Song asked for a carriage and returned to the Song family.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Concubine Song thought the king was about to fall and had found a way out in advance.
What they didn't know was that the king, who had been discussing matters with several military advisors and generals in the study just a moment ago, had left the mansion at some unknown time.