The head of the Song family still maintained his previous posture. He playfully twirled the ring on his finger twice and glanced at Xu Yanchi with a half-smile. "Lord Xu, are you threatening me?"
The next second, the head of the Song family clapped his hands. "Then it depends on whether Lord Xu has the ability to leave here."
As his voice faded, the servants guarding outside burst through the door and surrounded the once-empty main hall tightly.
Xu Yanchi glared angrily at the head of the Song family. "You!"
The head of the Song family stood up, walked down from the main seat, and strolled past Xu Yanchi as if taking a leisurely walk in the courtyard. "Lord Xu is an honored guest in the mansion. No one should be negligent. Someone, take the honored guest to the wing room to rest."
Xu Yanchi originally wanted to leave quietly, afraid that if he alerted anyone, he wouldn't be able to get away. So he didn't bring many people with him. Now facing the servants of the Song Mansion, he could only swallow this bitter pill.
In the secret passage, Concubine Song, the King of Jin, and Shen Qing didn't know how long they had been walking, but they still hadn't seen any light.
Shen Qing couldn't walk anymore. "I can't go on. I need to rest for a while."
Hearing this, the King of Jin turned around, his eyes cold and fierce. "You'd better not play any tricks, or this king will make sure you never see the light of day again."
Shen Qing was already used to his threats and couldn't help rolling her eyes, which was very obvious in the candlelight.
"Try walking this far after taking the muscle-softening powder."
The King of Jin gave her only a little of the powder so that she couldn't escape but didn't completely lose her ability to move.
But after walking for so long, she really couldn't go on.
"Choose between the antidote and a rest."
As Shen Qing said this, she simply sat on the ground without any grace.
The King of Jin's eyelids twitched. He looked at the secret guard following behind. "You carry her on your back and continue walking."
The secret guard was a tough guy of few words. He simply picked Shen Qing up on his back and continued walking.
To the King of Jin's surprise, Shen Qing didn't make any more trouble.
Shen Qing wasn't trying to stall for time as he thought. After taking the muscle-softening powder, her limbs were so weak that she was really exhausted. Since someone was carrying her, she might as well just relax.
It was better to be carried than to walk by herself.
But they hadn't walked far when Concubine Song, who was walking in the front, stumbled. The candle in her hand became unstable and almost went out.
The King of Jin quickly reached out to support her. "What's wrong?"
Concubine Song lowered her head and bit her lip. "Your servant... Your servant can't walk anymore..."
The King of Jin was stunned. His gaze on Concubine Song was tinged with suspicion, but it disappeared when he saw her pale face.
The King of Jin thought for a moment, walked in front of her, and squatted down. "Come on, this king will carry you on his back."
Concubine Song stood there stunned. After she realized what was happening, she quickly declined. "Your Highness, this is not appropriate. How can I let Your Highness get tired for me?"
"It doesn't matter. This king can walk faster with you on his back."
It was his oversight. Her body hadn't fully recovered yet, and she had been walking with him for so long without a rest.
Most of his secret guards had already rushed to wait near the exit of the secret passage. Naturally, the fewer people there were on the Song family's side, the better.
Hearing what he said, Concubine Song half-heartedly climbed onto his back.
"Then your servant will hold the lamp for Your Highness."
The King of Jin carried Concubine Song on his back and found that she was much lighter than he had expected. It was as if he wasn't carrying anything at all.
She was still too weak. When they reached a safe place, he had to take good care of her.
As for Concubine Song lying on his back, she was thinking about making him stay here forever.
The events of these days had proven that he wasn't the material to be a wise king. His actions had even plunged Jiangnan and the entire Jing Kingdom into war and chaos, causing countless casualties. Putting aside personal grudges, if she let him go, it would be a never-ending trouble.
Concubine Song was even more determined to keep the King of Jin here.
The King of Jin was completely unaware of this. He thought his concubine loved him deeply, not knowing that her love was going to kill him.
After walking for who knew how long, when Shen Qing was almost asleep, they finally seemed to see a glimmer of light.
...
Just as dawn was breaking, the imperial army was ready for battle and arrived at the city of Hongzhou. They didn't attack the city, but the threat and oppression were very obvious.
The scouts in Hongzhou detected the movement of the army and immediately reported it back to the prince's mansion, but the prince was nowhere to be found.
The other generals also didn't know where their prince had gone. It couldn't be that he was still in the backyard cuddling with a beauty at such a critical moment, could it?
They were all extremely anxious but didn't dare to go to the backyard to look for him. While sending messages to the backyard, they looked at each other in dismay.
Not long after, Yang Bing rushed over in a hurry. "I've asked the servants in the backyard. The prince isn't there."
As soon as he said this, everyone was in an uproar.
If he wasn't in the backyard or the front yard, then where was the prince?
The same thought popped into everyone's mind: Could the prince have abandoned them and fled before the battle?
As soon as this thought came up, everyone dismissed it.
The battle hadn't even started yet. How could the commander-in-chief flee before the battle?
"So what should we do now?"
At this moment, a female voice came. "Since the prince isn't here, this princess will make the decisions."
As soon as the voice fell, the Princess of Jin walked over, surrounded by a group of maids.
Someone immediately expressed dissatisfaction. "The princess is just a woman. How could she understand military strategy?"
The Princess of Jin glanced at the person who spoke. "The prince isn't here now. Naturally, this princess will make the decisions in the mansion. If any of you have any objections, you can tell the prince when he comes back."
Whether the prince could come back was still unknown. The Princess of Jin's words were no different from nonsense.
Everyone was at a loss for a moment and looked at Xu He.
Xu He said, "Although the princess is the prince's legitimate wife, she doesn't understand military affairs. How can she command the army and convince the masses? Please, princess, stay behind the scenes."
Xu He's words immediately shattered the Princess of Jin's dream of taking power.
She had been enduring these days, thinking about why she had suddenly failed. Just when she finally found an opportunity to make a comeback, Xu He wanted to shut her back up?
In her dreams!
The Princess of Jin's face changed. "This princess may not understand military affairs, but you, Mr. Xu, are a traitor. Who gave you the courage to sow discord here?!"
"Someone, quickly arrest Xu He!"
The princess's men immediately stepped forward to arrest Xu He.
Xu He wasn't panicked at all. "The princess says that Xu is a traitor. Do you have any evidence?"
The Princess of Jin snorted. "What more evidence do we need? You've been in contact with Shen Qing every day. You must have colluded with her long ago. Otherwise, how could the prince have been defeated so quickly? There must be someone who leaked the military secrets!"
"Didn't you all hear me? Quickly arrest Xu He for this princess!"
Xu He smiled slightly. "If the princess wants to arrest Xu, she's probably going to be disappointed."
Xu He waved his hand, and the guards in the yard immediately pointed their weapons at the Princess of Jin.
The confused crowd suddenly understood. Xu He had really betrayed the prince!
Someone immediately cursed. "Xu He, the prince has treated you well. How dare you betray the prince! Are you worthy of the prince's trust in you?!"
But Xu He turned a deaf ear. His gaze slowly swept across everyone in the yard. "Gentlemen, the prince you serve fled through the secret passage of the Song family last night, leaving you behind. Is this the lord you still want to serve?"