Just as the King of Rui was about to read out the imperial edict, he was rudely interrupted.
Lu Siming strode forward with an almost crazy joy on his face.
Walking in front of him, being pointed at by his sword, was a young woman in plain clothes. She was slender, with a calm face and a determined look in her eyes.
In an instant, all of Liang Yuzhou's blood seemed to rush backward. He tightly grasped the sword in his hand, and his knuckles turned pale with cold.
"Lu Siming, you actually hold a weak woman hostage! A shameless person like you doesn't deserve to fight for the throne!"
The usually calm and composed King of Rui, who remained unfazed even under the greatest pressure, roared in anger.
Every wrinkle on his face was deeply etched with hatred.
The Crown Prince's throat tightened. The moment Wan Chu appeared, held hostage, he knew that she had come to save Mianmian.
Mianmian should be safe now, but due to his momentary negligence, he had pushed Wan Chu into the abyss of danger.
He had expected that the Gao family would support Lu Siming in rebelling. He had also expected that the Gao family's army would charge into the palace regardless of the consequences. Moreover, he had anticipated that Lu Siming would force him to abdicate the throne.
But he had overestimated Lu Siming's bottom line.
He had thought this was a battle for the heir between brothers, but he never expected that Lu Siming could be so despicable and shameless for the sake of the throne.
On the back of his tightly clenched hand, the veins bulged.
Lu Siming let out an ugly, ferocious laugh. "Liang Yuzhou, everyone knows you're a lovesick fool. For Song Wan Chu, you were willing to abandon your status as the heir and become a monk. Even Lu Ningzhen became your defeated opponent because she offended Song Wan Chu. Your relationship with Lu Sihong isn't unbreakable, right? You don't want to watch Song Wan Chu die in front of you, do you?"
His tone became more and more urgent, and his eyes trembled wildly.
The arm holding the sword also trembled with excitement.
The blade of the sword vibrated back and forth on Song Wan Chu's fair and fragile neck. The coldness was like the flicker of a snake's tongue.
Everyone dared not move. Only the cold wind blew the plain white dress of Song Wan Chu.
In the night as deep as an abyss, in front of thousands of troops, she looked so frail.
But her calm and determined eyes inexplicably soothed the fury in Liang Yuzhou's heart.
He wasn't at all surprised by Wan Chu's decision.
The Crown Prince almost exhausted all his self - control not to rush up and tear Lu Siming to pieces.
"Let go of Wan Chu. You want the throne? I'll give it to you!"
"Lu Sihong, what are you crazy about? Are you just going to hand over the throne so easily? Is this fair to Wan Chu's sacrifice?"
The first one to object was actually Liang Yuzhou.
The Crown Prince was stunned. He never expected that it would be Liang Yuzhou who would sternly stop him, regardless of Wan Chu's life.
"The throne is important, but Wan Chu's life is even more important!"
The Crown Prince had already made his decision.
He would never let his dragon throne be stained with Wan Chu's blood.
If he didn't save Wan Chu, Mianmian would never forgive him for the rest of her life.
Compared with losing the throne, he couldn't bear to lose Mianmian's love even more.
"Lu Sihong, stop pretending to be kind. Aren't you tired of pretending for most of your life?"
In Lu Siming's eyes, the Crown Prince was all fake benevolence and righteousness. He hated the Crown Prince's face the most.
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You're just using a delaying tactic to save Song Wan Chu. Once I let Song Wan Chu go, you'll immediately go back on your word!"
"I swear on the late emperor's imperial edict that I'll keep my word!"
"Your Highness, you mustn't!"
A gentle but firm voice sounded. Song Wan Chu was like a sacred white light in the thick night. Everyone looked at her, worshipping her with sad and admiring eyes.
"The Jiangshan of the Great Zhou must be protected by you. The beautiful rivers and mountains must never be destroyed by a shameless villain!"
"This isn't a game between you and Lu Sihong!"
Lu Siming roared and interrupted Song Wan Chu. "Neither of you can pretend to be noble!"
His venomous and crazy eyes stared closely at Liang Yuzhou, and he let out a hissing laugh like a snake. "Liang Yuzhou, kill Lu Sihong, and I'll let Song Wan Chu go. I'll allow you two to continue being a loving couple. I can even confer you the title of the God of War General, and let you and Song Wan Chu enjoy eternal glory and wealth..."
Song Wan Chu burst out laughing, covering her stomach and almost doubling over.
"What are you laughing at?" Lu Siming was furious, and the blade of the sword dangerously swayed on her neck.
The woman threatened under the sword still couldn't stop laughing. She looked so beautiful when she laughed. Her bright appearance was so impactful that both the enemy and their own troops were stunned.
Liang Yuzhou also let out a soft laugh.
Lu Siming was confused and annoyed by their laughter.
There was also an inexplicable panic spreading in his chest.
"Stop laughing!" He roughly grabbed Song Wan Chu's collar and shouted sternly.
The look in Song Wan Chu's eyes when she looked at him was full of pity.
Yes, not panic, not fear, but pity.
"Lu Siming, taking me hostage was really a very, very wrong decision."
Song Wan Chu's smile was extremely beautiful. "Liang Yuzhou only listens to me in this lifetime. If I ask him to do something, he'll go through fire and water for me. If I don't want him to do something, even if I'm being forced and on the verge of death, he'll never do it."
Lu Siming's breathing quickened, and his pupils dilated little by little.
He didn't know what he was afraid of. Clearly, he was the one who could threaten and manipulate Liang Yuzhou.
"Liang Yuzhou, don't worry about me. You must support the Crown Prince and ensure his smooth accession to the throne!"
Song Wan Chu shouted to Liang Yuzhou.
Liang Yuzhou responded to her with a smile. "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
Lu Siming showed a fierce look on his face, and the panic in his voice was almost uncontrollable. "Liang Yuzhou, do you really want to watch your lover die in front of you?"
The sharp blade pierced through the fair and fragile neck, and drops of blood stained the plain white collar red.
Anger blazed in Liang Yuzhou's eyes, but he remained motionless.
"See, I told you he only listens to me."
Song Wan Chu seemed not to feel the pain, and her mocking smile grew even bigger. "Kill me, and you'll get nothing. Oh, Liang Yuzhou holds grudges. Have you forgotten how Lu Ningzhen died? I guarantee that after you kill me, Liang Yuzhou will make you die a thousand or ten thousand times more painfully than Lu Ningzhen!"
Lu Siming was about to collapse and could only rage helplessly. "Shut up, shut up!"
Liang Yuzhou wasn't intimidated by him. If Lu Sihong didn't die, even if he killed Song Wan Chu, it would be meaningless.
How could this happen? How could it turn out like this?
Why could Liang Yuzhou watch Song Wan Chu die with his own eyes?
The mockery on Song Wan Chu's face faded, and her eyes became even more pitying.
She was like looking at an ignorant and hopeless madman.
"Lu Siming, you're really pitiful. Your understanding of love and hatred is too shallow. A person like you is doomed to have no one treat you sincerely, and you're also doomed to fail in your whole life."
"Bitch, I'll kill you!"
Lu Siming raised his sword.
The bright sword shadow flashed across Song Wan Chu's pale face.
Liang Yuzhou, the Crown Prince, the King of Rui, and Liang Xuguang all rushed forward at the same time, but no matter how fast they were, they couldn't be faster than Lu Siming's sword that was so close...
Suddenly, a big black dog growled and rushed out of the crowd. It leaped into the air and pounced on Lu Siming.
"Aaaaaah!"
The shrill scream pierced everyone's eardrums.
The big black dog pinned Lu Siming to the ground, and in its mouth, it tightly bit a bloody arm.
With a "clang" sound, the sword fell to the ground.
The moment the big black dog pounced over, Song Wan Chu's heart almost stopped.
Her legs went weak, and she fell into a strong and warm embrace.