The arrows rained down like thunder, advancing with irresistible force!
The impact of the arrow pushed Cui Muyuan back two steps. The sound of falling gravel reached his ears. After he steadied himself and looked back, he found that he and Song Yihuan were standing on the edge of a cliff.
This scene was so familiar, exactly the same as that day on Yangjing Mountain in Xingzhou!
Knowing that he couldn't underestimate Ji Lingchuan, Cui Muyuan smiled faintly. Without changing his expression, he reached up and pulled out the arrow that had pierced his shoulder. He grabbed Song Yihuan and pressed the arrowhead against her neck, allowing the blood to flow freely from the wound on his shoulder.
"Sure enough, you are General Ji, the God of War of Yu State," Cui Muyuan said with a smile. "Your archery skills are so exquisite, and the angle of your shots is so tricky that no one in the world can match you."
"What a pity. Even the most hard - hearted person has a weakness, right? General Ji, are you really willing to let such a beauty die in my hands? Hmm?"
The wind howled, and the leaves rustled.
A tall and straight figure emerged from behind a large tree not far ahead. Ji Lingchuan's face was as cold as frost. He held a bow and arrow in his hand and silently stared at Cui Muyuan.
"So it was you who had been pulling the strings all along. What should I call you? Cui Yinger, Cui Taizhu, or... Tuoba Yuan?"
Tuoba was the surname of the royal family of the Northern Di tribe. When Ji Lingchuan uttered this name, Song Yihuan was secretly shocked.
When did he find out all these things?
This long - forgotten name also made Cui Muyuan momentarily stunned.
"Hahaha..." Cui Muyuan burst into laughter.
"Tuoba Yuan, Tuoba Yuan," he murmured. "This name sounds so strange. After staying in Yu State for so long, I almost forgot that this was my real name."
Ji Lingchuan said calmly, "Tuoba Yuan, the seventh son of the King of the Northern Di tribe. Your mother was an actress from Yu State with the surname Cui. You have half of the blood of Yu State in your body. When you were active in Yu State, you used your mother's surname."
"You were of humble birth. Normally, you had no chance to inherit the throne. But in order to compete with your elder brothers for the throne, you volunteered to disguise yourself as an actress and enter Yu State. You lurked in the capital city, using the identity of the Qionglimei Troupe and an actress to collect information in the capital."
"You used opera to bewitch the prominent families in the capital. On the one hand, you took this opportunity to amass wealth, and on the other hand, you spread poisonous pills to them, making them more and more dependent on you. Song Nanxin was just one of your pawns. Your real intention was to control officials of all ranks in the capital for your own use."
"The Qionglimei Troupe had been lurking in the capital for many years. It was really beyond our expectations. I'm sure that the invasion of the Northern Di tribe back then was just a diversion, allowing you to lurk in the capital better."
"Now, the capital city must be in chaos because of the bone whistle you blew just now. This is your plan. You want to take the capital city quietly, open the national gate at Xuancheng on the northern border, and lead the Northern Di army into the country to overthrow the kingdom of Yu."
Cui Muyuan raised his eyebrows. "I didn't expect that the Crown Prince would have investigated everything I've done in Yu State so clearly. But the Crown Prince missed one thing. The most crucial person in this plan, I'm sure the Crown Prince can't guess who she is. With her, the plan of the Northern Di tribe will be twice as effective with half the effort."
"Empress Dowager," Ji Lingchuan uttered the title that shocked Song Yihuan greatly.
Empress Dowager?!
How could this be possible?
Ji Lingchuan said, "In the sixteenth year of Jinghong, enemy troops invaded the border. His Majesty ascended the throne in a hurry, and I was ordered to lead the army to defend the border in a critical situation."
"After I left the capital, the Empress Dowager led a group of people to the Huguo Temple to pray and eat vegetarian food. She didn't return until half a year later. After the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, she began to win over court officials, rule behind the curtain, and take control of the great power, gradually weakening His Majesty's power. There was no longer any mother - son affection between them, only interests."
He tilted his head and said, "Since then, the Empress Dowager must have been controlled by your pills. Your people were hiding in the dark, manipulating her, trying to overthrow the kingdom of Yu through this."
Recovering from his surprise, Cui Muyuan laughed even louder. His movement pulled the wound on his shoulder, making him cough a few times.
"I didn't expect... We did everything so secretly, but you still noticed. I'm just a little curious, General Ji. How did you find out?"
Glancing at Song Yihuan, whose face was a bit pale, Ji Lingchuan's eyes softened. "There was a secret room in the study of the Marquis of Ding'an. There were many letters in it. The person he corresponded with was called 'Brother Wen' by him. The content of their correspondence was all related to the court. Coincidentally, they were all the tasks assigned to him by the Empress Dowager when she was ruling behind the curtain."
"And that 'Brother Wen' was the Northern Di advisor under the Prince of Dun and the Prince of You. You used the Marquis of Ding'an to send out the news in the capital so that they could quietly control the trends in the capital."
Seeing that Ji Lingchuan had laid everything bare, Cui Muyuan no longer pretended.
"Yes, everything is just as General Ji said. We have been lurking in the capital for many years and have already taken full control of the entire capital. Even if you have seen through everything, it's too late. The kingdom of Yu will surely be in my pocket."
"Who says it's too late?" Ji Lingchuan raised the bow in his hand, drew the string fully, and aimed the arrowhead at Cui Muyuan. "Today, I will make you die!"
The black arrowhead was directly aimed at his vital point. The man standing opposite him exuded an overwhelming aura, carrying a chilling killing intent.
Even Cui Muyuan was intimidated by Ji Lingchuan's aura.
His face darkened. He pulled Song Yihuan in front of him to block himself and sneered, "Then General Ji can give it a try and see if the arrow in your hand flies faster or the arrow in my hand stabs faster."
All along, Song Yihuan, who had been used as a hostage by Cui Muyuan, had been extremely quiet. She blinked her eyes and suddenly spoke.
"A person won't fall in the same place twice, but I will."
With lightning speed, she took out the dagger that she had hidden around her waist and stabbed fiercely at Cui Muyuan behind her.
Song Yihuan used all her strength in this strike. She could even clearly feel the dagger piercing into the flesh.
Cui Muyuan was only on guard against Ji Lingchuan opposite him and never expected that Song Yihuan would have this move. So his expression was momentarily dazed.
Taking advantage of this moment, Song Yihuan forcefully rammed into Cui Muyuan and fell backward off the cliff with him.
"Ji Lingchuan, shoot!"
The sound of the arrow breaking through the air immediately rang out. The next moment, it pierced through Cui Muyuan's chest at an extremely tricky angle. The powerful force like a thousand jun pushed him off the cliff, and he fell without any hindrance!
Song Yihuan barely stopped at the edge of the cliff. The mountain wind flapped her sleeves, making her body sway. The gravel under her feet rolled down into the cliff, which was really terrifying.
"Yihuan!" This scene almost stopped Ji Lingchuan's heart. He reached out his hand to her. "Stay there. Don't move. I'll come over and pull you back!"