Bai Xisong presented his points reasonably. Du Gu Lou endured his irritation, removed the weapons on his body, and handed them to the other soldiers.
"Now can I go to meet the King?"
Bai Xisong said, "Not so fast. Men, search General Du Gu to see if he's hiding any hidden weapons."
Du Gu Lou flared up. "Bai Xisong, you—"
Seeing Bai Xisong take out the waist token bestowed by the monarch, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and let Bai Xisong's men search his body.
"Captain Bai, there's nothing wrong."
Du Gu Lou's face darkened. "Are you satisfied now?"
Only then did Bai Xisong lead Du Gu Lou towards the main tent. On the way, Du Gu Lou casually asked, "The front - line battle is so dangerous. Why did the King suddenly come all the way from the imperial capital?"
Bai Xisong smiled. "Didn't the King hear that General Du Gu and the allied army's commander - in - chief captured that war god of the Yu State? The King thought there was hope of victory in this battle, so he came to support General Du Gu, of course."
Du Gu Lou's heart skipped a beat. "The King is far - sighted. With the King and the troops he brought here, we'll be more proactive in the peace talks with the Yu State and gain more benefits."
Bai Xisong just smiled without saying a word. When they reached the main tent, he raised his hand and said, "General Du Gu, please."
Du Gu Lou composed himself and stepped in. He thought he would see the familiar Emperor Yunxiang, but instead, as soon as he looked up, he saw Feng Tingyun sitting in the seat, coldly "staring" at him with his unfocused eyes, and an extremely unfamiliar woman standing behind him.
The hairs on Du Gu Lou's body immediately stood on end. He stopped in his tracks and subconsciously took a step back, blurting out, "Feng Yunting. How could it be you?! Weren't you dead?"
Feng Tingyun said indifferently, "Du Gu Lou shows disrespect to the monarch and dares to call my name directly. He harbors traitorous intentions. Men, arrest him."
The unexpected turn of events occurred. At Feng Tingyun's order, the secret guards who had been hiding in the dark emerged and pounced on Du Gu Lou.
Du Gu Lou had his weapons taken away when he entered the camp. But since he was entrusted with an important task by Emperor Yunxiang and served as the commander - in - chief of the Yan Yun army and formed an alliance with the Western Rong and Northern Di tribes, his martial arts skills were not bad. Relying only on his fists, he could keep the secret guards at bay.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Feng Tingyun sitting steadily on the main seat, gritting his teeth. "How could you be the monarch of Yan Yun? What did you do to the King?"
Feng Tingyun didn't say a word and remained expressionless. Du Gu Lou noticed Song Yihuan behind him and thought of the "Princess Changhuan" mentioned by the spies.
His eyes narrowed. After shaking off the secret guards blocking him, Du Gu Lou made his hands into claws and pounced on Song Yihuan!
Du Gu Lou stared intently at Song Yihuan, intending to capture her and turn the current situation around.
However, Song Yihuan was well - prepared. When Du Gu Lou pounced on her, she raised the jasper bow in her hand, drew the bowstring to the full, and shot an arrow at Du Gu Lou.
The jasper bow in her hand looked very delicate, but the arrow it shot was extremely powerful. Sensing a bit of threat from the arrow, Du Gu Lou had to abandon his attack on her and quickly change direction to avoid the arrow.
The next moment, Feng Tingyun moved. He drew out the long sword beside him and charged at Du Gu Lou.
Feng Tingyun's figure was like a ghost. Although he was blind, he seemed to be able to anticipate every move of Du Gu Lou. The long sword in his hand forced Du Gu Lou to retreat again and again.
The sword blade stabbed many wounds on Du Gu Lou's body. Finally, a sword pierced through Du Gu Lou's chest and nailed him to the pillar.
After Feng Tingyun stepped back, the secret guards beside him immediately rushed forward and grabbed Du Gu Lou's body.
Feng Tingyun wiped the blood off the sword with a handkerchief and said, "Du Gu Lou intended to rebel and has been beheaded on the spot by me. Captain Bai will take over the command of both the Northern Allied Army and the Yan Yun army. Captain Bai, listen to the order."
Bai Xisong clasped his fists and replied, "Your subject is here!"
"Take the head of the rebel official Du Gu Lou and follow me and Princess Changhuan into Liaocheng."
Bai Xisong immediately said, "Your subject obeys the order."
Du Gu Lou's body was dragged away. Feng Tingyun turned to Song Yihuan and asked,
"Are you okay?"
The scene just now was extremely thrilling. Song Yihuan's heart was pounding. Hearing this, she nodded. "I'm okay. I can hold on."
"Let's go. It's time to enter the city."
A moment later, Feng Tingyun led Song Yihuan and, escorted by Bai Xisong, headed towards Liaocheng.
...
A private room in the Liaocheng government office was tightly guarded. All the windows were sealed with wooden strips, and the door was locked.
Inside the room, Ji Lingchuan's hands and feet were chained. His clothes were in disarray, the bloodstains on them had completely dried, and his face was also stained with blood, looking rather embarrassed.
But even in such a situation, there was no trace of panic on Ji Lingchuan's face. He sat upright on the simple chair. His tall and imposing figure still exuded an endless sense of oppression.
On the table in front of him, there was some food that Tuoba Shi had someone send earlier. But he knew that there was a drug in it that could make people lose all their strength, and he hadn't touched it at all since he was brought into Liaocheng.
It was the tenth day.
It had been ten days since he was "captured".
In these ten days, he had just sat in the room, neither eating nor drinking, and not allowing anyone to touch his body. Although the wound on his shoulder had healed, he could still feel the occasional pain.
In the eyes of outsiders, he had lost his combat power and had completely become a stray dog, just struggling in his last moments.
But no one knew that all of this was his scheme.
He was waiting, waiting for the most suitable moment to strike a fatal blow and retake the city.
At this time, a distant sound of footsteps and the voices of people talking came from outside.
"I wonder when the monarch of Yan Yun was replaced. We didn't get a single bit of news."
"General Du Gu was defeated by their new monarch. I think this new monarch of Yan Yun seems to have ill intentions."
"Do you think he's going to break the contract?"
"Who knows? But unexpectedly, this new monarch of Yan Yun has a unique appearance. He's so young but has a head of white hair, and he's also blind. How can such a person be the monarch of a country? It's really a joke."
"Don't talk about the new monarch of Yan Yun. That Princess Changhuan beside him is really charming. I've never seen such a beautiful woman in my life. If she just glances at me, I feel like my bones will melt."
Ji Lingchuan suddenly raised his eyes and looked towards the door. The chains on his body made a slight sound due to this movement.
The new monarch of Yan Yun? A head of white hair? Blind?
And the beautiful and charming Princess Changhuan they mentioned.
Was it Song Yihuan?