Chapter 562: Let them all be left without a trace!

Qingyangzi did not come alone.

He also brought two fair-weather friends, these two being the young scions of aristocratic families he deliberately cultivated.

This time, following Qingyangzi here, they hoped to earn merit for rescuing the emperor, and also to serve as the eyes and ears and witnesses that Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi needed.

Aduo hurried in: "Junior Uncle, they're already coming this way."

Zongzheng Xingyao realized the urgency of the situation.

So he proactively pulled the red rope and gave the order: "This palace pardons you of guilt, bow!"

Then he proactively turned and bowed before Leng Dian.

Leng Dian was not unwilling either; he simply did not want to offend the princess and cause trouble.

But things have come to this—who let himself draw the red slip?

He could only grit his teeth, his heart pounding like a drum, and follow with a bow.

At that moment, a voice shouted furiously: "Traitor, release the Seventh Princess!"

A figure rushed in following the voice.

Qingyangzi's face darkened.

He almost froze: "Damn it, what is he trying to do?"

"Has he forgotten why we came today?"

These two aristocratic scions, one surnamed Gong, the other Xie.

At this moment, the one rushing out to rescue Zongzheng Xingyao was precisely Gong Sanlang.

He drew his waist sword and charged forward heedless of danger.

Xie Liulang, feeling righteous, shouted: "Never mind. I want to help him too!"

"Gong Sanlang has always had a goddess in his heart—our Great Chu's Seventh Princess."

"Seeing the princess forced to marry the traitor, how could he stand by and do nothing?"

Qingyangzi rolled his eyes so hard they almost turned upward, and he felt a wave of dizziness.

These two brainless idiots!

"Is the princess more important or the emperor? You're clueless!"

Xie Liulang shoved him aside: "Anyway, we're aristocratic wastrels—we must follow our hearts and do what we truly want."

"He, Gong Sanlang, is a real man!"

Having said that, Xie Liulang also rushed over.

Seeing from behind that Qingyangzi could not stop them, he shouted angrily: "I, the poor Daoist, see you two as simpletons! You're walking right into the trap!"

Qingyangzi could not follow them and ruin the plan.

Watching these two buffoons charge into the courtyard full of assassins and even into the encirclement of Prince Su's manor guards,

In just two moves, they were disarmed by Leng Dian, who personally rushed out in wedding attire, and then seized.

They still shouted from their mouths: "Release the princess!"

"You scoundrels, bold as heaven, dare to covet the princess—you'll all die badly!"

"Just wait—the imperial troops will arrive shortly and then wipe you all out in one sweep!"

Leng Dian sheathed his sword swiftly: "Idiot."

"Take them away!"

Then he deliberately pointed at Qingyangzi hiding in the darkness and ordered: "There's still one over there—seize him!"

Playing the act to the fullest, Qingyangzi hobbled off at full speed in the predetermined direction.

Sha er quickly caught up.

"Daoist, wait! The young lady says don't rush."

"Those two lords rushing past happened to be caught by us, making things easier."

"Just focus on escorting the Chu emperor to escape."

Qingyangzi nodded and quickly slipped into the darkness.

Meanwhile, at the wedding hall,

After Gong Sanlang and Xie Liulang were taken away, Zongzheng Xingyao finally lifted the veil from his own head.

"What else do I need to do next?"

Leng Dian happened to step in just then.

Their gazes met, each looking at the other in wedding attire, and they both stared blankly for a moment.

One was radiantly beautiful beyond compare.

The other was cold and stern yet graceful like a jade tree in the wind.

Leng Dian momentarily lost himself, and Zongzheng Xingyao's face flushed slightly.

Li Qingluo failed to notice their oddness, instead rising and saying: "Of course we must hurry and pack, preparing to flee."

"Leng Dian, from now on you are responsible for protecting and attending to the Seventh Princess, Your Highness. Her safety is entrusted to you."

Saying that, he turned his head to the Seventh Princess: "Your Highness, I have wronged you."

Zongzheng Xingyao gave a faint nod, saying nothing.

Leng Dian hesitated a moment, then raised his hand and replied: "Yes, Miss."

Soon, the news arrived that Qingyangzi had successfully escorted the Chu emperor to escape.

The Qin prince's forces also arrived in great numbers at the foot of the mountain.

Not long after, Sha wu, whom Li Qingluo had sent to negotiate with the Qin prince, returned with a message.

He said the Qin prince refused to go up the mountain alone to enter the manor.

And let them either quickly hand over the Fourth Prince, Zong Zheng Wuxie, or today he will flatten the entire mountain stronghold.

Li Qingluo: "I knew he wouldn't dare come."

Li Qingluo had people deliberately release all the prepared birds in advance.

Seeing this, Zhang Tingji's ambushed party on the mountain path were first startled.

"Who exactly are these rebels? This stronghold was already wiped out two years ago; it's basically an empty stronghold—when did these people arrive?"

Yang Qilang: "What's even more terrifying is that they can freely come and go in the imperial palace."

"Daoist Qingyang even said they detained Lord Xie Liu and Lord Gong San; this group is utterly lawless, not only disregarding the noble clans in the imperial city, they likely have a deeper motive… and they clearly have ample confidence and formidable strength."

Duan Rongshi looked at the birds in the sky: "It seems their numbers are even greater than we thought."

"Now a large troop has arrived at the mountain's base; I don't know whether they are the rebels' men coincidentally returning to the stronghold or imperial forces. Daoist Qingyang, when you arrived, did the court show any movement?"

Daoist Qingyang: "I have not heard of it."

"I, too, observed the heavens at night and knew His Majesty faces peril here, but I dare not speak recklessly, for many at court still distrust me, and I fear I might lose my head over this."

"So, after divination, I brought only two scions of noble houses to first gather information."

"Who would have thought the stronghold is holding a wedding tonight, so we easily slipped in; and, strangely, I actually managed to rescue His Majesty by a fluke."

"If not for the wedding in the front hall, and the two young lords of the Gong and Xie families drawing attention for me, perhaps I would not have succeeded so smoothly."

"I implore Your Majesty, upon returning, to surely reward these two lords generously!"

Daoist Qingyang turned and clasped his hands toward the Chu Emperor, pleading.

He spouted nonsense confidently, and no one doubted him.

He made no mention whatsoever of the Seventh Princess and the Fourth Prince still being in the stronghold.

The Chu Emperor had not yet recovered, and after another bout of exertion, he now has no strength.

He waved his hand, indicating assent.

Duan Rongshi: "Those people down the mountain are none other than the rebel band."

"Now that Your Majesty has been rescued, I think we should first withdraw from here."

"Otherwise, once these rebels discover that Your Majesty has been rescued while we lie in ambush here, they might encircle us from the mountain base before we even storm the stronghold."

"Indeed, if they coordinate inside and out, they could completely encircle us."

"Then there would truly be no way out."

"How do the two of you feel?"

Zhang Tingji and Yang Qilang naturally followed Duan Rongshi's decision.

Thus the party planned to withdraw quickly, then send troops later to surround and suppress the rebels in the stronghold.

Even after being helped onto Zhang Tingji's back, the Chu Emperor still felt something was off.

He seemed to have forgotten something.

But whatever it was, his muddled mind could not recall it for a moment.

He did not realize that someone had tampered with the food sent to him, which is why he cannot stay awake tonight.

What he forgot were precisely the children he had abandoned—Zong Zheng Wuxie and Zong Zheng Xingyao.

One was gagged, bound, and thrown into a corner of the woodshed.

The other was busy with Li Qingluo and the others in the stronghold, preparing to withdraw.

Thus, with Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi's inside‑outside cooperation, plus Daoist Qingyang's "daring rescue of the emperor," and borrowing the Qin king's troops, they completely deceived Zhang Tingji's party.

During the withdrawal, some disturbance was inevitable.

There were also traces deliberately left by Duan Rongshi.

And their disturbance was intentionally made noticeable to the Qin king at the mountain's base.

"The woods are thick with people."

"Looking, there are no fewer than a thousand."

"Your Lordship, it's good we didn't go up the mountain, otherwise we would surely have fallen into the rebels' ambush!"

The Qin king dared not act rashly.

He also firmly believed that a large band of rebels lay in wait on the mountain, ready for him to walk into the net.

"Hold position—"

"Before dawn tomorrow, encircle this mountain for me!"

He would not wait for daylight.

Li Qingluo's party also followed Duan Rongshi's footsteps, withdrawing from the stronghold via the rear mountain.

Soon the Qin king received a severed hand.

That severed hand bore a familiar thumb ring and some familiar scars.

It was cut off personally by Jin Niang and then tied to a horse's back.

When the horse, following orders, descended the mountain and the Qin king received the box containing the severed hand, he on the spot almost went mad.

"The prince will kill them—"

"Attack the mountain—"

Yet where on the mountain is there any sign of people?

Everyone has fled.

But the Qin king's troops soon again found the traces of Li Qingluo's party.

"Your Lordship, they have gone to the southwest!"

"Just over ten li away—should we pursue?"

Qin king: "How many troops? Have you seen them clearly?"

Imperial Guard: "From afar we see, indeed not less than a thousand people. But also absolutely not exceeding two thousand troops!"

King Qin mounted his horse, flicked the reins, and in extreme fury ordered: "Chase!"

"With only over a thousand troops, they dare to abduct the Emperor and harm the Crown Prince! These rebels, all of them are seeking death!"

"Tonight we must rescue the Fourth Prince; these people—I myself will also kill them!"

"I will make them leave no corpses behind——"

"Kill——"

"Kill!!"

"The mighty sound echoed through the entire valley."

"And Zhang Tingji's group also faintly heard the sound."

"His face tense: 'Could it be that we've been discovered, and they're catching up?'"

"He didn't realize that it was because Li Qingluo's group was quietly following behind them, now using their troops to have already confused King Qin."

"So, the King Qin on that mountain is indeed about to pursue and kill them."

"Duan Rongshi: 'What are we waiting for? This place is closest to the newly built imperial mausoleum of His Majesty; hurry to the mausoleum to seek aid from the construction army!'"

"Everyone, quicken your pace and hurry on the road!"

"Head to the imperial mausoleum——"

"The Chu Emperor dizzily fell into a deep sleep, unaware of all this."

"And Li Qingluo's group of about forty people confirmed that the King Qin side had already noticed the troops ahead, believing that King Qin would soon bite down and pursue relentlessly."

"Thus, he personally turned the horse's head in another direction."

"Li Qingluo: 'Next, everyone, spur your horses and gallop swiftly.'"

"We must be the first to reach the imperial mausoleum."

"The group led by Sha Yi and the Prince Su's mansion: 'Yes, miss!'"