Chapter 77
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Chapter 77:
The Second Prince looked at Li Chunzhou with eyes filled with both resentment and confusion. He gently smiled, clumsily helping Li Chunzhou clean herself, cradling her like a child.
Li Chunzhou choked, hesitated for a moment, then used his shirt to wipe away her tears. She stared blankly, then drifted into sleep before long.
The Second Prince looked down and saw Li Chunzhou’s sleeping face for a while. He took off his Token from his waist and placed it in Li Chunzhou’s partly closed hand.
***
The next day, when Li Chunzhou woke up, the Second Prince was still nowhere to be seen. She felt something hard pressing against her cheek.
When she brought the object in front of her eyes, she realized it was a dark gold Token.
Li Chunzhou didn’t know why he left this thing for her, or what it was for. She looked at it in the sunlight, thinking it must be worth a lot of money, so she hung it on her waist.
Two maids came in to take care of her washing up. Li Chunzhou sat on the bed listlessly, holding Li Li.
She had thought there would be no chance of escaping today. However, the lunch brought in at noon was only a few cold dishes.
The lunch from the previous days was completely different from today’s. Those meals were not only steaming hot, but also had the delicious aroma of roasted meat and fragrant soups, along with various desserts neatly arranged on exquisite porcelain dishes.
The dishes for lunch were like a mess today.
Li Chunzhou realized something was wrong and asked, "Has something happened?"
The maid hesitated and didn’t give a reason. Li Chunzhou quickly ran out the door and made her way to the gate of the Second Prince’s mansion. Peeking through a crack in the gate, she saw a chaotic scene unfolding in the street.
The Turks have invaded the capital.
The capital city of Daliang, Shengjing, was in turmoil. The people of the city were scattering and fleeing in all directions. Women, children, and the elderly were panicking and confused, their fearful cries filling the air. The sound of footsteps echoed in the streets and alleys of the city.
Noble families hurriedly closed their doors, even the steward of the Second Prince’s mansion dared not venture out easily, fearing the unknown. In an instant, Shengjing transformed from a bustling city into a silent and deserted place. The streets were empty, with only the howling wind, replacing the usual noise and excitement. Fear and anxiety were evident on everyone’s face.
Panic filled the streets, casting a heavy grey shadow over this once prosperous but now uncertain city. The apparent calm was deceptive, waiting to be shattered by reality at any moment. The magnificent palaces and luxurious mansions in the city lost their former grandeur and solemnity, quietly witnessing the chaos and unrest engulfing the country.
Qi Leyuan immediately realized it was a good opportunity to escape. He pecked at Li Chunzhou’s hair and she reacted quickly, turning around and running back. The two maids did not dare to pull or drag her but also did not let her out of their sight.
Li Chunzhou tossed Li Li up into the tree and watched as he landed on a branch. Awkwardly, she started climbing up the tree herself, with the two maids nervously waiting below.
It was a gnarled low tree that Li Chunzhou had been eyeing for a while. The first day she wandered around the Second Prince’s mansion, she had a feeling that she might be able to climb out from there.
Halfway up, Li Chunzhou shouted to the two people below the tree, "It’s too late, don’t worry about me now!"
The two maids wanted to cry but had no tears left, "If the miss really leaves, His Highness won’t spare us when he comes back…"
Li Chunzhou paused for a moment, thinking it over, then asked while sitting on the tree, "Do you have something to write with?"
"Yes," the two maids thought she had changed her mind, so one hurried back to get writing tools while the other stayed put, watching her.
Qi Leyuan flew down with charcoal and paper in its beak. Li Chunzhou leaned against the tree trunk and wrote, "Second Master, by the time you read this, I will have left the mansion. The Turks have invaded, and I have fled to lighten your burden. This is all I can do for you, please don’t blame me…"
Pausing here, she looked down at the two people below the tree and asked, "What are your names?"
The two maids looked at each other, then answered, "Qianshan and Huixue."
After clarifying which character represented each of the four words, Li Chunzhou meticulously wrote them down and handed the paper to them, instructing them to deliver it to the Second Prince.
Jumping from the tree branch to the wall, Li Chunzhou was lifted by Qi Leyuan’s claws while flapping its wings, worried she might fall, although its assistance was of little practical use.
Li Chunzhou sat on the wall, feeling dizzy when she looked down at the height from the ground. She knew she couldn’t jump down from that distance without getting hurt. She hesitantly asked, "Is there a ladder or something…?"
A man’s voice, clear but with a hint of blood, echoed from afar, "Jump down, I’ll catch you."
Hearing the familiar voice, Li Chunzhou looked to see Gu Jianxi, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, unexpectedly.
Wide-eyed, Li Chunzhou asked, "How did you end up here?"
Gu Jianxi, holding a sharp blade, dressed in light armor, with his long hair fluttering in the wind. His handsome face showed signs of battle, as if he had been fighting all the way. His tall figure was covered in blood, and the armor on him shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. Following him were a few familiar faces, whom Li Chunzhou vaguely remembered from a previous encounter.
"Can’t I just happen to pass by?" Gu Jianxi stood firm in a corner below the wall, gazing intensely at Li Chunzhou sitting on the wall. The street was quiet, making his figure seem especially upright and resolute.
Taking a deep breath, Li Chunzhou boldly jumped down from the wall. She was dressed in light, sheer clothing, and her skin was glowing under the sunlight. Gu Jianxi quickly opened his arms and caught her around the waist.
Li Chunzhou’s flowing black hair shimmered with a golden light in the sunlight. Gu Jianxi’s handsome face exuded calm and composure. Even with traces of the enemy’s blood on him, he smiled and said, "What a beauty has fallen from the sky this time."
Li Chunzhou looked up at him with her dark eyes and caught Li Li, who was flying down. Curiously, she asked, "General Gu, did you really just happen to pass by? How did you happen to be here at this perfect timing?"
Gu Jianxi didn’t put her down from his arms, instead he held her with one arm, delicately like an adult holding a child. He quickly hid the faint smile on his face and spoke seriously, "No, the Emperor and all the princes are trapped in the palace by the Turks. The Jinwei Guard doesn’t have enough soldiers. The palace sent a message saying that the Second Prince has a private army available for deployment. I came to find a token for mobilizing troops."
He swaggered into the Second Prince’s mansion with Li Chunzhou in his arms through the main gate. Li Chunzhou’s expression subtly changed, and she asked in disbelief, "You could have just come in directly, why did you make me jump down earlier?"
Gu Jianxi stroked his chin, "No reason, just felt like doing it."
"Because I belong to the Second Prince, that’s why you want to take advantage of me, right?" Li Chunzhou said provocatively, "Little General Gu, you and the Second Master grew up together, don’t you have a good relationship with him?"
"What are you talking about? Grew up together…" Gu Jianxi playfully lifted Li Chunzhou up, seeing her hold onto his neck in fear, he said with an unchanged expression, "I’m not older than him."
After Li Chunzhou rambled on, Gu Jianxi only cared about age, which made Li Chunzhou feel as if she had punched cotton. During their conversation, Gu Jianxi casually handed the urgent message from the palace to the steward in the mansion to request the token for mobilizing troops.
Li Chunzhou noticed the steward’s strange look towards her, but she chose not to distance herself from Gu Jianxi, because she still needed him to get her out of the Second Prince’s mansion.
The stewards racked their brains, trying hard to remember if their master had mentioned anything about a token, but they couldn’t recall. In a flash of insight, Li Chunzhou realized, could the token they were talking about be the one she found in the morning on the bed…?
She took off the Token from her waist, hesitantly asked Gu Jianxi, "General Gu, is this what you’re looking for?"
Gu Jianxi took the things and looked at them carefully, slightly surprised, and said, "Yes, this is the Token… Thankfully I received it from you just now. Otherwise, if you really ran out with the Token, it would have been big trouble."
"I’ll give you the Token, can we exchange something?" Li Chunzhou looked at him intensely, feeling nervous. In all respects, Li Chunzhou would give the Token to him if Gu Jianxi was willing to help as a favor. But if he refused directly, Li Chunzhou really had no way at the moment.
"Lady Chun, don’t forget… you still owe me a favor." Gu Jianxi intentionally paused for a moment, then smiled slightly when he saw a subtle change in Li Chunzhou’s face like a blooming flower, and said, "Of course, you can tell me, what is it?"
Li Chunzhou breathed a sigh of relief, "Could General Gu send someone to take me to the Star-Picking Pavilion? I need to meet someone there."
Gu Jianxi raised an eyebrow calmly, remained silent for a moment, then handed the Token to the guard next to him, instructing him to mobilize troops to the location mentioned in the letter. He then signaled to a younger martial scout to accompany him in escorting Li Chunzhou.
Li Chunzhou didn’t expect him to personally escort her, but Gu Jianxi’s decision did indeed put her more at ease. She couldn’t easily trust others, let alone soldiers completely unknown to her, especially those sent by Gu Jianxi.
After witnessing Jian Hou locking Li Zhexuan up, Qi Leyuan wrote instructions for Li Chunzhou to guide her.
"How many people are currently trapped in the palace?" To ease the awkward silence during the journey, Li Chunzhou asked Gu Jianxi, who was riding on the same horse as her, despite the wind.
"My father and most of the officials in the court are also trapped in the palace." Gu Jianxi’s voice carried a hint of sternness.
Li Chunzhou thought of something and asked, "Is Jian Hou here?"
"Do you have a grudge against him?" Gu Jianxi looked at her in surprise and said, "Of course, he is here."
Qi Leyuan secretly celebrated amidst his busy schedule, "If he’s not here, we’ll have half the trouble."
Li Chunzhou nodded, but couldn’t feel happy because she still didn’t know how Li Zhexuan was doing.
***
When they arrived at the Star-Picking Pavilion, Li Chunzhou didn’t take much time to find the pool where Li Zhexuan was being held.
To prevent his escape, Jian Hou placed the pool of mercury in the most conspicuous area in front of the Star-Picking Pavilion.
When Li Chunzhou ran over, under the heavy dark chains in the pool, there was only a pile of gleaming white bones left.