dognovel Chapter 354 Princess Yong'an
Chapter 354 Princess Yong'an
Upon hearing Li Heng's words, the surrounding soldiers dared not advance any further, but instead turned to look at Shen Li's expression.
Lin Wan'er frowned slightly. Only Li Heng could say such shameless things.
"What are you standing there for? His Majesty is offering a reward of three ranks for killing the ringleader. Don't you want it?" Shen Li was already immune to Li Heng's shamelessness and didn't want to get entangled with him.
After all, he'll be dead soon, so saying anything now would be a waste of breath.
Seeing Shen Li's attitude, the soldiers had no more scruples and raised their knives to slash at Li Heng.
Li Heng, drawing strength from who-knows-where, shoved aside a soldier who had hidden under a table, still muttering, "Why? Why are you doing this to me? I am the rightful crown prince, you should help me!"
Shen Li and Lin Wan'er exchanged a glance, neither of them bothering to speak. They watched the soldiers chasing Li Heng under the table like dogs, and felt a sense of satisfaction.
It wasn't a wasted battle; the outcome is still quite clear.
Li Heng fled in all directions, still unwilling to give up. He was waiting for a miracle, in case his father changed his mind.
However, the old emperor, driven to the brink of despair, clearly lacked such mercy, and the soldiers' swords did not miss their mark.
When blood splattered in the room, Shen Li and Lin Wan'er had already come out.
The rebels inside the city, seeing that the situation was unstoppable, had already surrendered. Among them were a large number of Red Lotus Cult members, all of whom were trusted confidants of the Grand Elder.
Hong Tu, the Grand Elder of the Red Lotus Sect, was a gaunt old man. He was also in the city, but unlike the other captured people, he was highly skilled in martial arts.
Taking advantage of the chaos at the city gates, he escaped from the city and ran towards the distant rocky forest.
Once he's in the woods, even a thousand or eight hundred men couldn't catch him, given his skill level.
What does it matter if he lost once? Now he has control of the Red Lotus Sect, which has countless followers. He has plenty of opportunities to rebel again.
He moved swiftly and silently into the woods, continuing his escape into the distance.
"Old man, where are you going so late at night?" A gloomy voice came from directly in front of him.
Hong Tu was unfamiliar with the voice, but he was startled. Even with his internal strength, he hadn't sensed anyone beside him, which showed that the newcomer's skill was above his own or that their movement technique was excellent.
He cautiously stopped and looked up, only to see a tall, thin man in black standing in front of him. The most distinctive feature of this man was that he had no distinguishing features; he was the kind of person who would never be noticed if thrown into a crowd.
He was certain that he had never seen or heard of this person before.
"May I ask who you are?" he asked.
"You don't need to know, all you need to know is that you can't leave," the man in black said, drawing a thin sword from his hand.
"Are you a member of the imperial court?" Hong Tu didn't want to make a move.
Clearly, this is not a good time to take action. Whether we win or lose, making a scene will be detrimental to us.
The man in black didn't waste any words with him; in a flash, the thin sword in his hand had already thrust forward.
Hong Tu had no choice but to fight them.
Both men were very fast, and they exchanged dozens of blows in the blink of an eye. Hong Tu's moves became increasingly fierce, and he had to finish the fight quickly.
The man in black did not go all out, relying on his agility to dodge and evade, but he did not give Hong Tu any chance to escape, and kept him on his heels.
They fought like this for a quarter of an hour, then separated after exchanging a palm strike, with the man in black using the momentum to fly a distance away.
“I thought he was a top expert, but it turns out he only has some movement skills. Kid, you are no match for me.” Hong Tu snorted, “If you don’t move aside, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
The man in black didn't speak, he just watched him quietly.
Hong Tu's ears suddenly twitched, and at the same time, the leaves that had been still moved.
The wind howled, and Hong Tu turned around to meet the palm strike from the newcomer.
After the palm strike, Hong Tu's face turned pale, and he staggered back a few steps, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Your opponent is me." The sound of the wind disappeared, and a black-clad youth appeared opposite Hong Tu. Judging from his devilishly handsome features, it was Bai Wuyou.
"Holy Son... no... Bai Wuyou, you're still alive?" Hong Tu felt a chill in his heart. In terms of martial arts alone, he was no match for Bai Wuyou.
He never expected that he would still be alive, and that he would appear at this time.
The shadow, also dressed in black, clapped its hands when it saw Bai Wuyou arrive and went up to the tree to watch the fun.
"You're alive and well, but you're the one who won't see tomorrow's sun." Bai Wuyou wasn't in a hurry to make a move, and her voice was slow and leisurely.
"Impossible... That female official clearly reported that you were dead... No, wait..." Hong Tu's eyes darted around, and he suddenly realized, "You conspired with that female official?"
"You talk too much." Bai Wuyou lazily reached out.
The shadow revealed Bai Wuyou's sharp yet steady moves. He was able to control the extremely fast sword with perfect precision, demonstrating the depth of his internal strength.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
By dawn, the war was nearing its end. Zhou Zhen and Prince Ning had both been captured alive, but the mastermind behind the rebellion, the Hu princess from Daliang, was nowhere to be seen.
"It seems she's no longer here," Li Rui sighed, quite regretfully.
Seeing that he looked unwell, clearly due to recent fatigue, Shen Li deliberately teased him: "Missing that girl?"
Li Rui looked at her with a mixture of helplessness and amusement: "You can still joke around, looks like you're not tired."
"You're in good health." Shen Li said, stretching her limbs, then lowered her voice: "Your contribution this time was too great. You must keep a low profile when you get back, or you'll be in danger."
When someone's achievements overshadow their master and no longer qualify for reward, they are often met with the executioner's blade.
"Don't worry, I'm just looking for a chance to rest and get rid of this nonsense."
Li Rui waved his hand, for to him, no position or power was as comfortable as being a carefree prince.
Seeing that he understood, Shen Li didn't say anything more. She actually wanted to help him rise to power, but Li Rui and she were somewhat similar in temperament, both feeling that power was an unbreakable shackle.
The imperial edict arrived quickly, ordering Li Rui to lead his generals into the capital, with the army stationed outside the city.
Nearly three months later, Shen Li finally returned to Kyoto. When she left, it was still the dead of winter, but now it was springtime. However, Kyoto was completely different from when she left.
The streets were desolate, and the people's faces were sallow, clearly indicating that the days of being besieged were not easy.
Shen Li really wanted to see Gu Chang'an, but she didn't expect that she would see him again at the morning court after three months of separation.
The emperor, accompanied by his officials, personally welcomed the meritorious official. Gu Chang'an spotted her at a glance, and his deep gaze lingered on her, refusing to look away for even a moment.
Shen Li couldn't look at him too much because of the situation, and she didn't dare to look at him too much either, for fear that she would rush over to him without thinking.
Heaven knows how much she missed Gu Chang'an's embrace.
Without looking at Gu Chang'an, she noticed the others. This wasn't the first time Shen Li had been welcomed, but it was the first time she had seen the genuine excitement in the eyes of the officials.
In the past, victory or defeat didn't concern them much, but this time it concerned their own lives, so they were naturally really anxious.
Because of their meritorious service in both conquering the Xiongnu and suppressing the rebellion, Shen Li and Lin Wan'er were each granted a title: Princess Yong'an and Princess Changle.
It should be noted that women are usually granted titles starting from county princess, and even in the families of princes, only the legitimate daughters are granted the title of county princess. The sincerity of this conferment is evident.
Of course, this was not simply a reward for the two of them; Emperor Cheng wanted to take this opportunity to proclaim to the world the great favor bestowed upon him by the emperor.
Li Ruishang had nothing to offer, but he did receive a purple python robe.
Xu Sheng and the others were all promoted three ranks, much to everyone's delight.
Finally, the court session ended, and Shen Li and Lin Wan'er went to the inner palace to express their gratitude, only to learn that the Empress Dowager in Wanshou Palace had not been eating for the past few days.
The two knew that the Empress Dowager had died peacefully in her sleep even earlier in their previous life.
The Empress Dowager had always been very kind to the two of them. Even though she no longer saw outsiders, she still met with them and gave Shen Li several of her treasured paintings and Lin Wan'er a piece of calligraphy.
He also gave them a pair of full-green jade bracelets, and was very pleased to see the two of them wearing them with smiles: "Women should live like this, carefree and happy. You are both very good. Go now."
The two bowed before leaving, their hearts heavy after departing from the Wanshou Palace.
Looking at the high walls of the palace, Lin Wan'er almost murmured, "Tell me, how many women are trapped here?"
“For women, there are many more high walls in the world than just this one,” Shen Li remarked with a touch of melancholy.
The Empress was in a very awkward situation. Because of the Crown Prince's rebellion, she hadn't left the Buddhist hall for more than half a month and naturally hadn't seen them.
"The weather really changes in an instant," Lin Wan'er said as she left Fengxiang Palace.
"Lord Shen, please wait." A young eunuch chased after her, handing her a food box: "This is almond shortbread that the Fourteenth Prince had the kitchen make this morning. It's a gift for you, my lord, to congratulate you on your triumphant return."
Shen Li smiled with relief and took the food box: "Please convey my thanks to Your Highness."
As Lin Wan'er stepped out of the palace gate, still lost in her thoughts, she saw the guards who had already passed by and whispered, "This Fourteenth Prince is a very nice person."
Her words were full of profound meaning.
But Shen Li didn't hear it, or rather, she didn't hear it at all, because she saw the Gu family's carriage stopped in front of her, and the people under the carriage were all looking at her.
"Husband," she called out, trying her best not to run, but her steps were quick.
Lin Wan'er was startled by her sudden loud voice. When she looked up again, she saw the two people embracing each other by the carriage.
Hearing Shen Li's laughter, she was happy for her, but that didn't mean she didn't want to hit her; she couldn't bully people like that...
In the carriage, Shen Li was practically glued to Gu Chang'an, clinging to him and muttering, "Husband, I miss you so much. I can't sleep well every night without you."
"I'm not injured, who can hurt me? Fighting isn't that difficult. The hardest thing is not being able to sleep well. I need my husband to hold me while I sleep."
Seeing her acting like a child, Gu Chang'an quickly replied, "Okay, okay, I'll hold you while you sleep. It's good that A-Li isn't hurt. She needs to take good care of herself."
When food was mentioned, Shen Li nodded repeatedly, looking aggrieved: "My husband is the best. I never want to leave him again."
Gu Chang'an was both amused and exasperated; who exactly insisted on going to war?