dognovel Chapter 523 Saving the Crown Prince
Chapter 523 Saving the Crown Prince
The toxic fumes in the secret passage hadn't dissipated yet, making people's throats feel tight.
Shi Wanxia held up the damp burlap, covering her and Cui Zhihao's mouths and noses as she groped her way deeper into the area. The pebbles underfoot hurt her feet, but she dared not slow down.
"Your Highness! Where are you?"
She whispered, afraid that if she spoke too loudly she would inhale more toxic fumes, and also afraid that if she spoke too softly Shen Yanzhou wouldn't be able to hear her.
Choi Ji-ho followed closely behind her, gripping his sword tightly and watching his surroundings warily.
The secret passage was pitch black, with only the faint light from the tinderboxes in their hands casting flickering shadows on the walls, like menacing ghosts.
Suddenly, Zhou Wenbin's sinister voice came from ahead: "Stop shouting, he's in my hands."
Shi Wanxia and Cui Zhihao stopped in their tracks at the same time, moved the tinderbox closer, and finally saw the scene in front of them clearly—
Shen Yanzhou was pinned against the wall by Zhou Wenbin, a short knife held to his neck, the blade already stained with blood. Shen Yanzhou's face was unnaturally pale, clearly from inhaling a lot of poisonous smoke.
"Zhou Wenbin! Release His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Cui Zhihao took a step forward, but was stopped by Shi Wanxia.
She knew she couldn't act impulsively now; Zhou Wenbin was already desperate and might do something rash.
Zhou Wenbin saw them, sneered, and pressed the knife in his hand against Shen Yanzhou's neck again: "Let him go? Sure."
"Throw away your tinderboxes and take ten steps back, or I'll kill him right now!"
Shen Yanzhou coughed twice, and said weakly but firmly, "Don't listen to him... He can't escape."
"Shut up!"
Zhou Wenbin glared at Shen Yanzhou, then looked at Shi Wanxia and Cui Zhihao.
"I'll count to three, and if you don't do as I say, I'll take action! One—"
"No! We'll do it!"
Shi Wanxia quickly called out, pulled Cui Zhihao back two steps, and threw the tinder in her hand on the ground. Sparks flew up and the tinder quickly went out.
Choi Ji-ho held her hand and whispered, "Wanwan, this is too dangerous."
"I know.".
Shi Wanxia grasped his hand, her voice soft yet firm, "But we can't let anything happen to the Crown Prince. Don't worry, I have a plan."
Seeing that they had thrown away the tinderbox and taken a few steps back, Zhou Wenbin smiled smugly: "You're smart to know what's good for you. Now, keep backing away until I can't see you anymore."
As he spoke, he pushed Shen Yanzhou toward another exit of the secret passage—a path he had scouted long ago that led out of the city. Once he was out of the city, he could escape to the south, where the old troops left behind by the Prince of Rongyang were located.
Shi Wanxia and Cui Zhihao pretended to obey and slowly backed away, but their eyes were secretly observing.
After the tinderbox went out, the secret passage became even darker, with only a faint light filtering in from the exit, just enough to make out Zhou Wenbin's movements.
Just as Zhou Wenbin was pushing Shen Yanzhou towards the exit, Shi Wanxia suddenly pulled something out of her pocket and threw it towards Zhou Wenbin—
Those were smoke bombs she had specially prepared when she was in Chuzhou. They would explode upon contact with something, emitting thick white smoke. Although they were not poisonous, they could temporarily obscure people's vision.
With a "bang," the smoke bomb exploded at Zhou Wenbin's feet, and white smoke instantly filled the air.
Caught off guard, Zhou Wenbin coughed from the smoke and loosened his grip on the knife.
"Now!" Shi Wanxia shouted, pulling Cui Zhihao forward.
Cui Zhihao was already prepared. Upon hearing her words, he immediately drew his sword and thrust it towards Zhou Wenbin.
Shen Yanzhou seized the opportunity and rammed into Zhou Wenbin with all his might!
Zhou Wenbin staggered a couple of steps from the impact, and the knife in his hand clattered to the ground.
He was about to bend down to pick it up when Choi Ji-ho's sword was already at his neck.
"Don't move!"
Choi Ji-ho was panting, his hands trembling slightly from the effort, but he didn't relax at all.
Shi Wanxia rushed over, helped Shen Yanzhou up, and took out another damp burlap from her bosom, handing it to him: "Your Highness, quickly cover your mouth and nose, don't inhale the poisonous smoke anymore."
Shen Yanzhou took the burlap sack, covered his mouth and nose, and coughed for a while before recovering. He looked at Zhou Wenbin with icy eyes: "Zhou Wenbin, do you think you can escape?"
Zhou Wenbin looked at the sword pressed against his neck, then at the people around him, knowing he was completely finished. Suddenly, he burst into maniacal laughter: "So what if we can't escape? Shen Yanzhou, do you think the Prince of Rongyang's power is that small? Let me tell you, there are people waiting in the shadows! You'll all die sooner or later!"
"What did you say? Who else?"
Shi Wanxia pressed for an answer, her heart skipping a beat—could there be other hidden accomplices besides Zhou Wenbin?
Zhou Wenbin stopped talking, only sneered, his eyes full of provocation.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the secret passage, and several soldiers from the patrol battalion ran in, carrying antidote medicine: "Your Highness! We brought the antidote! The poisonous smoke outside has almost dissipated!"
Shen Yanzhou nodded and said to the soldiers, "Tie Zhou Wenbin up and keep a close watch on him. Don't let him have a chance to commit suicide."
"In addition, send someone to investigate and find out who the 'others' Zhou Wenbin mentioned are."
"Yes!"
The soldiers immediately stepped forward, bound Zhou Wenbin tightly with iron chains, and took him away.
As Zhou Wenbin was being taken away, he was still shouting frantically, "You wait! Someone else will come to avenge us!"
The secret passage finally fell silent.
Shen Yanzhou drank some detoxifying medicine, and his complexion improved. Looking at Shi Wanxia and Cui Zhihao, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes: "This time, I owe it all to you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have really perished here."
"Your Highness is too kind. It is what we should do."
Shi Wanxia smiled, then looked at Cui Zhihao and noticed that the wound on his arm was bleeding again, so she quickly said something.
"Brother Cui, your wound is bleeding again. Let's go out and take care of it quickly."
Cui Zhihao nodded, and was about to speak when he heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats outside. A servant rushed in, looking flustered, and said, "Your Highness! Someone from the palace has arrived! They say His Majesty has suddenly fallen ill and wants you to return to the palace immediately!"
"what?"
Shen Yanzhou's expression changed drastically, and without saying much, he spoke to Shi Wanxia and Cui Zhihao.
"You should go back to your residence and rest first. I will let you know if anything happens."
After saying that, he hurriedly followed the servant outside.
Shi Wanxia and Cui Zhihao exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes—
Why did His Majesty suddenly fall ill when he was perfectly healthy? Could it be related to the "other people" Zhou Wenbin mentioned?
The two quickly followed him outside. As soon as they exited the secret passage, they saw Shen Yanzhou riding a horse, galloping towards the palace, followed by a troop of soldiers. Dust billowed up as they quickly disappeared from sight.