tallest building

Chapter 382 Urgent Report

At the Longxi camp, Ying Wuchou was drawing a map on a sheepskin.

"Your Highness, there is an urgent report from the capital." A scout walked in from outside the tent and presented a letter.

Ying Wuchou put down his pen, took the letter, and waved for the soldier to leave.

The letter was written in the emperor's own handwriting. He tore open the envelope and took out the letter inside.

He frowned as he read it, then folded the letter again and put it back in the envelope.

At this time, snow was falling heavily in Longxi. He put on his cloak and strode out of the military tent.

Immediately, a lieutenant pulled the horse over and asked, "Where is Your Highness going?"

“I’m going to the King of Chu’s camp,” Ying Wuchou said. “You can bring two more people with you.”

Upon hearing this, the deputy general knew that the prince had something to discuss with the King of Chu. He quickly called over a few trusted men, and together they mounted their horses and galloped away with the Prince of Changliu.

The camp of the King of Changliu and the camp of the King of Chu were fifty li apart, not far, but not particularly close either.

At this moment, the north wind howled, and the King of Changliu and his entourage braved the wind and snow to hurry to the King of Chu's camp.

It was dusk, and the King of Chu was sitting in his tent drinking wine.

In this kind of weather, you'll never feel warm unless you drink some strong liquor.

It was only after he arrived here that he became inseparable from alcohol every day.

"Your Highness, Prince Changliu has arrived." A personal attendant entered the tent to report, bringing with him a gust of cold wind that quickly melted the snowflakes on his body, leaving his shoulders and back soaked.

"What is he doing here at this time?" King Chu was startled, instinctively feeling that it was not a good thing.

As they were talking, Prince Changliu walked in. He told his entourage to stay outside and came in alone.

Upon seeing this, the King of Chu's eyelids twitched even more violently. He waved his hand at his attendants and said, "You may all leave."

Without wasting words, Ying Wuchou took out the letter and handed it to the King of Chu, saying, "Something has happened in the capital. Take a look for yourself!"

The King of Chu's heart pounded as he took the letter.

He recognized it as the Emperor's handwriting, and his hands trembled involuntarily.

There must be something extremely important for someone of such exceptional talent to personally deliver this message.

Upon opening it, the King of Chu's legs immediately went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.

His hands were trembling so badly that the letter seemed like a fallen leaf in his grasp.

Ying Wuchou watched coldly from the side, without offering to help him up.

"How could this happen? Shan'er..." King Chu cried, tears streaming down his face. "Heavens! Why are you so unfair?!"

The letter said that Ying Shan had been poisoned in the palace and was in imminent danger of death.

The letter also stated that they are investigating the truth and are determined to get to the bottom of it.

"My son! My son!" The King of Chu pounded his chest and stamped his feet, his heart breaking with grief. "Who killed you? Who?!"

His heart was bleeding; he couldn't tell whether it was regret, hatred, sorrow, or fear.

"Who does Your Highness think it could be?" Ying Wuchou asked. His question startled the King of Chu, who stopped crying.

His bloodshot eyes looked over, and he murmured, "Could it be the Empress?"

"I can't say for sure whether it is or not, but just an hour before I received His Majesty's letter, I received a military report saying that the King of Zhao was leading a large army to the capital."

"I received it too." The King of Chu glanced at a military report on the table, which was weighed down by a sword. "Didn't it say that the King of Zhao was escorting the King of the Northern Frontier to the capital to reunite with the princess?"

"Do you really believe what he says, Your Highness? The Prince of the Northern Frontier isn't a three-year-old child, nor is this his first time visiting the capital. Does he really need such a large army to escort him?" Ying Wuchou sneered. "And he's even bringing Princess Zhao and Ying Tong with him. Isn't this just a case of protesting too much?"

Ying Wuchou's words make perfect sense. First, there is no need for the King of Zhao to personally escort them; second, there is no need to mobilize a large army; and third, why bring the whole family along?

King Zhao's actions clearly revealed his true intentions, and considering Ying Shan's poisoning, his true purpose was obvious.

"Fine! They've harmed my sons one after another, and then escorted their own sons to the capital!" The King of Chu gritted his teeth. "Do they think I'm dead?!"

The King of Chu hated the Zhao family to the core. If it weren't for them, his eldest son wouldn't have become a one-eyed dragon, and he wouldn't have come to this remote Longxi.

He certainly hated the Empress and the Dong family, but he couldn't say it outright.

However, the fact that his youngest son was allowed to enter the palace could still offset the hatred in his heart. But now that Ying Shan has gotten into trouble, he can no longer suppress his hatred.

"Your Highness, His Majesty's intention in sending the Second Young Master into the palace is to support him as the Crown Prince, which the Dong family and the Empress will naturally not agree to."

"I thought they wouldn't stoop so low as to harm children, but I underestimated them," Ying Wuchou sneered. "Now that the Prince of Zhao and his men have entered the capital, I'm afraid they have ulterior motives."

"I will avenge my sons!" King Chu stood up. "My eldest son was blinded by their arrows, and my youngest son was poisoned! I will never forgive them!"

“If Your Highness truly intends to do so, I will return to the capital with you,” Ying Wuchou said. “I have a feeling that the Prince of Zhao might be planning a coup; they can’t hold back any longer.”

"You...you're coming to the capital with me?" The King of Chu's eyes widened. "Entering the capital without the Emperor's permission is a serious crime!"

“We are of one mind with our lord, and His Majesty will not blame us,” Ying Wuchou said. “We must not delay and must return to the capital before the Prince of Zhao forces the emperor to abdicate.”

“Very well,” the King of Chu nodded vigorously, “This matter must not be revealed before we set off.”

“I’ll go back to the camp to reorganize first,” Ying Wuchou said, “and keep in touch with each other.”

Ying Wuchou braved the wind and snow and left again.

"Father, what happened?" Ying Bai rushed into the tent, enveloped in a chill. Seeing the King of Chu's tear-streaked face, his own face turned ashen.

“You’re not young anymore, and your father doesn’t want to keep this from you. But you shouldn’t tell your mother, she… she can’t bear it.” The King of Chu shed tears again as he spoke.

"What happened? Has something happened to your brother?" Ying Bai asked anxiously.

The King of Chu nodded with difficulty.

Ying Bai's breathing became increasingly rapid: "What's wrong with my brother?"

"He was poisoned in the palace and is in critical condition." The King of Chu wiped away a tear. "It would take seven days to get here from the capital, even by the fastest horse. I'm afraid by then... he'll be gone."

"It's the Empress! It must be the Empress!" Ying Bai exclaimed with absolute certainty. "We should never have let our brother enter the palace in the first place!"

The King of Chu was filled with remorse: "I never expected that they would be so cruel, not even sparing a child."

Ying Bai's eyes were blinded by Ying Tong's arrow; ultimately, it was the Zhao family's doing that caused this tragedy.

The King of Chu couldn't bear to give up his son's chance to become the crown prince, and he also thought that since the King of Zhao's family had been transferred away from the capital, his youngest son should be safe.