After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

He squinted and examined the ground carefully, and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there were indeed a few specks of green powder on the ground.

"Gotcha!"

"Run! Run away!"

"Damn it... This time they used rope to tie him up... those damn handcuffs are useless..."

"Let's see how Master Peng is doing?"

"Master Peng is alright, he's alright..."

"And what about the young lady?"

"They've gone too far!"

"Brother Xu San..."

Amidst the cacophony of voices.

Ning Nan was tied up by several people, his arms close to his body, as the thieves wrapped ropes around him, cursing under their breath.

The rope was tied so tightly that even breathing became difficult.

A lithe figure strode out the door, gazing westward where Gongsun Heng had departed. He clasped his right thumb and forefinger together, placed them near his lips, and exhaled a long breath.

"Bah!" 』

A sharp whistle rang out!

Ning Nan was covered in sweat. He narrowed his eyes and realized that this young man was the one who had just thrown a wine glass and struck his wrist in the blink of an eye.

"How is Brother Xu?"

A horse-faced figure jumped out of the doorway.

The lithe figure blew for a while, and seeing that the departing horse did not respond, shook its head and said:

"The white horse has run far away, and its ears are stuffed with cloth; it can't be called back."

Feng Yu also strode out, stopped, and stared blankly to the west, remaining silent.

"Should we mount our horses and chase after him?" Huang's wife asked through gritted teeth as she ran after him with her knife in hand.

The agile Xu Tianji glanced at Feng Yu and shook his head.

"We can't catch up. We were too clever for our own good. That white horse was the fastest, and I raised it from a foal. I thought it would be the most obedient and come running back as soon as I gave it a whistle... But once the horse's ears were stuffed with cloth strips, it became difficult for it to hear the whistle and come back."

Shen Shou and the others choked, glancing at the tightly bound scholar with complicated expressions.

Previously, no one knew why this person suddenly asked Miss Gongsun to remove the cloth strips for him. It turns out that this person was so cunning, he actually wanted to plug the horse's ears!

Shen Shou sighed, waved his hand, and ordered his men to tie Ning Baixuan to a horse. He then ordered everyone to go inside the house, pour wine, and prepare to set it on fire.

Finally, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xu Tianji and said:

"In that case, we should not delay. Brother Xu, please tell us where the Right Protector intends for us to meet Ning Baixuan at: Xiaoshi Ferry, Huiyan Rock, or Xiangwang Rock?"

Xu Tianji had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a dignified appearance.

He glanced at Shen Shou, then at the gazes fixed on him from Feng Yu and the others, and without answering directly, said calmly:

"Please mount your horses and follow me, Xu, and you will see."

……

……

The man in white was bound up like a rice dumpling.

A young man with a knife at his waist pushed him into the cell.

The young man had a cold expression, his left eye was closed, and there was a slanted scar on it, indicating that he was blind.

The courtiers on both sides of the Eastern Palace watched as the man in white was pushed in.

Their pupils contracted in surprise.

The man in white was in his thirties, with a handsome face and extraordinary demeanor, but at this moment his hair was disheveled, his eyes were lifeless, and he seemed to have lost all hope.

"Your Highness!" an official cried out in terror as he peered over the iron fence.

"King Wu... Your Highness King Wu!"

"Thief! Thief! What an audacious thief! How dare you capture my Prince of Liang!"

"You thieves! Who are you people?!"

"Your Highness...please do not harm His Highness the Prince of Wu!"

Everyone shouted.

The King of Wu was renowned as much as the King of Qi; both were princes of Daliang and wise princes.

In particular, His Highness the Prince of Wu is not interested in the throne; he is dashing and debonair.

When the late emperor passed away, the Prince of Wu took charge of Yingtian Prefecture and governed the capital region. Although he was young, he was wise enough to follow the rules of Xiao He and Cao Zhi. He entrusted everything to the officials under his command and bluntly said that he was not good at official duties and was just a wooden idol. However, he won the praise of the officials in the capital region.

What everyone was most worried about at the time was that the two princes, Qi and Wu, would fight each other and disrupt the court. However, seeing that although Wu was young, he was not arrogant and instead had a strong sense of righteousness and dared to delegate power, everyone admired him even more.

During the years when His Highness was in charge of the capital region, Yingtian Prefecture enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity.

When the emperor assumed personal rule, the King of Wu retired after achieving his goal.

The Empress Dowager, who had been practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist prayers in the deep palace for many years, gave a string of Buddhist beads to her son, the Prince of Wu, saying, "My son has the appearance of a Buddha; may he be free from calamities." This became a widely praised story in the court and among the people.

Chen Yue's eyes widened in fury. He reached out through the fence to grab the young man who had lost his left eye, and roared:

"How dare you! Execute your entire clan! You traitorous officials! We will certainly report to the Emperor and have your entire clan executed!"

He gritted his teeth, his heart filled with grief and indignation... He was the one who pushed Mu Ziying, that traitor, up there. He and the others were captured by the traitor, and he, as the Junior Chamberlain of the Eastern Palace, could not escape the blame.

Even His Highness Prince Xin was captured; his crimes are beyond description.

I haven't been able to eat for the past few days, and I look completely different, haggard and filled with resentment.

He tried several times to hang himself in prison to save his family, but the thought of not seeing that scoundrel Mu Ziying beheaded made him unable to die in peace.

Some people advised him, while others openly or secretly mocked him. However, when Mu Ziying was promoted, almost none of the officials in the Eastern Palace voiced any opposition. No one really condemned him now, lest they bring trouble upon themselves.

Seeing that this group had even kidnapped the King of Wu, Chen Yuezhi's feelings were even more complicated.

On the one hand, he felt that if the gang of thieves made a bigger fuss, his own little mistake could be covered up.

On the other hand, there is also the concern that no one can escape unscathed when the nest is overturned. This group of thieves has captured both the Crown Prince of Liang and another Prince of Liang. How can Liang not be in turmoil?

For a moment, Chen Yuezhi was both happy and worried. Confined in prison and powerless, he could only fulfill his duty as a subject and curse the traitors who had captured the King of Wu.

The other officials of the Eastern Palace also rolled up their sleeves, filled with righteous indignation, and continued to curse.

King Wu raised his head, his face pale and haggard, and glanced at the ministers who were locked behind iron bars on both sides, his eyes lifeless.

"Gentlemen."

He said in a hoarse voice.

"Your Highness... Where is Prince Xin...?"

Seeing that the dignified Prince of Liang had fallen to such a state as they had, the courtiers were filled with anger and shame, but they were also somewhat relieved. After all, the prince had been captured and tortured by the bandits, so what did their own suffering amount to?

The courtiers, while inwardly expressing their gratitude, assured the Prince that he was safe and sound, having been imprisoned by the traitors.

As the King of Wu listened to the words of comfort from his ministers, tears streamed down his face.

boom!

He bent his knees.

He suddenly knelt down.

The ministers looked at each other, wondering what was wrong with this wise king of Liang.

"Gentlemen..." King Wu said hoarsely, tears streaming down his face.

"King Qi, my second brother... my second brother... he... he's rebelled!"

The King of Wu struck his head to the ground, and a roar like that of a trapped beast echoed through the arena.

These earth-shattering words came from the prince's mouth.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The assembled officials were dumbfounded.