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

Judging from Ning Baixuan's previous ruthless killing of Yu Dayong and two others, and his merciless kidnapping of Old Man Peng, it's clear that...

The Huang family women's attempt to scare Ning Baixuan into dropping his weapon was, of course, impossible.

If he were really killed by Ning Baixuan.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Brave Guard Battalion had already laid an inescapable trap, and the master and that prince had also painstakingly devised a path to success.

Feng Yu and his group were unfamiliar with the route, and even if they captured Ning Baixuan, they couldn't take him to see their master. Most likely, they would just kill him to vent their anger, or take him hostage to break through the encirclement.

Xu Tianji gritted his teeth, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Today, his side had already lost many men and horses.

These are all skilled fighters within the sect, and there's no need for them to lose their lives unnecessarily. Furthermore, Master may not necessarily insist on having Ning Baixuan.

Xu Tianji sighed inwardly, glanced at Feng Yu's back again, and thought that he would have to bear the blame for ruining the Right Protector's important affairs.

He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Gentlemen...we...will retreat first!"

……

……

"So what if you know?"

The King of Wu still had some wet tears on his face.

At this moment, however, he calmly uttered this sentence.

The seven or eight female officials imprisoned there were filled with shock and rage, shouting, "Shameless!" "Traitor!" "So it was you, you villain!"

When they saw that Prince Xin had suddenly transformed into Princess Tang, they were overjoyed, thinking that Prince Xin had not fallen for the villain's trick. They were all very excited and relieved.

However, amidst their elation, they couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness, thinking that they had been seen as pawns by His Highness, which was why they had fallen into enemy hands. Nevertheless, they were all cursing King Qi in their hearts.

Everyone was stunned by what Princess Tang had just said. The Prince of Wu? The Prince of Wu was the one who was actually plotting a rebellion?!

Princess Tang spoke coldly and logically, but the crowd still didn't quite believe her.

Now that the King of Wu has suddenly said this, how could anyone not believe it?

In an instant, everyone's face turned red with anger, and they all cursed the King of Wu!

Xing Kaiyang, who had lost sight in his left eye, released the hand that was pressing down on the King of Wu, stood up, and stepped aside.

The King of Wu's upper body was tightly bound. He pulled with his right hand and tugged at the end of the rope hanging by his side.

The rope that had been tied so tightly suddenly loosened.

He stood up calmly.

"A slipknot! The rope binding him is a slipknot!" a female official shouted angrily.

"He really is a thief!"

"You, a prince of the Great Liang, have actually committed such a treasonous act!"

The female officials were filled with righteous indignation.

The King of Wu swept his cold eyes over the crowd.

The moment the prince unleashed his imposing aura, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, and their expressions became somewhat hesitant.

The King of Wu, however, did not speak to them. Instead, he turned to Xing Kaiyang and said gently, "Kaiyang," he raised a hand and pointed, "look at these women. They are all of good birth and appearance. Which one have you taken a fancy to? Your uncle will decide for you."

The female officials were stunned by what they heard, and could not believe that such shameless words could come from the mouth of a prince.

In an instant, everyone's faces turned red, and they cursed, "Shameless scoundrel!"

Xing Kaiyang grinned and said, "These are all ordinary women."

He pointed to Princess Tang behind the iron fence and said, "I want this."

The King of Wu praised, "Excellent! That's spirited!"

The female officials were so anxious that tears were about to well up in their eyes.

"Shameless! Utterly shameless!"

"Princess Tang is of such noble birth!"

"Bastard! Shameless!"

"How dare you insult the princess!"

Xing Kaiyang glanced at them a few times with disdain, then turned to look at Princess Tang, his eyes gleaming slightly. She was indeed the most beautiful.

The King of Wu glanced at the female officials and laughed, "My nephew Xing Kaiyang is such a hero! How dare you common beauties look down on him? Who knows if he looks down on you too!"

King Wu then turned to Princess Tang and said, "Well? Niece, since you are unwilling to die, your uncle might as well give you a suitable husband and a beautiful bride. Your status is barely worthy of my nephew."

Zhu Jiamo's expression remained indifferent as she calmly said, "Zhu Enzhen, you have four sons and three daughters. Aren't you afraid that one day your actions will bring retribution upon your three daughters?"

King Wu smiled faintly, pointed at Xing Kaiyang, then at the two young men with swords who had been brought in before the Kitchen God mask, and said:

"Whether it's Kaiyang, or my two nephews, Zhuang Doukui and Hao Yuheng, they are all heroes. If my three daughters were to marry them, I would only be gratified. How could this be retribution?"

Although the three young men had cold expressions, upon hearing this, they couldn't help but puff out their chests and their eyes revealed excitement.

Kaiyang, Doukui, Yuheng… Zhu Jiamo sneered, “Aren’t there also Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, and Yaoguang?”

Xing Kaiyang's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know? My name was given to me by my master. Ouyang Yaoguang is my junior brother, and the other three are my senior brothers." When he said the word "master," he glanced at the Kitchen God's back.

Zhu Jiamo didn't even glance at him, but looked at the Kitchen God and said, "You dare to name yourself after the Big Dipper? You have quite the audacity!"

The Kitchen God said calmly, "The princess is exceptionally intelligent."

Xing Kaiyang nodded, thinking that this woman was clever. It was the first time he had ever seen someone make his master and the King of Wu suffer a setback.

The King of Wu calmly said, "Kaiyang, would you like your uncle to arrange your marriage?"

Xing Kaiyang immediately grinned and nodded.

Zhu Jiamu's face turned pale, but she still managed a smile. After a moment, she calmly said:

"Uncle King of Wu, you've forced me to my death today; you're truly more cunning."

The woman's tone was slightly bittersweet, yet it also conveyed a sense of composure.

The King of Wu narrowed his eyes slightly.

She looked calmly at the Kitchen God, then glanced at the long knife in his hand.

"Go ahead and do it. Even if you don't kill me, I'll still die by hitting my head against a pillar. If Zhu Jiamu is afraid of death, may he be reborn as a pig or a dog in his next life."

Xing Kaiyang and his two young friends were stunned.

Why is this woman begging for death again?

The King of Wu was also slightly surprised, and the female officials were so worried that they shed tears when they heard the princess's words.

It seemed she was afraid that the other party would only humiliate her in different ways but not kill her.

Zhu Jiamu continued, "His Highness Prince Xin is unaware of the Prince of Wu's rebellion. I was merely deceiving you; killing me would have no repercussions. I don't know whether your plan succeeded or not, but..."

Zhu Jiamu's face hardened, and his eyes welled up with tears as he said, "His Highness Prince Xin and he will avenge me for this."

Since King Xin was unaware of King Wu's rebellion, the blame for her death would still fall on King Qi.

The Kitchen God remained silent.

A hint of joy flickered in the eyes of the King of Wu.

Xing Kaiyang asked, "What? Do you have someone you like?"

Zhu Jiamu said, "Yes."

Xing Kaiyang snorted and said, "Who is it? Tell me, and I'll go kill him first."

Zhu Jiamu's eyes reddened and stung. He glanced at him and said, "If you can really kill him and send him to the underworld to keep me company after I die, and reincarnate with me, then I'll really thank you."

Seeing that she seemed to be crying for that person, Xing Kaiyang felt a strange surge of warmth in his heart and stepped forward angrily, asking, "Who did you say it was?"

He had only noticed the woman's intelligence and beauty before, but now he felt that she was different from ordinary women.

Zhu Jiamu ignored him and looked only at the Kitchen God, his eyes calm and composed, saying, "Let's do it."

The Kitchen God originally intended to kill the other party immediately in order to incite the Tang Emperor to rebel.

However, after hearing what the other party said, he was no longer willing to kill.

"Zhu Cuiwei can't help you get revenge."

The Kitchen God, holding a knife, addressed the Prince of Xin by his given name in a calm manner.

Zhu Jiamu narrowed her almond-shaped eyes slightly.

The Kitchen God said, "She will die tonight."

Zhu Jiamu sneered, "You traitors, even at a time like this, you're still fantasizing about killing Prince Xin?"

"I told Her Highness the Princess before that I had captured someone who was very important to Zhu Cuiwei."

Zhu Jiamu was taken aback. She assumed the other person was referring to the Prince of Wu and coldly replied, "What? Are you referring to the Prince of Wu? Or to me, this princess?"

The Kitchen God said, "Neither."

Before the other party could ask any more questions, the Kitchen God calmly said, "We have captured Ning Baixuan."

Zhu Jiamu's pupils contracted, somewhat incredulous, but he asked curiously, "Ning Baixuan... he's just a scholar who writes pretentious poems, why are you arresting him?"

……

……

The great river surges forward.

The moonlight was hazy.

Xu Tianji and Feng Yu rode together on one horse.

Seven people, including Huang's wife, rode horses to protect the two of them.

The dull thud of horses' hooves echoed on the beach.

Sweat beaded on Feng Yu's forehead as he asked, "Is he still following us?"

Xu Tianji was in pain from the gunshot wound on his thigh. He gritted his teeth and was about to turn around.

Zhao Laoqian, standing nearby, shouted, "He's following! Watch out! That bastard's drawn his bow again!"

"Damn it!" another person turned around and cursed, "That kid..."

The insults hadn't even started yet.

"Whoosh!"

An arrow flew right past him!

The man was terrified! He shut up!

Inside the constricted pupil.

Thirty or forty feet behind them, a man holding a longbow, riding a white horse, and with a musket tucked behind his waist was hot on their heels.

They couldn't shake them off, and the archer would occasionally shoot them with an arrow; his archery skills were no less than the previous archer's.

Moreover, the other side also had muskets.

As soon as they went to give chase, the enemy grabbed the reins and fled.

"What should we do?" Huang's wife and the others were almost driven crazy by this man, and they said in a rough voice.

They had already let the man go, but he was like a stubborn leech, clinging to them no matter what. The more they thought about it, the angrier they became, and they couldn't help but curse loudly.