My Lord, the princess doesn't want you anymore.

Zhuang Xiang opened the cloth door of the tent and hesitated for a moment before walking in.

Inside the tent, beside the couch, there was a man guarding, the old general Xiang Zhong.

Seeing Zhuang Xiang coming in, Xiang Zhong raised his head and looked at him expectantly with a gleam in his eyes.

Zhuang Xiang shook his head gently at him.

The light in Xiang Zhong's somewhat cloudy old eyes suddenly dimmed.

Zhuang Xiang looked at the pale and unconscious Cui Hongjing and couldn't help but turn his head away again.

In his memory, the prince had never been injured so badly. Even in the assassination attempt that left a permanent scar on the prince's face, although the situation was critical, the doctor in the palace at least saved the prince's life.

But this time, neither the doctors in the army nor the doctors brought from the palace were able to do anything.

Perhaps, this time, only the princess can save the prince.

But, even if the princess is found, will she be willing to save the prince?

The princess must be resentful of the prince.

"The fact that the prince was assassinated must not be let known to Changguo." Xiang Zhong said.

"Don't worry, old general. I have repeatedly told those who know about this matter." Zhuang Xiang suddenly knelt down and kowtowed heavily to Chao Zhong. "Old general, now it all depends on you."

Xiang Zhong helped him up and said, "Don't worry, I am the deputy general. While the prince is recuperating, I will not allow any chaos in the army and will definitely stabilize the overall situation."

Zhuang Xiang stood up and sat down on the couch again. He lowered his voice and said, "Before the prince was assassinated, he entrusted me with a task. This matter is related to the direction of the next war between the two countries of Zhenchang. Now that the prince's life or death is uncertain, I have no choice but to take the initiative to inform the old general about this matter. Because only the old general can take charge of the overall situation... The prince has told me many times before that I can trust the old general unconditionally."

"It doesn't matter if you say so."

"The old general also knows that shortly after the army set out, Concubine Wan was kidnapped in the palace. When the prince learned about it, he secretly sent people to investigate. It was found that it was done by the Emperor of Changguo, who was worried that the war between the two countries would endanger Concubine Wan's life..."

Before Zhuang Xiang finished speaking, Xiang Zhong snorted coldly and interrupted him: "Okay, it's what you said. Just continue."

Zhuang Xiang's lie was exposed, and his face turned red. "Please forgive me, General. I didn't tell you the truth because the prince didn't want you to get involved."

"Alas, how could I not understand the prince's mind?" Xiang Zhong's eyes fell on Cui Hongjing's pale face. A trace of kindness appeared on his face, which was always full of murderous intent, as if he was looking at his own child. "This child has been like this since he was young. He has to shoulder everything by himself."

Zhuang Xiang then continued, "I dare not deceive the old general any more. This evening, the convoy escorting Imperial Concubine Wan will enter the territory of Chang State. I have arranged for someone to go there with the prince's token. Imperial Concubine Wan will definitely come here with our people, but on the surface, it seems that our people have kidnapped Imperial Concubine Wan... After that, the old general will have to come forward to provide cover and let the emperor know that Chang State agreed to cease fire and negotiate peace because Imperial Concubine Wan was held hostage by us..."

"Okay, you don't have to say anything more, I know what to do." Xiang Zhong said, "I already understand the prince's original plan. Everything before was just for the emperor's sake, but this assassination was unexpected. Now that the prince is seriously injured and unconscious, the previous events seem more real. After all, if I come forward to hold Concubine Wan hostage, it will be more credible for the emperor than if the prince comes forward in person... If I'm not mistaken, the prince must have already made a deal with Changguo."

Zhuang Xiang looked at Xiang Zhong in surprise, "The old general is very wise. The prince can't hide anything from the old general."

Xiang Zhong smiled bitterly, "The relationship between Concubine Wan and Prince Jing is not only that of mother and son, but also that of mother and son. Others may not know, but how could I not know? Therefore, after knowing that Concubine Wan was missing, I guessed a little bit. The previous battles were just to cover up the truth."

Zhuang Xiang: "...Please forgive me, General. It's just that the prince has always been reluctant to involve you, but now the situation is urgent and there is no better way."

Xiang Zhong snorted, "In my life, I have never been afraid of trouble!"

Then, he sighed heavily again and looked at Cui Hongjing who was unconscious on the low couch again, "I hope you can really find Princess Jing... It has to be quick. The doctor said that he can only protect the prince for three days at most."

……

At the same time, Changguo.

Yan Ruobing slowly put down the letter in her hand, her lips trembling slightly, and something crystal clear flashing in her eyes.

It’s been twenty years, a full twenty years!

That year, he sent his sister Princess Wan to marry into the Zhenguo Kingdom as the crown prince.

On the day he returned home, his sister did not cry or make a fuss. She just looked at him quietly, as if she was looking at a stranger.

That look made him extremely heartbroken, and he still often sees it in his dreams.

That day, after he left the Zhenguo Imperial City, his sister stood on the city wall, watching him motionlessly, watching him leave, and watching the dust raised by his horse's hooves behind him as he left.

He turned around and saw his sister's lonely figure on the city wall through the gray dust.

At that moment, he had the urge to turn back and bring his sister back home.

Fuck the marriage! Fuck the state affairs!

If he can't even protect his own relatives and his most beloved sister, how can he protect the people of Dachang?

If his followers hadn't tried their best to hold him back, he would have really turned back that day.

He hasn't seen his sister for twenty years, but he writes her a letter every month, wanting to know if she is doing well in Zhen Country.

But every time his sister replied "everything is fine", it was not until recently that he found out that his sister, who had the halo of a royal concubine, had become a walking corpse in the Zhenguo Palace.

He immediately wanted to send someone to the Zhenguo Palace to rescue his sister, but he was afraid that the Zhenguo Emperor would hurt her in a hurry.

He dare not.

In order for his sister to return to her motherland safely, he can stop the war. Even if it is a matter of revenge for the prince, he can take his time to consider it.

He and Cui Hongjing can achieve a win-win situation.

Because Cui Hongjing was more qualified and capable than him to rescue Concubine Wan. The key point was that Cui Hongjing would never hurt her.

"Father!" A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Yan Ruobing wiped her eyes carelessly, "You are here, sit down."

The King of Chu glanced at the letter in the emperor's hand, remained silent, and sat down.

Seeing how sad father looks, it seems that Aunt Wan is about to come back.

The Lord of Wangyou Valley did not lie to me.

"When did you arrive?" Yan Ruobing asked casually.

"I just got back and haven't had time to return home yet." The King of Chu looked puzzled.

After he returned to Changguo with the prince's coffin, he was sent to the battlefield by the emperor the next day. However, before he got close to the battle line, the emperor summoned him back with an oral order.

So he was on the road all day and did nothing?

He had guessed that the war could not be fought.

On the way back from Zhenguo, he met Li Mo through Sanyue Bay, and Li Mo said that he was the one who rescued Princess Wan.

At that time, the King of Chu knew that this would be the result. If he wanted to make achievements on the battlefield, he would have to wait for the next opportunity.

As long as Aunt Wan can return home safely, my father would rather stop the war.

But he couldn't show Yan Ruobing that he already knew all this, so he looked puzzled and said, "I don't know why the emperor suddenly summoned me back to the capital? I was still thinking about making achievements on the battlefield!"