Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Wu Tao ran as fast as she could, but how could her slender legs outrun a well-trained killer? The man in black was closing in on her and was about to capture her. Wu Tao made up her mind and simply stopped, turned around and faced the man in black with a determined look in her eyes.

The man in black was startled by her sudden action, then smiled contemptuously: "What, you're not running away anymore? Just surrender!"

Wu Tao took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and thought of a solution quickly in her mind. She looked around and found that she had run to the palace wall, and outside the palace wall was a busy street.

"Don't come over here!" Wu Tao shouted sternly, and at the same time quietly reached his hand into his sleeve and tightly grasped the dagger.

Seeing this, the man in black not only did not stop, but instead quickened his pace. He pulled out a dagger and pointed the shining blade directly at Wu Tao.

At the critical moment, with a whoosh, a feather arrow flew through the air and hit the wrist of the man in black holding the knife. The man in black screamed and the dagger fell to the ground. Before Wu Tao could react, he was pulled behind by another black shadow.

"Tao'er, are you okay?" A familiar voice sounded in her ears. Wu Tao looked up suddenly and saw Hu Bugui in military uniform, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, looking at her with concern.

However, before Wu Tao could speak, more men in black came from all directions and surrounded them. Hu Bugui protected Wu Tao behind him, drew the long sword from his waist, pointed the sword at the men in black, and shouted coldly: "Anyone who dares to touch her will be killed without mercy!"

A fierce battle was about to break out. Although Hu Bugui was a skilled warrior, he was outnumbered and gradually lost the upper hand. Wu Tao saw it all and was anxious, but he could do nothing.

In the end, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao were captured. Wu Tao was taken to a remote palace and imprisoned in a secret room. She knew that this must be the work of the prince.

The secret room was dark and damp, with only a small window letting in a faint light. Wu Tao was in a state of confusion. She didn't know what had happened to Hu Bugui, nor did she know how the prince would deal with her. She forced herself to calm down and carefully checked the secret room, hoping to find a way to escape. However, everything was in vain.

At the same time, Hu Bugui was also imprisoned in another place. He was extremely anxious, but he had no idea what to do. He knew that he had to find a way to rescue Wu Tao as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Hu Bugui secretly contacted some ministers who were loyal to him to discuss countermeasures. He knew that the prince was still young and his power in the court was not enough to compete with him. As long as they worked together, they would be able to rescue Wu Tao.

However, the rescue operation must be carried out in secret, otherwise once the news leaks out, the consequences will be disastrous. Hu Bugui is well aware of the interests involved, so he must act cautiously and take every step carefully.

At this moment, in another corner of the palace, Chun Tao was anxiously waiting for news...

Chun Tao has been restless since she learned that Wu Tao was taken away by the prince's men. She has worked in the palace for many years and knows the dangers of the harem, and she understands what the prince's move means.

"My queen, you must be safe!" Chuntao clasped her hands together and prayed silently. In her anxiety, she suddenly had an idea and remembered that she had accidentally heard a rumor about the remote palace. It was said that the palace had fallen into disrepair for a long time, and there was a hidden dog hole outside the palace wall. No one cared about it on weekdays, and only the brave palace maids and eunuchs would occasionally sneak out from there.

Thinking of this, Chuntao seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw. She took a deep breath and decided to take a risk. She took advantage of the cover of night and sneaked into the remote palace. The palace was heavily guarded, but Chuntao was very familiar with the terrain here. She bypassed the patrolling guards and found the hidden dog hole with her memory.

The dog hole was narrow, and Chuntao had to work hard to get in. She dusted herself off, crouched, and groped her way to the secret room where Wu Tao was imprisoned. Along the way, Chuntao's heart was in her throat, fearing that she would be discovered by the guards.

Finally, she arrived at the door of the secret room. Chuntao knocked gently on the door and said in a low voice: "Madam, it's me, Chuntao."

In the secret room, Wu Tao heard a familiar voice and was surprised and delighted. He quickly ran to the door and asked, "Chun Tao, why are you here? What's the situation outside?"

"Your Majesty, I finally found an opportunity to sneak in, but the prince..." Before Chuntao could finish her words, she was interrupted anxiously by Wu Tao.

"What happened to Bugui? Is he okay?" Wu Tao was anxious, afraid of hearing bad news.

"Don't worry, madam. The prince is fine. He is just imprisoned." Chun Tao comforted her hastily. "I came here to deliver a letter to you. The prince said that he will definitely rescue you. Please wait patiently."

Hearing that Hu Bugui was safe, Wu Tao finally let go of her worries. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and asked, "Chun Tao, do you know the layout of this palace? Is it possible for us to escape?"

Chun Tao thought for a moment and said, "My lady, I heard that this palace has been in disrepair for a long time and there is a wall that has become loose. If we can find it, we may be able to try to escape by climbing over the wall."

Wu Tao's eyes lit up, as if she saw the dawn of hope. She quickly took Chun Tao's hand and asked anxiously, "Where is that courtyard wall? Let's go and take a look!"

Chuntao and Wutao searched around the secret room and finally found the loose wall in a corner. Outside the wall was a dense forest, which seemed even more deep and quiet under the cover of night.

"Empress, are we really going to escape from here?" Chuntao asked worriedly, looking at the high courtyard wall.

"We have no choice now but to fight to the death!" Wu Tao's eyes were firm and her tone was resolute. She knew that she had to escape so that she could work together with Hu Bugui to crush the prince's conspiracy.

The two discussed and decided to wait until the dead of night before taking action. In order not to attract the attention of the guards, they piled some hay that they had secretly collected during the day in the corner and prepared to use it as a footstool.

As the night deepened, the palace was completely silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects making the night even more peaceful. Wu Tao and Chun Tao held their breath, quietly waiting for the best opportunity to arrive...

It was late at night, with a dark moon and strong winds, a good time to act. Hu Bugui, wearing black armor and riding a tall horse, led a team of elite soldiers, approaching the palace silently like a black torrent.

Outside the palace walls, the guards were lazy, gathered in groups of three or four, and chatted in low voices. They could never have imagined that the palace, which was usually impregnable, would face a surprise attack tonight. Hu Bugui held a long sword, the blade flashing coldly in the moonlight, and he whispered an order: "Kill!"

In an instant, shouts and cries of killing shook the sky, breaking the silence of the night. Hu Bugui's elite soldiers were all brave and good at fighting. They rushed into the palace like tigers descending from the mountains and engaged in a fierce battle with the prince's guards. Swords flashed, blood and flesh flew, and screams were heard everywhere.

Inside the palace, Wu Tao and Chun Tao heard the noise outside, looked at each other, and a glimmer of hope ignited in their hearts.

"My Queen, the opportunity has come!" Chun Tao said in a low voice with a hint of excitement in her tone.

Wu Tao nodded, took a deep breath, suppressed his inner tension and excitement, and the two of them moved the haystack away, stepped on the gravel in the corner, and climbed up with difficulty.

Just then, a dark shadow flashed and appeared in front of them.

"Taotao!" Hu Bugui grabbed Wu Tao's hand, his eyes full of worry and heartache.

When Wu Tao saw Hu Bugui, she felt relieved. She held his hand and said anxiously, "Bugui, I'm fine. Let's go!"

Hu Bugui nodded, took Wu Tao's hand, rushed out of the secret room with her and joined the melee.

However, just as they were about to break out of the encirclement, a sharp arrow flew through the air and shot straight at Wu Tao...

The sharp arrow whistled towards her with the breath of death. Hu Bugui was quick-witted and threw Wu Tao to the ground. The arrow flew almost close to her scalp and got stuck in the wall behind her, with the tail of the arrow buzzing.

Wu Tao was still in shock, and before she could react, Hu Bugui hugged her tightly in his arms. "Tao Tao, are you okay? Are you hurt?" His anxious voice was trembling as he lowered his head to carefully check her body.

"I'm fine..." Wu Tao shook her head and looked up at Hu Bugui, tears welling up in her eyes. "Bugui, it's really you, you finally came to save me!"

The joy of surviving the disaster and the longing for each other turned into tears at this moment. The two hugged each other tightly and let the tears flow freely.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, now is not the time to reminisce about the past. We have to leave here quickly!" Chun Tao reminded.

Hu Bugui knew that the situation was critical. He helped Wu Tao up, gently wiped her tears, and said firmly: "Taotao, don't be afraid. I will take you away from here and back to where we belong."

After that, he held a long sword, protected Wu Tao and Chun Tao, and fought hard outside the palace. However, the prince's army had surrounded them.

"Hu Bugui, how dare you trespass into the palace? Do you intend to rebel?" The prince, wearing silver armor, holding a spear, riding a tall horse, appeared in front of everyone with a ferocious look on his face.

"Your Highness, you imprisoned my wife and forced the Emperor to abdicate. This is the real treason!" Hu Bugui glared at the prince, pointing the sword in his hand directly at him.

"The victor goes to the king and the loser goes to the bandit. Today, I will let you see how powerful I am!" The prince roared, waving his spear and took the lead in attacking Hu Bugui.

Hu Bugui was not afraid at all, and wielded his sword to fight. Both of them were highly skilled in martial arts, and for a moment, it was difficult to tell who was better.

Wu Tao and Chun Tao were protected behind Hu Bugui, their hearts in their throats. They knew that the outcome of this battle would determine their fate.

The battle became more and more intense, the soldiers on both sides were bloodthirsty, blood flowed like a river, and screams were heard everywhere. Although Hu Bugui was a martial arts expert, he was outnumbered and gradually fell behind.

Seeing this, the prince was pleased and attacked more frantically, with each move being ruthless, aiming directly at Hu Bugui's life. Hu Bugui and Wu Tao knew that this would be a life-and-death battle, but they did not back down and decided to fight for justice and love. Hu Bugui's swordsmanship was sharp, and each move was as powerful as thunder, forcing the prince to retreat again and again. However, the prince was young and strong after all, and he came prepared, and gradually gained the upper hand. His long spear was like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, and each move was vicious, aiming directly at Hu Bugui's vital points.

Wu Tao was terrified watching from the side. She held Chun Tao's hand tightly, her palms full of cold sweat. She wanted to rush forward and fight alongside Hu Bugui, but she knew that she would only become a burden to him. The only thing she could do was to pray silently, praying that he would be safe.

"Bugui, be careful!" Wu Tao couldn't help but exclaimed, and saw the prince's spear stabbing towards Hu Bugui's chest.

Hu Bugui dodged swiftly, but the prince's attack was too fierce and he was still scratched on the arm by the spear. Blood instantly dyed his sleeves red, but he seemed to feel no pain and continued to swing his sword to meet the enemy.

"Your Highness!" Chuntao exclaimed, her eyes red.

"I'm fine." Hu Bugui gritted his teeth, his eyes as firm as ever.

He knew that he could not fall down. He had to protect Wu Tao, their love, and this hard-earned happiness. He took a deep breath and circulated the inner energy to the extreme. The sword light surged and turned into silver lightning, colliding violently with the prince's spear.

The sound of weapons clashing was deafening, sparks flew everywhere, and illuminated the determined faces of the two men. The prince's eyes were full of crazy killing intent, while Hu Bugui was calm and composed, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

The two were fighting fiercely when suddenly, a shout was heard outside the palace. Then, an army poured in from all directions and surrounded the prince's men.

The leader was the emperor in dragon robes. His face was livid, his eyes were like lightning, and he shouted sternly, "Prince, how dare you plot treason? Why don't you surrender!"

The prince's face turned pale immediately, he knew that he was doomed. He looked at Hu Bugui and Wu Tao with hatred, then dropped his spear and turned to flee.

"Want to leave? Not that easy!" Hu Bugui flashed and blocked the prince's way, with the sword in his hand pointing straight at his throat.

The prince was trembling all over, his eyes were full of fear. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end nothing came out.

This palace coup ended with the failure of the prince. But for Hu Bugui and Wu Tao, this is just the beginning. Can they really return to where they belong? Can their love withstand the more severe tests that follow?