The cruel little princess

An Shijiu led a group of his men, standing tall on the city wall, his expression full of solemnity and doubt.

They received orders to wait here, but they had no idea who was coming. Time passed slowly in this agonizing wait, and everyone felt like their heart was being scratched by a cat, anxious but helpless.

"Oh, this is so frustrating. I don't know anything and I still have to wait here. This old monk is really something. He doesn't even speak clearly. Is he trying to be so mysterious on purpose?"

A brother next to An Shijiu couldn't help but complain softly, with a hint of helplessness and annoyance in his voice.

The little leader nearby saw this and looked at their serious and almost tense expressions. He guessed that they must be getting anxious waiting, so he didn't dare to provoke them.

He just silently led the gatekeepers to patrol back and forth on the city wall carefully, taking every step extremely slowly, for fear of disturbing the depressing atmosphere.

After about an incense stick of time, a burst of crisp and rapid "clatter" of horse hooves suddenly came from the official road, which was as quiet as death. It seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet night.

Because of his profound internal strength, An Shijiu had hearing abilities far superior to those of ordinary people. As soon as the sound of horse hooves reached his ears, he suddenly stood up straight like a flash of black lightning.

His originally scattered mind instantly became highly focused, his eyes fixed on the direction where the sound of horse hooves came from, as if his gaze wanted to penetrate the vast night and see clearly who the person coming was.

At this moment, his mind was like a mess, with all kinds of thoughts rushing through his mind. He secretly complained: "Who on earth is this?!

Who on earth is riding a horse here in the middle of the night?!

Could this be the destined person that Abbot Wuwo mentioned?

Could it be the person the old monk asked us to wait for?

Oh my, I’m so anxious! Why hasn’t it arrived yet?!”

His brows were tightly furrowed, his face was full of anxiety, his lips were slightly pursed, and fine beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead, gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

Just as he kept muttering, the people in the distance finally came closer to the moat.

An Shijiu and the others stood on the city wall, separated from the people outside by a wide moat. In addition, the night was dim, so they could only vaguely see the silver-white armor reflecting a cold and mysterious luster under the moonlight, as if a layer of gauze was covering the people, making it difficult to see clearly.

"Is he someone from the military?!"

An Twenty-Seven couldn't help but move closer to An Nineteen and asked softly, with a hint of uncertainty and doubt in his voice, "Brother Nineteen, do you think this person is the one we are waiting for?"

An Nineteen shook his head slightly, his eyes also full of confusion, "I don't know either, let me ask first!"

After saying this, he took a deep breath, letting the energy sink into his dantian. Then he shouted loudly, his voice so strong and powerful that it seemed to shake the night sky, "Who are you? Tell me your name!"

"I am Shen Zijin from the General's Mansion! Tonight..."

Shen Zijin pulled the reins, raised his head and looked at the people on the city wall. He was about to explain why he rushed back overnight, but suddenly found that he had no idea where to start.

After all, as the commander-in-chief of a country, he abandoned the royal family of Qinglong Kingdom in the suburbs of Beijing and rashly entered Beijing with only a few confidants without being summoned by the emperor. This was undoubtedly a crime of disrespect. If this matter were to be spread, it would surely cause an uproar.

"General Shen! His Highness Prince Jin has ordered his subordinates to wait here for a long time! General Shen, please return to the palace with your subordinates and report back!"

When An Shijiu heard that the other party was Princess Jin's biological brother, Shen Zijin, his tense heartstrings instantly relaxed and a happy smile appeared on his face.

He turned around excitedly and said to Twenty-Seven behind him, "Tell me, tell me, is this the legendary brother-sister bond?!

When our princess was giving birth, her brother rushed back overnight as if he had telepathy!

If this isn't the right person for you, I'll tear my head off and kick it like a ball!"

As An Nineteen spoke, he gestured with his hands, a smile on his face as bright as the warm spring sun, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

An Twenty-Seven rolled his eyes helplessly, too lazy to listen to his endless chatter. He spread his wings like a roc, nimbly flipped down from the city wall, landed steadily at the city gate, and shouted, "Open the city gates and welcome General Shen back to Prince Jin's Mansion!"

When the guards heard this, they immediately responded in unison: "Yes!"

Then they acted quickly, and the heavy city gate slowly opened a narrow gap with a creaking sound.

Immediately afterwards, the drawbridge over the moat slowly lowered, making a dull sound.

Seeing this, Shen Zijin on the other side immediately spurred his horse and galloped past with a few people beside him. In an instant, they crossed the suspension bridge and entered the city.

"Thank you brothers for giving Shen this favor!"

Shen Zijin pulled the reins to stop the horse, then took out a heavy purse from his arms, weighed it in his hand, and felt that the weight was acceptable, so he threw it directly to the guard next to him with a smile on his face.

Shen Zijin said, "This little bit of money is not a token of respect. Just think of it as Shen inviting you brothers to have a drink and relax after work!"

Perhaps it was because Shen Zijin grew up in the army, he was generous by nature and always treated his subordinates like brothers, so he didn't think that as a general he should be superior to these guards. Instead, he sincerely thanked them for helping him open the city gate.

"General Shen, you are so polite! This is my duty!"

The one who caught the purse was the little leader from before. He held the purse tightly in both hands, with a smile on his face and eyes full of respect for Shen Zijin.

"If it's the prince who summoned you, General, you'd better go quickly! Don't miss the opportunity..."

The little leader bowed slightly and gave a kind reminder.

"Thank you!"

After Shen Zijin thanked them, he followed An Shijiu and galloped on horseback again, rushing towards the direction of Prince Jin's Mansion.

Along the way, Shen Zijin was extremely anxious. He hesitated several times and finally couldn't help asking, "How is your princess...your prince doing recently?"

Just as he asked, he suddenly realized that it seemed inappropriate to ask only the girl, so he quickly added: "Where is the prince? How is the prince?"

His voice trembled slightly, his eyes revealed a hint of tension and concern, and his hands were tightly gripping the reins, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

"General Shen, to be honest, when I left, the princess was in labor!

The prince didn't know that General Shen was returning to the capital tonight. It was the abbot of Puning Temple, Wuwo, who told the prince to send his subordinates to the north gate to wait for the destined person, saying that this person could help the princess give birth safely!

An Nineteen answered loudly while spurring his horse at full speed. His voice was clear and firm. Although there were some bumps on the galloping horse's back, every word he spoke was extremely clear, leaving no room for doubt.

When Shen Zijin heard this, he broke out in a cold sweat and his face turned pale in an instant. His body trembled slightly, and his eyes were full of fear and worry.

"No wonder I felt so restless and anxious in the suburbs of Beijing. No wonder I'm so eager to go home! It turns out Youyou is going through her life-or-death ordeal!"

He thought to himself, his eyes full of self-blame and regret.

Thinking of this, Shen Zijin could no longer suppress his inner anxiety. He whipped the horse's back hard. The horse under his crotch felt pain, neighed to the sky, and then ran even harder, its hooves raising clouds of dust.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Zijin left An Shijiu and others behind and galloped towards Prince Jin's Mansion alone. His figure gradually blurred in the night, leaving only a series of hurried horse hooves echoing in the air.