Forced love, an inescapable fate

Three days later, Jiang Ci and his party arrived in Shangjing safely.

The team stopped outside the city gate, causing passers-by to look back frequently, but the people were full of confusion and had no idea who this team of nearly a hundred people was.

Li Feng got off his horse and saw that there were only common people coming and going at the city gate, looking curiously at the convoy parked at the city gate. He couldn't help but wonder in his heart. He had already sent people to bring the news back to the capital at full speed. Why was it already noon and no one came to greet them? He wondered if the people who came to greet them had not come yet.

However, they waited at the city gate for nearly an hour, but no one came. After all, Jiang Ci was the prince of Jing State. In order to save the five cities, he was sent to Qi State as a hostage when he was less than seven years old. Now he has returned after many years away from Beijing, but the court did not send anyone to greet him. Even Li Feng couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

He stood beside the carriage and sighed deeply.

"Your Highness, how about I ask someone to hurry up? Maybe something's holding them up. Should we wait a little longer?"

After he finished speaking, the carriage became quiet for a while.

Jiang Ci sat in the carriage with an expressionless face. He had already expected the current result. He did not answer Li Feng's question. He reached out to push aside the curtain of the carriage and got off directly.

He looked up at the towering city gate and spoke calmly, "Captain Li, when I left Shangjing, I stood before this magnificent gate and swore that one day, I would return in glory. I was seven years old that year. When I left, everyone told me I was leaving for the people of Jing, for the integrity of our country. It was a noble cause, and everyone would remember me and be proud of me. They said that when I returned, the entire city would come to greet me, and all the ministers would come to welcome me. At that time, I believed it would be so, so I was happy and proud, feeling that I had accomplished something extraordinary. Eight years later, I've endured life and death, escaping assassins, and finally standing before this city gate again. Look, do any of those people know who I am? Has any of them fulfilled their promises? Now I am a disgrace to Jing. As long as I exist, they will always remember how they were oppressed by Qi all these years. Therefore, no one wants me back. Even if we wait until nightfall, until tomorrow, no one will come."

The young man raised his head and looked quietly at the two big words at the city gate. His tone was very calm when he said these words, but when these words fell into Li Feng's ears, he could only feel the disappointment and sadness that could not be concealed in his calm tone.

Li Feng didn't know how to comfort the young prince who was standing in the same row with him. He wanted to speak several times, but in the end he just patted his shoulder heavily with his uninjured arm.

Jiang Ci stood at the city gate for a long time. Finally, he took a deep look at the two big characters above the tall city gate and then withdrew his gaze.

"Let's go. Captain Li, let's walk the rest of the way. It's been so many years since I left, and I really want to see how different Shangjing is today than before I left."

Li Feng did not refuse and nodded in response.

"Okay, then I'll walk with Your Highness."

The two smiled at each other. This was the first time Li Feng saw Jiang Ci smile in the past few days. Under the sunlight, the boy's smile looked gentle and harmless.

The soldiers behind him were leading horses. Although many of them were bandaged and more or less injured, they still marched in an orderly manner, following the two people walking side by side in front.

Jiang Ci and his party walked into the city at a leisurely pace. The people passing by looked at them curiously and whispered to each other.

"Who is this young man? Do you know?"

The lady next to her was carrying a shopping basket on her arm and whispered in the ear of the person who had just spoken.

"Look, there's someone in military uniform with him. He must be someone special. But he's really handsome."

"Yes, yes, he is really good-looking, but I don't think I've seen him before. Whose young master is he?"

"Have you heard? There's been rumors these days that the little prince who was sent as a hostage to Qi State is coming back soon. You said this young man looks noble, is he?"

"Are you talking about the Sixth Prince who was sent to Qi as a hostage?"

"I seem to have heard people say these days that the Sixth Prince, who had lived in Qi for eight years, returned to the capital a few days ago. You never know, this young man might really be the one."

"But the Sixth Prince has returned, and someone from the court should be there to greet him. Look at this team, it seems like most of them are injured, that shouldn't be the case."

"Of course not. I heard that our princes don't want the Sixth Prince to return safely. Judging from the situation, the Sixth Prince probably didn't have a smooth journey. It seems that the rumors are true."

As soon as the young man finished speaking, the people around him immediately surrounded him.

"Are you telling the truth? How do you know that the other princes don't want the Sixth Prince to come back?"

The man glanced around cautiously and lowered his voice.

"Think about it, who is the biological mother of this Sixth Prince?"

Someone suddenly realized.

"If you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten. Wasn't the Sixth Prince's biological mother the former Queen Lin? Now I understand. If the Sixth Prince hadn't gone to Qi, wouldn't he have been the Master of the Eastern Palace?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. You're asking for your life. If someone hears you, you'll lose several heads."

"In that case, this person is most likely the Sixth Prince."

"It seems that the Sixth Prince has not had a peaceful journey."

"We are brothers after all, how could this happen? Alas, how pitiful! He finally came back, after all, he is still a prince, but he is in such a state of disgrace."

......

Everyone was talking in low voices, and word quickly spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. By the time Jiang Ci and his party arrived at the gate of the imperial palace, the news had already spread to Wubahuamen in the city.

Some people said that the Sixth Prince was hunted down by other princes all the way and nearly lost his life. He finally came back, but he didn't expect that even the Emperor didn't like his own son.

Some people also said that the Sixth Prince was originally the only candidate for the Crown Prince, and that someone was behind the scenes plotting the fact that he was sent to Qi as a hostage.

Some people also said that the Sixth Prince had an extremely dangerous journey back. If it weren't for General Feng Zong sending people to protect him, he would have met with an accident long ago.

There were also people who secretly cursed these princes in the royal family for being cruel and ruthless and killing their own brothers.

The rumors among the people soon reached the ears of the people who sent assassins to surround and kill Jiang Ci. The eldest prince Jiang Xian listened to the information brought back by the guards sent to inquire about the news with a gloomy face, and the teacup in his hand was almost crushed.