The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

The sudden change froze the surrounding air, plunging the area into an eerie silence.

The Duke of Zhenguo stared intently at the gradually fading eyes of the deputy general on the ground. A chill ran down his spine from the back of his neck, and he couldn't help but shiver.

If that deadly arrow had been even slightly off target, I would probably be the one lying on the ground, dead.

He secretly rejoiced, a grotesque smile creeping onto his lips; this lieutenant had become his scapegoat.

"Come out! Who is shooting arrows from the shadows?" the Duke of Zhenguo roared.

His wrinkled face was contorted with anger, his features squeezed together, making him look like a monstrous demon.

He went to great lengths to find the residence of the Princess of Chu, using countless connections and expending a great deal of effort.

If Xiao Ji dares to show himself, he will surely not return alive, and his blood will be spilled on the spot.

After all, His Highness the Crown Prince had already promised that if he could get rid of Xiao Ji, he would make Xiao Ling the Empress.

In this way, he would transform himself into the emperor's father-in-law, truly standing at the pinnacle of power in the court, second only to the emperor and above all others.

At that time, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion will surely be extremely glorious and infinitely brilliant in his generation.

"Hehe..." A faint chuckle seemed to come from all directions.

But when the Duke of Zhenguo pricked up his ears and focused intently on capturing it, it seemed as if everything was just an illusion, with only the soft rustling of snowflakes falling all around.

"Your Excellency, something seems off about this place," a subordinate said cautiously, his expression tense and his voice tinged with unease.

The Duke of Zhenguo looked around and saw that the place was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with steep mountains and craggy rocks. Not far away was a lake, the surface of which shimmered coldly in the night.

Apart from that, the surrounding area was desolate and silent.

The mountain was all steep rocks, and there were no roads at all.

Song Wenjun was just a pregnant woman with a big belly; she couldn't escape.

The Duke of Zhenguo steadied himself, full of confidence. He gently tugged at the reins, snorted coldly, and said disdainfully, "It's nothing but a bunch of silly tricks, a last gasp, a desperate struggle."

As soon as he finished speaking, he squeezed his legs against the horse's flanks, ready to spur it forward.

In an instant, countless torches lit up the mountains and fields, like stars falling to earth, instantly dispelling the thick darkness.

The torches were so numerous that they stretched as far as the eye could see, making one's scalp tingle and filling one with fear.

"Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!" The Duke of Zhenguo's face turned ashen instantly. He shouted in terror and hurriedly turned his horse around, trying to escape.

But when they looked back, their escape route had already been cut off, and a group of soldiers with bows and arrows were facing them.

At this moment, thousands of people are trapped in this narrow mountain valley, like turtles in a jar.

"Sir, look!" The subordinate raised a trembling finger in alarm and pointed to the mountainside.

Following the direction of his finger, the Duke of Zhenguo saw Xiao Ji halfway up the mountain, dressed in a black robe, tall and imposing, with a meaningful smile on his face.

Beside him were Song Wenjun, Yan Yan, and others.

Upon seeing this, the confidence on the Duke of Zhenguo's face vanished instantly.

He muttered to himself, "How is this possible? How did she get up there? I clearly surrounded this place completely; there's no way Song Wenjun could have escaped right under my nose."

A chilling voice drifted from the mountainside: "I must thank the Duke of Zhenguo. If it weren't for you guarding this place, my queen and son wouldn't be living such a peaceful life."

As he spoke, Xiao Ji casually cupped his hands in greeting to the Duke of Zhenguo.

The gesture appeared polite, but it was full of sarcasm.

The Duke of Zhenguo turned pale with anger. He roared, "Xiao Ji, how dare you use me! I will tear you to pieces!"

"To express my gratitude to the Duke, I have prepared a generous gift, and I hope the Duke will accept it with pleasure."

Xiao Ji uttered the words "accept with a smile" very softly.

A meaningful smile appeared on his face, sending chills down the spine of the Duke of Zhenguo: "Withdraw, withdraw quickly."

The Duke of Zhenguo wanted to leave on horseback, but it was too late.

A loud bang was heard, exploding in the middle of the crowd.

Flames shot up into the sky, lighting up the sky.

A scream rang out, instantly disrupting their formation.

However, before the Duke of Zhenguo could speak, several more explosions rang out.

Only then did the Duke of Zhenguo realize that the ground beneath their feet had been tampered with.

It turned out that someone had planted a large amount of explosives.

The explosions lasted for a long time, and even with soldiers protecting him, the Duke of Zhenguo was not spared.

As they were escaping, they landed precisely on the Thunder Egg that Yan Yan had laid out.

With a deafening roar, the Duke of Zhenguo was sent flying straight off his horse like a kite with a broken string.

He fell heavily to the ground, letting out a piercing scream.

The body was twisted in an extremely bizarre posture.

Upon seeing this, his subordinates turned pale with fright and swarmed around him, protecting him tightly: "Duke, are you alright? Are you alright?"

The men hurriedly turned the Duke of Zhenguo over, only to discover with surprise that his arm was still twisted behind his back.

Someone mustered up the courage to reach out and pull, trying to put the arm back in place, but with that pull, the arm broke off at the joint.

"Ah..." the subordinate screamed in terror, throwing away the severed limb as if it were a hot potato, collapsing to the ground, his face as white as paper.

Looking at the Duke of Zhenguo, his eyes were tightly closed; he had already fainted from the pain.

At the severed limbs, the stark white bones were exposed, and fresh blood gushed out, staining the snow with a shocking crimson stain—a truly horrific scene.

With the Duke of Zhenguo seriously injured, his men were thrown into chaos, scattering like headless flies, and fear spread rapidly through the crowd like a plague.

As dawn broke, the faint morning light spilled onto the bloody battlefield.

The once tranquil mountain valley has now become a ruin, with countless corpses lying haphazardly among the broken walls.

The snow was stained crimson with blood, and the air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood.

Looking at the mess on the ground, everyone was filled with endless fear, their legs went weak, and they could barely stand.

"Your Highness, spare us! Your Highness, spare us!" Someone shouted first, and then everyone threw down their weapons.

They knelt down with thuds, their cries for mercy echoing through the mountain valley.

Halfway up the mountain, Xiao Ji looked down at everything, snorted coldly, and a smug smile appeared on his face. His voice was full of the joy of victory: "We won!"

After saying that, he subconsciously reached out and put his arm around Song Wenjun's shoulder.

However, Song Wenjun forcefully broke free from his embrace and took a step back.

Her eyes were red and glistening with tears, her voice choked with sobs, full of grievance and resentment: "These past few days, you've been stuck here halfway up the mountain, watching us, mother and child, live in fear below, and you haven't come down even once. Do you know how agonizing it is for me and the child to wait for you every day?"