Free Web NovelChapter 386: Chapter 388: Leaving Someone to Die
Princess Rouwan couldn’t sleep.
Hearing the shouting outside her door, she grew even more agitated.
She tossed and turned several times before abruptly throwing off the covers and sitting up.
The door was yanked open.
Feihua Zhenren’s hand, poised to knock again, froze in mid-air.
Princess Rouwan glared at him. "Are you people ever going to stop?!"
Feihua Zhenren was so frantic his eyes were red.
"Those men have drawn their blades on Princess Consort Zhao. If they actually take her away, she’s almost certainly not coming back.
"For the sake of all the effort she’s put into caring for you these past days, I’m begging you, please step in and save her!"
Princess Rouwan sneered. "Was that caring for me? She was clearly trying to provoke me on purpose!"
Feihua Zhenren countered, "If she really wanted to provoke you, why would she give up the chance to go with Prince Zhao to Yuqing Mountain, and instead stay behind in the Prince Zhao Mansion on purpose?
"To put it bluntly, if the Princess Consort had gone to Yuqing Mountain with Prince Zhao, she wouldn’t be in this predicament today."
Princess Rouwan retorted coldly.
"So, according to you, it’s my fault she’s in this mess?"
Her attitude was so harsh, showing no intention of helping.
The little bit of hope in Feihua Zhenren’s heart gradually died out.
He asked one last time, devoid of hope.
"Are you really going to stand by and watch her die?"
Princess Rouwan said nothing.
Feihua Zhenren took her silence as a refusal.
He wasted no more words and turned to leave.
But in the next moment, he heard Princess Rouwan’s voice from behind him.
"As annoying as that girl is, that doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate people barging into my home and running rampant. Where are they? Take me to them."
Feihua Zhenren stopped dead in his tracks.
He turned, his eyes filled with delighted surprise as he looked at Princess Rouwan.
But Princess Rouwan maintained her icy demeanor. "What are you looking at me for? Lead the way."
Feihua Zhenren snapped back to his senses and hurriedly strode ahead to lead the way.
...
Qing Huan took down five Yulin Guards in one go, but her concern for Princess Consort Zhao’s safety eventually distracted her. The remaining guards broke her leg, and she collapsed wretchedly onto the muddy ground.
She lifted her head, her bloodstained eyes looking toward Princess Consort Zhao as she spoke hoarsely.
"You... let the Princess Consort go..."
A Yulin Guard kicked her to the ground, stomped on her back, and raised his saber, ready to end her life with a single strike.
Hua Manman’s pupils contracted. "Don’t!"
At the same time, another voice rang out abruptly.
"Stop!"
The Yulin Guard froze.
Everyone present turned toward the sound and saw Princess Rouwan striding toward them.
Behind her followed a massive crowd.
The Protectors immediately stepped forward to greet her.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Princess Rouwan looked at the Yulin Guards and asked coldly, "Who gave you the nerve to cause trouble in the Duke Zhen Country Mansion?"
The leading Yulin Guard stepped forward and cupped his fist in a salute.
"We are acting on the orders of the Empress Dowager to escort Princess Consort Zhao to the Imperial Palace. We hope Your Highness will not obstruct us."
Seeing him invoke the Empress Dowager right away, Princess Rouwan was not intimidated. Instead, she asked calmly.
"Aren’t the Yulin Guards under the direct command of the Saint? Even with her esteemed status, the Empress Dowager has no authority to directly deploy the Yulin Guards, does she?"
The Yulin Guard couldn’t answer and could only say vaguely.
"That’s not our concern. We are simply following orders."
Princess Rouwan declared proudly, "The only person in the world who can command you is the Saint. Unless you can produce a handwritten edict from the Saint himself, don’t even think about taking anyone from the Duke Zhen Country Mansion!"
Seeing that the soft approach had failed, the Yulin Guard decided to use force.
He placed his hand on the hilt of his saber, his voice laced with threat.
"If Your Highness insists on obstructing us, then you will have to forgive us for being discourteous."
’Prince Dongyang wants to capture Princess Consort Zhao to hold Prince Zhao in check. If we can capture Princess Rouwan as well, then with both Prince Zhao’s wife and his own mother in our hands, won’t our chances of success be even higher?!’
Princess Rouwan sneered. "I’d like to see just how ’discourteous’ you can be."
With that, she raised her hand.
The Protectors of the Duke Zhen Country Mansion understood the signal, immediately drawing their weapons and preparing to rush forward to rescue them.
The Yulin Guards were skilled, but the Protectors of the Duke Zhen Country Mansion were all veterans who had fought on the battlefield. Every one of them was fearless in the face of death and fought more ruthlessly than anyone.
Soon, the Yulin Guards were at a disadvantage.
Qing Huan and Hua Manman were both rescued by the Protectors.
However, the Yulin Guards did not retreat. Their leader put two fingers to his lips and blew a sharp whistle.
The next moment, Hua Manman saw countless Yulin Guards leap onto the walls of the Duke Zhen Country Mansion.
They held bows and arrows, aiming them at Hua Manman and Princess Rouwan.
The leading Yulin Guard lowered his hand and said viciously.
"If you don’t want to die, surrender without a fight!"
At this, even Princess Rouwan’s expression changed.
She snapped, "You dare?!"
She was the wife of Duke Zhen, the legitimate daughter of Princess Ningyang. Unless these people were planning a rebellion, they would never dare to kill her.
At this thought, her heart skipped a beat.
Looking at the murderous Yulin Guards before her and recalling their earlier behavior, a bold guess suddenly popped into her mind—
’Could this group of people really be planning a rebellion?!’
If that were true, they were truly capable of anything.
At almost the exact same time.
A long-awaited system notification sounded in Hua Manman’s mind.
"Host has successfully triggered an important plot mission!"
"Please proceed to the Imperial Palace as soon as possible to protect the female lead, Hua Qingqing, and the Seventh Prince, Li Qiong. Do not let them be harmed by the rebel army."
"Mission time limit: seven days."
"Upon completion of the mission, the system will reward the Host with one lucky bag."
"If the Host fails to complete the mission within the time limit, the mission will be considered a failure."
"In the event of mission failure, the Host will be sentenced to the Heartache Penalty."
"Please complete the mission as soon as possible!"
Hua Manman didn’t even have time to process the mission’s content.
Her attention was captured by the two words "rebel army," and she couldn’t help but ask the system in her mind.
’Has there been a rebellion in the palace?’
Perhaps because the matter concerned the safety of the female lead, Hua Qingqing, the system’s reply was unusually crisp and clear.
"Yes, Prince Dongyang has rebelled."
Hua Manman quickly ran through the main plot of "Palace Intrigue" in her mind.
In the original novel, a rebellion did indeed take place.
But that rebellion was led by Crown Prince Li Cheng.
Due to frequent conflicts with the Emperor, the relationship between father and son grew increasingly strained. At the same time, Li Cheng’s feelings for Hua Qingqing intensified.
Unrequited love for the woman he adored, coupled with extreme dissatisfaction with his imperial father, led Li Cheng to act rashly and decide to do something drastic.
He conspired with the Empress’s maternal family to stage a palace coup in an attempt to usurp the throne.
Naturally, the result was Li Cheng’s failure.
Thanks to Hua Manman and Li Ji’s interference, Crown Prince Li Cheng had already met his end long ago.
Logically, the rebellion plotline should have been erased along with him.
But unexpectedly, the plot had taken a huge detour and circled right back!
’Hua Manman sincerely admired the God of Plot.’
’Truly impressive!’
