Phi-Fic Chapter 217 Nan Chu is in trouble
Chapter 217 Nan Chu is in trouble
Jiang Lige was too lazy to argue with Song Yue anymore. He wrinkled his nose and snorted, "You bad girl, I'll come back to settle the score with you tonight."
"Master, you are happy yourself, but you can't bear to see your servants become jealous?"
Jiang Lige glared at Song Yue with a smile, and just as he was about to go out, he saw Feng Quan running in in panic, his face ashen.
Then she said, "Princess, something big happened in Nanchu."
Jiang Lige opened his mouth in surprise, not reacting for a moment, "What's the matter?"
"Just now, someone from Funing Palace came to report that it was a hostage sent by Nanchu... and he will be entering the palace soon."
The relationship between Sheng Ling and Nan Chu has always been harmonious. The two countries have always interacted in the form of marriage, and sending a hostage is the first time.
Jiang Lige was even more confused after hearing this. "Why send protons? And who sent them?"
Feng Quan hesitated for a moment, then gave an answer with a pale face: "It's the Crown Prince of Nanchu."
The Crown Prince of Nanchu is Jiang Lige’s younger brother, Jiang Boxuan, who is only twelve years old.
Proton, Crown Prince, Jiang Boxuan?
Jiang Lige found it almost difficult to connect these words. She even suspected that she had heard it wrong. She looked at Feng Quan for confirmation, but saw that she had a sad expression, and seemed to be even more sad than herself.
Jiang Lige took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and said in a deep voice: "Where is Bo Xuan? I'll go meet him."
"We're almost at the city gate." Fengquan replied.
"it is good."
Jiang Lige responded coldly and strode out.
Shengling Imperial City finally welcomed the first heavy snow of winter. People hid indoors as much as possible, and the whole street was bleak.
The heavy snow fell, dyeing the whole street white. Between heaven and earth, the only thing that stood out between the city gate was a dazzling red figure.
Jiang Lige couldn't quite remember how long she had been standing at the city gate. She only felt the biting cold of the winter wind, which blew through her clothes and straight into her heart. She was so cold that she was almost in a trance, and then she saw her younger brother whom she hadn't seen for many years.
It was called a chariot, but it looked more like a prison carriage. It was made of black iron and was simply covered with a layer of dark cloth, which allowed the wind to flow in from all sides.
Jiang Boxuan's small body was huddled in a corner of the carriage, hugging his knees. He had fainted from the cold, his lips were full of cracks, and his face was extremely pale.
In this situation, Jiang Lige could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. He pulled out the whip and slashed it, leaving a bloody mark on the faces of the two soldiers walking in front.
The cold question was resounding, "How dare you! Who allowed you to treat His Royal Highness the Crown Prince like this?"
The soldiers were caught red-handed and were enraged. "Where did this wild girl come from? Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Song Yue reminded him at the right time, "Open your eyes and see clearly, this is Princess Zhaohua."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers' expressions softened, but they still refused to show excessive respect. "It's Princess Zhaohua. We apologize. Princess, you're in Shengling, so you probably don't know a lot. Now, the one before us is the deposed Crown Prince. Do you still want to enjoy the Crown Prince's honors?"
"Deposed...deposed Crown Prince?" Jiang Lige repeated the unfamiliar name, subconsciously helping Song Yue to steady himself. "What on earth happened in Nanchu?"
The soldier looked at Jiang Lige who was pretending to be calm, smiled contemptuously, and explained the whole story in a concise manner.
"The Queen, no, it was probably the deposed Queen who, out of jealousy, killed Concubine Han's unborn son, and he has now been banished to the cold palace. The Xu family abused their power, increasing taxes and allowing their son to commit crimes, causing the people of Nancheng to riot. They rose up and occupied a village on the border. They burned, killed, and looted, resulting in numerous casualties. The people of Nanchu brutally murdered the people of Shengling. Your Majesty must give Shengling an explanation, and that's why the deposed Crown Prince was sent here to be dealt with by His Majesty the Emperor."
"Impossible." Jiang Lige responded almost subconsciously, "My mother and the Xu family would never do such a thing!"
The soldier replied disdainfully, "That's the truth."
The hand tucked into the sleeve was clenched into a fist, and the nails dug deep into the palm. The pain made Jiang Lige wake up from the confusing news.
Regardless of whether it is true or not, the facts are still unknown. What she needs to do now is to protect her younger brother.
Jiang Lige ordered coldly, "Come here, put Bo Xuan into my carriage."
The people following Jiang Lige were all elites carefully selected by Empress Dowager Jiang. At Jiang Lige's command, they immediately surrounded the team that was sending people to the capital.
Like a lion with its fangs bared, it would pounce on the soldiers and bite off their necks at the mere word of Jiang Lige.
"Princess Zhaohua!" The leading soldier saw this and shouted sharply, "The man in the carriage came here to atone for Nanchu's sins. By taking him away today, you've disrupted the diplomatic relations between the two countries! If war breaks out, how many innocent people will be displaced? Who will bear this responsibility?"
"..."
Jiang Lige had seen the devastation suffered by the war in Nanchu, and she didn't want to see the war break out again more than anyone else. It had to be said that this question hit Jiang Lige right in the sore spot.
On the one hand, there is her responsibility as a princess to the people of Nanchu, and on the other hand, there is her responsibility as an older sister to her younger brother.
Jiang Lige was stuck in the middle, with no way out.
At this moment, the sound of a horse neighing was heard behind him, and then a man's cold and calm voice came from afar.
"Let him go, and bear the responsibility alone."
Jiang Lige turned around and saw Ning Yunxiao jumping off his horse and running straight towards her.
In order to pick up her younger brother, she didn't even inform Ning Yunxiao and broke his appointment.
He waited for several hours on the icy lake, and then rushed over in the blizzard after hearing the news. At this moment, he stopped in front of her, without a word of complaint, but simply untied his cloak and draped it directly over her shoulders.
Then, he said gently, "You go in first, I'll bring him here."
Jiang Lige's nose felt sore, and a complex emotion surged in her heart. She couldn't find the right words, so she just nodded and said, "Okay."
After saying that, Jiang Lige got on the carriage accompanied by Song Yue. The rest of the matters were left to Ning Yunxiao, the Prince of Shengling, to negotiate. It was indeed a thousand times better than her current status.
Jiang Lige sat in the carriage for a while, and then Ning Yunxiao personally carried Jiang Boxuan into the carriage.
Ning Yunxiao settled Jiang Boxuan down, then called in a blanket and handed Jiang Lige a hot water bottle before whispering, "It's okay, don't be afraid."
Jiang Lige calmed down for a while before finally connecting those scattered anomalies and asked Ning Yunxiao in a daze.
"Those refugees who appeared in the capital a few days ago were from Southern Chu fleeing, right? They didn't have a pass and fled to Shengling secretly, so they ran away when they saw the soldiers. They had no money, so they stole food and clothing from the people."