While they were deep in thought, Shi Muyuan had already walked a long distance. The common people cowered, but in the end, they decided that saving their own lives was the top priority.
The young girl straightened her back and soon reached the city gate.
She stared at the figure not far from her, her eyes blood - red.
After the head of the He family led his men into the city, he didn't rush to burn, kill, and loot. Instead, he took revenge for the previous grievance first.
No one knew how he had knocked down Ji Huang. He carelessly stepped on the back of the once - noble prince with one foot.
"Humph, before I came in, weren't you and your mother so proud? I thought you could really defend this Yijin City. It turns out you're just a bunch of paper tigers. How ridiculous!"
"A villain like you won't be proud for long! Do you think you've won just because you've broken into the city? Soon, His Majesty the Emperor and others will tear you to pieces and avenge me for today's humiliation!"
"Really? Then I'll wait here. It's a pity that you probably won't live to see that day."
With a casual smile, the head of the He family raised his hand, ready to stab the sharp sword in his hand down.
At this critical moment, a hidden weapon flew from afar and plunged straight into his hand.
The sword in his hand fell accordingly and stuck into the ground three inches deep.
Ji Huang stared wide - eyed. Feeling the blood dripping on his face, he looked into the distance and saw a beautiful figure approaching slowly.
Seeing this, he panicked.
"Mother! Hurry and leave! Don't worry about me. It's my blessing to have you as my mother in this life. I hope I can truly be your child in the next life."
The young girl held back her tears and was almost angry to death by his words.
"Don't talk nonsense. You are my child in this life, no different from my own. Head of the He family, your target should be me. Now that I'm here, let the innocent people go."
The head of the He family endured the great pain. His venomous eyes met hers. If it weren't for the fact that the people beside her seemed extraordinary, he would have stepped on the person in front of him by now.
The military doctor beside him wanted to come up to treat his wound, but he waved him away.
"Empress Dowager! You've crossed my bottom line. First, you used a little trick to make me lose my men, and now you've even injured my hand. This time, I'll never let you off. You want your son to be safe? I can promise you, but you have to exchange yourself for him. Otherwise, there's no need to talk."
He almost roared these words. Apparently, Shi Muyuan had become a thorn in his side.
Hearing this, the Thirteen Guards surrounded Shi Muyuan. "My Lady, you can't go. He's just trying to lure you over. Don't be fooled."
Shi Muyuan knew the ins and outs. She opened her mouth, about to say something, when the head of the He family gave a sinister smile and pulled out the sword on the ground.
"Empress Dowager, think it over before you speak. Otherwise, if you make me unhappy, I don't know what I'll do."
As he spoke, a bloodstain appeared on Ji Huang's face in the blink of an eye.
The young girl's rationality collapsed under that bloodstain.
The head of the He family was a madman now. He might do anything. She couldn't let her adopted son be ruined by such a person.
"I'm willing to go over as an exchange. You let the people go first."
"Does the Empress Dowager think I'm a fool?"
"What do you mean!"
"It's very simple if you want me to let the people go. You come here first. Otherwise, it's all off."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sword in his hand was about to strike Ji Huang's face again. This time, Shi Muyuan couldn't wait any longer. She broke through the protection circle of the Thirteen Guards and ran towards them.
"I'm here. Release the people quickly."
She was now outside the protection circle, facing tens of thousands of troops. As long as the head of the He family gave an order, she would be riddled with holes.
Seeing this, the head of the He family was very satisfied.
"Since the Empress Dowager is so obedient, I won't be difficult."
He pushed the person on the ground, indicating for Ji Huang to go back.
Just then, Ji Huang and Shi Muyuan stood in the middle and glanced at each other. Then, the sound of galloping horses came from not far away.
The young girl knew that her reinforcements had arrived. The head of the He family also noticed something was wrong first. He panicked and wanted to go forward to take Shi Muyuan back. He knew that Shi Muyuan had become his trump card at this moment.
However, how could the young girl let him succeed? She just dodged to the side, and the Thirteen Guards behind her all attacked at once. He couldn't dodge and became a live target.
Just like that, the once - high - and - mighty head of the He family became a ghost in the blink of an eye.
A man flew in front of them and looked at the two of them excitedly.
"Is the Empress Dowager okay?"
"I'm fine. Fortunately, you came in time. Hurry up and deal with this place. We still have to go back to see the Emperor."
With the man and the reinforcements joining in, and without a capable leader, the enemy was like ants on a hot pan and soon surrendered.
...
When they returned in triumph, the young emperor personally welcomed them at the city gate.
Ji Huang looked dejected. When he saw the young emperor's smiling face, he knelt directly at the palace gate.
This scene took everyone by surprise.
Just as the young emperor bent down to help him up, he was stopped by Shi Muyuan.
"Your Majesty, I've let you down. I've committed such a heinous crime. Please punish me."
The young emperor was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses after hearing his confession.
"Since you've realized your mistake, I must punish you severely. Do you have any objections?"
"No objections."
"Fortunately, no innocent common people were injured in this incident. I've also investigated the ins and outs of the matter. It was all because you were deceived by treacherous people. The fault doesn't lie with you. I'll punish you to be a care - free prince for the rest of your life. You should go around righting wrongs. You can enjoy your old age only after you've done a thousand good deeds for the common people."
Such a punishment was neither too light nor too heavy, which was beyond Ji Huang's expectation. He thought he would end up dead without a whole body, but he didn't expect that the emperor would be so kind - hearted.
He was stunned and couldn't say a word for a long time. Finally, it was the young girl who reminded him.
"Quickly thank the Emperor. What are you still standing there for? It's lucky that you didn't mean to harm the common people. Otherwise, you couldn't have saved your own life."
Ji Huang responded and knelt on the ground, full of gratitude.
This lively atmosphere continued until they reached the main hall. The young emperor sat on the high throne, looking down at the people standing below.
"You've made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion. What rewards do you want? I can grant them."
Hearing this, the man's eyes couldn't help but fall on the woman beside him.
Under everyone's surprised gazes, he was quite calm.
"Since the Emperor has said so, I won't be polite. Please grant a marriage between me and the Empress Dowager."
This was like a thunderbolt exploding among the crowd. The ministers were instantly in an uproar.