Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 148 Bad News

The dazzling sunlight shone straight at him like a sharp sword. Chu Yunzheng's eyes were hurt by the sudden strong light. He subconsciously raised his hands to cover his eyes, shouting at the same time: "Help!"

As soon as he called, the door of the study was gently pushed open.

The guard outside the door walked in, "My Lord, do you have any instructions?"

Chu Yunzheng slowly sat up from the back of the chair, his face slightly flushed, his eyes a little blurry, and he looked like he was still drunk.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, rubbed his temples, and then asked, "What time is it now?"

"Your Highness, it's already a quarter past noon," the guard replied respectfully.

Chu Yunzheng shook his head, trying to clear his head a little. He then stood up and casually waved his sleeves, as if to dispel the lingering sleepiness. Then, as if remembering something important, he frowned and asked, "Who… is that person gone?"

The guard was stunned at first, and after a moment's thought, he responded cautiously, "Is the person your Highness is talking about that Young Master Yu?"

"That's right! It's him!" Chu Yunzheng seemed a little impatient. "He was quietly sent in last night, and he must be quietly sent back to me today! I don't want anyone to see me and then spread the news that I had a young man staying overnight in the palace..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by an urgent cry from outside the door, "Prince! Prince, something's wrong!"

Chu Yunzheng frowned, "Bullshit, I'm fine, what's wrong with me?"

The guard seemed oblivious to his master's insults. He suddenly stopped, propped himself up on his knees, and breathed heavily, saying incoherently, "Your Highness, this is bad! Rumors are spreading everywhere that you summoned the young prostitute from the building to spend the night with you!"

Chu Yunzheng: "..."

I am really afraid of what will happen.

Now he was deeply regretful. He had been drunk last night, his mind was in a mess, and he had done all sorts of stupid things! That person had already been taken to the palace, so why had he foolishly allowed him to go back? Now, he had dug a big hole for himself to jump into!

"This brat is definitely trying to embarrass me on purpose!" The more Chu Yunzheng thought about it, the angrier he became. Veins bulged on his forehead and his fists clenched unconsciously.

The guard ignored his master's anger and continued, "What's even more ridiculous is that those gossipers are actually saying...that you're a playboy!"

"What?" Chu Yunzheng was stunned, his eyes widened, his face full of suspicion. "Why would I abandon you after having an affair with you? You're just a little bitch, why are you spreading so many unfounded rumors?"

The guard was used to Chu Yunzheng's anger and explained helplessly, "People outside say... you had a brief romance with that Young Master Yu before, and you made a vow to each other. Young Master Yu was even willing to step into that brothel for you, just to meet you again one day... and last night you finally got your wish... but you... just threw it away after using it..." At the end of the guard's speech, he lowered his head even more, and occasionally glanced at his master with a helpless look.

Chu Yunzheng felt increasingly uncomfortable the more he listened. His fists clattered as he gritted his teeth and said, "My lifelong reputation has been ruined by him today... Go, go and invite him here. I will definitely treat him well!"

*

Xuanzheng Hall

Chu Yunxiao supported his head lazily, frowning slightly. He glanced at the court officials below who were muttering about various trivial matters, and sighed inwardly.

These ministers either talked endlessly about trivial matters or quarreled over disagreements.

Whenever they had a heated argument, they would throw the problem to him, the emperor, and insist that he judge what was right and wrong.

Chu Yunxiao felt a wave of irritation rising in his heart. He couldn't help but reach out and pinch his eyebrows, trying to relieve the discomfort.

Just as he was about to shout "Withdraw from the court", suddenly, a loud shout came from outside the door: "Five hundred miles, urgent!"

This shout exploded in the court like thunder. The originally noisy scene suddenly became silent. Everyone was shocked by this sudden emergency.

Chu Yunxiao couldn't help but put down his hands that were supporting his head, and slowly sat up straight, his eyes fixed on the soldier who was hurriedly walking into the hall.

The soldier trotted to the front of the hall, fell to his knees with a thud, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, General Guide was unfortunately seriously injured while suppressing bandits in Muzhou. He eventually fell off a cliff and his whereabouts remain unknown!"

As soon as the soldier finished speaking, the entire court exploded. Everyone was shocked and talked about it, and the noise was endless.

However, Chu Yunxiao seemed not to hear the noise around him. His face turned extremely ugly in an instant. His hand on the armrest suddenly stopped, and his eyes were full of disbelief.

After a moment's silence, he managed to squeeze out a few words from between his teeth: "Have you searched thoroughly...at the bottom of the cliff?"

The soldier didn't dare to look up at Chu Yunxiao, but just lowered his head and replied in a low voice: "Your Majesty, we have searched everywhere. We have turned the bottom of the cliff upside down. Apart from finding a pool of blood, we didn't see General Guide..."

"I didn't see anyone... maybe that's good news..." Chu Yunxiao murmured to himself as if to comfort himself. Then his eyes turned and he ordered, "Pass on my order to send more people, make sure..."

Before he could finish his words, a high-pitched and urgent shout rang out from outside the hall. The sound cut through the sky like thunder: "Eight hundred miles, urgent!"

Chu Yunxiao's heart trembled again, and an even more ominous premonition instantly surged into his mind.

Before he could recover, he felt as if his head was hit hard by a sledgehammer. The pain began to spread in his temples and gradually intensified.

"Your Majesty, the Rouran have been defeated! Our army has triumphed!"

This sudden good news illuminated the entire hall like a flash of lightning, and the originally solemn atmosphere suddenly became relaxed and cheerful.

The ministers all showed joy and congratulated each other on this hard-won victory. However, this joy did not last long.

The soldier took a deep breath and continued in a slightly trembling voice, "However... our commander, Xu Jianglin, unfortunately died on the battlefield!"

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, shocking everyone to the spot.

General Xu's face suddenly turned pale and he almost couldn't stand.

The court, which had just been filled with laughter and joy, suddenly fell into deathly silence.

When Chu Yunxiao heard the bad news, he felt his vision go dark and his head split with pain. Then, a sharp ringing sound rang in his ears, as if it was about to burst his eardrums.

In an instant, he could hear nothing. He could only see the people around him opening and closing their mouths, but he had no idea what they were saying.

His body shook uncontrollably and his face turned pale.

"His Majesty!"

Zhao Dequan, who was standing by, was extremely anxious. He rushed forward and held the staggering Chu Yunxiao tightly.

Chu Yunxiao subconsciously took his arm, his throat moved, and a mouthful of bright red blood spurted out, splashing on the gorgeous dragon robe.

"His Majesty!"

The endless shouting pierced his eardrums. Chu Yunxiao blinked with difficulty, looking at the people who kept pouring in around him with a dazed consciousness. Then, he closed his eyes and fainted.

At the same time, General Xu also fell down.

"His Majesty!"

"Dong Guo Gong!"

Zhao Dequan yelled at the top of his lungs, "Quickly call the imperial physician! Quickly call the imperial physician!"

At this moment, the entire court was in chaos.

*

Zhuang Yan galloped all the way, his steed galloping like the wind, raising clouds of dust. After several days of traveling, he finally arrived in Muzhou.

When he just stepped into the gate of the local township government office, a heavy news came like a bolt from the blue - Shang Jiu had met with an unexpected tragedy!

Zhuang Yan was stunned for a moment, as if time had stopped. His mind went blank and he was completely unable to accept this cruel news.

Seeing this, County Lieutenant Hu hurriedly leaned forward, looked at Zhuang Yan with a worried look on his face, and asked softly, "Sir? Are you okay? Please take care of yourself!"

Zhuang Yan's fingers curled slightly, trying to control his slightly rapid breathing. He slowly turned his head, his gaze landing on County Magistrate Hu's bandaged hand. His brow furrowed tightly, and he asked in a deep voice, "The situation was so critical that day, why were you the only one who escaped?"

County Lieutenant Hu was stunned by the question, then a look of sorrow appeared on his face, and he answered with a slightly choked voice, "Your Excellency, you don't know. The battle was extremely brutal at that time. Those bandits were extremely vicious and cunning. Just when my life was hanging by a thread, General Guide bravely rushed into the enemy camp and single-handedly rescued me from the clutches of the enemy. However, since then, the general has been surrounded and his whereabouts are still unknown... Every time I think of this, my heart is filled with grief!"

When he spoke of this touching part, County Lieutenant Hu could no longer suppress his inner sorrow, tears bursting out like a dam bursting. "This group of hateful bandits are not only extremely cruel, but also cunning and insidious! Pity those brave soldiers who bravely sacrificed their lives in the mountains to suppress the bandits... I sincerely hope that the general can return safely..."

"Okay, stop talking!" Zhuang Yan couldn't stand it anymore, his chest heaving violently. He widened his eyes, stared at the other person, and roared, "He must still be alive!" As soon as the words fell, his cold eyes like a knife pierced straight at the person in front of him.

County Magistrate Hu looked embarrassed and wanted to say something with his lips trembling, but under the fierce gaze of Zhuang Yan, he finally swallowed the words back.

Zhuang Yan stepped forward, grabbed the collar of County Lieutenant Hu, and said with gritted teeth, "Since you and General Guide went up the mountain together, then you must lead the way immediately. I want to see him alive or dead!"

County Lieutenant Hu was so frightened that his face turned pale, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He stammered, "This... Sir, I have sent people to search the mountain and the cliffs thoroughly, and I have indeed sent people to search the area, but I have not found any trace of the general. Moreover, it has been two days now, and there are many ferocious beasts in the mountains. In my opinion... I am afraid that the general..."

"Shut up!" Zhuang Yan shouted angrily, interrupting County Lieutenant Hu. His eyes blazed with anger as he demanded, "You keep saying you hope the general is still alive, but why are you being so reluctant when I ask you to lead the way? Is there some hidden conspiracy here? Are you doing this on purpose?"

Upon hearing this, County Lieutenant Hu was immediately horrified, shaking his head like a rattle, and hurriedly explained, "No, no, no! Sir, you have truly misunderstood me! I swear to heaven that I have no such intention! I will take you to find the general right away! However, the mountain road is rugged and full of dangers. We must proceed with caution and must not alert those bandits hiding in the mountains, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous..."

Zhuang Yan snorted coldly, loosened his grip on County Magistrate Hu's collar, and shouted impatiently, "Stop talking nonsense! Lead the way!"