Chapter 688 - Chapter 688: The Rescued Person
Chapter 688: The Rescued Person
Editor: Atlas Studios
The moment Duan Siwen opened his eyes, he met Qi Haoran’s eyes. Momentarily stunned, his expression changed drastically and he subconsciously looked around.
“Looking for your guards?” Qi Haoran said, “They’re all dead.”
Duan Siwen’s face was pale, and pain flashed across his eyes. “Who are you?”
“You should be the one to tell us your identity first, right?” Qi Haoran raised his head and gestured for him to look outside. “Do you see that? The torches at the bottom of the mountain are all people looking for you. We’ve already carried you for a long way today.”
Duan Siwen was silent. He knew what the other party meant. If he did not have enough value, these people would definitely hand him over. On the other hand, it was precisely because of his important identity that he did not dare to be truthful. Rendered powerless now, he was unwilling to bet on whether they could resist this temptation.
Qi Haoran did not make things difficult for him. He just sat at the side and waited for him to make a choice.
Feeling as though he would die whether he chose to identify himself or not, Duan Siwen was overwhelmed with sadness.
After a long time, Fei Bai sneaked over in the darkness and sneered. “Do you really think you’re someone important? His Highness doesn’t care. We merely saved you out of convenience. If we’d known you’d cause us so much trouble, we definitely wouldn’t have helped you.”
His Highness?
Was there a ‘His Highness’ in Dali?
Or was it an old master whose surname was Wang?
Duan Siwen’s heart raced.
However, Fei Bai had already reached Qi Haoran’s side. As if he was certain that Duan Siwen was not a threat, he reported without any reservations, “Master, Her Highness asked someone to send a message. The eldest princess of Dali fled to Qiannan and was saved by Her Highness. She asked you to go back quickly since the Gao family is eyeing Qiannan covetously. Ever since the Dali princess moved into the residence, there have been many assassins.”
Duan Siwen felt his mouth go dry. He looked up at Qi Haoran and saw him frown slightly. “We can’t see the Dali Emperor, and the eldest princess is now charged with murdering the Dali Crown Prince. What good will it do for us to keep her alive?”
Qi Haoran waved his hand nonchalantly and said, “Reply to the Princess Consort and ask her to send the princess to the capital to be handled by the Imperial Court. Since the little prince is staying in the Prince’s Residence now, you mustn’t let the assassins disturb him.”
Fei Bai responded and was about to leave when Duan Siwen couldn’t help but say, “Wait.”
Everyone looked at him. Duan Siwen did not know if this was a trap, but he knew that once the eldest princess was sent to the capital, she would probably be killed by the Gao family on the way. If not, she would be used by the Great Qi to make a deal with the Gao family or be used by the Great Qi as a puppet to deal with the Gao family.
Duan Siwen lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before looking up at Qi Haoran before stating affirmatively, “Prince Rong of Great Qi?”
Qi Haoran smiled but did not say anything.
Duan Siwen took a deep breath and could not help but admire his courage. To think Prince Rong dared to enter Dali with so few men at a time like this.
Duan Siwen’s mind raced, but in an instant, many thoughts flashed through his mind. Finally, his gaze met Qi Haoran’s. Left with no other choice, he said, “Your Highness, perhaps I can give you a suggestion on what to do with the eldest princess.”
“Oh?”
Duan Siwen introduced himself, “I’m Dali’s Crown Prince, Duan Siwen.”
Qi Haoran raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was really beyond his expectations. The supposedly dead Crown Prince of Dali was actually not dead?
Qi Haoran had guessed that he might be from the Duan family, but that it was an illegitimate child or something. Who knew that he was the legitimate Crown Prince?
Duan Siwen said that he had indeed fallen off his horse when he went out hunting last month. However, he did not die and only suffered light injuries. However, a large number of assassins appeared to assassinate him. By then, his guards were either dead or injured. Those who could still walk protected him and broke out of the siege. However, even so, he himself got seriously injured. In the end, other than the four loyal guards, the more than 50 guards he brought along were all dead. Also, all five of them were seriously injured.
The five of them hid and recuperated. When their injuries were almost healed, they came out to take a look. Only then did they know that the country had descended into chaos. The eldest princess had been accused of murdering him, the palace was surrounded by the Gao family, and more than half of Dali had fallen into their hands.
Duan Siwen was not an idiot. Although he didn’t share the same pair of parents with the eldest princess, their relationship was better than that of ordinary siblings. This was also the Emperor’s selfish motive. He always created opportunities for the siblings to cultivate their relationship, hoping that Duan Siwen would take care of the eldest princess after his death. Not only because she was the eldest princess, but also because she was his younger sister.
Aside from their close ties, considering he was the only male in the Duan clan, he really couldn’t think of a reason for the eldest princess to plot against him. Therefore, he suspected that the Gao family was behind the assassination. He originally wanted to make an appearance to calm the storm caused by the Gao family, but after working hard for nearly ten days, he realized that he couldn’t get close to the residences of the officials that supported the Duan family at all. He couldn’t possibly run to the streets and wave his arm to announce that he was the Crown Prince, right?
Therefore, he could only think of a way to approach the High Sage Temple. Being of the Duan family’s bloodline, he would no longer be in danger as long as he entered the High Sage Temple.
However, even after sacrificing his four guards, he merely managed to cross the high wall before falling unconscious due to his severe injuries. If not for the fact that he happened to bump into Qi Haoran, who happened to be infiltrating High Sage Temple at the same time, Duan Siwen would probably have died there.
Since Duan Siwen had confessed his identity, he naturally hoped to work with Qi Haoran.
Although Dali had declared independence from the Great Zhou Dynasty, the relationship between the two sides was actually not bad. Compared to the Jin Kingdom and West Xia, which were always at war with Great Zhou, Dali was considered a good neighbor. As for the Great Qi Dynasty, Duan Siwen was willing to continue maintaining this friendly relationship.
Therefore, Duan Siwen hinted that Dali was willing to become a vassal state of Great Qi.
Qi Haoran had used Mu Yangling’s secret letter to lure Duan Siwen into the trap for this exact reason.
“Since Crown Prince Duan is interested, we’ll set off for Qiannan tomorrow.”
Stunned, Duan Siwen asked, “I’m going back to Qiannan too?”
“Of course, the Gao family is guarding all the intersections from here to High Sage Temple now, and the generals and officials who support the Duan family are also being closely monitored. It’s very difficult for us to see them. Instead of wasting time, why don’t you return to Great Qi with us? When the time comes, His Majesty will issue an edict and I’ll lend you tens of thousands of troops. You won’t have to worry about quelling the rebellion in Dali then.”
Duan Siwen lowered his head and pondered. This way, Dali was bound to be suppressed by Great Qi. Duan Siwen smiled bitterly. Seeing as his life was in the other party’s hands now, how tough a stance could Dali afford to take?
At night, after Duan Siwen fell asleep, Fei Bai said excitedly, “Master, I didn’t expect him to really take the bait.”
“Shut up.” Qi Haoran turned around and said, “We have to return to the General’s Residence in three days. If you have extra energy, you can carry Crown Prince Duan tomorrow.”
Fei Bai immediately did not dare to say anything else.
Qi Haoran did not dare to delay such an important matter. Almost as soon as he entered Qiannan, he asked a guard to immediately send his letter to the capital.
Having received Mu Yangling’s letter beforehand, Qi Xiuyuan was already mentally prepared. Hence, after receiving the letter, he immediately looked for Rong Xuan and Yan Du to discuss it. He first sent a secret letter to Qi Haoran to let him handle it fully. The next day, Qi Xiuyuan issued an edict rewarding the Emperor of Dali and conferring him as ‘Lord Yunnan’.
With this decree, Dali becoming a vassal state was no longer a secret.