Upon hearing Liu Xiangnan's words, Du Bai was taken aback. Fortunately, Zhou Quan spoke up.
"My Lord, the situation is urgent. Your title is not important right now. The Crown Prince has been poisoned by five different toxins and has fallen unconscious."
This news stunned Liu Xiangnan.
Liu Xiangnan turned his head to look at Zhou Quan, then at Du Bai. "The Crown Prince is in trouble. What about the Emperor!"
Zhou Quan hesitated, then bowed and said, "My Lord, to be frank, the Emperor has already retreated out of the city to the Phoenix Mountain temporary palace. The city is now without a leader."
Hearing this, Liu Xiangnan faltered.
Liu Xiangnan tilted his head back and sighed. "Alas, foolishness, foolishness! How could you let the Emperor leave Wannian City? If this news spreads, won't it disrupt the army's morale?"
Zhou Quan and Du Bai exchanged glances. Neither spoke. They all bore responsibility for this matter. Su Dan Novel Network
Du Bai knelt on one knee again and said urgently, "My Lord, the situation is critical. Let's not dwell on this now. Please step forward and take charge."
Liu Xiangnan looked at them, chanted a Buddhist phrase, and turned to leave.
Watching Liu Xiangnan depart, Du Bai and Zhou Quan were dumbfounded. Although they understood Liu Xiangnan's choice, the drop from being a Marquis, second only to the Emperor, to an old monk chanting scriptures was too much for anyone to bear.
They turned and walked out of the inn. After about a dozen yards, Du Bai gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and lightly hit his left palm. "We only have one option left. Come with me quickly."
Du Bai mounted his horse, and with Zhou Quan, they rushed to the Liu residence.
At the Liu residence, Liu Yuanwen was also closely monitoring the progress of the war. News of the army's retreat last night had spread, and his face was etched with worry.
After all, the army's retreat into the city indicated they had encountered unprecedented difficulties.
This also meant that the Four Spirits Eight Trigrams Formation, meticulously planned by his father and younger sister, was rendered useless.
Just then, Liu Kai entered and said cautiously, "Eldest Young Master, General Du Bai and Captain Zhou Quan are here."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanwen quickly stood up to greet them. As he stepped out of the study, Du Bai and Zhou Quan had already entered the courtyard. After brief pleasantries, Liu Yuanwen invited them to the reception hall and ordered tea to be served.
Before the tea arrived, Zhou Quan spoke impatiently, "We have something extremely important to discuss with you, Young Master."
Liu Yuanwen gestured for them to continue. Du Bai then said, "Eldest Young Master, we wish for you to go to the inn and persuade the old Marquis to come out of seclusion!"
Liu Yuanwen frowned. "Gentlemen, the Four Spirits Eight Trigrams Formation was my father's creation. Now that the formation has been broken, I doubt he can do anything even if he comes out."
Du Bai and Zhou Quan exchanged glances, appearing hesitant to speak further. Liu Yuanwen understood they had a difficult secret to reveal.
After the servants brought the tea, he waved his hand. Liu Kai immediately led the others away.
Once they were alone, Zhou Quan spoke in a low voice, "Eldest Young Master, to be frank, the Crown Prince has been struck by a strange poison and is unconscious. The city is now without a leader."
Liu Yuanwen was startled. He looked at Zhou Quan and Du Bai with surprise. "What… what happened?"
"Alas, the Prince was poisoned this morning, and we still haven't discovered how," Du Bai shook his head and looked at Liu Yuanwen again. "To be honest, the Emperor is currently at the Phoenix Mountain temporary palace. With the Crown Prince unconscious, the city is likely to fall into chaos. We just tried to persuade the Marquis to come out of seclusion, but he refused."
Liu Yuanwen's eyes widened in disbelief. The news was too unexpected. He had never imagined the Emperor was not in the city.
Liu Yuanwen stood up and paced the room, sighing heavily. "Gentlemen, it's not that I don't want to help you, but you know my father's temperament."
"If you two hadn't gone, I might have tried. Since you were refused, even if I go, my father probably won't agree."
"This…" Du Bai and Zhou Quan looked at each other. They suddenly felt that rushing to the inn had been a bit hasty. They should have consulted Liu Yuanwen first.
"Young Master, is there no other way? The nation is in crisis!"
Liu Yuanwen pondered for a moment, then a hint of joy appeared in his eyes. "There is a way. You two can write a letter, clearly stating the situation, and I will have it sent to my younger sister in Hetou Village. I believe she will lend a hand when she knows of the city's crisis. If she intervenes, my father might have a change of heart…"
At this point, further explanation was unnecessary. Joy flickered in the eyes of Zhou Quan and Du Bai. They knew Liu Rumei well. Besides, seeking Liu Rumei's help was much easier than persuading Marquis Liu. With this thought, Zhou Quan immediately stood up. "This is simple. I will write the letter now."
Soon, Zhou Quan's handwritten letter flew towards Hetou Village.
...
Meanwhile, at the Phoenix Mountain temporary palace.
Princess Zhaoning, Xiao Jingfeng, paid her respects to her father as usual. However, seeing her father's worried expression, even she, a fool, would know that something had happened on the front lines.
"Father Emperor, what's wrong? Has the battle on the front lines not gone well?"
Since it had come to this, Xiao An no longer hid anything and recounted the situation on the front lines to Princess Zhaoning in detail.
Princess Zhaoning listened, dumbfounded. She cupped her fists in a salute and said, "Father Emperor, now that it has come to this, our staying here is meaningless. I am willing to return to Wannian City immediately…"
Xiao An waved his hand. "Don't rush. We will return sooner or later. I have already ordered people to mobilize the entire nation's forces. When the army arrives, the task of breaking the siege will fall to you."
Princess Zhaoning stamped her foot anxiously. "Father Emperor, that will take at least twenty days. It's uncertain if Wannian City can hold out that long."
Xiao An, however, calmly waved his hand. "Don't worry. We can last for a month. Moreover, I have issued an imperial decree: whichever of the noble sons contributes the most will be rewarded with your hand in marriage."
Hearing this, Princess Zhaoning blushed. "Father Emperor, what time is it? You're still talking about this. Shouldn't we focus on repelling the enemy first?"
Seeing that Princess Zhaoning did not object, Xiao An smiled. In this era, marriage was still governed by parental will and arranged by matchmakers. For Princess Zhaoning, as long as she did not have to marry someone from a foreign land, who she married was not the most critical issue.
As night fell, Hetou Village was already peaceful.
Although the snow had stopped, there was at least three inches of snow in the village. Normally, after heavy snow blocked the doors, villagers would not go out. However, this winter was different. Those responsible for burning charcoal still had to go out. Only those with no urgent matters stayed home.