lcionline Chapter 264 It turns out she had already planned her escape route.
Chapter 264 It turns out she had already planned her escape route.
Gu Chengan and Chu Ruohan walked through the dense forest and found a cave.
The entrance to the cave was hidden by dense vines, and it would be impossible to notice it without careful observation.
"It should be safe here," Gu Cheng'an said softly, carefully parting the vines and peering into the cave.
After confirming that there was nothing amiss in the cave, they helped Chu Ruohan inside.
The cave wasn't large, but it was big enough for two people to rest in.
Most importantly, this place is both secluded and dry, so there's no need to worry about being discovered by Gu Chengyan's men for the time being.
Chu Ruohan leaned against the cave wall, her soaked clothes clinging to her body, making her shiver uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Gu Cheng'an quickly said, "Sister-in-law, you wait here. I'll go and gather some dry branches."
Chu Ruohan nodded gently, her gaze complex as she watched Gu Cheng'an's departing figure.
She was so tired; she was exhausted, both mentally and physically.
The impact of falling into the water, coupled with being immersed in the icy river for a long time, sent chills down her spine.
Before long, Gu Cheng'an returned with a pile of dry branches and skillfully built a fire.
A faint fire gradually ignited, illuminating the dim cave and bringing a touch of warmth.
"Sister-in-law, come and warm yourself by the fire, dry your clothes," Gu Cheng'an invited cautiously, afraid of offending Chu Ruohan.
Chu Ruohan was about to move closer to the fire when she suddenly remembered something, and her expression changed drastically.
She hurriedly reached into her bosom and pulled out a stack of water-soaked letters from her inner pocket.
I frantically unfolded the papers; the water stains had blurred the ink, making the writing illegible.
Seeing this, Gu Cheng'an quickly moved closer: "What is this?"
Chu Ruohan did not answer, but futilely tried to wipe the letters with her sleeve, hoping to salvage some of the writing, but only made them more blurred.
Gu Cheng'an misunderstood and gently comforted him, "It's alright if you're wet. You and your brother will have plenty of time when we get back to the capital..."
"No!" Chu Ruohan interrupted him, her voice filled with anxiety and pain, "This is something left behind by Princess Anyang!"
Gu Cheng'an was taken aback upon hearing this, and his expression immediately turned serious: "The Eldest Princess?"
"Hmm," Chu Ruohan said tremblingly, unfolding the letters one by one and carefully spreading them on the dry ground beside the fire. "These were found in a secret room in the Marquis's mansion; I've always carried them with me..."
The two silently stared at the soaked papers.
As the firelight and heat evaporated, the originally blurred ink on the paper gradually dried, unexpectedly revealing some hidden traces.
“This is…” Gu Cheng’an squinted and leaned closer to examine it.
Chu Ruohan was surprised to find that after the ink was spread by water, some blue lines appeared.
The pattern looked like the outline of some kind of map.
“The blue lines…this is…” Chu Ruohan observed carefully, then suddenly her eyes widened. “This is a border defense map of the Zheng Kingdom!”
Gu Cheng'an stared intently at the handwriting on the paper. "It is indeed a border defense map, but unfortunately it is from many years ago. The border defense of Zheng Kingdom now is definitely different from before..."
As more and more paper dries, the hidden messages gradually become apparent.
It was not just a border defense map, but also a detailed military deployment, troop distribution, and even marked the weak points in the defense.
Chu Ruohan and Gu Chengan carefully pieced together this information, and a startling truth gradually emerged.
"The eldest princess foresaw her inevitable death, and after her death, Duan Qingye's ambitions grew too great, and sooner or later, chaos would break out on the border. The Zheng Kingdom and the Eastern Jin Dynasty would surely reignite the flames of war..."
Chu Ruohan's voice was low and deep, "She even came up with a plan to defeat the enemy!"
Gu Cheng'an followed her finger and saw a route clearly marked on the letter: bypassing Liang State and heading straight for the rear of Zheng State.
"The Emperor of Liang owes the Princess a life..." Chu Ruohan read the words on the paper softly, her tone full of shock.
“She arranged all of this and handed it over to Father…” Gu Cheng’an murmured to himself, his eyes filled with complex emotions, “but Father has betrayed this trust.”
Yes! She left a way out for the Eastern Jin Dynasty!
But he couldn't find a way to survive...
She never imagined that, many years after her death, it would be the Marquis of Anyang who would instigate war between the two countries!
Chu Ruohan continued to flip through the letters and suddenly found a record about Gu Junze on one of them.
"This is... Junze's background?" Chu Ruohan looked at the handwriting in surprise. "The Princess told him not to harbor resentment and to put the common people first..."
Gu Cheng'an suddenly grabbed Chu Ruohan's arm: "What's your background? My older brother is..."
Chu Ruohan did not answer immediately, but instead turned to the last sheet of paper.
There was only one short sentence on it, but it struck her heart like a thunderbolt: "Atai, this child's background is the only thing that can hold Duan Qingye back!"
"She...she even schemed against her own flesh and blood..." Chu Ruohan's voice choked, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Gu Cheng'an's face was pale, as if he understood something, but he was not sure.
Chu Ruohan could no longer control her emotions, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads: "She loved this country and this land so much, and hoped that the people could live and work in peace and contentment..."
"Such a heroic and compassionate woman died because of the word 'trust'!"
"Irony, how ironic!" Chu Ruohan's body trembled violently, and she broke down emotionally.
Seeing Chu Ruohan's state, Gu Cheng'an called out in a panic, "What's wrong, sister-in-law? Chu Ruohan?"
He reached out to shake Chu Ruohan, and when he touched her arm, he felt an abnormal heat.
Gu Cheng'an was startled and immediately placed the back of his hand on her forehead.
"You have a fever!" Gu Cheng'an's expression changed drastically.
Chu Ruohan's vision began to blur, and her consciousness gradually faded away.
The last thing she saw was Gu Cheng'an's anxious face and the pile of open letters, recording a woman's boundless love for her country and all the sacrifices she made.
"Junze..." Chu Ruohan murmured her husband's name before collapsing into Gu Cheng'an's arms.
Gu Cheng'an caught Chu Ruohan in a flustered manner, his mind racing with alarm bells.
Deep in the mountains and forests, Chu Ruohan lay unconscious with a high fever, while Gu Chengyan's men searched everywhere...
Inside the Imperial Palace's pilgrimage hall, the air was thick with the scent of sandalwood, yet the atmosphere was as cold as frozen ice.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to send troops to save Jingchuan!" Prince Yong knelt in the hall, his forehead almost touching the ground, his voice full of urgency and pleading.
The emperor looked exhausted, and the wrinkles around his eyes seemed to have deepened overnight.
He silently looked at the Prince Yong kneeling before him, his eyes flashing with complex emotions.
Didn't he know to save people? Three hundred thousand soldiers, just wasted like that…
The Duke of Wei stood aside and sneered, "Your Highness, Prince Yong, you are far too impatient. Border warfare is a complex matter, not child's play."
"To send troops rashly would only make matters worse."