Accidentally dressed as an empress

Chapter 264: Life and Death

The captain of the guards heard Lin Hong say that he wanted to welcome His Majesty back. If His Majesty was welcomed back, what would happen to those who followed Lin Hong to force His Majesty away? Would they have a good ending?

The captain of the guards looked at the unconscious Lin Hong, then turned to look at the maid, his eyes filled with anger and murderous intent, "How dare you! How dare you murder the lady-in-waiting? Who gave you the guts? Tell me! Who ordered you to do that?"

The maidservant was so frightened that she trembled like a sieve, her voice trembling: "Master... please spare my life, I... I was forced to do this. It was those ministers who arrested my family. I was confused for a moment and made this big mistake... Please spare me..." Her voice was filled with tears and her eyes were full of pleading.

The chief guard snorted coldly, "Let you go? Do you know that your actions have plunged the Yun Kingdom into an irreparable situation? Today is the day you die!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure flashed, and the long sword in his hand was already unsheathed. With a flash of cold light, the blade drew a sharp arc in the air.

"Don't—" the maid screamed in terror, her voice piercing the silent night air. However, before she could finish her cry, the longsword had already pierced her chest with unerring precision.

The maid's eyes widened instantly, and the fear and despair in them froze. Her body slowly fell backwards and landed heavily on the cold ground. Blood spread rapidly under her like a blooming red spider lily.

After dealing with the maid, Gu Ze didn't have time to wipe the blood off the sword. He turned around hurriedly and shouted at the guards behind him: "What are you still standing there for! Go and call the imperial physician, quickly! If it's too late, His Highness's life will be in danger!" There was a hint of anxiety and panic in his voice, and his usual calmness and composure had long disappeared at this moment.

"Yes!" the guards responded in unison.

The chief guard returned to Lin Hong's bed and said, "Master, you must hold on. The doctor will be here soon. You will be fine."

Not long after, the imperial doctors hurried over, carrying medicine boxes on their backs and walking quickly into Jingxin Palace.

Zhou Jin, who was in the lead, looked solemn. She quickly walked to Lin Hong's bedside, put her hand on Lin Hong's wrist, and began to take his pulse carefully. Her brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and the expression on her face became more and more serious.

The other imperial doctors gathered around, not daring to breathe, their eyes fixed on every move of Imperial Doctor Zhou.

"Imperial Physician, how is His Highness?" a servant asked cautiously, with a hint of trembling in his voice.

Zhou Jin didn't answer immediately. She let go of Lin Hong's wrist, opened Lin Hong's eyelids and looked at him, then shook her head and sighed: "Your Highness has been poisoned. The poison has penetrated deep into your internal organs. There is nothing I can do."

"How could this happen..." Upon hearing this, the captain of the guards was struck by lightning and stood there in a daze, "Imperial Physician, please, you must save His Highness!"

Zhou Jin shook his head helplessly: "I have tried my best. This poison is too strong and cannot be cured by ordinary medicine." Doctor Zhou did not finish his words, but everyone understood what he meant.

Afterwards, other imperial doctors also came forward to treat Lin Hong. They either carefully observed Lin Hong's complexion, or smelled the odor on his body, or looked through medical books to find ways to detoxify him.

However, after the examination, every imperial physician shook his head and sighed without exception.

………………

To the west of the Chu army camp, in a forest not far away, the wind blew through the gaps between the branches and leaves, making a low whimpering sound.

Lin Zichen paced back and forth with her hands behind her back, her eyes looking into the distance from time to time, her eyes full of worry.

Finally, a burst of hurried horse hooves sounded from afar, breaking the oppressive silence in the woods.

A scout, covered in dust, fell off his horse in a panic. He crawled to Lin Zichen and knelt down with a plop. His head was buried deep in the ground, and his body was trembling slightly due to excessive fatigue and fear.

Lin Zichen's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

She stepped forward quickly, her voice trembling slightly as she asked anxiously, "Tell me quickly, what's the situation on the front lines? How's the Second Prince doing?"

The scout slowly raised his head, his face as pale as paper, his eyes full of fear and despair.

He opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be choked by something. After a long while, he squeezed out a few words with difficulty: "General... the 30,000 soldiers led by the Second Prince... were completely wiped out."

These words hit Lin Zichen's heart like a bolt from the blue. She felt her vision go dark, her body swayed, and she almost lost her balance.

When the soldiers around heard the bad news, they were instantly in an uproar, with expressions of disbelief on their faces, and some even couldn't help but let out a few exclamations.

"What did you say?! Say it again!" Lin Zichen grabbed the scout's collar.

The scout was so frightened by Lin Zichen's aura that he trembled all over. He repeated in a trembling voice, "General, the Second Prince... led 30,000 soldiers, but not a single one returned. They all died on the battlefield. The Chu army set up numerous ambushes. Our army was outnumbered and ultimately... was completely annihilated."

Lin Zichen slowly loosened her hands and took a few steps back weakly. She couldn't believe that the brave and high-spirited Second Prince, who led an army of 30,000 elite soldiers, was completely wiped out like this.

These 30,000 soldiers were the elite of Nanling, but now they have all died on this cruel battlefield.

"How could this happen... How could this happen..." Lin Zichen muttered to himself. Could it be that the Chu army could not be defeated?

At this time, Lin Ziqi also hurried over after hearing the news. Seeing Lin Zichen's distraught look, his heart tightened. He hurried forward to support Lin Zichen and asked softly, "Sister, what happened?"

Lin Zichen turned his head and said with suppressed grief: "Second Prince...they were completely wiped out."

When Lin Ziqi heard this, her face turned pale instantly, her lips trembled, and she was speechless for a while.

He never imagined that the cruelty of war would be so directly in front of him, and those familiar faces disappeared forever.

"Sister, we can't give up like this." Lin Ziqi suppressed his grief and said firmly, "Although the Second Prince and his men sacrificed their lives, their blood must not be shed in vain. We must avenge them and regain the dignity of the Yun Kingdom."

Lin Zichen took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

Fighting spirit rekindled in her eyes. She nodded and said, "You're right. We can't just collapse like this. Since the Chu army is so ruthless, we must fight them to the death. Pass the order down, all soldiers, prepare for battle. We must take the initiative and strike the Chu army head-on."

The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes flashing with anger and determination.

They knew that the war had reached a critical moment of life and death, and they had to fight with their last bit of strength for the Yun Kingdom and for their dead comrades.

At this time, the sky had completely darkened, and the woods were filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

Lin Zichen stared into the distance, swearing silently in his heart: "Yun Lang, don't worry, I will definitely avenge you and seek justice for the people of Yun Country!"