PNB Chapter 453 The Substitute Bride Becomes a Reality (54)
Chapter 453 The Substitute Bride Becomes a Reality (54)
Qin Wujiu appeared in the main courtyard like a ghost, his expression grave: "Young Master, the Prince's mansion is under siege! It's the Imperial Guards and the people from the Jingzhao Prefecture who have come; there are quite a few of them, and their attack is fierce! The gate and several sections of the walls have already begun to be breached!"
Su Ziyu's heart sank to the bottom, but strangely, after the extreme fear, a kind of calm that was determined to burn one's bridges arose.
He pulled the slightly trembling Su Miaomiao behind him and asked Qin Wujiu, "Military Advisor Qin, how long can the guards in the mansion hold out?"
"Fight to the death, relying on the fortifications within the mansion, at most two hours!" Qin Wujiu spoke rapidly, "The enemy came prepared, carrying a breaching hammer and a makeshift ladder! Young Master, the situation is critical, we must evacuate through the secret passage immediately!"
Su Ziyu slowly shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the room filled with his memories of Qi Jinyu, his tone calm to the point of being cold: "I'm not leaving."
"Young Master!" Qin Wujiu cried out in alarm.
“Ayu’s fate in the palace is uncertain. If I leave first, he will go crazy if he comes back and can’t see me.” Su Ziyu’s voice was soft, but it carried an unyielding stubbornness. “Besides, if I leave, the Prince’s mansion will fall instantly, which will only confirm the crime of ‘fleeing out of guilt’ and cause more trouble for Ayu.”
He turned to Su Miaomiao, whose face was pale, and held his sister's cold hand: "Miaomiao, you and Mo Jun go on patrol. The exit of the secret passage is in the dilapidated temple in the west of the city. There are people there to meet you and take you to a safe place."
He took out a small seal and a silver note from his pocket and stuffed them into Su Miaomiao's hand. "Take this and go to the Shen family in Jiangnan. Your maternal grandfather will take care of you."
"Brother! I won't leave! I want to stay with you!" Su Miao cried as she clutched Su Ziyu's sleeve tightly.
"Listen to me!" Su Ziyu rarely spoke sternly to her sister. "If you stay here, I'll have to distract myself protecting you! Let's go!"
He looked at Mo Junxun, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, and said, "Mo Junxun, I order you to take her away! Protect her!"
Mo Junxun was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a sword at his waist, clearly prepared.
He looked at Su Ziyu, clasped his hands tightly, and said with determination in his eyes, "Young Master Su, rest assured, as long as I have a breath left, I will protect Miaomiao's safety!"
After saying that, he turned to Su Ziyu, pulled Su Miaomiao down, and knelt down, kowtowing once. "Brother's kindness, Junxun will never forget! No matter where we go, I, Mo Junxun, swear to the heavens that I will never betray Miaomiao in this life, and will follow her to the death!"
Su Miaomiao cried her eyes out and was also pulled to kowtow.
"Hurry up!" Su Ziyu turned her head away, hardening her heart to urge him on.
Qin Wujiu knew that further persuasion was useless, and time was of the essence, so he could only grit his teeth and say, "In that case, this subordinate will send someone to escort Miss Su and Young Master Mo out!"
He selected several of his most elite guards, who escorted the weeping Su Miaomiao and the resolute Mo Junxun, and they quickly disappeared into the entrance of the secret passage leading from the main courtyard to the study.
The secret passage door slowly closed, shutting out the shouts of battle and the sister's cries from outside. In the main courtyard, only Su Ziyu, Qin Wujiu, Liu Ye, and a few loyal servants who swore to protect them to the death remained.
The sounds of fighting outside grew closer, and some thieves began to peek over the wall, only to be cut down by the guards with their lives, but more people were setting up ladders.
A heavy thud came from the door, and the latch groaned under the strain.
Su Ziyu took a deep breath, her eyes sharpening.
He was no longer the young master of a merchant family who only knew how to run a business and calculate accounts. The wind and snow of the northern frontier and the influence of Qi Jinyu had long since honed the resilience and wisdom in his bones.
Qin Wujiu was put in charge of commanding the guards and defenses, while Su Ziyu gathered the maids and servants in the mansion.
"Liu Ye, take your men and gather all the lamp oil, strong liquor, and even the cooking oil in the mansion. Make them into fire bottles. If necessary, set them on fire to stop the enemy. Even if they are burned, we cannot let them enter easily!"
"Behind the artificial hill in the front yard and at the corner of the corridor, there are many tripwire traps, and crossbowmen occupy high positions to shoot those who climb the walls!"
"Pile all valuable and fragile items at the second gate to slow their advance!"
"Send men to the stables and release all the horses to create chaos!"
He issued his instructions clearly, one by one. Although his voice was not loud, it carried a strange calming power, which gradually calmed the panicked servants and made them act according to his orders.
Under Qin Wujiu's skillful troop deployment and Su Ziyu's quick thinking, the guards of the Prince's Mansion displayed astonishing resilience.
Fire bottles were thrown from the wall, igniting the approaching enemies and ladders; tripwires caused the thieves who scaled the wall to fall over, and they were then dealt with by the ambushing guards; the released horses ran rampant in the mansion, disrupting part of the attack rhythm.
However, outnumbered and outgunned, the well-equipped Imperial Guards were no rabble. The Prince's guards fell one after another, and the defensive line was gradually compressed.
The gate was finally smashed open with a loud bang, and a tidal wave of soldiers poured into the courtyard!
Su Ziyu, protected by Qin Wujiu, Liu Ye, and the last few guards, retreated to the inner courtyard gate. Their arrows were exhausted, their swords dulled, and everyone was covered in blood.
Liu Ye was stabbed in the arm, and blood stained half of her clothes, but she still stood firmly in front of Su Ziyu.
As the enemy approached step by step, his face contorted with rage, Su Ziyu gripped the signal firework and short dagger that Qi Jinyu had left him in his sleeve.
His expression was calm, with only one thought in his mind: Ayu, I'm sorry, I can't wait for you anymore. But no matter what, I will never become a bargaining chip for them to blackmail you.
Just as he was preparing to fight the enemy to the death with his dagger—
“Swoosh—Bang!!!”
A sharp screech pierced the noisy night sky, followed by a huge, blood-red firework that exploded in the night sky directly above the palace!
Even through the layers of buildings, the striking red light was still clearly visible, illuminating half the sky for a moment!
It's a signal!
It was the signal that Qi Jinyu and he had agreed upon—a sign that things would work out!
Su Ziyu trembled violently, almost unable to believe his eyes. A huge surge of joy mixed with the exhaustion of surviving a disaster instantly overwhelmed his forced composure, and his eyes welled up with tears.
Almost at the same time, earth-shattering battle cries came from outside the Prince's Mansion. The sounds were different from the previous sieges; they were more orderly, louder, and carried an overwhelming momentum!
"Your Highness, return to the palace! Traitor, prepare to die!"
Those who lay down their weapons will not be killed!
A familiar roar rang out; it was the voice of the commander of Qi Jinyu's personal guards!
The next moment, a figure in black, as swift as the wind and as fierce as a demon, swept in from the breached outer courtyard. The long sword in his hand gleamed coldly, and wherever it passed, the imperial guards who tried to stop him fell like wheat being harvested!
He had a clear objective and headed straight for the inner courtyard gate tower!
"Ayu!" Su Ziyu could no longer hold back and cried out in a trembling voice.
Qi Jinyu immediately spotted Su Ziyu, who was surrounded in front of the gatehouse, covered in blood, pale-faced but with bright eyes.
He was filled with grief and rage, and showed no mercy as he attacked. Blood and flesh flew everywhere as his sword flashed, and he fought his way through the crowd to reach Su Ziyu.