On the risks and benefits of falling in love with a prince

The two were silent for a while.

Suddenly, there was a shout from inside the door.Zhao Tang and Ji Huai'an immediately returned to their room.The lights in the room were dim, making Liu Rui's face sallow, and beads of sweat rolled down his face.With his eyes closed, he was still in a nightmare, waving his uninjured arm, and shouted, "The city is broken? The Yellow Turban Army... The Yellow Turban Army... the big man is dead?"

Zhao Tang and Ji Huaian held him down on the left and right, and kept comforting him.Liu Rui opened his eyes, his pupils were huge, and he was still dazed.That blank gaze fell on Zhao Tang's face, and suddenly there was a stern light. He pushed Zhao Tang hard: "Zhao Tang, hurry up, you want to live, don't die..."

Zhao Tang said: "I can't watch you while I'm alive, how dare I die?"

Liu Rui slowly closed his eyes and held Zhao Tang's hand: "It's good to be alive...you're still alive...it's great..."

Zhao Tang sent Ji Huai'an to the next door in a few words, brought hot water, twisted a towel, wiped Liu Rui's sweat, and slept on the outer part of the bed at night with his clothes loose so that he could take care of him.

However, Liu Rui couldn't sleep well, and kept turning over and talking in his sleep.Zhao Tang woke up with a start, lit the oil lamp, saw Liu Rui's eyes closed tightly, tears streaming down the temples to the pillow, and said clearly: "Since doing it again will still destroy the country, why do you want to do it all over again?"

Zhao Tang was frightened. Although the big man is in danger, no one can think of subjugation.It was not the first time that Liu Rui said this word.He touched Liu Rui's forehead, and it was hot; he found a wet towel to wipe Liu Rui's palms and feet.Liu Rui was still crying.Zhao Tang unwrapped the bandage, the cotton cloth was soaked in blood, and there was white pus around the wound.Zhao Tang's heart tightened, he put on his shoes and socks, went to the stables to lead the horses, walked to the gate of the courtyard, stuck a knife into the wall, and blocked his way.

Ji Huaian walked out from behind the wall: "Where are you going?"

Zhao Tang said: "Collect herbs!"

Ji Huaian said: "This is an extraordinary moment, who knows if you are going to inform me?"

Zhao Tang said: "Then you follow me, you follow, can I do it?"

Ji Huaian thought for a while, put away the knife, and asked someone to bring a horse, and really followed Zhao Tang.

Zhao Tang ignored him, and went to the back mountain after leaving the palace.The back mountain is rich in weeds and there are many herbs.Zhao Tang came out in a hurry, his clothes were thin, and he was blown by the night wind in late autumn and sneezed.After finally arriving at the back mountain, he jumped off the horse, took out a torch from his arms and lit the dead branches, and lay down on the ground inch by inch looking for herbs to clear away heat and stop bleeding.

Ji Huaian stood aside, holding the knife, wondering: "Can these herbs heal wounds? What if they are poisonous?"

Zhao Tang got up, rolled up his sleeve and bit his arm, bloodstains appeared.He chewed the herbal medicine and applied it to the wound, saying: "Is that okay? If it's poisonous, I'll die first."

Ji Huaian was still worried: "You can't read all the words, how can you know medical skills?"

Zhao Tang sneered and began to untie his belt.

Ji Huaian sternly said, "What are you doing!"

Zhao Tang threw the belt on the ground, grabbed the skirt, and pulled it left and right, revealing a body covered with scars.After he left home at the age of 11, he worked as a thief, beggar, and robber in order to survive, and it was common for him to be injured after going to the Colosseum.Several of those scars were fatal. Relying on half-baked medical skills, he pulled himself back from the gate of hell.

Zhao Tang said: "Master Guan, if the younger one doesn't know medical skills, he would have died ten times earlier."

Ji Huai'an looked embarrassed, frowned and said: "Put it on quickly, you are His Highness's man after all, you have to be careful."

Zhao Tang said: "I'm not a fucking girl." After thinking about it, she smiled again, "I'm not a gentleman, not ten years ago."

Ji Huai'an, probably shocked by his shamelessness, stood dumbfounded, and didn't dare to make irresponsible remarks after returning home.

After returning to the palace, Zhao Tang cleaned Liu Rui's wound, applied herbal medicine, and bandaged it again.After tossing until midnight, he was so tired that he was about to collapse, climbed into bed, kissed Liu Rui's face, and fell asleep.

When I woke up the next day, it was already high in the sun.Liu Rui is not on the bed.Zhao Tang panicked and went out to ask the servants, only to find out that Liu Rui was in the study.He walked to the study room and saw Liu Rui, Ji Huaian and a few better-dressed guards sitting around the table.Liu Rui was topless, with a white cloth wrapped around his left shoulder and only a robe.He pointed to a map on the desk—the map was drawn in real time, and the mountains, rivers, counties, and garrisons and chaotic parties were all clearly marked.Liu Rui held the brush upside down, and pointed the pen at one place: "As long as we arrive at Qinghe and borrow soldiers, we will return to Luoyang. Even if Nanhou can conjure up a little prince, how can the baby be able to convince the crowd?"

Zhao Tang listened to Liu Rui's analysis of the princes, relatives, and high officials in the court, but he couldn't understand, and his heart trembled inexplicably.

After Liu Rui finished the analysis, he breathed a sigh of relief, and looked up to see Zhao Tang.The sun was shining on Liu Rui's face, and Liu Rui smiled dazzlingly.

Zhao Tang walked in and said, "Planning to go to Qinghe? Can Luoyang go out?"

Except for Ji Huai'an, this group of people didn't know Zhao Tang, and they all looked surprised when they heard his uninvited speech.Ji Huai'an said: "Let's go out in disguise!" Zhao Tang sneered: "Bad idea! You look like you, you have been a soldier at first glance, who can hide it from you?"

Ji Huaian frowned: "Then you have a good plan?"

Zhao Tang said: "You can't go on the ground, but you can go underground. The underground road leads directly to the Luoshui bank outside the city. I used to sneak in and out of Luoyang City by going underground."

Everyone was dumbfounded, Liu Rui hesitated and said, "Is there a way underground...?"

Zhao Tang said: "The drainage ditches not only have roads, but also many people live in them, so it's very lively."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, and it was only then that Zhao Tang realized that these temple masters knew nothing about the lives of the poor.He described the underground well, and finally Liu Rui made a decision: "If there is a road underground, it is the safest way. We have to leave Luoyang as soon as possible, the sooner the better."

When the prince spoke, there was no objection from the group.Zhao Tang was familiar with the underground situation, so he became the little boss of course, and ordered everyone to prepare their bags.Medicinal materials, dry food, weapons, disguised clothes...everything is lacking.Within three days, Zhao Tang ventured down the mountain to make purchases four times.

The chaos at the foot of the mountain couldn't be more chaotic, the market was closed, food prices soared, only the black market was still open, and the prices were ridiculously high.There are almost no people on the street, only soldiers on patrol.They hold portraits in their hands, ask people when they see them, and arrest them if they don't answer a sentence correctly.

Fortunately, Zhao Tang was calm and passed smoothly.

Three days later, everything was ready, everyone changed into casual clothes, and prepared to set off at night.

It was not yet night, Zhao Tang was so nervous that his heart was pounding, and he ran around in the yard.Suddenly Ji Huaian called him to a dark place and gave him a knife.Zhao Tang looked at Ji Huai'an suspiciously.Ji Huai'an said: "This is Qiushuang, who cut iron like mud, and His Highness gave it to me." After finishing speaking, he took out the knife from Zhao Tang's waist, and inserted Qiushuang back: "If anything happens at night, you should be the closest to His Highness. You must protect Your Highness."

Zhao Tang's heart tightened, he nodded and smiled and said, "Of course, my daughter-in-law, I have to protect him even if I do my best."

Ji Huai'an bowed his hands, turned around and left without another word.Zhao Tang stroked the handle of the knife, calmed down, and returned to the room.

In the room, Liu Rui disguised herself as a young girl with a gray skirt, cicadas and crows on her temples, and her face was as white as snow.He knelt by the window, staring out the window, expressionless.Zhao Tang hugged him from behind and said with a smile, "Are you afraid?"

Liu Rui held Zhao Tang's hand, the palm was wet and sweaty: "Everything has changed, I don't know what to do."

Zhao Tang said: "There is nothing static in the world, so adapt to the situation."

Liu Rui was silent.

At this time, the sky outside the window was dim, and a few thin stars hung beside the clouds.The disguised guards gathered in front of the court.Liu Rui trembled suddenly, and tightened his grip on Zhao Tang's hand: "Zhao Tang, you stay on the mountain. The fate of the country is uncertain, you can't have any more accidents..."

Zhao Tang twitched the back of his head: "Can you wish me well?" He pulled Liu Rui out the door.

A group of people gathered together, exchanged glances with each other in silence, and then went down the mountain in groups of three or five.

Zhao Tang, Liu Rui, and Ji Huai'an walked last, and a dozen plainclothes soldiers were scattered around.When we got to the street, it was midnight, and the street was empty.Zhao Tang was familiar with the laws of curfew and patrolling, and led them to avoid them through the streets and alleys.

Tonight, there are more soldiers patrolling.As Zhao Tang was walking in silence, he suddenly heard shouts in front, and a soldier asked loudly, "Wandering around in the middle of the night, what's the plan?!" It was the people in front who were caught.Zhao Tang didn't dare to stay, took Liu Rui's arm and walked along the dark place at the base of the wall.

The shouts of the soldiers attracted more people, and someone recognized Liu Rui's subordinates and shouted: "The remnants of the Eastern Palace are here!"

Ji Huaian drew his knife out of its sheath, and like a gecko, approached the soldier very quickly against the wall, and chopped off the soldier's head with one blow.

As soon as he started, Liu Rui's subordinates all started.Before the encirclement of the patrolling soldiers closed, everyone fought their way out.The smell of blood and the screams of people dying stimulated Zhao Tang's nerves. Zhao Tang's blood swelled, his temples throbbed, and he wanted to raise a knife and kill him.But Liu Rui's safety is more important.Holding Liu Rui in one hand and Qiushuang knife in the other, he walked through the killing field.

In a very short killing, all the patrolling soldiers died, and there were only six of Liu Rui's guards left.Everyone didn't dare to stop for a moment, and continued to move forward.

Zhao Tang observed the terrain and said, "We're almost there, just turn the corner!"

However, at this time, a red cloud of torches floated from the end of the street, followed by the sound of horseshoes and armor rubbing.The army is out.

The road was blocked.Zhao Tang took a few steps back, took a run-up, climbed onto the wall of the house, stretched out his hand to pull Liu Rui up, and then reached out to pull Ji Huai'an for the second time, only to touch Ji Huai'an's hand, and a white-feathered arrow flew towards him and shot at him. The palms of the two connected.

Ji Huaian let go of his hand and fell back to the ground.Standing with his back to the wall, he drew his saber out of its sheath, and said, "Zhao Tang, take Your Highness away, and I'll cut off the queen for you."

Zhao Tang was still talking, but a soldier rushed over and was about to climb the wall.Ji Huaian slashed at the man's back, and the man fell to his death.

Zhao Tang said: "Old Ji!"

Ji Huaian said: "Let's go!"

Zhao Tang's throat choked, he hugged Liu Rui and jumped off the wall.As soon as he landed, he heard the sound of fighting on the other side of the wall, the knife slashed on the armor with a "clang" sound, and the white feather arrow "snatched" and nailed into the blue brick.Ji Huai'an shouted: "Boys, don't let these rebellious officials and thieves cross this wall!"

The only remaining guards suddenly agreed.