Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family - Chapter 736 - Chapter 736: Chapter 736: Establishing Oneself as a King

Chapter 736: Chapter 736: Establishing Oneself as a King

Zhao Yuanlang seemed to have thought of something, and the more he thought about it, the happier he became.

“Let’s go! We must act quickly; if Zhao Jiong catches up, it won’t be good!”

“Let’s go!”

By now, there were very few people left alive. They quickly formed a line and continued on.

Di Yelei looked back and counted a total of eleven people, including himself, His Majesty, and Eunuch Xiao. All of them, except for Eunuch Xiao, had injuries.

Eleven people; if they were to be pursued and killed by Zhao Jiong’s men again…

“Prince Consort, where are we going next?”

Zhao Yuanlang walked up to Di Yelei. Perhaps because he had been carried by others the whole time, he seemed more energized at the moment.

“There’s a small wharf down here that connects to Gongzhou and Hezhou. If we travel by land and go about fifty miles further, we can pass through Qingmu Pass and directly reach Gongzhou.” Di Yelei had been running around the nearby mountains for years and was quite familiar with the local terrain.

“Oh? I see!” Zhao Yuanlang suddenly laughed.

“Everyone must be exhausted. See if there’s any food nearby so we can quickly fill our stomachs and regain some strength.”

Di Yelei thought for a moment, “The reason there’s that small bridge here is that there’s a Taoist temple on the small mountain top not far ahead. The temple has long been in disrepair and only an elder Daoist lives there. There’s a dense forest nearby, so few people ever come here. If we disturb him a bit and add some incense oil money, perhaps…”

A glint flashed in Zhao Yuanlang’s eyes, “Alright! Let’s go to this old Taoist temple!”

With Zhao Yuanlang’s decree, the group naturally followed his decision and headed straight for the temple.

–

At this moment, Zhao Jiong had not yet realized that Zhao Yuanlang had escaped his encirclement and was still stationing troops at both ends of the gorge.

“Someone! Go see if there’s any news coming from over there!”

Zhao Jiong paced back and forth anxiously, as no reply had arrived here.

“Reporting to Master, there is no news from the other side.”

“Zhao Wu really can run; he’s been hiding in there like a turtle all night without showing his face. Did he sneak away?”

The more Zhao Jiong thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and the more restless he became.

However, Shopkeeper Gu quickly stepped forward and analyzed, “Master, the cliffs on both sides of the gorge are high, and there is no place to grip on the middle cliff. Even if they had wings, they would have a hard time flying. They must be hiding inside, waiting for reinforcements to save them.”

“Hmm, you’re right. I’ve been here for decades, and I’ve never heard of this gorge having any other exit.”

Zhao Jiong forcibly suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and turned back to ask another question, “By the way, where is the heir? Have you contacted him?”

“When the heir was halfway here last night, he noticed the commotion on our side and immediately headed towards the north mountain. However, all the brothers said they hadn’t seen the heir and didn’t know his exact whereabouts.”

“That little bastard! Always causing trouble for me!”

The more Zhao Jiong thought about it, the angrier he became. He paced back and forth restlessly, feeling an increasingly strong sense of foreboding.

“How are the preparations in Gongzhou City? Is everything ready?”

“Master, you can rest assured that everything is in order there. All is ready, and we are just waiting for you to personally come to Gongzhou City, proclaim your might, and receive the worship of the eight directions!”

As Shopkeeper Gu spoke, he knelt down and paid his respects. As soon as the surrounding army saw this, they all bowed down and chimed in.

“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!”

“Good! Haha… very good, excellent!”

Zhao Jiong’s mood inexplicably improved significantly, and he burst into hearty laughter.

“My beloved courtiers, rise. Don’t worry, as the eldest son of the late Emperor, it is my destiny to inherit the throne. Once I- no, it should be ‘We’ now! Once We have accomplished great things, not only will you all be considered founding heroes, but you will also be granted official promotions, blessings, and protection for your children. By that time, everyone will enjoy endless wealth and honor, countless beautiful women to care for you, and your names will be immortalized in history for everyone to admire!”

At these words, a wave of enthusiasm surged through everyone present, and the atmosphere at the scene instantly became lively.

“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!”

The lively atmosphere continued!

Shopkeeper Gu subtly moved to Zhao Jiong’s side.

“Your Majesty, it is not entirely proper for us to proclaim ourselves as Emperor here. It would be better to take advantage of Zhao Yuanlang’s current unknown status, whether he is alive or dead, and rush to Gongzhou City to proclaim ourselves as Emperor. In this way, we can directly seize the initiative. Then, Your Majesty can capture Zhao Yuanlang under the banner of supporting the legitimate ruler, which would be the best of both worlds!”

“What Courtier Gu says is truly heartfelt, but unfortunately, this rebellion is already more than thirty years too late.” Zhao Jiong sighed with a thousand emotions.

Zhao Yuanlang had always thought that he was pretending to be crazy and stupid, but who would have imagined that Zhao Jiong had truly gone mad for twenty or thirty years! He had always suffered from madness, and after personally killing Xin’er, that pain became a lifelong burden, making his madness even heavier and his clear-headed days fewer and fewer.

He constantly dreamed, over and over, listening to Xin’er’s calls.

“Rui brother! You finally came, Xin’er misses you so much.” At the moment, Xin’er was youthful and beautiful, playful and mischievous.

The first time he saw Lin Xin’er, he used the name Zhao Rui. From then on, Xin’er had always called him Rui brother in private. It was their secret.

“Rui brother, Xin’er swears to Heaven that she never betrayed you. We’ve been husband and wife for so many years, don’t you trust Xin’er at all?” At this moment, Xin’er was mature and enchanting, like a blooming peony, irresistible and captivating.

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“Rui brother! The Eldest Heir is gone, and Xin’er is heartbroken too! Why don’t you ever trust Xin’er once…” At this moment, Xin’er’s face was ashen, her eyes lifeless, but she was still heartbreakingly beautiful.

“Rui brother, Xin’er… asks nothing more. Just for the sake of Xin’er serving you for so many years, please… send this child to a kind family so she can live like an ordinary person… and never walk in her mother’s footsteps…”

On the verge of death, all she asked for was that her child could grow up like an ordinary person.

He became trapped in his inner demons, sinking deeper and deeper… The Li Sect seemed to grow stronger on the surface, but deep down it was already rotten. On the rare occasions when he was lucid, he would try his best to manage the Li Sect and pave the way for the future. However, his days of madness grew longer and longer…

Until that day, when he nearly killed Xin’er (actually Liu Sisi) again, he suddenly woke up from his madness.