My Princess and Crown Prince Are Revived
Chapter 317 Three Cities Fall

Chapter 317: Chapter 317 Three Cities Fall

They had just crossed the threshold of the Imperial Study when they heard an urgent voice coming from inside.

"Your Majesty, things have taken a turn for the worse, Linzhou, Pingzhou, and Xiangzhou have fallen."

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Nan Shi’s body staggered.

"What’s going on?" he shouted angrily.

"Your Majesty, these three cities were taken over yesterday by a joint attack from Dongli Country and Beihai Country. All the civilians and soldiers have been taken prisoner, and the few remaining troops retreated to Tongzhou overnight. This is the battle report sent by carrier pigeon from Tongzhou."

General Jian Tai said with sorrow.

He was the one who nearly fell outside just now.

"Qinglin, quick, bring me the letter," Nan Shi said urgently.

Eunuch Qinglin hurried over to fetch the letter and then presented it.

On the other side, Chu Baihan’s mind was in turmoil.

The fallen cities were all in the east, close to Dongli Country.

For years, Dongli Country had been coveting the territory of Nanduan Kingdom.

But because the soldiers of these three cities had resisted fiercely, the enemy hadn’t been able to prevail.

"Why now, and why is Beihai Country getting involved? What exactly is going on?" she murmured non-stop.

Beihai Country was to the far north, a thousand miles from Dongli.

Moreover, between Nanduan Kingdom and Beihai Country lay Yan Country and other nations.

For years, there had been hardly any contact between Nanduan Kingdom and Beihai Country.

Why would Beihai Country set its sights on Nanduan Kingdom?

"How could these three cities fall so easily, with news only coming after their defeat?" Chu Baihan’s temples throbbed painfully.

When had the soldiers of Nanduan Kingdom become so weak?

Though Dongli Country was strong, and Beihai Country was an even fiercer nomadic nation, formidable when united, she couldn’t understand why the three cities had crumbled so easily.

The capital city of Nanduan Kingdom was close to the east; those three cities were the frontier line, and Tongzhou... was the last line of defense.

If Tongzhou were also defeated, then the enemy forces would be able to drive straight in and attack the gates of the capital city.

Shi Jing also seemed a bit dazed, "Why is the enemy so fierce?"

"Prince Yan." It was at this moment that Yan Lin spoke in a deep voice.

"Prince Xuwang?"

Chu Baihan looked up in shock.

She realized it!

All the irregularities pointed to one person—Prince Xuwang!

Over the years, the focus of Nanduan Kingdom’s wars had been on the west and northwest because those areas were constantly attacked by Xiliang, with frequent battles.

The east did have conflicts, but since a hundred thousand troops were stationed there, the fights were minor.

"The hundred thousand troops under Prince Xuwang’s command, half are mainly concentrated in the east," Chu Baihan muttered.

"Before, I thought that even if Prince Xuwang wanted to seize the throne, it would only be a power struggle within. Little did I expect that this time, he would actually collude with external enemies," she said with a bitter smile.

She had underestimated him...

After so many years of dealings with Prince Xuwang, it was all going to be destroyed in a single moment.

She had not expected Prince Xuwang to be so ruthless as to ally with foreign enemies.

Nor had she anticipated Beihai Country’s interference.

On the other side, as Nan Shi looked at the secret message and listened to Chu Baihan’s words, he staggered.

"Why has it come to this..." he muttered, utterly devastated.

Just then, the leader of the Imperial Army rushed in and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, Xuwang has disappeared."

"What? Didn’t I command you to watch him?" Nan Shi felt a pain in his chest from anger.

"Your, Your Majesty, indeed you ordered us to watch Xuwang. But you also said not to let Xuwang suffer in prison. So, when a maid from the Xuwang Residence came to deliver food, we did not stop her, little did we know that she was a master in disguise. She switched clothes with Xuwang, and then he escaped."

"You, you all..."

At that moment, Nan Shi was shaking with rage.

"Father Emperor, it’s thanks to you that Uncle Emperor Xuwang was able to escape," Chu Baihan said, looking up with a cool gaze.

From the moment she heard from Wuming that Father Emperor had not decided this morning how to deal with Uncle Emperor Xuwang, she knew... Father Emperor had gone soft.

Once Father Emperor went soft, the guards at Sky Prison were no longer strict.

"Hanhan, I, I..."

Nan Shi looked at Chu Baihan, a bit at a loss.

"Wuming, go see what’s happening," Chu Baihan said, pressing on her throbbing temples, wearily instructing the Wuming behind her.

"Yes, Princess," he replied.

Wuming quickly ran out.

After a while, he returned and rapidly reported, "Princess, when Xuwang escaped, the guards from the Eastern Palace and Wuji discovered him and gravely wounded him. However, suddenly many experts appeared and rescued him."

"Was the poison administered to him?" Chu Baihan continued to ask coldly.

"Last night, Wuji personally added the poison to Xuwang’s meal and saw him eat it himself," Wuming hastened to reply.

That’s good...

Chu Baihan’s furrowed brows finally relaxed slightly.

She gave a cold command, "Now, seal the city gates immediately. Don’t let a single fly escape. Uncle Emperor Xuwang has been poisoned and severely injured; they definitely haven’t had the time to flee the city yet."

"Yes, Princess. The Crown Prince had already ordered people to guard the gates, and our men are currently searching within the city," Wuming quickly said.

Jian Tai looked at Chu Baihan with excitement: "Princess, so you and the Crown Prince were prepared all along!"

"It was indeed too suspicious that Uncle Emperor Xuwang agreed so easily to enter Sky Prison and was willing to hand over the Commander’s Seal, we had to be prepared. Of course, if everyone were as soft-hearted as Father Emperor, Uncle Emperor Xuwang would have already fled long ago," Chu Baihan said with a hint of sarcasm.

With her words, the whole Imperial Study fell into a dead silence.

The eunuchs and several generals all wore expressions of panic.

Is the Princess blaming the Emperor?

Although the Emperor might be at fault in this matter, he is the Emperor, and yet the Princess dares to blame her own Father Emperor.

Several people looked at Chu Baihan with worried faces, fearing that she might be punished.

However, Nan Shi did not look like he intended to punish her. Instead, he just sat down awkwardly on the Dragon Throne and said self-deprecatingly, "It’s my soft-heartedness that nearly caused a grave error again, it’s my fault."

As he spoke, he even began to tap his own chest.

"Your Majesty, you must take care of your dragon health," Eunuch Qinglin and the others said worriedly.

Yet, there wasn’t the slightest hint of sympathy in Chu Baihan’s eyes.

She had truly given up on her father.

"Quick, dispatch someone to Tongzhou immediately, we must stop the troops from Dongli Country and Beihai Country," Nan Shi said, gasping for breath in his urgency.

"Many of Xuwang’s troops are in Tongzhou, Your Majesty, even if you dispatch someone right now, it would be too late," Yan Lin said coldly at this moment.

"Too late?" Nan Shi’s face turned ashen.

Could it be that Nanduan Kingdom will fall under his rule?

Although Chu Baihan was heavily burdened, a thought suddenly struck her, and she quickly turned her head to Yan Lin: "You’re prepared, aren’t you?"

It all seemed to be within his expectations.

"Hmm, I felt movements from the Xuwang Residence a few days ago, so I had all of the Tang Sect’s people stationed in Tongzhou. Moreover, fifty thousand troops from Yan Country have already been assembled in Qingzhou. Qingzhou is very close to Tongzhou, and it would be faster than rushing from the capital city," Yan Lin said gravely.