Chapter 1419: The Kidnapped Princess, the Empress of Northern Qi, and the Declaration of War

Looking at the curious look in the eyes of the Northern Qi princess Zhan Pianpian, Zhou Chen smiled from the bottom of his heart.

"Are you asking so many questions? Aren't you afraid that I'm a bad guy?"

Zhan Pianpian was startled for a moment, and then she looked at Zhou Chen without any action, and she breathed a sigh of relief and took courage.

"Don't be afraid. I am a princess of the royal family of Daqi. I should be fearless in the face of danger and have nothing to fear."

After that, her tone weakened again, and she said cautiously: "If you are a bad guy, I can't resist. Anyone who dares to break into the palace to assassinate must be very powerful."

"Know what's good for you."

Zhou Chen gave her a thumbs up: "But you guessed wrong. I am not here to assassinate. Just like you said just now, I am lost."

Zhan Pianpian frowned and snorted: "Do you think I am easy to deceive? How can you get lost in the palace without being discovered? Although I don't think you are a bad person, you are definitely not a good person. Good people will not break into the palace."

"Yes, you guessed right. I am indeed not a good person. Are you afraid now?"

"Afraid, no, not afraid. I am a member of the royal family of Daqi. I am not afraid of anyone or anything."

If she didn't tremble in her voice and shake her body when she said this, maybe it would be two or three points more credible.

Zhou Chen didn't care and changed the subject: "I just heard you say that you wanted to go outside the palace. You are a princess. You have grown up so big, you have never been out of the palace, right?"

"Who said I haven't been out, I, I have been out twice."

Since she could remember, she did go outside the palace, but she didn't go out on her own initiative on both occasions, and she was not allowed to move freely, and she couldn't even remember that memory clearly.

Looking at Zhan Pianpian who was trying to argue in front of him, Zhou Chen sighed softly: "Everyone knows that princesses are golden branches and jade leaves, enjoying the greatest wealth in the world, and this is indeed the case, but sometimes the identity of a princess is also a constraint, making people have no freedom, like a puppet; but even so, if you can really choose between civilians and princesses, one hundred out of a hundred people will choose to be a princess."

Zhan Pianpian was attracted by Zhou Chen's words. After hearing the end, she couldn't help asking: "Why? If I can choose, I will definitely choose..."

With a snap, she covered her mouth. How could a princess of the royal family of Daqi say such irresponsible words?

"Because for ordinary people, living is the most difficult thing in the world. Freedom is useless to them. If they have to choose between living freely and living richly, they will of course choose living richly."

Zhou Chen came all the way from Qing to Qi and has seen too many tragic things. The lives of ordinary people are really like being in dire straits.

How many people dream of living like Zhan Pianpian.

Zhou Chen's words are sad, but Zhan Pianpian, who has never experienced that kind of life, finds it difficult to empathize. However, she is kind-hearted and feels a little uncomfortable.

He just speaks out of emotion, and the next moment he returns to normal and asks Zhan Pianpian with a smile.

"If I say I can take you outside the palace, do you want to go and see it?"

Zhan Pianpian stared at Zhou Chen with a vigilant look: "What do you want to do? Let me tell you, the royal family of Daqi will not be threatened by anyone. Even if you catch me, it's useless. I'm just an insignificant princess. No one will take me seriously."

"You are quite vigilant. Just like you said, catching you is useless. Why should I spend so much effort to catch you? Isn't it a waste of effort?"

"It seems so. No, no, no, I am still a little useful. How can a princess of the royal family of Daqi be useless?"

Agreeing and denying at the same time made Zhou Chen feel even more funny.

"Just tell me directly, do you want to go outside the palace to have some fun?"

"No."

"Outside the palace, there are very sweet and sour candied haws, beautiful and edible little sugar men, delicious and refreshing osmanthus cakes, especially delicious candied fruits, sweet and sour plum soup..."

Whenever Zhou Chen mentioned a snack, Zhan Pianpian's eyes brightened a little, and in the end she couldn't help swallowing her saliva, looking like a greedy cat.

After Zhou Chen finished speaking, she didn't come back to her senses for a long time, and the snacks Zhou Chen mentioned were still echoing in her mind.

After a lot of determination, she controlled herself from thinking about it and said stubbornly: "How could the royal family of Daqi be tempted by such vulgar things? I won't go."

Zhou Chen continued calmly: "I heard that there are circus and acrobatic performances, shadow plays, and various animals in Shangjing City recently. There are many stalls selling small things on the streets, and all kinds of beautiful clothes, fabrics, rouge and powder in the shops..."

Zhan Pianpian clenched her hands, with an expectant expression, frowning tightly, and seemed very entangled.

I really want to go and see it!

Zhou Chen has not decided yet, and continued to narrate, such as which restaurant has good storytelling, some restaurants have drinking competitions, men and women go outings, in short, he talked about countless fun and interesting things, which made Zhan Pianpian's heart beat fast.

After a long while, she asked cautiously: "Is it really as fun outside as you said?"

Zhou Chen said: "Of course, the palace is good, but it is too solemn and too strict. It is different outside the palace. You are free and can do whatever you want and eat whatever you want. You don't have to think about any rules or what you can and can't do. You can just live as happily as you want."

"Is it really like that?"

Zhan Pianpian was completely moved, but the pride and rules of the Daqi royal family pulled her like the threads of a kite, making her dare not break away from the control and fly wherever she wanted.

"Why are you telling me this? Are you really not lying to me?"

"Does it benefit me to lie to you? You see, I can enter and exit the palace at will. If I really want to do something, no one else will notice. I just see you as a very interesting princess, so I just think of it as helping you satisfy a little Wishes."

This is not a lie, he is indeed on a whim. Of course, it is also because there is something about Zhan Pianpian that attracts him. He is not Santa Claus and can help everyone realize their wishes.

Zhan Pianpian was very confused. She couldn't wait to see what Zhou Chen said, but was this man who suddenly appeared really credible?

After a brief contact, this person did not infringe her in any way, and his speech was as gentle as jade. At least she did not find it annoying.

"What do you want to do when you come to the palace?"

"Send a letter to your little emperor."

"Aren't you Qi Ren?"

Zhan Pianpian keenly discovered the problem in Zhou Chen's tone.

"Yes, I am not Qi Ren."

"Then you are from Nanqing?"

"Why do you have so many questions? If you don't want to go outside the palace, I can leave now."

"Don't……"

Seeing Zhou Chen getting up to leave, Zhan Pianpian ignored his manners and stepped forward to grab Zhou Chen's clothes.

"I want to go outside the palace, please take me there."

Zhou Chen asked with a half-smile, "Why aren't you scared now?"

Zhan Pianpian replied sheepishly: "I'm not stupid. If you had really bad intentions, you wouldn't talk so much nonsense to me."

Zhou Chen said angrily: "You also know that what you just said is nonsense, but if you really want to go outside the palace with me, you have to think carefully. Once I leave, I will have bad intentions." "

Zhan Pianpian's face was obviously tense, but she looked at Zhou Chen and finally said firmly: "I'm not afraid, go."

"This time I don't put your Da Qi royal family first."

Zhou Chen just laughed a little, and then straightened his face: "It's not good to leave so suddenly. You have to leave a letter."

"Yes, yes, I have to tell the Queen Mother and His Majesty, otherwise they will be worried if I suddenly disappear. If things get serious, it will not be good for you or me."

Zhan Pianpian let go of Zhou Chen's clothes, ran to the table in the hall, and began to study ink and write a letter, and he finished it in a short while.

"You can go. By the way, do you want me to bring something with me, such as gold, silver, jewelry, clothes, jewelry, etc.? Although I haven't been out much, I know it will be inconvenient to have no money."

Seeing that Zhan Pianpian was talking as if she was actually going on an outing, Zhou Chen didn't know how to describe this silly princess.

"No, the things in the palace are too conspicuous. You can buy everything outside. Take off all the conspicuous jewelry pendants on your body. Are you ready? When you are, I am going to take you out of the palace."

Hearing this, Zhan Pianpian's face flushed with excitement, and her tone was full of expectation.

"Okay, okay, hurry up, run away quickly, by the way, it's daytime now, won't you be discovered if you take me with you?"

"If I can come in, I can come out. As long as you keep silent later, you will soon see everything you expect. Now, close your eyes."

Zhan Pianpian closed her eyes obediently. The next moment, she felt her body being hugged by someone. The intimate contact made her heart beat wildly, but she still resisted opening her eyes.

Seeing her nervous look, Zhou Chen smiled slightly, and then a letter appeared in his hand. He flicked it to the table and placed it under the letter Zhan Pianpian had just written.

Zhan Pianpian only heard the sound of a window being opened. The next moment, she was hugged tightly to protect her, and soon there was a strong sound of wind in her ears.

She couldn't help but secretly opened one eye, and immediately covered her mouth violently, because she found that she was actually flying in the sky, and her speed was extremely fast.

She quickly closed her eyes, not daring to look again, for fear that she would be unable to control her voice and affect Zhou Chen.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she found that it seemed to have stopped.

"You can open your eyes."

Zhan Pianpian opened her eyes carefully and found that she was in a strange place. It seemed to be a side alley.

"Where are we? Have we left the palace?"

"This is already the Royal Street a few miles away from the palace. Not far ahead is a clothing store. I want to buy you a new suit. The palace dress you are wearing is too eye-catching."

"Ah, I don't have any money to buy clothes."

"Do you think I am short of money?"

Zhou Chen didn't waste any words and just led the way. Zhan Pianpian hesitated for a moment and followed step by step.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly came to her senses, remembered something particularly important, and rushed forward a few steps.

"By the way, I don't know what your name is yet."

"Your reaction was really slow. You followed me out without knowing anything. Fortunately, you met me."

Zhan Pianpian smiled sheepishly. She thought she had asked, but in fact she didn't ask at all. When she wanted to call Zhou Chen, she realized that she didn't know Zhou Chen's name at all.

"Remember, my name is Zhou Chen, my birthday is Chen."

"Zhou Chen, what a good name."

"What's so good about it?"

"Okay, fortunately..."

Zhan Pianpian choked. She felt that this person's words were really irritating sometimes. Who would ask such a question?

Walking out of the side alley, her resentment instantly dissipated, and she stared blankly at the bustling streets in front of her.

The streets and alleys were filled with a lively atmosphere. The elegant scholars and students, the occasional warriors carrying swords and riding horses, and the laughter of the street vendors formed a prosperous scene.

"It's so lively."

She said this after holding it in for a long time. Compared with the cold and solemn palace, this not-so-lively street had already made a great impact on her.

Zhou Chen saw Zhan Pianpian standing there in a daze, and did not urge her. He just waited quietly. After she came to her senses, he took her to the clothing store in front to buy clothes.

In the Northern Qi Palace, not long after Zhou Chen took Zhan Pianpian away from the palace, the maid outside the palace called the princess for a long time without response. She hurriedly opened the door and entered the palace, only to find that the eldest princess who was supposed to be in the palace had disappeared, which frightened the maids out of their wits.

Today is the day of the grand court meeting. The little emperor Zhan Doudou and the Queen Mother of Northern Qi went to court together. The Queen Mother was behind the little emperor.

As the emperor, Zhan Doudou rarely spoke at the court meeting, trying to play the role of a weak and sidelined emperor, while the Queen Mother was in a posture of arbitrary government.

Among the officials in the court, Shen Zhong, as the commander of the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division, was also the most trusted minister of the Queen Mother, and his status among the officials was very high.

The little emperor, the Queen Mother, and Shen Zhong, these three are the three most powerful people in Northern Qi at present.

Everyone in Northern Qi thought that the Queen Mother and the young emperor were at odds, but in fact they were not really at odds, but pretended to be at odds, which could not only conceal Zhan Doudou's identity as an empress, but also disperse the power of the court officials and make the imperial power more concentrated.

After the court meeting, the young emperor and the Queen Mother returned to the imperial study, and Haitang Duoduo, the Saint of Northern Qi, went in with them.

Haitang Duoduo, as a direct disciple of the Grand Master Ku He, was named the Saint of Northern Qi by the Queen Mother. She was also one of the few people in Northern Qi who knew the relationship between the Queen Mother and the young emperor. She was also one of the most trusted and relied-on people by the young emperor and the Queen Mother.

Before they sat down and had time to say a few words, someone suddenly came to report that the eldest princess left without saying goodbye, leaving only two letters.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

The young emperor and the Queen Mother both found it incredible. They knew very well what kind of person the eldest princess was, and it would never happen to her to leave without saying goodbye.

Zhan Doudou reacted and immediately ordered: "Where's the letter? Present it."

Soon someone presented the letter. It was presented by the eunuch. Since it was presented, it meant that it had been checked and was harmless.

Zhan Doudou took the letter, but did not open it immediately. Instead, she picked up the two envelopes and looked at them.

But when she saw the lower envelope, her expression suddenly changed, because there were four words written on the envelope.

"Ku He's personal letter!"

Haitang Duoduo, who was standing by and secretly eating grapes, saw Zhan Doudou's face change, so she tilted her head curiously and looked over.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Then, she also saw the four words.

"Is this the princess' letter to my master?"

Hearing Haitang Duoduo's words, the queen mother was also confused. Zhan Pianpian wrote a letter to Ku He? They had not met a few times in total.

"What's going on?"

Zhan Doudou's face was solemn, and he winked at Haitang Duoduo. Haitang Duoduo immediately understood and quickly cleared the other people in the hall, leaving only the three of them.

"This is not the handwriting of the imperial sister. It seems that the imperial sister did not leave on her own, but someone held her hostage?"

The queen mother also looked serious: "Your Majesty is right. Pian Pian has always been obedient and polite. It is impossible for her to leave without saying goodbye."

"How about letting me open it first?" Haitang Duoduo's eyes were full of curiosity. She was very interested in the letter to her master.

Zhan Doudou knew Haitang Duoduo's ability. Out of caution, she handed the letter to Haitang Duoduo.

Haitang Duoduo did not care about the four big words "Ku He's personal letter" at all. She opened the envelope directly and took out a letter from it.

"There is really a letter."

While speaking, she opened the letter paper.

"August 15, the night of the full moon, the top of the Forbidden City..."

Zhan Doudou and the queen mother who were listening suddenly found that Haitang Duoduo had no voice and stood there in a daze.

"What's wrong?"

As soon as the voice fell, Haitang Duoduo suddenly turned pale and spurted out a mouthful of blood.

"Puff!"

Zhan Doudou and the Queen Mother were both shocked, and the Queen Mother screamed: "Come, come."

Instantly, the eunuchs and guards outside the palace rushed in, looking at the three people nervously, waiting for orders.

Zhan Doudou looked at Haitang Duoduo worriedly, and she clearly found that Haitang Duoduo's body was trembling slightly.

This shocked her a lot. Haitang Duoduo was Ku He's last disciple, and her cultivation had already reached the ninth rank. Why did she suddenly vomit blood? Could it be related to the letter she read?

Thinking of this, Zhan Doudou couldn't help but look at the letter in Haitang Duoduo's hand. Haitang Duoduo finally reacted. She found that Zhan Doudou was actually reading the letter, and she immediately shouted in panic.

"Your Majesty, don't read it."

But it was too late. Zhan Doudou had already seen the contents of the letter clearly. In addition to the twelve words that Haitang Duoduo just read, there was only one big word left.

War!

"War letter?"

Zhan Doudou was confused. It was obvious that this was a letter of challenge. Someone wanted to challenge Ku He, one of the four great masters?

Haitang Duoduo was also very surprised to see that Zhan Doudou was fine after reading the letter.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?"

"What's the matter? Little Sister, why did you vomit blood just now?"

Haitang Duoduo frowned, and she didn't know why.

"I saw the last word 'war' in this letter, and felt a very terrifying sword intent. The true qi was out of control, and the blood and qi were surging, so I vomited blood."

"Sword intent? This word has sword intent? Can it make you, a little sister of the ninth rank, vomit blood? Then why did I feel fine after reading it."

"I don't understand either, but this is indeed a letter of challenge. Someone wants to challenge the master, dares to challenge the master, and has such a strong sword intent. Could it be Si Gu Jian? It shouldn't be. Why would Si Gu Jian suddenly challenge the master?"

Haitang Duoduo was suspicious and had no idea of ​​the situation. She could only guess randomly.

The queen mother didn't see the letter, but she understood what was going on.

"Someone challenged the uncle? But if they challenged the uncle, why would they leave the letter in Pian Pian's palace and take Pian Pian away? Could they really be a grandmaster? Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to be able to enter and exit the palace at will and take people away without being discovered by the guards."

Zhan Doudou didn't have time to think about it, and immediately opened another letter. This letter was indeed written by Zhan Pian Pian, and the content was very simple, saying that she wanted to go outside the palace to take a look, and she would come back by herself when the time came. Don't worry about her, and don't look for her in a big way.

After reading the letter, she didn't say anything, but asked people to leave again.

"Mother guessed right. My sister did leave the palace, but judging from her handwriting and tone, she didn't seem to be forced to leave. She left voluntarily."

"Little Sister, are you okay?"

Haitang Duoduo said, "I spit out blood, I'm much better now."

"Just one word on the paper made Little Sister spit blood. Could the person who left the letter really be the Grandmaster, Si Gu Jian?"

Although the little emperor Zhan Doudou was young, he was also a very smart person. But now he was also confused by this letter, and at the same time he was deeply afraid.

The palace was actually sneaked into and taken away. During this period, the guards in the palace did not find any abnormalities or warnings. If the other party wanted to assassinate someone, wouldn't it be easy to do it? It was scary to think about it.

Haitang Duoduo also frowned. She had been staying in the palace all the time, and even she didn't find anything unusual. The person who sneaked into the palace, issued a letter of challenge, and took away the eldest princess was really terrible.

The only person she could think of was the Grandmaster.

"If it involves a grandmaster, it's not something I can handle. Since it's a declaration of war to Master, Master should handle it."

Zhan Doudou and the Queen Mother both agreed. It was fine for them to handle the affairs of the court, but if it involved a grandmaster, they had no way to deal with it.

"August 15, the night of the full moon, what day is today?"

"July 29."

"That is to say, there is still half a month. The top of the Forbidden City, does it mean the top of the palace? Only the grandmaster who is not bound by common sense can treat the imperial power as nothing!"

Zhan Doudou asked a few people to try to read the declaration of war, and then found the problem. The higher the cultivation level, the more likely they are to be affected by the word "war" at the end, especially the ninth-grade masters, who will have their true energy boiling after seeing it.

On the contrary, ordinary people without true energy are not affected at all when they see this declaration of war.

This peculiar situation makes them more certain that the one who issued the declaration of war is most likely a grandmaster, because even a master above the ninth grade will definitely not have this inhuman ability to hurt the ninth grade from a distance.

But Zhan Doudou and the Queen Mother were also very rational. They immediately blocked the news and even covered up the disappearance of Zhan Pianpian.

However, they secretly sent people to search for Zhan Pianpian in Shangjing City. Since Zhan Pianpian followed the person who issued the challenge, if they found Zhan Pianpian, they should be able to find the mysterious person.