boyutpedia Chapter 139 Lieutenant, your vision is too narrow.
Chapter 139 Lieutenant, your vision is too narrow.
"action!"
At Li Mao's command, the other five men shot off like arrows towards the foreman and guards on the construction site.
The foremen were unarmed, with only pitifully thin whips, which were practically useless weapons in a real fight. They were caught off guard and were subdued before they could even put up a fight.
Someone tried to send a signal amidst the chaos, but Li Mao saw through it immediately and dislocated his wrist, rendering him unable to move.
"You! Who are you? How dare you..." The foreman's eyes showed terror.
"Shut up!" The soldier shouted coldly, his face stern, and knocked the foreman unconscious.
Faced with Li Mao and his group of six, who no longer concealed their true abilities, the bandits had no chance to resist.
Among the guards, a thin young man with a knife seemed to possess some skill, managing to exchange several blows with the five soldiers before finally collapsing. He glared angrily at Li Mao and roared, "Why don't you kill those rapists and plunderers in the stronghold? We're just building houses here, not harming anyone, so why did you bring men to deal with us?"
"Oh?" Li Mao found it amusing. "What do you mean 'you' and 'them'? You are all people from this village. We share the same fate, and after I deal with you, I will naturally deal with them. You are making these people work, don't you know that these people were also kidnapped and brought here?"
The boy fell silent, but his eyes were still full of defiance.
He seemed to genuinely believe he hadn't done anything wrong and was different from the bandits outside.
Li Mao found it interesting and secretly memorized the man's appearance.
Without further delay, he strode up to Li Heng, who had finally regained his freedom, and said in a deep voice, "Your subject has arrived late to protect Your Majesty, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Although Li Mao now commands a large army and has rescued Li Heng and others from the clutches of bandits, the rule that the Crown Prince is the sovereign and the Prince is the subject cannot be overturned. Regardless of Li Mao's inner turmoil, he must maintain a facade of propriety.
Looking at Li Mao, who commanded his troops with imposing presence, Li Heng's eyes flickered for a moment before returning to their coldness. He said indifferently, "You have rendered meritorious service in saving me this time, how could I blame you? How is Father Emperor doing? When you brought people to rescue me, did you arrange for reliable people to be by Father Emperor's side?"
This is what a crown prince is like. Even if he was just being whipped and driven to move wood, he still has to care about the emperor the moment he escapes danger. Otherwise, he would be unfilial and unbenevolent, and unworthy of being a crown prince.
Li Mao believed he could never achieve what Li Heng had, so he knew he could never become the crown prince in this lifetime.
If he's going to do something, he'll be the emperor. This position, second only to the emperor, is simply not good enough for him, nor is it worthwhile. He can't just throw a tantrum and act like a spoiled brat; he has to maintain a facade at all times. He can't have the power of life and death like an emperor either; he has to be subservient to others. What's the point?
Thinking it over, Li Mao gave affirmative answers to all of the Crown Prince's questions: "His Majesty has already entrusted General Guo Ziyi, whom I personally promoted, to take care of things. There will be no mistakes. Now is not the time to talk. Please, Your Highness, move aside immediately."
Lee Hyung pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say something more.
However, he remained silent, simply nodding before rising and leaving with Li Mao, accompanied by the several equally disheveled imperial physicians and guards of the Imperial Guard.
Li Mao's five soldiers remained where they were, while the other laborers on the construction site were released.
As for the foremen and bandits who aided and abetted the evildoers, they were all bound up, strung together like candied hawthorns, and herded back.
At that time, the large group of people left the construction site and headed down the mountain.
They encountered some bandits who came up the mountain to supervise the construction along the way, but Li Mao was prepared and easily dealt with them before he could release the signal.
Along the way, Li Mao noticed that Li Heng's complexion was not very good.
Knowing Li Heng's personality, Li Mao didn't say much or think much about it.
He calmly instructed, "Go to the prison first. Someone will escort you out of the stronghold. After you leave, head to Xianyang City. Liu Huafei and the others are also on their way there. You might run into them along the way. We've dealt with quite a few bandits and thugs along the way, so you can move around with peace of mind now."
Li Heng frowned, and finally spoke: "Then what about you? Why aren't you coming with us?"
“I have other matters to attend to,” Li Mao said, then instructed a horse trainer: “Go into the mountains and follow the marks we left behind. There is a hidden mountain by a black pool. Go inside and find Ziyi. The Emperor is also there. After that, follow Ziyi’s orders and leave together.”
There were too many of them, so they had to leave in batches to avoid attracting attention.
"Prince Shou!" Li Heng refused to let Li Mao off the hook and pressed on, asking, "You arranged an escape route for everyone, so why didn't you go yourself? Are you going to stay here all by yourself and fight the bandits by yourself?"
Li Mao was certainly not that stupid, nor did he enjoy showing off.
To quell the bandits, we should wait until they have left, rested, and then launch a counterattack.
He had no choice but to say frankly, "Xianglan is still in the bandit stronghold. Last night she went to great lengths to hold off the bandit leader for us. She's still in the bandit's house and we don't know what's going on. I have to go back and rescue her."
With that, Li Mao turned to leave.
At this moment, a lieutenant from the Imperial Guard who had been moving timber with Li Heng at the construction site spoke up, his voice tinged with hesitation: "Your Highness, Miss Xianglan is just an ordinary woman with no rank in the palace, naturally not as noble as Your Highness. Your Highness... why risk your life to save her?"
Although Xianglan had accompanied Li Longji for some time, she remained a commoner, without any title or rank. Now, many of her companions had even forgotten of Xianglan's existence, yet Li Mao was still so determined to save her.
Li Mao stopped and turned to look at the lieutenant who had spoken.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "It was your Imperial Guard's dereliction of duty that you failed to protect His Majesty's safety along the way. It was Miss Xianglan who lured the bandits with a promise of a 'wedding day,' which protected you to some extent. Last night, she even humbled herself for the sake of all of us. How could you, a grown man, have the nerve to abandon a weak woman like her?"
After saying that, Li Mao turned and left, leaving Li Heng and the others stunned in place.
Lee Hyung gritted his teeth, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
"This..." The lieutenant blushed as Li Mao choked him, and tried to salvage the situation by saying, "This humble officer meant well, thinking of His Highness Prince Shou's safety."
"Enough." Li Heng said coldly, "What Prince Shou said is not without reason. Everyone has been taken care of by Lady Xianglan along the way. Now you look down on her. It's no different from killing a donkey after it has served its purpose."
After saying that, Li Heng turned and left.
The lieutenant touched his nose and followed sheepishly.
When no one was looking, he glanced back at Li Mao, his eyes filled with a barely perceptible hatred.