My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Chapter 55 Li Chengqian cleverly rescues two princesses; Japanese woman takes the initiative to expr

Upon hearing this, Su Wan immediately became nervous. She went to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, the Japanese are unreasonable. You must not listen to them."

Princess Hengyang called out from the opposite side, "Chengqian, don't worry about us, you should leave quickly."

Du Zhenglun thought to himself, "Your Highness, you can't leave. If you leave, I'm really doomed."

Li Chengqian was also very anxious because the other party had only given him half an hour.

If the time limit is exceeded, these people, who can say it, can also do it.

Li Chengqian discussed countermeasures with Su Wan, Su Gui, and others.

Su Gui glared at them: "These bastards are going too far! I'll charge over there and fight them to the death!"

Su Wan tapped him on the head: "You're really reckless. Princess Hengyang and Princess Chengyang are both in their hands. If you rush over like this, won't you just get them killed?"

"This—," Su Gui covered her head with her hands, "Sister, it seems you're right too."

"It's not just a possibility, it's definitely true!"

"Since we can't fight them head-on, what should we do?"

Li Chengqian pondered for a moment: "How about this, I'll go and replace them."

"What? You're going to replace them? Wouldn't that mean you're in grave danger? How can you do that?" Su Wan looked at him in astonishment.

"Yes, Your Highness, you can't go!" That's what everyone said.

"If I don't go, what way do you have to save them?"

Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

Feng Jishe blamed Mu Jishe, saying, "It's all your fault! If you had protected the princess and the others properly, this wouldn't have happened!"

Kijiro was filled with shame.

Finally, Li Chengqian said firmly, "It's decided then. Su Gui, you must protect your sister."

"understood."

Su Wan tugged at Li Chengqian's sleeve, crying, "Your Highness, please don't go!"

Li Chengqian gently moved her hand away: "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Su Wan saw that he was determined to do this, and there was nothing she could do.

Li Chengqian loudly said to the pharmacist Hui Ri, "I am willing to be your hostage. Release them all, what do you say?"

The pharmacist Hui Ri thought to himself that his goal was to kill Li Chengqian, and if Li Chengqian was willing to be a hostage, then those people would be useless.

Thinking this, he said, "Li Chengqian, are you perhaps trying to deceive me?"

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Don't overthink it. What I said is the truth."

"Chengqian, don't be so foolish!" Princess Hengyang said.

"Brother, you're so smart, you can't fall for their tricks!" Princess Chengyang exclaimed.

Li Chengqian handed all the crossbow bolts to Su Gui and walked straight to the other side.

The pharmacist Hui released everyone and ordered his men to tie Li Chengqian's arms upside down.

Du Zhenglun was deeply moved: "Your Highness, is there anything else you wish to say to this humble subject?"

Li Chengqian nodded to him: "Take good care of your aunt and Chengyang."

"Your Highness, I will obey your decree."

Du He shook his head and sighed repeatedly, "Your Highness, you are of noble birth, how could you do such a foolish thing? We can all die, but Your Highness cannot die."

"As the Buddhists say, all beings are equal. It's worth it to exchange my life for the lives of the four of you."

Princess Hengyang, Princess Chengyang, Du Zhenglun, and Du He returned to Su Wan's side.

The pharmacist Hui ordered his men to escort Li Chengqian back to his tent.

The tent was lit with lamps, and Li Chengqian sat in a chair watching the pharmacist Hui Ri walk back and forth in front of him.

As he got closer, Li Chengqian realized that the man was tall, strong, and had a fierce appearance, with a Japanese sword hanging at his waist.

Pharmacist Hui Ri nodded: "I didn't expect you to be so brave. Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Everyone wants to live a good life, but a true man, born between heaven and earth, has things he will not do and things he must do."

"You're right. I originally thought Li Shimin's sons were all cowards, but I didn't expect you to be a real man. Considering you have some guts, I'll give you a chance to live. However, you have to agree to one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"We Japanese are the most reasonable people. According to our country's historical records, thousands of years ago, all the territory of your Li Tang dynasty belonged to our country. However, we Japanese are the most compassionate people. Seeing that your ancestors had nowhere to live, we gradually moved eastward and gave up the land little by little."

Finally, our Wa (Japanese) kingdom migrated eastward to the islands in the sea.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian thought to himself, "I have never heard such shameless words before. Oh, the entire territory of our Great Tang belongs to you? You are so kind as to give us all the land? How dare you say such a thing?"

"Nowadays, Goguryeo and Baekje in the east, and Western Turks, Tuyuhun, Dangxiang and Tibet in the west all occupy a place, but our Wa nation has no place to stand. Do you think this is reasonable?"

Therefore, our king sent Inu no Mitasuki and me as envoys to the Tang Dynasty, with the aim of reclaiming what belongs to us.

Therefore, this time we have joined forces with the Tanguts and Tuyuhun to deal with you.

If we can reach an agreement, everything will be fine.

"What agreement are you referring to?"

At this point, Yakushi Eri took out a map and spread it on the ground: "If you can agree to cede all the land east of Luoyang to our Wa-nu Kingdom, I will release you."

"I didn't hear you clearly, say it again!"

"The land west of Chang'an belongs to you, and the land east of Luoyang belongs to us!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian was both amused and annoyed. He thought to himself, "You really have a big mouth! You dare to say that everything east of Luoyang belongs to you? You're dreaming! I won't cede an inch of land to you."

However, he thought this in his heart but didn't say it aloud: "You may be mistaken. It is true that I am the Crown Prince, but I am not the emperor. As for matters such as ceding land, I have no right to handle them."

"Your father will eventually grow old, and it's only a matter of time before you ascend the throne. As long as you sign the agreement now, you can fulfill it after you take the throne."

"Even so, I cannot sign this agreement." Li Chengqian immediately refused.

Upon hearing this, Pharmacist Hui Ri's face immediately changed color: "You Central Plains people have a saying, 'Those who understand the times are heroes.' Do you really want to die?"

"Today I am in your hands. Kill me if you want, torture me if you want, it's all up to you!" Li Chengqian said calmly.

"You!" Pharmacist Megumi's forehead veins bulged with rage. "Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

Li Chengqian closed his eyes and ignored him, as if to say, "Do whatever you want."

The pharmacist Hui Ri ordered his men to tie up Li Chengqian's legs and feet, and then searched his waist and took the dagger.

Yakushi Eri left two black-clad ninjas to watch over Li Chengqian while he himself left the main tent.

For days, Li Chengqian had been traveling through the desert, eating and drinking poorly, and was exhausted. He was so tired that he soon fell asleep in his chair.

"Your Highness, wake up!"

He didn't know how much time had passed when he vaguely felt someone calling his name.

He opened his groggy eyes and saw that the person standing in front of him was none other than Yakushi Keiko.

Ok?

How could it be her?

Li Chengqian was puzzled and asked, "Why did you wake me? Are you here to kill me?"

At this moment, Yakushi Keiko smiled and said gently, "Don't misunderstand, I'm here to save you, not to kill you."

Li Chengqian looked around the tent and saw that the two black-clad ninjas had already collapsed on the ground.

Li Chengqian thought he had misheard: "Why did you save me?"

"Although you killed many of my wolves, your heroic performance made me feel that you are a hero, completely overturning my impression of you Tang people."

I want to ask you, is the girl who shot an arrow at me your Crown Princess?

Li Chengqian didn't understand why she would ask this question: "Currently, she and I are not engaged."

Upon hearing this, Pharmacist Keiko felt a surge of secret delight, her face flushing slightly: "So, you don't have a Crown Princess yet?"

"Yes."

"Actually, I am also a person with a hard life. My parents passed away when I was very young. I lived with my older brother. He liked to play with knives and guns every day and rarely cared about me. He made me stay with some wild animals all day and train them!"

"Now that I'm of marriageable age, he has never made any arrangements for me," said Yakushi Keiko with a resentful tone.

Li Chengqian was a little confused when he heard this. He thought to himself, "Why are you telling me this? Do you want me to introduce you to a man from the Tang Dynasty to be your husband?"

"you mean?"

"Since you don't yet have a Crown Princess, how about I become your Crown Princess?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian nearly dropped his jaw in astonishment: "Girl, you're not joking, are you?"

"I'm not joking, I'm very serious."

"I think you may have already seen that I am a person with difficulty walking."

"So what if it has any impact? As long as your sexual function is normal, that's all that matters!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian blushed and said, "Miss, I absolutely cannot comply!"

Why?

"Because our Great Tang Dynasty has a rule that the Crown Princess must be a Tang citizen. How could I possibly marry a woman from the Japanese pirate country as my Crown Princess? Wouldn't that be the most ridiculous thing in the world?"

"What does it matter?"

As far as I know, wasn't your father of Xianbei descent? Whether they were Xianbei, Tang people, or Japanese, weren't they all human?

"If you agree to our marriage, then I will release you now and return to the Tang Dynasty with you." "Girl, you should just kill me!"

"What exactly do you mean? Are you willing to die than be with me? Do you really like that girl?"

"I do like her very much, and she is very good to me. The reason we came on this mission to the Tanguts is because she was worried about me, so she came with me."

"What is the purpose of your mission to the Tanguts? Do you intend to persuade them to surrender and to weaken the relationship between the Tanguts and the Tuyuhun?"

Li Chengqian remained silent.

"Then let me tell you, you shouldn't be delusional."

Princess Guanghua is the daughter of Fuyun Khan. She is currently favored by Tuoba Chici. The relationship between Tuyuhun and Dangxiang is very close. They both have to face your powerful Tang Dynasty. They can only have a chance to survive if they unite. Everyone understands the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold".

If we become family, I will not only release you, but I can also persuade my brother to help you. Don't underestimate our family's influence in the Wa Nu Kingdom. We can send troops and money to help you deal with Tuyuhun and Dangxiang.

I hope you'll reconsider.

"No need to consider it. Thank you for your kind offer, but I absolutely cannot agree to this. If you want to kill me, then please do so."

"You're such a stubborn person!" Keiko Yakushi's face turned ashen with anger. "I understand, you like that girl, don't you?"

"I'll go kill her right now, let's see if you'll still be thinking about her then."

After saying this, Pharmacist Keiko turned to leave.

Just then, a person walked in from outside the tent, speaking calmly: "Yakushi Keiko, are you looking for me?"

Li Chengqian looked up and saw that the person who entered was none other than Su Wan.

It turned out that Su Wan had been outside the tent for a while. She was deeply moved by what Li Chengqian had said.

"Su Wan, what brings you here?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Your Highness, you risked your life to save everyone, how can we abandon you?"

"Stop showing off your love in front of me, Su Wan," said Pharmacist Keiko. "Today, only one of us can leave this tent alive!"

"Today, you've really opened my eyes. I never expected that women from your Japanese country would be so proactive. You've taken a fancy to our Tang Dynasty's crown prince, haven't you? You can even say such shameless things."

Now that I'm here, I'm not afraid of you. Do you think I, Su Wan, am someone to be bullied?

"You shot me with an arrow just now, and I haven't settled that score with you yet!"

I didn't expect you to come knocking on my door so willingly. You've really asked for trouble, so don't blame me.

As Yaoshi Huizi finished speaking, she reached behind her and pulled out a long whip, ready to strike.

Just as Su Wan was in danger, Su Gui walked in from outside, carrying two black-clad ninjas.

Su Gui tied up the two black-clad ninjas and threw them on the ground.

Pharmacist Keiko stared intently, recognizing him as a master wolf slayer, wielding a formidable pear blossom spear.

Su Gui quickly untied Li Chengqian's ropes, handed him the crossbow and katana, and then pointed at Yakushi Keiko, saying, "Your Highness, this woman is extremely vicious. Watch me kill her with one spear!"

Li Chengqian quickly stopped him: "She's also a person with a tragic fate, don't hurt her! However, we can capture her alive."

Pharmacist Keiko had already swung her long whip at Su Wan.

Seeing the danger, Li Chengqian quickly reached out and pulled Su Wan into his arms to avoid the attack.

Su Wan was so frightened that her heart pounded, and she buried her head in Li Chengqian's chest.

When Pharmacist Keiko saw the two of them being so affectionate in front of her, she became even angrier.

The tent was cramped, so Yaoshi Huizi and Su Gui came outside and started fighting.

Li Chengqian and Su Wan also followed them outside the tent.

Su Gui originally thought that a woman couldn't possibly have much ability, but as it turned out, he was wrong.

The whip in Yaoshi Huizi's hand was about two zhang long. When it was soft, it was like a weeping willow; when it was hard, it was like a steel spear. When she wielded it, it whistled through the wind and was very powerful.

Su Gui's pear blossom spear was shorter than the other man's whip, putting her at a disadvantage in terms of weaponry. She could only leap and dodge left and right.

The two fought for more than ten rounds without a clear winner.

Suddenly, Yakushi Keiko put away her long whip, pulled out a foot-long flute from her waist, and gently blew on it.

The sound of the flute was sometimes high-pitched and sometimes sharp, making people feel uncomfortable.

Immediately afterwards, Li Chengqian, Su Wan, and Su Gui all heard a rustling sound, which was very strange.

"Snakes! So many snakes!"

Su Wan pointed to the ground in front of her and screamed.

Li Chengqian looked in the direction she was pointing, and sure enough, there were hundreds of snakes slithering in the sand dunes. He had no idea where these snakes had come from.

The snakes varied in length, some about a meter long and others about two meters long. Some were coiled up, heads raised, eyes gleaming fiercely, and flicking their long tongues.

They were arranged in an orderly fashion, divided into several rows, and swam towards Li Chengqian and his group, waiting for Yaoshi Huizi to give the final order to attack.

Li Chengqian, Su Wan, and Su Gui all felt a chill run down their spines as they watched.

Even though Li Chengqian was usually very calm and composed, cold sweat beaded on his forehead at this moment.

He drew his katana: "You two be careful, Su Wan, hide behind me."

"Your Highness, that woman is not human; she is a demoness. Wolves and snakes obey her," Su Wan said.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's figure out a way to kill all these snakes."

At the command of Yakushi Keiko, the snakes in the first row launched an attack.

Five or six snakes leaped up from the ground and bit Su Gui.

Su Gui put away her spear, swung her Japanese sword, and hacked wildly, cutting all the snakes in two!

Strangely, the snakes did not bite Li Chengqian, but instead bypassed him and bit Su Wan.

Clearly, this was something that Yakushi Keiko intentionally did.

Li Chengqian remained calm and collected, quickly killing all the snakes.

The snakes in the first row died, and the snakes in the second row took their place.

About half an hour later, Li Chengqian and Su Gui killed all the snakes.

Taking advantage of their unpreparedness, Su Gui captured Yakushi Keiko alive.

"Don't be afraid, sister, your foolish brother is here!"

At that moment, the voice of Yakushi Eri could be heard in the air.

As soon as the words were spoken, Yakushi Eri appeared before everyone.

He came to rescue Yakushi Keiko, just as Kijiro and Kazeki arrived and ambushed him from behind, capturing him unexpectedly.

At this moment, everyone arrived.

Du Zhenglun became smug again, strutting around and shaking his head: "Your Highness is wise and brave, and you have extraordinary courage. We admire you to the point of prostration."

These barbarian lands are truly hateful; none of them know how to be grateful. Our Great Tang has been extremely benevolent to the Tuyuhun, magnanimous to the Dangxiang, and treated the Wa people with utmost courtesy. Yet, Yaoshi Huiri dared to collude with Fuyun and Tuoba Chici to plot against Your Highness! This is intolerable!

In my humble opinion, it would be better to kill the brother and sister as a warning to others!

"Yes, kill them!" Feng Jishe and Mu Jishe also said.