Traveling through the busy farmland of a peasant girl

Chapter 397: Joining Hands in Times of Crisis

Su Ran stared at Shen Li's tightly closed door, his eyes looking as if he wanted to burn a hole in the door.

Luo Lingchen had been inside for over an hour, and every minute and every second felt like a needle piercing his heart.

When he thought about the two people being alone in a room at this moment, it was like a raging fire burning in his heart, burning his internal organs to the point of being unbearable.

This Luo Lingchen was even more disgusting than Nangong Qi. As soon as he felt better, he couldn't wait to rush into Shen Li's room.

Su Ran's mind suddenly flashed back to the glaring crimson mark on Shen Li's neck. He was furious, and turned to glare at Nangong Qi, who was also staring at the door. "Tell me, what are you good for?"

Su Ran gnashed his teeth, his voice trembling slightly with anger. "Even though you knew that brat had bad intentions towards Li'er, you actually gave up the room and let them be alone together. Don't you know that as soon as that guy caught Li'er, he would..."

He paused, his face full of disgust and unwillingness, "I really doubt whether you are sincere to Li'er!"

Nangong Qi slowly turned his head, his eyes as calm as water, looking straight at Su Ran, his tone calm: "Don't try to sow discord here. I have made up my mind. As long as A Li can accept it, I am willing to be his mistress. Can you do that?"

These words hit Su Ran's heart like a heavy hammer. He widened his eyes in shock. He could never have imagined that the always proud Nangong Qi could be so humble.

Su Ran only felt a tightness in his chest, as if being pressed by a huge rock, making him feel suffocated.

He really didn't want to say another word to Nangong Qi. In his opinion, such an opponent was not worthy of discussing his beloved Shen Li with him.

He secretly clenched his fists, murderous intent surging within him: sooner or later, he would let that brat Luo Lingchen have a taste of the poison in his hand. However, the timing was not right yet; acting impulsively would only lead to disaster.

Just as Su Ran was thinking about his revenge plan, his servant came over quietly and quickly, leaned over to him with an expressionless face, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Bored Nangong Qi raised his head inadvertently and happened to catch the sudden change in expression on Su Ran's face.

Su Ran's face turned pale as paper in an instant, and he looked as if his soul had been taken away, and he was in a state of extreme despair.

Nangong Qi was startled and asked hurriedly, "Su Ran, what's wrong with you? What happened?"

Su Ran's lips trembled slightly, his eyes were empty, and he muttered to himself: "He's dead, he's actually dead!"

Nangong Qi quickly turned his gaze to the servant and asked, "Who died?" But the servant seemed not to hear him. He closed his lips tightly, stood there silently, and ignored Nangong Qi's question.

When Nangong Qi saw that the servant ignored his questions, anger suddenly rose to his head, his brows instantly twisted into the shape of a "川" character, and veins bulged on his forehead.

He could no longer hold back, and rushed forward, stretched out his hand, and tried to grab the servant's collar like an iron clamp, insisting that he speak clearly.

But just when his fingertips were about to touch the servant's clothes, an arm came across and stopped him steadily. Nangong Qi looked closely and found that it was Su Ran.

At this moment, Su Ran looked like someone had pulled out his spine. He was hunched over and his body was shaky.

His eyes were empty and blank, as if his soul had drifted away. He kept repeating mechanically, "How could...how could he die...", his voice filled with endless panic and disbelief.

Nangong Qi looked at Su Ran, who looked as if all his anger had been drained out, and his heart skipped a beat. He knew that the matter must be extremely difficult.

He suppressed his inner anxiety, tried to slow down his tone, and said gently: "Su Ran, don't panic. Tell me, who died? Tell me, and we can find a way to deal with it together."

Su Ran seemed to have exhausted all his strength as he slowly raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot, revealing endless pain and confusion. He stared at Nangong Qi intently, his lips trembling for a long time before he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "It's my father, my father...he's dead."

As soon as he finished speaking, his body shook violently like a dead tree blown down by a strong wind. If Nangong Qi had not been quick to catch his arm, Su Ran would have collapsed on the cold ground in an instant.

When Nangong Qi heard this, he gasped in shock and froze in place.

After a long pause, he finally came to his senses and quickly said, "Could there be a mistake? This news might not be accurate. Calm yourself first, and we'll send someone to investigate further."

Su Ran seemed to be trapped in a quagmire of despair. He shook his head vigorously, his throat as if rubbed by sandpaper, and his voice was extremely hoarse: "It can't be wrong. This servant has always been reliable and has never made any mistakes in all these years. How could he be wrong... He's my father, how could he..."

Before he could finish his words, Su Ran's eyes instantly turned red, and tears as big as beans rolled in his eyes. He clenched his teeth, trying hard not to let the tears fall, but his body couldn't stop shaking slightly.

Just at this moment, Shen Li's door creaked and was slowly pushed open.

Luo Lingchen stepped out. Seeing Su Ran and Nangong Qi's grave and unusual expressions, his brows knitted together in an instant, his face filled with confusion. He asked, "What's going on with you two? What happened?"

Nangong Qi was already feeling irritated. Upon hearing Luo Lingchen's voice, he glared at him fiercely and spat unhappily, "Su Ran's father is in trouble. I don't have time to waste on you!"

Luo Lingchen's expression froze when he heard this, a trace of worry flashing across his eyes. He quickly looked at Su Ran and said sincerely, "What's going on, Su Ran? Tell me quickly. Maybe I can help."

Su Ran snorted coldly, a sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "What can you do to help? My father has already..." Just as he said this, his throat seemed to be blocked by a ball of cotton, and the grief was like a surging tide, drowning him in an instant. He could no longer utter a word. He suddenly covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Shen Li's heart sank when she heard this. She knew that Su Ran was the prince of Dongsheng, and his father's death meant that a corner of the sky had collapsed for Dongsheng.

Now at this critical juncture, with such a big thing happening, the people in the court of Dongsheng State must be in a panic, and all forces are ready to move. If they are not careful, the whole country will probably fall into chaos and turmoil in an instant.

Shen Li looked at the panicked look of the crowd, took a deep breath, and said in a resounding voice: "Su Ran is the prince of Dongsheng, and his father is the emperor of Dongsheng!"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding above everyone's heads. In an instant, everyone froze in place, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief, as if time had frozen.

No one bothered to find out how Shen Li knew this secret. Everyone knew that the most urgent thing was to rush to Dongsheng immediately. The later they were, the greater the danger of the palace falling into civil strife.

"Su Ran, you must cheer up." Shen Li's expression was solemn. He stepped forward quickly and held Su Ran's hand tightly. The warmth of his palm continuously passed to him, trying to give him strength. "Right now, Dongsheng Kingdom is on the brink of fate. As the prince, the burden of stabilizing the court and comforting the people falls on your shoulders."

Su Ran nodded slightly, his Adam's apple rolling up and down. He took a deep breath of the cold air and tried hard to suppress the grief surging in his heart. His voice was still trembling. "I understand, but this bad news came too suddenly. I... I'm still having trouble accepting it."

Luo Lingchen stepped forward with steady steps, his expression as solemn as if shrouded in frost. "Su Ran, don't worry. No matter how many difficulties and obstacles lie ahead, we will walk shoulder to shoulder with you. Right now, the most important thing is to return to Dongsheng as soon as possible and stabilize the turbulent situation."

Nangong Qi nodded vigorously, his tone firm: "That's right, Su Ran, I will definitely do my best, manpower, material resources, financial resources, whatever you need, I will definitely not be vague on my side."

Hearing this, Shen Li turned to look at Nangong Qi, her eyes full of gratitude, and nodded solemnly: "Thank you, Nangong Qi."

After saying this, she turned her gaze to Luo Lingchen again, her expression serious. "Lingchen, this incident concerns the life and death of Dongsheng Nation. A single move can affect the entire body. We must proceed with extreme caution and prudence."

Luo Lingchen nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, Li'er. I will definitely give it my all and won't make any mistakes."

Luo Lingchen said with a sincere and determined look, "Since I ascended the throne, I have clearly expressed the desire for the four nations to unite and coexist peacefully. Now that Dongsheng has suddenly encountered this change, Li Chen is willing to do his best to help Dongsheng overcome the difficulties.

Su Ran raised his eyes and slowly scanned the three people around him, feeling mixed emotions.

He could never have imagined that in this darkest moment, the ones who could stand by him steadfastly and support him would be Beichen County Lady Shen Li, Lichen Emperor Nangong Qi, and Xiqi Prince Luo Lingchen!

All the entanglements and disputes of the past were thrown behind at this moment, leaving only a heart full of emotion and strength.

He secretly vowed to cheer up, shoulder this heavy burden, and protect the mountains and rivers of Dongsheng Kingdom.

"We'll set off immediately." Su Ran took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling violently. His eyes revealed a determination and resoluteness to burn his boats. "I will never let the empire my father built fall apart in my hands."

Shen Li, Luo Lingchen, and Nangong Qi exchanged a tacit glance, their eyes flashing with determination as they nodded. A battle that could rewrite the fate of the Dongsheng Kingdom had begun.

And they are about to join hands and step into this unknown battlefield to face the challenge of fate together.