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  In the midst of maniacal laughter, Zheng Yu stared intently at Zhang Qi and shouted in a shrill voice: "Zhang, don't be smug, you can't escape this time! Baidu search [56 Bookstore] Hahaha, this time you won't get away, you'll never get away!" Her sinister laughter carried a bone-chilling viciousness and an absolutely ruthless venom.

  In an instant, the Luoyang princess on this side shifted her gaze from Zhang Qi and Zheng Yu's faces to Hu Huanghou. Seeing that Hu Huanghou's anger had subsided slightly, she stepped forward and paid her respects, saying: "Your Majesty, I think it would be better to let Zheng Yu offset her crime with merit." Seeing Hu Huanghou about to get angry again, the Luoyang princess hastily said: "I think we can let her go to the Zhou camp as an envoy. If she can persuade the Zhou people to release us and return to Jin Yang first, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"

  As soon as this was said, Empress Hu's heart really moved. She glanced at Zheng Yu, and this emperor who believed that "being an empress is not as good as being a prostitute" couldn't help but think: This cheap woman betrayed me, how could she have the good fortune of becoming a prostitute in the military camp? Well, sending her to Zhou's camp would be good too, maybe there would still be some hope.

  She nodded and said: "Alright then, this matter will be left to Wang of Luoyang."

  "Don't worry, princess." The Luoyang king's consort signaled the servants to drag away Zheng Yu. Watching as Zheng Yu walked away with a sly smile, Zhang Qi chased after him for two steps before stopping.

  She could see that Zheng Yu had reached a point where he was hopeless. Even if she asked, she wouldn't be able to get anything out of him.

  Zheng You was dragged to the city wall.

  At this time, all the city gates were afraid of being taken advantage of by the Zhou people and did not dare to open. After discussing for half a day, Princess Luoyang came up with a plan, which was to put Zheng Yu in a basket and send her into the Zhou army in this way.

  Then, after a drumbeat signal, the quiet Zhou army suddenly found that a woman was hanging on the city wall of the Qi people. As they brought the woman back to their camp in astonishment, the King of Luoyang and his soldiers secretly shook their heads.

  After this incident, Zhang Qi knew that Zheng Yu was lucky to be alive. He also lost his reputation and had no face to return to the noble circle of Qi State. She has left, what other conspiracy can't be formed? Besides, she is not a vegetarian herself, just pay more attention to it. At present, she put this matter aside.

  After Zheng You put down the city wall, the Zhou army's attack did not slow down for a moment. In Luoyang City, the military and civilians who were gradually running out of food and grass began to tighten their belts and reduce their food intake.

  No one knows when the city gate will be broken, and no one knows if reinforcements can wait. If it weren't for everyone's property and family being in Luoyang City, I'm afraid someone would not be able to withstand this pressure and open the door to surrender.

  Recently, the people also discovered a dozen tunnels dug towards the city. Under the alternate attacks of hundreds of people, the Chu people in the tunnels could not withstand the smoke and water torture and had to retreat. As a result of this incident, Zhang Gui's prestige was further enhanced.

  On this day, Zhang Gui sat in the courtyard eating, as the situation became increasingly tense, everyone's food was greatly compressed and placed in front of Zhang Gui. There was only a small dish of rice. As for meat, it was reserved for the generals who were fighting, which was already severely insufficient. Vegetables and wild grasses had also been cut off because there were no guards to search for them.

  Carefully swallowing the last mouthful of white rice, Zhang Qi hadn't even had time to swallow when her stomach churned and she rushed to one side to vomit.

  She vomited for a while, and Zhang Qi pressed her stomach. She took over the warm water handed by the maid and swallowed it slowly.

  An old woman beside the maid servant looked at Zhang Qi anxiously and said in a low voice: "Princess, do you want to find a doctor to take a look?"

  Zhang Qi shook her head.

  She knew she was definitely pregnant without looking. What's the point of looking again? It would only spread to people like Cheng Shi and disturb their minds for no reason.

  With the support of the maidservants, Zhang Qi slowly sat down. Her violent movements during her vomiting spell had caused a dull ache in her abdomen.

  Looking at Zhang Qi's pale face sitting there, the old woman couldn't help but say: "Your Highness, do you want to call back the two guards?"

  Zhang Qi shook her head again. At such a tense moment, calling back the guards? Was she trying to invite hatred?

  With her eyes closed, Zhang Qi thought of Zheng You's sinister smile and words as he left. She couldn't help but instruct in a low voice: "Although it's a critical moment for the army, we must also prevent someone from harming me. Be careful with everything, including food, clothing, and lodging."

  These maidservants were originally selected by King Langling to serve Zhang Gui, and their loyalty was not in question. At this time they loudly asked: "Is that so?"

  Zhang Qi's whole body was weak, and she waved her hand, ordering: "Withdraw."

  She had just spoken these three words when she suddenly heard a burst of crying from not far away, and couldn't help but ask: "Who's crying?"

  A maid came running over and whispered: "It's Her Majesty, the Empress is sitting on the ground crying."

  Sitting on the ground and crying? Zhang Qi's mouth twitched, she ordered: "Close the garden gate, if someone comes looking for me, just say I'm not feeling well and have gone to sleep."

  "Yes."

  The Empress Dowager's wailing seemed to be a bad omen, and on the next day, wave after wave of riots broke out in Luoyang City. The desperate commoners began to attack the wealthy households in the city, while also stretching out their poisonous hands towards the women they saw.

  At this time, such a thing happened, King Luoyang was furious, and he immediately issued several orders. After beheading more than 1,000 people, the riot was finally eliminated in its infancy.

  At the same time, in the Luoyang palace, the desperate Empress Hu and other noblewomen also couldn't hold back their emotions. In just two days, the number of dead maidservants carried out from the palace had already reached thirty or forty.

  It's tolerable if it were in peacetime, but when most of the men have been drafted away, for noblewomen to do such a thing, suddenly, a gloom and resentment began to spread over the Luoyang Wangfu.

  Zhang Qi always claimed to be ill and shut herself in the courtyard, not going out. At the same time, she was always gentle and composed, which made her stand out from the other noblewomen in the mansion who were cruel and violent. This made the maidservants truly admire and respect her, feeling grateful and devoted to her.

  On the twenty-eighth day of the siege by the Zhou people, a small riot suddenly broke out in the Luoyang palace. A dozen or so maidservants strangled a noblewoman to death with a rope while she was asleep! Then, the maidservants, who had never committed murder before, panicked and some let out shrill cries, alarming everyone.

  This riot broke out, even the King of Luoyang outside was shocked. He sank his face and, except for leaving two loyal servants by each noblewoman's side, all the other maidservants were transferred out of the palace by him.

  However, none of these implicated Zhang Qi and the people around her. Also, the noblewoman who lived in the same courtyard as Zhang Qi and had been quiet under her influence was not implicated either.

  In the evening, an old woman with a complexion like earth approached Zhang Gui. Seeing her offering tea to herself, that hand was shaking constantly. Zhang Gui couldn't help but ask: "What happened, why are you so flustered?"

  As soon as her voice fell, the old woman suddenly knelt down on the ground and knocked her head against the floor with a loud thud. While knocking her head, the old woman trembled and said: "Thank you, Princess, for giving me a way out. Thank you, Princess, for giving me a way out."

  At this moment, more than twenty servants had already gathered around. Seeing this situation, everyone was astonished.

  Zhang Qi helped the old woman up, furrowed her brow and asked: "What happened?" She had been having severe morning sickness lately, one moment wanting to eat this and the next wanting to eat that, but except for a small bowl of rice, there was nothing else, and she had also become very thin.

  The old woman looked at Zhang Qi and said in a trembling voice: "Outside, outside has already resorted to cannibalism... Those who were driven out of the mansion are now being made into military rations for the soldiers."

  As soon as this sentence came out, a burst of vomiting sounds and the sound of falling to the ground rang out at the same time. Zhang Qi vomited for a while before saying with a pale face: "Already, have you eaten your child?"

  "Yes. King Luoyang just gave the order to slaughter the military horses." The old woman trembled nonstop, "I heard those soldiers say that after the horses are eaten, if the reinforcements haven't arrived yet, they will directly slaughter the elderly, weak, women and children."

  As soon as the words came out, there was no sound around. Unconsciously, a piece of kneeling had already fallen in front of Zhang Qi. These maidservants knelt down to Zhang Qi, if she hadn't closed the garden gate and forbidden entry and exit, if she hadn't been gentle and magnanimous, maybe they would have become military rations by now.

  Although they were frightened by the words "If the reinforcements have not arrived, we will directly slaughter the old, weak, women and children", at this time, as long as they can live for one more day, it is a gain of one more day!

  The siege of Zhou by the people entered its thirty-second day.

  By this time, the soldiers had already slaughtered everything in sight, and the children and women with grass markers on their heads, one by one, wandered away as tattered civilians began to disappear. As for Zhang Gui's white rice, each meal was now only half a bowl. The servants were directly eating porridge.

  Although the city of Luoyang is large, there are some grain and grass reserves, but they cannot withstand the consumption of tens of thousands of Han people who have shed blood and fought hard. At this time, the King of Luoyang has taken all the grain and grass, and is doing his best to supply the soldiers.

  The thirty-third day of the siege by Zhou's people.

  Several maids in Zhang Gui's mansion also disappeared when they went out of the garden gate to pick up goods. At the same time, the war on the city head seemed to have reached a white-hot stage, with shouts, screams, and drumbeats that shook both ears almost deaf.

  In the late afternoon, a much thinner Zhang Gui sat in the courtyard, washing her hands clean and starting to play the zither. Since the 25th day, the King of Luoyang had been looking for her, asking her to play the zither and blow the flute whenever she was free. Because Zhang Gui's zither sound was gentle and soothing, it could calm people's anxious mood and reduce fatigue. Therefore, every time she played the zither, the surroundings would become quieter and quieter.

  Just as Zhang Qi's zither music was drifting in, a hurried footsteps came, and in the blink of an eye, a hoarse voice from outside called out: "Princess Lanling, please come out for a moment."

  A maid replied: "What is it?"

  "It seems that our reinforcements have arrived, and the King of Luoyang wants you to wait for them on the city wall! If Lanling Wang is among the reinforcements, the queen can also identify him."

  What? Reinforcements have arrived?

  In the sudden stillness that followed, a burst of wailing and laughter suddenly erupted from within the palace.