Chapter 81: I've Seen The Raging Sea, But The Water Elsewhere Isn't Worth Mentioning.1
Yan HeQing's reply made Xue Yan take a small step back.
He had seen Yan HeQing act like this before. It was when Yan HeQing was only fifteen years old.
That year, a small country in the Northern border, who was on good terms with the Southern Yan Kingdom, paid a tribute to them with a snow leopard cub. When the young Yan HeQing, along with the several other Princes of the Southern Yan Kingdom, saw such a beautiful and fierce animal, they immediately fell in love with it and begged their father for it.
At that time, the Emperor of the Southern Yan Kingdom didn't want to give the snow leopard to anyone; but since he couldn't say 'no' to the Princes, he made a promise: "Whoever can hunt a tiger first, I will give this snow leopard to them."
At that time, the oldest Prince was only 17 years old, so they were all still very young. Not to mention a tiger, even a hungry wolf would be difficult for them to handle. Of course, the Emperor of the Southern Yan Kingdom said these words to let them forget the idea of getting the snow leopard.
Sure enough, the next day, none of the Princes asked his father about the snow leopard again. However, seven days later, Yan HeQing suddenly disappeared.
The Imperial Palace was in complete chaos, and someone found hunting books and hunting tools in Yan HeQing's bedchamber. The Emperor of the Southern Yan Kingdom then sent some troops to search for him in the deep forest near the Imperial City.
Yan HeQing was later found in a mountain stream. He was bruised and almost out of breath, but beside him, laid the body of a young tiger.
Xue Yan still remembers that when he went to visit Yan HeQing, he was covered in gauze bandages and smeared with medicine, and despite the servant's advice, he insisted on standing in front of the snow leopard's cage. He was staring at the graceful and beautiful animal, refusing to look away for even an instant.
When Yan HeQing heard the sound of Xue Yan's footsteps, he turned back to stare at him. Xue Yan then was able to see that his eyes were filled with unconcealable joy, and his voice rose as if he wanted to announce it to the world: "Uncle, it's mine."
Yan HeQing was just 15 years old that year.
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The fifteen-year-old Yan HeQing had already risked his life to fight for what he wanted, and no one was able to stop him then. And now that he had already grown up, how could Xue Yan even try to stop him?
Yan HeQing saluted Xue Yan one more time, seemingly as a gesture of respect, but in reality, this was an ultimatum to Xue Yan.
Xue Yan watched as Yan HeQing walked towards Xiao YuAn. When suddenly, he remembered something and called out to him: "Wait."
Xue Yan just remembered that something else happened after the snow leopard incident.
Three months after the snow leopard was paid as a tribute, summer arrived at the Southern Yan Kingdom. Because the snow leopard couldn't adapt to the warm climate of the South, it began to become listless and even fell ill countless times. Yan HeQing was so anxious that he stayed close to the cage every day. The Emperor of the Southern Yan Kingdom looked at his appearance and sent an envoy to inquire about how to treat the snow leopard.
The envoy said: "The only way to get the snow leopard to go back to a healthy state, is to send him back to the North. It's not necessarily impossible for it to stay in the South, but it won't be easy for it to grow up healthy."
Yan HeQing was silent for a long time until he finally asked: "Will it die if we don't send it back to the Northern border?"
The envoy replied: "It's possible that even if it doesn't die, it won't live long either."
The Emperor of the Southern Yan Kingdom thought that because Yan HeQing loved the snow leopard so much, he wouldn't be willing to let it be sent back to the North. So he hastily sent the envoy away without mentioning it again. However, three days later, Yan HeQing personally took care of everything and asked the envoy to leave the South with the snow leopard.
Although Yan HeQing never mentioned it again, the maidservant told Xue Yan that Yan HeQing often stared at the empty cage.
After recalling this, Xue Yan quickly reorganized his words to persuade him, and when he saw that Yan HeQing didn't stop when he called him, he slightly raised his voice: "Even if you're willing to protect him, you've already destroyed his Country. What will he think of you? And, will he even be willing to be protected by you?"
Yan HeQing's body stiffened and his steps almost stopped. However, he wasn't willing to stop at all in the end.
Chapter 82: Our Main Goal Is To! Stay Alive! Stay Alive! And Stay Alive!
Xiao YuAn was trying really hard to make his presence as small as possible.
Yan HeQing was talking to a middle-aged General, and while they talked, his face was extremely bad. Xiao YuAn knew very well that if Yan HeQing, who's the male lead, was feeling unhappy, then a cannon fodder villain like himself will be very unlucky.
What's more, after the Northern Kingdom was conquered by Yan HeQing, the label of "Shuangwen"1 was added to this story.
A Shuangwen, my friends!
Shuangwen, a.k.a "I'm the best in the world at what I do. Wherever I go, I'll have a smooth path ahead of me, accompanied by tons of wives and concubines by my side!"
If he still dares to stand in front of the male lead at a time like this, when he's clearly in a bad mood, then he's definitely stupid!
Xiao YuAn lowered his head to avoid making eye contact with Yan HeQing, and moved slowly behind the horse of a Southern Yan Official beside him. He was poorly trying to hide his figure.
According to the original book, he must be sent to his Imperial bedchamber before he is killed by Yan HeQing's own hands. So for now, he could still survive for a little while.
The horse ridden by the Southern Yan Official was disturbed by Xiao YuAn's actions, and his hooves pushed impatiently on the ground. The Official looked back and saw Xiao YuAn moving restlessly, so he poked him with the hilt of his sword and yelled: "What do you think you're doing? Be honest!"
Consequently, Xiao YuAn was poked out again and again: "…"
This friend!
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You're also a cannon fodder! Can't you even give me a little warmth and love?! I'm already really screwed right now! You're just adding fuel to the fire!2
Right, human hearts aren't what they used to be in the old days! The moral degeneration of the world is getting worse day by day!3 Total moral decay!
Xiao YuAn carefully looked at Yan HeQing, only to see him walking over at a high speed, his face looking even gloomier than before. Xiao YuAn's heart thudded, secretly sighing in distress. When the Southern Yan Official saw Yan HeQing approaching, he turned over his horse, dismounted, and finally saluted him: "Yan-huangzi."
Yan HeQing swept past him with a cold aura, causing the Official to be sincerely terrified.
Xiao YuAn quickly bowed his head, taking a few steps back and trying to hide in the shadows.
Look, look! If you hadn't poked at me just now, Yan HeQing wouldn't have gotten angry just because he saw this villain! And you, you don't have to be angry for absolutely no reason whatsoever! Don't you know that as long as everyone shows a little kindness, the world will become a better and beautiful place?!
Xiao YuAn was still listening to his heart as if it was a broken record when he suddenly heard the clank of a sharp sword being unsheathed. Xiao YuAn was so shocked that he quickly raised his head, only to see that Yan HeQing had already pulled out the thin sword from the scabbard hanging at his waist. The silver light of the blade dazzled, making Xiao YuAn's body feel cold.
Damn, this was happening way too soon. You can't even wait before he's sent to the Imperial bedchamber?! Can't you just follow the original plot?! Move that sword away from his body! The villains also have the right to say a few last words! The villains also need to be treated with kindness! Even if you're the male lead, you can't just kill people at random, right? This Villain must not lose face!
When the silver sword fell, Xiao YuAn inhaled and closed his eyes. Instinctively, he wanted to retreat, however, his frozen legs didn't obey him at all. In the end, the only thing he could do was to stay where he stood, waiting for the imminent pain to come.
However, as he waited left and right, he still didn't feel the expected pain. Instead, his hands, which were bound by the reins a seconds ago, suddenly relaxed.
Xiao YuAn slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was that the reins were cut in half by the sword, pitifully falling to the snow.
Yan HeQing took back the scabbard of the sword and fixed his gaze on the bloodstains left behind on Xiao YuAn's wrists from the reins. After ruthlessly suppressing the heartache and self-loathing under his eyes, he reached out his hand towards Xiao YuAn, trying to pull him towards himself.
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Xiao YuAn was so frightened by this action that he took a few steps back, but he ended up stumbling, and almost fell to the ground.
Yan HeQing's hand froze in mid-air.
He knew it, he knew it full well.
He knew how humiliating and resentful it was for a ruler to have his Country conquered by the enemy.
The Northern Kingdom had once made him realize what true bitterness was like, what hatred felt like. For how much he once hated the Northern Kingdom, now it was how much Xiao YuAn must hate him.
But, did he ever have any other choice?
Of course, he didn't.
From the moment the Northern Kingdom troops set foot in the territory of the Southern Yan Kingdom, from the moment the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom massacred the common people in the Imperial City of the Southern Yan Kingdom, from the moment the Country was littered with corpses and bloodshed… The last thing the Southern Yan Kingdom lacked was soldiers who hated the Northern Kingdom.
All the sins were deeply buried when the Northern Kingdom decided to attack the Southern Yan Kingdom. It was a momentary decision that pushed both Countries into a turbulent abyss of destruction. Even if he didn't come, Xue Yan would've led the army to attack the Northern Kingdom with other Generals and Officials at his side, the Generals and Officials that survived under the struggling times of the Southern Yan Kingdom. They were the men that crawled out of the sea of blood, bones, and corpses left behind. To take revenge against the Northern Kingdom by any necessary means. In order to make the Northern Kingdom taste the pain they once felt, the war between both Countries was inevitable.
If he didn't come, then what would happen to Xiao YuAn when the Northern Kingdom gets attacked? Yan HeQing didn't dare to even think about it.
Even though Yan HeQing didn't know who would've won the battle at the time, he didn't dare to take that gamble. He wasn't afraid of the mass graves, nor was he afraid of being merciless with the sword, he wasn't even afraid of being tortured or humiliated. But at a time like this, he actually turned into a coward.
Yan HeQing raised his head to look at the scenery of the Northern Kingdom's Imperial City, which was both familiar to him as it was unfamiliar. The wind swept past some snow, the sky and the earth were filled with a "once upon a time" that couldn't be returned.
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Xiao YuAn thought that Yan HeQing was going to hit him.
However, this can't be blamed on Xiao YuAn for having such a peculiar idea. The main reason was that Yan HeQing treated the young Emperor of the Northern Kingdom that way in the original book.
However, the young Emperor of the Northern Kingdom was captured at the entrance of the Imperial Palace, so the difference in the location made Xiao YuAn feel a little strange: Has the original plot quietly changed again? While he was thinking about why the location was different this time, he perceived that Yan HeQing withdrew his hand. After that, Yan HeQing said: "Don't be afraid, I won't touch you. You can walk on your own, I'll take you to your bedroom."
Chapter 83: Our Main Goal Is To! Make Trouble! Make Trouble! And Make Trouble!
WARNING: Self Harm.
All right!
As expected, it turns out that you still need the specific location to trigger the original plot!
Xiao YuAn nodded his head slowly and walked, with one heavy footstep followed by a light footstep, towards the bedchamber.
As the snow fell, Xiao YuAn's clothes were soaked wet; and since he only wore a thin white coat, he froze for most of the night. At this time, his eyes were dazed and his feet constantly stumbled. Every ten steps he had to stop for a moment to catch his breath, his back and shoulders were slightly hunched over, his shoulders feeling as if they weighed a thousand pounds due to exhaustion. This action jostled the dagger hidden in his bosom, alongside the two hairpins and the headband, pinching his flesh, which made Xiao YuAn feel a strong pain that allowed his consciousness to not be swallowed up by the cold so quickly. He tried to concentrate all of his remaining energy on walking the road in front of him, without noticing that Yan HeQing was carefully following behind him, and that his eyes were filled with depression and pain.
Yan HeQing opened his mouth several times and stretched out his hand several times. But in the end, the words he wanted to say but didn't dare to, were lost to the wind and snow. Slowly, his outstretched hand clenched into a fist, and his arm went back to its original position.
And just like that, a journey that originally took a quarter of an hour, took them half an hour to walk all the way back.
Xiao YuAn stopped at the entrance of the Imperial bedchamber, exhaled a long breath of white fog, and then turned around to face Yan HeQing.
After a few months of being apart, the two of them were looking at each other again. However, this time around, the emotions hidden in the depths of each other's eyes were not as frank anymore. Xiao YuAn thought: In the original book, what was the mood of the young Emperor of the Northern Kingdom when he saw such an elegant and unrivalled man, standing right in front of him?
Did he feel more anger than fear? Or was his fear far greater than the hate he felt?
What was the young Emperor's mood, when Yan HeQing plucked out his bloody bones out of his still alive body?
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What about Yan HeQing?
Was he able to vent his anger?
He must've felt relieved, the enemies who once destroyed his family and later forgot about his Country. Those who used to bully and hate his people and himself. Those who made him crawl on the ground once, all of them became indifferent to him after a single slash, doesn't it?
Xiao YuAn watched as Yan HeQing walked closer towards him, and ever since Yan HeQing left, Xiao YuAn would often dream of this scene. In his dream, sometimes he was the young Emperor of the Northern Kingdom, and other times, he was an spector. But it didn't matter what kind of role he took, he had always felt cold and frightened.
But now, when this moment really came, Xiao YuAn realized that he wasn't really afraid of Yan HeQing at all. He stood there calmly, just like every time he saw Yan HeQing walking towards him in the past.
However, after things developed until this point, nothing was like it used to be.
Xiao YuAn dropped his gaze and took out the dagger from his bosom. After seeing this, Yan HeQing suddenly stopped walking and looked at Xiao YuAn intensively, with the intention of not turning his gaze away.
Xiao YuAn took a deep breath and suddenly placed the blade of the dagger on his arm, making a deep cut on his own flesh.
Under such circumstances, it was better to kill himself rather than let Yan HeQing dirty his hands.
The scarlet blood and the silver light of the dagger pierced into Yan HeQing's astonished eyes, this scene caused his internal organs to tremble with great pain. Yan HeQing's eyes shrunk as he took a hurried step forward, however, Xiao YuAn suddenly raised his voice: "Don't! Don't come over, please listen to me, please listen to me."
After several pleas, Yan HeQing was forced to stop advancing any more. As he stared at the dagger in Xiao YuAn's hands, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, and he felt like he couldn't breathe right..
Xiao YuAn steadied his mind and stretched out his injured arm, letting the red blood to drip down his arm and fall onto the snow. After the pain eased a little bit, Xiao YuAn slowly opened his mouth: "Yan HeQing, with this dagger on me I beg you, please let Eunuch Zhao go, please don't punish the common people of the Northern Kingdom. If you have any anger or wish for revenge, you can just take it out on me, ten times greater."
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As soon as he finished talking, Xiao YuAn made another deep cut on his arm. The blood stained the white flesh, and as the strong pain made Xiao YuAn's entire body shrink and tremble, he said in a slow breath: "These wounds are for the sake of your lost people. In those years, the late Emperor destroyed your Country and killed your family. Now, it's the turn of the Royal family of the Northern Kingdom to disappear. But I beg you, please protect Ning'er. She's in Yongning Palace now, I hope you can hurry up and find her. Anyway, I can't escape from the Palace. After everything is settled, you can punish me by cutting me into pieces1 whenever you want …."
Before Xiao YuAn could finish his words, Yan HeQing suddenly stepped forward and took the dagger away from him. Everything happened in a blink of an eye, Xiao YuAn was only able to see a shaking shadow in front of him, when right the next second, Yan HeQing was already standing by his side.
Xiao YuAn instinctively wanted to step back, but his whole body felt painful and stiff; because of this, he wasn't able to control his pace and staggered backwards. But he didn't fall on the ground, because his waist was suddenly held by the man standing at his side. Xiao YuAn then was suddenly surrounded by the warmth coming from Yan HeQing's body.
Yan HeQing held Xiao YuAn tightly with one hand and with his other one pressed hard on his wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Yan HeQing's hands were trembling and his lips turned white, as if these shockingly deep wounds were on his own body.
Xiao YuAn was completely stunned, and when he slightly opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say. After a moment of hesitation, a sudden dull pain grew inside his chest. This was the accumulation of the depression he felt, seeing all of the hard work he did in vain that suddenly erupted after being repressed for so many days. A mouthful of fishy sweetness came out of his throat, staining everything with a frightening red color.
After coughing up blood, Xiao YuAn's head exploded with aching pain. From a distance, he seemed to faintly hear that Yan HeQing was anxiously calling for him, this cry was so painful that his heart and lungs could be torn apart. However, Xiao YuAn couldn't really hear what he was saying to him, and he was trying really hard to respond, but in the end, Xiao YuAn's strength eventually failed him, as he fainted into darkness.
Chapter 84: Our Main Goal Is! The Princess! The Princess! And The Princess!
WARNING: There's attempt of r*pe on the last half of the chapter.
"Dage, if someone finds out about what we're doing, we'll suffer under the military stick!"
At this time, the troops of the Southern Yan Kingdom were still stationed outside the Imperial Palace of the Northern Kingdom. However, two soldiers of the Southern Yan suddenly appeared inside the Palace. One of them was a slightly skinny soldier standing on his tiptoes, nervously looking around. His face showed the extreme panic he was feeling at the moment, and he was trying to hold onto the stronger soldier walking in front of him.
"Coward. Go back then, I'll take all the money I can find for myself." The strong soldier looked at the thin soldier with disdain as he quickened his pace.
The thin soldier hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he decided to quickly follow the strong soldier.
The two soldiers, who wanted to take advantage of the fact that the army had yet to enter the Imperial Palace, were searching for some belongings left behind by the fugitives. After all, this was the Imperial Palace of the Northern Kingdom, who once stood in prosperity, and it really didn't take them much time to find quite a lot of valuable treasures.
"Dage, isn't this enough? Should we go back now?" The thin soldier put half a piece of emerald into his clothes and then turned to look at the strong soldier.
The strong soldier picked a small piece of gold from a dresser, and just when he was about to nod his head, his eyes suddenly paused on a large hall in front of him: "Wait, we'll leave after we search this hall."
The thin soldier followed his gaze and couldn't help but swallow saliva: "So magnificent? There must be a lot of good stuff, huh? The plaque hasn't fallen off yet, uhm Dage? What's this word? What does Ning mean?"
"Why do you care about the damn word! Hurry the fuck up! Stop spitting nonsense!" With a low roar, the strong soldier turned and walked into the hall.
The hall wasn't as messy and wretched as the rest of the Imperial Palace, which made both soldiers very stunned, and yet, they still walked inside very boldly. The strong soldier took a look at every side of the hall, and then raised his feet to walk to a wing room. The thin soldier was puzzled with this behaviour, and while following close behind, he asked: "Dage, why don't we go to the main hall?"
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"You clearly don't know anything, this Palace looks like the place where a Princess or a Prince would live. For people like them, valuable things should of course be put into the wing rooms!" The strong soldier snorted.
The thin soldier suddenly realized that what he said made sense: "Dage is wise, really wise!"
They quickly walked to the wing room, only to see the door closed. One of them took a few forward and kicked it open. When they were about to enter the wing room they froze in place.
They never expected that there would still be someone occupying the wing room.
Princess Yongning was shocked by the sudden sound of the door being violently kicked open. She steadied herself and turned her head to look over.
Wearing a white gauze dress, she was capable of causing the downfall of a City or a State1.
"…This…this…." The thin soldier's eyes were looking straight at her, and he was unable to complete a sentence for a long time.
"How beautiful this woman is!" The strong soldier's saliva almost came out of his mouth.
"Da-dage, there's no one here, so why don't we… let's…." The thin soldier stared at Princess Yongning, and for an instant, she started to walk away, step by step.
"What nonsense are you thinking?" The strong soldier suddenly snapped at him.
"Dage, I just want to… just want to…" The thin soldier scratched his head looking like a thief: "Dage, I've never seen such a beautiful woman before, I just want to taste what it's like to be enchanted by her. Anyway, there's no one around. When we're done with her, we'll just kill her and bury her in the backyard. No one will know this ever happened. Everything will be fine, let's do it, I'll…"
Before the thin soldier could finish his words, he was slapped in the face by the strong soldier: "You fucking… I- pah!2, look at your virtue, a respectable man should never act like an animal. Very well, let's take something valuable and leave this place at once."
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The thin soldier who was slapped on the face went stunned, and after weakly nodding his head, he followed behind the strong soldier. Suddenly, he pulled out a sword hanging from his waist and cut the strong soldier's neck in one fell swoop.
Blood spurted out from the freshly made wound on the neck. His eyes were open wide as he covered his neck with a hand, slowly dying, without being able to say a last word.
The thin soldier sneered and turned to look at Princess Yongning.
These unexpected events had already alarmed Princess Yongning to the core, but the door was being blocked by the two men, making it impossible for her to escape. Princess Yongning immediately ran to the window, trying to climb out of the window in a panicked state. Unfortunately, as soon as she ran to the window, the thin soldier also ran behind her and grabbed her by the ankle, pulling her down.
"Let me go!" Princess Yongning yelled, her face already pale from fright. Even though she had lived inside this deep Imperial Palace for a long time and she always remained innocent since childhood; she also understood the evil hearts of humans, and she also understood what might happen to her right this second.
"Behave yourself!" The thin soldier viciously covered Princess Yongning's mouth and fiercely began to tear her clothes apart.
Princess Yongning struggled hard, but how could she fight against a trained soldier? After a short while, her clothes were half torn open. Princess Yongning had never been so insulted like this in her whole life, her body was trembling as she tried to cover herself, her limbs were completely cold. She felt fear and disgust when the palm of the thin soldier tightly covered her nose and mouth to prevent her from having the slightest chance to breathe.
But Princess Yongning didn't give up struggling until she took advantage of the moment when the thin soldier was cursing and trying to untie his clothes, she sent her knee with great force towards his crotch, and then she quickly got up!
"Bitch!" After the thin soldier felt the horrible pain coming from his lower area, his tight grip on her was loosened. But he then quickly stood up and blocked the road towards the door or window, impeding her to get out. Once again he reached out to catch Princess Yongning.
Seeing that she was about to get caught again, Princess Yongning took two sharp breaths and suddenly turned around and slammed herself into a pillar!
She had been carefree all her life, growing up peacefully and with good health in the Northern Kingdom, under the protection of her father and elder brother. If no one is here to protect her now, she can only protect herself in this way.
Princess Yongning wasn't afraid of being alone, and although she has never been out of the Imperial City, she also knows how to be strong.
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Therefore, this collision was her last dignity as a Princess of the Northern Kingdom. Her last determination, her last innocence, her last lack of remorse and fearlessness.
But the moment she was about to hit the pillar, Princess Yongning suddenly stopped. She collapsed and suddenly fell on her knees, clenching her hands into fists, some tears rolled down her cheeks.
She didn't stop because she was afraid of death. She stopped because she had promised her elder brother that she would live, no matter what, she should stay alive!
The thin soldier was originally horrified by Princess Yingning's desperate decision, but after he saw that she abruptly stopped midway, he took a long breath and walked over with a lustful smile: "Oh, you're afraid of death? Don't worry, this master will serve you well, will make you feel comfortable and will keep you alive."
Princess Yongning saw that the thin soldier's outstretched hand was about to touch her again, when suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the doorway..
The thin soldier was shocked and quickly turned around, but the only thing he was able to see was the flash of a bright red in front of his eyes. The next second, the red robe was wrapped tightly around Princess Yongning's body, and the thin soldier's chest was pierced with a thin sword.
Chapter 85: Our Main Goal Is To! Calm Down! Calm Down! And Calm Down!
Xiao PingYang hugged Princess Yongning tightly in her arms, blocking her view. Then she coldly pulled the thin sword out of the thin soldier's chest, splashing blood all over the place. However, not a single drop fell on Princess Yongning.
Princess Yongning opened her eyes in disbelief, tears rolled out from the corner of her eyes. Her body trembled all over, but it wasn't due to fear; she held onto Xiao PingYang's sleeve tightly, as if the person in front of her would disappear if her hand loosened even for a bit: "PingYang? Ping… PingYang?"
"I'm sorry I'm late, I'm really sorry." Xiao PingYang wiped off the blood from her hands before stretching out her hand to touch Princess Yongning's hair soothingly.
It was clear that she didn't feel fear when the Country got conquered by the enemy. She didn't feel fear while she was all alone, waiting. And she didn't feel panic when that soldier insulted and humiliated her that way. But why after being comforted, did all the grievances suddenly surged into her throat and pressed down inside her heart?
Princess Yongning didn't know why she, hidden in Xiao PingYang's arms, began to bawl as if she wanted to cry out all her repressed feelings. When she finally dried her tears, she was once again that innocent girl who danced with her sleeves flying in the air.
When the mood had calmed down a bit, Princess Yongning wiped her reddened eyes and said with a sobbing voice: "Ping-PingYang, you, why are you here?"
"The news of the war between the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Yan Kingdom spread to the Western Shu Kingdom. But since the Western Shu Kingdom is on good terms with both Countries, it wasn't convenient for me to send troops, so I decided to come here myself."
"You, you, you came here alone?"
"No, although the Western Shu Kingdom cannot send troops, I have my own team. But I was afraid that leading troops into the Imperial Palace will cause disputes between the two Countries. So that's why I came alone to look for you. Speaking of which, I was at the post station outside Imperial City and met with two people, I'll take you out as quickly as possible." After saying that, Xiao PingYang held Princess Yongning's hand and they were about to walk out of her Palace, but they suddenly stopped.
Yan HeQing stood at the entrance of the bedchamber. His eyes were moving back and forth between the two of them and the two corpses lying on the ground, until finally, his eyes fell onto Xiao PingYang.
Xiao PingYang took out her thin sword hanging from her waist to protect herself and Princess Yongning. She bit her lower lip as if she was thinking about what to say next.
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Yan HeQing calmly turned his gaze to the gold and jade items scattered around one of the corpses lying in the floor, and then looked at the torn clothes of Princess Yongning. With just these few glances, he roughly guessed what happened here.
Xiao PingYang suppressed her panic and calmly said: "Your Country's soldiers…"
"There are no soldiers in my Southern Yan Kingdom who don't follow our Military regulations." Yan HeQing interrupted her indifferently, then he turned with the intention of leaving and said: "If you want to leave the Imperial Palace, there aren't soldiers guarding the West side."
Xiao PingYang never thought that Yan HeQing would let them go so easily. After being startled, she withdrew her thin sword: "Thank you."
"Wait a minute!" Princess Yongning suddenly took a few steps out from behind Xiao Pingyang's back and called out to Yan HeQing.
Yan HeQing stepped forward and looked at her sideways.
"My Imperial brother, how is he?" Princess Yongning's chest was heavy with fear, because she was afraid to hear some tragic news; however, she would feel even more distressed if she didn't ask.
Yan HeQing's eyes turned completely cold, he froze in place for a few seconds, and then silently walked away.
He didn't know how to answer her question, because inside his heart, Xiao YuAn and the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom were never the same person; the Imperial brother that Princess Yongning was asking about didn't refer to Xiao YuAn alone.
Princess Yongning looked at Xiao PingYang feeling extremely uneasy. Xiao PingYang clenched her hand and said in a soft voice: "Don't worry, we'll leave the Imperial Palace first."
…
Xiao YuAn thought that he would be thrown into a cold dungeon, but when he woke up, he found himself inside his bedchamber, sleeping on his own bed. This turn of events made him feel really confused.
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After the initial confusion, Xiao YuAn found out that his limbs felt extremely weak, his body felt hot as if it was on fire, and his throat was very dry. He reached out and touched his forehead, as expected, he had a fever.
This year has been very unlucky for him, and in the past few days, unfortunate events kept happening one after another.
If he could have the chance to meet the young Emperor of the Northern Kingdom, Xiao YuAn vowed that he would pull on his collar and violently shake it while screaming in his face: "Exercise your body xiongdi, how can you call yourself a Gong?! A weak Gong has no future! No future at all!"
And by the way, even though he had froze for most of the day, at least he just caught a fever, instead of suffering even worse.
Xiao YuAn braced himself to sit against the bed and a piercing pain came from his arm. When Xiao YuAn raised his arm to look at it, he saw that where he had cut with the dagger, was wrapped in a clean white cloth.
Yan HeQing, did this… quell his anger?
Xiao YuAn raised his eyebrows softly.
Forget it, he couldn't guess what the male lead was really thinking about after all.
Xiao YuAn, who was suffering from a pounding headache due to the fever and pain, slowly got off the bed and held onto the table to pour himself a porcelain cup of water. He had just filled the small porcelain cup with water when the door of the bedchamber was suddenly kicked open, and a big man with the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear1 appeared outside.
The big man first showed a fake smile to Xiao YuAn, and then closed the door behind him. He slowly walked towards Xiao YuAn and asked: "What were you doing?"
Considering this man decided to act foolishly, Xiao YuAn was able to act with patience: "Drinking water."
"Oh, drinking water." The big man made a long and strange sound, and out of nowhere, punched Xiao YuAn in the stomach.
Chapter 86: A-Xiao Is Extremely Miserable.
The big man seemed like he wouldn't be lacking in strength, the punch was hardly merciful, and this sudden attack made Xiao YuAn unable to defend himself. The only thing he could feel was a sharp pain in his abdomen, so strong that he feared his internal organs would be mixed together.
The porcelain cup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered in several pieces. With the sound of the porcelain cup breaking in the background, Xiao YuAn also fell to the ground holding his stomach, his eyes were dazzled and his head swelled. It hurt so much that all he could do was suck in air. He hadn't had much strength in the first place due to the fever, and because of that, he could only be reduced to the place of a victim.
The big man seemed to think that Xiao YuAn wasn't miserable enough, so he stepped on his injured arm, immediately dying the white cloth with red blood.
A suffocating scream spilled from Xiao YuAn's throat, making him violently cough, filling his mouth with the fishy sweet taste of blood, and making his whole body tremble uncontrollably.
Son of a Bitch!
Dage, who the hell are you?!
What kind of a plot is this?
Did he wake up in the wrong place?!
Well then, why don't this Dage just knock him out! So he can wake up again!
"You…" Xiao YuAn couldn't keep speaking, because as soon as he opened his mouth, he was suddenly grabbed by the collar. The big man easily picked him up and then threw him on the bed.
After being thrown on the bed and feeling immense dizziness, Xiao YuAn felt a sudden coldness coming from his lower body…. because his inner trousers were pulled down.
AD
Xiao YuAn's mind became clear in an instant, and inside his heart, he started to curse in several idioms.
Fuck! Nique ta mère! Fick! Y6/ik)a〇k! [Z^〇 ! Tu puta madre! Vaffanculo!1
Dage! Article 488 of the Penal Code stipulates that anyone who mistreats an enemy who no longer resists, shall be sentenced up to three years of imprisonment, if the circumstances are serious!
The big man sneered and pulled out a dagger: "Don't be afraid, it's just a simple knife."
"What are you going to do?" Xiao YuAn swallowed the fishy sweetness of blood in his throat and asked with a hoarse voice.
"Don't worry, this won't kill you, it's just…." The big man smiled evilly. "It's just that you can't keep your little friend. I'm good with the knife, so don't worry about the pain."
Dage! This will be done in shitty medical conditions; there's nothing to stop the bleeding, nothing to disinfect, like this, you're going to kill me for sure! Who gave you the confidence to say that you won't kill anyone! Learn about what an infection will do, learn about what will happen if someone suffers from excessive blood loss, there's still so much you need to learn Dage!
The big man coughed twice and then inexplicably knocked the bedpost. He then stretched out his hand to hold Xiao YuAn firmly in place, and suddenly raised his dagger. The cold light coming from the dagger almost blinded Xiao YuAn, and just at the most critical moment, the bedchamber's door was violently pushed open!
"Stop!"
A low roar came from the doorway, and the dagger in the big man's hand fell away in fear, in response to the sudden command.
Xue Yan stood with his hands behind his back at the entrance of the bedchamber, he walked in calmly and glared at the big man with a majestically angry look.
"General Xue!" The big man quickly knelt down, while his voice trembled.
AD
Xiao YuAn didn't know what was going on right now. He just coughed up another mouthful of blood, staining the bedsheets and his chest. His hands shook when trying to pull up the bedsheets, wanting to cover up his bare lower body. In fact, he was actually very tired, extremely tired, both mentally and physically. The experience of being trampled by the bottom of one's feet can completely crush a person.
"The Southern Yan never abuses its prisoners. Who told you to do this?!" Xue Yan's gaze flickered twice between Xiao YuAn and the big man, then he scolded the big man fiercely.
"General Xue, please don't get angry! Yan-huangzi sent me to castrate him! General Xue, please spare my life!" The big man begged for mercy.
Xiao YuAn's hand, which was pulling on the quilt, suddenly stopped. He felt that it was difficult to breathe. As if he was frozen in time, like he was a lifeless withered tree that had been eroded by the cruelty of the wind and rain, and had no prospect of seeing spring again.
It felt so cold.
Xiao YuAn curled inwards slightly, his thin body was slightly trembling as well. He wanted to take a deep breath, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he could only breath with his mouth open, like a fish out of the water. It was probably because of his fever that he was unable to breathe from his nose.
He felt cold, extremely cold.
Why was it that he didn't feel this cold during the winter in the Northern Kingdom before?
"Did HeQing really send you here?" Xue Yan seemed to be quite surprised as well.
"Yes, General Xue!" The big man said.
"All right." Xue Yan's face slowly paled down a little. "You, go out and don't dare to come back. I'll go talk with HeQing."
The big man was so overjoyed that he hurriedly got up and left.
AD
Xue Yan sighed, and while standing at the edge of the bed, he said: "What does the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom need?"
However, the man on the bed didn't answer. His right hand was tightly holding onto the bedding, his white knuckles and fingertips slightly trembled because of his own restraint and repression. After a while, he actually buried himself in laughter. This laughter was extremely sarcastic and indulgent, but he didn't laugh twice. Instead, he coughed violently because he was sick. The coughing and laughing made the corners of his eyes turn red, showing him in a state of embarrassment and disgrace.
Xue Yan patiently waited for a while, and after some time, he turned around and left.
Chapter 87: A-Yan Feels Extremely Wronged.
He didn't know how long it took, but after a while, the man on the bed finally moved.
Xiao YuAn endured the pain, slowly re-dressed and tidied up his clothes. He then supported himself and reclined on the bed again. The white cloth on his arm was now soaked with blood, and the wound was bothering the flesh. As soon as the blood dried up, the white cloth stuck to the wound, and Xiao YuAn hesitated in whether to untie it or not. In the end, he simply ignored it, not caring about it at all. He was still in a daze.
Everything hurt. His head, his hands, the liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, his stomach, his heart. It was a pumping pain.
Xiao YuAn curled up and held his head with his uninjured hand. He wanted to think about the future, so much that he couldn't help but curse inside his heart.
Before he transmigrated, he was still a magnificent, young and promising president of a company. As a result, he didn't have the time to see the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, nor did he have the time to watch the news broadcast finale. He also didn't have the time to watch the National football team win the World Cup Championship, or to know what the quantum collapse was like before he got a terminal illness.
Well, it's not an everyday thing to get transmigrated into a book you just read. At any rate, he didn't just roll his eyes, not knowing anything about what was going on in front of or behind him.
Then, in order to survive, he desperately tried his best to engage himself in good relationships.
And now, the male lead really doesn't want to see him alive.
The male lead wanted to castrate him!
Xiao YuAn originally thought that getting his flesh cut off while still alive at the hands of the male lead was the worst end for him in the whole book, so he decided to smash a pot to pieces simply because it was already cracked1 and change the plot in his favor.
He didn't expect that it could get any worse!
"
"
Xiao YuAn had read the original book. He knew how tolerant Yan HeQing can be and how much he hates the Northern Kingdom, but he really didn't think that Yan HeQing could hide his hatred so perfectly when he was by his side in the first place.
In fact, when he proposed for him to go to Jing Yang Palace, Yan HeQing had already buried his hatred deep inside his heart, didn't he? Did he really believe that Xiao YuAn was trying to humiliate him and make him a male concubine?
It could be said that after being castrated, he could still stay alive and become a humble servant under the male lead's Imperial Palace. The same way he made Yan HeQing into his Imperial bodyguard at that time.
Whatever, Xiao YuAn doesn't even know what he really wants.
He never thought that all his good intentions would be wronged by Yan HeQing in the end, and this heavy frustration haunted Xiao YuAn. He resisted the bitterness growing inside his heart and held his body to pour some water for himself. When the porcelain cup was filled, the bedchamber's door was suddenly pushed open. Xiao YuAn looked up and his hand trembled, resulting in the porcelain cup to fall on the ground, shattering to pieces.
Well, it seems that he won't be able to drink any water today.
Xiao YuAn withdrew his gaze and squatted down on the table, trying to pick up the pieces of the porcelain cup, but his hand was cut by the fragments. The scarlet blood stained the broken porcelain, and the fragment got stuck in Xiao YuAn's fingertip, causing him pain.
The man's footsteps suddenly hurried over, but Xiao YuAn didn't seem to hear him approaching. He slowly stood up and looked at his fingertip. His eyes were lax and out of focus, the only thing he could feel was the gloom of the tumultuous sea pressing over him, making him breathless.
Looking at himself, it was really humiliating. He couldn't protect his own mother, he couldn't cure his younger brother, or protect the Northern Kingdom. Hong Xiu died because of him, Li Wuding lost his life because of him. However hard he tries, he's still unable to do anything well. He can't save anyone.
He didn't have any more thoughts.
Xiao YuAn stretched out his hand and pulled out the porcelain fragment from his fingertip, then he said to Yan HeQing: "Yan HeQing, just kill me already. This is really tedious."
Yan HeQing stopped in front of Xiao YuAn, the bitterness inside Yan HeQing was overflowing from his lips and tongue into his heart. Yan HeQing looked into Xiao YuAn's eyes. His eyes, which originally were warm and smiling, were now dead inside, like a burn-out fire, cold and lonely.
AD
Yan HeQing hadn't seen Xiao YuAn's smile for such a long, long time. He missed it to the point of feeling madness and longing; however, he's not qualified anymore to kneel down in front of Xiao YuAn and beg him to smile at him once again.
"You don't have to do this…" Yan HeQing said in a hoarse voice with his downcast eyes. "You can stay alive, stay with me, I…"
Xiao YuAn suddenly laughed out loud. His laughter interrupted Yan HeQing's words, with an extremely sarcastic tone of voice.
As expected, he didn't guess wrong. Yan HeQing wanted to return ten times the humiliation he felt when Xiao YuAn made him into a male concubine and an Imperial bodyguard.
Xiao YuAn said: "It would be better to kill me now."
Yan HeQing closed his eyes feeling extreme heartache. Xiao YuAn would rather die than to stay by his side?
Yeah, didn't he already expect that? The last thing Xiao YuAn wanted to see right now was himself; he could already anticipate that Xiao YuAn would hate him, resent and dislike him.
But, doesn't he deserve all of this?
The silence haunted both of them for a long time, only one thought seemed to be constant in each other's minds:
How did everything turn into ths? How did this even happen?
Yan HeQing took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, and said: "Eunuch Zhao is dead."
Xiao YuAn's shoulders trembled.
AD
"Princess Yongning is safe and sound, don't worry. I'll go out first…. You…. Have a good rest."
Yan HeQing's eyes lingered on Xiao YuAn's arm injury, he tried to restrain the impulse to reach out, and turned away.
Seeing that Yan HeQing had already left, Xiao YuAn shaked his hand and went to pour some water for himself, once again.
It turned out that Eunuch Zhao, just like the original book, died in the end. Yan HeQing didn't show any mercy for his self-inflicted wounds.
This time, Xiao YuAn finally drank from the porcelain cup filled with water.
However, the water tasted salty.
Chapter 88: A-Yang Is Extremely Reliable.
Every successful person! Must have a well thought out plan for the future!
If there's a main goal set! That's all the movitavion they need!
If there is a plan! Then everything will be more efficient!
As the President of a Company! Although Xiao YuAn was no longer associated with the word "Tyrant", at least he was a very successful man back then! Because he understood the importance of looking ahead of time!
Since Xiao YuAn couldn't sleep alone at night, he was sitting on the bed with his legs crossed. With his head held up with one hand, he was thinking about what he should do from now on.
Xiao YuAn felt that he should set a small goal first, such as safely surviving through the night first.
But then, he was attacked at night.
All right! Can you stop being so practical and instead tell yourself: Your plans can't keep up with all these changes!
The sequence happened like this: Xiao YuAn was holding his head while thinking about things, when he saw that two men dressed in black tumbled into his bedchamber through the window.
These two men clearly didn't expect that Xiao YuAn would be still awake at this hour, so the both of them raised their hands and froze in place after steadily landing on the ground.
… Why are both of you scared of him? Aren't you two the night attackers? Or are you some kind of night attackers ashamed of themselves?
AD
Sitting upright, Xiao YuAn looked at the black-clothed man on the left and then at the one at the right. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, one of them suddenly rushed over.
"You two… came-" Before Xiao YuAn's words could even begin, that black-clothed man tightly covered his mouth.
Wait a minute! He wasn't about to call for help! He was just trying to communicate with them! If they could just talk! Communication can resolve any problem! Violence is not a good option!
The other black-clothed man stepped forward and pulled off the black cloth covering his face: "Your Majesty, don't be afraid. It's me, we're here to save you."
Obviously, this was something completely unexpected; and at the same time, something that was within Xiao YuAn's expectations. Yang LiuAn looked at Xiao YuAn's injuries all over his body, his eyes fluttered and his voice was slightly saddened: "Your Majesty, I was late and you've suffered because of that. I'll take you out immediately."
The other black-clothed man let go of him and stepped aside, wrapping his arm around himself and looking at the touching scene, in which both Monarch and loyal subject finally meet again.
"LiuAn, it really is you!" Xiao YuAn's eyes brightened.
"At the time of parting ways, the promise that was made between His Majesty and Weichen… Weichen kept it inside his heart every day. By the time February arrived, Weichen hurried to come, but didn't expect… never expected that the Northern Kingdom would…" Yang LiuAn's eyes were filled with grief. Before he could finish his words, the other black-clothed man stepped forward and made a gesture, saying that they should leave as soon as possible.
"Ah, right. Your Majesty, let's leave this place first. When we snuck in, there were very few soldiers patrolling outside. There shouldn't be a need to worry about any danger." Yang LiuAn reached out to carry Xiao YuAn on his back.
"Wait a minute." Xiao YuAn stood up against the bedpost, went to the table and took out a small wooden box from his sleeve. Inside the wooden box, there was a white jade hairpin, a red flower hairpin, and a broken gray hair band. These objects seemed to tell a story about a period of time that doesn't exist anymore.
Xiao YuAn took out the white jade hairpin from the wooden box, his eyes were dim while doing so. He was holding the white jade hairpin in his hands and caressed it with extreme care, then he placed it on the table without hesitation.
"Your Majesty?" Yang LiuAn called out for him very softly.
AD
Xiao YuAn put the wooden box with only the red flower hairpin and the grey hair band back into his sleeve, then he turned to face Yang LiuAn and said: "LiuAn, I'm no longer an Emperor, and I'm no longer the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom either, I'm…"
Xiao YuAn gradually silenced his voice. He was standing on the same spot as he looked around the bedchamber. It wasn't that he just gave up, but he felt a kind of emotion, about life and death, right and wrong, what is right and what is wrong. After looking around for a little bit, Xiao YuAn suddenly raised a smile and strode towards the window: "Let's go! Let's get out of here."
Chapter 89: A-Xiao Is Extremely Broken
The three of them quietly ran away. Even though Xiao YuAn was very wounded and feverish, he didn't slow them down. Instead, this situation made them feel the desire to survive greater than anything else.
Probably because the soldiers of the Southern Yan Kingdom had just arrived at the Imperial City, there were few of them stationed outside Xiao YuAn's bedchamber, so their escape went really smoothly.
Yang LiuAn followed closely behind Xiao YuAn all the way. He was feeling really nervous and was also holding his breath from time to time to observe the surrounding situation. Meanwhile, the other black-clothed man was quietly exploring the road ahead, with a sturdy posture and an extraordinary force.
Xiao YuAn couldn't help looking at the black-clothed man.
He hadn't really guessed who it was yet.
Xiao YuAn originally thought that this man should be Xiao Fengye, but on a second thought, Xiao Fengyue was a gentle and elegant qin player. It doesn't matter how much he wanted to repay his kindness, Yang LiuAn would never let his lover participate in such a dangerous task.
Then, who was this man dressed in black walking right in front of him?
Was this a new friend of Yang LiuAn's? The fact that he's willing to come with him to this miserable Imperial Palace to rescue someone he doesn't know, is enough to consider him as a friend of life and death1.
When the three of them managed to escape outside of the Imperial Palace, Yang LiuAn whispered to Xiao YuAn: "Your Majesty, right now the gate of the Imperial City is being heavily guarded by the troops of the Southern Yan Kingdom, and they won't allow some people to leave the City. Let's find a place to settle in the suburbs first and tomorrow morning we will disguise ourselves as refugees who've left their hometown, with that we will be able to leave the City. At the post station outside the Imperial City, there's a carriage that I have prepared long ago. As long as we're able to get out of the Imperial City, everything will be alright."
So hardworking, you're really worthy of being called a hardworking man! You're so reliable!
Xiao YuAn nodded his head and followed Yang LiuAn and the other man towards a ruined temple in the suburbs. It was probably because of the war that this temple had lost all its incense and the monks had already left, leaving behind only the broken walls, and a few dusty Buddha statues.
AD
Yang LiuAn came forward and knocked gently on the door three times. After a few seconds, the door of the temple slowly opened halfway with an overwhelming 'creak', and behind it Xiao Fengyue poked out half of his face. Upon seeing it was them, he breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door all the way, welcoming them in.
Xiao YuAn had just walked into the temple, when suddenly a dark shadow rushed towards him! Xiao YuAn took a step back in fright but he was still tightly held by that person.
"Wuwuwu2, you're fine Imperial brother! Great, you're really alright!" Princess Yongning hugged Xiao YuAn's waist. Her voice choked with joy and she was way too excited to see him, so she was unwilling to let go. Xiao YuAn eased his breathing and gently laughed, reaching out to pat Princess Yongning on the back.
"I'm fine, I'm really fine, you…."
Wait, what the fuck are you doing here?!
!?
When Xiao YuAn came back to reality, he was suddenly very stunned. As if he was struck by a thunderbolt, and didn't know how to react except to stupidly stay frozen in place.
Why is Princess Yongning here?!
If she's here!
She's here!
Here!
Huh?
"
"
Shouldn't the female lead be at the Imperial Palace at this point. Staying together with the male lead, entangle together with him, fall in love, hold hands, and finally start to imagine a future together?!
What are you actually doing here!?
Did you run away without doing anything with him? Are you two trying to play the game of sadomasochistic love?
You two really know how to play!
"Imperial brother, you've been badly injured." Princess Yongning took Xiao YuAn's hand and took a closer look at the wound on his arm, her tone of voice was filled with distress.
"Don't worry about it." The black-clothed man who hadn't shown his face yet, stepped forward as he pulled off the black cloth covering his face: "There's medicine to treat injuries here, and my guards are also proficient in the medical arts,"
Xiao YuAn wasn't only completely dumbfounded right now.
He was also straight out of breath.
Fuck!
Why is the second female lead, Xiao PingYang, also here?!
What the fuck is this, this, what the fuck is this magic plot!
Probably beacause Xiao PingYang thought that Xiao YuAn's three sudden shocks weren't explosive enough, she added: "I didn't want to make it clear so early, but after hearing from Yongning that you already know about our feelings, in that case, I'll simply make it clear. Yongning and I are already deep in love, and I hope His Majesty will feel comfortable with Yongning and I being together."
AD
Xiao YuAn asked Xiao Pingyang: "Who are you in love with?"
Xiao Pingyang was stunned, but she still replied regardless: "Yongning."
Xiao YuAn turned his head and asked Princess Yongning again: "Ning''er, are you and her in love with each other?"
"Yes, Imperial brother. Didn't you already know about her ever since a long time ago, and let me stay with her?" Princess Yongning looked very happy.
Xiao YuAn turned his head and asked Yang LiuAn: "What does it mean to be in love with one another?"
Yang LiuAn scratched his head with a confused expression in his face: "Your Majesty… doesn't it mean mutual love and admiration between two people?"
Yes, there's no problem with your explanation, ten points for you.
Since there's no problem with the definition, then….
Then! You! Transmigrated! To! A! Fake! Book!
Are! These! Even! The! Same! People! From! The! Original! Book?! Or did the original plot make a 360 spin that exploded in the air?!
How can the female lead and the second female lead end up together? Where's the male lead?! Is the male lead more afraid of losing face?!
Who am I?! Where am I?! How did the plot become like this!
Chapter 90: A-Yang Is Really Extraordinary.1
When Xiao YuAn finally recovered from the shock, he was already sitting in the broken temple. A burning fire was in front of him, and his arm was already re-bandaged and treated with medicine.
There were seven or eight handsome women in nightclothes standing or sitting around, all of them were Xiao PingYang's subordinates.
Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue were cooking porridge in a pot at one corner of the temple. Meanwhile, Princess Yongning and Xiao PingYang were snuggled in another corner, wrapped in thick robes as blankets, sleeping peacefully.
Xiao YuAn turned his head and asked one of the women from the Western Shu Kingdom, who was holding a sword and was sitting with her back against the wall: "Excuse me, may I ask, why are all of you here?"
The young woman from the Western Shu Kingdom replied in an able and concise manner, which also answered everything that Xiao YuAn wanted to ask next: "Our Princess heard about the war between the two counties and was very worried about the Princess of your Country having an accident. So, she came all the way over here, and then luckily met with your bodyguard at the post station outside the Imperial City. In the end, we worked together to save her and then you."
Xiao YuAn thanked her and then turned around, looking at the burning fire while holding his head. He was trying really hard to fully understand exactly when this fascinating plot began to go mad.
Then he realized that ever since he transmigrated to this place, the plot hasn't been right at all.
So, Xiao YuAn held his head with both hands trying to remember how the original plot actually went by.
When he thought about it, everything that happened until now, it really didn't feel right.
In the original book, Yan HeQing and Xiao PingYang got along with each other in a strange and peaceful way. Unlike the other women in Yan HeQing's harem, who were provocative, attracting his attention and playing with him. Xiao PingYang's plot was all about assisting the Imperial Government and managing the harem.
By picking up a single scenario from the original plot, everything that happened now looked even more weird.
AD
In the original book, Xiao PingYang and Princess Yongning never met each other, but Xiao PingYang knew that there was such a white moonlight2 Princess hidden in Yan HeQing's heart. One day, Yan HeQing looked at the portrait of Princess Yongning, and Xiao PingYang simply asked him: "Is that her?"
Yan HeQing nodded his head, but didn't say anything else.
Xiao PingYang studied the portrait for a long while and then softly whispered: "She's really beautiful."
One must know that before this, Xiao PingYang never said a single word about the members of Yan HeQing's harem.
That chapter was torn in the comment section for a long time. Some people said that Xiao PingYang was just feeling jealous. Some other people said that this was the evidence that proved that Xiao PingYang didn't like Yan HeQing in a romantic way, since otherwise, it wouldn't be possible for her to praise Yan HeQing's beautiful white moonlight without any hesitation.
Xiao YuAn, who was now looking at the sleeping female lead and second female lead, after recalling the original plot; the only thing he wanted to do was to go back to the 21st century, find the author, and then pull his collar yelling in his face: What the hell were you trying to say?!
The morning temperature in the Northern Kingdom was extremely low, and Xiao PingYang, who came from the Western Shu Kingdom, couldn't adapt to the cold at all. She pursed her lips and shrunk her body, such a move woke up the sleeping Princess Yongning. She rubbed her eyes, carefully pulled up her outer robe to cover Xiao PingYang's body, and then gently took care of her; rubbing her arms and hugging Xiao PingYang, who seemed afraid of the cold, and then went to sleep again.
Xiao YuAn, who had a good view of everything that happened a few seconds ago, suddenly felt very relieved.
So what if it's a thousand miles away from the original plot? It didn't matter what the author wanted to express in the original book, as long as Princess Yongning is safe, happy and healthy, who cares about anything else?
Inexplicably, Xiao YuAn recalled the conversation he had with Yan HeQing before running away.
When Yan HeQing told him that Princess Yongning was unharmed, the internal meaning wasn't saying "from now on your sister will be left in my hands", but was simply trying to reassure Xiao YuAn?
Speaking of Yan HeQing…. He was a bit miserable. His first wife and second wife all ran away, no wonder there was always a hint of abandonment and frustration in his voice when they talked before, right? So it turns out it was all due to both his wives rejecting him?
"
"
While Xiao YuAn was still thinking about these things, Princess Yongning, now awake, suddenly leaned over, her face close to his. Her eyes blinked in curiosity as she asked: "What are you thinking about, Imperial Brother? You look so serious."
Xiao YuAn's head moved, and without much thought, he blurted out: "Yan HeQing."
For some reason, Xiao YuAn felt that the broken temple suddenly quieted down for a full second.
Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue looked at him, then they looked at each other and let out a long sigh. All of them had a face that said "Fate plays tricks on people3". Meanwhile, Xiao PingYang coughed twice, wanting to say something, but stayed silent.
Before Xiao YuAn could even react, he saw that Princess Yongning's eyes suddenly reddened as she held his hand tightly: "Imperial brother, don't think about him anymore. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, the world is limitless, so you will definitely meet a better one."
What? What the fuck? Wait, wait a minute?! Is there any kind of misunderstanding?
Xiao YuAn would like to ask the heavens, but he had no words: "No, I…"
"It's okay Imperial brother, we won't talk about him anymore. Shall we talk about something else?" Princess Yongning tries to raise her smile, as if trying to infect Xiao YuAn.
Xiao YuAn: "Wait, I…"
Xiao PingYang stood up and came over: "Your Majesty, it's already dawn outside. Let's get ready."
Xiao YuAn: "I wasn't blaming him…"
"Your Majesty, the porridge is ready. Please, come and eat it while it's still hot. Everyone, hurry over as well." Xiao Fengyue called softly from the other side of the temple.
AD
Hence, this group of people sat around the fire, and talked and laughed about past events.
Xiao YuAn: "…"
Will you let me explain!
Chapter 91: He's Dressing As A Woman, Thanks To The Social People.1
After filling their stomachs with a simple porridge, everyone began to discuss the countermeasures to escape from the Imperial City. Because the Southern Yan Kingdom wasn't strict with the people that wanted to leave the Imperial City, they decided that they would leave during daytime.
Because their group wasn't a small one, everyone decided that it was better to split in two and leave separately. Xiao PingYang would leave first with Princess Yongning, then Xiao YuAn, Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue would disguise themselves as exiled brothers. In the end, they will meet up at the post station outside the Imperial City.
Everyone was worried about Xiao YuAn. His escape from the Imperial Palace should've been discovered long ago, and yet, when the female guards went out for a stroll, they didn't see any 'wanted' posters. They didn't know what Yan HeQing was planning, so they had to deal with it a step at a time.
Xiao YuAn changed himself into tattered clothes and painted his face with mud plaster, to the point where he couldn't see his original features anymore. Xiao PingYang saw this and asked: "Isn't this too much?"
Xiao YuAn illuminated the well water to look at his own reflection: "It does seem to be a bit too much."
However, it was impossible for him to not cover himself, the Southern guards will definitely get suspicious after they see his delicate appearance.
Xiao PingYang's thumb and index finger rested against her chin, thought for a while, and then said: "Why don't you just pretend to be a woman?"
Xiao YuAn: "What?!"
Xiao PingYang asked one of the female guards for a grey puffed dress and a short coat, and then handed it to Xiao YuAn: "Your Majesty, the most important thing right now is to protect your life."
Xiao YuAn: "….."
He could understand the reasoning, but why was she holding her smile?
AD
Forget it, the most important issue right now is to run away as soon as possible. Xiao YuAn didn't want to drag them down just because he could be discovered at any second.
Xiao YuAn reached out and took the gray dress and the short coat. Due to the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom having a soft and delicate appearance, along with his body being notably thin, the woman's disguise didn't look weird on him, and nothing suspicious would be noticed at a first glance.
The female guard looked at Xiao YuAn for a long time, and then she suddenly stretched out her hands to braid his hair into a bun.
Xiao YuAn: "….."
Princess Yongning changed her clothes too. When she came out and saw Xiao YuAn, she was at first too shocked to utter a word, but after calming down, she said: "This Jiejie2 is so beautiful."
Xiao YuAn thought for a while, and with his voice in a pitched tone, he replied: "Meimei3 must be joking, I don't dare to compare with Meimei's beauty."
Princess Yongning immediately covered her mouth and began to laugh.
Xiao PingYang raised the corners of her mouth, and then said: "You'd better pretend to be dumb, otherwise, you'll reveal youself as soon as you open your mouth."
Xiao YuAn spread out his hands and muttered to himself: "I can't help it, the androgens make me have an Adam's apple."
When Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue walked in from the outside of the broken temple, Yang LiuAn immediately said: "The guards will change shifts at noon, let's get out now while we still can- Your Majesty?!"
After seeing that Yang LiuAn was scared out of his wits by seeing Xiao YuAn's appearance as a woman, he suddenly found it really funny. So he turned around, twisted his body and said: "Yang-ge, what's wrong? Can't you recognize your Xiao-mei4?"
Yang LiuAn violently retreated a few meters away.
AD
Xiao YuAn burst into laughter, and the female guards of the Western Shu Kingdom couldn't help but cover their mouths while also sneakily laughing as well. The atmosphere was cheerful, which made them forget about the hardships of escaping.
Xiao Fengyue finished covering his lips after laughing and stepped forward to say in a soft voice: "Xiao-mei, don't panic, Dage and Er-ge5 will surely help you out."
Xiao YuAn nodded, and the depression that had been trapped inside his heart for many days now, gradually dissipated.
There wasn't time to lose, and a dozen or so people rushed towards the Imperial City gates. Xiao PingYang and Princess Yongning were the first ones to leave. After the Southern guards stopped them both, they interrogated them a few times before letting them go. The process seemed to go very smoothly.
Seeing that it was the turn of the two exiled brothers and a 'sister', Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue kept Xiao YuAn half hidden and half protected behind their backs as they slowly walked out of the Imperial City alongside the crowd.
The Southern guards stopped the three of them and questioned as per usual: "How many people?"
"My brother, myself and my sister. Three people." Xiao Fengyue nervously tugged at Yang LiuAn's wrist, however, his face was extremely calm.
"Where did your family used to live before?"
"Outside the western outskirts of the city."
The Southern guard swept a glance at the three and then pointed at Xiao YuAn: "You, raise your head and let me have a look."
The hearts of the three of them almost jumped to their throats at the same time. Xiao YuAn slowly raised his head, his face was slightly covered out with dust, but his original appearance wasn't very visible.
The Southern guard nodded and asked a few more simple questions, and then with a big wave of his hand, he allowed them to go.
AD
They felt relieved and happy inside their hearts, so they hurried to get out of the Imperial City.
After seeing that the Imperial City's gate was about to be left behind, Xiao YuAn took a deep breath to ease the tension of his body, however, his shoulder was suddenly held down!
Xiao YuAn became extremely stiff as he heard a male's voice coming from behind him: "Young lady, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Chapter 92: A Hardworking Man Scheming With The Life Of Two People.
Xiao YuAn's hands were hidden inside his sleeves, clenched into fists, almost making red crescent marks on his palms. He stood frozen in place, not knowing whether he should turn around or not.
"Young Lady?" The man's voice wasn't forgiving1, as he called again with great patience. The hand that pressed down Xiao YuAn's shoulder didn't loosen up at all.
Xiao Fengyue and Yang LiuAn were also very surprised by the sudden change. Yang LiuAn's hand softly brushed past where he had a hidden dagger on his waist. Xiao Fengyue stepped forward to half-protect Xiao YuAn: "Officer, my sister is afraid of strangers and she's also mute, if there's any problem, you can ask me2."
The man dressed in a guard uniform chuckled as he let go of his hand: "Then I'll trouble the two brothers to come with me."
Xiao Fengyue was stunned: "Go with you… my Dage and I?"
The man nodded indiscreetly: "Don't worry, after we ask you a few questions you'll be able to go back."
Xiao Fengyue and Yang LiuAn glanced at each other. In the end, they couldn't do anything else than to agree.
Xiao YuAn gently patted the two of them, indicating that everything will be alright, and that they must come back as quickly as possible.
Seeing the man left alongside Xiao Fengyue and Yang LiuAn, Xiao YuAn retreated to the outside of the Imperial City's gate, waiting for them to come back. Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps next to him, followed by a calm and dignified voice: "Emperor of the Northern Kingdom, what a sorry appearance you have. You really must have taken great pains in trying to escape for the sake of living."
Xiao YuAn was frightened at first, but then he resigned himself and sighed in defeat. As he untied his bun, he turned around to face him: "General Xue."
Xue Yan3 stood with his hands down, slightly surprised: "The Emperor of the Northern Kingdom actually knows who I am?"
AD
Of course he does! You're the uncle of Yan HeQing, the male lead! You're the elder brother of Yan HeQing's mother, the Empress!
Xiao YuAn remembered that in the original book, Xue Yan was a great General of the Southern Yan Kingdom. He was extremely loyal to the Southern Yan, and when Yan HeQing was still young, Xue Yan saw the extraordinary capacities of Yan HeQing, so he supported him all the way; hoping that Yan HeQing would turn the Southern Yan Kingdom into a powerful Country. He was also an important figure in the original book.
"General Xue's reputation spreads far and wide." Xiao YuAn said perfunctorily.
In reality, Xue Yan didn't care about Xiao YuAn's weird attitude. As he carelessly straightened his sleeves, he said: "Emperor of the Northern Kingdom-…"
Xiao YuAn suddenly interrupted him with a decisive tone of voice: "I'm no longer the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom."
Xue Yan was slightly startled at this, and after recovering from the initial shock, he smiled: "Fine, then I won't refer to you with that title. There's no need for you to fear me, I haven't come here to stop you from leaving." Xiao YuAn could hardly believe his ears.
Xue Yan didn't come here to arrest him? In the original book, Xue Yan was described to be a very meticulous person. But now, and judging by the current situation, wasn't he afraid that Xiao YuAn might try to restore his Country after safely escaping? Isn't it better to eliminate the root of the problem? So he came all the way here to do just that?
Xue Yan carefully observed Xiao YuAn's expression and then said: "I wonder, what do you plan to do in the future after this escape?"
Was he trying to test his intentions?
Xiao YuAn, who was full of doubts, felt that his words were filled with deceit everywhere; so after carefully thinking about it, he replied with honesty: "I want to live a simple farming life and forget everything about the past."
Xue Yan looked at him closely, his gaze was like a hook. As if he wanted to take Xiao YuAn's heart out to spread it under the heavens, so that everyone can have a good look at it, and tell whether he was telling the truth: "The farming life is indeed very good. But, even if you say this is your final decision, are you willing to swear an oath?"
Xiao YuAn murmured 'whatever, there's nothing to be afraid of', and simply pointed three fingers to the Heavens: "The Heavens and the Earth are my witness. If I can leave today safely, then I swear to never take another step into this City, and if I break this oath, I shall die an unnatural death!"
AD
Xue Yan suddenly clapped his hands and laughed out loud. Then he turned around and no longer trapped Xiao YuAn. At the same time, the guard that took Xiao Fengyue and Yang LiuAn came back with them. He then followed Xue Yan into the Imperial City.
As the two of them walked towards the gate of the Imperial City, Xiao YuAn felt that an invisible wall rose, isolating himself away from the others; like being in a trance, like being in completely different worlds.
The guard whispered to Xue Yan: "General, this move was really dangerous."
Xue Yan was speechless for a while before he slowly said: "But I won the bet."
It was dangerous, way too dangerous.
For the sake of the Southern Yan Kingdom, the Northern Monarch couldn't stay, he absolutely couldn't stay. However, Xue Yan also knew that he couldn't kill him or even hurt him; because with Yan HeQing's temperament, if anything happened to the Northern Monarch, he would get to the bottom of it.
However, in this world, apart from hurting somebody's body, you can also punish their hearts.
So he sent his men to pretend to hurt the Northern Emperor, advising him to not leave any physical trauma, and then he appeared at the right time to save him. All of this was because he wanted the Northern Emperor to believe that Yan HeQing wanted to hurt him.
Xue Yan knew Yan HeQing, and he knew that the only way to get Yan HeQing to let the Northern Emperor go, was if he himself wanted to leave.
To let him run away without hesitation, feeling hatred for Yan HeQing.
So Xue Yan gambled whether the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom would question Yan HeQing as to why he wanted to hurt him.
And now, it was he the one who won the bet. He gambled for the sake of the prosperity of the Southern Yan Kingdom, he gambled for the sake of Yan HeQing's future reign over the four nations.
"General, do you plan to give Yan-huangzi the news about the Northern Monarch's escape? After all, Huangzi said before that he must be found right away." The guard asked Xue Yan softly.
Xue Yan thought about it for a long while before replying: "Give him the news, but say that because the guards tried to prevent the Northern Monarch from escaping, he fought them with his life on the line. He was completely determined to leave, and because the guards were afraid of hurting him, they let him go. This way, Yan-huangzi would stop having hopeful thoughts of him."
The guard understood the order, cupped his fists in sign of respect, and headed towards the Imperial Palace.
Half an hour later, a horse galloped out of the Imperial Palace. The sound of the horse neighed straight throughout the Heavens, rushing out of the Imperial City without stopping, completely making the common people around startled.
Someone, who was sharp-eyed enough to see it was the Royal horse, couldn't help but shout out loud: "Yan-huangzi?!"
However, no one answered. The horse carrying the young man dressed in white left nothing but dust behind. It seemed as if he felt that fate was urging him, like if he was a moment slowler, then he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Chapter 93: I Hope To See Through The Autumn Waters, His Hurt Frown Fades Into The Spring Mountains.1
At the post station, a hundred miles away from the Imperial City, a group of people encountered each other safely. They felt like a big stone fell from each other's hearts, like they could finally relax after experiencing great sadness.
For fear that the Southern Yan Kingdom would suddenly regret letting him escape and send troops to chase after him, Xiao YuAn quickly washed his hands and cheeks, and changed back into male clothing. Then he got prepared to get into a carriage and leave this place as soon as possible.
Xue Yan's attitude made Xiao YuAn feel suspicious several times, but since he had to run away in a hurry, where could he think about it more carefully?
After some hurried preparations, the carriage galloped down the road. Xiao YuAn lifted the curtain and looked back at the Imperial City of the Northern Kingdom, which by now, was getting farther and farther away. For a brief moment, he felt that the years he spent there were now stuck inside his throat; he regretted that he wasn't able to offer a toast to the victory of the Country, or wish for a thousand years of prosperity.
Xiao YuAn slowly put down the curtain, as if he was cutting ties with everything that had to do with his life as an Emperor. Suddenly, the sound of a horse's hooves coming from the distance could be heard, however, Xiao YuAn didn't lift the curtain again. Yang LiuAn, who was driving the carriage, suddenly lifted the curtain. His face was livid: "It's Yan HeQing."
Due to the large number of people, they were divided into three carriages. The other two carriages also noticed the person chasing after them and slowed down to let Xiao YuAn's carriage get in the lead.
To everyone's surprise, Yan HeQing, who was able to intercept them at a gallop, didn't do it. Instead, he tightened the reins and followed the carriage. As if he was afraid of disturbing someone, he didn't want to make the carriage stop nor return.
After maintaining the journey this way for some time, Xiao YuAn asked incredulously: "Is he alone?"
Yang LiuAn replied: "Yes."
Xiao YuAn, who stayed silent for a brief moment, suddenly looked up: "LiuAn, stop the carriage."
"Your Majesty?" Yang LiuAn was shocked.
AD
"Don't be afraid, there's something I want to say to him. Besides, he's alone and we're already far away from the Imperial City. If there's any real conflict, he won't be able to catch me." Xiao YuAn said.
Yang LiuAn thought about this reasoning and stopped the carriage.
Xiao YuAn took a deep breath and jumped out of the carriage. Not far away, when Yan HeQing saw that the carriage stopped moving, he also held back the horse; waiting in place. After seeing Xiao YuAn getting out of the carriage, Yan HeQing's eyes narrowed slightly, then he turned over and dismounted. He was still holding the reins, but he didn't walk forward.
As the two of them looked at each other across the dusty, yellow mud road, Xiao YuAn sighed and walked forward, step by step.
Xiao YuAn had something to say to Yan HeQing. The words have been hidden deep inside his heart for a long time now, and after these several changes, Xiao YuAn had also changed the meaning of these words; but after all, he still wanted to let Yan HeQing know them.
Just after sorting out the confused thoughts, Xiao YuAn gradually understood that perhaps Yan HeQing didn't hate him as much as Xiao YuAn thought he did; otherwise, why would he let him escape so easily?
However, whether Yan HeQing actually hated him or not, he still must leave this place. In the near future, this land would be property of the Southern Yan, which meant the world to Yan HeQing. If he stays here, he would only be an useless person that was once an Emperor; he would spend the rest of his life meaninglessly inside the Imperial Palace, his personal cage.
All of this sounded extremely sad. Even if Yan HeQing remembers the old affection he gave him, and will definitely not hurt him, Xiao YuAn still doesn't want to live the rest of his life like this.
Therefore, he must leave regardless.
And since he's leaving, he should say a proper goodbye. Without joy, there's no sorrow, and without hate, there's no regrets.
Xiao YuAn stopped two steps away from Yan HeQing, who was looking at him like it was the wrong thing to do. He seemed worried and afraid of being disliked by Xiao YuAn; unconsciously trying to shrink his whole body, as if afraid of being stared at.
Xiao YuAn suddenly raised a warm smile at Yan HeQing, and Yan HeQing suddenly opened his eyes wide, intensely staring at Xiao YuAn with greed. He wanted to engrave this scene inside his mind, heart, and into his skeleton; so that this memory won't be destroyed by time, and he would never forget it for his whole lifetime.
AD
While still smiling, Xiao YuAn clasped his hands and bowed to him, then he said: "Life is short and the hatred lasts forever. Now, I toast to Heaven and Earth for you. My words are the wine, and these three wishes are the cups. With a cup in my hand, I wish that you can come back from the war and have no fear of the cold at night. I wish that all the people that you meet in this lifetime are good people, who will walk the same path as you, and will hold your hands. With another cup in my hand, I wish for your happiness. May you stay safe and healthy, with no worries for the rest of your life. The sorrows and pains of the past, forget about them. One day, when I climb to the top of the sky, I'll see the world changing into a bright and peaceful place. All thanks to you, Yan HeQing."
Yan HeQing listened carefully, and for a long time, he had no words. It was the end of winter in the Northern Kingdom, the cold wind whistling lifted his clothes, and swept into his eyes. It was like the blade of a dagger was piercing through his heart. He tightened the grip on the reins, and after a long time of silence, his mouth finally opened. His voice was hesitant and hoarse: "Xiao YuAn, you clearly… told me to forget. What is the thing you're asking me to forget about?"
Xiao YuAn was startled.
'Isn't it the hatred for the Northern Kingdom? And the humiliating past he spent there?'
For a while, Xiao YuAn couldn't reply to him, but he saw that Yan HeQing had taken half a step forward. Xiao YuAn and Yan HeQing stared at each other, and at that moment, Xiao YuAn felt that Yan HeQing's eyes were really beautiful. The moment he approached him was slightly oppressive, but he was unable to move his eyes away from Yan HeQing's.
Yan HeQing's eyes were cold, like the clear moonlight. However, in the bottom of his eyes, it seemed like he was suppressing three thousand sorrows, and it was all due to fate that Xiao YuAn couldn't understand the meaning hidden inside his eyes. Then, Yan HeQing said: "If you're determined to go with all your heart and soul, that you're even capable of fighting with your life, then fine. I won't stop you, but…" Yan HeQing calmed down, closed his eyes, and his voice sounded like he just climbed over a thousand mountains and crossed over a thousand rivers; passing through several hardships and obstacles, to finally announce to the Heavens and Earth: "But, I won't forget, I would definitely never forget."
At the end of the last sentence, Yan HeQing was almost gnashing his teeth. Xiao YuAn was forced to take half a step back, intimidated by his appearance and his voice. He then asked in great bewilderment: "Since you don't want to forget about the past, then why are you letting me go?"
Yan HeQing slowly opened his eyes, and they were dim.
Because he didn't want Xiao YuAn to suffer, he doesn't want him to not be able to smile anymore. But he also doesn't want Xiao YuAn to hate him, to loathe him, or to think that he's evil. He has endured the destruction of his Country and the murder of his family, the abuse and the humiliation done to him by the enemy, and the hardships of war. He has been through so many difficulties, and yet, he still won't be able to endure a hateful look from Xiao YuAn.
Look at the way things are; lamentable and ridiculous, sad and tragic.
Xiao YuAn finally couldn't help but ask: "Why exactly did you chase after me…"
Yan HeQing restrained his eyes and suppressed his thoughts as he touched the white Jade hairpin hidden inside his sleeve.
AD
This was the last object, the last memory, of Yan HeQing's Empress mother, which was an extremely important token of love in the original book. Yan HeQing once gave it to Xiao YuAn as a reward, and in the end, it was left behind in the Imperial Palace by Xiao YuAn himself.
Yan HeQing whispered: "You forgot something, I brought it to you."
Xiao YuAn was so shocked that he could hardly believe his ears.
'Just, just, just because of that?'
Yan HeQing handed the white Jade hairpin to Xiao YuAn, his palm facing upwards, and the white Jade hairpin was lying alone in his hand. This scene was very much like that day in the busy market, where Yan HeQing gave the white Jade hairpin to Xiao YuAn after he gave him the Jade flute.
Xiao YuAn hesitated several times, but still stretched out his hand. Yan HeQing waited patiently, and every time Xiao YuAn's hand got closer to him, Yan HeQing's eyes lit up a little. However, just a few seconds before Xiao YuAn's fingertips were about to touch the white Jade hairpin, he suddenly stopped and then withdrew his hand.
Something in the depths of Yan HeQing's eyes was fragmenting and falling apart as he heard Xiao YuAn say: "You should keep it with yourself, you'll find someone more suited for it."
Yan HeQing closed his palm very slowly, his voice didn't sound emotionless, instead, it sounded more like he was restraining himself and trying to suppress something: "Do you seriously not want it?"
Xiao YuAn replied: "I… It's… It's better for me to not have it, you should give it to someone else."
"Fine." Yan HeQing looked up.
Xiao YuAn thought that Yan HeQing had finally listened to his words, so he just nodded his head. Just when he was about to leave, he saw that Yan HeQing raised his hand, and then smashed the white Jade hairpin on the ground!
The white Jade hairpin snapped and rolled to the side of the road, its miserable appearance imprinted in Xiao YuAn's eyes, which were wide with disbelief.
AD
Before Xiao YuAn could recover himself from this sudden event, he saw Yan HeQing turning over and mounting his horse, then he turned around and galloped towards the Imperial City.
When they got back on the journey, it was hard to say whether Xiao YuAn's eyes were covered in red due to the dust lifted by horses, however, no one dared to speak about it
Chapter 94: It's Wonderful To Talk About Lilies Without Thinking.
A few calls brought Xiao YuAn back from his trance, and he looked up with a dazed look on his face: "What?"
Princess Yongning sighed and handed over a clean white silk cloth: "Gege, don't hold on to the broken Jade hairpin. You've been holding onto it all the way, so be careful, you could get some pieces stuck in your hands; it's better to wrap it up with this cloth."
Xiao YuAn looked at Princess Yongning dumbly, as if trying to understand her words, then he slowly nodded: "Oh… um, fine."
Princess Yongning had no choice but to take away the broken white Jade hairpin from him, wrap it up with the white cloth, and then put it back on Xiao YuAn's hands.
Xiao YuAn allowed the little white cloth to lay flat in his palm, without tightening his hand. Suddenly, the carriage hit a bump and he saw that the hairpin was about to fall to the ground. Xiao YuAn blinked his eyes, folded up his five fingers, and firmly protected it in his hand. Finally, after a long time, Xiao YuAn sighed. He then put the small white cloth wrapped with the Jade hairpin fragments into the wood box, together with the relics of Eunuch Zhao and Hong Xiu.
After he resolutely told him to forget the past, the end result was this tragicomic drama. How could he have guessed that this would be the last thing he would advise.
After a dozen of days later, a small town on the Northern border welcomed the three horse carriages.
Xiao Fengyue lifted the curtain and walked into the carriage in which Xiao YuAn and the two Princesses were sitting: "Three young masters, we arrived at a town, let's take a rest here."
Things weren't what they used to be, so it was time to change the way people called him.
Xiao YuAn and Xiao PingYang nodded, and Princess Yongning replied with a smile: "Yes, thank you Fengyue-gege."
Everyone thought that the Princess, who lived her whole life inside the Imperial Palace, wouldn't be able to adjust to such a time of upheaval. However, she never put on airs, and even though she used to be called the Princess of the common people, she didn't look down on Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue. Instead, she called them both "gege" rather easily. When she first called Yang LiuAn just "LiuAn", she almost scared the former Imperial bodyguard to death.
AD
When they found a restaurant, they were ready to fill their stomachs and rest for a while before setting off again.
When the waiter saw that they were all young people with an extraordinary appearance, the waiter couldn't refrain his curiosity, so he came over to inquire as he poured the tea: "Where are these remarkable guests heading to?"
Princess Yongning was accustomed to hearing about the small village with beautiful mountains and clear waters from Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue along the way, so when she was asked this question, she said: "We'll go to Taoyuan Village at the borders of the Four Kingdoms."
Xiao PingYang's hand that was holding the chopsticks and selecting the vegetables stopped for a brief second, her lips pursed slightly, and then she continued to eat in a calm manner.
"Oh, I see, isn't the road towards the Village crossing over a battlefield?" As if wanting to arouse the people's appetite, the young man frowned and continued: "My fellow guests, as you may know, not long ago the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Yan Kingdom fought a war not far away from this town. The battlefield had just subsided, and there are many wronged souls wandering around."
Xiao YuAn asked with great interest: "How so?"
"I've heard from others that there's a madman there who's been going through the dead bodies every day, and no one knows what or who he's looking for!" The waiter said excitedly in a whisper, but as soon as he finished speaking, the shopkeeper took him by the ears and sent him to work.
The group took it as an odd ghost story and didn't take it to heart.
After the meal, Xiao PingYang suddenly took Princess Yongning's hand and said that she wanted to walk around the town with her, and of course, Princess Yongning happily agreed.
Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue went to the stables to feed the horses, leaving Xiao YuAn and the several guards of the Western Shu Kingdom to drink tea. However, before they could drink half a cup of tea, Princess Yongning suddenly came back and dragged Xiao YuAn out. Xiao PingYang was standing outside the restaurant, looking at them quietly.
Princess Yongning grabbed Xiao YuAn's sleeve and said somewhat hesitantly: "Gege, I'll go to the Western Shu Kingdom…"
Xiao YuAn was startled at first, but he reacted immediately.
AD
They're already at the Northern Kingdom's border, so Xiao PingYang should go West, and Princess Yongning naturally wanted to go with her. And even though the first and second female lead being together was still too much of a shock for Xiao YuAn, after spending a whole journey together, he was able to accept this magic plot and how they felt about each other along the way.
Xiao YuAn stretched out his hand and rubbed Princess Yongning's hair bun, then he said with a gentle smile adorning his face: "Take good care of yourself. You'll be alone in the Western Shu Kingdom after all, so if you're being bullied…"
"Bullied?" Xiao PingYang raised an eyebrow: "If they want to die so badly, then wouldn't it be more pleasurable to jump into a well, hang themselves or take poison?"
Xiao YuAn: "…."
To hear the Iron Masked Lady, Xiao PingYang, say such words, it was of a lifetime wish that Xiao YuAn always had while being a reader back then!
Princess Yongning bowed her head and pursed her lips, secretly smiling, full of sweetness.
Xiao YuAn coughed softly twice, and tried to tie up the bun of Princess Yongning, which she had kneaded herself: "After all, Ning'er was once the Princess of the Northern Kingdom, and her going to the Western Shu Kingdom to live relying on your charity…"
"Relaying on my charity?" Xiao PingYang wrapped her arms around Princess Yongning. "When the right time comes, Yongning will be my wife, the wife of the Western Shu Kingdom's General. And she'll be allowed to do whatever she wants, so who will be willing to do her harm?"
Xiao YuAn: "…."
Is this how you women stir up emotions?! Convince, convince, and convince with bold capital letters!
At any rate, Xiao YuAn, who had once memorized the quotations of the Tyrannical President, repeatedly recited these hundreds President's quotations in his mind over and over again, only to find that none of them could be actually used! Not a single word!
Dazzled by the show of love, Xiao YuAn quietly shut his mouth.
AD
Princess Yongning thought that he was thinking of the past, and now they must part ways, so she quickly pulled on his sleeve and said: "Gege, why don't you come with us to the Western Shu Kingdom?"
Xiao YuAn laughed: "No, I still want to live in seclusion."
Princess Yongning, whose eyes were red from the impending parting, nodded her head with extreme reluctance.
Xiao PingYang said: "Your Majesty, if you come to the Western Shu Kingdom, I can act as a matchmaker for you. My brother, the Prince, has a title in the Imperial City and he has a high position of power; but even then, he's pretty easy-going."
Wait, stop, stop! In order to not let Princess Yongning feel sad, you can even sell your own brother without any hesitation?
Xiao YuAn grinned and joked: "There's no need for that, I have somewhere to return to. I'm going…. what kind of expressions are you both giving me! I mean, to return to the farming life! Farming life! I'll get to know Taoyuan Village! I'll get to know how to plant beans at the foot of the mountain!"
He said his goodbye to them, but it was a lively goodbye. Afraid that he would let his mouth run wild, and the both of them would get sad, so they all laughed and promised to meet again in the future.
Chapter 95: Can't You See That The Red Leaves In The Mountain, Are Like Blood In The Eyes Of The Departed.1
When they once again set off towards the border of the Four Kingdoms, the once three carriages became one. Yang LiuAn took the merchant road, so there weren't any bumps or obstacles. After a long journey, Xiao YuAn suddenly asked: "Is this place the former battlefield?"
Yang LiAn, who was concentrating on controlling the horse, froze in shock for a brief moment when he heard the sudden question from Xiao YuAn, then quickly answered: "Yes, this is the former battlefield, Young Master."
Xiao YuAn hmmmned and lifted the curtain to look outside. After looking for a while, he suddenly said: "Can we go take a look?"
Yang LiuAn quickly turned the direction of the horse's head, and led the carriage towards the battlefield.
Although the battlefield no longer had the fighting and shouting of the soldiers, the place was desolate and barren; after the war, the bodies of the soldiers were buried or burned here. The people that passed by felt that this place was very spooky, after having experienced such a bitter situation.
After a few steps, the carriage had already stepped on several corpse remains. Xiao YuAn, without saying a word, stepped out of the carriage and buried the remains, one by one on the ground.
After walking for some time, he could already see the corpse pit not far away, which showed the brutality of the war. It was such a tragic sight that Xiao YuAn didn't let Yang LiuAn go any further, and as he got out of the carriage, he stepped on a hard object.
He was expecting it to be a bone or a broken halberd2, but it turned out to be a broken piece of a big wooden plaque.
Xiao YuAn bent down to pick it up, when he saw that there were the names of the soldiers and Generals of the Northern Kingdom written on the wooden plaque. At some point, the words at the bottom were very hard to read.
The wooden plaque was written by an unknown man, for the men that died in the battlefield3, that will never return home.
Xiao YuAn gripped the wooden plaque, looked far away, and inhaled deeply. He then lifted his robe, and knelt down to kowtow three times.
AD
Xiao Fengyue and Yang LiuAn, who were standing behind him, looked at each other and then kneeled down as well.
Xiao YuAn apologized in his heart, then thanked the dead soldiers before slowly getting up again and walking back to the carriage.
The carriage slowly moved forward again, heavily crushing the land, leaving tracks behind. Xiao YuAn lifted the curtain and silently took a look, when unexpectedly, his eyes suddenly shrank as he shouted to Yang LiuAn: "Stop! Stop!"
Yang LiuAn, who was completely stunned by Xiao YuAn's sudden shouting, held the reins in a panicked state.
Xiao Fengyue was very confused, so he asked: "What's wrong, Young Master?"
Xiao YuAn swallowed dryly as he stared into the desolate distance: "I think I saw someone."
Xiao Fengyue said unconvinced: "Young Master, this place looks like a mass grave to normal people, but it shouldn't-…"
Xiao Fengyue couldn't finish what he was trying to say, because when he raised his eyes, he also saw a person at the distance.
On the far side of the pit, a dark figure was turning over the corpses.
The scene in front of him was quite strange, but Xiao YuAn wasn't afraid. He jumped out of the carriage and then walked towards the dark shadow step by step, vaguely feeling that he knew who it was.
The man was unkempt, skinny, with blood staining his ragged clothes. There weren't any clean spots on his whole body, and when he heard the sound of footsteps, he didn't react. Instead, he kept on shaking the rotting corpse dressed in the armor of the Northern Kingdom. His eyes were dilated as he murmured: "Wake up, don't sleep. The Southern Yan Kingdom is coming. Get up and defend the Imperial City…. wake up… defend the City…."
Xiao YuAn instantly recognized this voice and with that, he knew who this person was. His hands and feet became cold, his heart felt as if it had been dug out of his body.
AD
Yes, it's him. He was the last curse that the Northern Kingdom placed on Xiao YuAn, stabbing him in the back, a cruel reminder that he couldn't protect the Northern Kingdom at all.
Xiao YuAn half-kneeled in front of the man, as he reached out to hold the man's wrist that kept on shaking the corpse. His voice was harsh and hoarse: "Xie Chungui, Xie Chungui, it's over. Everything is over."
Xie Chungui suddenly froze in place, stopped what he was doing, and then he turned his head to look at Xiao YuAn. After a long time, something flashed through his eyes. He quickly turned around and knelt down in front of Xiao YuAn, holding his wrist in a tight grip: "Your Majesty! Do you know where General Li is? I've delivered the rations! I delivered them! You asked me to go help him! With the military rations, we will be able to stop the invasion of the Southern Yan Kingdom! Where's General Li?"
Xie Chungui was shouting almost like a maniac, strangling Xiao YuAn's hand and leaving behind red marks on the skin, almost breaking his wrist.
Xiao YuAn knelt down with him, face to face, as he took a deep long breath. As if he had exerted all his strength before he was finally able to speak: "Xie Chungui, Li Wuding, he… he's dead."
Xie Chungui, who seemed to be struck by lightning, suddenly froze in place.
Yes, Li Wuding was dead, he had known this for a long time now. Li Wuding was dead and the Northern Kingdom also was conquered by the enemy. Xie Chungui's faith in life had long since disappeared.
Xie Chungui suddenly stood up and roared to the skies, with his eyes completely red: "Liar! All of this is pure lies! He said he would protect the Northern Kingdom! That's not him! He's not dead! He won't break his promise! You're all lying to me! All of you are lying to me! He has always said it! That the Northern Kingdom will not fall! There's no way!"
The voice of the young man, almost cracking his throat, echoed through Heaven and Earth. His eyes were pale as he kept asking questions, over and over again, that no one, not even the Heavens, dared to answer.
Finally, the shouting turned into a hoarse cry, and the grief into helplessness. Never again wanting to remember about the past.
Chapter 96: Are You Wounded? It Was Arranged.
The East wind freely surfaces through the innumerable purple and red flowers1 in Taoyuan Village.
Even though it was called a village, it was actually more like a small town. It was small, but perfectly formed2, it had everything it should have, and the people didn't need more.
In the village, the only medicinal shop looked quaint and simple. As soon as people got close to it, they could smell the bitter aroma of herbal medicine. Zhang Changsong, who was over 50 years old, was taking a nap on a bamboo chair outside the door of the building; and beside him, was a pot of boiling medicine. The boiling soup lifted the lid of the pot with steam and bubbles.
Two merchants who were passing by, heading towards the exit of the village, were also loudly talking to each other: "This Southern Yan Kingdom is very remarkable, it conquered the Northern Kingdom just a year ago, and now they're sending troops to attack the Eastern Wu Kingdom?"
"You don't know that when the Southern Yan was first conquered by the Northern Kingdom, the Eastern Wu Kingdom used the opportunity to take a piece of their territory? So, do you really think that now that the Southern Yan Kingdom has finally risen, they won't dare to fight the Eastern Wu Kingdom?"
"Hey, that's not what I meant. I was just saying, why the Southern Yan Kingdom doesn't take a break for two or more years? Instead, they're fighting like it's an everyday thing?"
"The Monarch of the Southern Yan Kingdom is one of a kind, the first of his generation in becoming a powerful, bright ruler. He's still so young, and has been in power for only one year; but look at him, his achievements are remarkable."
"I've heard that the Monarch of the Southern Yan Kingdom not only knows how to govern the Country, but he also knows how to fight a war. What's more, it's said that you'll be astonished after seeing how handsome he is! Is that even true?"
"Ha! How would I know about that?! I haven't even seen him!"
As the voices of the two merchants faded away, Zhang Changsong opened his eyes and looked at the boiling pot of medicine. He then shook the large fan in his hand and continued his nap.
Taoyuan Village is a magical place that is located at the border of the Four Kingdoms… well, that's what it used to be called, now it's "The border of the Three Kingdoms".
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At the border, it's natural that the surrounding area is the place where the battles are fought. However, Taoyuan Village has never been invaded by war. It was a safe and secure place, for generations after generations, as if there was a divine providence protecting it from the shadows.
Taoyuan Village doesn't belong to any Country, the people living here are in peace, they're hardworking and self-sufficient. And even though some merchants and tourists often pass by, none of the natives had ever left and no one new moved to the village. It was obvious that this village didn't intend to hide away, but it really seemed like paradise on earth.
Until two years ago.
Two years ago, two good-looking youths came here. They bought a mansion, and settled down.
For the first time, the villagers met outsiders that wanted to live in the village, and at first, they were very wary of them. Later on, they found that the two young men were very helpful, warm and kind, so they gradually accepted them.
After the two youths settled down, one became a salt trader and the other was in charge of the house. The two of them at first had very little family background3, but after working hard for half a year, their family became more and more prosperous.
The simple minded people of the village were getting used to the fact that there were two more young people there. Apart from the matchmaker living on the West side of the village, who wanted to find good husbands for the eldest daughters of the village, it didn't seem like much had changed.
Until another year ago.
A year ago, the two young men received some news, although no one knew what it was about. They hurriedly packed their bags and left, leaving the large mansion to the care of a lonely aunt.
More than half a month later, the two youths returned to the village.
They brought two teenagers back with them. One was a handsome young man, unfortunately, he was also a bit bad in the head.
The other one was extremely beautiful, he acts and laughs like an immortal. Someone who once visited the Imperial City of the Eastern Wu Kingdom, shouts at everyone he meets, that even the top girls in the Drunken Flower Building can't compare to him!
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When Zhang Changsong first saw Xiao YuAn, he, like everyone else, thought that he was a rich Young Master who had to live in seclusion for some reason; and since he had to live like that, he was too shy to speak with people.
Now, Zhang Changsong just wants to go back in time and slap himself in the face: Zhang Changsong, ah Zhang Changsong, you're only over 50 years old, you can't be blind this early on, right?
The red sun was hanging over the hill. After taking a nap, Zhang Changsong picked up an old piece of cloth, folded it in half, and placed it on top of the boiling pot of medicine. Like this, he lifted the lid of the pot. The aroma of the bitter herbal medicine was overwhelming.
Zhang Changsong nodded his head with satisfaction. He stroked his beard, raised his head and squinted at the view. The village was enveloped in the glow of the setting sun, such sight was very peaceful, comforting, and… What the fuck!
In the distance, there was a man running towards him in a hurry, on his back was a soldier with blood all over his body. The man shouted as he got closer: "Shifu4! Save him!"
Zhang Changsong put his hand on his forehead and slowed down for a long time. When the man came closer, he was so angry that he knocked on his shoulder: "Xiao YuAn! You're giving me trouble again! Sooner or later, my little medical shop is going to be ruined by you!"
Even though Zhang Changsong was scolding him, he didn't stop Xiao YuAn, even letting him carry the wounded person into the medical shop to treat him.
Xiao YuAn replied with a smile: "Shifu, I'll pay for the medicine."
Zhang Changsong glared at him, his nose was scornfully out of breath: "Hmph!"
A head poked out from behind the medicine cabinet, it was a young man with decent features: "Hey! Another one? That's eight this month! It's because the Southern Yan Kingdom and the Eastern Wu Kingdom are at war?"
Xiao YuAn eased his breath and nodded: "I just went to pick up medicinal herbs, and found him by chance."
"I think you're really fated with these soldiers. Usually, when I go to pick up medicinal herbs, I never meet them." Zhang Baizhu threw a clean white cloth to Xiao YuAn. "Clean yourself. Look at you, you're covered in blood. If you go out, you'll frighten Aunt Ma across the street to death."
AD
Xiao YuAn smiled and replied: "It will be good for her to be scared to death. Every time I run into her, she asks me if LiuAn and Fengyue have married some girl, and then says how nice Xiao-yu'er, from the West side of the village, is… Hey, Zhang Baizhu, you said I'm good-looking, but why doesn't Aunt Ma try to play matchmaker for me?"
Zhang Baizhu looked at him from head to toe: "You? What girl would dare to marry a man that's more beautiful than herself?"
Zhang Changsong's forehead veins showed up, and he was at the end of his patience. He couldn't help to curse at the two of them: "Okay! Stop with that nonsense! This man is still spitting blood, and the both of you are still calmly chatting around him! Get over here and help!"
"Dad! Don't get angry, don't get angry. Life is like a play, we meet each other because of fate." Zhang Baizhu said, as he helped to apply the medicine.
"What's the point of losing your temper over small things. Why bother?" Xiao YuAn pressed down on the bloody wound of the soldier as he shut the man's mouth, so as to not hear him scream.
"Don't get angry at us for not being as good as you!"
"There's no one that can replace you when you're sad or hurt!"
"Dad, ah!"
"Oh, Shifu!"
In unison, they both said: "Don't get angry, okay? Don't get angry!"
As soon as their words fell, the dying soldier violently coughed up a mouthful of blood and passed out again.
Zhang Changsong: "….."
AD
What the hell did he do in his past life to deserve these two sons of a bitch?
Chapter 97: Are You Alive? It Was Arranged.
Zhang Changsongs's wife passed away young, leaving no children behind. Zhang Changsong was also a faithful man and didn't get married again. He kept the small medicinal shop left by his ancestors and lived a full life, with no worries for a family.
As a result, at the age of 35, he picked up an infant, Zhang Baizhu.
Zhang Changsong is a man with a big temper, but with a soft heart. After picking up Zhang Baizhu, he treated him like his own son, and didn't treat him badly. Even the people of the village who knew that Zhang Baizhu wasn't his biological son never mentioned it, and they all shouted for them like: "Daifu1 Zhang, Daifu Xiao-Zhang!"
Then, half a year ago, Xiao YuAn, who was by now well acquainted with the villagers, suddenly came to ask Zhang Changsong if he could accept him as an apprentice. When Zhang Changsong asked him why, Xiao YuAn said that he wanted to cure his Didi2.
Indeed, there was a sick young man in Xiao YuAn's residence, and he heard that his surname was Xie.
What's more, their residence is really strange. It was a family of four brothers living in Taoyuan Village, but everyone's surname was different.
Zhang Changsong thought about it, but didn't refuse.
And then, there was this scene today.
After working for a whole hour, the three of them finally pulled the soldier back from the Guimen pass3. Zhang Changsong wiped the sweat off his forehead, glared at the two brats, and then turned around to take a rest.
Zhang Baizhu looked through the soldier's belongings and said: "Oh! He's from the Eastern Wu Kingdom. Wait, will you carry him to your home?"
Xiao YuAn replied with a smile: "Yes, I don't want to trouble you."
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"
Zhang Changsong, who was resting on the bamboo recliner, snorted ferociously.
The two of them had already gotten used to Xiao YuAn's sharp tongue and soft heart for a long time now; and they didn't take it to heart at all, so Zhang Baizhu said: "You said that you want to save these people. But why do you always put the Southern Yan and Eastern Wu soldiers to heal in the same room? Won't this lead to a fight?"
"Well, if it's a matter of life and death, what's the big deal? and…" Xiao YuAn murmured in a low voice: "In a few years, it'll be one big Country, and they'll belong to the same side anyways."
Zhang Baizhu couldn't hear him clearly: "What?"
Xiao YuAn shook his head: "It doesn't matter."
Zhang Changsong roared: "Do you both still have the time to chat? Have you taken care of the herbs in the garden?"
Zhang Baizhu's feet were quick to run away, and Xiao YuAn wanted to follow him, preparing himself to run away. However, Zhang Changsong stopped him: "Xiao YuAn, get your ass over here!"
Xiao YuAn behaved himself and walked over to him.
Zhang Changsong eased his breath and asked: "Your brother's illness, is he better?"
Xiao YuAn was startled and shook his head helplessly.
Zhang Changsong sighed: "Go grab some more tranquilizing medicine before you go. He's suffering from heartache, he can't be too anxious. His recovery is up to the will of Heaven."
"Yes, thank you, Shifu." Xiao YuAn saluted him4.
AD
"And don't go too far away to pick up medicinal herbs. There's a war at the borders, and the weapons don't have eyes. If you're not careful enough, they'll poke a big hole in you, and then, you won't even have a place to cry!" Zhang Changsong said to him with a strong and fierce tone of voice.
"I got it, I understand." Xiao YuAn replied with a smile.
"Fine. Also, this man is badly injured, so it's better to not move him. Let him recover here. The other two you saved before, are they out of the village?" Zhang Changsong asked.
"Yes, the Southern Yan and the Eastern Wu soldiers, who were recovering from their wounds, fought each other in my home earlier and were too embarrassed to stay; so I gave them some medicine and sent them back to their respective barracks." Xiao YuAn said.
Zhang Changsong glared at him: "You're indeed5… Why did you have to put them together in the same room? Their two Countries are fighting a war at the border, how can they not fight when they see each other? All right, all right, all right. Go get the medicine and go back home."
Xiao YuAn smiled in response as he went to the medicine cabinet to grab some medicine . After that, he told Zhang Changsong that he will come see him tomorrow, and then he carried the medicine back towards the East street.
As the sun set, a few eldery people came out from their homes to cool off. Xiao YuAn greeted them one by one, and also played with the children in the street for a while. After having some fun, he returned to his residence.
The residence wasn't big. It had a small courtyard, a few wing rooms, a few willow trees in the fish pond, and a stone table, which was filled with Aunt's fragrant and delicious food.
At that moment, the Third Aunt was coming out of the kitchen with some vegetables when she saw Xiao YuAn: "YuAn, you're back just in time. Dinner is ready, quickly go and call Chungui."
This residence originally belonged to Third Aunt, whose husband used to be a wealthy and famous merchant. However, the businessman got into trouble with some bandits and died, leaving her behind with an empty mansion. Third Aunt was an arrogant lady and she was unwilling to remarry; so she became a widow, and lived alone for several years.
When Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue arrived at the village at the beginning of the month, they were asking around for an available place where they could buy a house. Third Aunt went to find them and told them that she was willing to sell her house at a low price, but she wanted to keep living there, and that the structure and decoration of the house couldn't be changed.
Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue naturally agreed to her conditions.
"
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Third Aunt wasn't suspicious of them, even though their identities were a mystery, she didn't bother to ask. After living together and getting along for more than half a year, she already knew that they were good people.
Third Aunt was also very diligent and couldn't bear to see these grown men having a rough time. She washes and cooks for them, and even though everyone told her to not overwork herself, she says that she's happy like this. After all, she has been alone for most of her life, and now, she can treat these four young men as her own sons.
Xiao YuAn smiled at her: "Third Aunt had worked hard today, I'll go call him right away."
Xiao YuAn walked out of the East wing and came across a room. The windows of the room were wide open and there was a pot of orchids on the table in front of the window, which emitted a delicate fragrance. Looking through the window, Xiao YuAn saw a man bending over a desk, calculating the accounts. His appearance was serious and careful.
Chapter 98: A Wedding? It Was Arranged.
Xiao YuAn folded his hands over his head, laid his body against the windowsill, and shouted with a smile on his face: "Fengyue, dinner's ready."
Xiao Fengyue raised his head and looked at the window: "Young Master? Oh, I'm aware of that, I'll go in a minute."
"Is LiuAn not back from his trip yet?" Xiao YuAn asked.
"LiuAn came back this afternoon. He's probably taking inventory of the goods right now, Young Master." Xiao Fengyue replied.
Xiao YuAn then said while smiling: "I'll go call Chungui." After that, he went towards the East wing.
Xiao Fengyue put down the account book in his hands, and fell in a trance for a brief moment.
He thought about the Emperor, who had been loved by thousands of people ever since he was born. He could have the wind and the rain, but now he had to run away in disgrace. He should be a proud and arrogant man, despising the world that treated him like this. Unexpectedly, he was very easy-going, and he adapted really quickly to his current situation. Indeed, the wind starts at the end of Qingping, and ends between the grass1.
The most inexplicable thing was that when the Emperor arrived at Taoyuan Village, he said that he was going to change his name. However, Xiao Fengyue and Yang LiuAn understood. After all, he was the former Emperor of a former Dynasty, and in case he met a person who knew about his true identity, it would be hard to explain his current situation.
But, to their surprise, the Emperor not only changed his own name, but he also changed his surname. He said that his new surname will be Xiao, and his name YuAn.
Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue felt very confused, but they didn't dare to ask anything more; because regardless of whether he changed his surname and name or not, they still called him 'Young Master', so they wouldn't be uncomfortable.
Xiao Fengyue settled down his mind, got up and went to the main hall. As he passed by the courtyards, he saw from afar a man washing his face and hands. The crystal clear drops of water reflected the bright sunshine, sliding down the side of the man's face, and staining his front lapel a dark color. When he heard footsteps approaching, Yang LiuAn turned around. When he saw that it was Xiao Fengyue, his eyebrows curled out with an undisguised smile: "A-Yue!"
AD
Xiao Fengyue listened to the wanton and magnanimous 'A-Yue', only to feel the warm sunshine hitting the softest part of his heart. He took a few steps forwards towards Yang LiuAn. With one hand pulling his own sleeve, he wiped the water drops on Yang LiuAn's face: "Just finished with the inventory?"
Yang LiuAn allowed Xiao Fengyue to wipe the water off his face and then nodded: "Yes, I just returned to the residence when I met a messenger, who gave me a letter from the Western Shu Kingdom, for the Young Master."
"It must be a letter from the Princess. I'll give it to the Young Master after dinner." Xiao Fengyue raised a warm smile.
Yang LiuAn nodded: "Of course. Let's go to the dining room quickly, Third Aunt announced that dinner was ready a moment ago."
"Yes." Xiao Fengyue, without losing the smile on his face, held Yang LiuAn's shoulders with both hands, tilting his head up and kissing him gently on the lips.
Yang LiuAn naturally put his arm around Xiao Fengyue's waist as he closed his eyes to kiss his cold lips, warming them for a brief moment before they separated.
After the kiss, they chatted about their day and walked towards the dining room, when suddenly, they heard the sound of things falling to the ground coming from the East Wing. They both stopped walking and looked at each other at the same time.
"Should we go to have a look?" Yang LiuAn asked hesitantly.
Xiao Fengyue pondered about it for a while. He shook his head and said: "We better don't go, the Young Master will deal with it. I'm afraid that we will just add more chaos if we go."
Yang LiuAn looked sideways towards the location of the East Wing, and nodded silently with a sigh.
At that moment, in the East Wing, Xiao YuAn bent down to pick up the inkstone that was dropped by Xie Chungui, and gently placed it on the table.
Xie Chungui's hands were full of ink stains, and there were dozens of pieces of rice paper in front of him, each paper filled with names. Li Wuding's name was the first, and then the names of all the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom, that Xie Chungui could remember, followed. The two characters of the Northern Kingdom were closely written behind the names. Of course, the handwriting was correct, but the way it looked was like the appearance of a fierce beast, waving its teeth and claws.
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"Chungui, Chungui." Xiao YuAn, after placing the inkstone down, stretched out his hand and held Xie Chungui's writing hand: "Dinner's ready."
Xiao YuAn took the trouble to repeat the words over and over again, until finally, Xie Chungui stopped moving his hand. Looking up at Xiao YuAn, his face showing the ignorance and innocence only an eight or nine year old could express.
Xiao YuAn pulled him out of the wing room and took him to the courtyard, fetching a basin filled with fresh water, and washed Xie Chungui's hands for him.
Xiao YuAn once entrusted someone to go to the Northern Kingdom to inquire about the whereabouts of the Xie Family, however, the news he got were devastating: The day the Northern Kingdom fell, the whole Xie family hanged themselves in their house. They swore to live and die with the Country, and no one survived.
"Xiao-gege, Xiao-gege, what will we eat at dinner?" Xie Chungui blinked and asked Xiao YuAn.
"Hmm…" Xiao YuAn pretended to think it over, then looked up and smiled: "I think Third Aunt has made stewed duck soup."
"Wow! I love to eat this!" Xie Chungui cheered and ran towards the main hall without wiping his hands.
Xiao YuAn heeded behind him a few times, but didn't call out to him. He shrugged helplessly and poured out the dirty water with ink from the basin, walking to the main hall afterwards.
In the main hall, Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue were sitting at the table without moving their chopsticks, obviously waiting for him. Xie Chungui was already drinking the duck soup directly from the bowl, like a happy kid.
When they first came to Taoyuan Village a year ago, Yang LiuAn and Xiao Fengyue were planning to share the table with Xiao YuAn, but they were also always concerned about their own inferior status; so they wanted to flatter and support Xiao YuAn in everything. Xiao YuAn corrected them many times before gradually getting used to it.
"Young Master." After seeing Xiao YuAn sitting down at the table, Yang LiuAn handed over a letter.
"Oh? What's this?" Xiao YuAn took it with a doubtful look on his face.
AD
"A letter from the Western Shu Kingdom."
"Western Shu Kingdom?" Slightly surprised, Xiao YuAn opened it and read its contents over and over again, so shocked that he almost stood up.
"What's wrong, Young Master?" Xiao Fengyue and Yang LiuAn were very puzzled.
Xiao YuAn put away the letter, calmed down, and said: "Ning'er and Xiao PingYang are getting married and invited me to the wedding ceremony in the Imperial City of the Western Shu Kingdom."
Chapter 99: Fame? It Was Arranged.
Xiao YuAn was in a daze while pounding medicine, staring at nothing as he did so.
Oh friends, when the first and second female leads of a stallion novel are together and about to get married, what else is impossible in life?!
Life! It's full of surprise and fright everywhere!
But, in this situation, will Xiao Pingyang still ascend the throne? If so, how would Yan HeQing unify the Four Kingdoms?
Xiao YuAn was absentmindedly pounding the medicine, when suddenly, a head popped out: "Xiao YuAn, I heard that you're going to the Western Shu Kingdom, is that right?"
Xiao YuAn laughed: "Zhang Baizhu, you're way too well-informed."
Zhang Baizhu replied triumphantly: "That's right, I met Third Aunt this morning and chatted with her. But, um, hello! When are you leaving? When will you come back? What are you going to do in the Western Shu Kingdom? I've heard that all the women in the Western Shu are beautiful, but is it true? Do you know any girl from the Western Shu Kingdom? If you do, can you act as a matchmaker for me?"
"Zhang Baizhu, you asked me way too many questions at once, which one should I answer?" Xiao YuAn put the pounded medicine into a bag made out of cloth and then placed it onto the medicine cabinet. The whole time, he was smiling at Zhang Baizhu, like he was ridiculazing at him.
Zhang Baizhu held his hand and sat on the counter beside the medicine cabinet. After sitting down, his hands and legs seemed to tremble: "Answer the last two, if you know any girl, then tell her that I'm a good man with great achievements! I wonder if she's willing to marry someone that lives so far away from her home? Do you think it's better to have six or eight carriers for the sedan chair? And what do you think it's better, keeping the wedding banquet simple, or having a lively one?"
"Stop, stop, stop." Xiao YuAn rubbed his ears: "I do know one though, and she's extremely beautiful."
Zhang Baizhu's eyes brightened: "You aren't joking, are you?"
AD
"Of course I'm not joking!" Xiao YuAn nodded with incomparable certainty, then he gave a bad smile at Zhang Baizhu, who was full of expectation: "I'm going to the Western Shu Kingdom this time because the Western Shu woman I know is getting married."
Zhang Baizhu: "….. Then ask that girl if she has any other sisters! And even if she doesn't have any sister, then a distant relative is enough! If she doesn't have any distant relatives, then a good friend! If her friend is already married, then the friend's sister! If the friend doesn't have a sister, then the friend's other friend! If you can't, then the sister of a dear friend! Xiao YuAn, I'm serious! Just bring back a girl!"
"I'm going to visit some relatives, not to abduct someone."
"Excuses! It's all excuses! Eh, wait a minute, if you're going to visit your relatives, then you come from the Western Shu Kingdom? Really? I've heard that the mountains and rivers of the Western Shu Kingdom are dangerously steep, Is it true? I've also heard that the Western Shu-…"
Zhang Baizhu's ramblings were interrupted by a roar coming from the back hall: "Xiao YuAn! The person you saved has woken up!"
They looked at each other and hurriedly walked towards the back hall.
Zhang Changsong stroked his white beard as he stood beside the bed, examining the injuries of the soldier from the Eastern Wu Kingdom. When he saw Xiao YuAn and Zhang Baizhu coming in, he pointed at Xiao YuAn: "That's right, he's the one that carried you here."
The Eastern Wu soldier struggled to get out of bed and kneeled down: "My benefactor!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't move, don't move! You're still hurt, it'll be troublesome if the wound reopens." Xiao YuAn quickly helped the young soldier to get back onto the bed.
"May I ask this benefactor's personal name?!" The young soldier said.
After Xiao YuAn said his name, the young soldier's eyes suddenly widened: "Xiao YuAn? It's, is… is that Xiao YuAn?"
What the hell? Which one? How many Xiao YuAn are here?
AD
Xiao YuAn was bewildered as he heard Zhang Baizhu said, while glaring at him: "You're finished. Well, this guy knows about you. You must have some enemies from the past, or you must've commited a crime, and now that you've been recognized, will you have to run away? Where will you go? Will you run away to the Western Shu Kingdom? Ah, by the way, are the girls of the Western Shu Kingdom really that beautiful?"
Zhang Changsong couldn't help but to cough violently, and Zhang Baizhu shut up at once. Only then could the young soldier continue talking: "You saved several people from our barracks!"
Zhang Baizhu: "Oh, wow."
Xiao YuAn: "Oh, heh."
Zhang Baizhu: "Xiao YuAn, are you famous?"
Xiao YuAn: "No way, I'm just a cannon fodder, I'm thinking about the male lead's future."
Zhang Baizhu: "Xiao-xiong's speech is always so profound and unpredictable that I can't understand it. I admire you! Now, let's talk about the Western Shu Kingdom's girls…"
Zhang Changsong: "…. The both of you, shut up! Can we let this Xiongdi talk! If you go on talking like this, it's going to become dark outside!"
The two of them shut up nicely, as they turned their amiable eyes onto the young soldier.
The young soldier suddenly became the focal point, and he was too nervous to speak: "Uh… Uh…. I….. You…. I, I, I…."
Xiao YuAn thought for a moment and asked: "What's your name?"
The young soldier stumbled: "Bao, Bao Yinxin."
Zhang Baizhu said happily: "Xiongdi, why do you have a girly name?1"
Bao Yinxin blushed as he replied quietly: "When I was a child, I was always sick, and my parents thought that it would be good to have a girl's name to support my sickly condition."
Xiao YuAn said: "I see that you have no problem moving around, you can move to my residence to recover from your injuries. My Shifu's medical shop is small, and there's not much space for you to live in."
However, Bao Yinxin shook his head abruptly: "Thank you, benefactor, but the war ahead is raging, I have to hurry back to the barracks. When we win the war, I'll definitely come back to thank you properly!"
After saying that, Bao Yinxin was about to get out of bed.
Zhang Changsong held him down, blowing his beard and staring at him: "What's the hurry? You're only just able to move, what can you do in this state if you go to the front line like this?"
Bao Yinxin said anxiously: "Thank you for your kindness, but my brothers are fighting for their lives. How can I stay here and live a life in vain2?!"
Zhang Changsong wasn't moved by his words, instead, he was so angry that he scratched his beard. Zhang Baizhu poked Xiao YuAn with his arm: "Aren't you going to say anything?"
Xiao YuAn thought about it, stepped forward towards Zhang Changsong, and said softly: "Shifu, let him go. He won't be persuaded."
Zhang Changsong was completely stunned as he looked at Xiao YuAn with extremely complicated eyes, then he waved his hand: "Fine, fine, since he won't be persuaded, then I won't try to persuade him otherwise."
After saying that, Zhang Changsong no longer paid attention to them. He got up and went to the main hall. Xiao YuAn grabbed two pairs of medicine, both for external application, and gave it to Bao Yinxin: "You can get out of the village and walk to the east."
Bao Yinxin thanked him again: "Thank you, benefactor! I'll repay your kindness! After the great victory of the Eastern Wu Kingdom, I'll definitely come with a large amount of money to repay your kindness!"
Xiao YuAn stuttered for a while, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He just made a gesture to indicate to him that he could go.
Chapter 100: Meeting You By Accident? It Was Arranged.
The young soldier, Bao Yinxin, left with a wound and two pairs of medicine, a golden glow falling behind him. Zhang Baizhu patted Xiao YuAn's shoulder: "If the Eastern Wu Kingdom defeats the Southern Yan Kingdom, will they have to send a small team here to thank you?"
Xiao YuAn shook his head. He wanted to smile, but his mouth was full of bitterness. He had to stop trying to smile as he turned around, walking back into the medical shop in silence.
Zhang Changsong was bent over the medicine cabinet to grab some medicine, when he saw Xiao YuAn walk in. He glanced at him and asked: "When are you going to the Western Shu Kingdom?"
Xiao YuAn replied: "I'll leave the day after tomorrow."
Zhang Changsong nodded and tossed him a small medicine bag: "I've heard that there are many poisonous insects in the Western Shu Kingdom. If you wear this, you'll be less likely to get bitten by them. Also, in recent years, there has been a lot of wars; and even though the Western Shu Kingdom has been a safe space, it's still a long journey. You should be more careful."
Xiao YuAn bent his eyes as he took the medicine bag, putting it inside his clothes. "Yes, I know. Thank you, Shifu."
Zhang Changsong coughed: "If you can, act as a matchmaker for Baizhu."
After saying that, Zhang Changsong's face was red, the blush even spread on his neck. He hurriedly walked from the main hall to the back hall. Xiao YuAn was completely stunned for a brief moment, when he came back to reality, he started to laugh out loud: "Shifu, I know! I'll find him-…"
A loud roar suddenly came from the back hall: "Don't shout so loud, you damn brat!"
Zhang Baizhu poked his head from behind the door: "What, what, what?"
From the back hall the loud roar continued: "Nothing! Go sun dry the medicinal herbs!"
AD
…
On the seventh day of July, in the Western Shu Kingdom, the color red was spread all over the Imperial City. The gong sounds and the Suona1 could be heard everywhere. The high pitched voices echoed in every corner, and the streets were bustling with people2, even a drop of water couldn't leak out3.
"Heavens, whose young lady is getting married with such great pomp?" Said a surprised man.
"Hahaha!" Some bystanders were laughing at him. "You're clearly not from the Western Shu Kingdom, are you? In the land of Jiuzhou4, what woman of any family would have such a show?"
"And she is?"
"She's the Princess of the Western Shu Kingdom, Princess PingYang, is getting married!"
"So that's how it is!"
As soon as the voices of the passersby fell silent, the wedding procession, which had no tail in sight, came bustling along. What's even more surprising, was that there wasn't a Prince riding on a big horse wearing wedding clothing in the procession!
Instead, there were two big sedan chairs carried by eight men, with carvings of Luan5 and Phoenixes on them. One in front of the other, walked slowly towards the General's residence, accompanied by the lively wedding music in the background.
The General's residence was already filled with red lanterns and covered with red gauze, decorated with lots of lights all around. When the sedan chairs landed safely at the gate of the General's mansion, the maids beside the sedan chairs lifted up the curtains, and helped Yongning and Xiao PingYang, who were wearing embroidered Phoenix red veils.
Amidst the sound of congratulations from the guests, the two women were helped into the hall.
Xiao YuAn watched the two women wearing the Phoenix-crowned veils slowly walking towards him. Since he was Yongning's Elder Brother, and since her father was dead, Xiao YuAn was considered as Princess Yongning Gaotang6.
AD
Although he couldn't see their faces under the red veil now, Xiao YuAn could still imagine how unique and stunningly beautiful they should be looking right now.
When Xiao YuAn arrived at the Western Shu Kingdom, the two girls couldn't wait to talk with him about how much they missed each other, and what they had experienced in the year or so since the last time they saw each other. The two girls spoke only of goodwill to him, and passed over all malice.
However, Xiao YuAn could still guess how many hardships and obstacles they must have gone through to get to this point.
Princess Yongning, coming from an unknown origin, spent so much effort just to be acknowledged.
Making accommodations7, and being inferior to others, were things that this Princess, who had been held as a jewel ever since she was born, had to experience.
In order to live in seclusion with Princess Yongning, Xiao PingYang not only gave up competing for the throne with her brothers, but also planned to give up her position as General in the future.
The thorns along the way bruised the two girls. Fortunately, today, the Lord of Heaven didn't disappoint these two beautiful women.
The wedding banquet was attended by the Xiao Royal family. Because in the original book the Western Shu Kingdom has the element of female pride and dignity, most of the Royal family with the Xiao surname were women. They were also very elegant, and didn't involve themselves into the vulgarity of drinking and shouting.
Xiao YuAn is aware that he's an outsider. As he was quietly watching the dancing while drinking wine, he couldn't help but overhear the conversations and addresses of the women beside him, and think…
Hey, this one will be one of Yan HeQing's wives in the future.
This other one will also be Yan HeQing's wife.
Oh, another wife.
AD
And another Yan HeQing's future wife.
So in the original book, and just from the Xiao Royal family alone, did Yan HeQing really sleep with so many girls?!
In addition to beautiful women, the Western Shu Kingdom is also famous for its wine. There was no need to mention how intoxicating the Princess's wedding wine was, but he even drank a whole jar of wine. Xiao YuAn's head was heavy and his feet were light8, his whole body felt like it was floating.
He got up unsteadily, wanting to pee, and after asking some people, he drunkenly walked to the back garden of the General's mansion. Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out of the main hall, he collided with a man.
Xiao YuAn's head was pounding with pain. For a moment, he lowered his head, covered it, and then inhaled softly. At the same time, he heard someone screaming behind him, "Wangye!"
"I'm fine." The man held Xiao YuAn's arm and smiled warmly behind him, indicating that he was unharmed. Then he looked back at Xiao YuAn to ask him: "Xiongdi, are you hurt anywhere?"
Xiao YuAn rubbed his head and waved his hand: "No, no."
"That's good."
"Xiao-Wangye, Princess PingYang is still waiting for you." A young man urged him.
"Ah… right, let's go." The man nodded as he released Xiao YuAn and walked away.
Xiao YuAn, who was in a trance because of the pain, felt that the voice of that man was particularly familiar. He rubbed his head and turned around to look. However, because of his drunk state, he could only see a vague and blurry figure walking away.
It was reasonable to say that from the Western Shu Kingdom, he didn't know anyone other than Xiao PingYang, so Xiao YuAn thought this weird feeling was just his own delusion as he rubbed his head and walked towards the garden.
AD
After peeing and being blown by the cool breeze from the garden, Xiao YuAn's head was now much more clear. At least, he wouldn't be fidgeting on his feet and seeing people as blurry shadows.
Xiao YuAn didn't hurry back to the main hall, instead, he wandered around the garden. The scenery was very beautiful, but unfortunately, the buzzing of the mosquitoes made Xiao YuAn feel very annoyed. He touched his waist, only to find out that at some time, which Xiao YuAn wasn't aware of, the medicinal bag Zhang Changsong gave to him to repel insects had gone missing. It should've been when he was still in a drunken state that the bag must have fallen, without him noticing.
Xiao YuAn had no choice but to go back to the main hall; however, when he stepped in, a black-clothed Imperial bodyguard, with a sword at his waist, suddenly stopped in front of him. Xiao YuAn was so shocked that he took half a step back and thought to himself 'I didn't do anything'.
The Imperial bodyguard, with a straight face, reached out and handed over a small medicine bag to him: "Before, when you two collided, this fell off from you. Wangye picked it up and asked me to give it back to you."
Xiao YuAn nodded his head in sudden realization and said: "Thank you."
The Imperial bodyguard nodded, turned around, and walked towards a man standing at the gate of the mansion. After the Imperial bodyguard briefly whispered to the man, the man nodded and walked out of the General's mansion.
Xiao YuAn's eyes followed the Imperial bodyguard's footsteps all the way, until finally, he stopped at Wangye's face.
However, after a single glance, all of a sudden Xiao YuAn felt that all the blood in his body was rushing to his head. The wine he had just drunk was rattling through his limbs. His body was so stiff that he felt like he couldn't breathe properly, and his eyes, who intensively stared at that man, couldn't believe what he had just seen a moment ago.
That Wangye was dressed in a silver and white embroidered crane robe. His clear and elegant features were really handsome, his eyes were warm and moist, and the corners of his mouth were raised in a beautiful and heroic smile.
This Wangye, and Xiao YuAn's original appearance from his previous life, looked exactly the same. Even in terms of height and figure. It was exactly the same.
