Chapter 25 The Master's Thirteenth Time!

Chapter 25

Ye Xiren considered whether she should restart the process to save Yan Danqing.

But there was gunpowder buried in the dungeon, and Chi Zhan Lan Ce was keeping a close eye on the Imperial Prison. Reopening it would not only revive Yan Dan Qing, but also Chi Zhan Lan Ce. She couldn't think of a way to save people for the time being, so she could only leave first.

Today marks her thirteenth life. Having died twelve times, she has never seen the fourth day of the third month. All her time has revolved around the peace talks on the third day of the third month. Now, the peace talks have been fundamentally ended, and she has been reborn... Will this be the end of her life?

Thinking of this, Ye Xi's heart skipped a beat, and unease spread through her.

If her rebirth ends completely, she will never have another chance to save General Yan. Such a fine young general, someone who could bring hope to the Great Liang... Damn Chi Zhanlan Ce!

After settling Ma Shan and the others in, Ye Xiren returned to the Sui'an Hall in the front courtyard of the Ye family. Her expression was not very good.

"What happened to you?" Liao Changying rushed forward and was shocked to see blood splattered on her. "Xixi, are you hurt?!"

Ye Xiren looked down and realized how disheveled she looked. Her clothes were covered in dust and dirt from her hiding, and there was also blood splattered from Chi Zhanlan Ce...

"Mother, I'm fine, don't worry." She wiped the dust off her face, shook her head, and said calmly, "It's not my blood."

Liao Changying pulled her close and stroked her all over, looking very worried.

Ye Pei walked over, his brows furrowed: "Where have you been? Your mother said you left early this morning, why are you only coming back now? And in this state?"

As soon as he returned, he sent someone to look for his daughter. The person who sent the search party had just left when she returned.

Only then did Ye Xiren realize that Zhao Shi and Liao Changying were both in Sui'an Hall, as well as Ye Changming, who was in a sling and leaning on a cane. The Ye family was all gathered together. Ye Pei was wearing a vermilion court robe and had just returned.

Hearing this series of questions, she shook her head and only managed to utter four words:

It's a long story.

What did she do all day?

First, she knocked out her father, retrieved Yan Danqing's token, then went to find Ma Shan to arrest the merchant and interrogate him. She returned with all the evidence and handed it to her father. Then she met with Ma Shan, threatened Lu Qian to see Yan Danqing, killed Chi Zhanlan Ce after being released from the imperial prison, and discussed the follow-up with Ma Shan and others...

Ye Xiren was so tired that she could barely speak. She waved her hand, sat down on a black lacquered nanmu chair on one side of Sui'an Hall, picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp before asking, "Father, why are you back so early? What's the situation in the court right now?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Pei sat down in the chair at the head of the table. His mouth was dry, so he also picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, then sighed.

"I don't know what happened. His Majesty, Minister Jiang, Councilor Zhang, and Councilor Liu seemed to have received some news and suddenly left in a hurry. The court meeting ended immediately, and the peace talks were not mentioned again. They just told us to come back first."

Zhao, already aware of the situation, shook her head: "It's good that you're not mentioning peace talks, but you've already presented the evidence, and the court is in an uproar. The Emperor didn't even say whether or not to release General Yan before adjourning the court..."

What kind of mess is this?!

"Dad, you still haven't said when that evidence was collected? Didn't you say before that there was no evidence?" Ye Changming asked curiously, his hand dangling from his arm.

Upon hearing this, Ye Pei turned to look at Ye Xiren, his eyes deep, "I'd also like to know where the evidence you gave me this morning came from?"

His daughter, a girl who rarely leaves the house, was angry yesterday that he was going to take the blame, but today she produced evidence that they had been investigating for a long time without success, and not just one piece, but with witnesses and physical evidence...

"What? Xixi gave it to you?!" Ye Changming almost jumped up, his voice rising in disbelief, "Where did you get this evidence? What's going on? How come I didn't know anything about it?"

“The morning court session had already started, and I was in a hurry to leave, so I didn’t ask carefully,” Ye Pei said again, his expression serious. “I noticed that you’ve been acting strangely since the beginning of March. Yesterday you took precautions against Lu Qian, and today you’ve produced this kind of evidence. What’s going on? Who gave it to you? You have to explain this to me clearly this time.”

Ye Xiren: "..."

She hesitated for a long time before finally uttering that sentence:

It's a long story.

It's not that she doesn't want to talk about it, but the situation is really hard to explain!

Ye Xiren had a headache. She had tried to talk about reopening before, but no one believed her. If only everyone were like General Yan, who would believe whatever she said.

Thinking of Yan Danqing, Ye Xiren felt a pang of sadness. After all her efforts, she had ultimately failed to save him.

"Could it be that someone is coercing you?" Ye Pei asked tentatively.

Before Ye Xiren could react, Ye Changming gasped and suddenly realized that everything had become clear to him. He felt as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened, and he understood everything!

Ye Changming slammed his hand on the table and said firmly:

"There must be a master behind her! Father, think about it, the other party knew about the secret plans of the pro-peace faction Lu Qian and his group, and even thwarted them in advance. The evidence that your pro-war faction couldn't find, that person could find too... This person is definitely a very powerful master!"

"It's already good enough that the expert is willing to tell Xixi. Dad, please don't ask any more questions. What if the other party gets angry and stops intervening?"

The expert knows the secrets of the pro-peace faction and even saved their family. How could they be easily provoked?

Ye Changming even suspected that someone with expertise could know what they were saying!

Ye Xiren: "?"

Ye Pei was dazed, then asked, "Then why did you tell Xixi instead of coming to me directly?"

Ye Changming said matter-of-factly, "Then there must be a reason for this expert! Most likely, the expert has a special status and can't see you directly, so they went to Xixi instead. Father, think about it, Xixi is a weak little girl who never leaves the house and knows nothing about the outside world. She doesn't even know many people, and she's timid. If it wasn't an expert who took the initiative to send the information, how else could they know?"

After he finished speaking, he muttered to himself:

"Why don't the experts come to me? I'm definitely more reliable than my sister..."

Ye Pei thought it made sense, and his brows relaxed a little.

“Xixi must have promised not to say anything, that’s why she’s keeping her mouth shut.” Ye Changming felt he was being clever, and raised an eyebrow at his sister. “Sis, right?”

Ye Xiren: "???"

Ye Pei sighed, gave up asking further questions, and then gave the instruction:

"Xixi, don't get involved in these matters, especially those involving Yan Danqing and Chizhan Lance. These two are crucial to both Daliang and Beiyan, and their involvement could even determine the outcome of the battle between the two countries. This is a serious matter, and if you get involved, you might be implicated."

Ye Xiren: "..."

Ye Changming waved his hand dismissively, "Xixi is just passing on evidence collected by an expert. Father, you're worrying unnecessarily. She's such a timid and weak girl, even if she wanted to get involved, she couldn't! Has she met General Yan or Chizhan Lance?"

Ye Xiren: "..."

For a moment, she had a lot to say, but didn't know what to say. Ye Changming's "analysis" smoothed out all the wrinkles in her mind.

Zhao remained silent, glancing at Ye Xiren before lowering her eyes, her cloudy eyes filled with doubt.

Ye Pei rubbed his temples, looking quite uneasy.

"Now that you're all back, rest well and don't think about anything else," Liao Changying said, pouring tea for Ye Pei.

Ye Xiren finally spoke, interrupting, "There will be no peace talks, and the evidence is useless."

Ye Pei was taken aback. "Why?"

Just then, a servant rushed in to report, "Master, Lord Bai has arrived."

"Let him in quickly!" Ye Pei immediately stood up, ignoring Ye Xiren's words, and looked anxiously towards the door. Bai Chengguang and Zheng Wenjue had gone to gather information, and their hurried arrival must mean they had news.

"The dungeon has collapsed, General Yan is dead, His Majesty and Prime Minister Jiang have sealed off the Imperial City Guard, and now the Imperial Guards have surrounded the area tightly to prevent any leaks. Brother Ye, something terrible has happened!"

Ye Xiren didn't let him shout that sentence again. She patted him and pressed him down, then picked up a cup of tea and fed him. "Don't worry, the Great Liang is not finished yet. Yan Danqing was killed by Chizhan Lance. Even if the court hadn't taken action, Chizhan Lance would still be dead. The Great Liang and Northern Yan are evenly matched now, and the Great Liang is not yet dead."

According to General Yan's analysis, with both he and Chizhan Lance dead, the outcome of the main battle is 50/50, and the end for the Great Liang Dynasty is not yet near.

Moreover, the fact that Chizhan Lance's corpse was in the hands of the imperial court still had some effect, potentially influencing the outcome of the battle.

It is too early to talk about the fall of a nation.

Ye Pei and Bai Chengguang were taken aback and looked at her at the same time.

Before they could finish speaking, another person entered the Ye family compound. As soon as he saw them, he hurriedly exclaimed, "Lord Ye, Lord Bai! Something terrible has happened! General Yan and the Crown Prince of Northern Yan... are both dead!"

The visitor was none other than Zheng Wenjue, the Prefect of Nandu, who had gone to gather information.

The three leaders of the pro-war faction have all arrived, each more shocked than the last. Their faces are filled with horror, as they are overwhelmed by the constant stream of news.

It's really true?!

Ye Changming nearly jumped up; his foot was still injured, and he grimaced, "Really? Lord Zheng, who killed him?"

Zheng Wenjue let out a long sigh and shook his head. He didn't know who had killed Chizhan Lance.

Ye Changming hissed and muttered, "Good heavens, which warrior killed Chi Zhan Lan Ce? Who dares to kill him? Most importantly... who can kill him?!"

Ye Pei and Bai Chengguang exchanged a glance, a chill running down their spines.

They were right in the center of the vortex, running around for Yan Danqing and Chizhan Lance, but they never expected that in such a short time, these two people who were so important to the Great Liang and Northern Yan would die, and they didn't even receive a single piece of news!

What secrets lie hidden at the eye of this storm?!

-

Imperial City Guard

Jiang You rubbed his temples. The incident happened suddenly and had a great impact, but the truth was not difficult to find. No one had hidden any traces, and even the perpetrator came to "surrender." The truth was obvious.

Just as Ye Pei produced the evidence that Chi Zhan Lan Ce had bought gunpowder, Yan Danqing's dungeon exploded. It was clearly the work of the Northern Yan people, and Chi Zhan Lan Ce wanted Yan Danqing's life.

"These Northern Yan people are wolves in sheep's clothing!" Liu Duoxi gritted his teeth. "According to Ma Shan, the Northern Yan people came to plant gunpowder to kill Yan Danqing. They discovered it and came to stop them, killing Chi Zhanlan Ce, but they still couldn't save Yan Danqing..."

Jiang You paused.

He lowered his hand, his brow furrowed, and murmured, "Do you think what Ma Shan said is true?"

“Of course,” Liu Duoxi nodded, “Otherwise, how could Chizhan Lance have appeared outside the imperial prison? Moreover, the gunpowder was bought by Northern Yan, and the evidence is conclusive.”

“I feel like something’s not right…” Jiang You looked at the collapsed imperial prison, then at the roof opposite, and at the corner where Chi Zhanlan Ce’s body was found.

The body of the Crown Prince of Northern Yan has been removed, and the body of Yan Danqing has also been exhumed. These two are of paramount importance, and even if they are just corpses, they must be preserved well and no mistakes can be made.

"Today is the day for peace talks. Chi Zhanlan Ce should have gone to the palace, but he suddenly came to the imperial prison. If he wanted to kill Yan Danqing, why now?" Jiang You rubbed his fingers together, his eyes sharp on his aged face. "Who exactly does he want to kill?"

And who killed him?

Jiang You always felt that it wasn't Yan's army that discovered the gunpowder and stopped Chi Zhanlan's plan, but rather... there was another person's trail, a crucial person.

Who exactly is it?

Why are there no clues at all?

Jiang You looked at Liu Duoxi and asked, "Has Ma Shan left?"

"It should be soon. He has Yan Danqing's blood-written letter, and the Emperor has appointed him General of the Cavalry, ordering him to go to the Huai'an Canal as soon as possible to stabilize the morale of the troops." Liu Duoxi finished speaking and shook his head. "Another war is about to begin..."

Ma Shan and his Yan family army killed Chi Zhanlan Ce to prevent peace talks, which was an act of treason. Many people in the court suggested killing Ma Shan and his men to prevent them from being released back into the wild. However, after the emperor and Prime Minister Jiang met and exchanged blood letters, they did not agree. Instead, the emperor ordered Ma Shan to go to the Huai'an Canal immediately.

Regardless of the truth at this point, the deaths of these two individuals are most likely the result of war, making peace talks impossible.

Jiang You's eyes sharpened, and he ordered, "Go and follow Ma Shan to see who he meets before leaving the city."

Who is Ma Shan going to see...?

Jiang You trusted his intuition; there must be someone else involved, someone deeply hidden who could manipulate them and control the fates of Yan Danqing and Chi Zhanlan Ce.

-

Ye Mansion

"How did you find out in advance? Who told you?"

Ye Xiren was about to speak.

Outside, yet another group of people have arrived.

"What's going on today?" Ye Changming couldn't help but mutter. "Why is everyone coming to my Ye family? Are they discussing something important here?"

"Who is it?" Ye Pei asked, frowning.

"Yan Family Army, Mashan."

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Author's Note: Ye Xiren: The real master is myself!

There are also red envelopes (cash rewards) for comments on this chapter!

Thank you all for your support. Tomorrow's update will be in the evening, and after that, it will all be updated in the evening.

(If you, dear readers, are unsure which cycle has occurred, please check the table of contents; it's listed there, haha!)