Chapter 101 [VIP]

Mi Yao's desire to smash Xiao Chua came and went quickly, because Emperor Xingwu was once again driven out of Chang'an.

After Gao Ji captured Chang'an, he behaved himself for a while, but everyone knew that he wanted to usurp the throne. He acted like a subservient servant in Chang'an for a while, and no matter what he did, the civil officials would point their fingers at him and curse him.

He simply killed Emperor Daxing, massacred Chang'an, directly changed the dynasty, proclaimed himself Datong, and sat on the dragon throne.

Emperor Daxing died, but several princes fled Chang'an early on. Emperor Xingwu was the crown prince of Daxing. After fleeing to Fengxiang, he declared himself emperor there and recaptured Chang'an the following year.

However, this recapture was only lasted less than three months before it was driven back to Fengxiang.

Fengxiang was severely weakened, and his plan to win over powerful officials by marrying off a princess naturally fell through.

However, this incident spurred Mi Yao to quickly establish trade routes, lest she be unable to reach Xiao Chuan even if she wanted to beat him up, since the emperor was far away and she couldn't possibly twist his ear no matter how angry she was.

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Emperor Daxing died, and the eldest prince took over. After the eldest prince, Emperor Xingwu, was assassinated, the fourth prince continued to occupy Fengxiang, accumulating strength to attack Chang'an again.

After Gao Ji became emperor, even after massacring Chang'an, people from all over the country remained unconvinced. He died of illness after only one year on the throne, and his eldest son, Gao Lizhong, succeeded him.

Compared to Gao Ji, Gao Lizhong's son was much more conservative in military strategy. He wanted to protect the territory of Youzhou, but he was also afraid that if he left Chang'an, he would never have the chance to return.

So people were stuck in Chang'an, watching the Jiannan Army fight the Khitans, not only reclaiming the cities occupied by the Khitans, but also planting the Jiannan Army's flags on the territories belonging to the Gao family.

The Jiannan Army's great victory in Youzhou did not go unnoticed by other forces.

Some people wanted to take advantage of the situation and tried to attack the Jiannan Army from the rear, but not only did they fail to gain any advantage over the Jiannan Army, they were also besieged by other forces.

Not every power prioritizes profit. The Jiannan Army fought the Khitan to protect Han territory. Taking advantage of this situation to attack Jiannan is no different from being a traitor.

Jiannan's influence grew, and it formed alliances with several major powers in Hedong and Hezhong. Although Daxing was becoming increasingly chaotic, at least the Khitans were driven out of Youzhou.

News of the victory spread far and wide, and Xiao Chu's illustrious military achievements attracted more attention than those of Zhao Tianhe, the military governor of Jiannan behind the Jiannan army.

The fourth prince bestowed upon Xiao Chuan the title of Grand General of the State, intending to recruit him.

The eleventh prince was even more direct. He fled from north to south and, upon arriving in Shu, declared that he was the rightful heir to the throne and hoped that Zhao Tianhe would pledge allegiance to him and help him reclaim the throne.

Emperor Daxing had two legitimate children: one was the deceased crown prince who had already ascended the throne, and the other was the eleventh prince.

In terms of background, the eleventh prince was more distinguished than the fourth prince, but after the crown prince died, the fourth prince quickly took control of Fengxiang, and the eleventh prince had no choice but to flee.

After hiding for a year, seeing that Jiannan was in a good position, he had the idea of ​​seizing power again.

“Sister, that shameless guy is here again.”

Yu Xiu puffed out her chubby cheeks and said, "I really want to take a basin of water and splash him all over. He looks like a fat pig, and he thinks he's handsome and dashing. It's disgusting to look at him."

Yu Xiu was referring to the eleventh prince, Tang Chongbo.

When Yu Xiu used harsh words to describe Tang Chongbo without any hesitation, Mi Yao did not try to stop her at all.

She hadn't taken Tang Chongbo's visit to Yizhou seriously before.

Prince Zhao Tianhe, who only had more than 4,000 soldiers under his command, was too particular about rules and valued reputation, which is why he took Tang Chongbo in Jiannan.

If it were her, she would either kill him immediately or devise a plan to imprison him, so as to avoid having to see his arrogant and ugly face every now and then.

She didn't agree with Zhao Tianhe's decision, but she wasn't stupid enough to embarrass herself in front of him. Anyway, with one more person in Yizhou, it wasn't like she was paying to support him.

She never expected Tang Chongbo to be so brainless, pursuing her relentlessly after just one meeting.

Regardless of whether she was married or not, her husband was still Xiao Chuan.

Not only Yu Xiu and the others found it disgusting, but she also found it disgusting. A few days ago, she was so annoyed by their persistent harassment that she had Pu Qing lead people to put Tang Chongbo in a sack.

Because Zhao Tianhe wanted Tang Chongbo to live, Pu Qing and his men could only stop short of taking action.

Clearly, stopping short of a lesson wouldn't teach Tang Chongbo a lesson, and now that he's recovered from his injury, he's out of the pen again, wandering around aimlessly.

"Sister, it's rare for you to come to Xiangxuelou. Don't let that shameless person ruin your mood. How about I find Pu Qing and have him put that fat pig in a sack again?"

“Last time when he put the sack on me, Wen Sima reminded me to behave myself. Never mind, I’ll go back to the manor through the back door. You remind the others in the shop to be careful and not to get into a conflict with him, so he can seize the opportunity to cause trouble.”

"I wonder when my brother-in-law will be back. If he were here, this fat pig wouldn't dare to bully my sister like this."

Upon hearing this, Mi Yao twitched the corner of her mouth: "He dared to go to such lengths, even if Xiao Chuan came back, it wouldn't make a difference. The problem lies with the military governor."

Regarding the current situation

Over the past six months, Zhao Tianhe's health has been deteriorating.

With his physical condition deteriorating, Zhao Tianhe also developed mental problems, becoming paranoid and intolerant of anyone opposing his decisions.

An official.

At this time, if she acts out of line, it will probably be in his...

Back at his residence, Mi was sullen. He instructed Yu Xiu and the others to guard the gate before packing his bags and leaving Yizhou.

Since the invention of soft paper and mirror glass, her shops have flourished everywhere. Because the products are unique enough, each shop has opened smoothly, and some places even beg Hibiscus House to open branches in their prefectures and counties.

Once the shop left Jiannan, it wasn't that no one wanted to take her things for themselves.

But each time it ended with her hitting and stealing from him.

Over the years, Xiao Chuan has not always been in Youzhou. They have met many times in the past three years, some in Yizhou, and some when she was away and the two met in other places.

Every time they met in another city, it was usually because she had encountered a tough opponent she couldn't defeat and sent him a distress message asking him to call for reinforcements.

After leaving Yizhou, Mi Yao headed towards Hanzhong, intending to meet Xiao Chuan in Chang'an. However, unexpectedly, news arrived midway through the journey that Xiao Chuan had disappeared.

It is said that Xiao Chuan was ambushed in Hedong. Although his body was not found, it has been confirmed that he is dead.

Upon hearing this news, Mi Yao was stunned for a long time. Her first thought was that Xiao Chuan was playing some kind of tactic and that this was a false message he had spread.

But the two had only been exchanging letters, so how could he not tell her if he had any plans?

"lady."

Pu Qing was extremely anxious and looked at Mi Yao with concern, afraid that she couldn't handle the shock.

"It's alright. Since we haven't found any remains, how can we be sure that they're dead?"

Mi Yao panicked for a moment but quickly regained her composure. She instructed Pu Qing to prepare a carrier pigeon and send a letter to Zhao De to inquire about what had happened.

"We're not going to Chang'an anymore; we'll go to Hedong instead."

The destination has changed, but the direction of travel is still the same road.

Besides waiting for news from Zhao De, Mi Yao also instructed the managers of various shops to gather information. On the fifth day after Xiao Chuan's disappearance, she finally understood what had happened.

When Xiao Chuan traveled from Yizhou to Youzhou, he inevitably had to borrow passage from various places. In order to avoid being stabbed in the back, borrowing passage meant either fighting or cooperating.

Back then, the military governor of Hedong was framed by Gao Ji and lost his life. After that, Hedong became the sphere of influence of the Gao family.

Lou Wei, the nephew of the military governor of Hedong, cooperated with Xiao Chuan to defeat the troops left behind by Gao Ji. Lou Wei wanted to continue to have full control over Hedong and also had the greedy idea of ​​taking Youzhou into his own hands.

Xiao Chuan's disappearance was ostensibly due to the Khitans launching a surprise attack to avenge their Khan, but in reality, it was Lou Wei who carried out the deed.

The Jiannan Army is now surrounding Hedong, and they want Lou Wei to give them an explanation.

After hearing the whole story, Mi Yao was even more convinced that it was Xiao Chuan's arrangement. She couldn't believe that Xiao Chuan would be so easily outmaneuvered by Lou Wei, a nobody.

But as time went by and Xiao Chuan still didn't appear, she gradually lost her composure.

She tried hard to recall, and from her memories of the book, she found the person Lou Wei.

However, this person was not famous in her knowledge of reality or in the book. Apart from being the nephew of the Jiedushi of Hedong, he did not accomplish anything significant or leave any memorable mark.

On one hand, he thought that Xiao Chuan, as the male lead, wouldn't be taken advantage of by such an unknown junior.

On the other hand, I couldn't help but wonder, in the book it took Xiao Chuan five years to defeat the Khitan, but now it has taken three years. Will this affect Xiao Chuan's fate?

Knowing that Xiao Chuan had been missing for so long, going back to the place where he disappeared would not only fail to find him but might also lead to falling into Lou Wei's trap. Therefore, Mi Yao contacted Zhao De and asked him to search the area several more times.

In addition, she ordered that Lou Wei's excuses be ignored and that he be arrested directly. If he could not reveal Xiao Chuan's whereabouts, his life would not be spared.

Zhao De and several other generals from Jiannan were waiting for Zhao Tianhe's command.

After Xiao Chua disappeared, Zhao Tianhe's order was to search for him and, without evidence, not to confront Lou Wei head-on, lest they disperse their forces and allow others to take advantage of the situation.

Upon receiving orders from Mi Yao that contradicted those from Zhao Tianhe, Zhao De was conflicted.

Compared to Zhao De, Cao Tieniu, who had made many military achievements on the Youzhou battlefield and whose status was no less than Zhao De's, learned of Mi Yao's order and led his troops to charge.

Seeing his apprentices charge forward, Zhao De could only follow closely behind.

Even after Lou Wei captured him, Xiao Chuan's whereabouts remained unknown.

“Madam Yu, General Xiao is a lucky man, so you don’t need to be too anxious. The reason we haven’t found him yet must be that he’s been held back by something.”

Mi Yao encountered Tang Tanyi on her way to find Xiao Chuan.

Knowing that he knew about Xiao Chuan's disappearance and wanted to help, she took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him.

Hearing his words of comfort, Mi Yao nodded: "These days I haven't been able to eat and I've been in a daze. Fortunately, I met the Prince. Please help me find my husband, otherwise I will have no one to rely on in this chaotic world."

When Tang Tanyi met Mi Yao's delicate, watery almond-shaped eyes, his heart was filled with tenderness. He made one promise after another, vowing to help her find Xiao Chuan.

However, aside from promising to find the person, he looked at him with deep affection and didn't forget to slip in his own agenda: "If General Xiao really has some trouble, I will still be there to take care of you, my wife. My heart has never changed."

Tang Tanyi had a pair of captivating eyes; when he looked at people with deep affection, they could be mesmerized by them.

Mi Yao believed that his heart had never changed. Last year, he sent someone to try to lure away Seventeen Niang, who looked similar to her. He was so fond of her face, how could that not mean his heart had never changed?

After talking with Tang Tanyi for a while, Mi Yao used the excuse that she was too tired to send him away.

Qi Niang, watching from the side, felt that Mi Yao was grasping at straws in her desperation, and because she couldn't find Xiao Chu, she had the idea of ​​relying on the man next to her in her panic.

She felt this was wrong, but didn't know how to persuade him. Besides, she couldn't leave the man's place empty forever, so she could only stand there with a conflicted expression.

Mi Yao knew that the people around her thought she was crazy, but she didn't bother to explain.

She was indeed desperate and grasping at straws, but it wasn't because she wanted to just find any man to rely on; rather, she knew Xiao Chuan's character all too well.

She didn't believe Xiao Chuan was dead at all. It had nothing to do with him being the male protagonist in the book. She just had a gut feeling that he was still alive. He could hear about her being intimate with other men and would be furious about it.

Tang Tanyi appeared at just the right time; if she hadn't seen his affectionate and tender eyes, she wouldn't have thought of this terrible idea.

For several days in a row, Mi Yao traveled with Tang Tanyi. Apart from Pu Qing being so angry that he almost assassinated Tang Tanyi, nothing else changed.

After Mi Yao's initial tension began to give way to a divergent train of thought, she began to wonder if Xiao Chuan had been injured and lost his memory after the accident, and if he had now met a beautiful female doctor who was willing to marry him, and was living a blissful life as a couple.

Xiao Chuan finally appeared.

Half-asleep, Mi Yao felt a familiar scent surrounding her and opened her eyes to bite.

"hiss……"

Xiao Chuan didn't want to disturb Mi Yao's rest, but he really missed her, so he went from sitting on the edge of the bed gazing at her to taking off his clothes and getting into bed.

No sooner had he lain down than Mi Yao, before she even opened her eyes, kissed him.

She took one bite after another, like an enraged little beast, the metallic smell of blood permeating her breath, showing no mercy with each sip.

“It was my fault. After being ambushed by Lou Wei, I wanted to turn the tables on him, but I accidentally broke my leg and then encountered the remnants of the Khitan.”

Xiao Chuan didn't stop Mi Yao from biting him, knowing she hadn't had a good time these past few days. He simply stroked her hair and explained where he had been these past few days.

Upon hearing this, Mi Yao stopped biting him, cupped his face and looked at him from left to right. She could see that he did look haggard, and it didn't seem like he had met a beautiful female doctor and was living a blissful life. Only then did the anger in her heart dissipate.

"Stand up and let me see you."

"My leg is healed and it doesn't prevent me from riding a horse, but I walk a little more heavily than before."

Xiao Chuan obediently stood up, and seeing Mi Yao bending down to look at his legs, he tried to pull her up, saying, "Don't look, it's not pretty."

The more he said this, the more Mi Yao wanted to see it.

Her gaze fell upon the gruesome, inflamed wound on his skin, and she felt an urge to bite him, yet she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"The wound looks scary, but it doesn't actually hurt at all. I was just trying to scare you by saying that I felt heavy when I walked, hoping to get your sympathy."

In the dim light of the night, Xiao Chuan's vision was not affected, so he could clearly see Mi Yao's reddened eyes and the tears welling up in them.

Seeing her cry made Xiao Chuan feel much worse than when he was injured.

He would rather suffer another cut to his foot than see those beautiful almond-shaped eyes filled with a fragile and helpless expression, constantly shedding tears.

Holding her in his arms, Xiao Chuan wiped away her tears while coaxing her, "It really doesn't hurt. If it did, I would have put on an exaggerated expression to make you pity me."

Hearing him say that, Mi Yao couldn't help but glare at him: "Alright, I know you're not in pain. It's just that I got sand in my eyes, so I can't stop crying, okay?"

"No, I'm happy that Hu Hu is willing to shed tears because she feels sorry for me."

As soon as Xiao Chuan finished speaking, he was punched in the chest.

After beating him, just in case, Mi Yao stripped him naked and carefully examined his entire body with a candle.

Xiao Chuan knew the timing was wrong, but she still made him stand up and swell up, so naturally he took two more punches to the chest.

After extinguishing the candle, Mi Yao, despite disliking Xiao Chuan's beastly nature, still snuggled into his arms.

"As I get closer to Tang Tanyi, everyone around me thinks I'm crazy. But now it seems that only I know you best. I'm even thinking that if you don't show up soon, I'll stage a remarriage. I don't believe you won't come out."

She hadn't heard from him for a while, and although she was anxious, she didn't realize he was dead.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find him, so she wanted to force him to come out on his own.

Whether it works or not, she would feel like she was competing with a living person, and her mind would automatically forget that he died unexpectedly and stand on the side that he was perfectly fine and alive.

Xiao Chuan's heart tightened when he heard Mi Yao say she was going to remarry.

She truly knew him best. He knew that loving someone meant wanting her to be happy, not forcing her to do something against her will. But he was a dark and petty person, and simply couldn't be that magnanimous.

If she were to find love with someone else...

Even if he dies, he will surely crawl back from hell and force himself on her.