Chapter 51: The Marriage Granted by the Prince of Jin.

Manman also came to Zhu Qing's side, and took her sleeve with a mixture of nervousness and reassurance.

Zhu Qing lowered her eyes and saw that Manman was still wearing the grass wreath that she had woven for her when they were in Qingxi Village.

Manman said that if they tied grass rings together, they would never be separated. She wanted to tie one for her father too, hoping that he wouldn't have to leave her and her mother with the army.

But now Zhu Zhengyang's whereabouts are unknown. Zhu Qing took Manman's hand to comfort them: "The heir only said that they went missing on the battlefield. They are not on the list of wounded and dead, which proves that they are definitely still alive."

Nie Zhen's face turned deathly pale, and she struggled to hold back tears. Although she was anxious, she had no other choice.

She could tell that Zhu Qing was racking her brains for a solution, and she didn't want to bother her at this time. She wiped her eyes and pulled Manman to sit on the haystack by the wall.

She was right; Zhu Qing didn't need comforting, she needed peace and quiet.

The mother and daughter sat silently on the haystack, hiding all their anxiety. Zhu Qing sat alone in another corner, pondering the present situation.

The two older brothers and Feng Huaihe were missing, but Li Keyong's team and Zhang Yin returned safely.

An army unit, unless killed in battle, would never simply disappear into thin air, unless they were deserters.

But Zhu Qing knows his elder brother well; he would never desert, otherwise he wouldn't have been injured in Kaifeng while protecting Li Keyong.

The three of them disappeared together; either someone did it on purpose, or they gathered together and hid.

But Zhu Qing racked his brains but couldn't figure out why the three of them had ended up here.

On the dim walls of the prison cell, the oil lamp emitted a weak, yellowish light. As the night deepened, Nie Zhen, holding Manman, fell asleep against the haystack.

Zhu Qing was also sleepy, her head nodding as she dozed off, but she felt uneasy and forced herself to stay awake.

Suddenly, a series of light footsteps echoed through the quiet prison corridor at night.

Zhu Qing immediately opened his sleepy eyelids and looked out. He saw a figure slowly walking out of the dark corridor. The dim yellow light from the prison cell shone on his face. His eyebrows were gentle and his eyes were calm. It was Zhang Yin.

Zhu Qing stood up, tiptoed to the cell door, and looked at Zhang Yin through the gap in the wooden pillar: "Why are you here?"

She deliberately lowered her voice so as not to disturb Nie Zhen and her daughter who were fast asleep.

Zhang Yin lowered his voice as well: "I was worried about you, so I wanted to come and see you."

He glanced around the cell; the environment wasn't as unbearable as he'd imagined. But when his gaze returned to Zhu Qing's worried face, Zhang Yin choked out, "You've suffered."

Zhu Qing frowned and asked, "What exactly is going on in Bozhou?"

Zhang Yin remained silent for a moment before saying, "It was Feng Huaihe. We had already escaped from Kaifeng and sought shelter from the rain in Bozhou, but we still encountered pursuers. Because the escape route was provided by Feng Huaihe, the Prince of Jin suspected him, and he confessed."

Zhu Qing said, "I'm not asking him, I'm asking my eldest and second eldest brothers."

Zhang Yin was taken aback by her apparent indifference towards Feng Huaihe before saying, "My eldest and second brothers disappeared in the chaos when the pursuers arrived. As for Feng Huaihe... he confessed and then fled; he may already be dead."

After speaking, Zhang Yin pursed his lips and quietly observed Zhu Qing's expression.

Seeing that Zhu Qing did not show any sign of sadness, Zhang Yin felt somewhat relieved. Perhaps she did not like Feng Huaihe, just as he had thought.

Zhang Yinna received some comfort and then tentatively said, "Actually, I could tell from Yunzhong Mountain that you were forced to travel with Feng Huaihe."

Zhu Qing remained silent.

Seemingly agreeing, Zhang Yin became even more certain of his suspicions, his psychological burden lessened slightly, and then said, "Have you ever suspected that this trip was deliberately orchestrated by him, with the aim of taking away your eldest and second brothers to use as leverage to force you to marry him?"

Zhu Qing's heart skipped a beat.

The more she learned about Feng Huaihe, the more she felt that it wasn't impossible. He had been bringing up marriage with Li Keyong even before they set off.

She even suspected that the assassination attempt was orchestrated by Feng Huaihe himself. Otherwise, how could someone who was always suspicious have believed everything based on a single statement from an assassin?

Zhu Qing was somewhat flustered. If that were the case, she wouldn't be able to get out, wouldn't be able to find her brother, and Manman and Nie Zhen would continue to suffer here with her.

Zhang Yin silently observed her expression. Seeing her flustered state, he said gently, "Don't worry, I will definitely get you out of here."

Zhu Qing looked up at him.

He remained as refined as ever, his eyes gentle and warm. Standing in the dimly lit prison corridor, he seemed as bright as a glimmer of light.

But Zhu Qing's heart was not stirred by this. She said calmly and firmly, "I do need your help, but not to save me. I need you to make a connection for me to see Li Cunxu."

Zhang Yin smiled and said softly, "You want to gain his trust through your own efforts, right? Why don't we pretend to get married? I'll help you gain Li Cunxu's trust, and you can use your abilities to help us win the Central Plains regime."

His short sentence instantly pulled Zhu Qing's memories back to her previous life.

That's how they got married, and that's how everything that followed happened.

Even though things have clearly changed, why have we still come to this point? Could it be as Feng Huaihe said...?

Zhu Qing observed Zhang Yin discreetly and found that he looked normal, with gentle features and no unusual expression.

She was suspicious, but pretended not to know anything and said, "But in Li Cunxu's eyes, Feng Huaihe and I are already husband and wife."

“What’s so difficult about that?” Zhang Yin said nonchalantly, “He forced you into this. As long as you confess to the heir apparent, given his character, he will surely believe you and think Feng Huaihe is a bastard. Perhaps you can even use this to help him get rid of Feng Huaihe’s control.”

Zhu Qing found his words captivating and intensely alluring, but she remained shrewd: "Why are you helping me?"

"My second brother saved me in Qingxi Village, so this is how I repay Uncle Zhu Yu for saving my life."

Zhu Qing observed carefully, but still couldn't find that Zhang Yin was no different from the nineteen-year-old he had been before.

But Zhu Qing's intuition told her that anything or anyone that was too perfect was abnormal.

So she didn't believe it: "If you really want to repay my kindness by helping me, I only need you to help me see Li Cunxu, and I will find a way to do the rest."

Hearing her insistence, Zhang Yin's throat tightened, feeling as if he was about to fail. He wanted to persist, but he was afraid that Zhu Qing would discover his thoughts, so he could only smile as usual and say, "Okay. Then I'll go back and make arrangements."

Zhu Qing nodded and watched him leave.

-

Zhang Yin returned to his residence, a newly bestowed house by Li Cunxu. It was a two-courtyard house, neither too big nor too small, just enough for him and Zhu Qing from his previous life to form a home for the two of them.

Looking at the familiar house, yet with a completely different layout, Zhang Yin felt a little melancholy.

Upon entering the front hall, he saw Zhang Chengye sitting in a grand chair waiting. As soon as Zhang Yin entered, he stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Did you do this because Feng Huaihe hasn't returned?"

Before setting off, Zhang Chengye told Zhang Yin that this was his only chance to defeat Feng Huaihe.

Zhang Chengye did not believe that Feng Huaihe would abandon his wife and family in Jinyang and betray Li Keyong, so it must be Zhang Yin who was behind it.

Zhang Yin immediately admitted, "Yes."

Zhang Chengye paused slightly, surprised by his decisiveness. He noticed that the man's eyes were different from their usual clear and foolish gaze, now carrying a hint of sinister indifference, and Zhang Chengye became suspicious.

Without giving it much thought, he simply instructed, "In that case, you must make sure there are absolutely no mistakes. If he doesn't come back alive, then everything is over."

Zhang Yin casually hummed in agreement.

He believed that Feng Huaihe would not return. During the battle of Bozhou, he had slipped and fallen down a hillside, and it was said that the area below the hillside was the territory of a giant tiger.

No matter how powerful he is, can he fight against a man-eating worm?

He can't come back. Without the interference of the previous life, I can continue my relationship with Zhu Qing and become a perfect couple again.

-

The Palace of the Prince of Jin.

Behind the heavy bed curtains, a few faint coughs could be heard. The lavishly furnished room was filled with the strong smell of bitter medicine.

Feng Huaihe, holding the medicine bowl, sat down by the bed and waited for the palace maid to lift the bed curtains, revealing Li Keyong lying on the couch.

The journey back from Kaifeng was fraught with peril, and he was drenched in torrential rain. Upon his return, Li Keyong fell ill. In his previous life, this was Li Keyong's calamity; he ultimately could not overcome it, and it would not be long before he passed away.

Feng Huaihe has now accepted everyone's departure. He looked calmly at Li Keyong's pale and weak face and said, "It's time to take your medicine."

Li Keyong struggled to sit up and took the steaming bowl of medicine.

"Is your injury any better?" Li Keyong asked while drinking his medicine.

When Feng Huaihe fell down the hillside, his legs rolled over a thicket of thorns, and it took him many days just to pull out the thorns.

Feng Huaihe nodded. After Li Keyong finished his medicine, he said, "I don't care what grudges you have with Zhang Yin. I promise to cooperate with you and give you time to resolve them. My only request is that you assist my son from now on and never betray him."

Li Keyong already understood that his days were numbered and that he would need someone to assist and support him when he passed the throne to Li Cunxu.

Feng Huaihe is exceptionally capable and is undoubtedly a very good candidate.

Feng Huaihe took the empty bowl that Li Keyong handed back and placed it aside. "Your Highness, rest assured. I will certainly keep my promise."

As soon as he finished speaking, a slow footstep sounded outside the door. Feng Huaihe and Li Keyong looked over at the same time and saw Li Cunxu dressed formally and walking over.

"Is Father feeling any better?" Li Cunxu came to the bedside. Feng Huaihe silently stepped aside. Li Cunxu glanced at him and said, "I have followed your instructions and trusted Zhang Yin."

Feng Huaihe was silent for a moment, then asked, "How is she?"

“She was very calm when she heard the report,” Li Cunxu said frankly. “After Zhang Yin told me that you were dead, she didn’t have much of a reaction. She only asked about the situation of her two older brothers.”

"..."

Feng Huaihe was at a loss for words. Just then, a servant entered from outside the door, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, Lord Zhang Yin requests an audience."

Feng Huaihe and Li Cunxu exchanged a glance, then Feng Huaihe slipped behind the screen.

A short while later, through the gap in the screen, Feng Huaihe saw Zhang Yin enter the room.

Zhang Yin bowed to Li Cunxu and his son before saying, "Your Highness, I have a request."

Li Cunxu asked with a kind expression, "What is it?"

"I would like to ask the Prince of Jin to grant me a marriage."

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Author's Note: Updates are back! Thanks for waiting. I just hit a major plot point! [Please!]

I'll update a little earlier today, but the next update will still be at 22:30. Tomorrow I'll make up for the long chapter and lots of content that was previously updated, so be on time!