Chapter 38 - Heard it for the seventeenth time!
Chapter 38
Ye Changming: "???"
His eyes widened in disbelief: "Are you crazy? Do you even know who Jiang You is? You want to kill him?!"
He even doubted his own ears.
Yesterday, it was one thing for Ye Xiren to kill Lu Qian, after all, there was gunpowder buried under the Imperial City Guard, and Lu Qian was not a clean person. But Jiang You is not. He is the Prime Minister of the Great Liang Dynasty, the Chancellor and the Privy Councilor. Kill him?
Ye Xiren lowered her eyes and sighed deeply: "Can't we kill him?"
Ye Changming nearly jumped up, his breathing became rapid, his nostrils flared, and he grabbed her, raising his voice:
"Is that something you can kill?! He's the prime minister, the all-powerful Prime Minister Jiang! Don't you want your whole family's heads? Ye Xiren, I think you're really crazy to even have such a thought. You better get rid of it right now, do you hear me?!"
The fact that Ye Changming reacted so strongly just from hearing that the prime minister was to be killed shows how unshakeable his status and position are in the eyes of the world.
Such a person was single-mindedly focused on peace talks, becoming a traitor and handing over the Great Liang to the Northern Yan.
Ye Xiren tugged at his sleeve and said softly, "I heard you. Then let me see him. I have a few questions to ask."
Ye Changming hesitated.
Ye Xiren: "Brother."
Ye Changming: "...Fine." After all, she's my sister, my own sister!
-
Ye Pei and Bai Chengguang had just entered the Dali Temple prison, their faces full of doubt, when Yan Danqing asked, "Lord Ye, have you seen Xixi?"
Ye Pei: "??"
Xixi?
You're even calling each other by your nicknames! Are you two that close? I had no idea!
Bai Chengguang glanced at Ye Pei furtively with a strange expression. Ye Pei, however, remained expressionless and calmly said, "I have been at the Dali Temple the whole time and have not seen her."
Yan Danqing frowned slightly.
He woke up at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), and Ye Xiren should have woken up at the same time, but she didn't come to find Ye Pei as planned. Did something happen? Or... what did she do?
The thought flashed through Yan Danqing's mind, and he raised his head. "Lord Ye, you have been staying at the Dali Temple, and I'm afraid you haven't received the news yet. There has been a change in the court. Chi Zhanlan Ce has offered the Emperor a condition that is hard to refuse. The imperial decree to kill me will definitely be issued today."
"We will enter the palace immediately!"
However, Yan Danqing shook his head and stopped them, "No, I hope that you two will not plead for me, but stay out of it. It would be best to persuade the Emperor to kill me first, so as to extricate yourselves from the situation and avoid being implicated by me."
The two of them were stunned at the same time.
Then, Ye Pei frowned, puzzled: "How is that possible? Your accusations of being a traitor have been cleared, why would they kill you?"
"Although I don't know how General Yan received the news, since there has been a change in the court, we should immediately go to the palace to see the emperor in order to seize a chance for survival." Bai Chengguang nodded in agreement, also disagreeing.
What he did was, in principle, unrelated to Ye Pei and the others, but when he was transferred yesterday, Ye Pei took responsibility in front of the Emperor, and they had to be cleared of any wrongdoing first.
"I disagree," Ye Pei interrupted with four words.
Yan Danqing frowned.
“I don’t know what you’re planning to do, but General Yan, you’re not at your wit’s end yet. We should do everything we can to help you. Don’t do anything foolish. You’re not a rebel. The court will definitely release you, clear your name, and let you return to Huai’an Canal.”
After a pause, Ye Pei looked at him and pursed her lips:
"If we reach a desperate situation, we will not stop you from doing whatever you want."
Yan Danqing wanted to say those two sentences, but when she met Ye Pei's gaze, all her words were stuck in her throat, and she stopped speaking.
Ye Pei stood outside the prison. His official robes, made of vermilion, were wrinkled overnight, and his face had gained several lines. His eyes were filled with sorrow, making him look even older.
But he stood there, his back still straight, his slender figure as firm as a pine or cypress, unmoved.
This imperial court isn't always made up of people who hold positions without doing their jobs.
Doesn't he know the consequences?
He knew he had to go.
As the Minister of Revenue and a subject of the Great Liang, he could not sever ties and allow the court to issue an edict to kill the only general who could save the Great Liang. Even if they knew what Yan Danqing would do, they would have to stop him before the imperial edict was issued, and no one could stop him.
Bai Chengguang smiled slightly and said, "General Yan, take care. We will do our best to bring you good news."
After they finished speaking, the two turned and left in a hurry.
Yan Danqing stared at Ye Pei's retreating figure, remaining silent for a long time.
Yes. Only a Lord Ye like this could raise such a wonderful Ye Xiren. And she undoubtedly understands Ye Pei, knowing she can't stop him, nor can she allow him to plead in the palace and exonerate herself...
So she didn't try to persuade her at all.
So what did she go to do?
-
Even she herself didn't expect it to go so smoothly!
I once heard my mother say that her brother was very popular in both the northern and southern capitals, especially among my father's colleagues and officials. Few of them disliked him, and it was easy for them to find out anything about him.
She and Ye Changming grew up bickering and never took his words seriously... She never expected that he would actually find out when Jiang You would leave the manor, and even that Jiang You would visit Chi Zhan Lan Ce before going to the palace!
The two squatted at the corner of the alley across the street, waiting quietly.
With a straw dangling from his mouth, Ye Changming slowly said, "I've sent a message to Zhang Yuanmou at the last minute. You need to act quickly. There's only a moment left. Once the Northern Yan people arrive, it'll all be over."
Ye Xiren gazed at him intently, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Sensing something amiss, Ye Changming chewed on some straw and looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. "What? You're idolizing your brother now?"
Ye Xiren looked away expressionlessly.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves rang out.
Ye Changming spat out the straw in his mouth, his expression hardening: "They're here."
Ye Xiren glanced over and saw that Zhang Yuanmou's carriage had arrived first. She made a gesture to the opposite side, and Ma Shan, who was prostrate on the roof, nodded silently.
As the morning breeze rose, in the still-dark light of dawn, just as Zhang Yuanmou stepped out of the car, several assassins in black suddenly appeared and rushed towards him, their eyes flashing with cold light.
"ah!"
Who are you?!
"Help! Someone come quick!"
...
Chaos erupted ahead, and Zhang Yuanmou frantically hid while shouting for help.
At that moment, another carriage stopped at the other end. Jiang You looked over and frowned: "Who dares to kill someone outside the Northern Yan embassy?"
He didn't get out of the car, but simply gave the following instructions:
"Go and save him."
Most of the guards immediately withdrew and rushed forward to rescue people.
Without Ye Xiren needing to give any more hand signals, Yan Shuang and Ma Shan seized the opportunity and pounced on Jiang You's carriage. Yan Shuang led her men to entangle the remaining guards, while Ma Shan knocked Jiang You unconscious, put a sack over his head, and carried him away!
Using a feint, their target was only Jiang You.
"Let's go!" Ye Xiren stood up, grabbed Ye Changming, and ran.
In the blink of an eye, everything happened in a flash. At that moment, the gate opened, and the Northern Yan people who rushed out could only see the panicked Zhang Yuanmou and the backs of the guards who were chasing after him...
Ma Shan and Yan Shuang were both experienced; they lured the guards away as they fled.
Midway through, Ma Shan threw the person into an abandoned courtyard, replaced them with another burlap sack to distract them, while Ye Xiren, along with Ye Changming, dragged the person into the house and closed the door.
The entire process was completed in one go, with excellent teamwork.
Ye Changming, panting heavily with a strange expression, muttered, "How many murders and arsons have you guys committed together to be so in sync?"
Ye Xiren ignored him, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.
Although Jiang You was just an old man who didn't know martial arts, she cautiously tied him to a chair, gagged him, and patted his face.
Jiang You opened his eyes and saw two people with their faces covered. The girl removed the cloth from his mouth.
"Who are you?" he asked hoarsely.
"Never mind who we are." Ye Xiren pressed her dagger against his neck, her voice icy as she questioned, "Did you intercept the six secret letters sent back from the Huai'an Canal?"
An abandoned house, a bound man, a knife pressed against his throat... Even if Jiang You were stupid, he would know what kind of situation he was in. He really didn't expect that someone would dare to intercept and kill him.
Jiang You was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized: "You are from Yan Family Army?"
Ye Xiren remained expressionless, her hand twitching slightly as she held the knife. "Since you know it's the Yan family army, you should understand your current predicament. Confess honestly!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang You couldn't help but scoff:
"Young lady, these tricks are useless against me. Even if you torture me, I will not be afraid. Yan Danqing is hindering the peace talks, and no one can save him. Even if we find the secret letter, it will be of no use. Besides, if I really did it, do you think the secret letter is still here?"
Ye Xiren pressed the knife deeper into her neck, and blood gushed out.
How could there be such a person?!
Ye Changming was startled and quickly gave a meaningful look. He thought, "It's just a scare, how could it actually hurt someone?"
"I don't understand." Ye Xiren finally asked the question she most wanted to ask, "Do you really want the Great Liang to be destroyed? What's the benefit of being a traitor? You are already the prime minister with immense power and the emperor's deep trust. What more could you want?"
Jiang You ignored the knife in front of him and sneered, "I am saving the Great Liang."
"Save?" Ye Xiren found it even more ridiculous, her face full of mockery. "Slaughtering loyal officials, kneeling before Northern Yan, and killing the only general who could resist Northern Yan, and you call this saving Great Liang?"
“I will apologize to him after I die, but while I am alive…” Jiang You lowered his eyes and slowly said, “Anyone who obstructs the peace talks deserves to die.”
Ye Xiren laughed in anger, her hand trembling as she wielded the knife. "You trust Northern Yan that much? You trust Chi Zhanlan Ce?"
Jiang You looked at her and suddenly asked, "You trust Yan Danqing that much?"
His cloudy eyes held unreadable emotions, his aged face was resolute, and his voice was calm: "You believe Yan Danqing because he has a 50% chance of winning against Northern Yan... But I bet that the peace talks are real, and we both have a 50% chance of winning. What's the difference between us?"
Ye Xiren was taken aback.
“Peace talks are beneficial to everyone. Yan Danqing may not have a 50% chance of winning, but Chi Zhanlan Ce is willing to give up his life. Northern Yan is sincere in its peace talks, and this is the only chance to save Daliang.”
Jiang You continued, "Therefore, I am right."
Ye Changming was somewhat dazed, and even felt that what Jiang You said didn't seem to make any problem.
Jiang You glanced at the knife and shook his head: "Miss, I still need to go to the palace to meet the Emperor. If you release me now, I will pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, if the Yan family army kills me, Yan Danqing will not survive, and if the peace talks fail, the entire Great Liang will be completely finished."
He didn't think the two of them would kill him. After all, from any perspective, killing him would bring no benefit, only endless trouble.
However, Ye Xiren smiled, a cold smile that didn't reach her eyes. "No, you're wrong. Peace talks can't save Daliang. Only a desperate fight offers any hope."
She leaned forward, her voice soft:
"And I have already seen how you will lose your bet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the knife plunged in without hesitation, blood spurting out. Jiang You's pupils contracted, and he unconsciously made a "hoarse" sound as he opened his mouth. He reached out to grab Ye Xiren, wanting to ask her one last question...
His hand fell limply to his side, and Jiang You stopped breathing.
Ye Changming jumped up from the ground, incredulous, his voice shrill: "Ye Xiren! You...you...you killed Jiang You?!"
He acted too quickly; before he could even react, Jiang You was already dead.
Ye Xiren nodded: "Yes, I killed him."
Ye Changming opened his mouth, but after a long while, he finally spoke: "Didn't you promise not to kill him?"
“I didn’t agree.” Ye Xiren turned to look at him, wiping the blood-stained dagger on her sleeve to clean it off. “I said… I heard you.”
I heard it, but I won't agree.
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