Chapter 43 Familiarity for the Twentieth Time!
Chapter 43
As dawn broke and few pedestrians were on the road, Yan Danqing led Ye Xiren to the riverbank, found a secluded corner, and sat on the clean grass behind a tree.
The sound of the flowing water seemed particularly clear in the quiet morning. After the two sat down, Yan Danqing realized that he was holding Ye Xiren's hand and quickly let go.
"Excuse me," he apologized softly.
Ye Xiren shook her head. The two of them truly had a "life-or-death friendship," so why bother with such things?
Instead, after Yan Danqing let go, she took his hand and carefully examined her wounds in the morning light. Then she breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the places where she had applied medicine "yesterday" were better. Uncle Bai and the others must have called a doctor, and her injuries had improved.
Thinking of the horrific wounds she had witnessed in the previous cycle, Ye Xiren's anger flared up again. She glared fiercely at Yan Danqing, gritting her teeth: "Tell me, why did you risk going to kill Chizhan Lance in the last cycle?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Danqing turned to look at her, his eyes blazing with anger, and he stubbornly pursed his lips:
"He's gone too far."
Whether to negotiate or kill him is fine; these are facts we already knew and are not surprising. But that scoundrel dared to covet Miss Ye. If he really succeeds, how will he torture this person who has tried to kill him time and time again?
Yan Danqing could remain calm in the face of other situations, but this was something she simply could not tolerate.
"Then you shouldn't have acted impulsively." Ye Xiren glared at him again, condemning his behavior.
Yan Danqing lowered his eyes: "There's no other way. It's better to just kill him cleanly and decisively, trading one life for another."
In the last cycle, Ye Xiren's mental state had deteriorated; she even wanted to kill the emperor and drag the entire world down with her, just to escape this torment...
This is a breakdown after being completely trapped in a desperate situation with no way out.
Yan Danqing thought there was still a way out. Ye Xiren had suffered enough from his repeated cycles, so he should let her end it all and escape the cycle.
Ye Xiren knew there was no better way in the last cycle, but she was still dissatisfied: "Why did you go back to Dali Temple after killing someone? You can go to other places, even to Huai'an Canal, where your Yan family army is located."
To put it bluntly, what difference would it make if he rebelled against such a court?
"And what about you?" Yan Danqing looked at her, his eyes serious. "After I was transferred from the Imperial City Guard to the Court of Judicial Review, the responsibility of guarding fell to Lord Ye and Lord Bai. If I leave, what will happen to them?"
Moreover, Ye Pei risked his entire family's lives to save him, so what about Xixi?
Ye Xiren paused.
My anger suddenly dissipated, leaving me with mixed feelings.
This is a general who is being attacked by everyone. He has never done anything wrong, and he is even loyal to his country and his country. But his enemies stab him with swords, and his compatriots who are protecting him stab him with knives. He is already riddled with wounds, but he still thinks about the safety of others and does not want to implicate others because of himself.
Yan Danqing raised his hand, restrainedly patted Ye Xiren's head, then clenched his fist and withdrew it, his voice soft: "Xixi, I can't leave."
"Do you still remember the military rations case? When I came to Nandu, the soldiers at Huai'an Canal had run out of food and couldn't last more than ten days. If I ran back to Huai'an Canal, the court would stop supplying the Yan family army with rations. What would they do then?"
It has been almost ten days since he arrived in Nandu.
If the imperial court doesn't allocate grain, what will happen to the soldiers at the Huai'an Canal? With years of war and the people of Daliang suffering, where will he get grain from?
Moreover, half of the Huai'an Canal is occupied by the Yan family army he raised, and the other half by soldiers of the imperial court. Outside the gate are the Northern Yan cavalry, who are eyeing the canal with predatory intent. If he were to break ties with the imperial court, the Northern Yan people would be the ones to rejoice.
Chi Zhanlan Ce went to great lengths to cause a rift between the Yan family army and the imperial court, so that the Northern Yan could easily break through the Huai'an Canal.
The Great Liang Dynasty is in turmoil and on the verge of collapse.
These key figures who are supporting the great empire are barely holding onto the crumbling empire. Once someone lets go, it will collapse with a crash, and the great empire will be completely finished!
Ye Xiren was taken aback.
I knew about the military rations case before, but I almost forgot that the soldiers at the Huai'an Canal were still waiting for supplies!
Whether to kill or release, there's no resolution on Yan Danqing's side, so why would the court allocate grain to the Huai'an Canal? In this cycle, she only carries the burden of her own life, with the addition of Yan Danqing at most.
But Yan Danqing has countless people behind him, and he still has to think about their lives and make plans for them...
Just how much pressure is he under?
Yan Danqing looked at the protective river. The flowing river was very beautiful. Even in the dim morning light, its prosperity was already evident, nourishing this land.
The Huai'an Canal is different from the water protection canal; it contains blood, swords, spears, and halberds, as well as the remains of his father and brothers, and the flesh and blood of the Yan family ancestors.
Yan Danqing murmured, "Moreover, the Yan family has never produced any traitors."
He may be called a "traitor" by the court, a "traitor" by everyone, but he knows that his blood is still clean, that he has never disgraced the surname "Yan". Whether he is alive or dead, his soul can return to the frontier and embrace the land that gave him birth.
Silence fell instantly, broken only by the faint sound of the wind rustling the new leaves behind, and the river flowing quietly.
Ye Xiren turned her head to look at him.
I wanted to accuse him of "blind loyalty," to scold him for being "naive," and even to call him "stubborn," but before me lay the long river of history, book after book of historical records, generation after generation of history...
It is because of many "Yan Danqings" that the long river shines so brightly, and that Daliang can hold on for a little longer. The people of Daliang, like her and everyone else, can still hold on. The longer they hold on, the longer they can hold on.
Yan Danqing's extreme whiteness is another kind of madness.
A man like him is destined not to become a powerful figure who shakes up history, but only a renowned general.
But he remained clear-headed, more so than anyone else, steadfastly adhering to his principles, like a hard, stubborn stone. Even as the wheels of history rolled on relentlessly, they still swayed as they passed over him.
Ye Xiren was speechless.
Yan Danqing raised his hand and gently wiped away her tears, smiling as he said, "Don't cry, it's nothing serious. Whether I live or die, I have no regrets, only you... I'm sorry."
Ye Xiren was a little stunned, and raised her hand to touch her face.
So, she was crying?
Yan Danqing, however, thought she was thinking about the previous cycle again, and her eyes were filled with guilt: "I only thought about killing Chizhan Lance as soon as possible, starting the war as soon as possible, so that the court could thoroughly investigate the military grain case and transport the grain to Huai'an Canal as soon as possible."
"I'm not afraid of waterboarding, but I underestimated how much pain it would cause you. I'm sorry."
Another apology.
If there is no other way, he will definitely choose to kill Chi Zhanlan Ce, and that is irreversible. He thought that Ye Xiren would be able to live well after she figured things out, but he forgot that she was in the water dungeon, and she... lived an unstable life.
Yan Danqing doesn't find waterboarding scary at all.
Living in this world, especially in a murky and dirty one, and wanting to be a virtuous person with principles is like being drowning in water, with your hands and feet bound, being devoured by countless "insects".
He, the Yan family, had always lived this kind of life.
They forgot that, in the eyes of others, and in Xixi's eyes, it was an unbearable pressure.
It was his fault.
Ye Xiren shook her head. He was already riddled with wounds, yet in the end, he was still thinking about her life and death. Even if it was a wrong decision, how could she blame him?
He was barely twenty years old.
“It’s okay, I forgive you.” Ye Xiren took a deep breath and stared intently at him. “But you have to promise me that you won’t make such crazy decisions in the future. You have to discuss everything with me and get my consent.”
Yan Danqing nodded emphatically upon hearing this.
He looked at Ye Xiren, then suddenly leaned closer hesitantly, lowering his voice to coax her, "Last time, I misjudged the situation. I take full responsibility. You got stabbed. You can hit me or scold me, it's all fine..."
Ye Xiren glanced at him and snorted, "Let's observe for now. If it happens again, I won't let you off so easily."
After speaking, she lowered her voice again, her eyes serious:
"Spring day, I finally understand. Where are we in a dead end? As long as the cycle hasn't ended, we still have hope. If not this time, then next time!"
"Whatever fate may be, isn't the reason God gives us chances to start over time to change our destiny?"
As she spoke, her eyes brightened, she raised her chin, and her face radiated unwavering courage. The gloom of the past vanished, and the shadows of repeated deaths disappeared.
In her eyes, the cycle was no longer painful; on the contrary, it was hope.
Yan Danqing stared at her blankly.
His heart felt like it had been scratched by a cat; his heart suddenly raced out of control, his ears turned bright red, and he awkwardly looked away, afraid she would notice his unusual behavior. He hurriedly asked, "What was the new clue you mentioned earlier?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiren became even more excited. She sat up abruptly and rubbed her hands together: "Let me tell you, after you were imprisoned in the imperial prison yesterday..."
She began to ramble on about what had happened the day before, and the "new clues" she had noticed.
Yan Danqing could finally turn around and look at her openly.
She was truly a vibrant person; the revival of all things that he hadn't had the chance to witness in the early spring of March was all embodied in her.
Whenever he felt he had reached a dead end, and thought it didn't matter anymore, just let himself fall into endless darkness, there would be another hand reaching into the darkness and pulling him out.
She ran towards him several times with a lantern, her lively chatter dispelling the darkness and making him believe that if he tried a little harder and climbed a little higher, he could escape the shadows and see the sun.
Yan Danqing looked at Ye Xiren who was speaking, and the corners of his mouth could not be restrained from turning up.
As the morning light grew brighter, Ye Xiren's face became increasingly clear even without a lantern. She counted on her fingers as she analyzed, "...So you understand now, right? I suspect that Northern Yan has already established a new crown prince, but they've kept the news under wraps and haven't let us know. Chi Zhanlan Ce is dead, or a letter bearing the crown prince's seal has been sent to Huai'an Canal, and that will be revealed immediately!"
Yan Danqing thought about it carefully and raised a question: "What about Chi Zhanlan Ce? Did he come to Nandu for peace talks just to die?"
Ye Xiren got stuck.
This is indeed a problem, and the pro-peace faction believes in Chizhan Lance's sincerity for this very reason.
“But judging from the previous results, Chi Zhanlan Ce seems to be truly unafraid of death. Could this be a scheme by Northern Yan? If everything goes smoothly and he survives, he will still be the Crown Prince of Northern Yan when he returns. If he cannot return or something goes wrong, Northern Yan will choose a different Crown Prince?” Ye Xiren speculated.
But is the King of Northern Yan really that ruthless?
Yan Danqing shook his head: "Based on my understanding of Northern Yan, the King of Northern Yan dotes on Chi Zhan Lan Ce the most, while the second prince, Chi Zhan Cheng Ye, is mediocre. There is no need to give him up for the second prince."
Moreover, Chi Zhanlan Ce is no ordinary crown prince; he is the uncrowned king of Northern Yan.
Ye Xiren immediately felt a headache coming on.
She really couldn't understand it. Surely Chi Zhanlan Ce wasn't a madman who was willing to take such risks?
What key point is still unclear about this?
"If the secret letter to appoint a new crown prince is received on the thirteenth cycle of the third day of the third month, and the tasks of receiving news of Chi Zhanlan Ce's death, confirming the new crown prince, appointing the new crown prince, and sending back news cannot be completed within one day..."
Yan Danqing looked at her with a solemn expression:
"That means someone deliberately used this news to delay military operations. No matter when Chizhan Lanze dies, the court will immediately prepare for war. Someone used this news to mislead the pro-peace faction, making them see hope for peace talks again and delaying the time to send troops."
All of this happened within the territory of Daliang, and Daliang knew about it a step ahead of Northern Yan, which gave them the advantage.
However, some people wasted time with incorrect information, just like General Ma and General Zhao who were blocked at the city gate in the previous cycle. They lost the initiative and what awaited them was not the new crown prince of Northern Yan negotiating, but a counterattack from Northern Yan.
Ye Xiren suddenly clenched her fingers into a fist, gritting her teeth: "Jiang You!"
It was him both times!
I used to think Jiang You was just stubborn, single-mindedly focused on peace talks, and a spineless coward. But now it seems, what if there's something wrong with him? What if he's been secretly colluding with Northern Yan all along?
The two exchanged a glance, their expressions growing increasingly serious.
If even the prime minister has become a traitor, then no wonder they couldn't survive no matter how hard they struggled before!
Yan Danqing stood up, her eyes calm: "Then let's conduct an interrogation."
He reached out his hand to Ye Xiren.
"Okay." Ye Xiren stood up with his help. Since they wanted to break the deadlock, they would unravel the mystery and start from all the inconsistencies.
The new crown prince of Northern Yan, Chi Zhanlan's actions, Jiang You's single-minded pursuit of peace talks... all these are points of discord.
-
The gates of the Northern Yan embassy opened, and those who rushed out only saw a panicked Zhang Yuanmou, along with the prime minister's guards who were chasing after him, and several black figures carrying sacks, darting across the rooftops.
Yan Shuang and Ma Shan lured the guards away separately, throwing the person into an abandoned courtyard halfway through, then changing the person into a sack, and leading the person to continue running.
The noise and the sound of swords clashing startled the morning.
Jiang You was tied to a chair. When he opened his eyes, he saw a young girl with her face covered. The girl reached out and removed the cloth from his mouth.
Jiang You frowned slightly.
I don't know why, but the scene of being kidnapped today... seems somewhat familiar?
In the abandoned house, he was tied up, and a young woman pulled out a dagger and held it to his neck, about to begin interrogation.
Jiang You: "..."
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Author's Note: Jiang You: ? ? ?
Has this already happened once?
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