Chapter 51: They surrounded them for the twenty-first time!
Chapter 51
Jiang You had never been treated so rudely. He swayed, his brows furrowed even more, and his face grew increasingly grim. He wanted to say something, but for a moment he didn't know how to refute it.
Yan Danqing looked at Ye Xiren, his lips curving upwards involuntarily, a smile spreading across his face, radiating boundless tolerance. Then he cleared his throat, shifted his gaze to Jiang You, his smile vanished, and he returned to his calm demeanor.
He took the blood-stained papers from Ma Shan's hand and handed them out: "Prime Minister Jiang, all those who colluded with Chi Zhanlan Ce are inside. Two of them were very dissatisfied, so I took care of them as an example. A few of them have spoken up, and these are their statements."
"As for Councilor Zhang... I didn't make things difficult for him, but I think it would be better if you interrogated him yourself."
Jiang You's pupils contracted, and he could no longer care about anything else. His eyes were glued to the signed confession. He snatched it away and stood in the dilapidated courtyard, anxiously flipping through each page.
With each new page, his expression grew increasingly grim, as if he had suddenly fallen into an ice cellar.
Northern Yan, Crimson Lan Ce, treasure, beauty, kill Yan Danqing, open the door... Each word on the paper turned into a knife. Jiang You's blood rushed to his head, his eyes were bloodshot, and he wanted to tear these people apart in an instant!
Panic and anger surged within him at the same time. He grabbed the confession and strode into the house past Yan Danqing.
Immediately afterwards, a questioning voice came from inside.
Ye Xiren lifted her skirt, intending to step over the threshold and go inside.
Yan Danqing reached out and gently pulled her wrist, leading her to the other side of the house, preventing her from going in. "Don't go in, it's not a good place to look. Let Jiang You interrogate her. Are you alright?"
As she spoke, she naturally took Yan Danqing's hand, unbuttoned his tightly buttoned sleeve, and lifted it to check.
The most common injuries during a fight are to the hands and feet. This person likes to wear black after being injured. Even though he's covered in blood, he can still smile and talk, making it seem like nothing is wrong. Their lives are intertwined, and Ye Xiren doesn't want them to have finally survived all sorts of crises and found a glimmer of hope, only to die from excessive blood loss in the end...
Yan Danqing stood frozen in place.
Behind them, Ma Shan and Yan Shuang exchanged a glance before simultaneously looking away.
Ma Shan nudged Yan Shuang and gestured with his eyes: Is this our general's wife?
Yan Shuang nodded with a serious face:
Given all this, it must be true!
Ma Shan rubbed his hands together, somewhat excited. This Miss Ye looked quiet and refined, with no martial arts skills whatsoever. She was gentle, weak, and timid. But just thinking about how he would break her brother's hand on the first day of the third month, then quickly help him collect evidence to save the young general, and finally kill Lu Qian with a single blow...
A perfect match!
Such a "fierce" girl is definitely meant to be paired with their general!
Ye Xiren put down his hand and looked him up and down carefully. She nodded in satisfaction after scanning his whole body: "It's okay, there aren't many new injuries. Remember to apply medicine and don't reopen the wounds."
It seems that as long as he doesn't go to besiege Chi Zhan Lan Ce, his injuries will be fine.
"Okay," Yan Danqing replied softly, her ears turning bright red.
Inside the room, Jiang You's angry roar startled Ye Xiren, drawing her attention away. The arguing inside was intense, with Jiang You and Zhang Yuanmou's voices overlapping and clashing, each word filled with anguish.
"This old man, I told him long ago that Zhang Yuanmou betrayed the country, why does he still look like he can't accept it?" Ye Xiren couldn't help but sigh as she listened to Jiang You's desperate and angry voice.
Yan Danqing replied while tying her cuffs with her long fingers, "Jiang You firmly believes that what he is doing is for the good of Daliang, but he did not expect that his confidants would take advantage of his eagerness to destroy the entire Daliang. He cannot accept that he almost destroyed the country he wanted to protect the most."
He shook his head and said again:
"However, Prime Minister Jiang is a smart man. He will calm down soon. After all, there is still time and many things to do."
They are all still alive in this round.
Killing Chizhan Lanze is a terrible idea. As long as the court no longer believes in Northern Yan's willingness to negotiate, everything will be much easier.
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiren's cheeks puffed out slightly.
Yan Danqing looked at her and smiled, "Be polite to him, after all, he is the Prime Minister..."
"I'm being lenient by not killing him, how could I possibly be polite?"
Ye Xiren became even angrier, gritting her teeth:
"This is the twenty-first cycle already. He's caused us a lot of trouble in all the previous ones!"
If Jiang You is unhappy with her attitude and kills her to start over... then fine, the first thing she will do after being reborn is to kill him, and she will do it with reason and evidence, and take revenge, right?
If you dare not cooperate, kill!
Yan Danqing smiled and patted the back of her hand. "It would be troublesome if he died, but he's still useful while he's alive. Jiang You is quite capable."
Ye Xiren's shoulders slumped, and she sheathed the dagger.
Sure enough, a short while later there was a noise coming from inside the room.
Jiang You emerged with a dark expression, barely managing to stand by the doorframe, clutching a stack of confessions. He swayed precariously, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at Yan Danqing, his voice hoarse:
“General Yan, Zhang Yuanmou… has indeed betrayed the country. I have interrogated him thoroughly. Chi Zhanlan Ce has done some unsavory things in private and has ulterior motives. The peace talks with Northern Yan are most likely a conspiracy. I was wrong before, I’m sorry.”
Yan Danqing nodded and pointed to the people inside: "These can be considered evidence, right?"
“Fine! These are the evidence.” Jiang You took a deep breath and straightened up. “I must go to the palace immediately. This is a matter of great importance and cannot be delayed. General Yan will keep an eye on these people for now, or they can be handed over to Bai Chengguang, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.”
“Okay,” Yan Danqing replied.
Jiang You's eyes gradually cleared. Without further delay, he lifted his foot and struggled to climb over the threshold. He regained his composure completely, his steps became increasingly steady, and he hurriedly walked out with the confession in his hand.
Watching his departing figure, Ye Xiren felt a pang of anxiety. She turned to Yan Danqing and asked, "This time... there shouldn't be any more mishaps, right? What if we get another imperial decree to kill you...?"
Time and time again, she dared not have any expectations.
Yan Danqing couldn't help but reach out and rub her head. He looked in the direction where Jiang You had disappeared and shook his head: "No, His Majesty values evidence the most, and Jiang You is not a traitor. As long as he knows that Northern Yan is not sincere about peace talks, he will not be our enemy."
Even after he killed Chi Zhanlan Ce at the end of the previous cycle, Jiang You still wanted him to live...
"This person doesn't care much about his own feelings; he only cares about whether it's good for Daliang," he said.
Ye Xiren pursed her lips, but her heart was not completely at ease.
Will it really go smoothly?
-
Northern Yan Embassy
A stove burned in the room, the charcoal embers glowing without smoke, and a pot of medicine simmered gently, filling the room with a rich medicinal aroma. The room was furnished in the style of the Northern Yan royal family, with the floor covered with Northern Yan wool carpets, creating a luxurious and warm atmosphere.
Daylight had broken, and the bright sunshine outside shone through the carved wooden window, making the person on the bed appear even whiter than snow. Her eyelids trembled, casting two thick shadows, and her hair hung down casually, exuding an alluring beauty.
All the experts from Northern Yan stood guard at the door, while the maids inside knelt and served. Some were brewing medicine, while others were changing the dressings for the person on the bed. They all kept their breathing quiet and made no noise except for the sound of boiling, so as not to wake the sleeping person.
After the medicine was applied, the person on the bed slowly opened their eyes.
"Your Highness is awake?" the maid asked softly.
Chi Zhanlan Ce nodded, propped himself up to sit up, the fine forged cloth covering him slipped off, the wound on his neck made him uncomfortable, his brows furrowed, and his whole body instantly turned cold, even the sunlight shining in seemed to lose its warmth.
“Mr. Ucho said that Your Highness should rest in bed.” The maid Ayou carefully supported him. “The injury hasn’t healed yet. It’s on your neck, and it’s quite dangerous.”
Chi Zhanlan Ce shook his head, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Any news?"
"Your Highness, there is still no news. These people of Liang are truly indecisive. Your Highness injured yourself for them yesterday; you really suffered!"
Chi Zhanlan Ce scoffed, "I'm not doing this for them."
The smile aggravated his wound, causing him to furrow his brow and touch his neck. He found it difficult to even speak; this was an injury that had almost cost him his life.
The maid Ayou looked worried, but a fierce glint flashed in her eyes as she cursed, "It's all those lowly Liang people's fault, especially that woman yesterday. Azu died at her hands and even injured His Highness!"
She truly wished she could tear that person to pieces.
“Ye Xiren…” Chi Zhanlan Ce also thought of her. Not only was his neck in unbearable pain, but his heart was also uncomfortable, beating irregularly. He smiled and said, “She is such an interesting person. If I have time after I finish my business, I can play with her for a while.”
Timid and cautious.
Daring, reckless.
It's all so strange and contradictory that it's possible to find out what secrets she holds.
Ayou hesitated, then lowered his voice: "Would the people of Daliang agree to kill Yan Danqing?"
“They will. Even if Yan Danqing is a loyal minister of Liang, even if he is very important to this country, if he obstructs the peace talks, those people of Liang will choose to abandon him. Is it so hard to choose between the death of one person and the death of ten thousand?”
If the gunpowder hadn't been exposed yesterday, Yan Danqing would have been dead.
He scoffed:
"Compared to the fierce animals on the grasslands, the human mind is more complex, but also easier to manipulate. As long as you grasp what people crave most, you can lead them by the hand..."
Fame and fortune could not tempt the Emperor of Liang, nor could money sway the Prime Minister of Liang, but peace talks were possible. What they wanted was simply to preserve their kingdom and bring peace to the world.
They believed that Yan Danqing's life was not as important as the lives of ten thousand people.
It's a pity that, in his eyes, Yan Danqing's life was worth ten thousand people!
Ah You breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face.
She didn't understand so much scheming, but she knew that what His Highness wanted to do would definitely succeed, and in the end it would be better for Northern Yan.
As if remembering something, Chi Zhanlan asked again, "Has no one from the Liang Dynasty arrived yet?"
Ah You shook his head.
Chi Zhanlan Ce frowned. Why hadn't anyone from Daliang come today? It was strange. For some reason, he had a vague feeling that something was amiss.
Then he turned and gave the order:
"Mole, go out and find out if something has happened to Daliang, or if they've discovered something. Ayou, pack your things and put more pressure on the Emperor and Prime Minister of Daliang. We can't give them time." Delay will only lead to trouble.
The maid and Moller agreed; one hurried out, while the other began packing her luggage, making it seem as if she was about to leave.
Just then, a commotion broke out outside.
Chi Zhanlan Ce frowned even more deeply, almost instinctively sitting up and looking towards the door. The next moment, Mo Le rushed in, raising his voice:
"Your Highness, the embassy is surrounded!"
"What?!" Ayou exclaimed in shock, his face darkening. "How could this be? Who surrounded them? Does Great Liang still want to negotiate?!"
Möller shook his head.
Chi Zhanlan Ce frowned, the unease growing stronger. He almost instinctively stood up, enduring the pain as he strode out. The maid and Mole tried to help him, but he pushed them away.
The group quickly arrived at the door.
Sure enough, the Northern Yan embassy was completely surrounded, three layers deep. These people were wearing armor and holding long spears, pointing them at them; they looked like the imperial guards of the Great Liang...
Is this not a friendly attitude?
His expression was somewhat unpleasant. He forced a smile, his phoenix eyes fixed on the imperial guards outside, and spoke slowly:
Who surrounded them?
As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards surrounding the embassy made way for him. He wore a purple, curved-collar robe with wide sleeves, black boots, a turban, and a gold and jade belt—the official attire of a Marquis of Liang. Behind him was the commander of the Imperial Guards, and everyone treated him as their leader.
Amidst the shocked gazes of the Northern Yan people, he stepped past the Imperial Guards, striding confidently to the entrance of the Northern Yan embassy. His cold gaze swept across the crowd, meeting the eyes of Chi Zhanlan Ce.
Yan Danqing smiled slightly: "I've surrounded them, what are you going to do about it?"
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