Chapter 44 marks his twentieth time!
Chapter 44
Before Jiang You could even process this sense of familiarity, the woman in front of him spoke: "Prime Minister Jiang, it's been a long time. I've invited you here today because I have a question for you. Please enlighten me."
His tone was very polite and courteous, and he was elegant and gentle, but the sharp blade in his hand was pressed tightly against his neck, and with just a little force, he could sever his throat immediately.
Jiang You remained silent for a moment.
please?
Did you bring over a sack?
He glanced down at the blade, then looked into Ye Xiren's dark, clear eyes, and said calmly, "What if I don't tell you?"
Ye Xiren's expression remained unchanged: "That powerful Prime Minister Jiang will probably end up dead in this dilapidated house, never to leave again."
When she threatened someone, her tone wasn't very intimidating, but with a knife to his neck and this person daring to kidnap the prime minister she described as "powerful throughout the court," she suddenly felt a genuine intent to kill.
Jiang You's face was grim, his expression dark and somber.
"You dare kill me? Do you think no one will find you after you kill me? At that time, who will have a good ending—you, your family, or the people behind you!"
But Ye Xiren wasn't afraid at all. In the many cycles of reincarnation, they had never had a good ending. To put it bluntly, their entire families had been executed countless times. What was there to be afraid of?
When a person is not afraid of death, she becomes powerful no matter how weak she may seem.
"Jiang Xiang can try and see if I dare to kill you." Ye Xiren said, pressing the dagger down.
She doesn't know martial arts and doesn't seem very strong.
If he weren't bound hand and foot and hadn't been afraid of her at all, this posed no threat whatsoever. Yet, it sent a chill down Jiang You's spine, as if his head had already been severed by this person, and a wave of pain washed over him...
After a long pause, he finally spoke: "What do you want to ask?"
Before the interrogation could finish, Jiang You was horrified and struggled violently, causing the chair to shake violently in disbelief.
"What? Northern Yan has established a new crown prince?! How is that possible?! Chi Zhanlan Ce is still alive, how could Northern Yan establish a new crown prince? Where did you get this information from?"
He was completely stunned by the question, his head struggling forward, ignoring the dagger pressed against his neck. Ye Xiren was so frightened that she instinctively pulled back, preventing the dagger from severing his throat.
"That's impossible!" Jiang You raised his voice.
Ye Xiren: "?"
She was equally bewildered by Jiang You's question. Holding the dagger, she stood there somewhat helplessly, her expression strange: "You know nothing at all? You didn't receive any secret letter?"
"What secret message?" Jiang You frowned.
Yesterday, Chi Zhanlan Ce had just shown the sincerity that moved the Great Liang, and the Crown Prince had even taken out a letter, willing to be a hostage for three years, and even talked about marriage. His willingness to negotiate was beyond doubt. He was thinking of persuading the Emperor to agree, but today this person actually said that there was a new Crown Prince of Northern Yan, which was simply nonsense!
Can……
What if it's not just nonsense?
Jiang You immediately understood the key point: if Northern Yan had established a new crown prince, then the conditions offered by Chi Zhanlan Ce yesterday would be problematic!
Although I don't believe that Northern Yan would abandon Chizhan Lance and choose someone else as the crown prince, since there is this news, I must find out the truth to avoid any mishaps!
Jiang You panicked and struggled incessantly. The rope tightened around his hands and feet, drawing blood as he struggled, but he paid no heed to that. He stared intently at Ye Xiren, his eyes like knives, demanding an answer.
Ye Xiren: "??"
For a moment, she didn't even know who was interrogating whom.
Jiang You's reaction was different from what she had imagined. Just as she was holding the knife helplessly, wondering if this person was deliberately faking his reaction to distance himself from the Northern Yan people... someone walked out from behind her, raised his hand, and knocked her unconscious with a single chop.
Jiang You hadn't even seen the person who attacked him. Before closing his eyes, he kept staring at Ye Xiren, as if he wanted to get to the bottom of things.
After everyone fainted, Yan Danqing shook his head: "You guessed wrong. He didn't collude with the Northern Yan people and didn't know about the appointment of a new crown prince."
On the contrary, judging from his reaction, he is not the traitor they suspected, otherwise he wouldn't be so anxious about every move made by Northern Yan.
However, Jiang You was a spineless coward who insisted on seeking peace, which was much better than the dignified prime minister of Liang being a traitor. At least it prevented the country from becoming a huge joke.
Ye Xiren believed Yan Danqing's judgment, but then frowned, her face full of doubt: "What about that secret letter? Could it be that Northern Yan has really established a new crown prince, and is releasing the news as soon as Chizhan Lance dies?"
Yan Danqing also frowned and shook his head.
That doesn't make sense either.
How could Chizhan Lance possibly agree?
With his ruthless methods, if the Second Prince of Northern Yan really wanted to seize power, he should have dealt with that person immediately. After so many encounters, Ye Xiren had no doubt about Chi Zhanlan Ce's ruthlessness and cunning.
After a long while, Yan Danqing exhaled:
"We still need to find out whether Northern Yan has a new crown prince. If so, why did they abandon Chizhan Lance? If not, what about the two secret letters that Jiang You received before?"
"How do we investigate?" Ye Xiren asked again, "Ask Jiang You about the channels through which he obtained the secret messages?"
The matter hasn't happened yet, and Jiang You hasn't received the secret letter, so there's no way to directly find out the answer. The only option is to ask him how he received the secret letter and try to uncover its secrets…
Yan Danqing thought for a moment, then shook his head:
"As the prime minister, Jiang You must have had many channels to obtain information. It would be difficult for us to find out where he got the information from, and besides, he wouldn't talk about such secrets."
Even interrogation might not be able to get Jiang You to talk. Who among those who can become prime ministers isn't a ruthless character?
"What should we do then?" Ye Xiren frowned and scratched her head.
The matter seemed to have stalled again. They couldn't find a way to break through. They knew there were clues, but they just couldn't figure out where they came from or how to follow the trail.
Thinking of this, Ye Xiren's pupils shrank, and a thought flashed through her mind. She instinctively looked at Yan Danqing, who also looked over at the same time. With just an exchange of glances, the two understood each other's meaning.
I've used this fishing method more than once!
Yan Danqing had an idea in the blink of an eye. He leaned over Ye Xiren and whispered in her ear.
Her breath tickled her ear, and Ye Xiren blushed slightly, but she was quickly drawn to Yan Danqing's voice. Her brows furrowed, and her eyes brightened like scattered stars, gradually becoming excited.
After listening, another question came to her mind, and she worried, "But how can I possibly see the Emperor?"
Her father is in dire straits himself, so he certainly can't help her. The Emperor is more likely to trust them, so she needs a reliable person to take her there, preferably someone who can speak on her behalf to Liang Yue.
Yan Danqing smiled: "Have you forgotten the owner of Jade Silver Pavilion?"
Ye Xiren's eyes lit up again, and the corners of her mouth turned up. That's right, she had almost forgotten that Yan Danqing also had people in the court, and that he was quite a capable person.
"Come on, I'll take you to see him." Yan Danqing grabbed Ye Xiren's wrist and was about to leave.
"etc!"
Ye Xiren stopped, her hand still holding the knife at Jiang You's neck. Her killing posture was not standard, and there was fear deep in her eyes. She swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly: "Where is Jiang You? Shall we kill him?"
Yan Danqing: "..."
He looked at the girl in front of him, his hand holding the knife trembling, but he firmly pressed it against Jiang You's neck. His voice was timid, but he asked, "Kill her?" in a casual tone.
It was as if he could slit a man's throat with a mere nod, as if this man was not the all-powerful prime minister at all, and that killing him would bring no trouble whatsoever...
Xixi is someone who seems timid, but always manages to do amazing things without saying a word!
He couldn't help but smile, his brows and eyes relaxing and softening.
"Don't kill him yet. The Prime Minister's death may cause other troubles. Moreover, involving Jiang You, who has experienced the secret letter before, can help us find more useful information. We need to obtain enough clues this time."
Ye Xiren nodded, somewhat disappointed, and sheathed the knife, hiding it in her sleeve. "Alright."
She lifted her foot, and then they left together.
Yan Danqing: "You really want to kill him that badly?"
Ye Xiren: "I really don't like him!"
"It's strange, really. Jiang You wasn't a weak person before. His single-minded focus on pushing for peace talks is odd to me. I initially thought he was in cahoots with Chi Zhanlan Ce, but it's clearly not the case..."
"Who knows? Maybe this person became timid and hesitant after becoming prime minister, and only wanted to maintain his power."
As they talked, they walked further and further away.
Jiang You, who remained where he was, was found unconscious and carried to the clinic amidst much fanfare.
-
Ye Xiren and Yan Danqing had already left.
The sky was already completely bright. Yan Danqing sent Yan Shuang to deliver a letter, arranging a meeting place with the owner behind Yu Yin Lou, wanting Ye Xiren to cooperate with him. The two still needed to meet.
"Who is Yan Shuang? How can she be so powerful?" Ye Xiren asked curiously.
Yan Danqing answered seriously: "Yan Shuang is actually my sworn sister. My father adopted many orphans, and she was one of them. Yan Shuang loves swordsmanship and has a great talent for it, so my father taught her everything he knew."
"She originally wanted to change her surname to Yan, but her father was always afraid that if something happened in the family in the future, it would implicate all the people with the surname Yan, so he didn't agree. Yan Shuang was stubborn and gave herself the surname 'Yan,' which is the same as 'Yan'..."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiren subconsciously looked at Yan Danqing, only to see that he had lowered his eyes and his aura was somewhat desolate.
The Yan family has been loyal and brave for generations, but that doesn't mean they are muddle-headed. They are simply maintaining their principles with a clear mind, just like the two generations of loyal and brave marquises who died in battle, and the young General Yan today.
During the reign of Emperor Xianzong, the Yan family guarded the border. They knew that those who commanded troops rarely had a good ending. In the past, the emperors of the Great Liang Dynasty had always trusted the Yan family, and their harmonious relationship was a well-known story.
Emperor Xianzong was not that kind of emperor, so after they adopted the orphans, they insisted on not letting them enter the Yan family, so as not to be implicated in the future.
The Yan family has done their best for each of these children. There's Yan Shuang, who considers herself a member of the Yan family regardless of her surname and is willing to go to great lengths for Yan Danqing, even at the risk of her life. There's also someone like Lu Qian...
They betrayed the Yan family and wish they were dead!
Ye Xiren sighed softly, then perked up, flashed a bright smile, patted Yan Danqing's hand, leaned closer, her eyes sparkling, and held up three fingers: "I killed Lu Qian! And I killed him three times!"
Yan Danqing suddenly smiled, her eyes softening, and nodded emphatically: "Yes, Xixi is great."
Ye Xiren raised an eyebrow.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded. Yan Danqing composed himself and said in a low voice, "They're here."
Ye Xiren quickly looked up.
Naturally, it was the owner behind Jade Silver Pavilion who had arrived. She had been curious about this person for a long time and had a very good impression of him. Whenever she asked him to do something, he would do it perfectly without saying a word. No matter how difficult the task was, he could always complete it in the end.
In particular, it lured out Chizhan Lance.
Although Chi Zhan Lan Ce was successfully lured out only the first time, and even then he turned his attention to Ye Xi Ren and changed targets, every time Chi Zhan Lan Ce went out afterward he was on guard and cautious, making it difficult to kill him according to plan... But that was not the fault of the owner of Yu Yin Lou. It was the cycle that left its mark on the perceptive Chi Zhan Lan Ce, making him difficult to kill.
In the previous cycle, when they had nowhere else to turn for help, it was the other side who sent them a secret message, giving them a clue to restart the cycle.
Ye Xiren knew this person was a court official, and of a high rank. She even thought that if all the officials in the Great Liang court were like this, that would be wonderful...
From afar, a man could be seen walking over, shrug and sighing, complaining in an affectionate tone, "General Yan, you really know how to cause me trouble!"
Ye Xiren froze the moment she saw the face.
It was him?!
-----------------------
Author's note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!! May you be happy every day!!
There will be Mid-Autumn Festival red envelopes dropping in the comments section of this chapter! Love you all, see you tomorrow! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com