Change of Dynasty, Part Two
The man went to the post station and, upon returning, explained to Xin Ruien in the carriage, "Lord Su of the capital has been waiting for you for many days."
Xin Ruien vaguely sensed who the other person was. Looking at the man's respectful demeanor, Xin Ruien felt as if she had seen a glimmer of hope in saving He Zi'an. She cautiously asked, "Which Lord Su are you?"
The man did not answer. "I'll try to be quick," he instructed. "Please sit down."
The closer they got to the north, the deeper the snow became. The snowflakes falling from the sky grew larger and larger. Shin Ye-eun stretched her palm out of the car window, and a snowflake the size of a goose feather landed squarely on her palm.
The world was blanketed in white; Shin Ye-eun had never seen such a grand and intense snowfall. As the snowflakes melted, a stinging pain shot through her palms.
The carriage slowly came to a stop; this was yet another completely new place.
"Miss Xin, we've arrived." The man scratched at the carriage curtain. "Are you alright?"
“Ah,” Xin Ruien sighed softly, coming back to her senses, and said, “It’s nothing.”
"Someone will meet you there." The man helped Xin Ruien down from her horse, and a rare smile appeared on his face. "Well then, goodbye."
The kind-looking woman stood before the magnificent mansion, seemingly the one waiting for Xin Rui'en. As the woman entered through the main gate, then through the outer ceremonial gate, she went straight through the main hall of the front courtyard. As soon as she stepped through the inner ceremonial gate, the restless male head of the household in the inner courtyard came out to greet her.
Shin Ye-eun knows that man.
"Are you alright?" the man asked with concern. "I heard you were arrested and put in jail."
A maidservant came forward and draped the cloak that had been prepared for Xin Ruien.
Snowflakes dotted the fur of the master's cloak, and his dark hair was also covered in snow. Xin Rui'en looked at him and replied, "They came just in time, and I was released quickly."
"I repeated myself several times, but I didn't expect them to still make a mistake." The man was a little angry, but his tone immediately softened: "It's good that you're alright."
Xin Ruien looked around, and the image of that dim, narrow blacksmith shop flashed through her mind. Meng Jizhen was repairing weapons for her in the inner room, while she watched Li Letian forge a new longsword from outside. The bright flames always made it impossible for her to see Li Letian's face clearly.
Li Letian didn't speak, but silently wielded the iron hammer in his hand. The unique smell of iron mingled with the smell of the man's sweat.
“A lot happened after you were kidnapped,” the man said. He seemed to remember something, then said, “Oh, I was the one who told them to say Brother Su’s name. I was worried you wouldn’t remember me.”
“I remember you, Alliance Leader Li,” Xin Ruien said. “You saved me at Cloud Mist Peak, I still remember that.”
"Because of me, you were taken away by the Blood Palace and suffered a terrible fate," Li Letian said guiltily.
“That’s not your fault, Alliance Leader Li.” This was Xin Ruien’s true thought.
"Now that you've returned, Miss Xin, why haven't you seen Brother Zi'an?"
“Zi’an, he…” Xin Rui’en felt a lump in her throat. After a long while, she finally said, “We met, but I lost him.”
Xin Ruien omitted Jianbing and Chunhua, as well as Jianbing's senior brother, from her narration. The two sat in the main hall of the inner courtyard. After the story was finished, the tea was still full, but it had become cold.
"So, you came back to ask Brother Su for help." Li Letian immediately gestured to the maid to bring her fresh tea.
Taking a sip of the still-hot tea, Xin Ruien nodded. "The He family, Brother Yishan, I want to join them."
“If you had come back earlier, this wouldn’t have been a problem for Brother Su. But at this critical juncture, it’s going to be a bit difficult,” Li Letian said, looking troubled.
"What does Alliance Leader Li mean by this?"
“Miss Xin,” Li Letian said solemnly, “you should have learned some things on your way here. The Yongqing Emperor has been overthrown by us, and now the dragon throne has been taken by a different person. You actually know this person.”
“I know, he told me on the way here.” The man who escorted Xin Ruien all the way to the capital told her about many important events that had happened in recent days. “The current emperor is the leader of the Beggars’ Sect. He was originally the crown prince of the late emperor, but ended up in the Beggars’ Sect.”
“Emperor Yongqing has been branded a traitor, and his grave has been dug up.” Li Letian considered his words for a moment and said, “Families that had too much involvement with Emperor Yongqing and his important ministers have all been purged.”
Xin Ruien's face turned deathly pale. "Zhao Zheng."
"Fortunately, Brother Su is also a meritorious official, so for the time being, Brother Su and the He family are only detained. His Majesty will make a decision after everything is investigated." At this point, Li Letian hesitated and stopped.
“My mother was also there.”
Li Letian nodded. "Everyone connected to the He family will not escape."
“Then if I’m here, wouldn’t I be…” Xin Ruien immediately realized her predicament.
"That's why I've been keeping an eye on you. The order is that if they find you, they'll bring you to the capital immediately." Li Letian reassured him, "They're all my trusted confidants, so there's no need to worry."
Is there any way to do this?
“We can only wait.” Li Letian shook his head. “But at the beginning of the incident, I was ordered to hunt down the remnants of Xinyuan Temple. If I had pleaded with the Emperor then, there might have been room for maneuver. Now that the imperial decree has been issued, there is no possibility of it being reversed.”
Xin Rui'en then remembered that when she alighted from the carriage, she had seen the dragon-head ornament carved on the plaque above the gate. As a subject, Li Letian must hold a very high position in the emperor's heart. Just as Xin Rui'en was about to speak, a long and resounding shout came from the front courtyard:
"The Emperor has arrived!"
*
When Wang Boyu returned to the military camp, Han Yizhi was clearly surprised.
"Why are you back so early?"
Wang Boyu said playfully, "Master, don't you want to see me?"
"Shameless," Han Yizhi said. "I think some people don't want to see me. After being away on campaign for so many days, they barely exchanged a few words before rushing off to the palace."
"It's all because Jiang Xi said he wanted to present the 'Black Wind' and 'Earthquake' to the emperor," Wang Boyu argued.
“Jiang Xi, Jiang Xi.” Han Yizhi pouted. “I see that you dote on little Jiang Xi. When you come to me, it’s just saying, ‘Master, give me the sword.’ I’m like your sword attendant.”
"I was wrong." Wang Boyu quickly squatted down next to Han Yizhi, blinking his eyes and begging for forgiveness.
Han Yizhi had only been teasing him, so he didn't take it to heart and instead asked about things in the palace: "You attacked the Prince of Dingxi and then took the opportunity to present two treacherous swords as tribute. Why didn't the emperor keep you any longer?"
“They originally wanted me to stay for a meal.” Wang Boyu touched his neck and said, “I don’t know what news Eunuch Liu told him, but he rushed out of the palace.”
"He left the palace?"
"Yes, they've left the palace."
"Little Jiang Xi came too," Han Yizhi said, curling a strand of hair with her finger. "Could it be related to this?"
"Jiang Xi is here?"
"They're here." Han Yizhi pointed to a wooden box in the corner of the tent. "They've taken all the remaining treacherous swords with them."
"And they even took the entire treacherous sword with them?" Wang Boyu asked, puzzled.
"Keep your voice down." Han Yizhi slapped him and teased, "You're a general now, why are you so easily startled?"
Wang Boyu rubbed his arm as if to make a show of it, then ran to a corner of the tent to check the wooden box. "It really was taken away."
Why would I lie to you?
Han Yizhi stared at Wang Boyu for a while, then called out, "Boyu."
"Um?"
"If only you were stationed in the city like Lan Luoyu, we could bring Changji over and live with us."
Wang Boyu's resolute face softened. "When Brother Su returns, I'll speak to the Emperor. We'll hand this place over to him, move to the capital, and bring Changji over from Yijian Mountain."
"Um."
*
"Miss Xin, it's been a long time," Xiangyu said with a smile.
Xin Rui'en knelt on the ground, her forehead touching the earth. "This humble woman, Xin Rui'en, pays her respects to Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities," Xiangyu said in a friendly tone.
Shin Ye-eun looked up and saw Lee Letian with an awkward expression.
Xin Ruien had already hidden herself, but Xiang Yu seemed to have known she was there all along, so he had Li Letian call her out again.
"Please sit down, don't be shy. We've all been like-minded people before." Xiang Yu waved his hand, indicating that Li Letian and Xin Ruien should find seats themselves. He said cheerfully, "Miss Xin, we've met before in Black Mountain. Our leader did have some friction with Young Master He, but it was just a martial arts exchange. There's no need to avoid me like this."
Shin Rui-eun quickly stood up again. "This humble woman dares not."
"Sit down, sit down. Look at you, I was just joking." Xiang Yu waved his hand, then turned to Li Letian: "Letian."
"Your subject is present."
"I admire you greatly. Look at you, you've risen from sword boy to leader of the alliance, and then to general. Without you, our army wouldn't be so united and invincible."
"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation." Li Letian hurriedly stood up and replied, "The reason our army has been so unstoppable is because Your Majesty is the chosen one of Heaven. With the hearts of the people united, you are invincible. I have only done some insignificant things in the process."
Xiang Yu remained noncommittal, then asked, "Do you know what people in the world are saying about you now?"
"Your Majesty, I do not know."
"They say you are the greatest swordsman in the world, a flawless military genius."
"Your subject dares not accept such an honor."
“What’s there to be ashamed of? I think you should be the leader of the martial arts world.” Xiang Yu laughed: “If you ask me, you’re still not perfect. Your only flaw is that you’re too modest.”
Xiang Yu took a sip of tea and praised, "This tea is good."
"This was a gift from His Majesty to me last time."
"Oh." Xiang Yu suddenly realized. He took another sip, savored it carefully, and then put down the teacup, saying, "By the way, I've already taken care of your guard. He worked for his master one minute and then deceived him the next, betraying him. You can't have someone like that."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Miss Xin."
"I am here."
"Le Tian originally went to rescue you with Zi An, but his wife was seriously injured, so he had to turn back first. After that, he has been sending people to guard the border and has been very attentive to you."
Shin Yee-eun didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.
"Na-kyung suffered at the hands of the monks of Xinyuan Temple for the sake of all living beings." Xiang Yu showed a sorrowful expression: "I have always felt guilty about it."
The eunuch standing to the side then spoke up: "General Li has been searching for the murderer these days. His Majesty often tells me that the general is a devoted man."
"Seeing you all reminds me of everything that happened on Black Mountain." Xiang Yu sighed and asked, "You should know about General Su's matter."
"knew."
"The empire has just been pacified, and I also have my difficulties. If some things are not done thoroughly, the empire may suffer from war again in the future."
"Your Majesty is wise." Xin Ruien knelt down and pleaded, "The He family does have some connections with Zhao Zheng, but that was because they were forced by him."
The truth was, of course, not so, but Xin Ruien couldn't plead guilty right now. Besides, Zhao Zheng was dead, and Xin Ruien still harbored a sliver of hope.
“We share a bond from the Black Mountain. I don’t want to arrest General Su, nor do I want to arrest you.” Xiang Yu said as if asking a question, “However, once this door is opened, what will happen next?”
Silence. So quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.
With a thud, Li Letian also knelt down next to Xin Ruien.
"Le Tian, what are you doing?"
"Your Majesty, I have been in love with Miss Xin for many years. Now that the war has ended, I am fortunate to be reunited with Miss Xin here. I would like to humbly request Your Majesty to grant us marriage, so that my dream of being a free and unfettered couple traveling the world with Miss Xin may be fulfilled."
"Nonsense!" Xiang Yu slammed his fist on the table and roared, "If you leave, who will share my burdens with all the affairs of the army?"
"Lord Xiongzhen is exceptionally skilled in martial arts and has a meticulous mind. He can replace me."
"No, I disagree."
"I beg Your Majesty to grant my request." Li Letian's forehead slammed heavily against the ground, drawing blood.
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