Chapter 114 She never looked back.
Freedom came so suddenly that Zhang Jingxian hesitated for a while before she found her voice again.
She whispered, "Are you willing to let go and divorce me?"
Xie Yun lay on the half of the bed that still held her scent. He tilted his head back and looked deeply into her eyes. "You can do whatever you want, Ah Xian. This is my promise to you."
He did not respond to letting go, nor did he respond to divorce.
"Why... I mean, why did you suddenly give me freedom?" Zhang Jingxian couldn't understand the expression on his face anymore. She paused and felt like there was a void in her heart.
She was a little confused.
Xie Yun looked at her and chuckled softly, "Because I'm dying, I can't drag Ah Xian down with me."
If he died on the battlefield, there would be no need to let him go or to reconcile with him.
"Don't talk nonsense. If you win, you won't die." Zhang Jingxian's first reaction was to frown and tell him not to say anything unlucky. Not only did he defeat the Di people with a small number of troops, he also took the opportunity to recover a large area of his homeland that was occupied by the Di people.
"The situation on the battlefield is unpredictable and beyond human control, so before every battle, I am prepared to die. I know you won't forgive me, but I hope you can be happier."
Xie Yun stretched out his long arms, took her into his arms, and said lightly that he had ordered people to pack her luggage, and the rest was up to fate.
If he really died, as she wished, her world would be without him and she could live peacefully. But if he was still alive, "I promised Ah Xian that I would not force you to stay with me unless Ah Xian came to find me."
Zhang Jingxian was stunned for a moment, then slowly said, "You didn't lie to me?"
Many times, she couldn't tell whether his words were true or false. But she knew that he would not die.
"If you break this oath, God will strike you with lightning." Xie Yun lowered his dark eyes, not wanting to see the ease expressed on her face, and half pressed his body against her neck.
He stopped talking and fell silent.
Zhang Jingxian pieced together his words bit by bit, and finally confirmed that he was not lying to her. She would soon be able to get rid of him, leave Changling and return to her original world.
She will not repeat the mistakes of her past life.
Zhang Jingxian did feel relieved. Ignoring the inexplicable bitterness deep in her heart, she solemnly and seriously called the man's name, "Xie Yun."
The only answer she got was the sound of gentle breathing, as if the person was asleep.
"Xie Yun, although I've said you're cold-hearted and cruel, and not a gentleman, four years ago, when you were just starting out, you were able to defeat 100,000 aliens with a surprise attack. This time, you'll definitely win even more beautifully than you did four years ago, and your name will go down in history."
He has everything, including fame, power and status. He will live and live well, but she will not come looking for him.
In the dim curtain, someone seemed to move his body, and his thin lips brushed the woman's earlobe.
Zhang Jingxian couldn't help shaking. She kept her eyes open and looked somewhere for a long time. She slowly hugged the man who was snuggling with her.
This is the last time, she thought.
………
The next morning, Zhang Jingxian woke up and everything seemed like a dream.
Her bow and arrows, her water bag and even the birdcage she made for Huang Ying were wiped clean, her clothes were neatly arranged, and medicinal herbs, gold and silver, books and her favorite bean cakes and fish pickles were sorted and placed in wooden boxes and ceramic jars.
It can be said that all traces of Zhang Jingxian are on these things.
After taking them away, she seemed to have completely disappeared from Xie Yun's world.
He watched expressionlessly as the peasant girl experienced a brief moment of confusion, then quickly came to her senses, counted her things over and over again, and used a lot of effort to restrain the impulse in his heart.
"Ah Xian, this is for you."
Xie Yun took out a piece of brocade and handed it to her. Zhang Jingxian took it and found that there were words on it. She read it and her breathing became slightly faster.
This was a simple edict with a clear meaning. In recognition of the contribution of Changling Hou Xie Yun in resisting foreign invaders, the emperor in Jiankang City specially gave him several mountains in Wuling County.
From then on, no one was allowed to enter or leave those mountains without the permission of Marquis Changling.
"What do you mean by giving this to me?"
Zhang Jingxian clenched the silk in her hand. He had once used it to threaten her.
"You bear the title of the envoy's wife, and County Magistrate Chen knows it. When you return, Yangshan will belong to you, and those foolish people will not dare to force you to do anything anymore."
The scene of the villagers besieging her because of Wang Buluixing was still fresh in her mind, and this edict was meant to intimidate them.
Zhang Jingxian was speechless when she heard this. She didn't expect that he would even consider this.
Xie Yun looked at her hesitant expression, suddenly curled his lips and asked her if she had forgiven him a little more.
Zhang Jingxian was silent for a moment, then nodded. She knew clearly what was good for her and what was bad for her, and she didn't want to lie to him.
"Then, will Ah Xian still leave?"
He asked with a smile.
Zhang Jingxian pursed her lips and said nothing.
Xie Yun was not surprised by her decision. He snorted with a smile, then took her hand and personally walked her to the carriage.
He prepared a spacious and comfortable two-horse carriage for her. The carriage was fully equipped, and there were even flowers and plants emitting a delicate fragrance in one corner.
The people driving the car were Yu and Wei, and there were dozens of soldiers on horseback protecting her in front, behind, and on both sides.
Zhang Jingxian only felt something real when her hand was released. Her eyes were fixed on the man, watching him exit the carriage, watching him stop, watching him look up at her... She panicked for a moment, turned her head away, and pretended nothing had happened.
"I've finally waited for this day."
Zhang Jingxian murmured softly and closed the carriage window with all her heart.
The rapid sound woke up the drowsy yellow warbler in the cage. It flapped its wings and flew out, staring at its human friend with its eyes as big as black beans.
It's so strange, why is she smiling even though she's obviously unhappy?
"I just remembered that I haven't said goodbye to Gong Chengyue, Xie Ju, Madam Zheng and the others yet. My cousin and the others are in the barracks and should be going to the battlefield this time."
The human woman paused and explained to the bird that cared about her.
-
"I don't believe you're really willing to let her go, Qilang, what are you thinking?"
The carriage gradually disappeared from sight. It would take less than two hours to drive out of Changling City, and after a day, no one knew what would happen.
The peasant girl had learned from the previous experience and was very likely to change her route and go in a different direction to avoid being found.
Gong Chengyue looked at his friend beside him with inquiring eyes. He became more and more unsure of his thoughts. This was not a good sign.
"Yue, I won't live long, so I'm giving her freedom." Xie Yun was strangely calm when talking about his impending death. "After I die, Changling will be handed over to you. You can do whatever you want, but one thing is for sure: you must protect her no matter what."
Gong Chengyue was suddenly shocked, and broke the feather fan in his hand with his own hands, "Qi Lang, are you crazy? Who can take your life?"
Now, it's his turn to say it.
Anyway, Xie Ju was listening silently behind the scenes and had long thought that his cousin was crazy. It was not normal for his arrogant and domineering brother to become humble and infatuated!
Xie Yun glanced at the two of them nonchalantly, his tone still calm, "But I deserved to die."
Only if he died could she stay, forgive him, and love him without any scruples.
"Prepare the army and set out to fight the Di people." He moved his black eyes and stared at the carriage that had long disappeared with a gaze that was almost penetrating.
Of course he will win this battle.
Xie Yun longed for victory more than ever, and longed for the peasant girl to forgive him and walk towards him on her own initiative, saying with some distress and some attachment that she couldn't bear to leave him, she needed him, and she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.
However, his fingers stroked the red jade lotus hairpin, the only one with her scent. Victory might not change, but he could only gamble on other things.
But she really left and never looked back.
-
Zhang Jingxian did not ride a horse. She had been in the carriage for two days and one night.
When they occasionally stopped to rest, the confused little colt rubbed against her, and its big, bright eyes seemed to ask her if she didn't like riding on horseback.
Yu had gathered some fresh wild grass and was feeding it to the accompanying horse. Seeing the foal rubbing against her, he said helplessly, "Madam, you're spoiling it too much."
Zhang Jingxian smiled and said nothing.
He, including dozens of others, still called her Madam, as if they were unaware that she and their envoy had already drawn a clear line and parted ways.
Zhang Jingxian hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't explain clearly. She tentatively asked Yu if he knew the purpose of their trip, and Yu answered frankly yes.
"The lady misses her hometown and relatives, so we are escorting her back to visit them." This was Yu's answer.
Compared to him, Wei was straightforward and spoke more bluntly. "This time, the envoy is going to fight. I am worried about my wife, so I naturally want to send her to a safe place."
Although Changling has a large number of troops, it is closer to the border with the Di people. If the war is lost, it will be the first to fall into danger.
Wuling County is different. It is located deep in the heartland of the dynasty, and there are many mountains and valleys in Wuyang County. The dozens of people there are strong and healthy, which is more than enough to protect the lady.
Not to mention Wei, everyone else thinks so too.
When war comes, it is natural to protect one's family. As members of the army, not many of them are married, but their families are all in the team.
However, Zhang Jingxian was too silent and didn't talk to anyone most of the time. She stayed in the carriage, and these people didn't even have a chance to speak.
As expected, after Yu finished speaking, she found herself distracted again.
He fed the foal fresh grass and crossed the line, saying, "...Ah Xian, we will enter Ba County in another day."
After another day of walking, they left the territory of Changling County, getting farther and farther away from Xie Yun, and closer and closer to the Xishan Village that she had been thinking about.
Zhang Jingxian suddenly woke up and nodded slowly, "Ba County, I know Ba County has a lot of water."
There are often many kinds of fish in places with water, and they taste delicious. She thought that she must taste the fish sashimi in Ba County carefully to make the trip worthwhile.
With this in mind, when the group entered the city of Ba County on the fifth day after their departure, Zhang Jingxian was unusually extravagant and stayed in the most exquisite guesthouse. She also spent a lot of money to buy some famous food.
Among them is a dish called Chunjian Fish Sashimi.
She sat in the hall of the guest house, protected by her retainers, and tasted this expensive dish. Before she took the first bite, the chopsticks in her hand froze in mid-air.
Someone was talking nearby, and happened to mention the war that everyone was concerned about right now.
"Can we really win this time? I heard there are 300,000 soldiers and horses. If we let them cross the Huai River, we're all finished!"
News of the war reached Ba County, sending panic through the people. Who wouldn't be afraid? The northern barbarians were powerful, plundering, and committing all sorts of atrocities. Less than a hundred years had passed, and the horrors of the Central Plains, including the slaughter of two-legged sheep, human sacrifices, cannibalism, and the displacement of tens of thousands, were still fresh in people's minds. No one could withstand another wave of unrest.
"What's the point of it being over? The worst that can happen is we can just move south again. Anyway, we'll just follow those nobles wherever they flee." Someone sneered, holding up his glass and drinking.
"...There are no dangers further south. There are wild beasts in the deep mountains, and there is also miasma." Zhang Jingxian looked up at the man who was speaking. He was wearing a wide robe with big sleeves and looked like a scholar.
"Girl, do you think I have no way to retreat?" The man thought Zhang Jingxian was laughing at him, so he stood up angrily and roared at her.
Zhang Jingxian shook her head, said nothing, and stopped the others.
The man realized that he had been rude, and sat back down dejectedly, muttering to himself, "Escape, where to escape to?"
"Don't blame me, girl. Brother Luo's ancestors fled to Ba County, and only one in ten of the hundred people in his family survived." The friend sitting with him apologized to Zhang Jingxian and explained the reason for his rudeness.
"That's fine," Zhang Jingxian took a deep breath and put down her chopsticks. "Four years ago, the Di people failed to successfully cross the Huai River. They made a strong first push, then weakened, and finally ran out of steam. This time, they may not be able to match their performance."
Hearing this, the scholar surnamed Luo quieted down and stopped talking.
Zhang Jingxian thought she had calmed the man down temporarily, so she picked up the wooden chopsticks again. Just as she picked up a piece of crystal clear fish, she heard a choking sob that sounded like crying.
"Four years ago, there were only 100,000 soldiers and horses, but this time there are 300,000, which is twice as many!"
She knew about the 300,000-man army and had seen it with her own eyes. Even with twice as many troops, they still won.
"The only army capable of responding to the challenge is the Northern Army, which only has 30 to 50,000 men."
Zhang Jingxian's heart tightened, and the chopsticks and fish in her hands suddenly fell to the ground, covered in dust and dirt. How could there be only 30,000 or 50,000 people? She clearly remembered that in addition to the Northern Palace Army, there were also subordinates recruited from the aristocratic families and the Chao Army to provide supplementary support.
Chao Jun was a general under the command of Grand Marshal Chao Liang. He did not directly participate in the battle, but provided containment and support on the flanks.
Fighting against foreign enemies has never been Xie Yun’s responsibility alone, so why don’t they show up?
"I heard there's been some disagreement between the Grand Marshal and Envoy Xie in the court, and they haven't made a clear statement yet... Some say the King of Donghai has written to the court, saying the Grand Marshal is old and needs a replacement in command of the army. In short, the two sides are fighting again."
"How foolish! With external enemies ahead, how can we start an internal conflict? Isn't this just giving others an opportunity to take advantage?"
"Yes, the usually mild-mannered Prime Minister was furious and sent all the Xie family members in Ying County to help his nephew, Lord Xie."
"Alas, I hope Envoy Xie can hold on."
…
At this moment, Zhang Jingxian froze and didn't move. She stared blankly at the void, thinking about a butterfly flapping its wings in the forest. So, would it affect Xie Yun?
Is he in danger? Will he... die?
80,000 to 90,000 people fought against 300,000 people and won. What if there were only 30,000 to 50,000 people?
She bit her fingertips anxiously, trying hard to calm herself down, but in vain.
Zhang Jingxian's heart had long been in turmoil.
"He can't die. I, I can't bear to give up my power. If he dies, why should I save him?"
"Yes, I saved his life."
His life belongs to her. Zhang Jingxian finally convinced herself and said to her followers with a pale face that they would return to Changling by the same route.
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The author has something to say: Muah, here I come.
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