"Cough cough cough..."
As soon as Cheng Liang turned around, Xuan Yuanhan couldn't help but cough heavily again.
Hearing Xuan Yuanhan's deep cough, Cheng Liang's heart couldn't help but clench.
Suddenly remembering something, he stopped and turned around.
He took out a letter from his person and handed it to Xuan Yuanhan: "By the way, I received an urgent letter from Xi Qin Academy early this morning. I almost forgot to present it to Your Highness."
"West Qin Academy?" Xuan Yuanhan stared into Cheng Liang's eyes, momentarily stunned.
For many years, to avoid suspicion, Xi Qin Academy has never easily written to him unless there is a major event.
Xuanyuan Han, seemingly lost in thought, reached out and took the document, opening it.
But the so-called secret letter contained only a few words: "The truth has come to light."
Xuanyuan Han's gaze fell upon it, and his eyes widened instantly.
After reading it, he immediately ordered, "Prepare the horses immediately and come with me to the Western Qin Academy."
Cheng Liang thought for a moment, and seeing his master's solemn expression, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "The Xiqin Academy suddenly sent a letter. Is Your Highness in such a hurry because the matter you have been investigating for many years has finally come to fruition?"
Xuanyuan Han remained silent, his brows furrowed deeply, his eyes flashing with cold light.
At the southern border of the Western Qin Kingdom, there is a necessary route to the Nan'an Kingdom—the Rouge River.
Because it is located in a scenic canyon, the rocks on the hillside are interspersed with purplish-red hues, like a young girl's rouge, hence the name Rouge River.
The banks of the Yangtze River are lined with strangely shaped rocks and sheer cliffs. A huge rock spans the two banks, which is known as the "Heavenly Gate" and is quite spectacular.
Regarding the Rouge River, there is a folk saying: "Eight hundred miles of river flow gently, its end nowhere in sight..."
It's as if once you enter the Heavenly Gate and go down the river, you'll never be able to return.
After much difficulty, Yi Shangyun finally made up his mind to go to Nan'an Kingdom. Yi Sanshao naturally did not want to stay in Xiqin for even a moment longer, fearing that things might change and some unforeseen complications might arise.
So, after their last meeting, they traveled non-stop through the night and finally arrived at this place before dawn.
Young Master Yi stepped off his horse and walked briskly over to personally lift the carriage curtain for him.
But then he noticed that Yi Shangyun's eyes were already red from crying, and he immediately guessed that it must be because of Xuan Yuanhan.
Nevertheless, he believed that as long as he took her away from Western Qin, he would be able to help her gradually forget everything.
So he only paused for a moment in his mind, then immediately put on a smile again and reached out his hand to her, saying, "Girl, we've arrived."
Along the way, Yi Shangyun sat alone in the carriage, recalling many things from the past. In the end, she couldn't help but shed tears and couldn't sleep all night.
Hearing this, she stopped her wandering thoughts, tightened her pink cloak, and got up to get off the carriage with the help of Young Master Yi.
When she saw the breathtaking scenery of birdsong and fragrant flowers, with colorful butterflies fluttering about in the Grand Canyon she was in, she was amazed.
And the surging river water, rising layer upon layer, forcefully crashing against the rocks on the shore, and the majestic Tianmen Gate perched on the cliffs on both sides of the river—she was instantly stunned.
Indeed, in the face of nature's magnificent craftsmanship, human sentimentality immediately pales in comparison and becomes insignificant.
"Perhaps it's time to let go of all the rights and wrongs! When everything returns to dust, letting go of him is also letting go of myself."
Suddenly, Yi Shangyun felt a sense of clarity and openness in her heart. Looking at everything before her, she silently said to herself.
At this moment, Young Master Yi slowly stepped forward and stood beside her, gazing at the same scenery before him. He said, "After passing through Tianmen and going down the river, we will soon reach Nan'an. We will rest here for a while, and after meeting up with your father, we will leave Xiqin together and never return in this life."
Upon hearing the voice, Yi Shangyun turned her head in surprise and looked at Yi Sanshao's profile, saying, "Father?"
"Your marriage to the Prince of Qin was bestowed by the Empress Dowager. The Yi family cannot bear the crime of disobeying the imperial decree, so..." Young Master Yi hesitated before continuing.
Yi Shangyun thought for a moment, then silently withdrew his gaze and said sadly, "I never thought... that... in the end, I would implicate the entire Yi family and everyone else."
Young Master Yi disagreed. Thinking of all the grievances and pains Yi Shangyun had suffered in the past, he looked at her indignantly and said, "How can you blame yourself for this? You can only blame Prince Qin, Xuan Yuanhan. If he hadn't been so persistent in pursuing you, how could you have been injured like this?!"
Hearing Young Master Yi's anger, tears streamed down her face. Yi Shangyun said softly, "No, in the end, it can't be entirely his fault. Love arises without warning, and deepens with time. Love ends without warning, and fades away with despair. Besides, if I hadn't repeatedly declared that this child had nothing to do with him..."
She paused, then continued, "He wouldn't misunderstand, and the child wouldn't... In the end... it was my fault for not protecting him. I'm not qualified to be a mother. It's all my fault."
As she spoke, she silently lowered her head, reaching out to touch her now empty abdomen, feeling as if her heart was breaking.
Seeing that Yi Shangyun is still heartbroken and remorseful about losing that child, how could Yi Sanshao feel any better?
At that moment, he felt a sudden urge to tell her the truth.
Perhaps, once she knew the truth, she wouldn't feel so guilty.
After all, she was kept in the dark about this whole thing.
Xuan Yuanhan's decision was undoubtedly for her own good; if it were him, he would have made the same choice.
But this was not Yi Shangyun's own choice.
She was so kind, how could she possibly harm her own flesh and blood?
But who doesn't have selfish thoughts when facing the person they deeply love?
If she were to learn the truth—that Xuan Yuanhan had made the painful sacrifice of his own precious child to protect her and prevent her from ever being in any danger—she would undoubtedly return to his side without hesitation.
Then everything I've done now will have been in vain.
"I'm sorry, girl, please forgive my selfishness!"
In the end, he swallowed back all the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
It all boiled down to a tentative question, or perhaps a final confirmation: "Girl, are you sure... you really want to leave Western Qin with me?"
Yi Shangyun thought for a moment and said, "Originally, the child was my only reason for living. Now that he is gone, having gone through so much with him, it is absolutely impossible for me to face him again. To be honest, just before, I often even had thoughts of dying. But now, knowing that because of me, the entire Yi family has been implicated, things have come to this point, so I have to continue living to atone for my sins, don't I? Since I have to live, leaving is my only choice."
After they finished speaking, the two looked at each other.
Young Master Yi's eyes were full of heartache for her.
Just then, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Young Master Yi quickly snapped out of his daze and urged, "It's raining, get in the car! You've only just recovered a little and haven't fully healed yet, you absolutely can't get wet in the rain again."
As he spoke, he quickly looked around and said, "I know a place nearby. Let me take you there to take shelter from the rain. Hurry, let's go!"
With that, he grabbed her hand and drove away.
Unexpectedly, the rain got heavier and heavier on the way, and soon the carriage stopped in front of what looked like an ancestral hall.
As Yi Shangyun got out of the car and looked up, she saw the words "Temple of the Matchmaker" prominently displayed on the plaque above the door.
The couplet on the door reads: "A predestined fate in this life leads to a marriage in the next; a virtuous life in this one cultivates a bond for the next."
Stepping through the gate, I entered a courtyard that wasn't very large. Strangely, although it was raining outside, there wasn't a drop of rain in the courtyard.
There is a huge, ancient tree in the courtyard, which is a rare conjoined tree with several branches growing together.
The tree was covered with countless prayer plaques tied together with red ropes, used to make wishes and pray for marriage.
Yi Shangyun walked slowly along one side of the corridor, looking around as she went.
"I've heard that the matchmaker here is incredibly effective. As long as he's moved by someone, he'll tie the feet of the man and woman together with a red thread from his bag. In this way, even if they experience the torment of enemies, social disparity, being officials in distant lands, or being strangers in different places, everything will be resolved and they will eventually become husband and wife."
Young Master Yi followed silently behind him, his hands behind his back as he walked and talked.
“Every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, this place is packed with people, all hoping to find a good marriage. At that time, the wedding cakes offered as a token of gratitude are piled up as high as mountains, and the incense in the courtyard is extremely strong. Some couples even find their perfect match right in front of the temple.”
As they spoke, the two of them arrived together at the main hall of the temple.
Upon entering, one sees the deity high above, smiling down upon all living beings.
For some reason, as Yi Shangyun looked at all this, she suddenly felt much calmer, and even the brows that had been deeply furrowed for days began to relax for the first time.
Seeing this, Young Master Yi was extremely gratified.
So he stepped through the door first, walked to one side of the hall, picked up the pen on the table, and glanced back at Yi Shangyun.
Then, with a face full of joy and tenderness, she wrote: "To win one heart is to stay together until old age."
After writing it, he mysteriously hid it in his large sleeve pocket.
So he went back and pulled Yi Shangyun over, personally handing her a pen: "Write one too!"
At this moment, in this situation.
Yi Shangyun really didn't know what to write, but after declining for a long time, Young Master Yi still refused to let her off the hook.
Left with no other choice, Yi Shangyun picked up her pen and wrote: "My wish is for peaceful and tranquil times!"
At this moment, Young Master Yi suggested, "Why don't we hang up the prayer plaques we wrote ourselves?"
Yi Shangyun was really not in the mood, and while she was hesitating, she was forcibly dragged out of the palace gate by Young Master Yi.
After hanging up the prayer plaque, Young Master Yi unexpectedly returned to the hall again.
At this moment, it felt like the timing was just right.
He suddenly stepped forward, lifted the hem of his robe, and knelt down before the deity, his attitude never so serious.
He solemnly declared, "Your Majesty the Divine Lord, I, Young Master Yi, hereby swear..."
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