In Xiangmanlou, opposite Wanjiaoge, Xuanyuan Han endured another sleepless night.
That night, endless longing and sorrow lingered, barely leaving my brow before rising again in my heart.
He could only pour all of this into the tassel hairpin with two peach blossoms that he was clutching tightly in his hand.
As soon as Cheng Liang returned to Xiangmanlou from the secret room of Wanjiao Pavilion, he did not linger for a moment. He simply had Yu Niang change into a clean set of clothes and then brought her directly to see his master.
At this moment, Cheng Liang stood at the door, looking at his master's dejected and lost appearance, feeling a mix of emotions, endless heartache and reluctance.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally took a breath and mustered his spirits, stepped inside, bowed respectfully to Xuan Yuanhan, and said mysteriously with a forced smile, "Your Highness, look."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan slowly raised his thick eyebrows and large eyes, which, though tired, were still bright and clear, and looked toward the doorway that Cheng Liang was pointing to.
Then, the long-absent Yu Niang slowly walked in with delicate steps and immediately kowtowed in worship, saying, "This humble woman, Yu Niang, greets Your Highness, Prince Qin. May Your Highness live a thousand years!"
Xuanyuan Han immediately opened his eyes wide and stood up, exclaiming, "Yu Niang, it's you... I've finally found you! Get up and answer me!"
However, Yu Niang suddenly stood up in a hurry and said urgently, "I am very grateful for Your Highness's life-saving grace. However, I beg Your Highness to quickly find a way to save Miss Yi."
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Han immediately turned to Cheng Liang with a questioning look.
At this point, Cheng Liang stammered for a long time, but finally had to bite the bullet and report, "Your Highness, I am incompetent. I only found Yu Niang in the secret room in the backyard of Wan Jiao Pavilion, but I did not see Miss Yi."
"What?" Xuan Yuanhan immediately slammed his hand on the table in front of him, his eyes wide as he stood up and roared angrily.
Unexpectedly, this excitement caused him, who was already exhausted, to stagger and suddenly feel dizzy.
"Your Highness!" Cheng Liang, seeing his master's anger, reached out to support him, but was stopped by Xuan Yuanhan. He then asked in a deep voice, feigning calmness, "What exactly happened?"
Yu Niang, who was standing to the side, was also quite shocked by Xuan Yuanhan's actions. She naturally did not know what the cloud on the clothes meant to Xuan Yuanhan.
So, Cheng Liang and Yu Niang together reported everything that had happened in Wan Jiao Pavilion in detail. "Your Highness, the situation is like this..."
Listening to the unbelievable information reported by Yu Niang and Cheng Liang, Xuan Yuanhan sat upright at the table with his brows furrowed. He slowly clenched one of his hands, which was resting on the table, into a fist, making a cracking sound.
After the two finished their report, Xuan Yuanhan finally understood everything that had happened in Wanjiao Pavilion.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and placed his fists on his knees, as if he were trying his best to suppress the heinous crimes committed by the unruly prince of the Northern Lie Kingdom on the land of Western Qin.
Seeing that Xuan Yuanhan remained silent after listening, Cheng Liang continued, "I have already ordered a thorough search and clearing of Wanjiao Pavilion. I believe that none of the enemy soldiers from Beilie hidden there will escape this time. On the way back from Wanjiao Pavilion, I also carefully questioned the captured Beilie enemy soldier who was specifically guarding the secret room. He didn't know exactly where the secret passage ended up, only that it was a shortcut to Beilie. He said that the secret passage was dug by the conscripted men of Xiqin. The secret passage was never used after it was dug because it was a one-time use passage; once opened, it would be permanently closed immediately. The civilians of our country who were captured and forced to dig the secret passage for them were all... killed to silence them as soon as the passage was completed."
The two men saw that Xuan Yuanhan was now silent, his brows furrowed and his eyes seemed to be piercing with a thousand sharp arrows.
At this moment, Yu Niang seemed to remember something and quickly said, "That's right, when Tuoba Ze came to the secret room alone, he said he wanted to take Miss Yi and set off with her back to Beilie immediately."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang hurriedly said, "I will go after him right away. I will definitely not let that prince of Beilie Kingdom succeed in his evil scheme..." After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave.
"Come back! Where are you going to chase after him? Tuoba Ze is cunning and treacherous; he would never take that well-known main road." Xuan Yuanhan finally spoke up to stop him.
"What should we do?" Cheng Liang asked anxiously.
Unexpectedly, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly asked him, "Is there any news from Young Master Yi?"
Cheng Liang replied, "Not yet."
After a moment's thought, Xuan Yuanhan stood up and instructed, "Tuoba Ze, it's time for me to meet him personally. Go find Young Master Yi and quickly settle things on his end. Then come... to meet me at the foot of the mountains north and south of the city."
"At the foot of Beishan Mountain, Your Highness, you..." Xuan Yuanhan was clearly exhausted, yet he still insisted on personally dealing with the treacherous Tuoba Ze. Cheng Liang hesitated, full of worry.
Xuanyuan Han was sparing with his words, only urging, "Go quickly."
Cheng Liang could only helplessly say, "Then I will go. Your Highness, please take good care of yourself. I will soon join you." As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly withdrew.
At this moment, Xuan Yuanhan turned his gaze back to Yu Niang and said, "Grandma and Ling'er have been thinking of you in the palace and are waiting for you to come home. I will arrange for someone to send you back right away."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Yu Niang said, about to leave, but then seemed to remember something and turned back to Xuan Yuanhan, saying, "By the way, Your Highness, when Miss Yi was taken away by Tuoba Ze, I noticed that Miss Yi's attire was extremely simple, so I gave her a pink sachet that I always carried with me. This sachet is filled with extremely precious rose black tea from the South, and its aroma is particularly outstanding. Your Highness might want to keep an eye out for it along the way. Although the chances are slim, it's better than finding nothing at all."
"A rose-flavored sachet... I understand, Yu Niang is very thoughtful." Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan's eyes widened in surprise, and he said.
“Your Highness, there’s no need for such politeness. Miss Yi is our family’s savior. Moreover, if it weren’t for Miss Yi, I’m afraid I would have really lost my life. Besides, Miss Yi was willing to sacrifice herself to go to the Northern Lie Kingdom with Tuoba Ze in order to save us. I’m afraid I can never repay such a great kindness in this lifetime.”
Hearing Yu Niang's words, Xuan Yuanhan thought to himself, "Yi Shangyun, she really is that kind of woman. Always thinking of others, never caring about herself, she's clearly just a frail woman, yet she always selflessly helps others shelter from the wind and rain, doing things that are always unexpected..."
Just as Xuanyuan Han was deep in thought, Yu Niang suddenly saw a hint of doting in his eyes and asked in a low voice, "Forgive my impertinence, but does Your Highness like Miss Yi?"
Upon hearing the voice, Xuan Yuanhan immediately looked into her eyes and was taken aback.
Though she remained silent, Yu Niang understood everything. She simply said, "In the secret chamber of Wan Jiao Pavilion, Tuoba Ze told me that my husband was dead. At that time, I was utterly despondent, waiting only to die so I could reunite with him. But Miss Yi told me, 'Since I love my husband so much… I must see him alive or dead.' Even if he is dead and buried in the dust, I must dig out his bones to examine him. Unless I see it with my own eyes, I cannot give up on myself. This is the attitude I should truly have. Miss Yi is a kind, brave, and strong woman, worthy of Your Highness's care. I hope Your Highness will not give up on her easily."
After Yu Niang finished speaking these heartfelt words, she realized that Xuan Yuanhan must be in a hurry to leave, so she quickly bowed and said goodbye, "Your Highness, take care."
Just as Yu Niang turned around and was about to step out the door, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly said, "Yu Niang, thank you."
Upon hearing this, Yu Niang turned back slightly and smiled sweetly at him, then strode out.
At this moment, Xuanyuan Han also took a deep breath, as if he had instantly recovered his energy. Full of energy, he grabbed his sword and hurriedly went out the door.
In the pitch-black secret passage where no one could see the sun, Yi Shangyun and Tuoba Ze had been walking for an unknown amount of time, pondering the mysterious power that existed in Western Qin.
Suddenly, a faint ray of dawn appeared not far in front of them.
Just then, Yi Shangyun suddenly stopped and asked Tuoba Ze with great seriousness, "I'll ask you one last time: you promised me that you would release Lanxiang, Yu Niang, Yan Hong, and Granny. So, you will definitely do it, right?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze turned around, stared into Yi Shangyun's eyes, and said with great conviction, "Yes, as long as you return to the country with me, I will guarantee that they will live peacefully and well in the Western Qin Kingdom."
Yi Shangyun pursed her lips and said, "Also, apart from saving lives and treating patients, I will not help you do anything to harm people."
Tuoba Ze laughed and said, "As long as you can stay in my Beilie Kingdom wholeheartedly, I will agree to whatever you want to do."
"Alright, I agree to go with you. But if one day I find out that you didn't do it, I will make sure you die a horrible death. Also, you are not allowed to use poison indiscriminately in the future, otherwise... you will bear the consequences."
After Yi Shangyun finished speaking her last harsh words, she walked past Tuoba Ze and headed towards the dawn. Her whole body radiated a dazzling golden light, and Tuoba Ze was so mesmerized that he stood there in a daze.
It turns out that this extremely long underground passage extends from the basement of Wanjiao Pavilion all the way north to the foot of Beishan Mountain, several miles away from Wanjiao Pavilion.
This is the only place to pass through on the way to the Northern Lie Kingdom.
However, Yi Shangyun was still unaware that there was another secret shortcut to the Northern Lie Kingdom. Even Wen Taifu, who had accompanied the Crown Prince of Western Qin on his travels through the various kingdoms in recent years, was unaware of its existence.
Therefore, very few people know about it, and crossing this mountain is extremely dangerous. Tuoba Ze also discovered this path by chance after arriving in the Western Qin Kingdom, when he was designing secret passages and chambers for the Wanjiao Pavilion.
Just consider the abyss at the foot of the North Mountain to the east, below which lies a bottomless lake of clear, emerald-green water, so inviting that the surrounding environment is spring-like all year round, with birds singing and flowers blooming, like a fairyland, hence the name.
However, the lake water continues to flow northward, and to this day, no one knows where its end is.
The terrain at the bottom of the valley is even more intricate; falling in would mean certain death.
But once you cross this mountain, you can save a day and a night's journey and head straight up the ancient northwest road, a wide road that leads directly from western Qin to northern Lie.
At this time, the ancient road in the northwest was still in the dead of winter, with a biting wind and heavy snow, making it difficult for most people to persevere.
This was Yi Shangyun's first time visiting Beishan, so it was completely unfamiliar to her.
Just as she was carefully observing her surroundings, Tuoba Ze suddenly let out a loud whistle...
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