Chapter 63
A few days later, Nan Quan passed away. Xie Xuanye and Su Yuexing bought him a coffin and secretly buried him.
The sky was overcast and a light drizzle was falling. Su Yuexing held an umbrella over him and said, "Please accept my condolences."
Xie Xuanye looked sad and said, "You should leave. I want to be alone for a while."
Su Yuexing didn't say anything more, turned around and left. Sometimes it's good to let him have some peace and quiet.
Su Yuexing ran into Li Jinghe halfway there. "How is Xuan Ye?" he asked.
She said, "I advise you not to disturb him at this time."
"Let him have some time to himself and let him vent his pain."
Li Jinghe lowered his eyes; what Yuexing said made sense.
"What do you plan to do now?" Li Jinghe asked.
Taken aback by his sudden question, Su Yuexing replied, "My affairs are none of your business." With that, she walked right past him.
Li Jinghe followed up and asked, "Are you going to take action against Liu Jin next?"
Su Yuexing stopped in her tracks. She should have made her move against him long ago, but she had been delayed by some things.
"Are you going to offer me any help?" Su Yuexing asked.
Li Jinghe thought for a moment and replied, "Don't lay a hand on him. Leave your matter to me, I'll help you!"
He said this with a serious expression, and Su Yuexing raised an eyebrow and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but I don't need it."
After saying that, she continued walking forward. Halfway there, Su Yuexing stopped and said, "Young Master Li's wedding is just a few days away. I wish you a happy marriage."
Su Yuexing didn't know why she suddenly brought this up; she just felt uncomfortable and wanted to say it.
Moreover, she only wanted to tell Li Jinghe about it, and after finishing speaking, Su Yuexing left without looking back.
Li Jinghe didn't chase after her because he had no reason to do so; he was nobody now.
Ye Huaijin led his vast army along the road. The soldiers had been traveling for a long time, and a general suggested that they rest and recuperate.
Ye Huaijin nodded in agreement, "All soldiers, listen to my command!"
"Rest and recuperate for one hour!"
Jiang Nianrou got out of the carriage and came to Ye Huaijin.
However, Ye Huaijin remained indifferent, as if he didn't see her standing in front of him, and continued with what he was doing.
"Could we speak in private?" Jiang Nianrou asked.
Ye Huaijin said with a stern face, "As a general, I must stay here at all times!"
Since I traveled from the capital to the south to see him, there was no unexpected surprise on his face.
He looked at Jiang Nianrou with indifference, as if she were a stranger. If he hadn't desperately protected her when she was threatened, Jiang Nianrou would have thought he didn't like her.
Jiang Nianrou understood that he was angry with her, and that he was divorcing Li Jinghe because he liked him, which would make both the Ye family and the Jiang family lose face.
But people should always be brave enough to do what they love, even if they don't achieve the desired result, at least they won't regret it.
If Ye Huaijin refuses to forgive her, Jiang Nianrou won't blame him, since she was the one who wronged him first.
But this time, she had to tell Ye Huaijin about it.
Because this concerns Xie Xuanye's life! We grew up together, and I cannot disregard his safety.
Jiang Nianrou spoke again, "I beg you to give us some time to talk alone."
The soldiers nearby all pricked up their ears to listen, and some of the bolder ones looked directly at them.
Ye Huaijin's face darkened, and he pulled Jiang Nianrou along, saying, "Come with me!"
Jiang Nianrou was led by him the whole way. When they arrived at a secluded place, Ye Huaijin let go of her hand and said, "Speak, what is it?"
He didn't need to guess; he already knew what she wanted to say to him.
"Can you please not tell the Emperor about Xie Xuanye's matter!" Jiang Nianrou pleaded, tugging at his sleeve.
Ye Huaijin waved his hand and said, "No way!"
"Xie Xuanye is the leader of the militia uprising; he is a traitor who betrayed the imperial court! I must tell the Emperor!"
Jiang Nianrou said anxiously, "But he did it for those ordinary people!"
Ye Huaijin sneered, "For the sake of the common people?"
"For the sake of the people, we will let them take up their swords and fight against the court!"
As he spoke, he excitedly unbuttoned his clothes, revealing an ugly scar on his chest. "This scar was inflicted by those civilians!"
"I almost lost my life! Do you know that, Jiang Nianrou!"
Jiang Nianrou had been by his side for so long, and this was the first time she had ever seen him angrily lash out at her.
She froze, momentarily at a loss for words.
After a long while, she finally found her voice, "Huaijin!" Her eyes were filled with tears.
Ye Huaijin turned his back, punched the tree next to him, closed his eyes, and regretted his impulsive actions.
What does this have to do with Nianrou? Maybe I'm just too tired from traveling these past few days, so I want to take it out on someone.
In the past, Ye Huaijin would have apologized immediately and wiped away her tears.
But now, a helpless sneer appeared on his lips. She didn't care about him, so why should he try to please her?
Ye Huaijin walked forward slowly, and Jiang Nianrou said in a choked voice, "Huaijin."
He paused, trying to convince himself that sometimes it's time to let go; what isn't yours will never belong to you, no matter what you do.
This time, Ye Huaijin did not turn around. If it were in the past, he would definitely have softened and turned around to hug Jiang Nianrou.
A sword aura suddenly came toward him, and Ye Huaijin quickly dodged it. A masked man in black appeared in front of him.
The two started fighting without saying a word. Jiang Nianrou cried out worriedly from the side, "Huaijin! Be careful!"
Ye Huaijin glanced in her direction and was relieved to see that no men in black approached her.
Now he only needs to focus on dealing with the person in front of him.
The man in black was highly skilled in martial arts, and Ye Huaijin was forced to retreat. With a "sizzle," the man in black stabbed his arm.
Jiang Nianrou was so frightened that she covered her mouth and rushed over without thinking.
Ye Huaijin looked pained. When he saw her running over, his heart tightened, and he started fighting with the man in black.
He didn't want the men in black to focus their attention on Nianrou and then deal with her.
Some soldiers noticed the commotion and led their men over.
The man in black glanced at the distant army and tried to escape, but Ye Huaijin wouldn't let him get away and desperately entangled him.
Seeing that he was not going to let him go, the man in black hardened his eyes and looked at Jiang Nianrou beside him.
"Miss Jiang, I'm sorry," Yue thought for a moment, then quickly came to Jiang Nianrou and pressed the sword against her neck.
Ye Huaijin was so frightened that he froze for a moment. "Let her go!"
Yue lowered his voice and said, "Whether I let him go or not is up to you." He looked at Jiang Nianrou, a wicked thought forming in his mind.
Although this scheme is despicable, it is very effective for me at the moment, and it can also help me complete the task assigned to me by my master.
"If you want her to live, you must die!"
"Either she dies, you live!" Yue looked at them with a wicked grin.
Ye Huaijin's gaze fell on the sword in his hand, his expression hesitant.
Jiang Nianrou shook her head and said, "No! Huaijin!"
"Don't speak!" Yue snapped coldly.
Ye Huaijin slowly raised the sword in his hand, about to slit his neck.
"No!" Jiang Nianrou shouted, immediately gripping the sword in Yue's hand and pressing it against her own neck, causing blood to gush out instantly.
Her action shocked the two of them. Underneath the mask, Yue looked horrified, feeling the warmth of blood on her hands.
He didn't want Jiang Nianrou's life; he just wanted to use her to threaten Ye Huaijin.
This was a love that transcended life and death; he watched Jiang Nianrou fall to the ground.
Ye Huaijin rushed over, picked her up, and tried to stop the bleeding from her wound with his hands.
Yue left quickly, glancing at them on the ground before she did.
"Nianrou! How could you be so foolish!" Ye Huaijin said with heartache.
She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but found it very difficult to utter a word.
She could only raise her hand to touch his face and whisper, "I'm...sorry."
As soon as she finished speaking, she closed her eyes forever, and her hands fell to her sides.
"No!" Ye Huaijin cried out in anguish.
"Nianrou! I have so much to tell you!" he cried out helplessly, holding Jiang Nianrou in his arms.
"I actually forgave you a long time ago!"
"When you rushed from the capital to stand before me, I had already forgiven you in my heart!"
"I wanted to teach you a lesson! I didn't want you to forgive me so easily, so I ignored you the whole way!"
He held Jiang Nianrou tightly, wanting her to open her eyes.
"I thought that once we returned to the capital, we would have many opportunities, but I never expected..."
He now deeply regrets not having a proper conversation with her.
Upon returning to the capital, Yue knelt before Li Jinghe and said, "Your subordinate is guilty; the mission has failed!"
"Return...return..."
Li Jinghe narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yue continued, "And they even accidentally killed Miss Jiang."
Upon hearing this news, Li Jinghe's heart skipped a beat. He stood up and demanded, "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail!"
Yue recounted everything that had happened between her and Ye Huaijin. After listening to what he said, Li Jinghe frowned.
Li Jinghe remained silent for a quarter of an hour before speaking again: "Go! Never follow me again!"
"Master!" Yue exclaimed in shock.
"Please, Master, don't send me away!" he pleaded. If he left too, his master would truly be left without anyone!
Li Jinghe walked up to him, drew his sword, and said, "If you don't leave, do you expect me to kill you with this sword?"
Yue's heart choked, and she could only helplessly cry out, "Master!"
Li Jinghe turned around, closed his eyes, and said, "Go!"
I don't want to lay a hand on you!
Seeing that Li Jinghe's attitude was made up, Yue knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance over the years, Master. Take care in the future!"
He disappeared in a flash after he finished speaking.
Li Jinghe returned to his chair, as if he had no strength left in his body. How could this be!
Nianrou… He slowly closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.
When news of Jiang Nianrou's death reached the capital, the entire court was shocked.
Some speculate that he was killed by the remaining militia, while others speculate that he was murdered by Jiang's political enemies.
In short, the truth of the matter will only be known when Ye Huaijin returns to the capital.
Xie Xuanye heard this news after he woke up; a servant told him that Li Jinghe had been waiting for him outside.
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