Chapter 235: An unexpected event
Across a long distance, through the noisy crowd, he looked straight at her.
At this moment, Zhuang Wan's premonition was confirmed and her heart beat very fast.
He really came!
Pei Xingju's arrival made the atmosphere in the room become subtle.
Changguo was once a vassal of Dazhao. Now that Changguo had been restored and the emperor was getting married, Dazhao's delegation unexpectedly arrived. For a moment, the delegations from various countries exchanged glances and remained silent in tacit understanding.
"Pei Xingju!" Liang Jinxian's lips curled up slowly, his eyes as sharp as an eagle: "How dare you come here!"
"I am a great and powerful nation. Why should I be afraid of a mere rat or a sparrow?"
Pei Xingju quickly looked at Zhuang Wan and was relieved to see she wasn't being tortured. Then, when his gaze fell on Liang Jinxian holding her hand, his eyes suddenly darkened.
"Oh? So, you're here for a wedding?" Liang Jinxian smiled, his eyes curved in fear, and he raised his hand, holding Zhuang Wan's, provocatively. "My wedding to the Empress is coming soon, and I didn't expect Da Zhao to attach so much importance to it, even sending the dignified Imperial Tutor, Master Pei, as an envoy."
Zhuang Wan angrily shook off Liang Jinxian's hand, but Liang Jinxian forced her to let go with a nonchalant smile.
"Pei Xingju, are you stupid?" Zhuang Wan saw him, happy but also worried. "This place is full of Liang Jinxian's ambushes, and you just came here like this?"
Pei Xingju gave her a reassuring look, meaning that she didn't need to worry, as he had his own plans.
Seeing the two of them flirting with each other, Liang Jinxian felt displeased and immediately stepped forward to block Zhuang Wan.
"Since the Dazhao delegation is here to drink, come," he ordered, "arrange a seat with a good view for the Dazhao delegation. After I and the Queen offer sacrifices to the heavens, we will have a couple of drinks with Lord Pei."
After saying this, he turned to Zhuang Wan and said, "The auspicious time has arrived. There is no time for delay, my queen."
He forcibly took Zhuang Wan's hand again and planned to go to the altar.
"Wait!" Pei Xingju said coldly, "Don't you want to see the gift I prepared for you?"
Liang Jinxian narrowed his eyes.
Pei Xingju raised his sleeves, and a man came forward holding a box. The box was not big, about the width of a palm, and everyone present looked at it curiously.
Liang Jinxian lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips curled up nonchalantly.
However, when he saw what was in the box, the smile on his lips slowly froze.
"Your Majesty of Changguo..." Pei Xingju asked calmly, "Are you satisfied with this gift?"
Inside the box was an old bracelet, a lock of dry hair, and a sharp dagger.
Everyone was confused as to why Liang Jinxian's expression suddenly changed when he saw these things.
However, when they heard Pei Xingju's words, almost everyone in the audience was shocked.
"Liang Jinxian, do you still recognize your biological mother's things?"
After he finished speaking, everyone looked at each other in surprise. Liang Jinxian actually had a mother.
"Didn't he say his mother died a long time ago?"
"Yes, I heard that Prince Liang's mother died when he was born. Why did she suddenly appear?"
Everyone murmured, even Zhuang Wan was incredulous. She looked into the box. The bracelet was old but smooth and shiny, likely worn year-round. Judging by Liang Jinxian's expression, he must have recognized the bracelet's owner.
Unexpectedly, Liang Jinxian's mother is still alive.
She tried hard to recall the plot of the book, but she could only vaguely remember that Liang Jinxian had been looking for someone for many years, and for this he did not hesitate to have disagreements with Duke Xin and even made Duke Xin suspicious.
So the person he was looking for was his mother?
At this moment, Liang Jinxian's face was gloomy and his eyes were fixed on Pei Xingju. After a long while, he finally asked, "Where is she?"
"Don't worry, the person is still alive." Pei Xingju said.
Liang Jinxian closed his eyes, and suddenly went crazy and drew out a long sword from behind him, pointing it directly at Pei Xingju.
"Why do you think I would compromise for her? Don't forget, you are in my territory. It would be easy for me to kill you right now."
Pei Xingju stood still, a calm smile on his face: "You can't kill me today."
"Just the people you brought here today?" Liang Jinxian glanced behind him and sneered, "You're a bit too confident."
At this time, the archers who had been prepared quickly gathered around and shot sharp arrows at the Dazhao delegation.
The envoys from various countries were stunned by the scene, holding their breath and daring not to speak. Zhuang Wan's heart was in her throat. If these archers released their arrows, Pei Xingju and the others would be turned into hedgehogs in no time.
However, Pei Xingju still stood straight, seemingly unconcerned about Liang Jinxian's threat.
"Really?" He curled his lips: "You overestimate yourself."
After he finished speaking, a man came running from outside the palace, shouting, "Your Majesty, this is bad! Dazhao's troops are coming!"
Upon hearing this, everyone panicked.
Even Liang Jinxian was stunned. According to the news he received, Dazhao's army would not arrive for three days. He had chosen this time for the wedding precisely because he had calculated the timing.
Why is it coming so fast?
"Did you see clearly?" he asked, "Are you sure it's Dazhao's troops?"
"They are Dazhao's troops, estimated to number tens of thousands. The flags also have the word…" The man's teeth chattered, "The flags also have the word 'Pei' written on them."
After these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed drastically.
Someone in the crowd hissed, their voice tinged with panic: "It's the Pei family army! The Pei family army has arrived!"
The Pei Family Army, the legendary, invincible army, the soldiers who were as fierce as tigers on the battlefield. This army had disappeared with the Pei family's seizure sixteen years ago, but unexpectedly, it suddenly reappeared sixteen years later.
Although there were only tens of thousands of them, the Pei family army was powerful and well-trained. They could defeat ten enemies at once on the battlefield and were invincible.
The Pei family army was pressing on the city. If a battle broke out, Liang Jinxian would undoubtedly lose. At this moment, any wise person would know what to do.
Now, the envoys from various countries could no longer sit still, and the most important thing was to quickly sever ties with Changguo.
Immediately, the Yi Kingdom's envoys came out awkwardly and said, "Your Majesty, I suddenly received an urgent edict from my country this morning. I'm afraid I can't stay here for the banquet. I'll take my leave now."
With the Yi Kingdom delegation taking the lead, the other delegations also took their leave one after another. In just a few moments, all those who had come to join in the fun had left.
It was obvious that this wedding could not go ahead.
Liang Jinxian's face was grim, and a sinister look was swirling in his eyes. After a while, he burst into laughter.
"Great! Great Pei Xingju! You're truly worthy of being my opponent! It would be a shame to kill you today, so why not..." Liang Jinxian's smile suddenly faded: "We'll meet on the battlefield someday!"
He put away his sword and asked through gritted teeth, "Where is the person?"
Pei Xingju glanced at Zhuang Wan and said, "If she leaves the city safely, your mother will be able to return safely too."
"Someone come!" Liang Jinxian's face was impatient, and he ordered hysterically: "Send Dazhao's envoy out of the city!"
The archers slowly retreated, dispersing from both sides like waves, making way for Pei Xingju.
"Pei Xingju?" Zhuang Wan called him anxiously.
"Don't worry, just wait for me." Pei Xingju said in a gentle voice.
.
Xue Gang hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. After leaving the Changguo Palace, he asked, "So this is why you mobilized so many private ships?"
The Pei army was able to reach Shuzhou so quickly because Pei Xingju changed their route. If they had traveled by land, it would have taken three days. However, traveling by water was a different matter, slashing the journey in half. However, moving 50,000 troops by water was no small undertaking. Among other things, mobilizing so many ships at once was a challenge. However, Pei Xingju's businesses were spread across the country, and he privately owned countless merchant ships, making mobilizing them in the southwest a simple task.
This is why everyone was surprised that the Pei family army arrived so quickly.
Moreover, the army could rest and recuperate by taking the water route, and could start fighting once they reached Shuzhou. Liang Jinxian probably could not have expected that the army would suddenly attack the city in such a short time.
Thinking of something, he turned around and asked, "How do you know that person is Liang Jinxian's mother?"
He had interrogated the woman before, but no matter how he questioned her, she only claimed to be Liang Jinxian's wet nurse. Unexpectedly, the wet nurse's identity was fake, and she was actually Liang Jinxian's biological mother.
"Didn't they say that Liang Jinxian's mother died when he was born?"
Pei Xingju walked ahead silently, seemingly lost in thought. Xue Gang touched his arm, and he stopped.
"What?"
"How do you know she's Liang Jinxian's mother?"
"Guess."
"Guess?"
"That's not hard to see," Pei Xingju said. "Liang Jinxian has been looking for her all these years, and even went to Changguo himself. How could such an important person be just a wet nurse?"
"Besides, if it was just the wet nurse, why would she deliberately disfigure herself? It's clearly because she didn't want anyone to see her true appearance." He added, "I've checked. The scars on the woman's face weren't caused by burns, but by some special medicine. A wet nurse wouldn't have the power to engender such a grudge against anyone. She disfigured herself."
Upon hearing this, Xue Gang understood: "You are the head of the Ministry of Justice. I didn't realize that the woman's disfigurement was caused by herself."
"Oh right..." he asked again, "Didn't they say Liang Jinxian's biological mother died a long time ago? Why did she become a wet nurse?"
Pei Xingju smiled and said, "There were two theories at the time. One was that Feng died in childbirth, and the other was that she fled back to Changguo. The former theory makes it difficult for Liang Jinxian to become a member of the Changguo royal family, and the latter theory is even more impossible. Liang Jinxian is of royal bloodline, and Feng would never abandon him. The only way to explain this is that she disfigured herself and became a wet nurse to stay by his side, secretly plotting something."
"That makes sense." Xue Gang nodded. After a moment, he teased, "You took the risk of entering the Changguo Palace. I thought you were just being emotionally impatient because you were afraid that Miss Zhuang would marry someone else."
He laughed, "That's good now. Liang Jinxian's wedding has been ruined by you, and with his mother as leverage, Liang Jinxian probably wants to grind you to ashes."
Pei Xingju ignored it, continued to think about what had just happened, and walked forward.
.
"Smash him to death! He's a bastard!"
"Yes, he looks different from us. He is not my father's son, he is a bastard!"
"Quick! Throw a rock at him!"
"But his head is bleeding!"
"What are you afraid of? His aunt is dead, and he only has an ugly wet nurse. Who will take care of him? Smash it!"
"Stop!" A disfigured woman came running hurriedly from a distance.
Several children who were standing on the pit, smashing stones and urinating, saw her coming and panicked.
"The ugly monster is coming! Run!"
The woman ran over and dug the boy's small body out of the pit. Seeing that his forehead was covered in blood, she took him back without saying a word.
The little boy clenched his fists and let the nurse apply medicine, refusing to shed even a tear.
He just stubbornly asked, "Nanny, where is my mother?"
"Your mother is dead."
The little boy suppressed the redness in his eyes and still didn't cry.
The woman said, "You must remember everything they did to you today. This was all caused by Duke Xin. When you grow up, you must take revenge."
She laughed slyly: "You must avenge your mother and yourself."
"But..." the little boy looked up and said, "I don't want revenge, I just want my mother."
The woman suddenly got angry and threw the ointment to the ground, making a crisp sound of it breaking, which scared the little boy so much that he shrank back.
The tears he had been holding back finally fell: "Don't be angry, Nanny. I understand. I will definitely take revenge in the future."
The night sky was covered with dark clouds, and suddenly a shrill cry was heard in the quiet hall.
Behind the layers of curtains, a figure sitting in the bathtub was reflected.
Liang Jinxian emerged from the water, all wet, staring blankly at the water surface with bloodshot eyes.
After a while, someone came into the hall.
"Master," Xichang reported, "everything is ready."
Liang Jinxian closed his eyes tiredly for a moment, then stood up and called someone in to help him get dressed.
Outside the palace, Zhuang Wan stood in the corridor in plain clothes. Seeing Liang Jinxian coming out, a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips.
"You lose!" she said.
Liang Jinxian paused and said, "Pei Xingju can only use such despicable means to force me to send you back."
Zhuang Wan: "What qualifications do you have to call him despicable? There's no need for mercy when dealing with a despicable person like you."
Liang Jinxian raised his hand and pinched her chin: "Are you happy?"
"Of course, I'm glad I don't have to marry you."
Across the hazy night, Liang Jinxian looked at her, his dark eyes filled with something unknown. He seemed like a different person. Ever since the departure of the envoy from Dazhao, he had locked himself in the main hall until now.
Zhuang Wan didn't understand him, nor did she want to understand him. She broke free from his hand and was the first to go down the stairs.
.
A quarter of an hour later, Zhuang Wan followed Liang Jinxian to the city wall.
At this time, the outskirts of Shuzhou City were filled with Dazhao's troops. The troops stretched from the official road to the foot of the mountain, densely packed, tense and oppressive.
The night was pitch black, war horses neighed, and torches illuminated the soldiers' stern faces. They stood in neat rows, spears raised, shields gleaming coldly, their eyes firm and resolute, their momentum as strong as a rainbow.
This is the famous Pei family army. Just one look at them is enough to make people tremble with fear.
And at the forefront of the Pei family army was Pei Xingju.
He was riding on his horse in silver armor, looking majestic. As soon as Zhuang Wan appeared on the city wall, his eyes immediately followed her.
"Liang Jinxian!" He shouted, "Open the city gates and release them!"
Liang Jinxian pulled Zhuang Wan, almost making her stagger.
"Where is the person I want?" he asked.
Pei Xingju's horse kicked its hooves slowly and methodically, then whistled calmly like its master.
Then, someone brought a woman with disheveled hair to the front of the battle.
The woman raised her head and looked towards the city wall, revealing a terrifying face. Her features were no longer recognizable, and a hideous scar stretched from her mouth to her brow, making her look like a ghost.
Such a face was undoubtedly frightening, however, Liang Jinxian stood on the city wall and stared blankly for a long time.
This was a familiar face he had been looking for for many years. His throat moved, but he never uttered the word "mother".
"Liang Jinxian, why are you still hesitating? Don't you recognize your mother?" Xue Gang mocked loudly, "Or are you frightened by my Dazhao's troops before the battle?"
As he finished speaking, the soldiers behind him laughed sparsely.
"Or..." Xue Gang provoked him, "You want to regret it? But don't forget, this is your biological mother. If you don't even recognize your biological mother and only want to marry my Dazhao's woman, how can you be a monarch?"
These words were truly heartbreaking. If Liang Jinxian didn't change his mother tonight, his mother would surely die under the iron cavalry. Then, in the eyes of the world, Liang Jinxian would disregard his mother's life and death for a woman and be unworthy of being a king.
In this era where filial piety is paramount, a monarch who is unfilial is considered a tyrant, and no one wants to risk their life for a tyrant.
Xue Gang's words must have put Liang Jinxian in a dilemma.
However, Liang Jinxian had no intention of retreating. As Pei Xingju had expected, he had been searching for his biological mother for a long time, so how could he be willing to give up?
Xue Gang's words passed by like the wind. As everyone stared at him, he raised his hand after a while and said, "Send the hostage."
"yes."
Xichang came over and took Zhuang Wan down from the city wall.
Zhuang Wan's heart was filled with nervousness, and her fingers trembled slightly in her sleeves. This scene should have been seen on TV, but she had never imagined that one day she would become the protagonist, a hostage exchanged between the two armies.
She followed him down the city wall. The steps were narrow and high, so she walked carefully.
Soon, Xichang led her to the city gate. The ancient gate slowly opened, and she saw the silver-armored figure among the countless torches.
A smile spread out with joy.
But the next moment, the smile on her lips suddenly froze, and Zhuang Wan looked at the scene in front of her in disbelief.
The woman turned quickly and rushed towards the spear, and the spear tip pierced her abdomen. Then Liang Jinxian's shrill scream came from the city wall.
"No--"
Time seems to stand still at this moment.
The woman laughed crazily: "Revenge! You must avenge me! Revenge for Changguo!"
She yelled, "Kill the Dazhao people! Kill them all!"
The unexpected change came unexpectedly, and even Pei Xingju did not expect that the woman would be so decisive.
Or maybe, what she cared about was not Liang Jinxian at all, but the hatred in her heart, which led her to commit suicide cruelly in front of Liang Jinxian.
Liang Jinxian went berserk and immediately ordered, "Close the city gates!"
Zhuang Wan's heart tightened, and when Pei Xingju rode towards her, she also quickly ran towards the city gate.
At the same time, the heavy city gates opened from both sides at this moment.
She almost exhausted all her strength, stretched out her hands as if desperately trying to grab something, looked at the increasingly narrow city gate, looked at Pei Xingju with an anxious face, and shouted: "Pei Xingju!"
But the opposite happened. When she was only half a step away from the door, someone suddenly pulled her arm and pulled her back like a kite.
She was horrified to see countless arrows falling, and Pei Xingju's figure rushed into the rain of arrows.
But the city gates closed in an instant, and before Zhuang Wan could react, she felt a dull pain in the back of her neck. She slid to the ground and lost consciousness.
.
The dark room was surrounded by cold stone walls. In the middle of the stone wall was a bed, and on the table a candle was burning dimly.
Not long after, the woman on the bed gradually woke up. She moved slightly and heard the sound of rattling chains.
The woman stared at the chain on her ankle lifelessly, her pupils lifeless, as if she was used to this, or as if she had already lost all hope.
After a while, someone came in with something: "Miss, it's time to eat. The master specially ordered someone to make this for you. You like to eat braised golden hook shark's fin, so the master invited the best chef in the world to make it for you."
The woman sat on the bed in silence, looking at the chain on her ankle without even glancing at the person who came.
The man seemed to be used to it. He put the things on the table, arranged the chopsticks neatly, and then left.
After an unknown amount of time, footsteps approached. He held food in his hands and said gently, "Why not? Isn't this your favorite food?"
Hearing the voice, the woman looked up angrily: "Kill me, I can't avenge my father in this life, so you might as well kill me!"
The man was silent for a moment, put down his things, and hugged her tenderly.
His voice was cold and gentle: "You promised to share my life and death with me. Have you forgotten?"
"Wan'er, wait a little longer," he said. "After I've avenged myself, I'll die with you, okay?"
The woman sobbed and cried, "Liang Jinxian, I regret it!"
Hearing the three words "Liang Jinxian", Zhuang Wan woke up from her dream.
When she woke up, she was shocked by the environment in front of her.
The room was dim, lit only by a candle on the table, and surrounded by cold stone walls. For a moment, she sat on the bed in a daze, unable to tell whether it was a dream or reality.
At this moment, she felt an immense pain in her heart, like the unforgettable betrayal of a lover, or something else entirely. This emotion was strange and intense, and Zhuang Wan felt it calmly, like an outsider, feeling the pain.
She knew that the emotions she was feeling now were not her own, but her original self's. But why did she have such a dream after so long?
It is obvious that the woman in the dream is the original body's experience, and the one who imprisoned her is the madman Liang Jinxian.
After a while, Zhuang Wan pinched herself hard, trying to escape from this disturbing dream.
Unexpectedly, she heard a low laugh behind her, and she turned around with a scream.
Liang Jinxian, wearing a moon-white robe, was sitting behind her at some point.
"You...are you real?" Zhuang Wan asked.
"What's real or fake?" Liang Jinxian leaned closer: "What did you dream about? Why are you so scared?"
Zhuang Wan pinched herself just now, and it really hurt. It wasn't a dream. She looked around again and gradually realized that she was being held captive by Liang Jinxian.
And just like the original body, he was locked in a dark secret room.
For a moment, she felt that fate was absurd. It was clearly the original body's story, so why did she have to continue writing it?
"What do you want to do?" Zhuang Wan stepped back.
"Of course I want to grow old with you." Liang Jinxian said, "How about it? Do you like it?"
"Madman! You are a madman!" Zhuang Wan said with disgust.
Because she moved too much, the back of her neck felt painful, and she suddenly remembered what happened at the city gate.
"Where's Pei Xingju?" she asked. "What happened to him?"
"You want to ask if Pei Xingju is dead?" Liang Jinxian laughed: "What a pity, he is not dead."
Zhuang Wan breathed a sigh of relief, then heard him say, "But he was hit by my arrow and is almost dead!"
"Impossible! He can't be dead!" Zhuang Wan felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was churning, and he even felt like vomiting.
"He's the hero, he can't die." She said, clutching her chest.
"Male lead?" Liang Jinxian frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It means that none of you can compare to him. Even if everyone in the world may die, he will not die. It means that you, Liang Jinxian, will lose completely in front of him, and only he will be the winner in the end!" Zhuang Wan was furious and vented loudly.
Her voice echoed in the dark room, mixed with Liang Jinxian's laughter.
Liang Jinxian laughed as if he had heard a joke and fell over.
He stopped for a long time.
"I came here to tell you some good news." He said, "Pei Xing was hit by my arrow, and the Pei family army was in chaos. He was defeated in the first battle, hahahaha..."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Wan felt uneasy.
After a while, Liang Jinxian had enough of laughing and slowly stood up: "I have announced that our wedding will be postponed."
"Zhuang Wan, wait for me..." he said with evil joy, "Wait until I defeat Pei Xingju, wait until Dazhao is crushed by the Dan cavalry... I will offer you the kingdom of Chang as a betrothal gift."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
