Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Taking advantage of the white guard...
Taking advantage of the moment when Guard Bai was stunned, Jiang Wan quickly escaped from his clutches and groped his way back in the flying sand.
The scarred man, without his knife, roared in anger and searched everywhere for the figure of the person who had taken the knife. However, the yellow sand was flying around him, and the person's movement was so fast that only a shadow could be seen. The scarred man turned his head several times, but he couldn't find the person.
The sound of swords clashing was short and crisp, even somewhat pleasant.
Guard Bai listened, his face suddenly darkening, and he shouted to the scarred man beside him, "Capture Jiang Wan first!"
Then he remembered that the scarred man didn't understand the Central Plains language, so he switched to the barbarian language and spoke again, yelling and grabbing Jiang Wan.
The scarred man also rushed towards her.
Jiang Wan instinctively dodged, but was suddenly hugged from behind. She didn't have time to turn around, only smelling the cold scent of pine and catching a glimpse of a dark robe.
A flash of cold light flashed to her right, followed by a scream from the scarred man, a scream that made her ears ring. The sword pierced the scarred man's abdomen and was quickly pulled out. The sword's owner wrapped one hand around her waist and spun her around.
The tip of the sword, dripping with blood, pierced into the chest of the white guard with incredible precision. The other party let out two screams and fell to the ground with a groan.
The swordsman paused, and Jiang Wan finally got a clear look at the blade. It shone with a chilling, honed brute of pure silver. The blade was thin and translucent, light and sharp, capable of severing hair. From close up, it resembled millennia-old ice; from afar, it resembled the radiance of the bright moon.
There is no decoration on the hilt of the sword, only the pure black iron hilt sets off the light and translucent sword body, and an ancient and heavy feeling comes over.
The blade still bore traces of her repairs. Her technique, learned from another world, was unique. It was simply that the sword's wielder's fingers, intentionally or unintentionally, obscured the name on the hilt.
But how could she not recognize something she had repaired herself?
Jiang Wan's heart full of gratitude was suddenly overwhelmed by an inexplicable emotion. She softly read the words engraved on the hilt of the sword: "Mountains and Rivers?"
The fingers holding the sword trembled slightly.
The arm that was around her waist loosened, and the warmth that enveloped her also faded away. The desert wind, carrying the coolness of the evening, invaded Jiang Wan's thin body.
She fell to the ground exhausted. The tossing and turning for several hours had almost drained all her energy. She shook her head, unwilling to think about what was happening in front of her.
On the other side, Zi Yan dealt with the remaining horse thieves quickly and efficiently, but he never got close to Jiang Wan, and seemed afraid to even look at her.
The wind gradually died down, and the dust settled, revealing the man's cold features.
He walked towards the white guard step by step. His face was extremely handsome, and his every move was graceful, giving him the appearance of a gentle gentleman.
But when facing his bottomless eyes, one can feel the murderous intent like a whistling cold wind. The bloodstains on the sword are winding, and the bloody air is filled with blood, which evokes the fear deep in the human soul.
The moment Guard White saw Zi Yan, his entire body trembled. He backed away desperately, saying in fear, "General Wen...how did you find me?"
Along the way, the "White Guards" behaved relatively naturally. After disguising themselves, their appearance was very different from both the servant of the Duke's Mansion and Uncle Wang from the decoration team.
Moreover, his disguise technique was quite durable and he didn't need to touch up his makeup in the middle. Even someone as observant as Jiang Wan didn't notice anything wrong.
"The male corpse in Xiaofang Pancheng has intact leg bones. But you sprained your left calf during the fight with the Jinyiwei on the night of the fire," Zi Yan said. "The Jinyiwei have been following you to find out who you're meeting. As for Jian Qing's return to the capital, it was just a pretext to let you down."
Following Zi Yan's words, the White Guard also understood what had happened. Fear and cold had made his face pale, and despair was revealed in his eyes.
"I heard everything you said to Miss Jiang just now. Tell me, who is your master, and who stole the Ministry of Revenue files to frame Duke He?" Zi Yan looked down at him, his blood-dripping sword pointed at his throat. "The bandits who were searching for people elsewhere have been dealt with. Give up your master, and you can still live."
The White Guard pinched his arm so hard that five bloody marks appeared on it. He stared at Zi Yan stiffly, then suddenly burst into a nervous laugh, his throat trembling slightly and scratching the tip of his sword, leaving blood marks.
"General Wen, you'd better not be so ostentatious. Do you want to overturn the Duke's case? Do you dare to present what you've found to the emperor? What will His Majesty think?" Guard Bai said sarcastically, "If you still want to protect your sister's position as queen, then just be a coward and go back to your little Fangpan City. Hahahahahahahahaha..."
Zi Yan's pupils shrank, and he stabbed the "White Guard" through the throat with his sword. The latter fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, and even when he died, his eyes were still wide open and his expression of despair was still visible, looking hideous and terrifying.
Feeling Jiang Wan's gaze, Zi Yan moved his body to block the face of the corpse.
He knocked the scarred man unconscious with a slap, then took out a bone whistle and blew it three times.
Dozens of Jinyiwei in plain clothes flew over from all directions.
Zi Yan pointed at the scarred man on the ground and said, "This is the one who contacted the spy. He should be a captain of a thousand men in the Xiongnu army. I don't speak Mandarin, so you can take him back to Lord Shen for interrogation."
"Clean up the scene and bury the bodies after verifying their identities. Give the antidote to those who were poisoned by the cartilage powder. Bandage the wound on the guide's arm. Light a fire and bring some clean clothes; their clothes are all wet."
Dozens of Jinyiwei bowed and accepted the order, then went about their business.
As night fell, the desert sky became expansive, with stars twinkling overhead. Zi Yan sat down next to Jiang Wan. The man who had been so decisive a moment ago now hesitated, unsure how to speak.
"The Zhang brothers and their carriage were blown up. I will arrange for their remaining belongings to be sent back and provide compensation to their families."
Jiang Wan buried his head between his knees and did not respond.
"The lost food and water will be replenished tomorrow morning. There are five people left in the convoy, and there are wounded. I will have six Jinyiwei drive for you and take you to the outskirts of Wusun King's City."
Jiang Wan still didn't respond.
Zi Yan rubbed his hands nervously: "Um... I'm sorry, I kept it a secret from you. If you're angry, just scold me, or even hit me."
Jiang Wan raised his head, and his face looked very tired under the reflection of the campfire.
"There are still five people left... Does that mean you're leaving?" She forced a rather unpleasant smile, "General Wen? Uncle-in-law?"
Even if she didn't want to delve into it, she understood everything from the previous conversation. Because the distribution of rations had been betrayed, Wen Shen, the commander of Xiaofang Pancheng and the current Empress's younger brother, had been defeated in the Xiongnu war years before and had been seriously injured, and she had found him. He had then sent a letter to Shen Jianqing, asking them to jointly investigate the spies. Now that the matter was resolved, he naturally had to return to visit his sister, the Empress, and his brother-in-law, the Emperor, to relieve them of their worries.
The reason why Wen Shen's mother is a "taboo" can be traced back to the war twenty years ago. At that time, the fourteen-year-old Empress was still a medical girl. She saved the current emperor and was taken into the harem.
His Majesty likes the Empress very much, but she was not crowned as Empress until two years ago because her mother, Wen Shen’s mother, was an ordinary businessman.
Being a merchant would have been fine, but the most difficult thing was that she was captured by the Huns in a war twenty years ago and died after suffering all kinds of humiliation.
If this matter were to be spread, the royal family would be humiliated as the mother-in-law of the Emperor of the Great Zhou was wantonly trampled upon by the Huns.
This past event is taboo, but Duke He participated in the war that year, so she also knew a little about it.
Looking at Wen Shen's uneasy face, Jiang Wan suddenly felt a little sorry. She softened her tone and said, "Zi Yan, is this a name you made up?"
Wen Shen shook his head: "I came of age in April this year. Zi Yan is the name my sister gave me."
"The river is clear and the sea is peaceful, the time is peaceful and the harvest is abundant. [1] The name the Empress gave is really excellent." Jiang Wan said, "I remember that your term of office in Xiaofang Pancheng has expired. After returning to the capital this time, will you come back?"
Wen Shen shook his head, looking dejected: "I plan to return to Beijing and take up a sinecure."
"I thought someone like you wouldn't accept this." Jiang Wan said regretfully.
Zi Yan looked at the warm bonfire and said, "If I lead the troops, I will not return to the capital. If I return to the capital, I will not lead the troops. This is my promise to Your Majesty."
He paused, sighed, and said, "This is also the condition for His Majesty to make my sister the empress. But my sister's situation is becoming increasingly difficult. I am in Lin'an, so at least I can take care of her."
Jiang Wan nodded, and an emotion called "sadness" filled her chest. She felt stuffy and her hands and feet were cold.
She couldn't help but lean towards the campfire, using silence to digest her emotions. When she had almost calmed down, she raised her head and said in a low voice, "I really wanted to be friends with you before. But I'm afraid that won't work anymore."
Although she agreed to help He Wanrong overturn the verdict, Jiang Wan was only a helper. She was willing to help He Wanrong with the work, but she didn't want to be directly involved in the power struggle. After the verdict was successfully overturned, she also decided to have no connection with Lin'an anymore, and to focus on her porcelain business and spending time with her family.
If Ziyan were, as she had previously suspected, merely the illegitimate son of an ordinary official family, she could easily have invited him to visit frequently and exchanged letters. However, as the Empress's younger brother and the Sixth Prince's uncle, he was at the center of the power vortex, whether he liked it or not. From the previous few words, although the specifics were unclear, Jiang Wan could already imagine the Emperor's suspicions about him and the blow the He Guogong case had dealt to Empress Wen.
If one day Wen Shen came to ask her for help, she would be caught in a dilemma between friendship and a peaceful life.
To be fair, Jiang Wan admired him, even having a mutual admiration for him. But in her past and present lives, even if her mindset had changed, she was still a cold and rational businessman.
Wen Shen certainly understood what she meant. She was not angry. On the contrary, she understood him very well. She just didn't want to get involved with those messy people and things.
He sniffed at the tip of his nose, which was red from the cold, and rubbed against Jiang Wan's side. "Then I'll go with you to see the Zhang brothers. Can we leave tomorrow morning?"
[1] From Zheng Xi's "Ode to the Character 'King' in the Sun"
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