Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang's breathing were intertwined in the darkness. She stroked the jade pendant with her fingertips, and her heart suddenly felt clear and sad.
When Yan Shang first started dating her, he showed her the jade pendant. He said it was their family's love jade pendant, a jade pendant passed down from their ancestors. At that time, she avoided it as much as possible, always afraid that he would insist on recognizing her and give her the jade pendant.
However, that was the only time Yan Shang showed her the jade pendant. No matter how many times Mu Wanyao regretted it later, Yan Shang never took out the jade pendant again. After marriage, Mu Wanyao also struggled, wondering why he didn't give her the jade pendant.
Isn't it a love jade pendant? Isn't it a family heirloom? Why don't you give it to her?
But then Mu Wanyao thought again, maybe it was because she and Yan Shang could not have children, so it would be a waste to give such a jade pendant to the two of them. Since the jade pendant could not be passed down in the hands of the two of them, maybe Yan Shang returned the jade pendant to his father, and Yan's father gave the jade pendant to Da Lang or San Lang.
I didn't expect the jade pendant was still there.
Mu Wan shook her head and said softly, "Why don't you return the jade pendant?"
Perhaps the two of them shouldn't discuss such romantic topics during a tense war, but since they can't move, there's no point worrying about other things, so they might as well ask the question clearly.
Yan Shang smiled and said softly, "If you return it, you will be so sad. Don't you want to wear our things?"
Mu Wanyao said: "Who cares about your things?"
Yan Shang just smiled but said nothing. But maybe he was in so much pain that he couldn't speak, or the pain had been numb. He felt dizzy, mentally exhausted, and his physical condition might be very bad.
As Yan Shang was in agony, he noticed Mu Wan shaking his hand. He was startled for a moment, and heard her whisper, "Are you trying to distract yourself by talking, to wake yourself up?"
Yan Shang was silent for a moment, and instinctively wanted to say no.
Mu Wan shook her head and said, "Don't hide it from me. Have you forgotten what I said? Be more comfortable in front of me, don't be so tired. Don't do everything by yourself - Brother Yan, you have a wife, you have a wife, you have a companion. Let me share the burden with you."
Yan Shang was still in a daze.
After a long while, he smiled and said in a hoarse voice: "Okay."
In the dark, unable to move, Mu Wanyao stretched out her hands to hug him with difficulty. She tried several times, but could not insert her hands between his back and the stone. But she felt the sticky blood, which was extremely thick.
Yan Shang probably didn't know it himself, he had lost his sense of pain and didn't know how much blood he had lost. But Mu Wanyao was already panicking when she just touched the blood on the corner of his clothes.
Can a person bear to lose so much blood?
But she was good at forcing herself to remain calm.
Even though he was terrified and scared, Mu Wan smiled as he looked up: "Your family is from a poor and remote area, but you actually have a jade pendant that is a family heirloom?"
Yan Shang said with embarrassment: "I am also confused. But it seems to be passed down from my mother's family. I don't know... I was curious when I was young, but my father and mother didn't want to talk about it."
Muwan shook his head and smiled.
She suddenly clenched the jade pendant in her hand.
The darkness magnified human senses, and only a little light came through the cracks. Mu Wanyao's heart skipped a beat, suspecting that Fang Tong had already dug here and they would soon be rescued.
But fearing that it would be a false alarm, Mu Wanyao stared at the light coming through the gap with wide eyes and did not tell Yan Shang immediately.
She grabbed the corner of his clothes tightly and scratched the cloud pattern on the corner of his clothes hard to maintain her calm.
Mu Wan shook: "We are so tired."
Yan Shang: "Don't be afraid."
Mu Wanyao sighed softly: "Do you have any wishes?"
Yan Shang was silent for a moment and said, "Yes."
Mu Wanyao was surprised for a moment, because from what she knew about Yan Shang, he was a very pragmatic person. He didn't have any fancy ideas, didn't have any unrealistic thoughts, and didn't have any exaggerated expectations for the future.
He always follows his own plan step by step, and doesn't think about anything too unrealistic. This kind of person has no wishes.
Mu Wanyao muttered, "Isn't it a wish for peace in the world, the well-being of the people, and the prosperity of the times?"
Yan Shang smiled, quite embarrassed.
He said: "No, it is my own wish. I want to be strong and healthy, like my elder brother, like Yang San. I want to be very good at martial arts, able to easily break gold and jade, climb walls and kill people thousands of miles away."
The evening shook strangely.
She didn't care about the light coming in, she was more concerned about Yan Shang's strange thoughts. Mu Wan shook: "Why do you have such a wish?"
Yan Shang said softly: "In this case, you and I wouldn't be trapped here, unable to move. If Sanlang was here, you wouldn't be trapped in this situation. Maybe if I knew martial arts, I could take you away when the stone fell.
"And the truth is, I'm too weak."
I was lost in thought at dusk.
She felt a bitter feeling in her heart, a mixture of joy and anguish. She raised her hand with great effort and stroked his face in the darkness. She approached him with great effort, leaned against him and wanted to hug him tightly.
Mu Wanyao said nostalgically: "Don't think so. The reason why I love you is because you are who you are now. I don't want you to become someone else, I don't want you to be both civil and military, and be a versatile person. I like you now, I like your face, I like your smile; I like your waist, I like your stature.
"I like Yan Shang, not anyone else. So stop imagining things. You are the best right now. You don't know how much I like you."
Yan Shang's face suddenly turned hot and he was speechless.
After being married for more than half a year, it is not the same as being lovers. Marriage is a natural attitude that makes people not always say sweet words.
Yan Shang also thought that he didn't like to hear it and didn't care to hear it. But when Mu Wanyao said this to him, he would still blush and secretly be happy.
Mu Wan smiled. She didn't need to look at him. Just by feeling the warmth of his face, she knew that he must be happy, but he was secretly holding back and was savoring the feeling in his heart.
He is always like this.
Mu Wan teased him, "Actually, I also have a wish. Do you know what it is?"
Yan Shang blushed, his wife was a person who messed with him and liked to tease him. He guessed that her wish was related to him, but he was too embarrassed to admit it.
Yan Shang whispered, "I don't know."
Mu Wan shook his head seriously: "I feel that you and I are too tired. After we get out and these things are over, we should have a good rest. Let's find a place where no one can disturb us for seven days and seven nights. What do you say?"
Yan Shang thought, what's wrong with this? Doesn't this mean that she wants to be alone with him?
He said gently, "Okay."
Mu Wan shook his head and chuckled.
She said, "You don't even know what it means, yet you dare to say 'OK'."
The words are still confused.
Mu Wan shook her head: "I just want to sleep with my brother without being disturbed."
Yan Shang: “…”
When Mu Wanyao heard him not speaking, she knew that he really understood her this time. She leaned against his neck, biting her lip and laughing.
Yan Shang felt that he was being laughed at, so he said, "Why are you talking about this?"
The matter of the King of Qin is not over yet.
What is she doing?
Yan Shang whispered: "I can't do it."
Mu Wanyao said seriously: "You can do it. Sister will teach you when the time comes."
Yan Shang smiled: "You are not my sister."
The two of them snuggled together and said a lot of private things. It seemed like they had found an opportunity to vent the things they hadn't had time to say during the months of separation.
After an unknown amount of time, Mu Wan shook her head and said quietly to Yan Shang, "Brother, I have something to confess to you."
Yan Shang's thoughts were already somewhat confused, and he forced himself to listen to her: "What?"
Mu Wanyao: "Do you still remember that day when we were good together and I brought the water lily to find you? That was our token of love."
Yan Shang hummed, "I remember. Isn't that water lily kept in our dormitory? I see you have to take care of it every day. I'm not at home this year, but I think the flower is blooming beautifully, right?"
Mu Wan shook her head and said, "I lied to you."
Yan Shang paused and said, "What do you mean?"
Mu Wan lowered her eyes slightly and saw the light behind Yan Shang's shoulder getting brighter and brighter. She stared at it intently and said perfunctorily, "Our token of love, the water lily, died a long time ago.
"You were away from Chang'an for three years, and I never went to your yard. The water lily pot was killed by you and me a long time ago. In other words, our token of love is long gone."
Yan Shang: “…”
Mu Wanyao: "But I'm afraid this is a bad omen, and people will think that you and I can't last long. So before we got married, I replaced the water lily with a new one."
She held Yan Shang's hand tightly, she could already hear the anxious voices of the guards outside.
Mu Wanyao said, "I didn't dare to let you know. But it doesn't matter now. You've already given me the jade pendant, which means you've chosen me... It doesn't matter if you don't want that fake token of love. I'll throw away the water lily when I get back."
Yan Shang said: "I know."
Mu Wanyao was stunned for a moment.
Her eyes fell on his face. Her pupils shrank slightly, because with the light shining through the cracks in the stone, she could already see Yan Shang's face. She saw that his forehead was covered with cold sweat, and his lips were pale and bloodless. His face was blue and dead, where was the gentle jade-like appearance of the past?
But his voice was still calm. If she hadn't been able to see his expression, she would not have guessed how bad his condition was just by listening to his voice.
Yan Shang smiled gently, "I knew that the water lily was fake. I personally raised the flowers for a year, and I was afraid that the flowers would die every day. I had to take care of the flowers three times a day. How could I not recognize that the one you showed me later was fake?
"But what does it matter if the flowers are fake? I know Yaoyao really wants to keep me, so she uses fake flowers to coax me. You hope that the flowers will not die and people will live long. How can I not understand?
"Keep the water lily. But there's no need for our feelings to be pinned on a pot of flowers."
He looked at her with his dark eyes, his vision had begun to blur, and he said softly: "Yaoyao, I love you."
He said word by word: "You must believe that no matter what happens, I love you."
Mu Wanyao's eyes were fixed with light. She suppressed her emotions and trembled slightly. As more and more light came in, she could see that the man kneeling in front of her and blocking her way had half of his body soaked in blood.
How can a person bleed so much?
Mu Wanyao's cheeks suddenly tightened and her expression twisted. She clasped the jade pendant tightly in her hand, her nails almost digging into it, and she barely managed to control her emotions: "I believe you."
Yan Shang lowered his shoulders slightly and said, "I, I..."
Mu Wanyao said sympathetically: "Are you a little sleepy? Second Brother Yan, close your eyes and take a nap. I'll take care of the rest!"
Yan Shang's scattered eyes slightly focused: "No..."
Mu Wan shook: "You believe me."
He paused for a long time before he said vaguely, "I'll just rest for a while. Remember to call me when we go out."
In fact, a big hole had been opened behind him, and the faces of Fang Tong and other guards were exposed. Fang Tong shouted in surprise, asking the princess not to worry, as they would rescue them soon.
Mu Wanyao hugged Yan Shang expressionlessly, light leaked out from the big hole behind them. Yan Shang leaned on Mu Wanyao's shoulder, closed his eyes, and his long eyelashes gently brushed her dusty cheek.
His eyelashes wiped away a drop of mist on her eyelashes.
She won't cry!
Yan Shang couldn’t see it, so she didn’t cry in front of anyone!
Mu Wan shook her head and stared at the guards who had rescued her. She was filled with hatred for the King of Qin and the Emperor. The throne was neither Yan Shang's nor hers. Yet it was they who had to work so hard for them.
This hateful country and people!
Disgusting Wei Mountains and Rivers!
Why should Yan Shang be hurt!
Fang Tong and others were outside rescuing the princess and her husband. When they saw that they were buried here, they were about to greet them happily, but their eyes narrowed when they saw a large stain of blood on the husband's back that had soaked his clothes.
The prince consort leaned on the princess' shoulder, dying, his profile so pale that it was almost translucent.
Mu Wanyao stretched out his hand and said coldly: "Why don't you take us out!"
She asked, "Has the King of Qin been caught? Capture him alive! I want to settle accounts with him!"
The guards helped the princess and carefully carried Yan Shang out. Mu Wanyao listened to them talking about what was happening outside while asking someone to take Yan Shang away. There was no imperial doctor here, so they could only bandage him hastily with gauze.
Mu Wanyao said in a tense voice: "Be careful with his back... there is a rock stuck in it, don't touch it."
Fang Tong: "Several ministers..."
Mu Wanyao took a deep breath and said, "Let them come to see me."
The air was hot and stuffy, with clouds and rain. Mu Wanyao looked up at the sky and heard the rumbling thunder again. The thunder was accompanied by Mu Wanyao's gnashing of teeth.
"Capture the King of Qin alive!"
—
In an alley in Chang'an, lightning illuminated everyone's frightened faces.
Yan Xiaozhou carefully hid with his men and quietly fled to the alley where the princess's mansion was located. However, with so many people following him, Yan Xiaozhou couldn't drive anyone away, and the more people there were, the greater the chance of being exposed.
Yan Xiaozhou didn't notice that a child was pushed out of the alley while the adults and children were pushing and pulling. At the same time, the sound of iron hooves chasing came from outside.
Yan Xiaozhou's heart was pounding. She didn't care to say anything to the adult who pushed the child out. She ran out of the alley and tried to save the person. At this moment, the child who was pushed out was hugged by a pair of arms and was easily suspended in the air.
Before a soldier could stab with his spear, he was dragged off his horse and knocked unconscious with a palm strike.
A young lady held the child's collar with one hand and took back her hand with the other. She turned around and looked at Yan Xiaozhou.
Concubine Zhao Ling stared at the many people hiding in the alley behind Yan Xiaozhou and frowned in surprise.
Yan Xiaozhou was alert and careful: "Thank you for saving me, girl. I am taking someone home... My brother is an official appointed by the court, and my sister-in-law is a favored princess. If anything goes wrong, my brother and sister-in-law will protect me."
Concubine Zhao Ling was stunned, her eyes widened, her breathing quickened: "You...your brother is Second Brother Yan? And your sister-in-law is Princess Danyang?"
She blurted out: "So you are Brother Yan's biological sister! You are my cousin's..."
She almost said that Yang San was obsessed with Yan Er's sister, and even she had heard about it. But thinking that it was Yang Si who was leading the attack on the city, and not knowing Yan Xiaozhou's attitude... Zhao Lingfei shut up.
Concubine Zhao Ling just stared at Yan Xiaozhou, thinking, no wonder, no wonder. This woman has a gentle temperament and is so kind, she really looks like Brother Yan.
Yan Xiaozhou's heart moved: "Does the girl know my brother?"
Zhao Lingfei smiled, somewhat happily: "Of course. I am Zhao Lingfei..."
She took the initiative and said, "You want to take these people to escape to the princess's mansion? I will help you."
Yan Xiaozhou was naturally surprised.
With the help of Concubine Zhao Ling, the group's escape became much smoother. But now the city is full of enemy troops, and it is impossible to find a completely safe route.
When they were only two alleys away from the Princess's Mansion, the people led by the two women were caught up. The sound of iron hooves shook the sky. It was not the Northern Ya army led by Liu Wenji that caught up with them, but the army led by Yang Si.
The army surrounded Yan Xiaozhou, Zhao Lingfei and the people behind them. The young general shouted angrily: "General, they are here to stop us from attacking the city again! Bei Ya uses these civilians to stop us, why not show them how to stop us and let the eunuch of Bei Ya know that this is useless!"
Yan Xiaozhou suddenly looked up at the young general, Yang Sanlang Yang Si, who was riding a black horse, as tall as a mountain, and holding a knife in his hand.
Zhao Lingfei stood one step in front of Yan Xiaozhou and instinctively wanted to block the attack for the person behind her.
Yan Xiaozhou was speechless, while Zhao Lingfei looked at the general on horseback and blurted out, "Cousin!"
When he called him "cousin", everyone looked over and looked at Yang Si.
Yang Si didn't look at them and said, "Get out of the way."
Yan Xiaozhou said softly: "No."
Zhao Lingfei said firmly: "No."
Yan Xiaozhou: "Why did innocent people become your victims?"
Concubine Zhao Lingfei: "I have been in the Western Regions for several years, and I have seen countless families destroyed. Cousin, whether you want to achieve immortality or become a rebel, I will not stop your ambition and will still call you 'cousin'. I have nothing to say about what you did today, but these people, Xiaozhou and I must save them."
Yang Si said indifferently: "You are no match for me."
Yan Xiaozhou begged: "We will go to the princess's mansion and never come out. Can't you just pretend you didn't see us?"
Zhao Lingfei: "Cousin, how about you let Xiaozhou leave and let me be your prisoner?"
Yang Si's eyes fell on Yan Xiaozhou, and then looked at Zhao Lingfei. He was persuaded by the young generals around him to take action, and was persuaded that those who achieved great things did not need to care about these small details.
Said the prince was waiting for him.
If they don't capture the imperial palace, Chang'an will not be theirs.
Yang Si could break gold and jade with his hands, and move mountains and strike rocks with his strength. What were these unarmed people to him?
Yang Si raised the knife in his hand, with the tip pointed at the two women. With just a flick of his sword, the old friendship would be severed.
The people around him hurriedly said: "General Yang——"
Yan Xiaozhou's eyes were bright and clear. He said nothing, but just hugged the child tightly in his arms, clearly unwilling to give in.
Zhao Lingfei prepared herself to be the enemy. She used to practice martial arts with him, but now she has gotten rid of his influence and become a girl with her own ideas.
She called him cousin and then stopped calling him that. She raised her chin slightly and looked determined - if you want to fight, then let's fight!
boom--
The muffled thunder that had been roaring all day finally paid off. Raindrops as big as beans fell down with a crackling sound, splashing on the blade in Yang Si's hand.
The sharp blade was stained with blood, reflecting the bright eyes of the two women and Yang Si's eyes.
Through the mist, Yang Si stared at the two girls.
One of them makes him obsessed, and the other one grew up with him.
They all stood opposite him.
Yang Si looked away, he tightened his grip on the reins, turned the horse's head sharply, and shouted: "Go——"
He took the lead and turned his horse around. When they didn't see the group of people, Yan Xiaozhou and Zhao Lingfei breathed a sigh of relief, but the soldiers behind Yang Si were stunned. The young general followed unconvinced and said sadly: "General Yang, if you let them go, when we attack the imperial city, the eunuch will use the same method against us..."
Yang Si rode as fast as lightning, and his voice was still clear in the heavy rain: "The imperial city has six gates in total, and Liu Wenji is not capable of filling every gate with civilians. We will attack the gate with the least defense!"
Junior: "Why do you have to do this..."
Yang Si interrupted sharply: "Military orders are as heavy as a mountain, you must obey me!"
Then no one would question it anymore.
However... the commander was too soft-hearted to attack the people, and the enemy was despicable. Even if the commander was powerful, this battle might have been lost from the beginning.
—
When Yan Shang arrived at the Summer Palace, the King of Qin was in a passive position; later, the King of Qin joined the troops given by Yang Si and regained the upper hand. But it was all in vain.
In the evening, private soldiers from the Li family came to the south to help, and a sudden rainstorm affected the battle situation. The King of Qin was quickly defeated.
The King of Qin was captured alive and taken to see Mu Wanyao.
Tied up and covered in blood, the King of Qin laughed when he saw his sister, who was also soaked by the rain.
King Qin: "Why, Yaoyao, do you still want to save father?"
He couldn't understand: "Why did you save him? Can he make you the emperor? What benefits did he promise you? If I were the emperor, I could give them to you. You just want the poor to develop, not me. I don't want them to die. I just -"
He gritted his teeth, angrily and sadly said: "I just want to survive!"
Mu Wan shook his head indifferently: "You want to be a traitor, but I am not."
The King of Qin was shaking with laughter.
He muttered a few words like "traitor" and then said, "Don't you hate your father? He sent you to marry, and you don't hate him at all? Yaoyao, this is a good opportunity for you to take revenge.
"Father gave you soldiers and asked you to go to Chang'an to save him, right? If you had gone a little later, a little later... he would have been dead. With His Royal Highness the Crown Prince here... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would have helped us kill him!
"Now that he's dead, can't we just decide who will be the emperor? The Crown Prince and I have made a promise to you, isn't that okay?
"You even trust our father, but you don't trust us? Yaoyao, ask yourself, between me and the crown prince... who is as cruel as him?! Who is not a better partner than him!"
Mu Wan shook his head and warned: "Shut his mouth and don't let him speak."
She turned around and left, fearing that she would be tempted if she continued listening. But her heart was already in turmoil, and she was indeed moved by the King of Qin... The army was in her hands, as long as she was a little later...
—
It rained heavily and the troops reorganized.
Mu Wanyao stared at the dark army in the rain, and then stared at the raindrops under the eaves in a daze.
"Your Highness, should we send troops to support Chang'an?" the minister asked.
When Mu Wanyao hesitated, he heard a weak but firm voice behind him: "Support Chang'an immediately."
Everyone turned around, and Mu Wanyao also turned around in surprise, and stepped forward to support the pale young man who was helped in by the guards.
Mu Wan shook: "Why don't you take a break..."
Yan Shang gave her a comforting smile, wondering how he could ever rest.
Yan Shang repeated the order again, and when everyone saw that the princess didn't say anything, they went down.
After everyone left, Yan Shang whispered to Mu Wanyao, "I know what you are thinking, but we can't waste time. The people in the city are innocent."
Mu Wanyao whispered: "You only care about the people."
Yan Shang paused and looked at her: "I care about you too. You can't kill your father, even indirectly."
He said: "Yaoyao, the charge of patricide should not be borne by you. The torment of conscience should not destroy you in the future. No matter what others do, we must have a clear conscience. We will not be the evil person, because..."
He went with her to look at the heavy rain outside and whispered, "Someone wants to do it more than us."
—
But some people wanted to be bad guys, but were ultimately defeated by Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao.
The troops entered the city, with Yang Si's 10,000 troops. The enemy joined forces with the Northern Yamen, which was several times his number, and dragged the people with them. After an unknown number of people died in the city, the next day the rain cleared up, and Yang Si was captured in the imperial city.
When this news reached the Eastern Palace, there was a cry of grief in the palace. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was surrounded by guards and was being held as a treasonous criminal.
Liu Wenji said that the King of Qin had confessed his guilt and was asking for His Majesty's mercy. His Majesty asked the prince if he had anything to say, such as asking for mercy or explaining. His Majesty wanted to hear it.
The prince was silent.
Liu Wenji stared at him with great pleasure, thinking that it was this man who caused his tragedy. Now that he was interrogating this man, Liu Wenji was so happy that his whole body trembled and he wanted to cut this man into pieces.
The East Palace was bleak, and the Crown Prince looked up and said calmly: "Things in this world are nothing but winners and losers. I have nothing to say."
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