In the lush forest, Yan Shang draws his bow, aiming directly at Meng Zaishi below. The direction of the arrow and bow poses a threat to Meng Zaishi.
Just as Mu Wan, who was sitting in the muddy and slippery puddle, was only about three feet away, a huge splash of water was created, and Yang Si and Meng Zaishi were facing each other closely.
The water in early spring is turbulent and icy, and the wind in the forests of Nanshan is also exceptionally cold.
The three of them were facing each other like this. Meng Zaishi knelt in the pool. His injured waist hit the rocks beside him, and his chest was hit by the strong force of the young man who suddenly appeared, causing a dull pain. Seeing two people suddenly appear, one of whom was Yan Shang, whom he knew, Meng Zaishi was thoughtful.
Not only was he not afraid, but his fighting spirit was aroused.
Meng Zaishi coughed and laughed: "Yan Erlang, we haven't seen each other for two days, do you miss me so much? Ha, I saw you appear, but it wasn't the guards from the princess's mansion who chased after you... It seems that the people from the princess's mansion are really stuck."
Yan Shang stood on a high place and said calmly: "If King Wuman stops now, we still have a chance to negotiate."
Meng Zaishi sneered and said, "Stop?"
He suddenly looked at Mu Wanyao, who was sitting in the water beside him, staring at him with her gloomy and clear eyes. She was sitting in the water, her hands still tied by his belt, and her sleeves had been torn open a little. The water kept rushing towards her, deep and shallow, apricot yellow and deep red, like a petal, arousing the man's desire to destroy.
Meng Zaishi looked at Mu Wanyao and said sarcastically, "Ask Princess Danyang if she wants to let me go."
Without waiting for Mu Wanyao to taunt him with her sharp tongue, Meng Zaishi turned to the young man in front of him. He smiled at Yang Si and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "Little brother, your martial arts are not bad. But you can't kill me yet. Maybe in a few years... May I ask what my name should be? You'd better think about it. You helped Princess Danyang today, but that woman turned against you. If you help her change her situation again, she will turn around and want to kill you..."
Mu Wanyao suddenly interrupted: "Why are you asking others? Don't involve people without reason!
"Don't be so self-righteous! You make the partnership sound so ambiguous! Back then, we were willing, and today we are enemies, but it's still willing! I just want to kill you, no matter how many people you stir up, I still want to kill you... Standing in front of my father, I still give this answer!"
Yang Si: "That's enough!"
He interrupted everyone, his eyes were as deep as a quiet river, and his only target was Meng Zaishi. Yang Si said calmly: "I am Yang Si, the third son of the Yang family, from the Chang'an branch of the Hongnong Yang family! King Wuman, I want to kill you today. If I can't kill you, you can come to me directly for revenge in the future, and don't implicate innocent people!"
Meng Zaishi praised: "Yang Sanlang? What a courage!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly punched out, splashing water and creating huge waves. Yang Si twisted his body and dodged the punch, but his upper body did not retreat. Yang Si leaned back in an extremely difficult posture, and a horizontal knife swung out from his waist. When he bent down, the knife had already chopped towards Meng Zaishi who suddenly stood up behind him.
Meng Zaishi shouted, "What a martial arts skill! There is still such a person in the Wei Dynasty!"
Come and take his knife with your bare hands!
The two were both strong, and after a few moves, they broke through the water. The water splashed three or four meters high, and the two fought in close combat. Meng Zaishi also took out the knife that he had never used. In mid-air, the two weapons collided with a "bang", and the trees were shaken and the leaves fell down.
The two fought fiercely, and outsiders were dazzled!
During the battle, Meng Zaishi and Yang Si both paid some attention to Mu Wanyao. Meng Zaishi was injured, and when he saw Mu Wanyao struggling to stand up from the water and looking up at them with a strange look, Meng Zaishi felt empty.
That look...her resentment was bleeding.
For a moment, he began to doubt all his memories. He suspected that the Mu Wanyao in his memory was fake, and the Mu Wanyao in front of him was the real one. All the beautiful past was his wishful thinking. Mu Wanyao only used him, without any affection...
My heart suddenly ached.
"Puff——" His mind was disturbed, but the enemy in front of him showed no mercy. Yang Si took the opportunity to swing his sword, and the strong wind mixed with his internal force hit Meng Zaishi in the chest, flying out from mid-air and hitting the thickest tree.
The ancient tree shook violently!
Meng Zaishi slid down the tree trunk and saw Yang Si approaching again. Meng Zaishi stood up with his sword, trembling and holding back: I can't lose!
I can't die here!
He didn't want to see Mu Wanyao's relieved look after his death. He didn't want to see her happy because of his death...
His subordinates are still in Wei, the problems of Wuman and Nanman have not been solved, Wuman has not developed, has not grown, and has not unified... How dare he die with his ambitions unfulfilled? !
His long hair was loose, his martial robe was torn, and the smell of blood filled the air. Meng Zaishi raised his head and howled, "It feels so good!"
He immediately swung out his sword and rushed into battle, with a heroic spirit soaring to the sky!
-----
Yang Si led Meng Zaishi away, and Mu Wan stumbled and struggled to climb out of the water.
The next moment, Yan Shang came down from the high slope above and went directly into the water. Mu Wanyao had no expression on her face. Yan Shang put the bow and arrow beside the pool, stood in the turbulent water, and lowered his head to untie the cloth tied around her wrists.
Mu Wan shook her head and looked at the fight, while Yan Shang lowered his head to look at her wrist which was red from being strangled.
He looked up at her, took off his outer robe, and wrapped her clothes which were wet and torn by the rocks.
Little did she know that his considerate action actually stepped on Mu Wanyao's dignity, making her explode.
Mu Wan shook her head and glared at him angrily: "Why are you here? Did you hear what Meng Zaishi and I said?"
Yan Shang's eyelashes trembled, and he tried to choose some euphemistic words that would not irritate her: "... Sanlang and I rushed to save you, thanks to Sanlang's good martial arts. I only heard a little bit of what you said..."
Mu Wanyao said sarcastically: "But a glimpse of one word reveals the whole picture! Who dares to underestimate Yan Erlang's wisdom!"
Yan Shang's eyes narrowed slightly.
He just gently put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Someone will be here soon, let's leave here first..."
His hand just touched her shoulder, and she shivered to avoid his fingers. In order to avoid, she even tripped over a stone in the pool. Yan Shang felt heartbroken, but he didn't dare to get close to her.
She looked soaking wet, her long hair rustling against her face, and like waterweed covering the clean men's outer robe he had put on her. She had never looked like this before... so embarrassed, so timid.
Mu Wan shook his head and said sternly, "Why are you leaving? Why would you miss such a good opportunity to kill someone? Where are the people? Didn't you and Yang San bring anyone with you? Are there only the two of you? Bring everyone here and kill Meng Zaishi!"
She stepped into the water, one foot deep and one foot shallow, trying to get ashore. Yan Shang was afraid that she would fall, so he followed her three steps and replied, "A group of soldiers came, and the guards of the princess's mansion couldn't handle it, so Yang Sanlang's men stayed there to help... Your Highness, let's leave first."
He almost begged her: "Let's discuss the future."
Mu Wanyao turned a deaf ear to him, turned back to look at Yan Shang, and urged him to pick up his bow: "So it's Third Brother's men who are here. Ha, they're following us so closely. Those people are stuck. Aren't you a human? Go, get the arrows and kill Meng Zaishi for me!"
Yan Shang was stunned for a moment.
Mu Wanyao immediately said, "You're not going, right? If you don't go, I'll go!"
As the two of them struggled, they had already reached the edge of the pond and were about to go ashore. Mu Wanyao leaned over to touch the bow and arrow that Yan Shang had thrown by the water, and lowered her head to draw the bow. Yan Shang finally couldn't stand it anymore, so he walked over and grabbed her wrist, saying in a somewhat stern tone: "Stop messing around, and follow me!"
"Snap—" His hand was slapped away.
Mu Wan turned around to face him. When she looked up at him, her eyes were full of light and her voice was trembling: "You can't help it anymore, right? You think I'm ignorant, right? You heard it all, you heard it all, right?!"
Yan Shang's tone was slightly tense: "Even if I heard it... so what?"
She looked at him and sneered, "You sympathize with me because you heard it, right? I don't need your cheap sympathy! Why should you sympathize with me? Is this my shame? This is the shame of all of you! You men only care about the overall situation and the great cause. Let me know the overall situation, let me maneuver... In your eyes, serving father and son together is normal, right?"
Yan Shang gritted his teeth: "I never felt that..."
Mu Wan interrupted with a hoarse voice: "Of course it's normal! She's just a princess. In exchange for peace between the two countries, what's wrong with that in the eyes of you men? Who will remember my sacrifice? Who will care about my sacrifice?"
Yan Shang: "You can definitely ask Da Wei for help..."
Mu Wan shook her head and said sternly, "When the new Wuman King wanted me to be his princess, I asked for help from the Wei border troops! The Wei army's reply was, Princess, please put the overall situation first."
She laughed bitterly, "I am ignorant of the big picture! I am too demanding! Knowing that my father only has the world in his eyes, and my mother is too ill to take care of state affairs, the two of them are fighting to the death... Who would care about me, who married far away!"
Looking into the void, looking at the figures of Meng Zaishi and Yang Si who were still fighting, the leaves fell rustling and the wind seemed to be even colder.
Mu Wanyao looked at Yan Shang with a sad expression, and the lake-like color in her eyes was crumbling.
Her thin body swayed gently in the wind. She asked, "Has it been the case that beauties can only be taken away by others since ancient times?!"
Yan Shang stared at her in a daze. The look in his eyes showed the pain that seemed to be her own... Such tenderness was as if Mu Wanyao was seeing her own scars with her own eyes.
This kind of tenderness is actually a bit cruel.
Mu Wanyao suddenly turned her head away. She didn't want to look into his eyes anymore. She didn't want to understand his emotions or see through her own scars through his eyes anymore.
She murmured to herself, "It doesn't matter. No one in this world can protect me. I can protect myself. I don't need you."
The water behind me became faster and the sound of the waterfall was louder.
Suddenly, her body froze as she was about to go ashore, and she was hugged from behind.
She struggled, but Yan Shang did not let her go as he did in the past. He hugged her tightly and shook her sharply: "Let go, let go!"
Yan Shang's cold face pressed against her cheek. He hugged her tightly from behind and whispered, "How can you say that there is no one in the world to protect you?"
Mu Wan shook her head and shouted, "Are you going to lecture me again? I don't want to listen, let me go. If you don't want to do it, I will kill Meng Zaishi myself!"
Yan Shang: "I will protect you!"
Mu Wan was stunned and stopped struggling. She was held in his arms and looked at him with her head slightly tilted.
He lowered his eyes: "As long as I am alive, I will protect you for the rest of your life."
He loosened his arms around her, took two steps in the water, and took the bow and arrow that he had placed on the shore. He put the arrow on the bow and placed it in Mu Wanyao's hand.
Determined, the two stood in the pool, the splashing water of the waterfall soaking them. Yan Shang held Mu Wanyao in his hand and let her catch the bow and arrow.
He said word by word: "Since ancient times, no one can take away the beauty!"
He said: "I still oppose you killing King Wuman, but you must eventually move on from the past and the shadows—"
The next moment, he stood behind her and led her, drawing his bow and arrow, heading straight for the fight above. Quietly watching the battle above, the wind blew, caressing her cheek and his quiet eyes.
Yan Shang raised his voice: "Sanlang——"
Boom——
Arrow out!
The fight in mid-air froze. It was the first time that Yang Si cooperated with Yan Shang, but before Yan Shang shot arrows and Yang Si dismounted, the two of them gradually became tacit in their cooperation. Now Yan Shang just called out "San Lang" and Yang Si immediately turned around and retreated.
Black arrows flew out from the bows in Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang's hands into the air.
The tears in the eyes dripped, and the tears flowed down the cheeks for a long time.
-----
Meng Zaishi retreated in mid-air, but the arrow had predicted his retreat, and Yang Si was blocking his way. It was just a split second, and there was no way to dodge it. In a split second, Meng Zaishi could only try his best to dodge with his shoulder, and the arrow pierced his chest.
Although the arrow did not hit a vital spot, it caused Meng in the stone mouth to vomit blood and fall from mid-air.
The enemy was at a weak position, and Yang Si was about to strike back with a blow, but the sound of iron hooves arrived just in time.
The general shouted: "Stop! Who dares to kill here..."
Yang Si ignored the voice that stopped him, and the knife in his hand was about to chop at Meng Zaishi, and a small knife from behind hit him in the vitals. In order to avoid it, Yang Si had to move out of the way, and then he saw the sound of horse hooves surrounding them, and the Wei army was coming.
Immediately, two soldiers dismounted, one on the left and one on the right, and restrained Yang Si's arms, preventing him from attacking again.
Another two people dismounted and pulled up Meng Zaishi, who was lying on the ground and still laughing. The general dismounted and bowed to Meng Zaishi, saying, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. We followed the order of the King of Qin and came to help, but we were a step late and caused Your Majesty to be injured."
Meng Zaishi had an arrow stuck in his chest and was in so much pain that he was sweating all over and couldn't speak. However, he was still coughing up blood and laughing as he looked at Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang who were also surrounded.
But she is Princess Danyang after all.
Even though they were surrounded, no one dared to attack the two men.
Seeing Meng Zaishi sweating profusely, the general said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, please follow us and leave to treat your injuries."
Meng Zaishi: "Then they——"
General: "Of course I will give the king an explanation!"
Meng Zaishi stretched out his finger and pointed at Yan Shang vaguely, as if to say "Just wait for me". He glanced at Mu Wanyao who was standing next to Yan Shang, and after a moment of silence, he looked away.
He also heard the conversation between Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang just now.
Meng Zaishi was supported by the guards, but he still gritted his teeth and shouted hoarsely to Mu Wanyao: "If I use arrows to fight back, will your highness' hatred for me be reduced a little?"
Mu Wan put on Yan Shang's robe, but ignored him. Yan Shang held her shoulders, and Yan Shang said something to the guards beside him, and those soldiers actually gave way and let Yan Shang help Mu Wan to get ashore.
From the direction of Meng Zaishi, I could only see Mu Wanyao's pale face, extremely thin. She leaned weakly in Yan Shang's arms, and was almost dragged to the shore by Yan Shang. She kept leaning on Yan Shang, drooping her eyelashes, and no longer paid attention to this side.
Air condensation.
Meng Zaishi laughed at himself, thinking that she really hated him to this extent.
A woman hated him to this extent...the fate between the two of them was actually almost over.
Even if it was Meng Zaishi, he walked out of a pool of blood and survived big and small battles, he couldn't help but feel a little cold and wanted to forget it. She was not someone he had to have, and he didn't want her to hate him as much as she hated his father.
The general finally persuaded the dejected King Wuman to leave.
Turning back, the general wiped his sweat and had to bite the bullet to question Princess Danyang, asking her what was going on.
-----
However, the general did not see Mu Wanyao.
Mu Wanyao was helped onto the horse by Yan Shang, and it was Yan Shang who came to communicate with the general.
Yan Shang saluted the general. Although he had taken off his outer robe, Yan Erlang was still polite and refined. After he reported his official position and identity, the general, upon hearing that it was the famous "Yan Erlang", politely returned the salute.
Yan Shang said, "General, were you sent by His Royal Highness the King of Qin? General, listen to me. Today's incident in Nanshan was explained as hunting, and the princess and the King of Wuman had a quarrel. Don't mention anything about using knives or killing or injuring people."
The general said, "But His Royal Highness the King of Qin's order is not like this."
Yan Shang said gently: "I can guess what the King of Qin will say. His Royal Highness the King of Qin must hope that today's incident will become a big deal so that the princess will go to marry obediently. However, General, you can think about it. What if the ending of this matter is not like this? If the princess does not marry, the princess will naturally settle the account with the general for forcing her today.
"I don't think the order from the King of Qin is very detailed, right? Because His Royal Highness the King of Qin doesn't dare to explain it in detail, for fear of leaving a handle. If His Royal Highness the King of Qin is afraid of leaving a handle, will he let the general do this offending thing? And even if the princess really married because of this matter, will His Royal Highness the Crown Prince let the general go, or will the Yang family let the general go?"
The general was startled and looked suddenly towards Yang Si, who had already stood up and was being watched by two soldiers on the other side but was staring at him coldly.
Yang Si's clothes were also stained with blood, but his eyes were cold and frightening. Even if these children of the local aristocratic families in Chang'an were arrested now, they would be released in the future... It was not a good thing to offend Yang Sanlang.
The general smiled bitterly, only then did he realize how difficult this task was.
Facing Yan Shang, he couldn't help but speak in a gentler tone, and took the initiative to ask Yan Shang for advice: "According to your opinion, how should I do this task? Please teach me!"
Yan Shang said in a gentle voice: "Seal off Nanshan, take all the envoys back, and shut everyone up. When you report to the King of Qin later, you can tell the truth. As long as this matter is not publicized and spread to everyone in Chang'an, then the private discussions between the King of Qin and the King of Wuman, even the Crown Prince, and even the Secretariat will not be a big deal.
"The King of Qin will not blame the general. Neither will the other forces.
"As long as the general... keeps today's events secret, no one will know."
The general thought about it and felt that he could indeed get out of this situation. The conflict between the princess and the Wuman King should be handled by the big men... The general bowed and said, "Thank you, Erlang! This matter will be handled properly in the future. If there is a chance, I will definitely invite Erlang for a drink!"
Yan Shang smiled gently and replied, "I don't drink alcohol, General, just treat me to tea."
The general didn't know whether what he said was true or not, so he stopped talking and turned around to do his job.
Yan Shang rubbed his forehead and began to think: This matter is best resolved in a very small scope.
Everyone thought that the marriage was a matter of negotiation between the two countries. The Wei side had been discussing the dispute among themselves, but Yan Shang now thought, if Meng Zaishi didn't want to marry, wouldn't the matter be resolved?
After what happened today... Yan Shang began to think about how to compensate Meng Zaishi, how to make Meng Zaishi speak up.
There was a chill on my forehead.
Yan Shang raised his head and touched the sky, and saw that it was snowing.
-----
In early spring, in the evening, there was a light snowfall.
In the East Palace, the Crown Prince was reviewing official business. An eunuch came in and whispered something in the Crown Prince's ear. The Crown Prince's face changed immediately and he stood up. Without even putting on his shoes, he walked out quickly and opened the palace door.
I saw Yang Si kneeling in the corridor in the courtyard.
Yang Si knelt on the ground, wearing a narrow-sleeved black robe, and the smell of blood hit him. It was a little dark, and the lanterns under the corridor shone on Yang Si. Yang Si looked up, and the prince's eyes narrowed sharply, seeing the blood stains on the young man's face.
The prince tensed up and gritted his teeth for a long while: "Who did you kill?!"
Yang Si: “I didn’t succeed in killing him.”
The prince breathed a sigh of relief, and then he heard Yang Si's next sentence: "He almost killed the Wuman King. Yan Suchen also took action."
The prince asked, "King Wuman is not dead?"
Yang Si said "hmm" and asked the prince to take two steps back and take a breath.
The prince was furious: "You really cause trouble for me all day long! You never stay still for a day!"
Yang Si lowered his head.
After calming himself down, the prince walked down the steps, grabbed the whip from the guard next to him, and whipped Yang Si. Yang Si did not try to dodge and took the whip steadily. The whip made a crackling sound in the air, and the maids in the corridor all shuddered.
The prince cursed: "Asshole! Are you crazy? When you kill someone, don't you think about the consequences? You just want to have a good time, but don't think about what will happen next?"
He kicked Yang Si down.
The prince shouted: "Kneel back!"
Yang Si gritted his teeth, spat out the blood in his mouth, and knelt down again. Then, another whip came down. Yang Si lowered his head steadily and accepted it, allowing the whip to knock off his hair crown and let his long hair fall.
No one in the courtyard dared to plead for mercy. The prince, with a cold face, beat, scolded and kicked Yang Sanlang. He vented his anger for a full cup of tea before he stopped.
Afterwards, the prince panted, handed the bloody whip to the guards behind him, and looked down at Yang Si. The prince's eyes were cold, and the muscles on his cheeks were tense. After a moment of anger, the prince sighed and helped him up.
Yang Si endured the pain, grinned, raised his head and smiled: "They are just minor injuries, I'm fine."
He knew that this was the way to pass.
The prince looked at the blood on his face for a long time, and said with a stern face: "You still have the nerve to laugh! King Wuman is a troublesome person. It would be troublesome if he was killed, and it would also be troublesome if he was allowed to live... But since you didn't kill him, there is still room for maneuver in this matter. It's okay... I can handle it."
The prince stared at him: "Is it because of Sixth Sister... Oh, I knew it."
Yang Si lowered his head and remained silent for a while: "Have I caused you trouble again?"
The prince said coldly: "Are you willing to go and apologize to the Wuman King?"
Yang Si sneered: "Of course I don't want to! Even if you beat me to death today, I won't admit my mistake!"
The prince shouted angrily: "Stubborn donkey!"
But in fact, the prince had no hope at all.
The prince was no longer angry, and his tone was quite lonely: "You just returned to Chang'an, and you've caused trouble for me... What do you think? You might as well not come back! Forget it, if you don't want to bow your head, then don't bow your head. Since Yan Suchen is involved in this matter... If someone like Su Chen takes action, your problem will not be a big problem... Tell me in detail, what happened."
He pushed Yang Si into the hall and patted him twice on the back. Seeing that Yang Si did not react, the prince was sure that he was not seriously injured. Slightly relieved, the prince sighed, "Go wash off the blood on you and change your clothes first."
Yang Si: “Yeah.”
When he was about to leave the palace, he looked back at the prince, hesitated, and said, "I'm sorry."
The prince was deep in thought. He looked up at the young man standing at the door and waved his hand impatiently: "Write me an apology in big words later. Now get out of here."
-----
At Princess Danyang’s residence.
After Mu Wanyao had washed up and was putting on makeup and formal attire, Yan Shang came to pay her a visit.
After Yan Shang entered the room, he was stunned to see her being so serious, and asked, "What are you going to do, Your Highness?"
Mu Wanyao sat in front of the dressing mirror and said coldly: "Meng Zaishi is not dead. I have to deal with the subsequent troubles. I have to leave the house."
Yan Shang said, "I will take care of this matter. Your Highness has been injured today... and you don't need to worry about these things. Your Highness really doesn't need to worry about such trivial matters."
Mu Wanyao sat there motionless while the maids were anxiously combing her hair. Suddenly, Mu Wanyao stood up, pulled out the hairpin that the maid had just put on her hair, and threw it into the makeup mirror.
She simply took off her earrings, jade bracelets and other items, let her hair down, her face turned pale, and she turned around and left without saying a word.
Judging from the direction she went out, she went straight back to the dormitory.
Yan Shang saw the maids standing there anxiously, shook his head at them, and gently comforted them, telling them not to worry.
Yan Shang said, "Take good care of His Highness. I need to go out of the house to meet a few people."
The maids were terrified: "Isn't Erlang staying?"
Yan Shang shook his head with a heavy heart.
However, Yan Shang went out and stood in the dusk, watching the falling snow for a long time. He had already left the princess's mansion, and the mansion opposite had prepared a horse for him. When he was about to leave, Yan Shang suddenly turned around and returned to the princess's mansion.
Go straight to Princess Danyang's bedroom.
-----
There was no light in the dormitory and it was quiet.
Yan Shang knocked on the door outside and asked the maid to report, but no one answered.
The door opened, Yan Shang came in, closed the door, and went back inside, holding a lantern.
Placing the lantern on the low table, he drew aside the curtains and leaned over to look at the bulging bedding on the bed.
Knowing she was hiding in the bedding.
Yan Shang sat beside the bed, leaned over, and held her in his arms across the mattress. He held her across the quilt and heard her sobbing and crying softly.
My heart aches so much that I don't know what to do.
Yan Shang just hugged her tightly through the quilt, pretending not to hear her crying, he whispered: "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what happens to Your Highness.
"I just ask Your Highness not to push me away, okay?"
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