Chapter 343 Your Value
Yan Xing said: "I don't want to listen to your nonsense, just stay here honestly."
After Yan Xing finished speaking, he turned around and left.
He really didn't have the patience to listen to Zhao Qingwan say all this, and this detention lasted for a year.
As for the Jiang family... Yan Xing just asked Zhao Qingwan to stay as a guest here, and the Zhao family didn't ask any questions.
But Yan Xing knew that keeping her locked up like this was not a solution. In fact, he had thought about killing her, but later Lu Chenyang wrote to ask about this and did not agree to kill Zhao Qingwan.
Lu Chenyang loved the people like his own children and had saved countless lives. How could he kill innocent people for his own selfish desires? Zhao Qingwan hadn't done anything that would infuriate heaven or man. She was just a little calculating and vain.
In fact, Lu Chenyang is not afraid of others knowing his secret now.
So when Yan Xing left this time, he thought about it and brought her up, intending to take her to Lu Chenyang for disposal.
Yan Xing rode at top speed, eager to reach Yanhui Pass as quickly as possible. As a horseman and a military commander, he could handle the long journey. But it was hard on Zhao Qingwan, who sat in the carriage. A pampered young lady, even when traveling, she was surrounded by attendants and had never experienced such hardship.
In just two days, she looked haggard and miserable, but Yan Xing didn't care whether she could bear it or not. As long as she was alive, it was enough.
It took only twenty days to reach the destination which should have been a month's journey. When they arrived at Yanhui Pass, Yan Xing looked at the ancient city with a deep gaze.
As a member of the Yan family, he had spent a long time in Yanhui Pass. He had long been prepared to sacrifice something, even his life, to protect this city.
All members of the Yan family have deep feelings for Yanhui Pass.
Yan Xing was in a daze for only a moment, then rode in. He revealed his identity, but the guards still let him pass after a careful inspection.
Yan Xing walked slowly into the city. Now Yanhui Pass has begun to slowly recover its vitality. There are civilians and caravans, and they all have smiles on their faces.
Yan Xing was very familiar with that expression. He had seen it in Yanquan County. It was an expression of hope that emerged after numbness, and an expectation for the future.
All this is because of that person.
Thinking of Lu Chenyang, Yan Xing's heart beat faster. When Lu Chenyang was a man, Yan Xing couldn't help himself. He was ready to be gay, but he found out that his lover was a woman.
Yan Xing had never been so happy before, and he couldn't wait to see him.
Yan Xing immediately rushed to the general's mansion.
Lu Chenyang was talking to Zhao Xi at this time. After two consecutive battles, a lot of supplies in the city were consumed, especially herbs, which were in short supply.
Zhao Xi said, "I went to the Shen family and the Zhao family to borrow some. My Lord, please remember to pay it back when the time comes."
The Shen and Zhao families were loyal supporters of Lu Chenyang. Wherever Lu Chenyang went, their shops would open there. As soon as Lu Chenyang conquered Yanhui Pass, the owner of the Shen family in Huai'an City immediately sent people to look for a shop to open, and transferred everyone in Huai'an City to seize the opportunity.
Lu Chenyang nodded. For such a small matter, Zhao Xi could just step in and handle it. As for returning the things in the future, he could just write a note.
Zhao Xi just mentioned it briefly, and then reported on the recovery of the wounded soldiers. Lu Chenyang cared about this very much.
"Among those who were most seriously injured, 135 died of illness. They have been properly buried, and their list is here. The rest of the seriously injured are recovering, but 345 of them may find it difficult to do heavy work in the future." Zhao Xi said again.
Lu Chenyang nodded. He looked at Zhang Heng and said, "You must take note of these people. They fought for their country. They must be properly resettled and their pensions must be promptly delivered to their families. Also, find out about their family situations. If they are struggling, local officials must take extra care of them. Allow two people from their families to work in the workshop. Take good care of their affairs after their death. Don't let these soldiers down."
Zhang Heng listened while taking notes in the booklet in his hand with a charcoal pencil. He nodded heavily, feeling a little emotional.
No wonder Lu Chenyang was so popular with the army, and no wonder the Lu family army was so brave and skilled in battle. He had ensured that these soldiers had nothing to worry about. In the past, his father hadn't paid much attention to these things. Except for a few trusted confidants, the lower-level soldiers died in battle, and even the pensions might not reach their families.
Lu Chenyang added, "Also, the peace talks are about to begin. The Tatars will definitely send someone over. You should be prepared to receive them." He then said to Zhang Heng, "You can ask General Dong about this matter. He knows the most about the Tatars."
Zhang Heng thought for a moment and asked cautiously, "How do you wish to entertain them, sir?"
Lu Chenyang said bluntly, "Just give them a place to stay and food to eat. They are defeated, do you think I should treat them to a meal?"
Zhang Heng understood. Then he thought again, Lu Chenyang had asked him to consult Dong Zhe, probably because he didn't want to make things easy for the Tatar envoys. Everyone knew that Dong Zhe hated the Tatars the most. Asking him to help entertain them would be like trying to skin them alive, wouldn't it?
Ji Ping felt that this young master was more intelligent than clever, and looking at his silly look, he was actually a bit lovable.
Tan Feng said, "Sir, Zar is sick."
Lu Chenyang had a headache. He didn't expect that Zar, after being captured, could still cause him trouble and make him feel annoyed.
Zar had been on a hunger strike since he was captured. Was Lu Chenyang a spoiled parent? He was only keeping Zar alive for peace talks, and since they were already negotiating, it wouldn't be appropriate to kill his general.
So Lu Chenyang's order to the others was: "Just keep yourself alive."
The soldiers understood what was going on and forced him to drink a bowl of porridge every day, and then kept him under strict surveillance to prevent him from committing suicide.
But it had been a month, and Zar was already depressed and injured. He hadn't eaten properly for a month and fell ill.
After all, Zar's identity is special, so Tan Feng came to report to Lu Chenyang.
Lu Chenyang thought for a moment and said, "I'll go meet him."
Lu Chenyang also asked Zhao Xi to boil a bowl of medicine for him, and then personally brought it to him.
Being a captive meant having no dignity. Zar was now tied up, with rags stuffed in his mouth, like a lamb to be slaughtered.
When Lu Chenyang went to see him, he was already unconscious. He forced the medicine into his mouth and waited for a while before Zar woke up.
When Zar saw Lu Chenyang, he glared at him with a look of indignation on his face.
Lu Chenyang said calmly: "I'll untie you, and then we can talk."
Zar was stunned for a moment, said nothing, and agreed.
Lu Chenyang untied the ropes on him, saying as he did so, "Actually, I admire you quite a lot. I've had someone look up your life story. Considering your background, you've made it this far, and even managed to defeat the Duke of Zhenguo. That's truly remarkable."
Zar said, "What's so great about that? Isn't he still defeated by you?"
Lu Chenyang smiled sheepishly: "As for me, it's different. I'm indeed too strong. It's normal that you can't beat me. You don't have to doubt your ability because of this."
This was indeed a shameless statement, but Zar did not refute it. He felt that what Lu Chenyang said made sense.
Zar was silent for a moment and then said, "Lu Chenyang, you are a respectable opponent. I have nothing to say about losing to you." After a pause, he said, "You Han people have a saying that a gentleman can be killed but not humiliated. Please give me a quick death and don't humiliate me like this."
Lu Chenyang blinked. "Humiliate you? I didn't mean to do that. I tied you up just because I was afraid you would commit suicide."
Zar glared at him and said, "Then why do you keep me here? I am your prisoner. I accept it. I only ask that you give me a quick death."
Lu Chenyang said: "As a prisoner, I have no right to make demands."
Zaer's face was gloomy. "I thought that although we were rivals, we could still sympathize with each other. I didn't expect you to humiliate me like this."
Lu Chenyang sneered, "Sympathy? You killed my people and humiliated my compatriots. You are my enemy, how can I sympathize with my enemy? You massacred the city of Huai'an, not even sparing the children. You committed such murderous crimes, and you should have expected the retribution you will receive today."
Zha immediately thought of the situation in Huai'an City that day, those Han people who were tortured to death, those painful expressions, and the experiences those people suffered were even more humiliating than his.
Lu Chenyang said coldly, "If we're just talking about ability, you were able to defeat the Duke of Zhenguo and break through Yanhui Pass. You've come this far from being a commoner. I do admire you. But you and I can only be enemies. It's impossible for us to admire each other. Because in my eyes, you're just a capable beast. As a general, you're indeed ruthless, but you have no reverence for life. Someone like you can never defeat me. But now it seems that you not only don't respect the lives of others, but you also don't respect your own life."
Lu Chenyang stared at him and said, "Why do you think I kept you alive? You don't think I was reluctant to see you die, do you?" He sneered, "Don't be ridiculous. It's because the Tatars and the Dagan want to negotiate peace. Your life might even allow me to exchange it for a few more war horses."
Lu Chenyang planned to demand that the Tatars cede territory and pay compensation, and one of the conditions was a large number of war horses. God knows how long he had been coveting war horses, and Lu Chenyang thought it was a good deal to exchange Zar for war horses.
Zar's face flushed crimson. He felt insulted not only physically but also spiritually. He had thought he and Lu Chenyang were rivals who sympathized with each other. Even if they were enemies, it was only because of their different perspectives. Otherwise, why wouldn't he kill him? Unexpectedly, he was only keeping him alive to negotiate a deal with the Tatars, hoping to exchange him for a warhorse.
His value was only a few war horses! Wasn't he afraid that if he returned to Tatar alive, he would become a serious threat to the Tatars?
Lu Chenyang stood there, the sunlight from the window shone in on his body. Zar looked up at him, his lowered brows were compassionate and gentle. At that moment, Zar suddenly had a feeling that he could never beat him.
The enemy he thought was his lifelong enemy was just a passerby to Lu Chenyang, one of the countless people he defeated.
Lu Chenyang said, "I heard that you Tatars are ashamed of suicide. You want to use death to escape your failure, but it seems you are no match for that." He looked at him and said, "If you live, you can buy me a few more war horses. If you live, perhaps you can have a chance to start over. What's so scary about death? Once you close your eyes, what happens after you die has nothing to do with you. But a true warrior is one who bravely faces the ups and downs of life. Do you think you are heroic for facing death calmly? It's just a cowardly act."
Tatars value life very highly. There's a saying that's most fitting: "A good death is worse than a miserable life." They believe life is extremely precious. Because Tatars live in harsh conditions and many children die young, they value life very highly and would never easily do anything that would harm it.
When Lu Chenyang knew this, he felt strange. It was ironic that the Tatars, who valued life so much, would easily kill foreigners.
Lu Chenyang finished speaking and turned to leave. He didn't know if Zar would come to his senses, but he couldn't die now - he still had to help him change his warhorse!
Nothing was more important than his steed! Nothing! Nothing!
Lu Chenyang walked towards the study and met Yan Xing who had just entered the mansion on the corridor.
The two met at the two ends of the corridor. They had not seen each other for a year. When they suddenly saw each other, they were both stunned.
Yan Xing watched the man walking towards him from a distance. His elegant and tall figure was like a green pine. The face that he had thought about thousands of times in his dreams still had the familiar faint smile on it.
Yan Xing felt that his originally floating heart suddenly settled down, just with one glance.
The two looked at each other, and no one spoke.
Tingshu, who was behind Yan Xing, felt that a separate world seemed to have formed between them. In that world, there were only the two of them, and no one else could fit in.
After a long while, Lu Chenyang slowly walked towards Yan Xing. Yan Xing remained motionless, watching him approach, her heart unable to help but start pounding again.
Lu Chenyang stopped in front of him and greeted him like an old friend: "You're here?"
Yan Xing hummed softly and stared at him without blinking, his eyes burning.
Lu Chenyang felt his cheeks getting hot when he was being stared at. He coughed lightly and said, "Well, go in first."
Even though Lu Chenyang was used to big scenes, he was still a little overwhelmed at this moment. This was the first time they had met since Yan Xing knew she was a woman. Lu Chenyang hadn't figured out what to say, or how to treat him.
The two of them entered the study together. Ji Ping came to find Lu Chenyang again, but was blocked at the door by Tingshu.
"General Ji, our prince is talking to the adults. Can you come over later?" Tingshu said politely, "They haven't seen each other for a long time."
Ji Ping was stunned for a moment, then gave Tingshu a meaningful look. His eyes were long and lingering, saying nothing, yet they spoke volumes.
Ji Ping's expression was both excited and restrained, he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
My friend is gay and has a partner. I can't help but feel curious, after all, I have never seen a real gay. But I am afraid that people will think I am discriminatory, so I pretend to be indifferent.
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