Chapter 100: Everyone is hurt, Your Highness, I know I was wrong.
When the eldest princess arrived, she saw this horrifying scene.
Prince Jin lay unconscious in a pool of blood. Jiang Congying held him in her arms, sobbing and calling out to him, trying to wake him up, her voice almost hoarse.
The princess turned pale instantly and shouted, "Zhang Jingyi! Hurry up and call Zhang Jingyi to save them!"
The maids and servants had originally planned to stage a honey trap to kidnap a commoner girl, but who could have imagined that they would see such a bloody scene, with the victim being the Prince of Jin, whom they held in their arms for fear of dropping him or melting him. They were all panicked, shouting "Oh no, oh no" over and over again, and hurriedly tried to help others or fetch water, and all of them stumbled into a ball at the door.
Fortunately, Zhang Jingyi, the doctor, was still detained in the princess' bedroom, so he could rush over without any extra clothes. After stitching up the Prince of Jin to stop the bleeding, he forced him to drink a life-saving medicine.
After working until dark, Doctor Zhang finally stood up and breathed a sigh of relief: "The person is still alive."
The eldest princess's body suddenly relaxed and she swayed. The maid behind her hurriedly supported her and served her a cup of ginseng tea.
Doctor Zhang said, "Although he's still alive, I don't know how much longer he can hang on. If he doesn't wake up within three days, I'm afraid... Princess, your actions this time have gone too far."
"It's my fault now?" The eldest princess said sternly. She turned to Congying, who was standing by the couch, and said, "Bring her here to me!"
She wanted to ask for punishment, but several maids came forward and pulled Congying away.
Cong Ying looked listless and had no intention of resisting. But when she was pulled up, she suddenly felt her sleeve tighten. It turned out that Prince Jin subconsciously grabbed her and refused to let her go.
He was still unconscious, his brows furrowed in a frown, and two words slowly uttered from his bloodless lips: "A Ying..."
The wound on her wrist had not yet scabbed over, and blood oozed out with the slightest force, but he seemed to feel no pain. His knuckles were white and veins were bulging as he gripped her sleeve tightly, and soon the blood would stain Cong Ying's sleeve red.
Zong Ying's eyes instantly turned red. She held his uninjured hand and intertwined her fingers with his: "Your Highness, I'm here... Your Highness, you're scratching me and it hurts."
After whispering and saying soothing words for a long time, he finally slowly let go of Cong Ying's sleeve.
Doctor Zhang, who hadn't even caught his breath yet, went forward to bandage him again.
Witnessing this scene, the expression on the eldest princess's face changed from anger to resentment. After a long silence, she said, "Everyone else, please leave. I have something to ask Madam Jiang."
Everyone left and closed the door of the inner room. The messy room immediately became quiet.
Only a faint smell of blood still floated in the air, mixed with the bitter aroma of medicine.
The princess lowered her eyes to glance at Congying who was guarding the bedside, and said, "Just now, Zhang Jingyi said that the wound on my son's wrist was cut by himself. I don't understand why he did that."
Cong Ying smiled bitterly, her lips curled up, and she said in a hoarse voice, "It's to protect my innocence."
He cut his wrists, thus preventing the princess from forcing him to marry him. Even if rumors reached Xie Xuanlan, it would still leave her room for explanation...
She could even deny that he had ever relieved her.
Hearing this, the princess felt both angry and pitiful. "What's innocence? If you like a woman, you can grab her, but how can Xie San compete with my Xiao family? He's so good, he made himself look like this for a cold-hearted woman. How could my Xiao family have such a cowardly man!"
Cong Ying lowered her eyelashes and said nothing, just staring at Prince Jin without blinking, and gently stroking the back of his hand with her fingertips.
The eldest princess narrowed her eyes and looked Cong Ying up and down, only then she noticed that her clothes were disheveled, with a faint red mark on her collar, revealing a slender neck. Her jade-white color was tinged with a light red, as if soaked with a thin layer of sweat, and she had a soft look as if she had just had sex.
She stepped forward, pulled Jiang Ying up, and asked her, "Did you succeed?"
Cong Ying's expression was cold: "Her Royal Highness, the Princess, is this the only thing she cares about now?"
"Of course." The eldest princess raised her eyebrows and raised her voice, also speaking to the Prince of Jin on the couch: "The medicinal wine you two have taken will only arouse desire if you are in love with each other. The deeper the love, the more intense the desire. The love of Hehuan can nourish the body and even has the miraculous effect of giving birth to a child."
When Ying heard this, she felt as if she had swallowed a knife, and gradually a cramping pain began to spread from her stomach to her heart.
She asked again uncertainly, "What does it mean that only when there is affection can there be desire..."
The princess sneered, "You've always been clever, haven't you? Are you just pretending to be confused? My son has feelings for you. The more he loves you, the more potent this medicine will be. And it only works on you. If it were someone else, it would just be an ordinary glass of hot wine."
She paused and said, "If you two have already done it, and you are probably pregnant with Xiao's child, as long as my son doesn't hate you, I will not pursue the matter. When he recovers from his injuries, I will ask for your canonization as the Princess of Jin, and you two can live a happy life together. If nothing happened between you, and you watched him struggle in pain, hurting himself, and remained indifferent... Jiang Congying, then you are truly a scourge to the Jin Palace."
The last sentence had a cold tone, hinting at a threatening murderous intent.
Cong Ying was at a loss for words, unable to cry or laugh. She slowly looked up at the eldest princess, her eyes tinged with sarcasm. "What a pity... What a pity that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin didn't learn even a little bit of the eldest princess's domineering style. He would rather hurt himself than force me."
"Are you very proud?" The eldest princess was irritated by her cold attitude. "My son was clearly not like this before!"
She pointed at Congying's nose and scolded him angrily, "He used to stay at home to recuperate, devoted himself to self-cultivation, and had no idea about love, let alone disobeying me! It was your grandfather who first bullied us, an orphan and a widow, and submitted a memorial to strip him of his title of king, which angered him to death. Since then, his temperament has changed. He no longer refuses to listen to what I say, and instead throws himself on you. You, the Jiang family, already owe the Prince of Jin's Mansion a debt, and now you come to harm him!... Jiang Congying, sometimes I regret taking my anger out on you, but sometimes I regret not killing you. Now, let alone promising you to him, even if I ask for your life, I'm afraid it won't be enough!"
Cong Ying felt like something was stuck in his throat and was unable to refute it for a moment.
In fact, there is nothing to defend. The eldest princess is right. She owes the King of Jin a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid.
She held the King of Jin's cold hand, slowly lowered her head and pressed it against her forehead, and said quietly in her heart: Your Highness, I know I was wrong, please wake up soon.
It turns out that Jin Feng Bu Dao and Yu Lu Wu Jin were first attracted by love and then lust. She loved him in her heart, so she was tortured by desire in front of him. All this was because she was guilty of love. From the moment she was aroused by love and lust, she was no longer innocent.
But she doubted him, blamed him, tortured him, and forced him to such a state of self-loathing that he wanted to commit suicide to fulfill her self-deception...
...I really know I was wrong, Your Highness.
Tears flowed from Ying's eyes, flowed along his slender knuckles to his sleeves, and soaked a water-colored flower at the corner of his snow-white sleeves.
Endless worries were tangled in her heart, but she didn't want to think about anything at the moment. She didn't want to think about Sanlang who was far away in Xizhou, nor did she want to think about the eldest princess behind her. At this moment, she only had Prince Jin in her eyes.
She gently rubbed his palm with her cheek, wanting to tell him what was in her heart:
Your Highness, as long as you wake up soon, I am willing to agree to anything you ask and give you anything.
…
The princess left the inner chamber and ordered several strong women to keep an eye on Cong Ying: "Give her whatever she wants, but she is not allowed to leave Guanxi Garden until my son wakes up."
He also ordered people to go to the storehouse to get century-old ginseng, and sent people to the palace to ask Emperor Fengqi for the life-extending treasures from the Western Regions. If there was a way, he would even like to transfer the dragon liver and phoenix marrow from heaven.
After giving all these instructions, the eldest princess sat in the beauty's seat in a trance, leaning her forehead against the sheep-horn lamp under the eaves, her eyes fixed with tears in them, which was completely different from her previous majestic demeanor of fiddling with her rouge and trying to grab this and that.
When Doctor Zhang saw this, he knew that she felt guilty and remorseful. After hesitating for a while, he walked behind her and tried to comfort her.
"Since Heaven has blessed His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin with love, He will surely grant him a long life. Even though you failed to keep his beloved, your kindness and care for him over the years is truly a testament to the love of a parent."
The eldest princess turned to look at him and said, "What are you talking about? Who said that my son's relationship is bad and he can't keep his beloved?"
Doctor Zhang: "Even Golden Wind and Endless Jade Dew failed, so why don't you give up?"
The eldest princess sneered, "While she's alive, Jiang Congying can only call me her mother-in-law. Even after she dies, she'll be buried in the imperial mausoleum with my son. If the medicinal wine doesn't work, I'll try something else. There's no reason I can't get the one I set my eyes on."
Doctor Zhang was being stared at by her pair of clear, sharp eyes, and he felt like he was being stared at by a lioness or a tigress, and cold sweat slowly seeped out of him.
She was speechless: He was such a waste of feelings, she didn't need any comfort at all!
*
At the same time, in the Xizhou military camp.
Xie Xuanlan managed to escape with his life at the Xizhou official post station by chance. Instead of running away, he swaggered to the Xizhou military camp to report.
Wang Zhaoshen's face turned green at the sight of him: if it weren't for this scoundrel stirring up trouble, how could he have gone from being the awe-inspiring General of the Cavalry, crowned in the capital, to being a prisoner on the brink of death, and now a humiliating lieutenant of a thousand cavalry? Remembering the old grudge, Wang Zhaoshen drew his sword and attacked him, wanting to chop this evildoer into pieces to avenge his bloody humiliation.
Wang Zhaoshen's cronies were surrounding and attacking from the side. Since Xie Xuanlan was wearing a shackle, they were not afraid of him and would draw their knives from the side from time to time.
The two sides fought back and forth for several rounds, and several of Wang Zhaoshen's confidants fell. Xie Xuanlan was not in a good situation either. He was hit on the chest and back with sticks, and the barbs pierced into his flesh.
He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and his sharp, cold gaze swept across Wang Zhaoshen's face, who was hiding behind the crowd, and said sarcastically:
"They say that when a tiger is cornered, it can be bullied by a dog. Although Xie is not a tiger, Wang Laosi is definitely not as good as a dog."
Wang Zhaoshen was so angry that he almost flew to heaven. He shouted, "Whoever pulls out his tongue for me will be rewarded with five hundred taels! Whoever can cut off his legs and arms will be rewarded with three hundred taels!"
As soon as these words were spoken, morale doubled and everyone was eager to surround and kill Xie Xuanlan.
At this critical moment, a distant horn blew, and a group of elite cavalry galloped out of the camp and halted at the gate. The leader, clad in black armor and a red-tasseled helmet, was about fifty years old. His face was lined with deep lines like wind blades, and his eyes, silent but sharp, held a gleam of thunder.
Wang Zhaoshen's confidants silently put away their swords when they saw the newcomer. Even Wang Zhaoshen bowed reluctantly and said, "Commander Xuan."
Xie Xuanlan then realized that this man was none other than Xuan Zhiyuan, the man the King of Jin had mentioned. He was the uncle of the then current Prince Consort Xuan. After the Xuan army was disbanded and merged into the Wang family's, he was the only Xuan general to remain.
Some said he betrayed his clan, others said he was sleeping on straw and tasting gall. For the past ten years, Xuan Zhiyuan had remained in a tepid position of command, oppressed by Wang Zhaoshen. It wasn't until Wang Zhaoshen was convicted and demoted to the rank of Thousand Cavalry Captain that an imperial edict arrived in Xizhou, ordering Xuan Zhiyuan to temporarily assume the position of commander-in-chief.
Therefore, in the Xizhou military camp today, Xuan Zhiyuan has the highest military rank.
Once in power, Xuan Zhiyuan didn't show any arrogance. He remained calm and composed. He glanced around and asked, "Why are you fighting?"
Fighting in the military camp was a serious crime. Wang Zhaoshen spoke first and put all the blame on Xie Xuanlan, saying that he was spying at the camp and had evil intentions and was a spy for the Western Tatars.
Xie Xuanlan smiled and shook the shackles on his body: "Is there any spy wearing shackles like me?"
Xuan Zhiyuan knew what was going on and said to Xie Xuanlan, "Since you're being exiled, you'll start as a horseman. Go to the captain of the cavalry and take charge of twelve horses. If any of them are injured or sick, you'll be punished by military law."
Then he ordered the men to drag away the few closest to Wang Zhaoshen who had jumped the highest. He then gave each of them thirty blows with the military stick for the crime of causing a commotion. He then asked Wang Zhaoshen, "Does this punishment seem fair to Captain Wang?"
This was a case of making a big deal out of a small matter, but Wang Zhaoshen still felt like he was being taken advantage of, and secretly his back teeth were almost broken.
He smiled gently, "Commander Xuan is very experienced in handling matters, so of course I respect him."
Xuan Zhiyuan nodded: "Then let's disperse."
Xie Xuanlan was taken away to find Captain Ma. Xuan Zhiyuan led his men out on patrol, leaving only Wang Zhaoshen at the gate. With a sullen look on his face, he drew his knife and slashed fiercely at the gate post, spitting, "Damn it! Now even this old donkey dares to piss on my head!"
His confidants urged him to hold back for now, but Wang Zhaoshen sneered, "Hold on? Whoever holds back is a thousand-year-old turtle. I'll kill him first, and then I'll kill Xie San!"
…
Two days later, around midnight, it started snowing again in the military camp.
Xie Xuanlan slept uneasily because he woke up from his dream of fireflies. He could no longer fall asleep on his alone pillow and cold quilt. Seeing that his horse was shivering with cold, he led it out of the stable and planned to run two laps to warm it up.
Unexpectedly, I saw a series of messy shallow footprints in the snow, extending all the way towards the central military camp where Xuan Zhiyuan was, and had not yet been covered by the falling snow.
Night patrols were common, but Xie Xuanlan subconsciously sensed something was amiss. The guards tonight weren't from the Xuan clan, but from Wang Zhaoshen's men. These men, with their lax military discipline, should have been out drinking and gambling. He peeked into the guardhouse, finding no one inside. He then touched the charcoal brazier, revealing they hadn't even had a fire lit tonight.
He frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly said "Oh no", picked up the Yanzhi knife and sneaked towards the central military tent.
I'm afraid Wang Zhaoshen will take action tonight.
Sure enough, the guards in front of Xuan Zhiyuan's tent had been knocked down, and sounds of fighting were heard from inside the tent. There was a flash of fire and then it went out. At this glance, Xie Xuanlan saw at least six or seven killers.
With Wang Zhaoshen's ability, it would not be difficult to kill Xuan Zhiyuan, but the difficult part was how to explain to the court.
Xie Xuanlan remembered his usual behavior with Prince Huai, turned around and climbed up to the top of the flag in three or two steps. He looked westward in the light of the snow, and sure enough, he saw a dark mass swooping down a hundred feet away, like a giant beast lurking in the night, ready to attack.
It’s the Western Tatars’ night attack army, at least five hundred cavalrymen!
Xie Xuanlan jumped down from the flagpole, drew his sword and rushed into the central army tent. The blade of the Yanzhi sword drew a stream of light like water and moon in the thick darkness. There were only a few sound of bone-chilling blows, and three or five people fell down and were kicked out of the tent by him.
"Who is it?" Xuan Zhiyuan asked, his voice clearly sounding injured.
Xie Xuanlan chuckled: "It's the Blood Blade Shadowless Knight, the Bodhisattva Guanyin who saves the suffering."
As he spoke, he chopped off three more people like chopping melons and vegetables. The remaining one should be Wang Zhaoshen himself. After exchanging two swords with Xie Xuanlan, he knew he was no match for him, so he did not fight back. He jumped backwards and out of the tent, throwing out the flare in his sleeve at the same time.
As the sky exploded, the Western Tatars' night attack army immediately took action.
Xie Xuanlan sheathed his sword and grabbed Xuan Zhiyuan: "Let's go!"
Xuan Zhiyuan was injured in the leg. Xie Xuanlan helped him out of the central military tent, got on the horse he was planning to take out for a walk, tapped the horse's buttocks with the butt of his sword to urge the horse to gallop, then drew his sword again and fought with Wang Zhaoshen's confidants who had arrived.
The last fight at the gate was not satisfying enough. This time, I drew my sword and watched the opponent's blood splatter on the snow, which was really satisfying.
Of course, Xie Xuanlan wasn't about to fight a hundred enemies alone. Seeing the archers approaching, he quickly retreated and ran towards the stables. Arrows pinged into the snow behind him, but he leaped onto a swift horse and, swinging his sword like a whirlwind, broke free from the encirclement, taking a shortcut to rejoin Xuan Zhiyuan, who had just escaped the gate.
At this time, there were Western Tartars in front and pursuers behind, so escaping was the most important thing.
There was an extra person beside Xuan Zhiyuan. He explained, "This is my old subordinate. I can trust him."
Xie Xuanlan had no time to question him. He nodded and said, "There are footprints in the snow. They will be following us soon. Let's run south to the river mouth and cross the river first. I will lead the way, follow closely."
He spurred his horse forward, and as he passed Xuan Zhiyuan, he heard him call out to his subordinate, "Xu Dezheng, you come and cover our retreat."
When he heard this name, a string in Xie Xuanlan's mind was suddenly plucked.
"Wait, you said his name is—"
Before he could finish his words, he heard a "swish" sound and a long knife pierced through his abdomen from behind, and the tip of the knife was stained red with blood.
Xie Xuanlan straightened his body due to severe pain, but fell off his horse in a dizzying moment.
The cold snow covered his facial features, and the shouts, the sound of horses' hooves, and the sounds of fighting gradually faded away. Only the cold and pain became clearer and clearer. He tried his best to cut off the blade that had entered his abdomen, trying to stop the bleeding, but he could no longer lift his hand.
His strength was fading, his consciousness was gradually blurring, the anger in his heart receded, and only endless longing remained.
Ah Ying... I really want to see you again...
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Not dead.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
