Chapter 52: Disguised as Xie San, many people want you dead.
Just as Wang Zhaoshen wasn't entirely sincere about his cooperation with the Prince of Huai, the Prince of Huai didn't fully trust Wang Zhaoshen either. Under Xie Xuanlan's persuasion and planning, the Prince of Huai pretended to have Xie Xuanlan tied up and brought down the mountain to Wang Zhaoshen, intending to exchange him for a written agreement. However, the rope buckle was actually loose, and Xie Xuanlan easily undid it.
Xie Xuanlan untied the rope, snatched the knife, and chopped off the horse's legs in one go. The horse jumped in pain and threw Wang Zhaoshen off. He rolled on the ground and got up. He couldn't help but get angry and drew his knife to fight with Xie Xuanlan.
Both were highly skilled in martial arts. The clang of blades clashed, sparks flew, and in an instant, they had exchanged more than a dozen blows. Wang Zhaoshen's subordinates wanted to intervene, but they didn't know where to start. If they attacked recklessly, they feared accidentally injuring their leader.
Xie Xuanlan had the energy to distract himself and ask Princess Chun'an, "Your Highness, you're just watching the fun and not collecting your nets. Are you planning to wait until everyone runs away so you can return with an empty fish basket?"
Princess Chun'an smiled casually and said, "What if the Third Young Master has other plans? I'll wait a little longer."
This was because she was dissatisfied with Xie Xuanlan's failure to inform her in advance about his pretense of being captured, which made Princess Chun'an feel that Xie Xuanlan was also taking the opportunity to test her to see if she had reached some kind of deal with Wang Zhaoshen.
Xie Xuanlan did think so, and he had no sense of shame. After all, the two sides had been strong rivals in the past, and they had made even more cruel plans.
Wang Zhaoshen's men responded, striking Xie Xuanlan several times. Xie Xuanlan leaned back, barely escaping the sharp blades. Instead of retreating, he advanced, ignoring the attacks from all sides, swinging his long sword towards Wang Zhaoshen. Wang Zhaoshen instinctively stepped back to block, but just as their swords were about to collide, Xie Xuanlan suddenly reversed his momentum, shifting from a chop to a slash, sending Wang Zhaoshen's sword flying into the air.
Wang Zhaoshen was shocked. In an instant, the cold blade was pressed against his neck.
At the same time, Xie Xuanlan was also stabbed in the back, but he didn't care at all. Instead, he taunted Wang Zhaoshen, saying, "General Wang, you've been fighting the Northwestern barbarians for six or seven years, but how come you're not as skilled as me, a pampered embroiderer raised in Beijing?"
When Wang Zhaoshen heard this, he was so angry that his face turned green.
Six or seven years ago, Wang Zhaoshen was a young and prosperous man, while Xie Xuanlan was still a young boy. Hearing that the northwest was raising an army to resist the enemy, he hid in the palace of his aunt, Consort Xie, and frankly petitioned Emperor Fengqi to join the army there. The Emperor laughed and praised his ambition, then passed the matter on to Prime Minister Xie and Grand Marshal Wang. Each had their own plans, but their conclusions were unanimous. Upon hearing this, Wang Zhaoshen mocked Xie San, who had come to toast with his brother, at a farewell banquet, saying, "The northwest wind and sand are too strong, and I'm afraid it will blow off the pampered embroiderers of the capital."
Wang Zhaoshen was speechless at the moment. This kid still holds a grudge against me for a single word. Is it unfair to say that he is a sharp-tongued person?
Xie Xuanlan, surrounded by Wang Zhaoshen's men, held the commander hostage. He looked at Princess Chun'an calmly and said, "Now, it's my turn to make a deal with you. Princess, withdraw your troops for me. All the credit for suppressing the bandits today will go to you, and Wang Zhaoshen will be yours to deal with."
Princess Chun'an said, "You have the ability to capture the commander from among thousands of soldiers, but not the ability to escape unscathed?"
It would have been easy for Xie Xuanlan to run away by himself, but Jiang Congying was hiding in the trap. If he wanted to take her away, he had to clear the area first.
Xie Xuanlan said, "I don't like to flee in a hurry. I want to leave calmly and respectfully. I believe that Your Highness is not taking the soldiers I lent you up the mountain just to take a stroll and enjoy the scenery, right?"
Princess Chun'an raised her eyebrows slightly, without turning around, and just raised her voice and said, "Where is my good brother? Didn't you come to ask Xie San for him?"
Xie Xuanlan saw that the soldiers behind Princess Chun'an were moving out like flowing water. Several guards were carrying a bamboo sedan chair with a canopy. On the sedan chair sat the pale and weak Prince Jin. He had changed his clothes and had a string of golden bells hanging around his waist, which jingled as the sedan chair swayed.
When Xie Xuanlan saw him, an expression of toothache immediately appeared on his face.
I thought to myself, this sickly guy is really haunting me. What on earth is he meddling in?
The Prince of Jin was also troubled by the current situation. The Prince of Huai had been abducted by the One-Eyed Dragon, Xie Xuanlan and Wang Si were fighting each other, and now Princess Chun'an was actually benefiting from it. On top of all this intrigue, where was Ah Ying at the moment?
The Prince of Jin thought for a moment and said to Princess Chun'an, "With the evidence in hand, now is the best time for you to close the net. If you delay any further, something might happen."
Princess Chun'an said, "What kind of change can happen? Can General Wang turn another 3,000 bandits into something else?"
Wang Zhaoshen was furious: "I have nothing to do with the bandits. You are framing me! When my father finds out, he will definitely defend me!"
The Prince of Jin said to Princess Chun'an, "Just as he said, General Wang is not dead."
Speaking of General Wang, Princess Chun'an was indeed a little hesitant. Knowing that she would have to fight a tough battle after returning to the court, her desire to watch the show from the sidelines faded a lot.
She ordered Prince Consort Xuan: "You take your men up the mountain to deal with the aftermath, and I will take care of these people."
Prince Consort Xuan nodded and led a group of soldiers. Before leaving, he said to the princess, "Wang Zhaoshen's subordinates include many veterans from the Northwest Army. I hope Your Highness will show mercy and treat them well."
Princess Chun'an scoffed, "That depends on who they want to recognize as the boss now."
Prince Consort Xuan tried to persuade them again, but then, remembering the past, he fell silent and began to ascend the mountain. As he disappeared down the mountain path, Princess Chun'an held high her command arrow and declared, "I am the Princess of the Great Zhou, leading an army to suppress bandits. Your commander has been apprehended for colluding with the bandits. If you were unaware, you can surrender and receive a lighter sentence. If you continue to resist, you will be punished for collaborating with the bandits and plotting treason!"
Wang Zhaoshen's eyes turned red with anger: "Whoever dares to surrender, I will kill him when I get back!"
The poor subordinates were in a dilemma, but Princess Chun'an had no patience to indulge them. She drew her sword and ordered the guards behind her: "Capture the thief and kill him!"
For a moment, all they could hear were the neighing of horses and the shouting of people, and a murderous aura filled the air. Cong Ying and Yiyun, hiding in a corner of the animal trap, felt that the thin layer of grass above their heads would soon be trampled down by the horses' hooves, and a strong, burning, bloody aura filled their faces.
Yiyun said anxiously, "What should we do now? If we are discovered after eavesdropping for so long, won't we be dead?"
Cong Ying also knew that this was not a place to hide for long. She was considering whether to take the risk and escape when she suddenly felt a lot quieter above her head. She looked up quietly and saw that it was Xie Xuanlan who was guarding outside the cave entrance with a knife.
He tied up Wang Zhaoshen with a rope and handed him over to the princess's officials, while he himself stayed in front of the animal trap.
This unusual behavior attracted the attention of King Jin. He abandoned his bamboo sedan chair and, regardless of his own safety, walked towards Xie Xuanlan, leaning on a bamboo stick as he walked through the chaos of the battle between the two armies.
During this time, a soldier who was blinded by anger swung his knife at him. Xie Xuanlan was about to warn him, but he saw King Jin raised his bamboo stick to block the blade without turning his head, and hit the attacker's shoulder with a turn of his wrist. The man fell down due to exhaustion and was then subdued by the guards who caught up with him.
This block and strike may seem simple, but in fact, it is impossible for someone without profound martial arts attainments to perform it. However, King Jin...
Seeing him covering his face and coughing violently again, his weakness did not seem to be fake. Xie Xuanlan was really confused and for a moment he was a little confused about his condition.
Prince Jin walked up to Xie Xuanlan and asked bluntly, "Why did Ah Ying insist on going up the mountain to look for you? Where is she?"
Xie Xuanlan did not answer but asked, "Prince Jin finally escaped from the wolf's den. Why did he run back instead of resting there?"
Prince Jin said, "I am worried about Ying."
Xie Xuanlan looked him up and down, chuckling softly, "Your Highness, the one who should be most worried about you is you, or is your weakness just a pretense? You used to make me sick whenever you got close to me, so why are you daring to get close to me now, without Ah Ying in front of you? Are you not vomiting blood?"
Before ascending the mountain, Prince Jin had specifically retrieved the golden bell he had abandoned in his carriage. Having the bell to soothe his soul wasn't a problem, but since this matter was difficult to explain, he could only allow Xie Xuanlan to speculate maliciously.
Xie Xuanlan spoke in a high voice, as if he was deliberately trying to tell someone: "You pretended to be sick and weak to gain her concern. This was shameless and despicable. You must know that love in this world cannot be faked. Once you deceive her once, there will be countless times. It's a pity that she was deceived and suffered so much for you in vain. If she sees your true face, she should think carefully and never treat you the same way again."
Cong Ying, who was hiding in the trap, silently retracted his head and touched his nose awkwardly: "Well... let's not go out for now."
"Are you done yet?" Prince Jin gradually lost his patience. "The most important thing right now is Ah Ying's whereabouts."
Xie Xuanlan just smiled and said nothing.
His reaction made King Jin seem to realize something.
As long as Xie Xuanlan was still deaf and alive, he shouldn't have remained indifferent after learning that Ah Ying had come up the mountain to look for him, unless he had already met Ah Ying and knew her whereabouts. Thinking about how he had generously attributed the credit for capturing Wang Zhaoshen to Princess Chun'an, and how he hadn't shown up to interfere in the fierce battle between the two armies, but instead stood guard like a wooden stake, an idea suddenly struck the Prince of Jin.
He looked around and finally saw the animal trap covered by weeds, with a narrow entrance. He looked into a pair of dark, bright eyes in the trap.
All of a sudden, everything became clear.
Xie Xuanlan drew his sword and chopped down a soldier who was sneaking towards him. He said in a sly tone, "What are you looking at, you blind man!"
Prince Jin: “…”
After fighting outside for more than an hour, Wang's subordinates, who had lost their leader, were finally completely defeated. Some died, and some surrendered.
Princess Chun'an counted the number of people and turned back to look at the corpses scattered across the mountains and forests. A touch of emotion flashed across her face, and after a barely audible sigh, she continued, "Cut off their heads and record their names. When you return, hand them over to the Ministry of War and they will be treated as rebels."
Then he looked at Xie Xuanlan and Prince Jin, who were standing off to the side, and said, "One of you encouraged me to disobey the imperial order and send troops, while the other encouraged me to go up the mountain to suppress the bandits. Yet, in the end, you gathered together to watch the fun. What on earth are you trying to achieve?"
The King of Jin said indifferently, "For the sake of peace and prosperity for the country and the people."
Xie Xuanlan followed suit: "I hope the rivers will be clear and the seas will be peaceful."
Princess Chun'an sneered.
The chaos at Guikuzhang over the past two days and one night has been enough to shock the imperial court. Princess Chun'an must return to the capital to stabilize the situation. Tomorrow morning, a tough battle is sure to begin. Although she knows these two are up to something, she has no time to delve into it.
But she still felt that neither of these two was a good person, and she couldn't bear to see them sitting back and doing nothing. Before leaving, she deliberately turned back and said to Xie Xuanlan in front of King Jin, "I don't know how beautiful your fiancée is. My cousin has lived in the palace for twenty years, and now he is going to the bandit mountain for her, just waiting for me and Wang Zhaoshen to kill you so that he can have her all to himself... Xie San, Xie San, so many people want you dead, but I still spared your life. You really owe me a huge favor."
After hearing this, Xie Xuanlan glanced at Prince Jin with an ambiguous expression: "Your Highness, you are truly praising me."
Prince Jin coughed weakly twice and said sincerely, "Don't listen to her instigation. I never wanted you to die."
Xie Xuanlan played with the hilt of the knife, with the corner of his lips raised grimly. He didn't say anything, but King Jin understood what he was not convenient to say in front of Cong Ying: But I wish you dead.
…
Princess Chun'an finally led her army down the mountain, leaving only scattered corpses. The court would send people to clean up after the matter was settled.
Ying's heart, which had been hanging in the air for a long time, had just settled back into his stomach. He was about to climb up the wall of the animal trap when he saw two hands reaching out in front of him. One was pale and slender, with unhealed scars, and the other had distinct joints and was strong and powerful.
She took a deep breath silently, turned to Yiyun and said, "Senior Sister, you've worked hard. You go first."
Cong Ying ignored everyone and climbed up the pit holding Yiyun's legs. Before he could look around, Xie Xuanlan blocked his way and said, "Don't look. Be careful of nightmares at night."
But Cong Ying still caught a glimpse of the blood all over the ground, and at that moment, an expression very similar to that of Princess Chun'an appeared on her face.
It is a kind of restrained compassion and melancholy.
She lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly, "It's a pity I can't do anything. I just wanted to go up the mountain to tell you the news, but I couldn't help at all. Instead, I made you worry."
When Xie Xuanlan first spotted her, he was indeed filled with anger and fear. But now, seeing her so shabby and dusty, he couldn't bear to blame her. Instead, he said in a rare gentle voice, "It's impossible to plan everything perfectly. I'm flattered and deeply grateful that you're so considerate."
Cong Ying turned to look at the King of Jin. They didn't speak, just a slight nod to confirm each other's well-being, and then Cong Ying looked away. But this subtle movement was still caught by Xie Xuanlan. He unexpectedly understood this "silent but powerful" tacit understanding and affection without any instruction. He felt like a bully who had forcibly seized a woman, contrasting with the two lovers who were deeply in love.
For a moment, the emotion in his heart was ignited by jealousy. He almost forcibly turned Cong Ying's face over and said to her with a smile, "I told you not to look at it. Be careful of evil spirits. Can I go down the mountain first?"
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The author has something to say: (The pot lid appears) I did go out for fun during the May Day holiday, but I was having so much fun that I lost my mind... (Kneels down)
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