Chapter 108 A Decade's Unchanged Youthful Passion
My mind was in complete chaos, and my ears were ringing.
She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. It seemed that Chang'an's suffering had only just begun.
"How are you? Are you alright?" Xiao Yan frowned and squatted down in front of Yang Xiao, gently supporting her arms. Seeing her in so much pain, he subconsciously shouted at the little eunuch standing at the door, "What are you standing there for? Summon the imperial physician!"
Yang Xiao's fingers trembled slightly as she placed her hands on Xiao Yan's arms, enduring the pain as she stood up. "I'm fine, there's no need for this." She frowned with difficulty, took a deep breath, and then raised her hand to Xiao Yan in a fist salute. "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."
Xiao Yan frowned slightly upon hearing this, raised his hand to support Yang Xiao's arm, and said softly, "No need for formalities."
Yang Xiao finally got a clear look at Xiao Yan's face. His face was as indifferent as snow, revealing no emotion. His watery eyes were as unfathomable as if veiled by a thin layer of gauze, yet they captivated people's hearts, making them unable to resist taking a step closer.
Xiao Yan looked back into her eyes, her fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on hers. She raised her hand to shield Yang Xiao behind her, stepped forward, and questioned Xiao Yun, who had just gotten up from the wall, "What, can't stand to see a famous general defect?"
"This person is so rude, what's wrong with me teaching her a lesson?" Xiao Yun glanced at Yang Xiao defiantly, "And while I'm at it, I'll check if she's really injured."
"Don't you know whether she was injured or not?" Xiao Yan rebuked coldly, then turned back to his seat. "General Yang has come from afar to seek refuge, and everyone must treat him with courtesy. If the situation just now happens again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
As she spoke, she sat in the main seat and solemnly said, "Tonight, we will hold a banquet in Zhu Yang Palace to welcome General Yang. There must be no mistakes."
"yes."
All the officials clasped their hands in acceptance of the order, but Yang Xiao remained standing at the front of the stage, staring motionlessly at Xiao Yan.
"Lu Qi".
"exist."
A clear, crisp voice suddenly reached Yang Xiao's ears, and she felt a jolt of excitement. Looking up, she saw a civil official in a white robe emerge from behind the crowd, holding a fan. The long-lost face appeared before her in such an absurd way.
"What are you doing hiding behind them?" Xiao Yan frowned and looked at Lu Qi who was walking towards her. Suddenly, a faint "crackling" sound reached Xiao Yan's ears. She turned around and saw that Yang Xiao had already clenched her fists and was glaring fiercely at Lu Qi.
"What's going on here..." Xiao Yan looked at Yang Xiao's clenched fist, then at Lu Qi who had just come out from behind the officials, and tilted his head to ask, "Is there an old grudge?"
Yang Xiao watched Lu Qi let out a long breath, then angrily clenched her fists. "I'm just inexplicably angry because I thought about how Mr. Lu almost trapped me to death in the formation before."
Xiao Yan looked at Yang Xiao and couldn't help but chuckle, "You really are a sentimental person. Since we'll be colleagues in the future, it's best to get along well." She turned to look at Lu Qi, who was resting his chin on his fan, "Take General Yang to the residence that was arranged earlier and get to know him better."
She looked back at Yang Xiao and said with a chuckle, "If you have any complaints, just talk to him directly. If you're bothered by the previous formation, I don't mind if you beat him up."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Yang Xiao bowed to Xiao Yan with a fist salute, then looked up at her. "What you just said, is it true?"
Xiao Yan laughed immediately. She nodded and stood up. "Just leave one alive. I'll wait for you at Zhu Yang Palace."
Lu Qi glanced at Xiao Yan with a wry smile, then turned back to Yang Xiao's side. "General, please."
Yang Xiao followed Lu Qi out of the hall with a blank expression.
As the curtain was lifted, a gentle breeze caressed their faces, and the two moved further and further away from the guards in front of the palace.
She closed her eyes briefly, and after confirming that no one was around, she turned around and clenched her fists in uncontrollable rage. "Qi Lu, do you believe I'll beat you to death?!"
"Sigh," Qi Lu chuckled and sighed, raising his hand to cover Yang Xiao's fist, "I'm still your martial uncle, can't you at least show me some face?"
Yang Xiao crossed her arms angrily, "How dare you bring that up?"
"Lingyu, let's keep things separate." Qi Lu shook her head, glancing sideways at the sulking Yang Xiao. "My brother will understand, right?"
“He is him and I am me,” Yang Xiao sneered, gritting her teeth, “Wait until the final battle is over, and see how I deal with you.”
"Alright." Qi Lu nodded with a smile. He looked up at the road ahead and pondered for a while. "Perhaps after some time, you will know why I stayed here." He sighed with a smile, letting the sunlight shine on his face. "Or perhaps, we were never enemies at all."
Yang Xiao crossed her arms and sighed, "How can you settle the score of so many lives with just a few words?"
“Indeed.” Qi Lu nodded in agreement. “However, some things must ultimately be won through hard-fought battles. If everything had to be resolved through negotiation and theory, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.”
Yang Xiao looked up at the golden light that Liu Xia cast on Lu Qi's white robes, temporarily putting aside the matter of their respective stances. She looked at Qi Lu's resolute yet carefree face and couldn't help but turn her head to look directly into his eyes.
Clean and cunning, just as before.
She chuckled and waved her hand dismissively, "If it were before, I would have already punched you."
"Spare me," Qi Lu chuckled and shook his head. "It was alright before, but now I really can't beat you." He looked ahead, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "We're here. Your residence is quite close to Yi Li's."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao turned to look at Qi Lu with interest, "Yi Li? You dare to address her by her courtesy name?"
“She’s not here now, so it’s okay to call her a couple of times behind her back,” Qi Lu said, twirling the fan in his hand. “Just like she only knows that I am Lu Qi, but can’t see through my true form.”
Yang Xiao chuckled and sighed, "Some people really think that if they read their names backwards, others won't recognize them." She followed Qi Lu to the side of the bedchamber, "Your relationship can only be described as extremely messy."
"It's fine if you and I keep this to yourselves," Qi Lu said, leading Yang Xiao into the hall. "If anyone else finds out, I'm afraid I'll lose my head tomorrow."
"It seems your relationship can't withstand honesty either." Yang Xiao followed Qi Lu into the bedchamber, staring blankly at the magnificent furnishings for a moment before laughing self-deprecatingly, "I guess I've changed my fate this time?"
Qi Lu smiled and took off the arm guard from his wrist. "Here, try it on." He handed the exquisite arm guard to Yang Xiao. "I heard you were coming, so I worked day and night to make it." He looked into Yang Xiao's eyes with emotion and sighed with a smile. "Consider it a gift for our long-awaited reunion, and... my apology."
Yang Xiao turned around and looked at Qi Lu with a hint of disbelief, then carefully took the arm guard. She examined it for a moment, then put it on her wrist and rubbed it.
A barely perceptible hidden button reflected a tiny glint in the sunlight. Yang Xiao gently flicked it, and a silver needle suddenly sprang out from her sleeve, landing steadily between her two fingers. The speed and force were perfectly matched.
"It seems the force was just right."
Yang Xiao chuckled, took off her arm guard and held it in her hands, then looked up at Qi Lu teasingly, "What, you want me to assassinate Xiao Yan on my very first day here?"
“I told you before,” Qi Lu said with a smile, arms crossed, “hidden weapons have never been for killing people.”
She smiled at Qi Lu and said in unison, "It's for self-defense."
As darkness fell, the crimson sunset faded away.
The palace lanterns lit up one by one, and the palace under the night sky could truly be described as "magnificent and resplendent".
"The banquet is about to begin," a guard jogged to Yang Xiao's bedchamber, clasped his hands and said, "My lord, general, please move to Zhu Yang Palace."
Yang Xiao and Lu Qi exchanged a glance, then walked towards the door. "I understand, I'll be right there."
Before long, Yang Xiao followed Lu Qi to Zhu Yang Palace.
The entire hall was brightly lit and decorated, and the thousands of candlelight shone even more brilliantly under the full moon.
Yang Xiao paused for a moment, then followed the guards into the tent. The room was filled with the aroma of wine. She looked up and saw that an exquisite banquet had already been set out in the grand hall. Xiao Yan was already waiting in the main seat, while the people in the hall had different expressions and were all harboring their own secrets.
Yang Xiao's expression darkened, and she immediately tensed up.
"Please." Xiao Yan raised his hand and pointed to the seat next to him, then looked up at Yang Xiao.
"Thank you for the seat."
After straightening her clothes and sitting down, she began to examine everything in the hall. The spacious hall, apart from the lamps and decorations needed for the banquet, contained absolutely no extravagant items. None of the rare treasures that she had imagined as symbols of power and status were present; only the various official documents piled high on the bookshelves in the distance.
The familiar furnishings made Yang Xiao frown slightly. In a daze, something crystal clear flashed before her eyes. She turned her head and saw a white jade chessboard on a table, with several jade chess pieces scattered on it, gleaming in the candlelight.
"I was overjoyed by your sudden surrender, General. But none of you civil and military officials know the reason behind it," Xiao Yan raised his eyes and smiled at Yang Xiao, who was observing cautiously, and poured himself a cup of wine. "May I inquire about it?"
Yang Xiao then came to her senses and looked down at the table in front of her. "Your Highness, please ask whatever you wish."
Xiao Yan nodded and put down his wine glass, a sharp smile in his eyes. "Why did you kill Zhong Li'an?"
Yang Xiao was taken aback by his words. She raised her hand and twirled the wine glass on the table, then couldn't help but chuckle. She turned to Xiao Yun and asked, "In your plan, why would I kill him?"
“This…you…” Xiao Yun pointed at Yang Xiao, speechless for a moment.
Xiao Yan looked at Yang Xiao with a smile, then looked up at Xiao Yun with great interest.
"It seems your plan wasn't thorough enough."
Seeing Yang Xiao's indifferent expression, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle, "Then why did you come to surrender?"
Yang Xiao glanced at Xiao Yan, then nodded at Xiao Yun.
"You...you've gone too far!"
Yang Xiao nodded and chuckled, taking the wine offered to her by a servant. "It's nothing more than a way to save my life. Rather than becoming a target of public criticism in Jizhou, unable to defend myself, why not come to Chang'an to find a place to settle down?" She turned to look at Xiao Yan. "My father and brothers are all here, so saving my life shouldn't be difficult. Besides, I've heard that Your Highness admires virtuous people. I wonder if my abilities, in your eyes," she raised her eyes to meet Xiao Yan's unfathomable gaze, "would qualify me as 'virtuous'?"
Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, then looked up at Yang Xiao, "How could such a wise and virtuous person fall for Xiao Yun's scheme and almost lose his life?"
"They only believe what they see," Yang Xiao said casually, gripping her wine glass tightly.
The hall fell silent. Xiao Yan held the wine cup in his hand, remaining silent for a long time.
"Only believe what you see..." Xiao Yan murmured Yang Xiao's words, then chuckled and sighed, "We've been enemies for so many years, aren't you afraid I'll hold a grudge and kill you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
