Chapter 134 Ankle-Wrapped Iron Chains Entangling Myriad Thoughts
"Your Highness," Yang Song hurriedly stepped forward upon hearing this, "I am willing to lead troops to break into the prison and rescue Lingyu. I hope you will grant me permission."
His eyes were unwavering and so sincere that it was impossible not to believe him.
Xiao Yan sighed softly and nodded, "Alright, then so be it." Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Yang Song with a hint of worry in his eyes, "To be honest, Lingyu left your mother's belongings in Jizhou and gave them to her former comrade-in-arms. Will you... blame her?"
Yang Song hadn't expected Xiao Yan to ask such a question. He frowned and pondered for a moment, then solemnly shook his head. "You and I both know Lingyu's character. She is kind-hearted and dares to love and hate. I believe in her and support all the choices she makes."
He paused slightly, then looked up at Xiao Yan. "Moreover, the Zhongli An faction is as close as family. I have also sparred with Bai Ming and the others many times. I can assure you that they are also wholeheartedly devoted to Ling Yu."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief. She raised her hand and patted Yang Song's shoulder. "That's good." She turned to look at Lu Qi. "Then when you see Lingyu tomorrow, tell her all our plans so that she can be prepared."
"Okay, then I..."
Before Lu Qi could speak, Yang Song interrupted him, "Mr. Lu, you are certainly putting yourself in danger on this trip. Why don't I go in your place tomorrow..."
“Absolutely not,” Lu Qi shook his head decisively before Yang Song could finish speaking. “I can still conceal my identity and blend in, but if you, General, go, they will definitely do everything they can to stop you. If that happens, it will be extremely difficult to see Lingyu.”
Looking at Yang Song's worried face, he couldn't help but sigh. He raised his hand and patted Yang Song's shoulder. "Don't worry, General Yang, everything will be alright. With the decisive battle imminent, you should focus on training your troops and resting. I should also prepare to depart." He turned around and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Yan and Yang Song. "Farewell, gentlemen."
Yang Xiao, after leaving the tent, was symbolically escorted to the prison by the soldiers, shackled with over twenty pounds of leg irons, and shoved into a cell.
A damp, musty smell wafted over, and rats scurried about, squeaking incessantly. Yang Xiao wandered around her cell, observing the lifeless surroundings, and irritably kicked a pile of straw, causing her shackles to rattle loudly.
She sighed deeply, then casually leaned against him.
Without a gun or a sword, Yang Xiao could only listlessly flip up and press the mechanism on his arm guard, listening to the "click-clack" sound of the needle going in and out. Then, feeling frustrated, he tilted his head back and let out a long sigh.
A scholar, carrying a sword, escaped the fierce fighting of the Qiang nomads and, with a bone flute and a blood-written letter, fought his way to the Qiang king, covered in wounds.
Who else could this person be but Qi Kun? Yang Xiao couldn't help but touch her temple. In her memory, Qi Kun had never acted like this before.
The eldest son of a reclusive scholarly family had always been a handsome and learned man, seemingly valuing integrity more than life itself. Yet now, he had endured such humiliation to persuade the Qiang king to send troops, willing to risk his life for a sliver of hope.
Thinking of this, Yang Xiao felt a sharp pain in her heart. Her nose stung, and she leaned back against the wall, holding back her tears and breathing heavily.
How much have they sacrificed for this precarious world?
Zhong Lishuo sacrificed his life, and she and Cen Xun left home alone to go into the chaotic world. Bai Ming also devoted his whole life to endless battles, hovering between life and death.
As a military general, risking one's life on the battlefield is commonplace, but it is unexpected that even civil officials would suffer the same fate, living in constant fear.
Zhong Li'an was busy with many affairs, but he almost fell victim to a poisonous attack. Even Qi Kun, who was usually spotless and elegant, risked his life to venture alone into the snowy and wolf-infested Northern Qiang for the sake of a reinforcement from the Northern Qiang.
He single-handedly broke through the encirclement, barely clinging to life as he appeared before the Qiang king, offering his bone flute as a token, gambling on the possibility of the king sending troops...
She sighed with tears in her eyes, perhaps realizing that personal dignity is as insignificant as a feather in the face of so-called responsibility.
They were talented young people born in a chaotic world, destined to quell the unrest in this land.
But they are human beings too.
They hold high positions and possess unique skills, yet they lack the peace and warmth that ordinary people enjoy. Driven by ambition and responsibility, they forge ahead relentlessly, never daring, nor able, to look back on the past or indulge in fleeting happiness.
They have carried far too heavy a burden, and at this moment, Yang Xiao only wishes to quickly pacify the world, end all suffering, and allow people from all corners of the world to reunite and lovers to stay together for life.
If she could, she would never want to leave them again.
A wave of bitterness welled up in her throat, and she choked back her tears. Looking up at the lifeless surroundings, she couldn't help but force a bitter smile.
She had never felt this way before.
It's all because of this dark and gloomy environment that all the grievances that should have been buried deep in my heart have been stirred up.
So be it.
She closed her eyes, sighed deeply, and thought, "It's difficult as it is. What peace and prosperity can be achieved without paying a price?" Fortunately, all the hardships along the way were worthwhile. The decisive battle was imminent, and the world would be at peace. Whether she lived or died after the battle, she had lived a fulfilling life.
Unfortunately, being confined in this prison, he probably won't even get to see Bai Ming one last time. And then there's Cen Xun, who hasn't fought him since she improved her martial arts; and Qi Kun, Xue Chang, Zhang Ping…
Yang Xiao leaned against the corner of the wall, laughing self-deprecatingly. She thought that with her grand ambitions fulfilled, she could be free of all thoughts and desires and end her life. But she never imagined that even now, she would still have so many attachments that she couldn't let go of. The voices and smiles of her lover and comrades-in-arms, every time she recalled them, were like tearing a bloody wound into her heart, causing her excruciating pain in an instant.
The darkness gradually dissipated, and sunlight dappled through the half-open door, casting the shadows of the iron bars on the ground. The door, the windows, and the shadows on the ground imprisoned the prisoners firmly in their cramped cells, unable to move.
Chains bound their hands and feet, iron gates shut out their minds, and the prisoners, long imprisoned, were like walking corpses, some insane, some mentally impaired, barely surviving on scraps of food each day.
Yang Xiao opened her eyes and couldn't help but sigh. Just as she was stretching her shoulders, she heard a creaking sound coming from outside the gate. A thought struck her. She leaned against the wall and tilted her head to look out. A beam of sunlight poured in, instantly dispelling the deathly atmosphere of the prison.
Familiar footsteps approached from afar, and in no time, a neatly dressed person in a narrow-sleeved Hu-style robe, masked, stood with the jailer in front of her cell door.
“Please, sir,” the jailer said, unlocking the chains that held the iron gate and removing them one by one. “Be careful not to hurt her or yourself.”
After saying this, the jailer put the iron chain on the door and turned to leave.
Yang Xiao looked up at the figure that was so familiar it was almost unbearable, a fleeting moment of disbelief in her eyes quickly replaced by a smile. Leaning against the wall, she turned her head casually, "Uncle-Master?"
Qi Lu was slightly taken aback, then pulled off the veil from her face and squatted down in front of Yang Xiao. "Why are you willing to call me 'Master Uncle' this time?"
Yang Xiao smiled and leaned against the haystack, nodding at Qi Lu without saying a word.
Following her gaze, he looked down and saw the long-unseen narrow-sleeved battle robe on "Qi Lu." He couldn't help but smile. "If I dared to dress like that again, I'd be locked up here with you today." He looked up and met Yang Xiao's reddened eyes, his brows furrowing slightly. "What's wrong?"
Yang Xiao sighed, "The white-robed scholar that Jiang Wen mentioned is my master."
Upon hearing this, Qi Lu felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart. He let out a long sigh, frowned, and nodded, "I know."
Seeing her childhood sweetheart squatting before her, Yang Xiao could no longer hold back her emotions, which poured out in silent tears.
"Why are you crying?" Qi Lu was startled when he saw this, and hurriedly lowered his voice to comfort him. "My brother went to see the Qiang King alone. He must have wanted to move him with his sincerity. Now that the Qiang King has sent troops, his suffering will not be in vain."
Yang Xiao raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and said with a forced sob, "I know, Uncle-Master, but I... when I think about everything they have gone through during this time," she gave a bitter smile, "I can't control my emotions."
Seeing Yang Xiaobei's distraught state, Qi Lu felt a pang of sadness. He saw his younger self reflected in her, his heart filled with resentment and bitterness.
The overwhelming longing for family and old friends can only be transformed into a soft sigh, dissipating into the clouds.
“I understand, Lingyu, it’s alright,” Qi Lu patted Yang Xiao’s shoulder. “Although you have opened your heart to Xiao Yan, you still can’t reveal your feelings too deeply; you can integrate into Chixiao Mansion, but you still can’t open your heart until everything is over. I understand what you’ve been through. Wasn’t I the same back then?”
Qi Lu sighed and sat down with Yang Xiao by the wall. "There are all sorts of conspiracies in the court. If I were to reveal even the slightest thought in this deep palace, I would be doomed. If the letters from home fall into the wrong hands, or if treacherous people learn even the slightest news about my brother, they will immediately find you and use your safety to blackmail me into moving forward or retreating."
“So I can only pretend to be indifferent and without desires,” he said, turning back to smile at Yang Xiao, “just like how you pretended to completely surrender to Xiao Yan the other day and had already severed ties with Zhong Li’an and the others.”
He looked at Yang Xiao and gently shook his head. "Although I wasn't as decisive as you, I understand your thoughts." He patted Yang Xiao's shoulder and comforted her. "But it's alright. After the decisive battle in a few days, you'll be able to see them soon. I also have to face my brother," Qi Lu sighed with a smile. "I was just wondering how to give him an explanation."
"Alright, Uncle-Master, I'm fine. Don't bother comforting me." Yang Xiao smiled, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She let out a long breath and leaned comfortably against the wall. "By the way, how did you get in? With money?"
“Of course, my salary is higher than yours.” Qi Lu nodded, then lowered his voice and said solemnly, “On the day of the decisive battle, your brother will come to break you out of prison. You should prepare in advance to cooperate with him from the inside and outside, and make sure you don’t fall into Xiao Yun’s hands.”
"Alright, thank you." Yang Xiao nodded. "I will do my best to send troops to guide them at the Life Gate. Tell your brother to send Fan Kun to lure them in from near the Life Gate."
Qi Lu nodded and pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Fan Kun is also a member of the Chixiao Mansion and has fought with Bai Ming and the others. If they recognize Fan Kun, they will definitely be able to break this formation. If they don't recognize him, it doesn't matter, we still have me."
Yang Xiao smiled upon hearing this, "Very well, the three forces are directly related to the three main halls. If they join forces to attack, coupled with internal strife, this formation will surely be broken."
“Well said, ‘This formation will surely be broken.’ The result of Xiao Yan and my joint efforts has been completely destroyed by you.” Qi Lu smiled and patted Yang Xiao’s shoulder, then slowly stood up. “Then we’ll proceed according to plan. I shouldn’t stay any longer, so I’ll take my leave.”
"Okay, take care."
"By the way," Qi Lu turned back after taking two steps, "you must take good care of yourself these days. You still have to fight, so don't wear yourself out."
"Don't worry," Yang Xiao waved to Qi Lu and raised her head.
Qi Lu nodded, smiled, and turned to leave.
The black lacquered door creaked shut, and the thick chain wrapped around the door again, making a rattling sound.
The few rays of sunlight that reached the ground were quickly obscured, and the prison, devoid of dawn, fell into a deathly silence once more.
Only the clicking sound of the mechanism on the arm guard kept ringing, like someone's footsteps.
-
A biting spring chill blanketed the land, and the northwest winds continued their relentless howl. A group of cavalrymen stood atop the plateau, scimitars in hand, felt hats on their heads, letting the fierce spring wind whip their disheveled hair. Looking out, a dark haze pressed down on the loess plateau, merging seamlessly with the dark clouds above.
The arrogant and domineering Qiang girl rode a tall horse closer to the Qiang king. "Grandpa, do we really need to quell the chaos in the Central Plains?" she asked haughtily, crossing her arms. "And who is Yang Xiao?"
The Qiang King looked down at the massive city below the plateau. "You'll know when you meet her. As for quelling the rebellion, consider it helping my granddaughter whom I've never met." He sighed slightly. "Qi Kun's words were deeply moving. Even just for his loyalty, I have to help."
The girl frowned and said disdainfully, "People from the Central Plains are glib-tongued. Weren't they the ones who made things difficult for us regarding the tax earlier?"
“You don’t understand,” the Qiang King shook his head. “I’ve seen countless people, and I can tell at a glance whether someone is sincere or not. Besides, Qi Kun is Xiao Xiao’s master. If we don’t help, it would be unreasonable.” He chuckled as he spoke. “Look at that Jiang Wen that Xiao Yun sent. He’s a complete idiot. He even told me to order Chi Xiao’s Mansion to deal with the bone flute matter.”
The Qiang king spurred his horse forward, stood on the edge of the plateau, overlooking the cities of Guanzhong, then twirled his scimitar and raised it straight to the sky, "Brothers, once the fire starts in the east, we will rush down the mountain and strike straight at Chang'an!"
Soldiers all over the mountain raised their scimitars and shouted loudly, their overwhelming momentum like a sandstorm in the northwest, blotting out the sky and the sun.
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