Chapter Twenty-Seven: Clear Victory or Defeat, Turning the Tide
Looking at the chaos before her, Yang Xiao couldn't help but sneer.
She casually set down her teacup, then stared coldly at He Yuan, stood up and paced forward, "If you kill me now, I'm afraid you'll really have no choice but to ally with Xiao Yan."
"I'll kill you first, then raise an army to attack Xiao Yan..."
"Do you have a chance of winning?" Yang Xiao looked up at He Yuan, then gently nudged Bai Ming's arm, which was protectively positioned in front of him, signaling him to step aside. Bai Ming simply turned slightly, his entire body still tense as he stared intently at the crowd before him.
Seeing this, Yang Xiao sighed almost imperceptibly and walked step by step toward He Yuan in front of him. "My lord established his career at the beginning of the year, and now it is only the beginning of autumn, yet he has already seized four prefectures. But you, my lord, possess such a vast and beautiful land in Jiangnan, yet you cannot even quell the chaos in Yizhou. The outcome of our battle is uncertain, let alone when facing Xiao Yan?"
As she spoke, she pressed closer and closer to He Yuan, causing the group of sword-wielding men in front of her to lose their edge and retreat repeatedly.
Yang Xiao glanced disdainfully at the group of people holding swords beside He Yuan, and couldn't help but smile. "I am unarmed, and General Bai's sword is not drawn. If you want to kill me, isn't now the best time? Why are you retreating?"
“My lord,” Cen Fei, who had been sitting to the side, stood up with a frown and clasped his hands in a fist salute to He Yuan, saying, “In war, envoys are not to be killed. Moreover, the governor of Zhongli sent Mr. Qi and the two generals south with the intention of negotiating peace with us…”
"Drop it!" Before Cen Fei could finish speaking, He Yuan shouted at the people around him who were holding swords.
After a moment's hesitation, the reluctant clang of swords rang out sparsely, and everyone sheathed their swords.
Yang Xiao chuckled softly, turned around and walked towards Bai Ming, giving him a smile and a nod.
He still gripped the sword hilt tightly, frowning as he looked at Yang Xiao with concern, then raised his eyes to stare at He Yuan.
Yang Xiao stepped back to Bai Ming's side, looked up at Bai Ming's worried expression, and couldn't help but sigh softly, gently patting Bai Ming's hand on the sword hilt as if to comfort him.
Bai Ming was startled and turned around to see Yang Xiao standing confidently beside him, staring calmly at He Yuan. Looking at Yang Xiao's hand on his sword hilt, he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and slowly lowered his right hand, which had been clenched until it was numb.
Qi Kun glanced at the now calmed-down situation, then slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to He Yuan, "Lord He, we..."
"Someone come here!" Before Qi Kun could finish speaking, He Yuan turned and shouted loudly towards the door. Yang Xiaobaiming was startled and quickly raised his hand to press the sword at his waist, blocking Qi Kun. Xue Chang, who had already composed himself, also stood up abruptly and took a step forward.
A series of footsteps suddenly sounded. Cen Fei glanced nervously at the door, then quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute to He Yuan. "My lord, what is the meaning of this?"
Before he could finish speaking, two axemen suddenly appeared at the door. They bowed and replied to He Yuan, "Present!"
He Yuan had only taken a few steps when he turned back and saw two men at the door, carrying large swords and wearing only one sleeve. He was immediately furious. "Get out! What are you doing here!" He waved his hand irritably at the two men. "Bring me pen and ink!"
"Oh?" Yang Xiao couldn't help but laugh when she saw this. She threw down the hilt of the sword she was holding. "I thought you were going to push us out and execute us."
He Yuan waved his hand angrily, "You've already said those things, if I kill you, wouldn't I really become the rude person you're talking about?"
Upon hearing this, the ministers beside He Yuan exchanged bewildered glances, then looked on helplessly as the foot soldier brought in the writing implements.
The soldier, holding the writing implements, stood blankly beside He Yuan, looking at the mess on the ground with a bewildered expression. "My lord, where should we put the writing implements?"
He Yuan then noticed that his desk had been kicked over. Cen Fei quickly stood up and gave up his seat. "Put it here," he said, raising his hand to He Yuan and clasping his hands in a fist salute. "My lord, if you don't mind, I'm willing to write it for you."
He Yuan sighed and shook his head. "Forget it. Zhong Li'an not only wrote the letter himself, but also sent a strategist and two generals to sue for peace. If I have to find someone to write a reply for me, how can I face anyone?"
He sat in Cen Fei's seat, picked up his brush to apply ink, then rubbed his head in frustration, and waved to the crowd, "Dismiss the accounts, dismiss the accounts."
Seeing this, Qi Kun clasped his hands in a fist salute to He Yuan and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency."
Cen Xun glanced at He Yuan and couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly. He was acting like a normal person now.
“It was my fault for speaking offensively earlier, and I truly regret not being able to live up to Lord Zhongli’s sincerity. Three senior officials only brought twenty attendants,” He Yuan wrote, shaking his head with a sigh, “How can I bear this?”
Upon hearing this, Qi Kun looked up and glanced at Cen Fei with a slightly helpless expression. Cen Fei also shook his head gently. Then, Xue Chang, who was standing to the side, smiled and shrugged before leaving the room.
“Then we will not disturb you any longer,” Qi Kun said, cupping his fists towards He Yuan. “My lord, farewell.”
Cen Fei, who was standing to the side, nodded as he watched the three of them leave, then turned to Cen Xun beside him and said, "Tongxi, go and see the three of them off."
“Okay.” Cen Xun nodded and was about to walk towards the three of them.
"Hey, wait a minute." He Yuan put down his pen and called out to Cen Xun.
Cen Xun turned to look at He Yuan, his face expressionless, and asked, "My lord, what are your orders?"
"You must not have a conflict with General Yang in a moment..." He Yuan looked up at Yang Xiao, who was standing to the side.
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun couldn't help but chuckle. Cen Fei quickly coughed lightly and winked at her.
She composed herself, clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Rest assured, my lord, I will take my leave." With that, she turned and retreated to the door, beckoning the three of them to leave.
-
As soon as the curtain was lifted, the air became much fresher.
Bai Ming, his palms sweating, let out a long sigh of relief. He turned to look at Yang Xiao, frowning, and said, "Lingyu, you scared me to death just now. How could you risk your life to gamble with him?"
Yang Xiao chuckled and patted his back reassuringly, "Don't worry, he doesn't have the guts. Besides, if something really goes wrong, you're here, aren't you? Do you think the two of us are afraid of him?"
“That being said,” Bai Ming sighed helplessly, looking up at Yang Xiao, “you must never do such a risky thing again.”
Yang Xiaogang nodded, only to be nudged by Cen Xun with his elbow.
"And you say that?" Cen Xun chuckled and sighed. "If General Bai hadn't protected you just now, how could you have exerted such pressure with just your words?"
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Before Yang Xiao could finish speaking, Qi Kun interrupted her again, "Zhao Qing is right, Ling Yu, you were too reckless just now. Didn't we say last night that we should stop when we'd had enough?"
Yang Xiao sighed softly, frowning as she explained, "I also wanted to provoke He Yuan with my words, so he wouldn't be so indecisive and wavering." She crossed her arms, looked up at Qi Kun, and said, "Master, just tell me, isn't this more effective than speaking indirectly?"
Qi Kun shook his head helplessly. "This way, we can indeed avoid any worries later." He sighed and compromised. "I originally thought I could deal with him in three days, but I didn't expect his attitude to change so quickly. It seems that we can avoid a battle with Jiangnan in the future."
“I think so too,” Yang Xiao nodded with a smile. “As long as they don’t change their minds, we can continue our alliance.” She smiled at the three people beside her and said reproachfully, “Look, I persuaded He Yuan in just one morning, and maybe we can even avoid a battle. Why are you all criticizing me as soon as we leave?”
Bai Ming chuckled and looked at Yang Xiao, "I didn't scold you."
Yang Xiao nodded at him. "I know."
"Stop being so cheeky," Qi Kun said with a smile, shaking his head. "Being impatient for quick success is a big no-no. We haven't reached the point of risking our lives yet."
“That’s right,” Cen Xun chimed in with a light laugh, “He Yuan is unpredictable. What if something goes wrong? How am I supposed to explain this to General Bai and Mr. Qi?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao shook her head and compromised, "Alright, alright, I was indeed rash today. How about I treat everyone to dinner?"
“This is Jiangnan,” Cen Xun said with a smile, leaning on her shoulder. “You’re not the one to treat us. You’ve accomplished something great today, so we should celebrate.” Cen Xun glanced at the three people beside him with a smile. “Please come with me, everyone. Perhaps someone is already waiting for us at the restaurant.”
-
As night falls, the Jiangnan restaurants are dimly lit.
The cries of vendors and hawkers filled the air, creating an atmosphere of unparalleled prosperity, as if the place were completely detached from the chaos of the world.
Yang Xiao looked up at the restaurant's signboard, "Zuiyuexuan..." she murmured, then turned to look at Cen Xun, "Your place is really prosperous, without a trace of the chaos of the times."
Cen Xun waved her hand with a smile, her eyes sparkling in the streetlights. "It's just because Jiangnan used to be rich," she sighed as she looked at the restaurant. "This restaurant is just like He Yuan, completely oblivious to where it is."
Yang Xiao shook her head helplessly, then patted her shoulder with a smile, "Alright, didn't you say you were going to treat me to dinner? Why are you talking about him again?"
Cen Xun nodded and smiled, then stepped onto the restaurant's stairs. He turned back to look at the three of them and said, "Please, gentlemen."
The three exchanged a glance and followed Cen Xun, immersed in the endless clamor of the guests. As they walked up the covered walkway, the bustling sounds of the lower level gradually faded away. Looking back, they felt as if they had drifted away from the world, observing those busy, mundane people indulging in momentary pleasures.
Qi Kun leaned on the railing and looked down, but he didn't hear footsteps behind him.
The next second, he was slapped hard on the shoulder. When he turned around, he was met with the smiling eyes of the person who had approached him.
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