Later, she schemed to be taken back to the Li family by Li Sheng. The Li family treated her very well, especially Li Sheng. It was ironic that she had only tricked Li Sheng into taking an arrow for her, and Li Sheng had entrusted her life to him.
However, she still didn't stand with her, or perhaps her fate was entirely of her own making.
Even when Li Sheng's cat, which she also liked very much, was strangled to death by Yuan Shan, she hid herself away.
Including Yuanshan, who was once imprisoned. Although she bet on him to win, she also prepared an escape route for herself early on. She even killed the prince's birth mother, who knew her secret. To be precise, that woman was too despicable; she hated Li Sheng, and she should hate her to the end. Having spent many years in the deep palace, she was simply too difficult to deceive, and it was a helpless act.
Before Yuanshan's incident, she attended a banquet in the palace and overheard the late emperor's fear of the Li family. This is why she resolutely chose to stand behind Yuanshan.
The Li family had fallen on hard times, and as their adopted daughter, she went to see them off.
Before her father died, he looked at her from afar and said one sentence.
She didn't hear a sound, but she knew he was talking.
"Mingyu, live well."
She stood quietly in the market, watching people die.
Later, she met that godlike man.
Just as she had hoped, he cherished her for decades.
Li Mingyu spent her entire life scheming, never being firmly chosen by others, nor firmly choosing any one person.
She admired Li Sheng; she dared to love and hate, she was passionate and intense, she feared nothing in the world, and even knowing the ending, she still firmly chose what she called loyalty and righteousness, what she called her true heart, which contradicted her interests.
Even now, she still dreams of Li Sheng in the middle of the night, and also of those past times when she hid herself away.
Now, at this age...
Few of those in the world who had ever seen her despicable nature are now dead.
Li Sheng, look.
I once had everything you had.
Now, I will firmly choose to stand with Yuanshan; I am the wife who will stay by his side through thick and thin.
I, Li Mingyu, have never been a heartless person. I have my own principles, it's just that the person I hold onto is not you!
In the distance, under the dim yellow light, her moist eyes made her vision slightly blurred, but she still recognized the person she cared about at a glance.
"Your Highness!"
Li Mingyu hurried forward and saw that the usually aloof prince was now bound by a collarbone chain through his shoulders and had a shackle around his neck. The sight of him imprisoned in this small, dark, treacherous cell filled Li Mingyu with a sudden pang of sadness.
"How dare they treat you like this!"
When the old woman opened the cell door, she even forgot to tell him that she could walk again. She rushed straight to his side, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the bloodstains from his face with trembling hands.
Looking at his face, which had become much thinner, with a face full of longing, she looked up at him with eyes full of tenderness: "Does it hurt, Your Highness? Don't worry, I'm here to save you. I've already made arrangements for people. Let's escape first. As long as we reach our fiefdom safely, we'll still have a chance to turn things around!"
Xiao Yuanshan's dark eyes flickered for a moment, then his gaze finally settled on Li Mingyu's face.
"Your Highness, don't worry, everything will be alright. I'll untie you."
Tears streamed down Li Mingyu's cheeks. The man who had once seemed so tall and all-powerful, the man who had sheltered her from the storm, now had lifeless eyes. Li Mingyu's heart ached. She desperately tried to pull at the chains binding him, trying each key she had obtained.
However, before she could even unlock the lock...
However, the next second, a "poof" sound was heard, and a sharp pain suddenly struck his chest.
Li Mingyu's body went limp, and he looked down to see the hands that had once protected him countless times now buried in his chest. Blood instantly soaked through his arms.
Her eyes were full of confusion, and her hand unconsciously covered Xiao Yuanshan's face as she looked at him intently.
"Your Highness?"
As he spoke, a mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth.
Why?
She hasn't told him yet that she can stand up.
They also made a pact to go to the northern desert to see the snow together.
Why?
Xiao Yuanshan's eyes were empty as he suddenly turned his hand, and when he pulled it out, he held a bright red heart.
"Li Mingyu, what color is your heart, really?"
Xiao Yuanshan stared at Li Mingyu's face with almost lingering affection, and asked in a light voice.
Li Mingyu lost her support. Her hand, which had been covering Xiao Yuanshan's face, still bore traces of his blood that had accidentally stained it when she unlocked the door. Now, she slowly slid down, trying to grab onto Xiao Yuanshan, but her powerless hands moved from his face to his chest, then to his legs, until finally, she grasped nothing.
He didn't move an inch.
Li Mingyu's mind went blank for a moment. As she fell, there was an envelope on the ground in front of her, with the words "—" written on it.
From your younger sister Mingyu
That is
He saw
He finally found out...
"Your Highness."
My fingers instinctively wanted to touch him.
She wanted to ask him why he was so heartless.
After ten years of companionship and countless days and nights together, is she really not as good as he and Li Sheng were in that one year?
Despite his lifelong efforts, he was still defeated by him...
Xiao Yuanshan, oh Xiao Yuanshan.
If I hadn't fallen for you at first sight back then, ruining my life, how could I have betrayed my sister who treated me so well?
Is this how you treat me?
“Xiao… Yuanshan…”
With her last breath, she spoke haltingly, each word dripping with blood, "You...did... ever...love..."
That bloodstained hand, in the end, could no longer touch the hem of his clothes, and fell completely to the ground.
"Ah—!" The old woman's scream was heart-wrenching. Her eyes were wide open, still unable to believe what she had just seen.
"It's so noisy."
Without even looking up, Xiao Yuanshan flicked his foot, and a blood-stained shard of porcelain shot out, accurately piercing the old woman's throat. The scream abruptly stopped.
Dead silence. A thick, suffocating silence.
Xiao Yuanshan slowly knelt down and embraced Li Mingyu's cold body, gently wiping away the tears and bloodstains on her face with his blood-stained fingers.
His movements were clumsy yet focused, as if he were polishing a rare treasure.
His forehead pressed against hers, swaying silently, like a soulless stone statue.
"Why?" he murmured, his voice hoarse and dry, like sandpaper scraping, "Li Sheng... Mingyu... God! Are you satisfied now?!"
Xiao Yuanshan suddenly burst into wild laughter, and the surroundings loosened abruptly under his force, even shattering the wooden railings. However, the black iron chains binding him remained unchanged.
"Okay, okay"
"I, Xiao Yuanshan, have spent my entire life in vain, and this is how I've ended up. Are you satisfied now, Jiang Nuanzhi?"
Xiao Yuanshan suddenly turned his gaze to the dark spot where Jiang Nuanzhi was hiding.
Jiang Nuanzhi slowly stepped out of the shadows, pursed her lips, and after a long while, said, "Xiao Yuanshan, you said that the world has wronged you and that Heaven is unjust."
"Perhaps you were indeed unfair in the past."
"But whether it was Li Sheng in the past or Li Mingyu now, as your wife, they both did right by you."
"On the contrary, it's you."
"Xiao Yuanshan, who have you done right?"
Who are you being fair to?
Those few words struck Xiao Yuanshan's heart like a heavy blow.
He muttered those words unconsciously.
After only a few moments of respite, Xiao Yuanshan remained in the same position, holding Li Mingyu, only his once black hair had turned snow-white. His life force had vanished, and one could vaguely glimpse his heart, revealing only a desolate wasteland. In that instant, he seemed like a completely different person.
"Let me see him."
Xiao Yuanshan's hoarse voice trembled slightly, as if he had lost all vitality in an instant.
"No."
"I will never let my son know about this in my life. His father is Young Master Wei, and Li Rong. It will never be you."
Jiang Nuanzhi left after uttering those words.
Given Xiao Yuanshan's current situation, it's highly unlikely that he'll be able to get any information about Li Rong out of him.
“Madam, everything here has been cleaned up.” Dongzang put away his bloodstained knife and said, “General Xin sent word that all the remaining followers of Li Mingyu have been wiped out. In addition, Zhao Xiyue is dead. She died in the woodshed of the Regent’s Palace.”
Jiang Nuanzhi frowned: "Fine, I was entrusted with this task after all, so let's give him a proper burial."
"yes."
"etc."
Winter hibernation is coming back.
"Including Zhao Xiuyuan."
As Jiang Nuanzhi spoke, she glanced back.
In the distance, Xiao Yuanshan's figure was already blurred, but the strong smell of blood made it hard for her to breathe.
Jiang Nuanzhi closed her eyes and turned her head away.
"Ping'er need not know about these sordid matters."
"yes!"
"Madam, there is one more thing."
"explain."
"We've found Awang."
Jiang Nuanzhi's expression hardened, and she suddenly looked at Lin Chun. In a daze, she noticed that Lin Chun's eyes were already filled with tears.
"Walk."
The footsteps faded into the distance.
Two figures quietly appeared in the shadows.
Xuan Ting looked worriedly at Ping'er beside him, whose face was as pale as paper and whose whole body was trembling.
"How are you?"
Li Junping's eyes reddened as he stared at the man in the prison cell, the man who had tried to strangle him the day before, the man who had treated him with boundless malice.
It turned out to be his biological father.
"May I come in?"
Xuan Ting frowned, but finally let out a sigh of relief: "I'll have my guards protect you. Be careful in everything you do."
The prison door creaked open.
The moment Xiao Yuanshan heard the voice, his dark eyes fell on Ping'er.
Unlike Ziheng, he was more like himself.
Before, I only thought his eyes resembled Ah Sheng's, but now I see that he looks more like me in every way.
His posture, his mouth and nose, the undisguised chilling murderous intent in his eyes—everything about him bears his own shadow.
Xiao Yuanshan, were you blind before?
His eyes seemed to have regained some vitality as he stood up and looked at Ping'er.
"I'll remove the curse from you."
Seeing that Ping'er didn't move, Xiao Yuanshan walked over, but after taking only one step, his shoulder was pulled, and the iron spikes on his neck pierced his skin. He was suddenly pulled back by the iron chain on his lower back.
But he seemed oblivious, walking towards Li Junping again and again, falling down and getting up each time.
Ping'er stood calmly opposite him, the thing on his neck piercing his skin.
"Do you want to die?"
Upon hearing his words, Xiao Yuanshan stopped in his tracks, seemingly in a daze.
Ping'er took out a dagger, walked up to him, and without hesitation stabbed it into his waist and abdomen.
Xiao Yuanshan's pupils contracted sharply, and blood flowed out in a daze, but it was not fatal.
But the sharp pain made Xiao Yuanshan momentarily dazed. When he met those eyes, he smiled again.
Indeed, it was his child.
"You want to kill me."
"Unfortunately, the knife pierced too shallowly."
Ping'er calmly raised her eyes to meet his gaze: "I won't kill you."
As he spoke, he pulled out the dagger.
With his back to him, he gave a strange smirk and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "You should live, live in torment, suffer the pain of having your heart ripped out every day. If you were to die like this, wouldn't that be too easy for you?"
Their eyes met, and after a long while, Xiao Yuanshan suddenly looked up to the sky and let out a long roar.
No one knew what he was laughing about.
Ping'er simply turned around calmly and locked the door again.
Xuan Ting led him a little further away before frowning and looking at him: "Hey, Li Junping, are you alright?"
Li Junping pursed his lips, his hands trembling, and the next second, he knelt down.
"Your Majesty, the son of this disgraced subject has nowhere to turn."
The next second, he took the dagger and plunged it into his own chest.
"You're insane!"
In a flash, Xuan Ting grabbed his hand tightly.
"No! I will not allow it!"
The young emperor's eyes gradually turned red, and he suddenly knocked the dagger away and grabbed the emperor's shoulder.
“Li Junping, in my eyes, you are just the son of Aunt Nuan and Master. You have nothing to do with Xiao Yuanshan.”
Seeing Ping'er's pale face, he finally sighed, "Don't wallow in self-pity. Your father and my father are the same. They both once thought of hurting us. Li Junping, I know how you feel right now. But it's okay, we still have Aunt Nuan, and we still have Master. From now on, we'll walk together side by side. You stay with me, okay?"
He gently patted Li Junping's trembling shoulder and put his arm around him.
Behind him, Ping'er's pained eyes instantly calmed down. Hearing his words, she tugged at the corners of her mouth and slowly raised her hand to hug him.
"Okay, let's continue together."
Xuan Ting, if you never betray me, I will stand by you through thick and thin. But if you dare harm even the slightest bit of my family… I, Li Junping, am no different from my father, Li Rong!
...
Two months later, at the foot of Kyoto Castle
The cheers of victory at the border resounded through the sky, but the war god Li Rong was "gone without a trace".
At the same time, Jiang Nuanzhi also packed her bags and bid farewell to everyone below the city.
The war god Li Rong swept through the enemy lines with unstoppable momentum, not only taking Yelü Qi's head but also capturing tens of thousands of prisoners of war. However, there was also bad news: the war god Li Rong perished in this battle, and his body was never found.
Amidst the cheers and jubilation of the city's residents celebrating their victory, Jiang Nuanzhi bid farewell to everyone.
"Mother, are you sure you don't need to tell Xiao Er and Baozhu?"
Ping'er stood beside Jiang Nuanzhi. The usually composed man now held onto the hem of Jiang Nuanzhi's clothes, his eyes already reddening.
"Yes, take good care of your younger siblings and wait for Mother to come back. Father will be fine."
Jiang Nuanzhi's heart suddenly clenched. That fool Li Rong. He knew all along that his days were numbered.
She sent him several letters to confirm, and he always said that nothing was wrong.
Two days ago, I received two imperial edicts that he had begged for, one of which even included his own letter of divorce.
It turns out that the late emperor had already fed him the skin-splitting poison before he went to war.
The other Gu worms can be treated, but the eggs of the Skin-Cracking Gu worm hatch under the skin. The larvae feed on the subcutaneous tissue and secrete toxins that damage the skin structure. As the larvae mature, they cause the skin to ulcerate and crack all over the body, leading to death. There is no cure.
Even though she sent him so much medicine, Jiang Nuanzhi was helpless against such a vicious thing.
Therefore, Li Rong, that fool, had no intention of coming back at all.
Recalling his unusual behavior over the past few days, it turns out that he had swallowed the deadly Skin-Splitting Gu back then, right?
Therefore, he has been paving the way for himself and his children.
That's it, no wonder Xuan Lang apologized to me before he died.
No wonder, Xiao Yuanshan chuckled at himself, saying that she knew absolutely nothing.
Li Rong, you idiot.
How do you know I can't be cured?
What gives you the right?
You owe me a lot!
"Ping'er, don't cry."
"Mother will definitely bring your father back. You've forgotten, Mother is the Divine Healer."
Jiang Nuanzhi twitched the corner of her mouth and rubbed Ping'er's head.
"Mother," Ping'er suddenly looked at her, "If it were Father..."
He couldn't bring himself to say it; he could only look at Jiang Nuanzhi with tearful eyes and say, "Mother, we can't lose you again."
".good."
Jiang Nuanzhi patted Ping'er's shoulder: "Yes, my man, Jiang Nuanzhi's man, I must see him alive or dead. I absolutely cannot leave him in vain. This time, Mother will definitely go. I won't put myself in any danger."
“Ping’er, focus on preparing for the imperial examination. Your father and I may be back together soon. When that happens, we’ll throw a big banquet for my son and let them all see whether I, Ping’er, need to cheat.”
Ping'er nodded emphatically: "Mother, be careful in everything."
Jiang Nuanzhi then flipped over and climbed onto Dahei's back.
In April, the city was filled with blooming apricot blossoms. Jiang Nuanzhi waved to her friends from afar, saying, "You can all go back now."
Little Xuan Ting, the old man, Chi Heng, the little princess, Lü Shizhu, Doctor Que, Sanqi, General Wan, and Jiang Ren were all waving from afar.
And then there's Xie Liangchen on the distant city wall.
He stared blankly at her departing entourage.
She can definitely do it.
Xie Liangchen pursed his lips. Although he didn't want to see Li Rong return, he had to admit that the little woman who had once knelt down to wash his feet was indeed capable of creating miracles time and time again. Now, she had grown into someone he could never reach.
So this is what it feels like to admire someone so far away?
In life, we generally have to repay whatever debts we have, no matter what they are.
Jiang Nuanzhi was naturally unaware of Xie Liangchen's thoughts.
She is now riding fast.
Li Rong! I haven't had enough of your skin yet. If you dare to die over there, I'll strip you naked and turn you into a specimen!
You absolutely must wait for me!
...
Three months later, in Qingquan Village.
Even in the height of summer in the wilderness, a cool breeze still blows in the early morning.
On an ordinary morning in Qingquan Village, a luxurious carriage rolled along a familiar path and stopped at the village entrance in the light mist.
Uncle Niu's donkey cart, full of people, had just set off.
Aunt Liu, holding half a watermelon, stood on tiptoe and peered out.
Aunt Wang's big black cat was drinking water when it saw a lot of people and suddenly darted up a tree.
"What kind of giant Buddha statue has come to our Qingquan Village?"
"Wow, what an extravagant carriage! It's so spacious, I bet seven or eight people could sleep in it."
It is said that ever since Jiang Pangya and her family went to Kyoto, the village has been very quiet, and you can no longer see so many people coming and going.
Before long, the carriage came to a stop at the entrance of the village.
A stern-looking woman dressed in black stepped out of the carriage first, then carefully lifted the curtain: "Madam, we've arrived."
In the thin mist, a slender hand reached out from the carriage, and then nimbly jumped down.
She wore a moon-white long dress, her black hair cascading down her sides like a waterfall. She wore no makeup, yet her skin glowed, making it impossible to look away.
"Mother, I've never seen anyone so beautiful before. She's even more beautiful than my former mistress. I wonder where she came from? She's even more beautiful than Brother Li's former fiancée." Li Xi'er's eyes widened. "That's right, and why does she look so familiar?"
Aunt Li was also stunned for a moment: "This, isn't this Er Ya? The change is too great!"
As if in response to Aunt Li's words, Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and waved to the donkey cart.
"Hey, Uncle Niu, the truck's on the move?"
Jiang Nuanzhi waved from afar, greeting the people on the oxcart.
Uncle Niu was first startled by the jewel-encrusted gold bracelet on Jiang Nuanzhi's wrist, then he came to his senses and exclaimed, "Oh my, it's Fatty! No, no, it's Lord Jiang! Why are you back?"
"Yes, I'm back. Come over for dinner sometime."
As Jiang Nuanzhi spoke, she glanced at Li Xier and said, "Now, am I worthy of your Brother Li?"
Li Xier's eyes widened, and she instantly shrank back like a quail.
"Hey, Aunt Liu, your four burly bodyguards are still as strong as ever, huh?"
Aunt Liu: "!!!"
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Nuanzhi said with a smile, "Uncle Li has been slacking off; there's more and more cow dung on the road now."
Everyone: "."
Do all officials who go to the capital to become high-ranking officials end up like this?
Or is she just like this?
"Ah Nuan, Ah Nuan, wait for me!"
Suddenly, a deep voice sounded behind them. Through the thin mist, Li Rong rode up at full speed, his broad shoulders and narrow waist accentuated by his tight-fitting clothes, his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes instantly drawing everyone's attention. But he couldn't care less about anything else; sweat beaded on his forehead from his haste. He dismounted and immediately caught up with Jiang Nuanzhi ahead: "Anuan, I just bought you your favorite pine nut candy, can you wait for me?"
There was a hint of caution in his voice.
Jiang Nuanzhi rolled her eyes, ignoring him completely, and went straight to take Dahei's hand: "Dahei, we're home! Let's get ready to welcome our family back tomorrow!"
"I'll do it, I'll do it, there's no need for Ah Nuan to go through all that trouble!"
Li Rong immediately stepped forward to open the door. The Great Jing War God had lost his fearsome aura and his face was full of flattery.
"Anuan, watch your step, I'll clean it up."
“Ah Nuan’s shoes and socks are dirty, let me carry you inside.”
Amidst gasps of surprise, Jiang Nuanzhi's legs were suddenly lifted off the ground.
"Hey, Li Rong, put me down!"
"I won't let go!" Li Rong tightened his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace. Looking down at her, his eyes were filled with tenderness and a sense of relief at surviving a close call: "This time, A-Nuan, punish her however you wish."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "!!"
This man has gone astray!
However, she still doesn't want to give him a friendly look these days.
She almost, so very almost, saved him.
Fortunately, she did it.
"Li Rong, if you don't do it to me ten times a day from now on, you'll be letting me down!"
“Okay.” Li Rong nodded, then asked, puzzled, “But what do we need to do?”
Jiang Nuanzhi: "."
Well, this man still needs to be properly disciplined.
However, she will have plenty of time from now on.
"Sister Nuan, you're back!"
In the courtyard, Fuman had grown much taller, and the little girl had tears in her eyes but a bright smile.
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and said, "Yes, I'm back."
Her corn seeds, her chili peppers, her two-story villa, and the people of the Great Wilderness.
I, Jiang Nuanzhi, am back!
The End. (End of Chapter)
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