The hard truth
"Si Pei? Are you awake?"
Jing Yao didn't bother to look at Zuo Yuanwu's hand, which was suspended in mid-air and silently retracted, nor did she notice the disappointment hidden under his rapidly fluttering eyelashes. Completely captivated by the subtle sound, she was filled with surprise and grasped Si Pei's hand, hoping for a response.
It's a pity that the light cough just now seemed to be an unconscious reaction of Si Pei's body due to the bumpy carriage while he was in a coma.
Jing Yao slowly loosened his clenched hands, and leaned on Si Pei's chest with a sad look, silently praying that he would wake up soon.
She didn't know when Si Pei's place in her heart had become irreplaceable. Even though Jing Yao would never admit it, anyone could see her true feelings.
Zuo Yuanwu stared at the person in front of him and remained silent for a long time.
He had seen all of Jing Yao's facets and understood her moods and preferences. He knew that when she smiled, she liked to close her eyes and mouth, but when she was angry, she would smile with her teeth showing, making it difficult to tell whether she was happy or angry.
She is a person who likes to hide her true feelings too much. She is unwilling to admit her feelings easily, and even more reluctant to let others understand her heart.
Even Zuo Yuanwu, who had once been able to spend every day with her in close proximity, was only able to barely understand part of her thoughts.
Zuo Yuanwu couldn't help but wonder, when did Jing Yao's attitude towards Si Pei change so drastically?
And since when did his weight in Jing Yao's heart completely surpass his own?
Zuo Yuanwu had thought an unbridgeable chasm stretched between them, but he hadn't expected Si Pei to forcibly build a bridge. And Jing Yao, who once refused to cross even a single step, now ran recklessly across the bridge, seemingly unafraid of the imminent collapse of the bridge beneath his feet.
"Miss……"
Zuo Yuanwu hesitated to speak. People always said that military generals were straightforward and lacked tenderness, but he was not one of them.
If he could have even half the arrogance and confidence of Wen Rencuo, perhaps everything would be...
"Yuanwu, how many days will it take us to arrive?"
Zuo Yuanwu gently lifted the curtain and looked at the bright moon hidden behind the silent night woods. He smiled and comforted her, "Hurry up and you should be there in less than seven days."
"You lead us out to the military camp..."
"Si Jue originally took away my power and asked me to go home and rest for a while. The Wen family is still the most powerful in the army now, so losing me won't be a problem."
Besides, he doesn't care at all.
Zuo Yuanwu looked indifferent. He understood that all the military and political power he had held in the past were only temporarily given to him by the emperors. He could take away what needed to be taken away. It was no big deal.
If it were an authority passed down from generation to generation like that of the Wenren family, it would be easy to mistake it for one's own.
"No wonder Wenren Cuo always looks like someone owes him something." Jing Yao didn't have a good impression of that vulgar guy. He relied on the royal family but was so arrogant. If Wenren Cuo fell into his hands, he would be doomed.
"He is only suitable for leading troops on the battlefield. He should not return to Shanghua and get involved in this coup." Zuo Yuanwu shook his head. Wenren Da Sima was relatively calm and solemn, but Wenren Cuo had an uncontrollable temper.
"Why didn't Si Jue recruit you?"
Jing Yao joked, "In fact, at first I almost thought you had switched to Si Jue."
Zuo Yuanwu laughed twice after hearing this and looked at Jing Yao with gentle eyes: "I will never do anything that is detrimental to the young lady."
"I know."
Jing Yao's tone was serious. The two of them were silent for a long time. After a while, Zuo Yuanwu, whose face was completely covered by shadows, gently advised, "Miss, you should rest first. I will keep watch."
"Yeah." She nodded and leaned down gently. A soft bed had been made in the carriage, padded with blankets. Si Pei lay on it, taking up half of it, while Jing Yao naturally snuggled up to him.
Although the journey was still perilous, at least they could now find some peace and quiet. Jing Yao, already extremely sleepy, closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep. The girl's face was peaceful as she slept. Zhiyue, who was watching beside her, also closed her eyes and dozed off on the small couch.
The carriage fell silent immediately, and naturally no one saw Zuo Yuanwu's sad and lonely eyes hidden in the darkness.
"Ayao... forgive me."
The young man lowered his eyes, and a crystal teardrop meandered down his face and fell into the corner of his clothes which was as black as the night.
——
A deathly silence fell over Jingtai Palace. This wasn't because the palace inhabitants had all gone to sleep. On the contrary, even as midnight approached, the lights in the main hall were still brightly lit. All the maids and attendants waited silently behind the screens.
Just now, Governor Yu Jin went in to report to Madam Yue, but within two minutes, she scolded him and kicked him out of Jingtai Palace.
During the two days when the old crown prince was missing, His Royal Highness Prince Lin's injuries had not healed, and the coronation ceremony had to be postponed again and again.
Everyone in the palace was now in a state of panic, with rumors spreading everywhere and everyone on edge. Some claimed that the Crown Prince had long been killed by Prince Lin, and that this was just a self-made explanation. Others claimed that the Crown Prince's coma was fake, and that he was already preparing to launch a rebellion. Even more claimed that Prince Lin was a puppet, having been stripped of his power by Yue Ningning.
All the officials in the inner and outer courts, as well as the Grand Secretaries of the Songlin Pavilion, were eager to hear an explanation. Visitors flocked to the palace, eager to pour into the Jingtai Palace and attend court directly before Prince Lin's couch. However, in the past few days, Yue Ningning had dismissed the left and right prime ministers, the Grand Marshal Wenren, and even Prince Heng, claiming his highness was unfit to see guests.
Rumors circulated that after Lady Jing's departure, a new Lady, Lady Ningyue, had arrived. It was a pity that the people hadn't seen her true appearance yet, otherwise someone would have recognized her as Yue Ningning, resurrected from the dead.
No one could have imagined that the owner of a small bookstore would suddenly become the strategist behind the government.
What was even more unexpected was that Si Jue, the future new emperor whom she had single-handedly supported and who she now declared was seriously injured and unable to handle government affairs, was now lying motionless on the bed, and from a distance he looked a bit like the old emperor.
But once you get closer, you'll find that Si Jue is not unconscious. On the contrary, he is wide awake, his eyes staring at the ceiling.
It wasn't that he didn't want to talk, nor that he just wanted to stare at the ceiling in a daze. It was all because of the scheming and vicious woman beside him...
If he had known this would happen, he would never have sent anyone to bring her out of the Frost Flower Palace. This way, he would not have been tricked by her and had to be unable to move and had to let her take advantage of his power.
"snort."
Yue Ningning sneered as if she could read his mind, and turned her face towards the couch: "Who borrowed whose strength before, you and I, and who owed the other more?"
Si Jue hummed in response, unable to speak. Even if he could, his words would likely remain stuck in his throat. After all, he knew full well how many times he had relied on Yue Ningning to escape danger and return to life.
But he could never have imagined that Yue Ningning, who had always obeyed him and even had his say, would now control him.
No, wasn't this exactly what he had worried was going to happen?
It was because of this worry, knowing that she would definitely escape his control in the future, that he directly ordered her to be imprisoned in the Frost Flower Palace... Who would have thought that he would rescue her in a moment of impulse, and now he has handed over his fatal weakness.
"Oh, you're obviously dying, so you finally feel afraid again."
Otherwise, how could he still remember to ask her to come and save him.
"But you are so unlucky that they succeeded in your assassination twice." Even if we set up an iron wall, we couldn't stop them.
I thought he just didn't have the protagonist's halo and wasn't as lucky as Jing Yao Si Pei. Now it seems that Yue Ningning even suspects that he is really bound to some bad luck system.
"If I hadn't saved you, you would have died long ago."
Yue Ningning withdrew her gaze in disgust. After a long time, she stood up, walked to Si Jue and pinched his mouth.
"Cough cough cough!... Do you hate me so much?" Si Jue coughed several times and suddenly realized that Yue Ningning gave him the ability to speak.
"I hate all of you."
Si Jue frowned: "Then why are you still helping me?"
"Why do you keep me? That's why I help you."
Si Jue nodded in understanding: "In that case, tell me, what exactly do you want me to give you in return?"
He put on his confident, chauvinistic demeanor again. Yue Ningning suppressed the discomfort in her heart and smiled: "I want you to step on Si Pei Jingyao's corpse and ascend to the throne."
Si Jue's expression suddenly changed when he heard this: "Why?"
"No reason. Didn't you ask me what I want? I just want this." Yue Ningning smiled sarcastically, as if mocking Si Jue's incompetence: "I have never failed to accomplish anything you want, but as for you, Si Jue, doing something... hehe."
Si Jue's face suddenly flushed with anger: "Is there nothing else you want? I don't care about Si Pei's life, but Jing Yao... no. Just ask, I can give you whatever you want."
"Do you think you are still qualified to negotiate with me?"
Yue Ningning was so angry that she couldn't help but speak frankly, revealing the truth directly: "Zuo Yuanwu was able to take Jing Yao away from Shanghua City so easily. Did you instruct him to do this?"
Si Jue looked up in surprise, then quickly glanced away.
"They haven't even gone north. This is all misleading. They've been heading south for two days now. Maybe they're almost there?"
Yue Ningning's smile was like a ghost, far from her usual cute and adorable self.
"Leave the people you assigned to me."
Si Jue kept his lips tightly closed, as if he was prepared to remain silent.
"If you don't tell me, I can't guarantee whether my promise can be fulfilled normally." Yue Ningning said, but her hand grabbed a small knife as if playing with it.
Si Jue's eyes were bloodshot and red with fear: "...Okay."
Yue Ningning finally got what she wanted and smiled cunningly.
Jing Yao and Si Pei, you two better run away and enjoy your last moments together.
Now that they have escaped, no one can return to Shanghua City alive.
——
Jing Yao and his group traveled for three consecutive days. As they got closer and closer to their destination, Jing Yao's heart began to lift again.
"Don't worry, miss. Everything will be fine."
Zuo Yuanwu knew he was not good at talking, so he didn't say anything more. He handed her a bowl of sugar water and said, "The summer heat is at its peak. Miss, please drink some to cool down."
"Thanks."
Although Jing Yao didn't like sweets very much, he was feeling depressed and the weather was hot, so he thought it would be nice to drink something to comfort himself.
After saying that, he took the white porcelain bowl and drank from it in small sips, not forgetting to feed the unconscious Si Pei a few sips.
After all, Si Pei had no body awareness, so if he fed him, some liquid would inevitably leak out from the corners of his mouth. Jing Yao subconsciously reached out to wipe it, and Zuo Yuanwu was shocked.
But this surprise was short-lived. These past few days, Zuo Yuanwu felt a little jealous when he saw how they interacted.
This was when Si Pei was unconscious. If he was awake, Zuo Yuanwu would not be able to sit here and watch at all.
But judging from the situation, there is no possibility that Si Pei will wake up.
"Why do I feel sleepy? Is it too hot?"
Jing Yao muttered in a daze, and Zhiyue came over: "Then Miss, take a nap."
"Um……"
Jing Yao fell asleep almost immediately, so fast that Zhiyue was stunned.
"Miss? Miss?"
She was worried and was about to call out a few words quietly, but when she looked up, she accidentally met Zuo Yuanwu's cold gaze.
Jing Yao's vision was blurred. The moment before she lost consciousness, she seemed to hear someone calling her, and also seemed to hear a girl's scream.
Then his body sank and he was completely plunged into darkness.
By the time he regained consciousness, an unknown amount of time had passed. Jing Yao's entire body ached and felt uncomfortable. He looked around and realized that while he was still in the carriage, his wrists and ankles were bound with thick ropes. He turned to see Zhiyue tied up too, and even the unconscious Si Pei hadn't been spared...
Zuo Yuanwu, where is Zuo Yuanwu!?
"Mmm! Mmm!" Jing Yao's mouth was stuffed with silk cloth, and she couldn't speak, only making some hesitant sounds. She was unwilling to give up, and tried hard to move her cheeks and tongue to get the silk cloth out.
Hearing the sound of her waking up, the man outside the curtain suddenly spoke, greeting her with a hint of teasing, "Miss Jing, it's been a long time."
As he spoke, he reached out and drew aside the curtain. Jing Lingyi quickly bit the silk cloth that was about to be spit out, preparing to glare fiercely at the person who came. But when she really saw the person in front of her, she felt as if a large bell was struck hard beside her ear, and her mind went blank.
She was no stranger to the man in front of her. Not only had he been a frequent visitor to the Jingguo Mansion, he was also the culprit who overthrew the Jing family... her good cousin, Prince Jin Si Cheng, whom she never wanted to see again.
"You!" Seeing him, Jing Yao subconsciously relaxed. Si Cheng looked at the fallen silk cloth and thought that Zuo Yuanwu didn't stuff it tight enough.
It seems that he really loves his old master.
Jing Yao's face was full of disbelief: "How are you still alive?"
Wasn't he secretly executed by the emperor a long time ago for treason?
Si Cheng spread his legs wide open: "A fool like Si Jue could rebel and seize power right under the watchful eyes of that loser Si Pei, so why can't I escape death and make a quick escape?"
His words were still as annoying as ever. Jing Yao had never gotten along with him since childhood, and now he didn't want to get entangled with him any more. "Then why did you arrest me? Oh, and where's Zuo Yuanwu?"
Wasn't Zuo Yuanwu responsible for protecting them? Could it be that...
"Hahahaha, didn't you tell her in advance?"
Si Cheng turned his head and asked the person beside him. Jing Yao's heart instantly sank until she heard Zuo Yuanwu's familiar voice answer "No". Her heart finally collapsed completely.
"Zuo Yuanwu, you lied to me!? When did you get involved with Si Cheng?"
Jing Yao recalled carefully, no, maybe they have always been in the same group from the past to now!
"Miss, don't be angry." Zuo Yuanwu leaned forward slightly to explain, "I will never hurt you."
"Look at me! I'm even tied up! Is that what you call no harm?"
Zuo Yuanwu hesitated to speak: "This is also to protect the young lady."
Si Cheng interjected, "This is all for your own good, cousin, just be content."
"Si Cheng, you bastard, you're taking advantage of someone's misfortune!"
"Hey, who's taking advantage of someone else's misfortune?"
Si Cheng was so angry that he blew his beard and glared: "If Si Pei really wanted me dead, would I have survived until today? I finally said a few big words, but you are so stubborn, you can't even understand this."
Jing Yao was stunned. Was this still the Si Cheng she knew? Had he become more normal after being thrown into a reformatory for two or three years? He actually looked less annoying now.
"Were you also arranged by Si Pei?"
"Haha." Si Cheng remained silent, looking at the unconscious Si Pei and unable to resist mocking him, "Si Lihong, you've finally met this day. But you really did predict this, that you'd have to suffer this fate after all."
"We'll run into Si Jue's men a little further ahead."
Zuo Yuanwu nodded: "Yes, we agreed to meet here."
"Wait, Zuo Yuanwu, how many masters do you have? Why are you still associating with Si Jue..." Jing Yao suddenly realized. No wonder they had such a smooth journey out of the palace and the city gate. "What did you agree to with Si Jue?"
Zuo Yuanwu was silent, and Si Cheng's gaze turned to Si Pei again.
"What are you thinking? How could you give Si Pei to them?"
"We never planned to take him with us!" Si Cheng frowned. "His death was inevitable."
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Then why did Si Jue agree to let Zuo Yuanwu take me out of the palace?"
Didn’t Si Jue want to make her the queen?
"Why would the court want you, Jing Yao, to become the queen? They won't be satisfied until all the Jing family and the prince's party are dead. So we have to let you die, and then we can bring you back with a new identity. That would be the natural outcome, wouldn't it?"
Jing Yao fell into a long silence after hearing this. It turned out that from the very beginning she had become a beast with no control over her life and death and could only be slaughtered by others.
"Don't worry, Miss. We are also deceiving Si Jue... We will never hand you back to Si Jue. We are only handing Si Pei back to stabilize Si Jue."
"Zuo Yuanwu! Si Pei is unconscious, but he's not dead yet. He's still alive! How could you send him back to certain death like this? Has he ever treated you harshly? Hasn't he been incredibly kind and righteous towards you?"
Jing Yao became more and more excited as he spoke, but Zuo Yuanwu remained silent. Si Cheng was furious: "Cousin, you are too biased. Why do you always favor him..."
"Si Cheng, you bastard, shut up! I don't want to hear you speak."
Jing Yao stared at the two people outside the carriage with hatred. The two looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
"You sent Si Pei away, so how do you plan to take over his power?"
Jing Yao's tone was icy, Zuo Yuanwu remained silent, and only Si Cheng said heartlessly: "Don't we still have you? His face is recognized just as well."
"Then I would rather die than let you take advantage of me."
"Cousin, why are you doing this?"
Jing Yao hated him so much that he turned his head to the side, not looking like he was joking.
Si Cheng was in a state of panic. He was a young nobleman with a bad temper, and he was also overconfident and arrogant. He couldn't help but say angrily, "My uncle didn't help me back then, and you won't help me now."
Jing Yao simply heard the funniest joke in the world: "My family didn't help you? Don't you know how the Jing family fell?"
Speaking of this, Si Cheng became even more angry: "You blame me for this? Not to mention that my rebellion never happened, your father, my uncle, refused to get involved in my affairs. I begged him many times but it was useless. Moreover, you were sent to the Eastern Palace at that time. Do you think your father is that stupid?"
"Isn't he hedging his bets?"
"I wish he'd give me a little bet."
Si Cheng felt bad when he said this. He was his uncle after all, yet he didn't help him when he was on the verge of death. Not long after his mother was sent to the old Buddhist temple, she hanged herself. He was young and strong enough to handle the work in the mines, so at least he survived.
Jing Yao was horrified: "But the Duke of Jing's Mansion was implicated because of you..."
"Anyone can find out. There is no such contact between my uncle and me."
Si Cheng snorted coldly: "Cousin, you are not stupid, so I won't say much."
Jing Yao's mind was in a mess. She could actually understand what Si Cheng meant, but she subconsciously refused to accept it: "Zuo Yuanwu, you also know about this?"
"I..." Zuo Yuanwu's words stopped in his mouth and he could not say any more.
Jing Yao's face was already covered with tears without him noticing.
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