As the morning mist dissipated, a hazy light enveloped the entire official road. A young girl dressed in riding attire rode her horse swiftly through the city gate, galloping through the vast and bustling capital of Yan.
Xie Xuan had been staying at Chunfeng Pavilion recently. Before he was fully awake, he heard a chaotic cacophony of knocking on the door and the shouts and curses of a woman trying to stop him.
He frowned, threw off the covers, put on a robe, and went to the back bathroom to wash up.
Ignoring Mo Feng's attempts to stop her, Heng Zhiyan pressed the knife against his neck and waved her hand, summoning the guards behind her to surround him.
She seized the opportunity to sheathe her sword, push open the door, and rush inside.
Xie Xuan changed his clothes and came out from behind the screen. When he saw it was her, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Hengzhiyan saw the person she had been longing for, put down her knife, rushed forward, hugged his waist, and questioned him with a wronged expression.
"Brother Ah Xuan, why do you want to break off the engagement?"
A flash of displeasure crossed Xie Xuan's eyes. He grabbed her by the back of the neck and ripped it open.
"Marriages between prominent families are all arranged by parents; I was unaware of them."
Seeing that he remained unmoved, Hengzhiyan gritted her teeth inwardly, looked up at him with teary eyes, and continued to feign weakness.
"But we're getting married soon, and at this crucial moment, the Xie family is suddenly breaking off the engagement. Do they look down on me?"
Xie Xuan had no interest in negotiating with her. The engagement between Long Kang Hengshi and the Xie family was only because of the 200,000-strong Northern Army in the north. Now that they had agreed to break off the engagement and offered enough benefits, he didn't need to explain to a young woman.
“Your parents have made it very clear to you: go back to the Northwest.”
Seeing his coldness, Hengzhi Yan stopped pretending and put on a cold face.
"Is it because of Wang Wan?"
When she first noticed something was wrong, she secretly sent the bodyguard her mother had left her to investigate and learned some clues.
"As the legitimate daughter of the Langya Wang clan, if word gets out that she seduced you, she will be ridiculed by all the noble families in the land."
Before she could finish speaking, the man's sharp, hawk-like eyes immediately looked over, startling her so much that her heart trembled violently, and her lips moved but she could no longer utter a word.
Xie Xuan composed himself and said coldly, "It has nothing to do with her."
"Ha, it has nothing to do with her?!" Hengzhiyan sneered. "She left without permission the night before her wedding to Xie Er, and now you want to annul the engagement with me. Do you think I would believe that these two things are completely unrelated?"
"Hengzhi Yan, I, Xie Xuan, don't fall for threats. You can make all the trouble you want, but I want to see if this corrupt and decadent Longkang Heng family dares to oppose me!"
His voice was cold and flat, piercing her like needles, and a sharp crack echoed in her heart, as if something had broken.
When Madam Xie wanted to find a satisfactory marriage for her son, many young ladies from prominent families in the north wanted to marry into the Xie family.
She had met Xie Xuan when she was in Nan Yan and fell in love with him at first sight. When she learned that he was getting married, she begged her mother to visit him. Her mother even inquired with Aunt Cui and made connections with the Xie family.
The two families were well-matched, and Madam Xie was very satisfied with her. Before long, they finalized their marriage. However, the husband she had been longing for for so long was so cold and indifferent to her.
"Do you really have absolutely no feelings for me?"
"Just following family arrangements---"
He regretted it later and didn't want to let her go. He couldn't bear to see her being touched by others, or to see her marry someone else and share a bed with another man.
Hengzhi Yan wanted to laugh, a laugh bordering on madness. "So it was because Wang Wan wanted to marry your second brother that you were heartbroken and agreed to the marriage your mother arranged for you. Xie Xuan, how innocent am I?"
Xie Xuan turned around, a slight smile on his face, "Innocent?!"
What's with that expression?
“What Long Kang Hengshi values is the Xie family’s prestige and my reputation in the Northern Army. What you, Hengzhi Yan, value most is the position of the Xie family’s matriarch. It’s all about marriage for mutual benefit. There’s no need to make it sound so noble.”
Hengzhi Yan was stung by his words and gave a bitter smile, "But I love you too."
The young master of the Xie family was carefree and dashing, and she had already fallen deeply in love with him back in the Southern Yan army camp.
Xie Xuan remained unmoved and turned to walk out.
Seeing that he was about to leave, she said sternly without thinking, "Xie Xuan, if you refuse to marry me, I will ruin Wang Wan's reputation."
He turned his head and said in a cool, threatening tone, "You can try."
Under his gaze, Hengzhi swallowed hard and softened her tone, "Even if we break off the engagement, you still can't marry Wang Wan. She was engaged to your second brother, and neither the Xie family nor the Wang family can afford to lose face like that. They won't agree to your marriage."
Xie Xuan was too lazy to waste any more time here. Without saying a word, he picked up the cloak from the shelf, opened the door, and strode away.
Hengzhiyan watched his retreating figure, clenching her hands so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, as if she felt no pain.
A desolate, cold wind swept through the room, and a sharp crack broke the eerie silence.
The guard hurriedly picked up the knife, looked at the young lady in front of him, and handed the knife to her.
"Did you find it?"
After Wang Wan eloped, she felt uneasy in the north and suspected Xie Xuan. She sent people to investigate his villas in Yandu and Jiankang, since Wang Wan's frail health meant she couldn't go far.
"A scout came and reported that it seems to be in Jiankang."
"Let's go, take those assassins to Jiankang."
She suffered such humiliation and must make that vile woman pay with her life. Xie Xuan has to deal with this mess in Yandu and can't get back in time. No one can save her.
Jiankang.
Wang Wan was awakened by the sound of rain in the night. Clusters of pear blossoms fell outside the window. A cold wind blew in, and cool, damp water meandered across the window frame, swirling on the scattered petals and emitting a faint light.
Unable to sleep, she put on a robe, got out of bed, walked to the window, and quietly gazed at the beautiful scenery outside.
The cool breeze dispelled some of the warmth in the room. She reached out her hand, and the drizzling rain playfully swirled and danced in her palm, like fluttering butterflies kissing tenderly.
This villa is beautifully built. As soon as you open the window, you can see the golden sycamore trees planted outside the waterside pavilion. Under the ancient and rustic corridor, the lotus flowers in the blue lake are like mist and water. The continuous palaces and pavilions are layered and overlapping, and large areas of pear blossoms are in full bloom.
Under the light rain, the sounds of fighting on the eaves seemed to echo from a distant, secluded valley.
Wang Wan heard a soft rustling sound, squinted and peered out. On the high building and pavilion, several figures were locked in fierce combat, their movements as frost and mist as they fought in the rain.
She was slightly startled and was about to call for help when she saw a figure moving so fast she couldn't see it clearly rushing towards her.
With a bang, the window panel shattered and was kicked open. A figure, whose afterimage was barely visible, was instantly magnified in front of her face, revealing a pair of cold and ruthless eyes that were terrifying.
A chill ran down my back and up my hands. The lotus leaves in the pond swayed and danced hurriedly in the wind and rain beneath the pavilion.
The lights in the entire villa instantly came on, and countless guards rushed out upon hearing the signal. The leading man hurriedly rushed towards the cool garden, saw several figures flying away in the air, and cried out in alarm, "Quickly, go after them!"
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