Chapter 26: Pride (Revised) As long as I sit in this position...
The winter rain always carries with it frost and snow crystals, which dance on the roof of the carriage like tiny beads.
With his elbows resting on the small table in the car, Yan Jingxu supported his head, his slender, warm fingers lightly placed next to his dark eyes, his unintentional laziness echoing the thoughts flowing deep in his eyes.
The cold wind blew in through the half-open car window, gently disturbing a few strands of hair on his forehead.
Yan Jing raised his eyes and looked, and the cold light of the dark iron mask flashed in from the window, carrying with it the invasion of rain.
"What's wrong with you literati? Why do you like to meet in weird places?" Wen Ying used her thumb to wipe away the rain that was about to seep into the mask, and looked at the cold man with complicated amber eyes.
Because of the fear of being ambushed in advance, the rule of "Dawn" is not to trade in private residences.
The transaction location chosen by Yan Jing this time was in a moving carriage.
A trusted confidant served as the coachman, driving the car on a deserted road, with several secret guards escorting the car.
There is almost no possibility of eavesdropping.
The only problem is that she just received the bracelet "suspected to be a token of love" yesterday.
Today I will be alone with Yan Jing in such a small space like a carriage. My mood is indescribable.
But she couldn't show it yet.
"All?" Yan Jing slowly lowered his eyelids and said indifferently, "Which other scholar have you met?"
?
What is the problem?
"My Lord Prime Minister, do you think I would be stupid enough to fall into such a simple trap?" Wen Ying looked at Yan Jing speechlessly.
As he spoke, he glanced to the side, but did not see the hand warmer that was usually placed here.
It can be seen that the hand warmer was specially prepared for the frail Liu Qing, but this time it was Liming who was meeting, so it was naturally not prepared for her.
Even so, Wen Ying still felt a little empty inside.
"Let's get down to business." Wen Ying casually stretched out her hand, bent her thumb, and flicked the ring in her hand towards the man.
A streak of emerald green light flashed across the room. Yan Jing raised his hand and caught the priceless jade ring. He said calmly, "What do you want to know?"
"Three years ago, how was the case of treason against the late General Wen Jian sentenced?" Wen Ying asked in a deep voice.
She thought about concealing her identity and asking for information in a roundabout way.
But with Yan Jing's intelligence, no matter how roundabout he tried, he would be able to find out the truth.
It’s better to ask directly.
When Yan Jing heard the long-lost name, he paused for a moment, as if recalling something, and then slowly said, "Wen Jian's case did not go through my hands. It was directly tried by His Majesty."
"As far as I know, Wen Jian led his troops in a surprise attack, but his entire army was wiped out, leaving him alone alive. While he was recovering from his injuries, Deputy General Gao Xuan found a secret letter under Wen Jian's pillow that indicated he was in league with the enemy."
"When Wen Jian saw that his plan was exposed, he took up his spear and rode his horse, trying to break out of the encirclement, but he was injured and was defeated by Gao Xuan's men."
"Afterwards, a large amount of hard evidence of treason was found in the Wen family, so the charges were immediately made."
Wen Ying frowned when she heard this and began to think carefully.
The first thing she could be sure of was that her father had never committed treason.
So whose secret letter of treason was it? Where did the irrefutable evidence come from?
Yan Jing watched the girl's expression change. The emerald green spun on her cold white knuckles, transforming into a translucent luster.
Liming sat on the right side of the carriage, just like Liu Qing usually did.
He had always consciously sat on the left side of the carriage in order to guide Liu Qing to develop the habit of sitting on the right side.
This time, he chose to sit in the innermost part of the carriage and told the driver to drive to the right along the obstacle, forcing Dawn to enter the carriage from the left.
As expected, Dawn did jump into the carriage from the left window, but did not sit on the left side as usual.
He had already made up his mind, but he still needed a crucial piece of evidence.
Wen Ying looked up at Yan Jing, frowned and asked the second question: "Who was the official who investigated the Wen family?"
Unexpectedly, the man just hooked his finger at her and whispered, "Stretch out your hand."
Wen Ying stretched out her dominant right hand, not knowing why.
Yan Jing lowered his eyes and pinched the girl's fingers with one hand.
The fingertips of the other hand slid across Wen Ying's palm. The numb feeling made Wen Ying want to withdraw her hand, but Yan Jing held it firmly in his palm.
Yan Jing's movements were a little larger, and each stroke passed over the edge of Wen Ying's palm. It didn't seem like he was writing, but more like he was tracing her palm lines with his fingertips.
Perhaps it was because of the cooling weather, the metal mask that usually felt nothing was exceptionally cold at this moment...
Soon, Wen Ying realized that it was not the mask that was getting cold, but her cheeks that were getting warmer.
Fortunately, Yan Jing was concentrating on writing and didn't pay attention to her expression.
Wen Ying forced herself to focus on the strokes of the characters.
After the last stroke, Yan Jing withdrew his hand.
The thick calluses on the protruding base of the thumb and the thin calluses on the palm and the first joint of the index finger are consistent with Liu Qing's.
It is now confirmed that Liming and Liu Qing are the same person.
He raised his eyes and was about to speak, but his eyes touched the girl's red ears. She was slightly startled, then chuckled and said:
"Sir, did you read the words clearly?"
Wen Ying turned her hands behind her back and rubbed them gently, trying to relieve the numbness in her palms. She said in a dull voice:
"I see clearly."
The font is very simple, it is the character [轩].
It’s Gao Xuan.
The person that his father once trusted the most was the one who eventually pushed his father into the abyss of unjust case that day.
But is it really that simple?
Gao Xuan was just a deputy general back then. If he was the mastermind, so many people wouldn't have kept it a secret.
She always felt that Gao Xuan might just be a dagger lying in plain sight.
But the one holding the knife was someone else.
And this person may be a person from heaven.
But who was that person? Was it the Third Prince who was close to Gao Xuan?
But why frame the Wen family?
No, the latter question may be easy to answer.
Mountains are barriers that prevent wars, but mountains that are too tall will cast large shadows, blocking the progress of some ferocious beasts.
The wind comes without the tree asking for it.
But if the culprit is really of royal blood, then things become much more complicated.
If things go wrong, she, a martial arts assassin, might really be caught up in the storm of the imperial court.
But the arrow was on the string and had to be shot, so she could only start with Gao Xuan and then follow the clues to find the real culprit.
As Wen Ying was pondering, she felt a gaze fixed on her.
She looked up and met Yan Jing's deep eyes.
Seeing her looking at him, Yan Jing tilted his head slightly, squinted his eyes and smiled. His extremely distant facial features suddenly became gentle.
When their eyes met, Wen Ying suddenly remembered the touch she had just felt. The touch that had been diluted by her thoughts was now warmed up again. "I've received the reward. Thank you for your patronage." Wen Ying turned her head away and stopped looking at Yan Jing. "Then I'll go ahead."
Yan Jing did not stop her but watched the girl's actions with a faint smile.
Even if they separate now, they will still see each other in the evening.
Wen Ying lifted the car curtain and was about to step forward. As she moved, the bone-chilling coldness penetrated through the gap in her collar, almost making her shiver.
This year's cold wave is more severe than in previous years, and she couldn't help but think of those poor people.
"Lord Yan, how is [Chu Yang]?" Wen Ying turned around and asked.
Yan Jing's eyes moved, and he said calmly: "Kill him."
The people must not be allowed to rely on the myths of gods and ghosts, otherwise they will become less willing to work, and this will eventually lead to a vicious cycle.
Wen Ying understood this truth, but...
"Even if we kill the alchemists, the poor at the bottom will still choose to seek crooked ways if they can't find a way to survive. This is human nature. What will you do then?"
"It's not a big deal," Yan Jing said calmly, his voice still rising and falling, "As long as I am still in this high position, I will not let the people suffer like that."
Yan Jing's talent gave him full confidence, allowing him to retain the pride of a young man to this day.
It's so dazzling that you can't take your eyes off it.
It is only natural that the whole world will be happy.
Even though this sounded arrogant, Wen Ying subconsciously felt that he could do it.
So the girl smiled sweetly, her eyes curved, and said in a clear voice:
"I look forward to the day when the seas are peaceful and the rivers are clear."
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure turned into a shadow and disappeared into the rain.
·
"What are you thinking?" Gao Xuan threw the teacup to the ground, his face flushed with anger. "What's wrong with Bu Xingde? Why did he run out naked in the middle of a performance?"
"Lan Gen and Jin Que teamed up and died in an unclear manner. And they still claimed to be martial arts masters?"
The man's curses echoed throughout the room. The two people in front of him didn't dare to raise their heads and were showered with his spit.
After cursing for a whole incense stick of time, Gao Xuan finally vented enough. He calmed down with a heavy breath, his face extremely gloomy.
The Suzaku cult is spread all over the world, and even the powerful people in the capital have its followers, so he still has profit to gain.
But Bu Xinde's death in public due to a magic trick gone wrong was definitely a devastating blow.
He had already sent people to wait near the stage, and as long as Bu Xingde stepped off the stage, his people would be able to rescue him.
But that day, Yan Jing seemed to have anticipated it and killed Bu Xingde on the stage at the first opportunity, leaving him unable to save himself.
Damn it, why does Tianzun favor him so much?
Just let Yan Jing's life be smooth sailing without any troubles?
Gao Xuan clenched the armrest with such force that the solid wood deformed.
No, if that adult knew about this, he would definitely sacrifice the rook to save the king and abandon him first.
He needs to find a way.
"Daddy!" a female voice came from outside the door.
Gao Xuan loosened his grip and looked up at the red-dressed girl walking towards him: "What's the matter?"
Gao Lerong smiled and held out the picture of two dragons playing with a pearl that she had embroidered: "Daddy, the teacher praised my improvement in embroidery, so I wanted to show it to you as soon as possible."
"Well," Gao Xuan was still thinking about something. He glanced at it casually and said perfunctorily, "Not bad, the snake shape is lifelike."
Gao Lerong's smile froze on her face and she silently put down the embroidery pattern in her hand.
Gao Xuan didn't notice his daughter's mood. He was a little irritated thinking about things, and he even looked at his daughter with displeasure. He looked her up and down, frowned and said sternly:
"Have you been eating too much recently? Your waist has become thicker. Instead of coming here to ask for compliments, you might as well think about how to please others."
"If you could marry Yan Jing, I wouldn't have to worry so much about your marriage now."
If she could marry Yan Jing, she wouldn't have to worry about Yan Jing.
Gao Xuan knew that his daughter didn't have the ability to seduce men, so he just said it casually and didn't take it to heart.
But Gao Lerong slowly hid the embroidery behind her and lowered her eyes sadly.
But Daddy, in the past - you never said that I ate too much, you only said that I was strong and healthy, a martial arts genius, and would be able to serve the country when I grew up.
When did it change…?
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