Chapter 46 Starry Night (Three-in-One) (Revised) I am willing to do it for the stars...
The chirping of winter insects was silent, and the myriad stars shone brightly, lighting up their way forward.
Wen Ying could never have imagined that Yan Jing would actually pull her up to the Lanyue Tower.
The building was as tall as the clouds, and the wind was biting when she climbed to the top, but before she felt the cold, Yan Jing had already embraced her in his arms.
The warm body temperature was continuously transmitted to her. Wen Ying leaned in Yan Jing's arms, as if her chest was sinking into the soft clouds.
The frost she breathed in was gradually melted by the blood. Yan Jing took Wen Ying to sit on a chair in the pavilion on the roof. She tilted her head slightly and asked in confusion, "Why did you bring me here, sir?"
Yan Jing raised his eyes slightly and looked ahead. The dark night was dotted with stars, and the crescent moon faded slightly and disappeared behind the scene.
His voice was light and clear: "Miss, besides the one you sent to the river lantern, do you have any other wishes you want to fulfill?"
"That's a lot." Wen Ying snuggled into Yan Jing's arms and found a more comfortable position. "People's wishes are always endless and will never die until they die."
"In that case," the man said softly, "make a wish."
Make a wish?
Wen Ying looked around, and saw only a pavilion with drafts on all sides and a cold stone table and stone bench. She couldn't find anything to make a wish for, so she asked in confusion, "What should I wish for?"
"For a long time, people had no hope and believed that the stars in the sky were transformed from their ancestors," Yan Jing replied with a chuckle, "Praying to the stars is like praying to your blood relatives."
"Miss, tonight is a rare starry night."
Wen Ying followed Yan Jing's gaze and saw the sky framed by the pavilion's pillars, which was sparkling with stars.
Wen Ying, who doesn't believe in gods or ghosts and releases river lanterns just to join in the fun:... Isn't this a bit too embarrassing?
Thinking this in her heart, Wen Ying closed her eyes symbolically and clasped her fingers together.
What is unfulfilled?
There are so many things I want, I don’t know where to start.
The ceded frontier, the unjust case of his father, the tragic death of his mother...from the justice of the country and family to the blood feud, none of them can be achieved by the stars hanging high in the sky.
If your lofty aspirations are too heavy, just focus on what’s in front of you.
What is in front of me?
Sensing that the source of warmth around her was quietly leaving, Wen Ying slowly raised her eyelids, and suddenly she was glimpsed by a ray of light, and her eyes immediately widened.
She saw twinkling dots in the dim sky and countless fireflies flying around her, as if the extinguished stars among the locust trees were dancing again before her eyes. It was a lantern festival that was prolonged just for her.
Surrounded by the stars, a man in a snow-silver robe had a smile on his face. His dark eyes followed the group of fireflies, a faint light flowing through them, and his clear and bright face moved the heart.
The wind blew through the courtyard, causing her clothes to flutter and the jade pendant on her waist to sway with it. There was a carving of a willow tree in the pond with red tassels hanging from it.
"It is said that fireflies are 'stars on earth'," Yan Jing retracted his gaze and looked back at Wen Ying, smiling faintly, "Since they have responded to you, then your wish has a 30% chance of coming true."
Fireflies only live in groups in the vegetation of Linze, so how could they naturally appear in such a cold and high place? How did he hide so many fireflies on his body?
Tiny lights gathered together, illuminating the handsome face of the man with gentleness. Wen Ying couldn't help but bend her eyes and pretended to be angry and asked, "Why is it only 30%?"
Wouldn’t most people say that it will definitely come true?
Yan Jing chuckled softly and said, "Since it is a 'star on earth', how can you be 100% sure that the wish you made to the star in the sky will come true?"
"Why not let the stars in the sky respond to you."
Hearing this, Wen Ying seemed to have guessed something and her pupils dilated slightly.
Could it be that...
After Yan Jing finished speaking, he slightly turned sideways.
The vision that was originally blocked by him was clearly revealed in front of Wen Ying. The night was clear and cloudless, with only stars inlaid like gems.
At this moment, a bright light suddenly streaked across the sky. The dazzling light suddenly split the dark sky.
Before long, before the meteor disappeared, countless streams of light followed, just like the Milky Way falling from the sky to the earth, instantly illuminating the girl's eyes.
Astrology and divination can calculate the approximate time periods of climate change and strange phenomena, but I have never heard of anyone being able to accurately estimate the time and location of star showers.
But Yan Jing can.
He seems to be able to do anything.
The trail of falling starlight left a trace in the bottom of the eyes, which was hard to look away, but Wen Ying couldn't help but look up at the person next to her, but that person happened to look down.
When their eyes met, the man's tender smile was in his eyes, rippling with endless love.
"Do you like it?"
Her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Wen Ying pursed her lips and nodded.
"That's good." Yan Jing nodded, his dark eyes lowered, "It's a pity that the stars in the sky can't completely guarantee things in the human world."
It took Wen Ying a long time to find her voice again, and she said in a hoarse voice: "That's enough."
Unexpectedly, Yan Jing smiled and shook his head, saying softly: "Not enough, human affairs still need human efforts."
"If the young lady doesn't mind," he held his hand up to Wen Ying, "I am willing to do it for Xingchen and fulfill all of the young lady's endless wishes from now on."
"I don't know if you would like to."
With fireflies as gifts and rain as betrothal gift, Yan Jing promised her a lifetime of love.
Wen Ying lowered her eyes and looked at the hand that was so close to her. Her fingertips were trembling almost imperceptibly. Even someone as proud as Yan Jing would feel uneasy at this moment.
Hold your hand and grow old with you. (Note 1)
By holding this hand and abandoning the identities of "Wen Ying" and "Liming", she can take care of her husband and children like an ordinary woman, away from the bloody storm and court struggles, and no longer have to sleep in the open and live on the edge of a knife.
Wouldn't it be nice to be a comfortable and enviable wife of a prime minister?
The girl slowly stretched out her hand until it was above the man's palm, and then -
A slap! There was a crisp "snap" sound.
Yan Jing stood there in a daze, his pupils wide open as he stared at his red palm.
Wen Ying smiled, narrowed her eyes, and said word by word: "I don't want to."
"Yan Jing, I performed with you for a whole night, isn't that enough?"
Looking at the girl's expression, Yan Jing's expression gradually changed from surprise to appreciation.
He sighed softly, curled his lips into a smile, and said helplessly: "What a pity, it's almost there."
"Now that you've discovered it, why don't you give me a sweet dream for the last time?"
·
The development of all events has a main thread, radiating around a core.
The Suzaku Cult, the Riding and Shooting Banquet, rumors...all were related to Yan Jing.
Lan Gen happened to die before dawn, and she happened to recognize the arrows from the military camp, so it was natural for her to suspect the people in the camp.
Later, when Li Ming was collecting intelligence, Yan Jing lightly distanced himself from the matter and pointed directly at Gao Xuan.
He then took Liu Qing to the riding and shooting banquet, and saw the contrast of Gao Xuan with his own eyes, which made him more suspicious.
Although the ultimate beneficiaries of the assassins and the bear attacks were the princelings to which Yan Jing belonged, rumors spread afterwards, dispelling her doubts and making her unite with him.
Even the conversation between Yan Jing and Wei Quan that she overheard might have been counted, just to send her a signal - Yan Jing had helped the Wen family before and was a friend, not an enemy.
All these things were actually just to make her completely believe that the Third Prince and Gao Xuan were the real murderers of her father, and to use her to eliminate the dissidents.
"Master Yan is playing a big game." Wen Ying raised her eyebrows slightly and approached Yan Jing step by step. "I just don't know when did you know that I was 'Wen Ying'?"
Yan Jing watched the girl approaching, but he did not retreat. Instead, he smiled leisurely and said, "Miss, why don't you take a guess?"
The fact that he could plot against her like this proved that he had long intended to put the blame for Wen Ying's father's murder entirely on Gao Xuan.
That means that at least from a long time ago, he already knew that "Liming" was "Wen Ying", so he was able to arrange everything so quickly.
As for "Liu Qing"...his identity should have been confirmed before the Riding and Shooting Banquet.
It was foolish of her to have been deceived for so long.
Looking at Wen Ying's expression, Yan Jing knew that she had already guessed what was going on. The corners of his lips rose slightly, and he said jokingly, "Miss, your acting skills are really not good."
Wen Ying sneered and said unwillingly, "A good show is one that attracts audiences. Hasn't this attracted my only audience?"
A gleam of light flashed in Yan Jing's eyes, and he nodded in response: "You are right."
Slowly stopping in front of the man, Wen Ying looked up at Yan Jing's dark eyes, and without warning, she made a move and pushed him onto the bench in the gazebo. Then she leaned over and pressed on him, with one knee against his side and the other leg inserted between his knees and stood upright.
With a flick of his wrist, the sharp dagger slipped out of his sleeve and fell into his palm.
A cold light flashed by, and the icy blade pressed against the man's artery, rubbing against his skin as he breathed, leaving a faint red mark.
But Yan Jing was not panicked. He still watched the girl's actions with a calm smile, waiting for her next words.
The two bodies were so close that the golden masks, which were originally one piece, almost touched each other.
"Why did you pass the indictment?" Wen Ying looked into his eyes, as if trying to capture all his emotions. "Since you are willing to save the Wen family, it means you know my father is innocent."
What is meant to come will come.
Yan Jing's eyes dimmed a little, but only for a moment, and soon he returned to his usual calm demeanor: "Gao Xuan found a secret letter of treason from the secret room in your house, and the evidence is irrefutable."
"What kind of ironclad evidence is a secret letter?" Wen Ying frowned. "It can be forged by finding some talented people."
As he spoke, the blade was pressed down a little bit. If he used a little more force, blood would be seen.
"The ink of the Buddha is special. It can be seen with water but disappears with fire. It cannot be forged." Yan Jing's voice was still calm and indifferent, without any sense of urgency. "That day, your mother was also there. She confirmed in advance that no one except your father had entered the secret room."
"So what? It can't be that someone did it without anyone knowing..." Wen Ying's voice suddenly became louder, and when she was about to refute, she suddenly stopped.
Whatever she can think of, Yan Jing can definitely think of as well.
There is only one possibility as to why he still behaves in this way despite knowing the doubts.
There was a power above him that was pressing him so hard that he couldn't resist.
He had already been the Prime Minister three years ago, a position second only to the emperor and above everyone else. Who else had such power?
There is only one person “above”.
Wen Ying's face turned pale instantly and she didn't dare to think about it anymore.
Seeing this expression, Yan Jing knew that she had guessed it and could no longer hide it. He couldn't help but sigh: "Miss Wen, wisdom is harmful to your health."
Yan Jing's words confirmed her guess, and Wen Ying's face instantly became extremely ugly.
Her father defended his country and fought in the military all his life just to "repay the emperor's kindness on the Golden Terrace" (Note 2), but ended up like this.
Why.
The huge impact took her a while to recover. Wen Ying closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she put one hand on the railing behind Yan Jing, further shortening the distance between them.
"Why should I trust you? This isn't the first time you've lied to me."
Wen Ying's voice was cold, but Yan Jing could feel the girl's warm breath, penetrating into his bones and into his heart...
He unconsciously looked down, passing over the girl's pale pink lips, raised his eyes to look into her half-closed amber eyes, blinked gently, and looked disappointed: "Miss, why do you say that? I know the priorities and will not lie to you about such a thing."
Still being stubborn?
Wen Ying was so angry that she laughed. She gritted her teeth and said, "Let me ask you, was Liming going to the enclosure to save you part of your chess game?"
She sensed the murderous aura in the paddock, and in desperation she climbed over the wall, and happened to run into Yan Jing who was defeated by an assassin, and she also happened to find a retractable gun barrel from Yan Jing's backpack.
It is precisely because of this action that "Liming" is completely inseparable from the "Wen Family" and she has no choice but to return to the identity of "Liu Qing".
If Geng You really wanted to use the gun, he would not have handed it to Yan Jing before entering.
She had reason to suspect that this was Yan Jing's way of cutting off her retreat.
"What a pity," Yan Jing couldn't help but sigh, "This is how I am in Miss's mind."
The tail of the man's voice gradually faded and finally scattered to the ground, as if he was really heartbroken.
Wen Ying's heart was moved, and when she was about to soften her voice, she suddenly woke up, forced herself to be cruel, and said coldly: "Stop pretending, tell the truth."
It was a close call. I almost got fooled by him again.
Looking at her, Yan Jing pursed his lips to hold back his smile and said softly, "Miss, I won't pin my hopes on something that is uncertain."
He was not completely sure that Wen Ying would take such a risk for him. Whether she was willing to come, would come, or could come all depended on his thought.
If he has to wait for an unknown possibility to successfully implement his plan, how can he gain a foothold in this position?
Although he did think about directly destroying the identities of "Liming" and "Wen Ying", cutting off her escape route and forcing her to stay with him, he would never use such a life-threatening method. Once the plan went wrong, the loss would outweigh the gain.
Moreover, if he really did this, with Wen Ying's intelligence and talent, sooner or later the truth would be revealed, and by then he would definitely be disappointed in him, wouldn't that mean all his efforts would be in vain?
How could he lose the big picture for the small?
Hearing Yan Jing's words, Wen Ying's eyebrows relaxed a little, but the dagger was still there: "Then how were you going to deal with it?"
Given his personality, he would never do anything that he is not 100% sure of.
Yan Jing lowered his eyes slightly, as if recalling: "Geng You protected His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and we split into two groups. With his skills, it won't be a problem for him and the Crown Prince to escape unscathed. As long as we can ring the golden gong safely, the Third Prince's guilt will be established. In this round, as long as the Crown Prince survives, we win."
"Even if he later put all the blame on Gao Xuan, he was still associated with the word 'incompetent'."
Wen Ying thought it made sense at first, but gradually she felt that something was wrong.
All he talked about was the prince and his chances of winning, without mentioning himself at all.
She couldn't help but ask: "What about you?"
Yan Jing was silent for a moment, raised his eyes and looked at her, and repeated after a moment: "In this round, as long as the prince is not dead, we win."
Wen Ying's face instantly darkened. She flipped the dagger with a flick of her fingertips, quickly approached the man's jaw, and instantly lifted off the gold mask on the man's face.
Feeling the approaching cold touch, Yan Jing gently closed his eyes. Before he felt any stinging pain, he just felt a lightness on his face.
He opened his eyes with some confusion, but was immediately pinched on the cheek by three fingers, which deformed the man's handsome face.
With the last two fingers clasping the hilt of the knife, Wen Ying narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, saying, "Who allowed you to disregard life and death?"
"My father protected all the people in this world. After he dies, I will protect them."
"Without my permission, no one can die easily, including you."
Listening to this unreasonable speech, Yan Jing laughed dumbly, so he said with difficulty: "Miss, there are always people who can't help themselves..."
"Yan Yunlang!" Wen Ying interrupted, "I protected you once in the enclosure, and I can protect you a second time. I won't let you have the chance to be helpless."
Hearing this, Yan Jing's eyes flashed with an unknown light, and he lowered his eyes to block it: "What's the use of once or twice? Can you always be by my side?"
"Why not..." When Wen Ying was about to blurt out the answer, she suddenly realized something and stopped talking.
"Hmm?" Yan Jing half-closed his eyes and curled the corners of his lips, "Why didn't Miss Wen say anything?"
He gently placed his hand on the base of Wen Ying's hand that was pinching her face, and without using too much force he loosened her grip.
Wen Ying didn't know how to explain, so she simply pursed her lips and said nothing, just lowered her eyes and watched Yan Jing's actions.
Yan Jing held the girl's hand, his dark eyes shining: "Miss Wen has asked so many questions, isn't it my turn?"
"What?" Wen Ying suddenly raised her eyes.
"Miss Wen, why are you approaching me?"
After hearing this, Wen Ying inexplicably felt guilty. She did approach Yan Jing in order to overturn her father's case. To be honest, she was not completely innocent.
Yan Jing expected the girl to remain silent. He smiled and pinched Wen Ying's fingertips when she didn't notice. His tone was pressing: "If Miss Wen also has some ulterior motive, does that mean that everything you said was just a lie to me?"
"Which of the things you said is true?"
Wen Ying was speechless after being asked this question. The words flowed on the tip of her tongue for a hundred times. Finally, she chose to bite back and said viciously: "What qualifications do you have to say such things to me?"
"Haven't you lied to me enough?"
Yan Jing was amused by Wen Ying's appearance, but he had not yet finished what he wanted to say. He had to suppress his smile, looked directly into the girl's eyes, and whispered, "But there is one thing I have never lied to you about."
Wen Ying wanted to ask what was going on, but before she could say anything, the dark tide in those black eyes suddenly flooded into her mind, instantly breaking her tense nerves and causing her brain to go blank.
She seemed to already know the answer.
Yan Jing's gaze slowly moved from her eyes downwards, as if he was tracing the contours of her face with his pupils, and finally stopped on her slightly open lips.
"What about Miss Wen? Are you the same?"
The man's voice was low and hoarse, with an upward sound at the end, which seemed like a temptation.
Your heart is as bright as the sun and the moon, I ask if you share the same mind with me?
Wen Ying didn't know how to answer, she just watched Yan Jing raise his hand to touch her cheek, slowly moving closer until their noses touched.
She didn't refuse.
Just a hair's breadth away from touching, Yan Jing paused for a moment and asked softly, "Is it okay?"
The girl did not answer, but her faster beating heart and red ears had already given her the answer.
Yan Jing chuckled, pressed lightly with his knuckles, raised his head and kissed the lips he had been thinking about day and night.
The breath exhaled by the man was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, which almost drowned Wen Ying. She unconsciously opened her teeth to take in some fresh air, but the man took advantage of the opportunity and entered.
His index finger curled into her hair, and when Yan Jing tasted the lingering sweetness on the tip of the girl's tongue, he suddenly lost control and deepened the kiss, causing Wen Ying to subconsciously grab the folds of his robe, and the dagger slipped from her palm.
Unlike the hasty passion before, this kiss was precious and lingering, with a sense of satisfaction that one's wish had been fulfilled.
The fishy-sweet taste exchanged between her lips and teeth, and the air in her mouth was completely robbed. Wen Ying couldn't breathe. She reached out and pushed Yan Jing's chest away, forcibly tearing him off her lips, before she finally caught her breath.
When the two separated, they pulled out translucent silver threads, which condensed into fleeting arcs of light in the cold air, like a broken lotus root but still connected.
The body temperature at a safe distance makes people's eyes hot.
The girl was panting heavily, her face flushed, and her lips, which had been soaked in water, were a tender pink.
Yan Jing's throat was dry and his eyes darkened, but he just closed his eyes and said teasingly with a smile: "Miss, breathe."
Wen Ying blushed and glared at him fiercely: "None of your business."
"Okay." Yan Jing raised his hands slightly to show surrender, and curved his eyes, "I'll listen to you."
The man's fair cheeks were flushed with a light pink, and his affectionate eyes were like glass soaked in rain.
The fire from the sky fell with a winding stream of light, and in a trance it seemed as if the meteors in the sky were also serving as a backdrop for it.
Wen Ying finally calmed down, her dizzy head regained clarity for a moment, and she narrowly pulled her mind back from the edge of the cliff. She tried to lower her voice and said with a stern face, "Don't think I will let you go just like this."
"What happened before is not over yet."
Yan Jing nodded and smiled, "Okay."
Obviously, whatever he said was fine, but Wen Ying always felt that something was wrong. After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized -
She didn't know when the initiative was taken away by Yan Jing, so much so that she even forgot what she was asking before.
Wen Ying was a little annoyed and was about to question, but when she met those smiling eyes, she suddenly forgot what she was going to say. She had to turn her head away, took a deep breath, and tried to get back to the topic and remember where they had talked about before.
It should be that Yan Jing said that he did not consider his own safety, but only wanted to consider the overall situation...
Wait a moment.
There seems to be something wrong with this statement. He doesn't seem like someone who is willing to die without any preparation.
Wen Ying lowered her head and thought, then suddenly an idea came to her mind. She glanced at Yan Jing and asked, "Where are your men hiding?"
Still discovered.
Yan Jing smiled slightly: "If you had walked another hundred meters then, it would have been fine."
really!
Yan Jing had a thorough plan at that time. As long as he could lure the enemy into the encirclement he had set up, he might be able to capture the assassin alive and extract more information.
If it weren't for her, Yan Jing would not have been poisoned and would have followed the planned plan with great caution.
No... maybe earlier, Yan Jing might have already planned a route to lure the two groups together and capture them in one fell swoop.
If she hadn't stopped me then...
In that case, she might even be doing more harm than good?
"Miss Wen."
The countless thoughts and guilt that surged in her mind like a tide were interrupted by the cold voice, and Wen Ying came back to her senses and looked at Yan Jing.
Seeing Wen Ying's ugly expression, Yan Jing roughly guessed her thoughts, wrapped her hands, and sighed: "You think I am too omnipotent."
"There is no perfect plan. Everything is man-made. How do you know that a plan that has never been realized can be implemented smoothly? Maybe the result will be more regrettable than the current one."
“Don’t deify the path you never took.”
The gentle words lifted the heavy stone in her heart. Wen Ying's tense shoulders slowly relaxed and sank, and she even smiled: "Is this a comfort?"
"This is the truth." Yan Jing raised his eyebrows slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up, "Miss Wen, I would never lie about such things."
"Then what kind of things would you lie about?" Wen Ying's legs were numb from kneeling, and she was about to get down from the bench, but a pair of hands pulled her into their arms.
The fox fur cloak wrapped her up, and the warmth and fragrance belonging to someone else instantly covered her whole body.
"Miss, it's cold on the roof, be careful not to catch a cold." Yan Jing's voice came gently from above.
Wen Ying was embraced by long arms. She raised her eyes. Her cold and distant features softened because of his affection.
The girl's lips moved slightly, her eyes narrowed, and she said, "Master Yan, you are trying to change the subject again, aren't you?"
She will never be fooled by beauty!
Yan Jing blinked his eyes after being exposed, and said in a wronged tone: "Miss, you are wrongly blaming me. I am just concerned about your health. Whatever you want to know, I will tell you everything."
Seeing this, Wen Ying couldn't help but soften her tone and said softly: "Okay, okay, then I will ask you one question. I know you want to eliminate the dissident party, which is understandable. But why do you want to put all the blame on Gao Xuan? This is not your style."
"Push it onto him?" Yan Jing read out the sentence word by word, as if he was chewing on its meaning, his eyes dim, "Miss seems to have a big prejudice against me."
Wen Ying was slightly stunned and waved her hands quickly: "I didn't..."
"Whether Gao Xuan is innocent, why don't you judge for yourself?" Yan Jing stopped her explanation, and the last word of his voice was light, like a helpless sigh.
Wen Ying felt a little flustered when she heard the tone, and cautiously asked, "What do you mean?"
Yan Jing smiled but said nothing. He turned his head and looked at the sky behind him: "I will answer you when Xingchen, who came for the young lady, returns home."
Wen Ying followed his gaze and saw that the falling meteors were slightly less than at the beginning, allowing her to clearly see the tail light of each star.
Why did Yan Jing go to so much trouble to find a time for the meteor shower? And why did he insist that she watch it all?
Is it just because he is the "Moon"?
Some funny guesses were dispelled the moment the two meteors appeared.
The two meteors passed by each other. They were brighter than the surrounding stars and fell slower, as if they wanted to stay for someone, but had to go.
Wen Ying watched the two stars move farther and farther away without moving for a moment until they disappeared from her sight.
【For a long time, people had no hope and believed that the stars in the sky were transformed from their ancestors. 】
[Praying to the stars is praying to your blood relatives. 】
A guess suddenly popped into her mind, and Wen Ying suddenly turned to look at Yan Jing.
Her profile was clearly outlined, and her eyes, which always looked like her, were now concentrating on watching the rain.
The promise made under this star rain was not just for her.
As if sensing the girl's gaze, Yan Jing withdrew his gaze from the night sky, looked at Wen Ying, and smiled softly, "What's wrong?"
Wen Ying shook her head: "Nothing."
The stars that came for her returned home.
·
The damp stone walls were oozing with dark yellow water stains, and moss was growing wildly in the cracks between the bricks. In the deepest cell, a copper lamp hung high up, and the flames cast the shadow of the man on the wall, creating a huge monster in the hazy light ink color.
Hearing the footsteps approaching, Gao Xuan slightly raised his eyelids and saw a pair of leather boots with golden threads stepping on the broken floor tiles. His eyes gradually moved upwards, and the hinges of the neck restraint collided with a crisp sound.
When he saw the face of the person coming in the dim light, he couldn't help but laugh. His laugh was nasal and seemed bitter and self-deprecating.
The jailer beside him bowed to the visitor and said, "Master Yan, we only have one stick of incense to talk. Please control it."
"Yeah." Yan Jing responded indifferently, nodding his head and looking from top to bottom at the man sitting cross-legged on the ground.
The jailer was ordered to leave, leaving Yan Jing and Gao Xuan alone to talk.
When Yu Guangzhong could no longer see the other people, Yan Jing spoke calmly, "How are you, General Gao?"
"I hope you are well." Gao Xuan's mood was stable, and he was a completely different person from the one at the Archery and Horseback Feast. He looked like a prisoner, not a prisoner, but a person having a conversation with Yan Jing after tea. "It's rare that you are willing to call me General. Thanks to you, I am no longer a General."
"This is the path you chose yourself, you can't blame others." Yan Jing's voice was still calm and indifferent, "You worked so hard to get the official position, so I have to respect it."
After he finished speaking, Gao Xuan fell silent.
The blue smoke from the copper lamp formed a spider-web-like mist between the iron bars, and the air seemed to be stagnant.
After a long while, Gao Xuan finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "Where's Le Rong? Is she okay?"
"Except for her making a fuss about coming to see you, everything else is fine." Yan Jing nodded and narrated calmly.
"This child has the same temperament as me. She has loved wielding swords and guns since she was young. Since her mother died, I, a rough man, have raised her like a subordinate. She has become so noisy now and doesn't behave like a lady at all." Gao Xuan laughed softly, "She has been saying since she was young that she wants to go to the battlefield with me, and that we should recover the border together. Why should a girl go to the battlefield? Isn't it better to marry a good man, have children, and be a leisurely lady? What if something happens on the battlefield..."
At this point, Gao Xuan stared into space, muttering, "What if something goes wrong? How can I face Rong'er in the underworld?"
"Can you go see your wife now without any regret or guilt?" Yan Jing interrupted coldly, "Why don't you think about how to see General Wen first."
Gao Xuan's voice suddenly stopped, he lowered his head slightly, and after a moment he smiled softly and said, "Yes, I am sorry for him. I know the pain of losing a loved one, but I still let the Wen family suffer this misfortune. I am willing to work like a slave for him in my next life, but..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his head and looked straight at Yan Jing: "But, Le Rong is innocent, she knows nothing. If she has an accident, I will not let you go even if I become a ghost."
"What do you mean, General Gao?" Yan Jing narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his voice.
"Master Yan, do you really think that I'm old and confused?" Gao Xuan said in a deep voice, "You didn't come here just to mock my old bones, did you?"
"There won't be any outsiders here. Tell me straight away, what do you want to do?"
As expected, a general is definitely not an ordinary reckless man. Even Gao Xuan is very careful and meticulous.
It’s a pity that I guessed wrong.
but……
"General Gao, are you sure you want to talk to me like this?" Yan Jing followed his guess and continued, "I don't believe in gods and ghosts. Even if you can really crawl out of the underworld, what can you do to me?"
He slowly squatted down and looked at Gao Xuan, who was disheveled and had a dirty face. "But now, I am the only one who can help Gao Lerong."
"The son-in-law you chose is the Minister of Revenue, which is indeed enough to protect your daughter for life, but as long as you die, your daughter will have no one to rely on. Are you sure that he will stay with a woman without any help for the rest of his life?"
"You!" Gao Xuan suddenly lunged forward, trying to break through the iron bars and grab Yan Jing, but there was only a dull "clang" sound, and the shackles on his neck tied him tightly, so that he could only barely grab the railing. "This is different from what we agreed! You said that as long as I let those assassins and the bear in, then..."
Because the force was too strong, deep red marks were left where the shackles touched the skin, and there was a glimmer of hope that they would break.
According to Dahua law, a married woman is considered part of her husband’s family and can be exempted from major family sins.
As long as Gao Lerong gets married, he will have nothing to worry about.
But what Yan Jing meant by this was to overturn all of this?
"Yes, I did." Yan Jing stood one step beyond the railing, watching the man's struggle calmly, "So what?"
The color on Gao Xuan's face instantly faded, and his eyes widened, as if he didn't expect him to say that.
So what?
Yeah, so what...
If anyone is to blame, he can only blame himself for being gullible and stupid.
The strength of his struggle suddenly dissipated, Gao Xuan slowly let go of the railing in his hand, lowered his head and humbly said: "What do you want? I have nothing..."
Suddenly, he realized something, raised his head and looked at Yan Jing strangely, and asked tentatively: "You said that the Minister of Revenue cannot protect Le Rong for her whole life, does that mean you want to marry Le Rong..."
"No!" Yan Jing rejected it immediately, with such speed and determination that it seemed as if he would have met with misfortune if he had said it a second later. "Don't make random guesses."
Gao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since he knew Yan Jing's true identity, he had given up the idea of marrying his daughter to Yan Jing.
With his cleverness, there's no telling how her innocent daughter will be played with after she marries him.
Then he pulled himself together and asked, "What do you want?"
"I want, a reputation." Yan Jing stared into Gao Xuan's eyes and said word by word.
Gao Xuan was stunned when he heard this, and asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"
"General Wen was loyal to his country all his life, but he died on the battlefield as a criminal. His daughter has been on the run because of this unfounded crime and has been unable to return to the capital."
In the empty prison, Yan Jing's voice was not loud, but it spoke loudly: "I will restore their due honor and reputation."
Looking at Yan Jing's expression, Gao Xuan knew that he was serious. His pupils shrank instantly and he couldn't help but say, "Of course I also want to restore General Wen's reputation! But this case is..."
When he talked about that title, he suddenly fell silent, only raised his hand and pointed upwards, and then added the second half of the sentence: "The final verdict has been made, who can overturn it?"
Yan Jing didn't answer directly, but only asked: "How did General Wen die?"
Gao Xuan was stunned. The memory that he had deliberately forgotten was revealed, instantly sweeping over all his nerves and making it hard for him to breathe.
His breathing stagnated, he lowered his head, and said with difficulty: "I killed him."
"General Gao, please be responsible for what you say." Yan Jing reminded him softly, as if he suddenly had patience, and slowly led him, "Why do you want to kill him?"
"What do you mean I want to kill him? I don't want to kill him at all!" Gao Xuan frowned and refuted, "Didn't you guess it a long time ago and come to me for a deal?"
"That gentleman only told me to put a secret letter under General Wen's pillow and add a seasoning to the food. I tasted it myself and found that it was just an ordinary seasoning that I was willing to let General Wen eat!"
He had already made preparations. Once he got what the gentleman promised him, he would claim the secret letter himself and would never let General Wen take the blame for him.
But who knew that the secret letter contained a colorless and tasteless medicine, which, when combined with the seasoning, became highly toxic.
When he got what he wanted and was about to confess his crime to General Wen, what he saw was Wen Jian's body.
By that time, he was in a difficult situation.
"Since it is your fault, then let the world know about it." Yan Jing stood up slowly.
"What should I do? Even if I write it in black and white, it will be..." Gao Xuan lowered his head dejectedly, at a loss.
"Black and white on paper?" Yan Jing gently brushed off the dusty robes, his eyes lightly sweeping over his figure, "It's just a grandiose embellishment."
Hearing this, Gao Xuan looked up in confusion: "What do you mean?"
Yan Jing calculated the time, tilted his head and looked towards the entrance. As expected, he saw the figure of the jailer, and then he just said: "General Gao, you are not completely helpless at this moment."
"There is one thing that everyone is born with, isn't it?"
As he was speaking, the jailer had already arrived in front of him and bowed to him: "Master Yan, the time is up."
Yan Jing stopped there and nodded to the jailer: "Okay, let's go."
The leather boots with golden threads slowly moved away. Gao Xuan was still pondering the meaning of Yan Jing's words, and his eyes slowly lowered to look at his palm.
Everyone is born with a chip...
Could it be...
Yan Jing and the jailer walked out of the dungeon and took a few steps. He seemed to be talking to himself: "How is it? Do you have an answer in your mind?"
The jailer followed him closely in silence, only to stop and turn to look at the cell door.
There was an extremely complicated look in a pair of amber eyes.
"Miss Wen."
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