Chapter 60 The dust has settled. The betrothal gifts were not a cage that restrained her.
After watching the carriage drive away smoothly, Wen Ying withdrew her gaze and looked at Yan Jing: "Where's Chuntao?"
Yan Jing gently stroked the horse's neck and replied obediently, "At this time, Miss Chuntao should have just woken up in the mansion."
"So you tricked her into changing Gao Lerong into my appearance, and then had Gao Lerong pretend to be me in the carriage, in order to lure out the fifth prince?" Wen Ying mercilessly exposed his thoughts, "Didn't you think that Gao Lerong would encounter an accident? No, you should have expected it, so you did this."
"Miss Chuntao is kind-hearted. I believe she will understand me. After all, if I don't do this, a certain lady will not forgive me." Yan Jing spread his hands helplessly. Before Wen Ying opened her mouth to question him, he added, "As for Miss Gao, it was her own request."
Wen Ying's words were blocked, and she didn't know how to respond for a moment: "...You asked for it?"
With a smile in his eyes, Yan Jing said, "General, you should be able to understand why she did this."
Yan Jing was right. Wen Ying and Gao Lerong had similar backgrounds, so he could understand why Gao Lerong did this.
Her parents have passed away, and her life, which had been on track, has been disrupted.
Wen Ying had also experienced a dark and confused period. Her choice was to take risks, overturn her father's verdict, and regain her own glory and life.
Compared with Wen Rong, Gao Lerong lacks more than just determination.
And she had to wait for an opportunity to get her life back on track because of the sins she had been forced to bear due to the mistakes of her parents.
A chance for her to atone for her sins.
And Yan Jing was just following her wishes.
Thinking of this, Wen Ying suddenly remembered the red boxes that were like huge rocks pressing on her heart, and the extremely heavy marriage certificate.
If Yan Jing understood Gao Lerong's state of mind, he would naturally think of the reason why Wen Ying escaped.
Then, Wen Ying raised her eyes and looked into Yan Jing's eyes. Her deep pupils did not reveal his passionate emotions.
Her heartbeat was a little disordered. She pursed her lips and let the words linger on her tongue for a long time before finally speaking: "...Yan Jing, I am not an ordinary woman, I..."
Before she finished, Yan Jing already knew what she was going to say, but he just smiled, took her trembling hand, held it tightly, and said softly: "General Wen, between birds for people to enjoy and birds of prey that spread their wings and fly, I prefer the latter."
"I have no intention of keeping a flying eagle in captivity."
The gentle words blew away the haze in Wen Ying's heart, making her laugh out loud.
Yes, how could Yan Jing not know what her heart desires?
The betrothal gifts were not a cage that confined her, but a sense of belonging that opened the door to her.
This means that no matter where she wants to fly, Yan Jing is willing to wait and leave a treetop for her to rest at any time.
"Yan Jing, don't you want to ask the answer? I already know it," Wen Ying shook the man's hand and smiled, "I do."
The wind swayed in the bamboo forest, blowing the fine snow and the black hair like a waterfall into the distance. Yan Jing opened his eyes slightly, and his eyes, which were usually filled with emotions, suddenly became blank.
There is a lingering smell of blood all around, the cold winter wind and the gloomy sky are like flying dust, but the banished immortal who is not tainted by the mundane world feels that no moment is more perfect than this moment.
After a long time, the frozen air began to flow, and Yan Jing's lips slightly raised, with a smile spreading from the bottom of his eyes to his fingertips: "Thank you for not abandoning me, Miss."
"You say you won't give up on me, but you're so unconfident. That's not like you." Wen Ying just found it funny. She patted his palm lightly and then jumped on the horse. The golden armor was very eye-catching in the dim sky.
She raised her arms and shouted, "All soldiers, listen up! There is no time to rest. Regroup immediately. We must move forward at full speed on the rest of the journey!"
"yes!"
Yan Jing looked at the girl riding on a tall horse with a heroic figure, and the countless soldiers behind her responded with a clanging voice. His smile became even stronger, and he also responded, "Yes."
Wen Ying looked at Yan Jing and belatedly remembered the metaphor of birds and raptors.
[Between birds for people to enjoy and birds of prey that fly, I prefer the latter. ]
Yan Jing prefers birds of prey, doesn’t that mean… he never liked people like Liu Qing in the first place?
Wen Ying then realized that it was completely meaningless to toss and turn countless times at night, wondering whether Yan Jing loved 'Liu Qing' or 'Liming'.
Yan Jing loves her just as she is.
"My Lord, I should have stopped pretending." Wen Ying murmured to herself, feeling extremely regretful and tightening the reins in her hands.
Not only the road to revenge, but also her emotional journey turned out to be a long journey.
Yan Jing didn't hear what the girl whispered, but was amused by her annoyed expression. He turned his head away, put his hand to his lips to suppress the laughter that was about to leak out, and looked towards the other side of the imperial city.
The road they came from was covered with a layer of frost due to the light snow, and Yan Jing's smile gradually faded.
What he hadn't told the girl was -
The deal between Yan Jing and Gao Xuan was just to save her life from the emperor, and they had already settled the matter.
If Gao Lerong died because of this incident, it would mean that her martial arts talent was not enough for Yan Jing to protect her.
From the moment her father died, there was no one left to take charge of her life and future.
Her life and death, her future, all depend on her own ability.
·
The snow stops and the sun rises at the border.
"Report—the reinforcements sent by the imperial court have arrived!"
The soldiers rushed into the commander's tent, knelt down and reported to General Zhang Ding who was sitting inside, their joy evident in their tone.
They had been fighting with the demons for a long time and were almost out of ammunition and food. The reinforcements from the imperial court were like timely rain.
However, Zhang Ding did not seem happy. He had received a pigeon message in advance and knew that the commander-in-chief this time was a young girl.
Although she was the only daughter of the great general, he had never fought alongside him, so he did not hold much hope for this.
However, the most basic etiquette still had to be observed. He walked out of the tent slowly and faced the young general who was riding a white horse and galloping towards him.
He saw the petite figure on the horse, who did not look majestic even in armor, and he couldn't help but feel worried and dissatisfied.
Although Gao Xuan was imprisoned for an unforgivable crime, he might have been more content if the general who came was Gao Lerong.
After all, she still has her sister's blood in her body, and she also holds the title of this year's Heroine of Horseback Archery, so it's not impossible for her to give up her position.
But this one...I'm sorry, it's hard for him to obey.
War is no joke, how can we give the overall responsibility to such a weak girl? What if something goes wrong?
Give her a warning and let her go back to complain to His Majesty.
Zhang Ding made up his mind and walked to the camp gate and stood still.
The horse's four hooves leapt into the air, bringing up a gust of wind and warm sunshine. The girl came against the light, and the light and shadow made her face blurry.
She rode so fast that she left the army behind her dozens of meters behind.
Zhang Ding watched the horse galloping towards him, almost hitting his nose, when Wen Ying calmly reined in the horse: "Whoa--"
The dust and mud scattered by the horse's raised hoof happened to drip onto Zhang Ding's cheek.
His face darkened, he wiped the dirt off his cheek, took a step back and bowed, saying, "Greetings, General Wen, I am the Ruixue General, Zhang Ding."
Wen Ying nodded and said calmly, "I am General Lin Wei, Wen Ying. The emperor has ordered that I will lead the next battle."
After saying that, she dismounted and wanted to go directly to the commander's tent, but Zhang Ding stopped her.
She frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Why? General Zhang doesn't welcome me?"
"How dare I?" Zhang Ding said, but he didn't give in. "It's just that I have been in charge of the army for a long time, and I am worried that General Wen will not be able to regain the morale of the army for a while, so I specially ordered people to build an arena for the general to compete with the soldiers."
"If you can successfully defend the ring, everyone will understand your ability. Wouldn't it be more convenient to deploy troops then?"
Wen Ying narrowed her eyes slightly, sneered in her heart, but she did have a look of praise on her face: "General Zhang is right, you are very thoughtful. However, since it is a competition, there must be some stakes."
"How about we use our qualifications as commanders as a bet? If I lose a round, I will ask His Majesty to resign and replace me with someone else. How about that?"
Zhang Ding was stunned when he heard this. He just wanted Wen Ying to back off, but he didn't expect that this girl was so courageous and even added to the stakes.
But since she pushed herself into the fire pit, he naturally would not object.
"Just listen to General Wen's instructions." Zhang Ding agreed and was about to tell his men to prepare when he was stopped by a voice.
"Wait a minute." Wen Ying said calmly, "Since I have a bet, it would be interesting if there was a counter-bet, right? If I succeed in defending the ring, can General Zhang agree to one of my requests?"
"This..." Zhang Ding hesitated, but when he looked up at the girl's thin figure, then at his own strong and big muscles, he thought, why can't he win?
So he agreed without hesitation: "As long as it does not violate the laws of Dahua and public order and morality, and you successfully defend the ring, I will do whatever you want."
"That's great." Wen Ying nodded with satisfaction and waved to the soldiers around her, "Lead the way."
At this time, Yan Jingcai arrived late with his army. After hearing their bet, he slowly turned his head and looked at Zhang Ding.
Zhang Ding looked away guiltily. It was indeed not right for a grown man like him to bully a little girl, but it was also for Wen Ying's safety.
After he had excused himself for his behavior in his mind, he bowed to Yan Jing and said, "Greetings, Lord Yan. Thank you for your hard work along the way."
"It's not hard." Yan Jing's voice was cold, motioning him to get up.
When Zhang Ding looked up, he was suddenly struck by the look in Yan Jing's eyes, and couldn't help but be stunned.
This seems like... mercy?
"General Zhang, I have brought with me a lot of top-quality healing medicines and wine for bruises. Just let me know if you need them." After Yan Jing said this, he followed Wen Ying's direction.
Zhang Ding was left standing there in confusion. After a moment he touched his head in amusement.
What does that mean? Could he be seriously injured by a little girl?
How can a man of seven feet tall—
He was beaten so badly that his face was bruised and swollen, and he couldn't even lift a finger.
Blowing out a puff of smoke, Wen Ying calmly sat on Zhang Ding's back and tapped his head with her tobacco bowl, which happened to touch the wound, causing him to gasp.
But there was not even a trace left on the girl's golden armor.
"What do you mean? Is there anyone else?" Wen Ying's words were soft, but they reached everyone's ears in the silent air.
No one dared to answer.
Wen Ying subdued Zhang Ding with just one move, and it was so fast that it was impossible to see clearly.
So how long can they last?
Seeing that no one answered, Wen Ying looked at the "seat" under her again and raised her eyebrows and asked, "What about you? General Zhang, are you convinced?"
"I give in, I give in." Zhang Ding's face was in tears, but he didn't dare to show any big expression because of the scars on his face. He felt a stinging pain when he pulled the corner of his mouth a little.
You have to accept it.
He was unwilling to accept it at first, thinking that the move was just an accident, so he went from being slightly injured to being in this state.
If I had known this, I would have given up long ago.
"In that case, I win the defense." Wen Ying stood up from Zhang Ding, stretched, and casually said, "General Zhang, remember our bet. You have to run fifty laps around the camp. You are not allowed to eat if you don't finish."
Zhang Ding: …
Normally, 50 laps would be fine, and I would just be a little tired. But now I have so many injuries that it hurts every time I move, so how can I run?
Zhang Ding regretted his decision.
I'll go down and ask Lord Yan for some gold wound medicine and painkillers...
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