Chapter 100: Yanmen City waved to her solemnly
"Master Shen, I have no choice but to do this." Bei Yeji's voice echoed in the empty hall. "For the sake of the vast land of the Northern Kingdom and the dawn of the world, I can only wrong you."
The candlelight flickered restlessly. Shen Zhiyan tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the ink-and-wash screen at the side of the hall.
Bei Yeji continued, "I have no choice but to ask you to bear this charge. But I can't tell everyone in the Northern Kingdom that I sentenced you to death because you surrendered to the Yun Kingdom's army. That would break the backbone of the Northern Kingdom. Moreover, it is a fact that Jiang Cichen asked the Yun Emperor for permission. Of course, I believe that you have no intention of treason, but just in case..."
Before he finished speaking, the eunuch standing by stepped forward with an ebony tray and a deep wine cup on it.
"If you were really saved by Jiang Cichen, things would be very difficult to deal with. Emperor Yun doesn't want to hurt the relationship between grandfather and grandson, so I have to be the villain."
Beiye Ji glanced at the wine and said calmly, "This poisoned wine is called 'Absolute Crow'. Anyone who drinks it will surely die. In consideration of your years of loyalty to the country, I have reduced the toxicity and delayed the onset of the poison to five days. Your wife will not die in too much pain."
The eunuch understood, bowed, and carried the tray to the screen. He said in a shrill voice, "Madam Shao Shi, please."
Behind the screen, Liu Shuyi's figure was dimly reflected in the candlelight. Her eyes and Shen Zhiyan's suddenly collided through the gauze and light and shadow.
The flickering candlelight seemed to stop at this moment.
Emperor Yun wanted Shen Zhiyan to be torn into pieces in public. In order to prevent others from robbing the execution ground and causing Shen Zhiyan to escape, Bei Yeji held his vital point tightly and gave a cup of poisoned wine to his wife, Liu Shuyi.
Liu Shuyi slowly raised her hand, and her white jade-like fingertips lightly touched the cold wall of the cup. Under Shen Zhiyan's calm gaze, she drank it all in one gulp.
The empty cup was gently placed back on the tray with a slight crisp sound.
The eunuch held the empty cup and bowed as he retreated to Beiye Ji.
The emperor lowered his eyes and caught a glimpse of the empty bottom of the cup, his eyebrows raised slightly, almost imperceptibly.
*
The news of her escape spread from Yunjing to outside Yanmen. When Jiang Cichen heard the news, his eyelids twitched slightly.
captivity.
He wanted to do it, but he didn't dare.
She will never know that the moment she said she never wanted to see him again, Jiang Cichen turned and left calmly on the surface, but in fact his back was shaking uncontrollably.
Even Jiang Cichen himself didn't notice it.
It was not until he returned to the study and sat down in a daze, the water in the teacup in his hand kept splashing out due to the uncontrollable tremors, wetting the military newspaper on the desk, that he suddenly realized that he was far from being as calm as he had imagined.
After the Jingzhou war briefly subsided, the Yun State army immediately launched a war towards Yanmen.
Yanmen is the last line of defense of the capital, and the soldiers must fight to the death, and a fierce battle is inevitable.
The imperial decree came, Beiye Ji had agreed to sentence Shen Zhiyan to death in exchange for a ceasefire.
But Emperor Yun’s order was that Shen Zhiyan must die and the capital must be captured.
The emperor's cunning is unfathomable.
The wind started to blow. The sky was clear just now, but suddenly it was covered with dark clouds. The strong wind blew past with sand and dust, as if a rainstorm was about to come.
The news of the battle at Yanmen and Beiye Ji's order to execute Shen Zhiyan reached Tingyu Tower at the same time. Shen Zhiyan was executed at Yanmen three days later.
What is coming will eventually come.
One team of death warriors followed Luo Wan to Yanmen, while the other team waited quietly in Qiandeng Town outside Miao Territory.
Luo Wan had been to Yanmen in his previous life, but he didn't stay there for long, just passed by in a hurry.
She vaguely remembered that Yanmen was a prosperous city, but at this moment, the city was desolate and solemn everywhere.
The sky was filled with flames of war and the air was filled with the smell of rust and scorched earth.
The assassins were divided into three groups and sneaked into the city from different directions. The secret agents at Yanmen had already arranged everything, so it didn't take long to enter the city.
The day we entered the city was the third day.
The sky was overcast, the sun was not visible, and it was difficult to tell the time.
Only a cold command was heard from the direction of the execution ground, and a tall man was escorted onto the platform.
Luo Wan saw clearly that it was Shen Zhiyan.
While the war is raging outside the city, people inside the city are trying to cut off their own arms.
Luo Wan sneered in his heart, Emperor Beiye Ji was truly "wise".
The execution ground was crowded with people, and voices of discontent rose one after another:
"How could Master Shen be a traitor to the country?"
"The sun is shining, where is justice?"
"Mr. Shen is loyal and brave, he shouldn't have ended up like this!"
Luo Wan and his assassins hid in a high-rise building not far away, with their bowstrings fully drawn, waiting for the executioner to put the rope around Shen Zhiyan's limbs and neck.
There has never been a time like this time when beads of sweat appeared on my palms just by pulling the bow.
Just as the executioners finished tying the ropes and stepped back, arrows from the tall building shot out into the air!
Amid the people's screams, the supervising officer and the personnel fell to the ground.
Luo Wan and other assassins jumped down from a tall building. The sudden change frightened the horses at the execution ground, and they kicked their hooves and were about to go crazy.
At the critical moment, the scimitar in Luo Wan's hand flew out, accurately cutting through the five ropes at once, and then spun back into her palm.
Shen Zhiyan fell to the ground.
Luo Wan was about to go forward to check on Shen Zhiyan's condition when another group of masked men suddenly rushed out and engaged in a melee with the defenders. Their target was also Shen Zhiyan.
"Master, it's someone from Yanyun Pavilion!" Ah Qing recognized him immediately. He had been working as a secret agent in the capital for many years and there was no way he would be wrong.
Luo Wan frowned, Yanyun Pavilion, Jiang Cichen.
He still sent someone.
After a bloody fight, Luo Wan broke through the siege and came to Shen Zhiyan.
Master Shen, who used to be so handsome and bright, was only wearing a thin prison uniform, but he still couldn't hide the clear and bright look between his brows.
When he saw Luo Wan, he was not surprised, but just smiled slightly.
That smile was complex and difficult to understand. Luo Wan didn't want to delve into it at this moment. Her fingertips touched his warm arm and she said excitedly, "Great! You're still alive. I saved you!"
All these efforts have finally paid off.
She did not let the tragedy of her previous life happen again.
"Do you see clearly what kind of person Bei Yeji is?" Luo Wan supported his arm and stood up. "Under his hands, the Northern Kingdom will perish sooner or later. Stop working hard for meaningless things and leave with me."
Shen Zhiyan said gently: "A Luo, Shu Yi is still in the hands of the Yanmen guard."
"Master!" Ah Qing joined the remaining assassins and said, "For some reason, the people from Yanyun Pavilion suddenly withdrew again."
It seemed that Yanyun Pavilion came here only to ensure that Shen Zhiyan was rescued, and left after seeing Luo Wan rescue Shen Zhiyan.
"Ignore them." Luo Wan said, "divide into three groups and go find Liu Shuyi's whereabouts."
"yes!"
Aqing has been in the capital for so long that he knows all the gossip in the capital, and naturally he also knows what Liu Shuyi looks like.
After the assassins dispersed, Luo Wan looked at Shen Zhiyan and said, "Can you leave with me first?"
Shen Zhiyan paused to think, and finally nodded.
The city was already in chaos, with fires everywhere, cries of grief and groans deafening the sky, and riots and looting taking place in every street and alley.
The scene was tragic, but Luo Wan was not a saint. She had neither the ability nor the intention to care about the life or death of anyone.
On the way to the secret post, Luo Wan felt uneasy and couldn't help asking Shen Zhiyan for details.
For example, whether his son and Shen Mo are still in the capital. If Bei Ye Ji knew that he had left, would he attack his family? She should send more people to pick up his family.
Shen Zhiyan was unusually calm, but this calmness made Luo Wan feel a little inexplicably palpitating.
"Don't worry." Shen Zhiyan comforted her, "I've seen this kind of scene many times in Xiliang. They are all safe."
Perhaps to reassure her, Shen Zhiyan changed the subject: "How are you and Jiang Cichen?"
Luo Wan pursed her lips and said nothing.
Shen Zhiyan understood and sighed softly, "Perhaps letting you and the young master of the Pei family leave together was the best choice back then."
Luo Wan shook her head. Only in front of Shen Zhiyan would she show some childishness. She said, "If he and I leave, I won't be able to save you."
Shen Zhiyan was silent for a moment, then said, "A Luo, live for yourself."
Luo Wan disagreed with his words and said, "My life was saved by you and Madam Shen. If you are in danger, I will come to save you no matter what."
If she knew that Shen Zhiyan would die and still chose to stand by and watch, then Shen Zhiyan's death would definitely become a thorn in her heart, flowing in her blood forever.
As they were talking, the two men walked to the city gate. It was even more chaotic here, and most of the soldiers defending the city had fled.
Luo Wan wanted to leave this dangerous place quickly, but Shen Zhiyan suddenly stopped where he was.
A melodious sound of the zither floated down from the city wall, subtly penetrating the noisy voices. One had to concentrate and listen carefully to detect it.
Luo Wan only heard it after Shen Zhiyan stopped. She didn't understand why Shen Zhiyan stopped for the zither sound.
Shen Zhiyan looked up at the city wall and said, "I want to go up there."
"No." Luo Wan glanced at the city gate that was crumbling under the fierce impact. "The city gate will be breached soon. The Yun army is everywhere outside the city. You can't go up."
Emperor Yun originally wanted to kill Shen Zhiyan. When the Yun army saw him, they would definitely want to get his head and ask for the reward. If he went up at this moment, it would be like a sheep walking into the tiger's mouth.
Shen Zhiyan said softly, "The book should be on top."
Luo Wan immediately understood why he stopped.
"I'll go with you." Afraid he would refuse, she immediately added, "Otherwise, don't even think about going up."
As we spiraled up the narrow wooden stairs on the inside of the city wall, the clear sound of the zither became clearer and clearer, interweaving with the faint sound of war drums.
The person playing the instrument must be on top of the city wall.
When he reached the top floor, Luo Wan could vaguely see the dark army of the Yun Kingdom below the city wall through the window lattice.
Just as Luo Wan was about to follow Shen Zhiyan out, Shen Zhiyan suddenly said, "I have something I want to say to her alone. Wait here for me."
Even inside the house, he could see the situation outside clearly, and Luo Wan caught a glimpse of Liu Shuyi's figure.
She sat upright in a corner, with a guzheng in front of her and the defenders around her struggling to hold on.
After all, Shen Zhiyan and Liu Shuyi are husband and wife. In the final analysis, she is just Shen Zhiyan's friend. She can't get close to Shen Zhiyan and Liu Shuyi when they are together. That would be inappropriate.
Luo Wan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Shen Zhiyan turned around, pushed the door open, closed it, paused, and then gently lowered the bolt from the outside.
The woman playing the zither looked up at him and a smile spread across her lips: "You're here."
Shen Zhiyan nodded slightly. When his eyes touched her purple lips and the dark circles around her eyes, his expression froze almost imperceptibly, but soon returned to normal. He walked over and sat down behind her.
"I'm like this..." Liu Shuyi lowered his head, his fingertips curled unconsciously, "Did I scare you?"
"How could this happen?" Shen Zhiyan placed his hand on the back of her cold hand and plucked the zither strings with her. "It's me who has implicated you."
The clear and melodious sound of the zither rang out again.
Liu Shuyi leaned against him and asked softly, "Since you have left the execution ground and could have walked away, why did you come back?"
She was forcibly brought here by the garrison troops under the emperor's order to play the zither to cheer them on.
Shen Zhiyan's grip tightened slightly: "How can I bear to leave you here alone?"
Liu Shuyi's eyes were red, and he whispered, "It's just that Yue'er will inevitably be wronged..."
The child lost both parents before he was even one year old. It was their first time being a parent and they were so incompetent.
Shen Zhiyan said, "I have arranged for someone to take him away. His future life will be free from all these disputes."
At this time, outside the city wall, a young general wearing a mask raised his hand, and tens of thousands of Yun Kingdom troops drew their bows and aimed at the Yanmen defenders who were resisting stubbornly on the city wall.
Shen Zhiyan said: "If you are afraid, just close your eyes."
Liu Shuyi leaned back into his warm embrace, her ears filled with his steady heartbeat. She smiled faintly: "With you by my side, I'm not afraid of anything."
The masked young man's fingers gently fell.
In an instant, tens of thousands of arrows flew off the bowstrings, like a surging flock of crows, covering the sky and the sun, and roaring towards the Yanmen city wall!
It's getting dark.
Even the light that seeped into the room through the window lattices became pitifully thin.
The wooden door on the side was suddenly shattered, wood chips flew everywhere, and arriving earlier than the arrows were two shields whistling from the side, protecting Shen Zhiyan and Liu Shuyi exactly.
Luo Wan swung his sword to deflect the arrows and quickly rushed over to the two of them: "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."
When the two saw Luo Wan clearly, they were both slightly stunned.
When Luo Wan saw Liu Shuyi's condition, he was even more shocked.
No wonder Shen Zhiyan bolted the door. Liu Shuyi was poisoned by Jue Ya, and he planned to die with her.
But this poison was different. The toxicity spread much more slowly. Although Liu Shuyi's complexion was bad, it was far from the dark blue and dilapidated appearance he had seen in his previous life when the Jue Ya poison took effect.
"OP!"
Just at this moment, a team of assassins from Tingyu Tower arrived here.
"Take them to the secret base. Qingyun is there," Luo Wan said. "Perhaps... he can help Miss Liu prolong her life for a while."
There is no antidote to the Jue Ya poison, but Qingyun was able to develop a pill that could prolong Liu Shuyi's life for one or two years if taken before being poisoned. With this level of poison, he should be able to extend Liu Shuyi's life for a few years.
Shen Zhiyan's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but before he could open his mouth, he was picked up by the assassins of Tingyu Tower and quickly taken away without any explanation.
The rain of arrows stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and rays of golden light once again shone on the devastated city.
"Yanmen City has been broken!"
A sudden cry of surprise drew Luo Wan's gaze towards the city wall. She was isolated on the ruined tower, looking down at the figure sitting upright on the white horse.
Across a long distance, their eyes met.
Behind the young man, thousands of troops rushed into Yanmen City like a torrent breaking through a dam, raising a cloud of dust.
Amidst the clamor of war, brilliant sunlight poured down, casting a dazzling halo around him, and the silver mask covering his face reflected a sharp cold light.
Even without taking off the mask, one can tell that there must be an extremely handsome face underneath it.
Across the sea of blood and corpses, and the sky filled with smoke, Jiang Cichen curled his lips into a smile and waved at her seriously.
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