Chapter 55: The silver mask turned out not to be an illusion, it was really Jiang Cichen...
Luo Wan didn't stay long. When he returned to the inn, Jiang Yuanan was still sleeping soundly.
At dawn the next day, the two were awakened by the noise outside the inn.
The sound of hurried footsteps, the clanging of metal, and shouts mixed together: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Luo Wan opened the window and looked down, and saw several teams of Yinan soldiers hurried past with spears in hand.
The war horses neighed, making a deafening sound, and a group of cavalry galloped past the inn door.
The moment Jiang Yuanan saw who was leading the group, she immediately rushed out of the inn. Luo Wan watched her run for a distance with an expressionless face, then finally sighed and used her Qinggong to catch up and stop her.
Jiang Yuanan wanted to get around but couldn't, and stamped his feet anxiously: "Sister Luo, why are you stopping me?"
Luo Wan said, "There's a war going on up ahead. Do you want to join the fight? Are you helping your Xiliang army, or your beloved Jiang Cichen?"
Jiang Yuanan didn't care how Luo Wan knew what she was thinking. She said, "Of course not to join the war, but to force them to stop fighting! We can't fight. Many people will die in a war!"
Luo Wan asked her: "How do you plan to make them stop fighting?"
Jiang Yuanan's face was very serious. "Of course I'm telling the invading Xiliang army to stop! I'm the princess of Xiliang, they dare not disobey me."
Luo Wan asked, "Are you planning to stand on the city wall and tell the Xiliang army that you are their princess, and then ask them to stop?"
Jiang Yuanan nodded, his eyes firm.
"You are so naive."
Luo Wan's voice dropped. "Not only will this not stop the Xiliang army, it will actually give them a reason to advance. The Xiliang princess appeared on Yunguo's city walls for no apparent reason, yelling at them to cease fire. Which is more likely, you ask, that the princess volunteered, or that she was abducted and forced into a coercion? For the Xiliang people, who have always coveted Yunguo's city walls, which one will they choose to believe?"
Jiang Yuanan pondered for a moment and realized that he was too rash. Feeling very guilty, he went back with Luo Wan, lowering his eyes and not saying a word, as if he was thinking about something.
"Sister Luo, what should I do?" Jiang Yuanan mustered up her courage. "I don't want to stand by and watch. After all, I am the princess of Xiliang."
Luo Wan looked at the rising sun and said calmly, "Protect yourself and don't die in Yun Country."
Jiang Yuanan kept it in mind. She stayed in the inn until the end of the battle. Although she was absent-minded, she was obedient and honest.
It was not until the setting sun slowly slid towards the horizon that the sounds of fighting outside the city gradually subsided.
These kinds of small skirmishes happened almost every day in Yinan City, sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes in the early morning, depending on the mood of the attackers.
The people here were scared to death at first, but later a governor came to Yinan City, and since then, the Western Liang army has never hurt them again.
This kind of small-scale war was nothing new, and a saying spread throughout the city: "Governor Jiang won't let them get in."
This is what Luo Wan heard from the innkeeper.
Because Jiang Cichen led his troops to fight, Luo Wan's unilateral negotiations had to be delayed.
Cheers suddenly rang out on the long street. The triumphant soldiers returned, surrounded by the people. The blood on their armor had not yet dried, but the smiles on their faces were very bright.
Is it a victory?
Luo Wan looked at the collapsed city wall in the distance, where craftsmen were repairing it in the last daylight. Meanwhile, at a new grave on the outskirts of the city, someone had already burned paper money to summon the dead.
The Western Liang army didn't care about this small border town at all. Even if they captured Yinan City, the benefits to Western Liang would be minimal. What they wanted was to wear Jiang Cichen down here, grinding his spirit bit by bit into the northwest wind and sand.
In the evening, Jiang Yuanan confessed to Luo Wan the purpose of her coming to Yinan City.
"Sister Luo is so smart, she should have guessed it long ago." Jiang Yuanan pursed his lips and said after a moment, "My feelings for him are no secret in Xiliang."
The crowd on the long street gradually dispersed and silence returned.
After a long while, Luo Wan asked her, "Do you want to see him?"
Although Jiang Cichen is arrogant, Luo Wan trusts him and asks him to send Jiang Yuanan back to Xiliang. This not only fulfills Yuanan's wish, but also prevents Xiliang from sending troops to Yun Kingdom on the pretext of the princess's disappearance.
*
The night enveloped the long military camp. Torches were stuck on the tall wooden fences around the tents, and the flames swayed in the night wind.
The campfire in the camp was still going out, and several fires were still burning. The firewood occasionally burst into a slight crackling sound, and sparks flew everywhere.
Soldiers on night patrol walked by with torches in their hands.
The people of Yinan City got along well with the soldiers. When there was no fighting, the soldiers helped the people with farm work and repairing their houses.
People's lives were difficult. The land in the south city was barren and the crops were poor, but there were still kind-hearted people who sent the food they grew and the poultry they raised to the military camp.
Even though the army's food and fodder supplies were insufficient, soldiers rarely accepted things sent by the people.
The patrolling soldiers saw two girls standing outside the military camp and thought that they were civilians who came to deliver gifts to the Southern Army as usual, out of sympathy for the battle today.
The soldier walked out of the line and advised: "It's getting late, go back."
Jiang Yuanan was confused: "I haven't told you why I'm here? I want to see Jiang Cichen."
The soldier smiled, thinking it was a young girl in the city who was madly in love with the governor. Unfortunately, the governor never interacted with women. "Do you think you can see Governor Jiang whenever you want?"
"I..." Jiang Yuanan was about to introduce herself when she remembered Luo Wan's instructions. The Southern Army and the Western Liang Army were constantly at war, and they were already irreconcilable. She couldn't easily reveal her identity. She asked, "Why can't we meet?"
Luo Wan stood by with her arms folded, watching Jiang Yuanan negotiate with the soldiers, and she seemed to have not forgotten what she had taught her.
The soldier said, "Governor Jiang is very busy and has no time to play house with you. If you want to express your condolences, just send your condolences."
Jiang Yuanan was helpless and had to turn to Luo Wan for help.
Luo Wan lowered his eyes and looked at her, smiling slightly.
Jiang Yuanan had been accustomed to living a life of luxury since childhood. As the only daughter of the King of Xiliang and the only princess of Xiliang, she was always met with the humbled gaze of the palace maids wherever she went.
This kind of pampering may be a little hypocritical, but it did not make her arrogant and domineering. Instead, it made her innocent and naive.
This girl was indeed somewhat naive, but in a lovable way. Even more remarkable was that, despite being born into a wealthy family, she was able to understand the suffering of the common people and truly possessed the bearing of a princess.
Jiang Yuanan's path should not be limited to finding a son-in-law or marrying a foreign princess.
Needless to say, marriage alliances have been a thorny path paved with blood and flesh for women since ancient times. Not to mention the absurdity of sharing a husband.
The King of Xiliang's fondness for the little princess was known throughout the country. The possibility of marrying her off to a prince consort was indeed much greater than marrying her off to a distant land.
But the number of men in this world who want to rise to the top by becoming a royal consort is probably greater than the grains of sand in the northwest.
For example, a man like Chi Jingan, who appears gentle on the surface but is full of calculations inside, initially showed great respect to Ye, but what happened in the end?
All in all, it is not a bad thing to train Yuan An's mind and give her the power to protect herself.
Luo Wan said to the soldier, "Sir, there's no need to bother the governor with any more words. Just tell him the words 'Tingyu Tower' and he'll understand. Even if he doesn't want to see you, it's just a small expense. It's better than delaying important matters and being criticized."
The soldier is a discerning person.
The two men in front of him did not have the temperament of ordinary people. I heard that Governor Jiang had many loyal subordinates in the Northern Kingdom.
He thought for a moment, then nodded and went in to pass the message.
Soon, the soldiers returned.
More than one person.
The night wind suddenly blew hard, and the light of the torches on the wooden fence shook violently with the sound of footsteps.
The leader was a stranger.
Qin Yue shouted: "Surround them!"
The sounds of armor colliding and swords being unsheathed blended together.
The originally quiet military camp suddenly became lively, with dozens of soldiers rushing in from all directions.
A cold light flashed, trapping Luo Wan and Jiang Yuanan in the center.
The superiors said that the man who came had unfathomable martial arts skills, and the governor had to take his head personally.
The soldiers did not dare to move forward easily, and the encirclement became tighter and tighter.
Luo Wanxin sighed that Jiang Cichen was really moody. It was clear that their relationship had eased when they parted ways in the capital.
She submitted evidence of the Chi family's crimes, and Jiang Cichen took the opportunity to break an arm of the Gu family. Even if they were not allies, they were no longer enemies.
Now he sent troops to encircle her. I really don’t know what he is trying to do.
Qin Yue pointed at Jiang Yuanan and said, "First, take down the one who doesn't know martial arts. Leave the one who knows martial arts to the governor."
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier raised his foot.
"presumptuous!"
Jiang Yuanan's cry was like the sound of a jade chime, ringing remarkably clear in the still night. Even Luo Wan was stunned for a moment after hearing it, let alone the soldiers.
The soldiers froze in place, looking at each other, their weapons unconsciously lowered a little.
Jiang Yuanan angrily said, "How many heads do you have? How dare you stop... me?"
At this moment, a voice interrupted and said, "This is the first time someone has said something impudent in front of me."
Before Luo Wan could turn her head, a fierce palm wind was already approaching her ear, and the strong wind lifted up a few strands of her scattered hair.
At this moment, the moonlight penetrated the clouds and illuminated Luo Wan's face.
Jiang Cichen's breathing stopped for a moment.
Those eyes, cold as frost, were so familiar that they made his heart tremble.
In his peripheral vision, Luo Wan seemed to see a silver mask. The exquisite silver mask was emitting a cold luster under the moonlight.
But she clearly recognized that it was Jiang Cichen's voice.
After one move, the man unexpectedly stopped and stood still.
Luo Wan's eyes darkened, and she had no intention of stopping. How dare this man attack her in such a despicable way!
A palm landed heavily on his left shoulder, and the internal force surged into his lungs like a tide.
Jiang Cichen groaned, staggered back a few steps, a fishy and sweet taste surged in his throat, and when he looked up, blood was already oozing from the corners of his mouth.
The night wind suddenly became quiet.
Luo Wan finally saw the silver mask clearly.
She had seen Jinxi City and the Red Mansion in the capital.
The young man surnamed Xiao.
Luo Wan stepped closer to the man, and Qin Yue immediately blocked her with his sword.
"Stand back."
He spoke, his voice much deeper, no longer the careless tone of the arrogant young man in his memory.
Luo Wan unconsciously slowed down his breathing.
The next moment, cold fingers touched the edge of the man's silver mask.
The soldiers around were all surprised. No one had ever touched the governor's face before.
Everyone was stunned and didn't dare to act rashly.
There was an indescribable emotion in the eyes beneath the mask, like joy and sadness.
Perhaps even Luo Wan himself had forgotten what kind of mood he was in when he wanted to take off the mask. In any case, it would not be like this now.
The mask was slowly lifted, revealing a power that could easily make people sink.
The young man's face was not much different from the one she saw last night. Perhaps it was because of the sudden change or the palm strike just now, but the sharpness between his brows had not diminished, but it looked a little more vicissitudes of life.
It turns out it wasn't an auditory hallucination.
It really is Jiang Cichen.
The stars fell like broken silver.
Jiang Cichen stared at Luo Wan's face for a long time.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: The soldiers' inner thoughts were: Girl, before you, only blood had touched our governor's face *^O^*
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
