Chapter 68: How are you? It turns out Shen Zhiyan is just like that...
After the Yinan Army captured Weizhou, the Yulin Army took control of Weizhou City.
Only after the war was completely over did they prepare to leave Yinan City and return to Yunjing.
Before leaving, Luo Wan received a reply from the secret agent:
"Based on the clues provided by the poster, we looked through the information about the Jiang family of the Northern Kingdom and the royal family of the Yun Kingdom from twenty years ago and found that they are indeed inextricably linked.
The Northern Kingdom's secret agents never recorded Jiang Shu's wife's real name; the servants simply addressed her as Madam Jiang. We interviewed the surviving elderly residents of the Jiang residence who left the area long ago, and they recall that Jiang Shu called his wife Qing'er. Meanwhile, the Yun Kingdom had a princess named Xiao Qing who died young.
"The rumors spread in the Northern Kingdom that Jiang Shu and his wife were hunted by the Yun Kingdom are untrue. Even with the extermination of the Xie family, the Yun Kingdom never sent a single soldier. The soldiers who pursued Jiang Shu and his wife were from Kunyi's personal guards. This was all the work of the Northern Kingdom, or more accurately, Kunyi himself."
Jiang Cichen, the princess's orphan, everything suddenly made sense.
It was precisely because of this blood relationship, this strong bond with the Yun Kingdom, that Jiang Cichen chose not to establish his own faction, but instead fought for the Yun Kingdom. It was also this blood relationship that convinced the Yun Kingdom Emperor to forgo his rescue efforts and accept him with open arms.
Furthermore, a cloud of suspicion lingered in Luo Wan's heart. If the deaths of Jiang Shu and his wife had nothing to do with Yun State, why hadn't Jiang Cichen been informed of the matter for the past twenty years? The Yun State Emperor watched his grandson, filled with hatred for him, capture five Yun State cities.
Is it that he doesn't want to say it, or is someone not letting Jiang Cichen hear it?
Inside the tent, Luo Wan lit the piece of letter paper. The flames burned away, leaving only ashes that scattered in the wind.
After a short rest after the war, they prepared to set off. The four of them bid farewell to Qin Yue and the soldiers, and left the Yinan military camp on horseback.
Luo Wan was a little confused. Why were there only four of them leaving? Didn’t Jiang Cichen have any other personal guards around him?
In the capital, Luo Wan knew that Jiang Cichen had his own personal guards. The scene of Chen Nanyuan leading his guards into the broken courtyard and fighting with Bei Yeji's death squad was still vivid in her mind.
For such a major event as going on an expedition, it would have been more convenient to bring personal guards with him, but he didn't bring any.
Could it be that they are all dead?
Luo Wan wanted to ask, but was afraid of touching on Jiang Cichen's sad past, so she didn't ask.
Jiang Cichen saw her looking around before leaving and said to her, "I only brought Xie Yan and Chen Nanyuan here."
Luo Wan followed up his words and asked, "Where are the others?"
"Chen Beizhe will stay at Yanyun Pavilion. As for the rest," Jiang Cichen said calmly, "I'm a traitor. I can't let them risk the lives of their entire families and follow me in treason."
He said it calmly, not caring at all.
That being said, besides these three, was there no one else who chose to follow him? Then wouldn't he, a former major general, have failed miserably.
*
Several people set off on their journey under the cover of night.
Xie Yan suddenly asked, "Have you figured out how to deal with your uncle after you go back?"
His voice was neither too high nor too low, just loud enough for Luo Wan, who was standing beside Jiang Cichen. Jiang Cichen's mother was the Princess of the Yun Kingdom, so his uncle was naturally the Prince of Yun. From Xie Yan's tone, it seemed as if Jiang Cichen and this uncle had a long-standing grudge.
Jiang Cichen said nonchalantly, "He's just a piece of trash. He has nothing but a pair of ears that listen to slander. He's useless."
Xie Yan smiled and said, "That's right. I really don't understand why he is so hostile to you. After all, you and he have no vested interests in each other. This time when you go back, he won't have much to say."
A few people chose an open space to rest, tied their horses to a tree, and lit a bonfire.
Luo Wan thought about it and felt that this matter was not simple.
How did Jiang Cichen, the descendant of a princess, ascend the throne to become emperor? Was it really as he and Xie Yan had said, that he and his uncle, the prince, were at loggerheads, and would one day replace him?
Chen Nanyuan diligently distributed Hu Bing to everyone. When it came to Luo Wan, she was still immersed in her own thoughts, weighing it over and over again. Would a person like him really leave Shen Zhiyan as a hidden danger?
Luo Wan paused for a moment before reaching out to take the Hu Bing.
The order of taking turns to keep watch was arranged, and Luo Wan was assigned to the last shift.
When I woke up, the sky was still dark, only the bonfire was crackling, and Jiang Ci Chen was sitting alone by the fire.
Judging from the direction of the stars, it was already time for her to keep watch, but Jiang Cichen did not wake her up.
Luo Wan came down from the tree and sat down beside him silently.
Jiang Cichen saw her and asked softly, "Why are you awake?"
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
Jiang Cichen said calmly, "I called you, but you didn't wake up."
Luo Wan has always been a light sleeper, the type that would wake up at the slightest disturbance. There was no such thing as Jiang Cichen being unable to wake her up.
Knowing that he was lying, Luo Wan did not expose him, but just said: "I'll watch, you go to sleep for a while."
Jiang Cichen raised his eyes to look at the starry sky and said, "It's almost dawn, I won't sleep anymore."
"Not sleepy?"
"Not sleepy."
Luo Wan didn't like forcing others, so since he said he wasn't sleepy, she didn't try to persuade him.
In the silence, Jiang Cichen suddenly turned his head and stared at her. Luo Wan did not dodge and met his gaze.
Jiang Cichen suddenly said, "Shen Zhiyan has replied to your letter."
As he spoke, he pulled out a letter from his sleeve. Chen Nanyuan had secretly given it to him during his shift change. It was obvious that Chen Nanyuan didn't completely trust Luo Wan, so he didn't give the letter directly to her, but gave it to Jiang Cichen first.
That night, when Luo Wan was bending over the desk to write a letter to Shen Zhiyan, he was right next to her and knew exactly what was written in the letter.
It was hard to imagine that Luo Wan, who was usually so aloof and reserved, would actually chat about family matters with Shen Zhiyan in the letter.
For example, asking about Shen Zhiyan's situation in the North Country was understandable, but she also asked about his relationship with Liu Shuyi. After writing, she showed it to Jiang Cichen and asked him if Shen Zhiyan would reply.
Jiang Cichen couldn't explain his feelings, his expression remained unchanged as he handed the unopened letter to Luo Wan.
Luo Wan took the letter with a confused look on her face. She didn't remember writing a letter to Shen Zhiyan.
Jiang Cichen added: "I sent it to him for you when you wrote it the night you were drunk."
Luo Wan opened the letter in disbelief and confirmed that it was Shen Zhiyan's handwriting. She hadn't seen it for a long time, but she could still recognize it at a glance.
Shen Zhiyan answered Luo Wan's questions one by one in the letter.
He was fine. In the court, one played the good cop and the other the bad cop. Bei Yeji did not completely trust the Gu family, and was also afraid of the Gu family's dominance. He would not do anything to him because of some old things.
Regarding him and Liu Shuyi, he told Luo Wan that Shuyi was pregnant with a new life and they were worrying about what nickname to give the child. Shuyi said that if she had any good ideas, she could write to tell them.
Seeing this, Luo Wan's eyes suddenly became hot and he almost shed tears.
The situation that was impossible to reverse seemed to be turning around little by little.
Shen Zhiyan is not alone; he has Liu Shuyi and their child. Perhaps one day in the future, when the Northern Kingdom is on the verge of extinction, he will choose between devoting himself to the Northern Kingdom and living well for his family, and he will choose the latter.
After the incident of delivering the message, Shen Zhiyan should have known that Luo Wan is now with Jiang Cichen.
In the letter, he expressed his concern for her situation and apologized for his behavior. He never asked her opinion before making a choice, which led to the disagreement between them.
But Luo Wan understood that Shen Zhiyan had no other choice at the time. She had already killed someone in the capital, and her identity was on the verge of being exposed. If she met the seriously ill Shen Zhiyan again, it would surely arouse suspicion of their relationship. If the princelings discovered her identity, they would definitely use her as a scapegoat to intimidate Shen Zhiyan.
But Shen Zhiyan didn't know at that time that she was leaving.
After Luo Wan finished reading the letter, she was really grateful to Jiang Cichen. She was grateful that he allowed her to write a letter to the enemy in the Yinan military camp, and she was grateful that he sent the letter for her.
She never had the courage to write a letter to Shen Zhiyan. If Jiang Cichen had not passed the letter on after she was drunk, she probably would not have had the courage to send the letter after she sobered up.
She said to Jiang Cichen very solemnly: "Thank you."
Jiang Cichen frowned almost imperceptibly. He didn't understand why a letter made Luo Wan so happy. It was just a letter.
But when he looked into Luo Wan's eyes, he couldn't say anything cold and hard, so he could only say, "It's okay."
Luo Wan repeated, "Thank you so much. Maybe you haven't understood yet, but Shen Zhiyan and Madam Shen are my benefactors. They have helped me a lot, so I also want to help him to the best of my ability."
Jiang Cichen was slightly stunned.
Luo Wan smiled and said, "Shen Zhiyan said that Liu Shuyi is pregnant. I used to worry that he would be alone and die with the Northern Kingdom."
Jiang Cichen sneered when he heard this. He had not forgotten what Shen Zhiyan said in prison before getting married.
It turns out that Shen Zhiyan is just like this.
Luo Wan had just put the letter away carefully when the sound of hurried horse hooves suddenly broke the silence in the forest.
Jiang Cichen immediately picked up the water bag beside him and poured it on the fire. With a hiss, the flames were extinguished instantly.
Luo Wan had just stood up and was about to wake up Xie Yan and Chen Nanyuan when he heard a man's voice: "Nephew! I know you're here. Your uncle is here to see you, and you don't even come out to greet him?"
The voice echoed in the forest, and Xie Yan and Chen Nanyuan, who were originally sleeping, immediately opened their eyes, and their bodies remained in their original posture without moving at all.
Xie Yan's words actually came true here so quickly.
The other party didn't hear the sound and whispered to his left and right: "Are you sure it's here?"
"Reporting to the prince, the spies saw them enter this forest with their own eyes. They have searched almost the entire forest, except for this one."
"search!"
There was another sound of footsteps, and a flicker of fire approached from a distance. People gathered around with torches in hand. All they could see were four horses tied to a tree and a fire that had gone out but still smoldered.
The leading man looked around, signaled his men to scratch all four horses, and said, "They haven't gotten far yet, chase them!"
Everyone holding torches was about to chase in all directions when the man suddenly changed his mind: "Wait."
The man snatched the torch from the soldier beside him, paused, then looked up with a sinister smile and threw the torch high into the air.
The burning torch drew an arc, and the towering tree with dense and intertwined branches and leaves was instantly illuminated, and the four people hiding in the tree were also reflected.
The moment the firelight illuminated Luo Wan's cheek, the branches beside her trembled violently, and she saw Jiang Cichen had already landed, accurately grabbing the man's arm and twisting it behind his back.
The man wailed, and reacted very quickly, twisting around and punching!
The surrounding soldiers immediately swarmed forward. Jiang Cichen took advantage of the situation to loosen his grip and kicked the soldier who rushed forward first hard in the chest. The soldier was kicked away, knocking over several people behind him.
The three people on the tree also landed and quickly dealt with this group of soldiers.
However, before they could catch their breath, the next moment, heavier and more deafening footsteps were heard, accompanied by more intense flames, and a large crowd of people surrounded them.
Luo Wan turned his head, and countless flickering flames reflected in his pupils.
"Walk!"
Luo Wan was suddenly dragged away by Jiang Cichen.
*
The sky was already turning a hazy gray, their horses were lost, and the enemy would soon catch up.
As soon as we rushed out of the woods, we saw an extremely luxurious carriage parked in the middle of a narrow dirt road, with four fierce horses in front.
The driver was a capable man. He turned around and said, "How are you, General Jiang?"
When Luo Wan heard this name, his heart began to beat. Only in the North would someone call Jiang Cichen like this.
The five of them stood in silence for a moment.
Xie Yan was the first to lose his composure: "Stop being so mysterious, Prince Sheng's men are coming after us soon."
The man's expression changed and he immediately said, "Oh! Get in the car, get in the car!"
The four of them quickly got into the carriage and it sped away.
During the bumpy ride, Jiang Cichen asked, "Did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ask you to come?"
Ah Tiao said, "The victory report has been sent back to Yunjing. His Highness was worried about you and asked me to come and pick you up. As expected, I ran into Prince Sheng's wonderful play."
A Tiao is the prince's confidant and personal bodyguard. No one can order him around except the prince himself.
Xie Yan teased, "Do you think that King Sheng would say 'Nephew, I know you're here' every time he arrives at a forest? And if he doesn't hear anything, he'll get furious and send people to search?"
Ah Tiao and Chen Nanyuan immediately laughed.
Jiang Cichen was originally checking Luo Wan's injuries. Upon hearing this, he chuckled.
Luo Wan seemed a little uncomfortable and whispered, "I'm fine."
After she finished speaking for a long time, Jiang Cichen noticed that her eyes were still on him, and he couldn't help but turn his head and ask, "Why are you staring at me?"
Luo Wan didn't respond, her gaze quietly sliding down from his cheek, finally stopping at his hand.
Jiang Cichen then realized that he had been holding her hand tightly in his panic. Now that he realized it, he didn't seem embarrassed. Instead, he looked at her for a moment with a slight smile on his lips before slowly letting go.
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