Chapter 97: The kiss was fierce. She suddenly heard the sound of clothes being torn...
Capital, Huangji Palace.
The green smoke of ambergris from the gilded incense burner rose straight up, but was crushed by an invisible pressure in front of the throne.
Beiye Ji sat on the Nine Dragon Throne, his knuckles turning white from the exertion as he tightly gripped the urgent military report that had just been sent from Jingzhou over a distance of 800 miles.
In the dead silence, there was a very light and crisp sound of silk paper being slowly torn.
"Jingzhou..." Bei Yeji gritted his teeth. "It's a crucial grain storage area, with a garrison of 50,000 soldiers, and yet they couldn't hold out for more than a month under Jiang Cichen's iron hoof! The vast Northern Kingdom has reached the point where it's completely without any generals left!"
An old official with white hair and beard stepped forward from the ranks of civil servants. "Your Majesty, the Yun Kingdom is going too far. The Yun Emperor is openly interfering in Northern Kingdom affairs, feigning peace talks, while allowing Jiang Cichen to capture cities and plunder territory, pushing deep into our heartland. He clearly wants to destroy our Northern Kingdom! If we show weakness again, our nation will be ruined! Your Majesty, I implore you to dispatch troops immediately to strike hard at the Yun army and restore our national prestige!"
"Send troops? With what?" Duke Gu's eyes were sharp. "Lord Li, do you know how many days' worth of military pay the treasury can sustain? Do you know how many soldiers are still available in the Northern Kingdom's main camp? If Lin'an and Jingzhou are lost, the northern defenses will be exposed, and the Yun Kingdom's cavalry will soon be able to strike directly at Huanglong. If the troops arrive at the city, the capital will be shaken. Who will bear the responsibility?"
Duke Gu turned to the throne and bowed deeply, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to temporarily cease hostilities and stabilize the Yun Kingdom! The Yun Emperor urgently needs an outlet for the grief of losing his son. Since he wants the Northern Kingdom to execute Shen Zhiyan, then let him be executed.
Although this is humiliating, it is a delaying tactic. Using Shen Zhiyan to buy the Northern Kingdom a chance to breathe is a last resort! "
The civil and military officials standing below with their hands hanging down trembled in unison and glanced at Shen Mo.
"That's absurd!" Another civil servant said, his eyes widening. "Master Shen was personally appointed by His Majesty to lead the expedition. He orchestrated a scheme to take the life of the Crown Prince of Yun, a feat he has truly accomplished. If our Northern Kingdom, under the threat of military force, were to execute its own important officials to appease the enemy, how would the people of the world view our dynasty? How would the counselors of the world be disheartened? Where would our national dignity be? Where would the hearts of our ministers be?"
"Lord Zhang is filled with righteous indignation!" Duke Gu sneered back, "Can the patriotism and loyalty you speak of stop Jiang Cichen's 100,000 cavalry? Can you save the people of Dawn who are about to be reduced to scorched earth?
Emperor Yun lost his son and was furious. Now he only wanted Shen Zhiyan's head. What's wrong with using a head to temporarily put an end to the war?
Do we have to wait until the Yun army reaches the capital and everything is destroyed before we can save the Yun Kingdom?"
"Duke Gu is so naive!" Lord Zhang said, "Who is Jiang Cichen? And who is Emperor Yun? If we kill Shen Zhiyan today, they will demand land tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow they will demand Your Majesty's submission!
"Today, beheading Shen Zhiyan chills the hearts of loyal ministers and generals throughout the world, and severing the last backbone of our Northern Kingdom! Once this precedent is set, who will dare to die for Your Majesty in the future? Who will dare to fight for the country?"
"Duke Gu's decision to execute Shen Zhiyan today was well-reasoned, but little did he know that Gu Zhuohan had let Jiang Cichen go twice. If it weren't for that useless son of yours, the Northern Kingdom wouldn't have fallen into such a predicament!"
Duke Gu was furious: "You..."
“That’s enough!”
A sudden angry shout came from the throne.
Beiye Ji stood up, his chest heaving violently, and looked at Shen Mo: "Shen Qing, do you have anything to say?"
Shen Mo said calmly: "I need to avoid suspicion and obey your majesty's decision."
After the court was dismissed, several important officials still remained in the Huangji Hall.
Duke Gu said, "There is one thing I have to report to Your Majesty. There are many people in the court, and to prevent those with ulterior motives, I cannot report it to Your Majesty."
"explain."
"This morning, a spy reported that Jiang Cichen had petitioned Emperor Yun to spare Shen Zhiyan's life."
Beiye Ji was stunned: "Why is he pleading for Shen Zhiyan?"
Duke Gu said, "Your Majesty, when you were still the Crown Prince, Shen Zhiyan and Jiang Cichen joined forces to check and balance the Prince's party and overthrow the Red Mansion. You should remember this."
Beiye Ji held his forehead with his hand: "Of course I remember."
How could he forget that year when he forcefully broke into the Princess's residence and engaged in a fierce battle with Kunyi? Obviously, he won in the end.
Duke Gu said, "Jiang Cichen is such an ambitious man that I dare to speculate that Xiao Ce's death may be related to him. The Yun Emperor is already over 70 years old, and Xiao Ce's son is only three years old. Xiao Qing and Xiao Ce are brothers from the same mother. As Xiao Qing's son, Jiang Cichen commands a large army, so it makes sense for him to support Xiao Ce's son to ascend the throne. By then, Jiang Cichen will be the most powerful minister in Yun State, and Shen Zhiyan..."
Bei Yeji narrowed his eyes and interrupted him: "Are you trying to say that Shen Zhiyan set up a trap to kill Xiao Ce as a token of his allegiance to Jiang Cichen?"
"Your Majesty, it is better to believe it than not to believe it!"
"I have my own considerations." Beiye Ji said, "Where is Shen Zhiyan now?"
"After Jingzhou City was captured, Master Shen retreated to Yanmen with the Jingzhou defenders."
Beiye Ji said lightly: "Yanmen..."
After Yanmen is the capital.
*
Deep in the underground palace, the damp and musty smell mixed with the faint fishy odor of the burning eternal lamp. Water droplets slowly seeped out from the mossy rock walls and dripped onto the uneven stone ground.
Beiye Ji stood with his hands behind his back. The young eunuch bowed and delivered a message. After listening, he snorted and laughed: "This teacher of mine only favors one student."
When Beiye Ji ascended the throne, Liu Zong withdrew from the court. He repeatedly invited him to come out of retirement, but was rejected every time. If it was his younger brother Beiye Si sitting on the throne today, would Liu Zong still do the same?
Lei Yuanjie came forward with a thin man holding a bowl of unknown liquid.
"Is this the poison you mentioned?" Beiye Ji frowned. The smell was too pungent.
Lei Yuanjie nodded. "This poison is called 'Absolute Crow'. My men have been meticulously developing it for many years. Once it enters the bloodstream, no medicine, no god, can cure it."
Beiye Ji glanced at the man covered tightly in a cloak and said, "But who can get close to Jiang Cichen?"
"We don't need to get close to him." Lei Yuanjie said with a sinister smile, "If someone he cares about shows up, he will naturally show up too."
Beiye Ji gently rubbed the jade ring with his fingertips and raised an eyebrow, "Master of Tingyu Tower?"
"That's right." Lei Yuanjie nodded. "The plague in Yangzhou City shows how much Jiang Cichen values him. And isn't there a bait beside Your Majesty that could lure out the Master of Tingyu Tower?"
"Tingyu Tower has spies all over the country, and there must be some in the capital as well. As long as we spread the news a little, someone will naturally pass it on to her."
"Jiang Yuanan..." Beiye Ji smiled coldly, "You really helped me a lot! If it weren't for her, how could I have known so easily that Jiang Cichen was accompanied by the owner of Tingyu Tower."
*
It was Qi San's second time delivering food, and Luo Wan couldn't quite recall how long it had been since. He only noticed the shadows of the trees in the courtyard growing thicker, and the weather growing hotter.
He took out the dishes from the food box one by one, his movements neither hurried nor slow. A piece of thin paper was stuck to the bottom of the plate. "I heard that Jingzhou has been captured."
Luo Wan said nothing, but quietly handed him the note that was to be sent to Tingyu Tower.
According to the distance between Yunjing and Tingyu Tower, it would take about seven or eight days for the letter to be transmitted back to Tingyu Tower and for the assassins to arrive in Yunjing.
The summer in Yunjing is extremely hot. In the afternoon, Luo Wan lazily lay in the rocking chair behind the house.
The housekeeper had already ordered someone to bring in a few boxes of ice and told the maid to fan the area.
The porcelain bowl on the small table was filled with iced fruit cubes brought by the housekeeper. Mixed with crushed ice, it brought a refreshing coolness when put into the mouth.
As summer began, such treatment happened every day. Luo Wan even began to wonder how much ice was stored in the ice cellar of General Lingyun's Mansion.
The little fox was also afraid of heat, so every afternoon, he would run to the back of the house to escape the heat with Luo Wan.
Life was so boring that Luo Wan named the little fox Tuanrong. He also gave each goldfish in the pond a name: Wang Yi, Duan Er, Zhang San, Li Si. Luo Wan could call out their names just by the difference in their scales.
While half asleep and half awake during his nap, Luo Wan felt his cheek being rubbed by the "little fox", which made him feel numb and a little itchy.
She unconsciously raised her hand and waved: "Tuanrong, stop it."
The "little fox" paused for a moment, then rubbed against her again, slowly moving from her cheek to her sensitive earlobe, with a deliberately slow rhythm that was different from that of small animals.
Luo Wan was sleeping soundly and didn't want to wake up, but was annoyed, so he reached out to grab the "little fox", but he only held a hand with thin calluses.
She opened her eyes instantly, and the young man looked down at her condescendingly, with his middle and index fingers held in her palms.
It was already completely dark without her knowing. She had slept for so long that it was no wonder she felt a little dizzy.
Jiang Cichen's eyes and eyebrows were cold, and his clothes were neat. He must have bathed and changed clothes before returning home after a long journey. The faint fragrance of cedar emanated from his body.
He looked at her silently for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned over.
A cool breath rushed towards her, completely enveloping her in an instant.
He put one hand through her legs and the other around her waist, easily lifting her up sideways.
When I walked into the inner room, I met a servant who was about to come in with dinner.
"roll."
The servant immediately bowed and retreated, not forgetting to quickly close the door tightly.
Luo Wan was thrown onto the bed in a daze. Before she could get up, she saw him raise his hand to untie the belt of his robe.
The outer shirt slipped off, revealing a smooth and fair chest, and the candlelight cast an ambiguous light and shadow on it.
It was not until this moment that Luo Wan understood what he was going to do.
Jiang Cichen held her slender neck with one hand, spread his five fingers, pressed his index and middle fingers against her chin to prevent her from moving, and leaned over to kiss her.
He bit and rubbed Luo Wan's lower lip, pressed against her lips and rubbed them, and his tongue forcefully penetrated into her mouth, grabbing her softness and entangled with her endlessly.
When Luo Wan briefly fell in love with the kiss and her hands subconsciously climbed up Jiang Cichen's neck, he tore off her outer robe. With a "swish", the belt that could not be untied was violently torn open.
A cool summer night breeze blew in, and a chill ran up his back, and Luo Wan suddenly woke up.
There were several new wounds on his body, bright red and very glaring.
Luo Wan turned her eyes away, and everything in the room was shaking in front of her eyes. She was like a lonely boat without a sail, floating on the waves of the vast and turbulent sea.
A drop of hot sweat suddenly fell on her collarbone. Jiang Cichen panted and asked, "Why don't you look at me?"
“…”
No response.
Jiang Cichen pinched her chin, forcing her to turn around and look at him, and was about to kiss her again.
Luo Wan grabbed his wrist in return.
The two of them were in a stalemate for a moment. Against the light and shadow, the young man's eyes were deep and dark, and his emotions could not be seen.
Jiang Cichen pulled back.
The abrupt feeling of withdrawal was as if an invisible hand suddenly grasped her heart, lifted it up high, and then dropped it hard.
After a long time, Luo Wan finally reacted when he heard the door close.
The entire bedroom was empty.
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