Chapter 82: Marriage: You know exactly how he treats you...
Xie Yan quickly laughed and said, "How could that be? We are allies!"
Upon arriving in Yinan City and meeting Qin Yue, they realized the situation in Weizhou was far more critical than they had anticipated. The Yinan army's path to the rescue was heavily blocked, making it difficult to move forward.
This time, Xiliang put all its efforts into competing with Yun Kingdom, but the main force of Yun Kingdom was deeply involved in a bitter battle with Bei Kingdom and could not split itself up, which resulted in the failure to capture Yangzhou.
The Yinan Army led by Qin Yue served as reinforcements, but they had little influence here, and the two outsiders, Xie Yan and Luo Wan, were just like decorations.
The Weizhou City before them had been under siege by enemy forces for many days, its walls damaged, smoke thick in the air, and the situation precarious. However, Luo Wan and Xie Yan were quite free, doing at most some unimportant chores in the rear, and occasionally lending a hand when manpower was short.
Xie Yan lamented that his talents were nowhere to be used. If he had known that this place was so quiet, he should have let Chen Nanyuan enjoy this peaceful life.
Luo Wan occasionally heard news about Jiang Cichen. He had captured two cities in a row, but the battle was brutal and the casualties were not light.
Qingyun wrote back to Luo Wan, attaching a prescription. When Biyue learned about this, he immediately mobilized the nearest undercover agents to prepare and send all the medicinal materials.
That night, Luo Wan sat alone outside the house, watching over a pot of simmering medicine. The medicine pot gurgled, and the bitter, strange aroma filled the sweltering summer night.
She raised her eyes and looked at the faint flickering lights on the top of Weizhou City in the distance, and occasionally looked towards the darkness further north.
Xie Yan walked up to her side, covered his nose and asked, "What the hell is that smell?"
"Medicine to restore internal strength."
"You can drink this?"
Luo Wan didn't say anything, his eyes flickering in the night.
Xie Yan handed her a secret report delivered through a special channel, his expression unusually solemn.
Luo Wan raised her eyes to look at him, took the thin roll of silk paper and unfolded it.
The handwriting was clear and cold. In the hot summer night, every word was like an icy needle, piercing her eyes fiercely:
"Western Liang and the Northern Kingdom have formed an alliance, becoming brotherly nations, to jointly attack the Yun Kingdom. To solidify the alliance, Princess Jiang Yuanan of Western Liang will soon depart to marry Bei Yeji, the Emperor of the Northern Kingdom."
The warmth from her fingertips instantly faded, turning icy cold. She unconsciously clenched the edge of the silk paper, making a slight scraping sound.
Jiang Yuanan and Bei Yeji.
For a moment, she felt it was ridiculous. Luo Wan had never imagined that these two names would be tied together in such a way and presented in front of her.
"When did it happen?" she asked as calmly as possible.
"The treaty was signed in the Northern Kingdom's capital three days ago, and the wedding procession is probably on the way." Xie Yan's voice was low and carried a hint of worry.
He knew Bei Ye Ji's character and methods too well. He and Jiang Cichen had personally experienced this cruel character and had paid a heavy price to escape from him.
Jiang Yuanan was simple and reckless, and her entering the capital was like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth.
If the alliance between the two countries is solid, Jiang Yuanan might be safe for now. But if there's even the slightest crack in the alliance, Beiye Ji will be the first to be killed.
As soldiers of the Yun State, they tried every means to break the alliance between the two countries, which indirectly caused Jiang Yuanan's tragic end.
After a long while, Luo Wan spoke up: "No wonder Weizhou has been unable to take over Yangzhou. Instead, it went from being the dominant force to being chased."
Xie Yan sneered, "The Northern Kingdom has probably sent their advisors. The Yun Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom have been fighting for so many years, they know each other's strategies perfectly. Using the same methods we used against the Xiliang people to fight the Northern Kingdom won't work."
Luo Wan said, "It is rumored that the King of Xiliang particularly loves his daughter and is willing to send her to marry."
What she least wanted to see in Jiang Yuanan happened.
Xie Yan sneered, "When peace lasts for a long time, it's natural for a father to be kind and a son to be filial. But when the country is in crisis, the prince must personally lead the army. How can a princess's life be compared to the eternal security of Xiliang? One must be loyal to the king, receiving his salary. The Princess of Xiliang is supported by the people, so when war breaks out, she should be at the forefront."
The medicine furnace suddenly made a gurgling sound and began to boil violently. Luo Wan subconsciously reached out to lift the lid of the furnace, but his fingertips suddenly shrank due to the high temperature.
Xie Yan sighed, took a cloth from the side, wrapped it around the lid, and opened it. An indescribable, extremely pungent and bitter smell instantly rushed up to the sky, choking him to the point of nearly passing out.
"Which old witch prescribed this recipe? It tastes so poisonous!" He suppressed his discomfort, poured the black medicine into a bowl, and handed it to Luo Wan.
Luo Wan took it: "Thank you."
"I don't deserve it," Xie Yan waved his hands quickly, "I'm just doing my bit to look after Ah Chen for him."
Luo Wan didn't respond to this. After a moment's silence, he suddenly asked, "Why did Xiliang send envoys to negotiate peace with Yun Kingdom before, but it ended in nothing?"
Before Xiliang and the Northern Kingdom formed an alliance, they sent envoys to negotiate peace with the Yun Kingdom, indicating that Xiliang's best option was the Yun Kingdom, not the Northern Kingdom. However, for some unknown reason, the negotiations failed. If Xiliang and the Yun Kingdom had successfully negotiated, would Jiang Yuanan not have been sent to marry?
Upon hearing this, Xie Yan stared at Luo Wan for a moment, then asked in disbelief, "Don't you know?"
Luo Wan looked at his expression, as if she had missed some important information, and asked puzzledly: "Know what?"
"The reason why the peace talks between Yun Kingdom and Xiliang failed!"
Luo Wan felt that it was really difficult for her to talk to Xie Yan. If she knew, why would she ask him?
Xie Yan looked at her clueless state and said, "Indeed, you were unconscious for two days, and when you woke up, Prince Xiliang was gone. At that time, the peace talks were going well, and Prince Xiliang proposed a way to consolidate the alliance: marriage."
Xie Yan paused, observing Luo Wan's expression. Luo Wan stared at the medicinal soup in his hand, lost in thought for a moment, an answer brewing in his mind.
"After all, it's common knowledge that Jiang Yuanan likes Achen," Xie Yan continued. "So Xiliang wanted to take advantage of the peace talks to facilitate this marriage, but Achen refused. When he learned of your kidnapping at the palace banquet, he was eager to leave. But the Prince of Xiliang pestered him and wouldn't let him go, demanding an explanation. He then humiliated the Prince of Xiliang, saying he despised the idea of a marriage alliance and wouldn't marry his sister."
Luo Wan's fingers holding the medicine bowl suddenly tightened, and tiny ripples appeared on the surface of the warm medicine soup.
It turns out that there is such a thing.
An extremely complex and indescribable emotion suddenly gripped her, worry about Yuan An's fate and shock at the chain reaction caused by Jiang Cichen's actions.
But deeper down, there was a subtle vibration that she was unwilling to acknowledge and delve into from the beginning to the end.
It's like placing a piece of red-hot charcoal on the surface of a frozen river. Although it doesn't melt the ice immediately, it brings temperature and cracks that cannot be ignored.
She had always believed that people like Jiang Cichen were the most adept at weighing the pros and cons. A marriage with Xiliang would bring him unprecedented benefits: stronger support, a faster path to revenge, and a more stable power.
So why not Jiang Cichen?
If it was all about profit, Jiang Cichen could have just feigned compliance, pretended to agree, and then found an excuse to shirk responsibility. With his cunning, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to maneuver around this, but he ruthlessly refused.
From the beginning to the end, it seemed that she was the only one who had been weighing the pros and cons.
The medicinal vapor was thick, and the voice in my heart stubbornly peeked out.
Luo Wan lowered his eyelashes and said in a flat voice: "Really? That's his style."
"Achen has always been a rather persistent person. You know exactly how he treats you." Xie Yan frowned. "So what are you afraid of?"
Luo Wan remained silent, and Xie Yan didn't say anything more. He got up and left.
No stars or moon could be seen in the dark blue night sky. Only thick dark clouds hung low over the shattered outline of Weizhou City, not allowing any light to penetrate.
*
After several months, Luo Wan's internal strength finally recovered to 70% to 80%.
After the alliance between Xiliang and the Northern Kingdom became known, the Yun Kingdom's Weizhou Army changed their usual tactics against the Xiliang Army. After a brutal siege, they gained a temporary respite. Amidst the rubble, soldiers and civilians quietly cleaned up the battlefield, the air thick with the smell of burnt and bloody debris.
At the rear of the Weizhou military camp, Qin Yue hurriedly ran into Luo Wan's house. Blood was dripping from his armor, and the scars on his face and body had not yet been treated.
Luo Wan was originally sitting on the couch harmonizing her internal energy, and was startled by his weak and unsteady side. The movement also alarmed Xie Yan who was sitting next door.
Just as she was about to speak, Qin Yue knelt down with his fists clasped together: "Miss Luo, please go to the wounded camp and see those brothers."
"What's going on?" Xie Yan followed in and frowned when he saw the situation.
"If you have anything to say, stand up and speak." Xie Yan went to help Qin Yue up. "We're all friends, so just talk openly. There's no need to kneel."
Qin Yue didn't move at all and knelt there stubbornly.
Luo Wanyu wasn't well-versed in medicine, and having been involved with the wounded battalion, she couldn't guess what had happened. Because of his injuries, he had spent the past few months in the camp merely assisting, or accompanying Xie Yan into the mountains to hunt for game to improve the food supply. Qin Yue's pretense meant he was asking for something truly significant.
She stepped forward, holding Qin Yue's arm with one hand, and said, "General Qin, just speak frankly. We are here to reinforce Weizhou. If we can help, we will naturally not stand idly by."
Qin Yue got the promise before he stood up and said, "I can't explain it clearly at the moment. Miss Luo and Mr. Xie, please follow me to the wounded camp to take a look."
The wounded camp is located on the easternmost side of the military camp. It is where the wounded live together, making it convenient for doctors to provide unified care.
As soon as we arrived at the fence of the wounded camp, we saw that all the military doctors coming in and out were wearing white gauze and had serious expressions on their faces. There was a faint, unsettling sour and rotten smell in the air.
Luo Wan glanced at the military doctors with their faces covered in white gauze and asked, "Is there some infectious disease among the troops?"
Qin Yue picked up the veil prepared on the side and handed it to the two of them, whispering, "It's the plague."
The three of them put on their veils and entered the wounded camp.
Xie Yan was puzzled and said, "Epidemics are rampant in the army. Although they don't happen often, they are not uncommon. Military doctors should have ways to deal with them."
Qin Yue shook his head and said, "Plague is not uncommon, but the symptoms of this kind of plague have never been seen by the doctors in the military camp."
As he spoke, Qin Yue walked over to a sleeping wounded man and carefully lifted the clothing around his neck. Suddenly, a horrifying sight came into view: the wounded man's wheat-colored skin was densely covered with blisters, ranging in size from soybeans to eyeballs, layer upon layer, a shocking sight.
This action woke up the sleeping wounded man, and an unbearable itch instantly came over him, and he reached out to scratch without thinking.
Qin Yue was unable to stop him, and the blisters on the wounded man's neck were scratched by him. Dark green pus flowed out of the blisters, and a strong, pungent, sour smell instantly spread.
Xie Yan frowned: "What is this thing? Why is it so disgusting!?"
After the itchiness passed, a piercing pain crept up his neck, and the injured person immediately covered the area where pus was oozing and cried out.
Qin Yue said anxiously: "Quick! Hold him down! Don't let him touch the wound. In this weather, inflammation can kill people!"
The three of them worked together to restrain the wounded man and gave him a bowl of tranquilizer to drink, and he gradually calmed down.
This operation alarmed the young man who was taking care of the injured. He rushed over and said, "General Qin, is there a cure? My brother is still waiting for help!"
Qin Yue said: "Take me to see your brother."
The four of them came to another wounded man. Compared with the previous one, this one was even worse.
The blisters on that person just now were only concentrated on his neck, but this time, the pus blisters had spread hideously to his cheeks and backs of his hands, leaving almost no skin left.
"How did it get so serious?" Qin Yue gasped. "Two days ago, it was just on my hands, but now it's on my face too."
The younger brother was so anxious that tears welled up in his eyes. "The military doctor said that everyone's constitution is different, and the spread may be faster or slower. Maybe my brother just has a bad fate..."
Qin Yue sighed and said to Luo Wan, "Miss Luo, this is the current situation. First, I felt dizzy and vomited, and then my whole body itched and blistered. This kind of plague has never appeared in the military camp. The military doctors have searched through medical books and ancient texts but have not found the root cause. They are really helpless. Miss Luo is a person of the world, you have traveled a lot and have seen more than us. I wonder if you have ever seen a plague with these symptoms?"
In her past life, Luo Wan had traveled extensively and encountered many difficult and complicated illnesses. Generally speaking, the symptoms of plague were fever, mental disturbances, and skin rashes. However, she had never seen anything like this, with its massive pus-filled blisters and foul-smelling discharge.
Luo Wan shook his head silently.
"What do you mean by shaking your head?!" The younger brother became excited upon seeing this. "Aren't you here to reinforce Weizhou? Don't you hold that medicine furnace with you every day? You..."
"Ali..." The injured man who had been unconscious on the couch suddenly moved, raised his hand with difficulty, trying to stop his brother who was out of control.
The moment he raised his arm, several huge pus bubbles at the bend of his arm suddenly burst due to this movement, and the pus inside splashed out!
Luo Wan felt his eyes suddenly get hot, as if something splashed in, and he closed his eyes reflexively.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com