Chapter 54 Xiliang Princess Jiang Cichen's future daughter-in-law...
The mountain road in Yunguo was winding. After walking for some time, they reached halfway up the mountain. A gray-feathered carrier pigeon fluttered down and landed on Luo Wan's shoulder.
After untying the bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg, the ink marks on the paper were still fresh: the new governor of Nancheng looks 90% like the person, and he is suspected to be the person the owner of the post is looking for.
According to the map of the world, this isolated city nestled between Xiliang and Yun Kingdom is poor, with dilapidated city walls that are easy to attack but difficult to defend. It seems that Jiang Cichen's journey in Yun Kingdom is not smooth.
It was early spring, nearing noon, and the constant travel had already made him feel hot. Furthermore, the wound he'd sustained from the high priest hadn't yet healed. Having heard about Jiang Cichen, Luo Wan wasn't in a rush and simply found a large rock to lie down and rest.
Not long after, a noise came to my ears, accompanied by the girl's complaints: "What a lousy road! You actually let me walk on such a rotten road? When I return, I will make you suffer the consequences!"
The clanging of armored vehicles approached from the corner of the mountain road. "Quick! They should be running in that direction! Chase them!"
The girl ran while complaining, "Why are you catching up with me again?"
When Luo Wan frowned and opened her eyes, she was met with a pair of watery almond eyes. The girl's golden hairpin was askew in her hair, and the hem of her goose-yellow skirt was torn in several places by thorns, making her look like a bird with its feathers blown off.
"Ah!" Jiang Yuanan was startled and took a few steps back. "Why are you so quiet here?"
Luo Wan looked at her speechlessly: "Why should I speak?"
Jiang Yuanan argued confidently: "If you scare people, they'll scare them to death. Do you understand?"
"I don't understand." After saying that, Luo Wan lay back on the stone.
As a princess, Jiang Yuanan naturally had to be accompanied by experts, both men and women, to protect her safety. So when she saw Luo Wan's dress for the first time, she guessed that she was a person from the martial arts world and a master.
Jiang Yuanan tugged at Luo Wan's arm. "Sister, please help me! Those people want to kill me. I'm the only princess of Xiliang, and my father is the King of Xiliang. If you save me, you'll enjoy endless wealth and glory in the future!"
Luo Wan half-closed his eyes and looked at her, Princess Xiliang?
According to Beiye Ji, is Jiang Cichen's future wife?
Judging from her dress, she does look like a princess, but a poor one.
She is so silly and cute, and she is so well protected. Her almond-shaped eyes are filled with innocence and ignorance of the world.
With such an identity, she could introduce herself to everyone she met without fear of being kidnapped and threatening her father, the King of Xiliang.
The footsteps of the soldiers were getting closer and closer. Jiang Yuanan fluttered his big round eyes and waited pitifully for Luo Wan's response.
Luo Wan said: "Why should I help you?"
She no longer has the interest to help others when she sees injustice.
Jiang Yuanan was stunned for a moment, then he fumbled for a silver hairpin from his head and said sincerely, "I will pay you."
Luo Wan thought for a moment, took the silver hairpin, looked at it, and then put it back into Jiang Yuanan's bun.
In Jiang Yuanan's eyes, this action was a silent rejection of her.
Seeing the pursuers getting closer and closer, Jiang Yuanan had no time to run, so he could only look around and finally chose to hide behind the huge rock where Luo Wan was lying.
Luo Wan glanced at Jiang Yuanan calmly, grabbed her arm, and soared into the air. The mountains of Yun Country were densely populated with vegetation, and since it was early spring, the towering trees were lush and leafy, making it a perfect place to hide.
Jiang Yuanan was frightened by the sudden loss of weight. Before he could scream, Luo Wan covered his throat with one hand.
Luo Wan whispered, "If you don't want to be caught, don't make a sound."
Jiang Yuanan nodded like a chick pecking at rice, hugging the branch with her bear, the hem of her satin skirt being caught by the rough bark.
Watching Luo Wan land lightly on the ground and lie back leisurely on the boulder, the sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting tiny spots of light on her face, a wild and aloof beauty.
Soon, the pursuers arrived.
The leading soldier, upon seeing Luo Wan, was quite polite: "Excuse me, young lady, have you ever seen anyone this tall?" He measured the height against his chest, but as if feeling it wasn't accurate, he lowered it a little, "Yes, a young lady this tall, wearing light yellow clothes, passing by here?"
Jiang Yuanan scolded him harshly on the tree. She was obviously taller than that.
Luo Wan said calmly, "I saw it."
The leader asked, "Can you tell us where she went?"
"It seems..." Luo Wan paused and pointed to the path leading to Yinan City, "Over there."
The team leader rolled his eyes, half believing and half doubting what Luo Wan said. The deputy beside him stepped forward and whispered something in his ear.
He waved his hand, and the two teams immediately headed towards Yinan City. The team leader turned to Luo Wan and said, "Thank you, young lady."
Only after the pursuers had gone far away did Luo Wan pull Jiang Yuanan down from the tree.
Jiang Yuanan looked at the direction where the pursuers left and hurriedly pulled out a parchment map from his sleeve. The edges of the parchment were already frayed.
She turned left and right, and finally stood facing the direction where the pursuers left. She frowned and said, "How could you lead them that way?"
Luo Wan disagreed: "Where else can we lead it?"
"This way! That way!" Jiang Yuanan pointed randomly, "Anyway, we can't go towards Yinan City!"
Luo Wan ignored Jiang Yuanan's emotions and loosened the reins of the horse tied to the tree stump: "Why can't we go in the direction of Yinan City, just because you want to go to Yinan City?"
Jiang Yuanan caught up with Luo Wan, holding up her skirt. "Yes, I'm going to Yinan City! If you directed them to Yinan City, wouldn't the chance of me running into them be even greater?"
After she finished speaking, she was stunned for a moment: "How did you know I was going to Yinan City?"
Luo Wan brushed her fingers across the horse's mane, and the black horse rubbed her palm gently. "Not only do I know you're going to Yinan City, I also know what you're going to do there. Those so-called pursuers aren't out to kill you, as you say."
It is indeed suspicious that the pampered little princess suddenly appeared in the wilderness, and the possibility of her being hunted cannot be ruled out.
But the first time Luo Wan saw her, he felt that the situation was not as she said. Her face did not show any panic or fear of being hunted, but rather anger. She looked like a young lady who had a conflict with her family and had run away from home.
If Luo Wan was 70% sure that this person had "run away from home" before seeing the pursuers, he was 100% sure after seeing the pursuers.
The attitude of the pursuers confirmed Luo Wan's thoughts. No pursuer who wanted to kill people would be so kind.
Thank you very much.
What's more, the pursuers were wearing Xiliang armor.
At the previous poetry and martial arts conference, Beiye Ji said that Princess Xiliang fell in love with Jiang Cichen at first sight.
Yinan City was located at the border between Yun State and Xiliang. During the war between the two countries, the news that Jiang Cichen was in Yinan City was no secret in Xiliang. So Luo Wan guessed that she had heard that Jiang Cichen was imprisoned for treason and that was why she went to find him.
As for the pursuers, they knew the reason for the little princess's escape and were sent to take her back to Xiliang. Therefore, after Luo Wan pointed in the direction of the south city, they chose to believe it, after all, that was the most likely place for the princess to go.
Jiang Yuanan was exposed. He coughed twice and said awkwardly, "I was just afraid you wouldn't help me. I really can't go back with them."
If she doesn't portray herself as pitiful and vulnerable, how can she get others to help her?
"Sister, are you going to Yinan City too?" Jiang Yuanan glanced at the road he was walking on, which was the direction of Yinan City.
Luo Wan said: "Isn't it possible?"
"Of course, we can go together." Jiang Yuanan's eyes curved into crescents and he smiled, "It would be great if we could go together and have someone to keep us company."
Luo Wan didn't comment and let her follow.
*
After trekking through mountains and rivers for several days, Jiang Yuanan's skirt was terribly dirty. The originally bright goose yellow color was dyed into a khaki color by the mud.
She had escaped secretly and was chased by soldiers all the way. She had almost lost all her luggage and had no change of clothes.
Luo Wan took out her own clothes for her to change into. Jiang Yuanan was chubby and cute. Although he was a little shorter than Luo Wan, except for the sleeves being a little long, everything else fit him well.
After Jiang Yuanan changed his clothes, he excitedly gestured a few times, imitating the opera, and struck a pose that he thought was very handsome: "Do I look like a female knight?"
Luo Wan: “…”
As soon as they arrived at the Yinan city gate, a group of people came out of the city stealthily, and Jiang Yuanan immediately hid behind Luo Wan.
Luo Wan recognized that they were the Xiliang pursuers from a few days ago. They had changed into ordinary people's clothes, probably in order to sneak into Yinan City.
Now that they have come out, it seems that they did not find the person they were looking for.
Jiang Yuanan whispered, "Have they left?"
Luo Wan said, "They're faster than you. You're in front and they're behind. Sooner or later, they'll catch you. But if you're behind, by the time you get to Yinan City, they'll have already searched and discovered that there's no one like you there before. They'll naturally leave."
Jiang Yuanan's eyes lit up: "Sister, you are so smart."
If it were someone else, Luo Wan might think she was being sarcastic, but this person was Jiang Yuanan, so she simply thought so, so she said that.
There was a battle going on in Yinan City, and to prevent the enemy from invading, the screening of people entering the city was extremely strict.
If she hadn't brought Jiang Yuanan with her, Luo Wan would have probably climbed over the wall in the dark and windy night, but now she had to give silver to the guards and bribe them to let her pass.
Yinan City was remote and impoverished. While starvation wasn't a given, it was common. The army's rations were scarce, and for a garrison that hadn't seen meat for ten days or half a month, these two ingots of silver were enough to provide them with several good meals.
The leading defender's Adam's apple rolled over, but he dared not let them go easily because of repeated orders from his superiors.
One person said, "What kind of trouble can two little girls cause?"
The leader shook the silver and said, "That's right."
The two entered the city and sat down in an inn.
Jiang Yuanan asked curiously, "Sister Luo, what did you give them? They were actually willing to let you go."
Luo Wan glanced at her and said, "Didn't you see everything, Yin Zi?"
Jiang Yuanan suddenly realized, "So this is what silver looks like."
Jiang Yuanan looked around. Although this inn was a little different from what she had imagined, it was still okay. She was not a pampered person.
The waiter greeted, "What would you like to eat, sirs?"
"Emerald shrimp, emerald beef rolls, roast goose, drunken crab, and mandarin duck fish and dates. For the vegetarian dishes, just one serving of pearl jade cabbage and lily asparagus will be enough." Jiang Yuanan counted on his fingers, blinked, looked at Luo Wan across from him, and said, "There are only two of us, so don't order too much."
The waiter stood aside, eyes wide open, speechless.
Luo Wan asked: "What do you have here?"
The waiter, as if granted amnesty, listed the dishes, and Luo Wan ordered a few. They were all homely dishes, but rare in this war-torn region.
When the dishes were served, Jiang Yuanan stopped Luo Wan and said, "Sister Luo, don't be anxious."
With a serious expression, she took off the silver hairpin from her head and tested each one for poison. After confirming that there was no problem, she said, "Eat it with peace of mind. People's hearts are unpredictable. Be extra careful when you go out."
Being cautious is good, but Jiang Yuanan's caution seemed misplaced. For example, he casually revealed his identity, but then tested each dish at the inn they had randomly selected for poison.
Luo Wan asked politely, "Is this your first time in an inn?"
Jiang Yuanan nodded honestly and looked at her in disbelief: "Sister Luo, I find that you seem to know everything!"
*
That night, the dew was heavy.
Occasionally a shooting star passes by, disappearing in a flash.
After dark, there were almost no people wandering around Yinan City, and the streets were empty.
There was constant fighting in Yinan. Although it was just a minor incident, the people here still went home early and did not dare to stay outside.
Luo Wan left the inn and quietly sneaked into the military camp in the west of the city.
According to secret intelligence, Jiang Cichen was stationed here. Only by gaining a deeper understanding of the situation of the Yinan Army could she be more advantageous in the negotiations.
It was only when Luo Wan arrived that he discovered that the Yinan army was not living in houses, but in tents set up at random.
Among the many tents, she couldn't even tell which one Jiang Cichen lived in. Every tent here looked almost the same, with no distinction between big and small or good and bad.
The once-exalted young general was now living and eating with ordinary soldiers. Has the once-young General Jiang fallen into such a state? Luo Wan couldn't help but wonder.
Luo Wan avoided the patrolling soldiers, walked around the military camp for a while, and finally stopped in a dark place near an open space.
The crowd gathered around the campfire, humming a tuneless and nameless song. Their hoarse voices mixed with the unique desolation of the Northwest, drifting in the night wind, and the dancing flames illuminated their tired faces.
Jiang Cichen sat aside with his knees bent, his arms resting on his knees, playing with a dead branch.
The dim firelight shone on the young man's shoulders. The cold, hard and sharp armor looked lonely at this moment.
The outline of his face was particularly clear in the firelight. Perhaps because of the long battle during the day, there were a few strands of hair hanging down in front of his forehead, and there was a faint dark blue under his eyes.
The northwest is always windy and dry with sandstorms all year round. Even the young general in the capital had chapped lips, but he still smiled gently.
It turns out that a person at the age of eighteen and twenty can be so different.
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