Yuwen Heng
As they approached the Devil City, the sky suddenly changed, and a black sandstorm swept in, scattering the caravan.
Jiang Wanxin clung tightly to the camel rope. In the sandstorm, she heard someone coughing violently, followed by a "thud" as they collapsed to the ground.
She followed the sound and found Mu Kun curled up on the sand, blood trickling from his lips and his face deathly pale.
"Lung disease?" Jiang Wanxin frowned, quickly took out loquat syrup from her bag, pried open his teeth and poured it in.
Mu Kun coughed a few times before finally catching his breath. When he opened his eyes, he was met with Jiang Wanxin's face covered in sand.
“You…” his voice was hoarse.
Jiang Wanxin said calmly, "Don't speak, just take another bite."
Mu Kun stared at her, then suddenly smiled: "Young Master Jiang, how should I thank you for saving my life?"
Jiang Wanxin ignored him, but looked up at the camel caravan buried by the sandstorm in the distance, her brows furrowed.
The caravan suffered heavy losses, but the goods were still intact. Mu Kun suggested that they change their route to Gaochang, where his trading company had a base and could resupply.
Jiang Wan pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.
The prosperity of Gaochang far exceeded her expectations, with silks, spices, and gems lining the streets. The Jiang family's fabrics, which Jiang Wanxin brought, were light and breathable, and were quickly snapped up by nobles; while the loquat syrup was even designated by the Queen of Gaochang as the royal lung-nourishing medicine.
Mu Kun leaned against a pillar, watching her negotiate with the Gaochang merchants, a smile deepening in his eyes: "Young Master Jiang, why not stay in Gaochang for a few more days?"
Jiang Wanxin looked up: "Why?"
“The people of Gaochang like your goods, so why don’t we discuss a long-term business deal?”
Jiang Wanxin pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
Jiang Wanxin stayed in Gaochang for two months to investigate the market and signed a large contract with Mu Kun—the Jiang family would provide 3,000 bolts of cloth and 500 jars of loquat syrup annually, in exchange for gold, jade, and spices from Gaochang.
This deal brought the Jiang family back to life, and their businesses in Liangzhou finally gained a foothold.
Before she left, Mu Kun saw her off at the city gate and suddenly said, "Young Master Jiang, I hope you will show your true face next time we meet."
Jiang Wanxin's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm: "What does Young Master Mu mean?"
Mu Kun chuckled and reached out to brush the dust off her shoulder: "See you next time, Miss Jiang."
After returning to Liangzhou, the Jiang family's business flourished, and trade with Gaochang continued for several years.
Every time Mu Kun came to Liangzhou, he would make a special trip to see Jiang Wanxin, bringing her some exotic items from the Western Regions or candied fruits from the Gaochang Palace.
One day, Mu Kun bumped into Jiang Wanxin combing her hair in the backyard of the Jiang residence.
Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing her graceful demeanor.
Mu Kun stood there stunned, then chuckled softly, "Just as I expected."
Jiang Wanxin calmly tied her hair up and said indifferently, "Young Master Mu, trespassing into the inner courtyard is against the rules."
Mu Kun stepped forward, his gaze intense: "Jiang Wanxin, come back to Gaochang with me."
Jiang Wanxin shook her head: "The Jiang family's ancestral precept is not to marry into the family of businessmen."
Mu Kun narrowed his eyes: "What if I insist?"
Jiang Wanxin raised her eyes, her gaze calm: "Then this business deal ends here."
After the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Jiang family shifted their focus eastward, and trade with Gaochang gradually decreased. On the day of Jiang Wanxin's wedding, Mu Kun stood outside Liangzhou City all night, eventually leaving with a cold laugh.
Three years later, Jiang Wanxin received a secret letter—
"If you do not see me, the evidence of the Jiang family's collusion with the Western Regions will be presented to the court tomorrow."
Jiang Wanxin remained silent for a long time before finally saying to her husband, Xu Lian, "There's an old debt to settle in Liangzhou. I'll be right back."
She went to the appointment alone and met Mu Kun outside Liangzhou City.
"Finally willing to see me?" Mu Kun sneered.
Jiang Wanxin said calmly, "Where are the account books?"
Mu Kun clapped his hands, and a servant presented a booklet. Jiang Wanxin flipped through a few pages, confirming that it was a record of the Jiang family's dealings with Gaochang, and then suddenly looked up and smiled: "Mu Kun, you lost."
No sooner had he finished speaking than torches suddenly lit up the surrounding area, and Zhao Deyan, the governor of Liangzhou, led his troops to surround them!
"Spies from Gaochang are attempting to disrupt Liangzhou. Capture them!"
Mu Kun's pupils contracted sharply, and he turned to look at Jiang Wanxin: "You—"
Jiang Wanxin took a step back, her eyes icy: "From the moment you threatened the Jiang family, you should have known the outcome."
Mu Kun was severely tortured in prison, eventually losing a finger, and fled back to Gaochang in a sorry state.
Jiang Wanxin returned to the capital and never set foot in the Western Regions again.
— More than twenty years later, her daughter, Xu Qingyao, embarked on this trade route once again.
*
Mu Kun's knuckles were white from clenching his fists, and the old wound from the severed finger throbbed with pain.
He stared at Xu Qingyao's face, as if he could see through her the woman who had saved his life in the desert twenty years ago, and who had also personally sent him to prison.
He sneered, then suddenly flew into a rage, overturning the teacup on the table, splashing scalding tea onto the hem of Xu Qingyao's skirt.
"Lock her in the dungeon," he ordered coldly. "For three days, do not give her a single grain of rice or a drop of water."
The guards stepped forward and restrained Xu Qingyao. She struggled for a moment, but he grabbed her chin tightly.
“Your mother cut off one of my fingers back then, and today, I will let you taste the bitterness of hunger.”
The dungeon reeked of decay and mildew. Xu Qingyao huddled in a corner, idly counting the water droplets seeping from the wall.
[Host, rest assured, experiments have shown that a person will not die after three days without food or water.]
The system attempted to comfort Xu Qingyao with cold and heartless words.
Xu Qingyao: Hehe, you're doing pretty well!
Suddenly, a suppressed cough came from the next cell.
It was a young man, his tattered brocade robe so worn that its original color was no longer discernible, and a knife wound on his shoulder was festering and exposed to the bone.
Xu Qingyao squinted as she examined the man's boots—they were made of the finest lambskin, and even though they were stained with blood, it was clear that they were crafted by artisans from the royal court.
“Look again,” the man suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse but with a hint of laughter, “I’m going to collect the money now.”
[Beep—You have a hidden character information to unlock.]
Xu Qingyao scoffed, pulled a silver hairpin from her hair, and tore a relatively clean piece of fabric from the hem of her skirt: "Turn around."
The man raised an eyebrow, but still turned around cooperatively.
Xu Qingyao used a silver hairpin to pry open the fabric stuck to the wound and gasped – the wound had been festering for at least half a month.
"Bear with it." She took out a small porcelain bottle from a hidden pouch at her waist, poured out some brown powder, and pressed it onto the wound.
These were redeemed using her remaining points in the system space.
She has now used up all her points.
If you happen to run into this person, you can even get some more points from him.
The man groaned, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but he still smiled and asked, "Young lady, your medical skills are quite good. May I ask who your teacher is?"
"Self-taught." Xu Qingyao pressed harder, deliberately pressing on his injury, "Specializing in treating fools who don't know their place."
The man chuckled softly, then suddenly grasped her wrist: "Yuwen Heng of Gaochang, may I ask your name, young lady?"
Xu Qingyao abruptly pulled her hand back and wiped it with the only clean spot on his clothes.
"Do all people from Gaochang like to get physical?"
Yuwen Heng was taken aback, his eyes darting around as if he had encountered something new and interesting: "We Gaochang people always ask a girl's name first, and then inquire about her marriage."
He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing her wrist to prevent her from slipping from his grasp. His fingertips traced the red marks left by the shackles on her wrist, and he whispered in her ear:
"But don't be afraid, young lady. I'm willing to get to know you slowly using the etiquette of your Central Plains."
Xu Qingyao got goosebumps when she heard this.
System! Is he crazy?!
[In progress]
The results showed that, apart from physical injuries and some psychological issues, he had no major problems.
Qingyao: Isn't this serious?
"You...is this how you repay your benefactor?" Xu Qingyao said, trying to break free of the restraints.
"Repay?" Yuwen Heng chuckled. "Of course I will repay your life-saving grace, young lady. How about..."
"How about you repay me with your body?"
*
Three days later, the dungeon doors burst open, and Mu Kun's sinister face appeared outside the iron bars: "Still not dead?"
Just as Xu Qingyao was about to retort, she suddenly heard the sound of iron chains breaking from the side.
Yuwen Heng stood up at some point, his tattered robes fluttering even without wind: "Second Brother, it's been a long time."
Mu Kun's expression changed drastically: "You..."
Weren't you injured?
"I want her." Yuwen Heng pointed at Xu Qingyao, the iron chain on his wrist snapping inch by inch. "To be my queen."
At this moment, the system's untimely voice rang out:
[Congratulations, host, on unlocking the hidden character: Crown Prince Yuwen Heng, the sixth prince of Gaochang! Mission complete! Points have been credited to your main page inventory; please claim them promptly.]
*
After being released from the dungeon, Xu Qingyao was placed in a small courtyard on the west side of the Prince's Mansion.
Several jujube trees were planted in the courtyard, and they were in full bloom, with pale yellow flowers falling softly all over the stone steps.
【Isn't this blatant ingratitude?】 As a system for escaping marriage, the system has seen all the sweet talk of humans and is used to men's fickleness.
One second he's telling his girlfriend, "Baby, I love you the most!"—the next second he's having sex with another woman, completely oblivious to the world around him.
[If you meet someone attractive, say "I'll repay you with my body"; if you meet someone unattractive, say "I'll be your slave in my next life, I have no way to repay you."]
The system angrily shared its own accounts of so-called "love."
Xu Qingyao sat on the veranda, twirling a withered flower between her fingers—this was the third day she had been trapped in this magnificent cage, and the seventh day she had been brought to Gaochang by Mu Kun's men.
"Miss, the Sixth Prince has arrived," the maid whispered a reminder.
Xu Qingyao looked up and saw Yuwen Heng approaching under the moonlight.
He was not wearing royal robes today, but only a plain white shirt, though the gold wolf-head seal hanging at his waist was still conspicuous.
The night wind lifted his clothes, revealing a scar on his waist that had not yet healed.
"Are you settling in well?" He sat down opposite her and poured himself a cup of tea.
Xu Qingyao stared at his hand holding the pot—the knuckles were distinct, and there was an old arrow wound between his thumb and forefinger. Such a hand should have been used to wield a sword and draw a bow, but it had been worn raw and bloody by iron chains in the dungeon.
"The Sixth Prince visited so late at night just to ask this?"
Yuwen Heng chuckled and took out a small celadon bottle from his sleeve, pushing it in front of her: "The medicine from the Western Regions works faster than that from the Central Plains."
Xu Qingyao did not answer.
She could not forget the chilling possessiveness in the man's eyes when he casually told Mu Kun, "Be my queen," just three days ago.
"Why me?" she finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for days.
He didn't answer her question, but just said to himself, "At today's court meeting, my second brother proposed again to send more troops to Tibet."
His fingertips tapped lightly on the rim of the cup. "Father has granted permission."
Xu Qingyao looked up at him.
"It's strange, isn't it?" Yuwen Heng chuckled. "He wants to kill me, but I'm still sitting there listening to him talk on and on."
Xu Qingyao didn't reply. She had seen the way Mu Kun looked at Yuwen Heng—that kind of venomous, cold gaze that couldn't be hidden.
His gaze fell on the crescent moon outside the window, and his voice gradually lowered: "Three months ago, my second brother and I were ordered to go on a mission to Tibet. On the way back, he said he had discovered a shortcut..."
Xu Qingyao noticed that his fingers, which were holding the cup, had turned slightly white.
"When twenty assassins charged out from both sides of the canyon, I was just deflecting a cold arrow for my second brother."
Yuwen Heng's fingertips unconsciously traced the scar on his ribs. "The most ridiculous thing is that the assassin who slashed me was wearing a copper bracelet on his wrist, the kind that only guards in my second brother's mansion wear."
The wine swirled in the glass, reflecting the cold hatred in his eyes.
The wind whipped sand against the windowpane, and his voice was soft, yet every word was clear: "But I still took that blow for him."
Xu Qingyao's heart skipped a beat.
"Why?"
Yuwen Heng swirled his wine glass, the amber liquid reflecting his slightly lowered eyebrows: "Perhaps it's because... he took the whipping for me when we were little."
"And then?" Xu Qingyao asked softly.
"Later I woke up in that dungeon." He tilted his head back and finished the wine in his cup. "My second brother reported to our father that I had fallen into enemy hands while protecting him. Our father was heartbroken and sent three thousand elite soldiers to find me."
Xu Qingyao suddenly realized: "So you want me to be your queen..."
“Because you are the only one who knows the truth.” Yuwen Heng turned to look at her, the candlelight flickering in his eyes. “And the only one… whom I feel I can trust.”
These words were spoken very softly, yet they sent a shiver down Xu Qingyao's spine. She looked at the sixth prince before her, who was seen as cold and ruthless by the world, and at this moment he seemed like a boy confiding his innermost thoughts.
The sound of the water clock drifted from afar. Yuwen Heng stood up and straightened his sleeves: "The wedding is tomorrow, you should get some rest."
As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped: "By the way, do you know? When you bandaged me in the dungeon, your technique was just like my mother's."
...
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