Chapter 179
In the commoners' district of the imperial city, in an ordinary courtyard.
A figure dressed in indigo stepped out of the house. Yan Qizhen looked in the direction of the palace, but remained silent for a long time.
He seemed to have thought of something, and then softly called out, "Sui Feng."
A figure immediately appeared beside him.
Sui Feng was Yan Qizhen's bodyguard when he was young. On the surface, he was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but in secret, he was Yan Qizhen's right-hand man.
Sui Feng was also involved in the Empress's birthday banquet that year.
The man in black slowly walked up behind the moon-like figure and spoke respectfully:
"Your Highness."
"The day after tomorrow, I have already arranged the route out of the city."
“This humble servant will cause turmoil in the palace. Your Highness should take this opportunity to leave. Once you leave the capital, you will be met by someone. The journey to the northern border is long and arduous. I hope Your Highness will have a smooth journey ahead.”
"Your Highness need not worry."
"Suifeng, thank you for your hard work." The pale-faced woman seemed somewhat absent-minded at this moment.
Sui Feng stole a glance at him and discovered that his prince was looking in the direction of the palace.
All I could do was sigh.
Now that things have come to this, Your Highness has done your best.
They thought that by temporarily bringing down the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, they had their best chance.
However, unexpectedly, the Sixth Prince, who was far away in the military camp, suddenly appeared. Sui Feng couldn't understand how the Sixth Prince knew His Highness's plans on the day of the sacrifice.
If it weren't for the Sixth Prince's interference, His Highness would probably be holding great power by now, so why would he need to travel to the northern border at this time?
It seems...
Your Highness is truly not destined for that position.
*
"Your Highness saved my life. If it weren't for Your Highness, I would probably be buried in a dry well by now. This is what I should do." After saying this, Sui Feng looked up and glanced at Yan Qizhen.
"Your Highness..."
He pondered for a moment, then hesitated and remained silent.
Then a figure dressed in indigo suddenly spoke:
"Sui Feng, speak."
"Your Highness..."
"Then Princess Zhaoning..." Sui Feng began to speak softly, but was interrupted by the person beside him.
"she..."
"What's wrong?"
When Yan Qizhen mentioned her, his voice paused involuntarily.
"When I was on duty today, I heard that Princess Zhaoning has been imprisoned in Lingyun Palace for many days, and the Emperor's spirits have not been very good these past few days."
The emperor's condition was more than just mentally unstable.
According to the Imperial Guards stationed at Qiankun Palace, quite a few corpses have been dragged out of the palace in the past few days.
Some of them were palace servants...
Some were concubines...
Some people even heard the words coming from the Qiankun Palace.
He said that if he could not find his prince, he would have the princess of the Western Regions buried with him.
The black-clad guard quietly shut his mouth.
Yan Qizhen clenched his fists. He had given the emperor the Worry-Free Powder just to save his own life.
But I never expected it to turn out like this.
Worry-Free Powder was essentially a slow-acting poison that I had obtained myself.
It was even more ruthless than the poison in Bai Chuning's body.
The person who takes the poison will gradually rot and die like a piece of dead wood, without feeling anything in their body. They can only watch helplessly as their body gradually becomes neither human nor ghost, until they die.
"The Emperor's imprisonment of Princess Zhaoning is probably directed at His Highness."
"Your Highness, do not let personal feelings for your children harm you." As a subordinate, Sui Feng naturally thought of his master in everything he did.
Although he rarely appeared by His Highness's side, he had heard the guards beside His Highness talk about Princess Zhaoning.
Sui Feng slightly raised his head, glanced at the indigo figure, and seemed unmoved.
The surroundings remained silent for a long time, until Sui Feng thought he would not speak again.
But Yan Qizhen, who was silent in the night, suddenly revealed a smile that was hard to decipher:
"Does Father really think I would willingly take risks because of her?"
"That's hilarious."
His voice, though barely audible, betrayed an unbearable pain, and anyone could tell something was wrong, yet he stubbornly refused to utter a sound.
Sui Feng immediately lowered his head, not daring to look at his master.
Yan Qizhen glanced again in the direction of the palace, but a look of reluctance welled up in his watery eyes.
Risk it for her?
Oh.
No...
He won't...
Why would he take such a risk for her?
Yan Qizhen closed his eyes, and the red mole on his earlobe had long lost its former brilliance. Under the reflection of the moonlight, his eyes seemed to be filled with water. He was already delicate, but now he looked even more pitiful.
That's how she treated herself.
Whether I live or die at this moment, what does it matter to me?
Besides, with her intelligence, she already knew about his background.
He felt like a clown, begging her to go to the North with him.
Isn't that a joke?
His eyes suddenly stung, and his chest ached terribly. All his resentment struggled to devour the last vestiges of life in his body.
Then...
It crushed his last remaining sanity into mud.
The scent of pirimica rose almost once again reached his nose.
Just thinking about him, being teased by her, being tormented by her...
He would be in great pain.
But why...?
Will he miss her all day long?
The hazy man's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, but he could only clench his fist, letting his fingertips leave a crimson mark on his hand.
Yan Qizhen still had doubts in his heart. If she hated him so much, why didn't she just hand him over to her father?
She clearly knew about her background all along.
Wouldn't it be a better way to get revenge on him to reveal your whereabouts?
He struggled to suppress the pain in his chest before asking another question:
"How is the secret passage?"
"After everything is finished the day after tomorrow, the secret passage will be destroyed directly," Sui Feng said honestly.
The secret passage was discovered accidentally in the secluded palace where His Highness once lived, and the assassins also used it to enter and exit the palace during the birthday banquet.
After Your Highness goes to the Northern Border, that secret passage will probably be of no use anymore.
Upon hearing this, Yan Qizhen seemed to be thinking of something.
He didn't say another word until the moon was low in the sky.
*
Lingyun Palace.
For several days after Yan Jingxu left, no one came to disturb Yingning.
"Master, Wuwei and Bai Chuning have already left the imperial city ahead of time." 0067 glanced at the scenes in other directions in its mind and promptly reported to its master.
"Non-action...?"
"It seems he really does have some skills."
In the original storyline, the otherworldly master that the original owner could not find was unexpectedly encountered by Ying Ning on the street in this life.
"Master, Wuwei didn't appear beside Bai Yingning in the original story. Is there anything strange about what he said to you?" 0067's invisible body rolled around in its master's mind and asked in a cute voice.
I'm really curious...
What does he owe his master?
Wuwei can not only heal Bai Chuning's injuries, but can even take Bai Chuning away from the imperial city on his own.
I always felt there was something strange about this person.
"Xiao Qi, Wuwei's identity is still unclear, but according to him, he and I should have some connection."
"We'll just have to play it by ear," Yingning whispered to 0067 in her mind.
Wuwei's identity is indeed somewhat suspicious.
Having experienced so many worlds, I've become accustomed to all sorts of strange things.
If you don't understand something, just follow the myriad changes and you will understand.
Yesterday, Wuwei used his superb disguise skills to transform Bai Chuning into an ordinary young man before quietly leaving the capital under the cover of night.
Fortunately, after arriving in the Min Dynasty, Bai Chuning rarely appeared in front of others because he needed to recuperate, which allowed Wuwei's "Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell" move to be successfully executed.
0067 secretly searched for Wuwei's identity several more times in the storyline of this world, but still found nothing.
Seeing that the master seemed to have no worries, they had no choice but to give up.
0067 glanced at its master furtively, and only then did it feel much more at ease.
really...
The master is the only one who can give you peace of mind.
*
Wu Mo's figure instantly dodged the palace servants who came to patrol, and his tall figure stood not far from the window in the back hall, looking at a small window.
Fortunately, the palace servants thought that the people in the hall had already retired for the night, so they returned to their rooms early.
At this moment, the woman at the small table by the window held a dish of candlelight in her delicate hands, and there was a faint weariness in her eyes that was hard to find in front of her.
I don't know why.
She simply propped her face up and gazed at a white plum tree outside the window.
The white plum blossoms were merely a backdrop in the vast sky, while the moonstone left a beautiful shadow in the eyes of others.
She wore a crimson sable robe with gold thread, and as she turned her head, the glass moonstone on her forehead swayed slightly, instantly adding a touch of brilliance to her phoenix eyes beneath her dark eyebrows.
The snow outside the window was caused by the heavy snow a few days ago, and the white plum blossoms blended into the snow.
In the vast expanse of heaven and earth, only a single candlelight remained in the eagle's eyes.
The sound of footsteps on the snow gradually drew closer, and a deep male voice, unheard for a long time, suddenly rang out: "It seems you are quite comfortable in this palace."
"It was I who was overly worried."
Yan Chaoji walked to the carved sandalwood window. His dark cloak made his tall figure appear even more upright, while the black gold embroidery on his lapel could not hide his noble bearing.
His usually aloof demeanor softened considerably in her presence. He lowered his head slightly to look at her, but unexpectedly provoked her to say something:
"Could Your Highness please move aside? You are blocking my way."
Yan Chaoji was at a loss for words. He had gone to great lengths to find an opportunity to come and see her, but he hadn't expected to spoil her enjoyment of the plum blossoms.
But he still avoided getting close and quietly stood to one side of the window.
They moved out of her sight.
She was gazing at a white plum tree, and he was also within her line of sight.
If someone else were to come at this moment, they would see a man in dark ink standing quietly by the sandalwood window, turning his head to look down at the woman inside. His eyes held a burning candlelight, yet he could not hide his smile.
Compared to the white plum blossoms, the colors here and now are even more striking.
Yan Chaoji took something out of his pocket and held it out to the window.
"I promise you." His voice, though somewhat deep, was exceptionally reassuring.
Perhaps because he had held a high position for many years, Yan Chaoji always seemed to have a cold and stern expression, and his deep, hawk-like eyes made it difficult for people to guess what he was thinking.
In his long, slender hand was a small dagger.
Even though it is still in its sheath, concealing too much of its cold gleam, a discerning eye can tell from the relief on the hilt that it was crafted by a master blacksmith.
"Since you don't have a suitable weapon, use this dagger for now."
"dagger?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Chaoji felt a lightness in his palm.
Yingning picked up the dagger and deftly pulled it out with a backhand motion. A cold light reflected off the dagger, and there was even a plum blossom shadow on the blade.
Yan Chaoji withdrew his gaze and looked at the vast expanse of white snow: "The palace has not been peaceful lately. Even I am afraid there will be times when I cannot protect you."
"With a handy weapon at hand, I'm sure your martial arts skills will give you some ability to protect yourself."
Yan Chaoji did not say the rest of his words.
He had originally crafted a sword specifically for her, but when they faced off, he sensed that while her attacks were extremely fierce, they lacked a certain strength.
The sword is not yet finished being forged, but recently the situation has been escalating rapidly.
Yan Chaoji hesitated for only a moment before sending her the dagger.
At least I can feel a little more at ease.
"This dagger, although powerful..."
Before he could finish speaking, a figure in crimson purple leaped out of the window, a dagger flashing with cold light in an instant, a hint of killing intent emanating from it.
A woman in crimson lightly landed beside a white plum blossom. In her delicate hand, a small dagger had already swiftly severed a plum branch. She then turned around abruptly and handed the white plum blossom to the woman.
"A fine dagger."
She swayed the white plum blossom in her hand, her phoenix eyes sparkling as she carefully examined the dagger in her hand, seemingly reluctant to part with it.
Then she handed him the sprig of plum blossom.
"Then consider this plum tree as my gift of gratitude."
She smiled lightly, her smile falling into the dark man's hawk-like eyes, but the image of her holding a dagger almost overlapped with his old memories once again.
There was indeed a person...
She once used her sword to cut down flowers and handed him a peach branch.
Yan Chaoji felt a sharp pain in his head.
yes...
That person...
*
“Zhaozhao”.
"Yan Zhao!"
"You should accept the peach blossom quickly."
The purple-blue dress was merely an embellishment to the person beside her, while the naive girl, unaware that she was already displaying unparalleled beauty, smiled radiantly at him.
She seemed to speak again in a low voice:
"I heard from the people of the Min Dynasty that peach branches are meant to be given to one's beloved."
"Then let me ask you, has anyone given it to you?"
"What strange stuff did you read in some storybook this time?" Still a teenager, he refused the peach branch she offered, but she caught up with him again.
"That..."
"That means there isn't one!"
"So what if I have it, so what if I don't?" the eagle-eyed young man said.
But she quietly leaned closer again and whispered in my ear, "If you don't have one... then I'll reluctantly give you one!"
Her purple orchid skirt crisscrossed with the peach petals scattered on the ground, and the image of her leaping among the broken petals and her words almost echoed in his ears once again.
The man's appearance remains clear even after many years.
Yan Chaoji suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, but he still endured the pain and looked up at the person opposite him.
But then I suddenly discovered...
Her profile bore a striking resemblance to that person, about 60%.
And the way she held the dagger...
It was clearly me who taught her that back then!
Yan Chaoji suddenly remembered...
He had never seen Ying Ning use sword techniques, but many years ago, he had personally taught that person swordsmanship move by move.
And the move she used to cut down the plum branch was clearly...
His swordsmanship in his youth!
......
As soon as Yan Chaoji thought of this, a pain began to throb on his forehead, as if some memories were clamoring to burst forth. Before long, a lot of bloodlust appeared in his eagle eyes.
He remembered...
I remember everything.
He had personally taught her.
*
"Little Zhaozi, what do you think of this sword?" the then-naive girl asked.
"It's acceptable." The other person wasn't enthusiastic.
...
"Zhaozhao, this is too difficult."
"With so many guards, why would I need to practice martial arts?"
"I'm not practicing anymore!"
"no."
"I'll demonstrate this move again, so watch carefully."
"Then why don't you just protect me?" She threw the sword aside, clearly indicating that she no longer wanted to learn swordsmanship.
The other man walked over, picked up the sword, and handed it to her, saying:
"You need to know how to defend yourself."
...
“Zhaozhao”.
"I've finished practicing all the sword moves! Come and read me the storybook!" She ran to his side, covered in sweat.
By then, he had already noticed several strange figures nearby, so he had no choice but to casually avoid her.
I'm not in the mood today.
......
The woman before me now resembles someone from the past.
Yan Chaoji's mind wavered, and a sharp pain began to throb in his chest again. Suddenly, he felt a stinging sensation in his eyelids, and the vast expanse of snow seemed almost blinding.
But all he could see in his eagle eyes was her reflection, and he wished he could etch her every move into his mind.
The girl in the crimson dress offered her a sprig of white plum blossom, but the man in the dark ink did not take it immediately. Instead, he stared intently at her.
Bai Yingning...
Bai Yingning...
Miss Bo...
The character “帛” is also “白”, which is a noble surname from the Western Regions.
he...
Unexpectedly, the young lady from the Bo family back then was none other than Bai Yingning, the princess of the Western Regions.
Yan Chaoji's eagle eyes suddenly revealed a long-dormant brilliance, but he had long since shed his childhood naiveté, and his current posture was even more aggressive.
"Bai Yingning".
"You...have been to Biancheng." The words were full of certainty.
Yan Chaoji took a step, attempting to cross the long river of time to reach her.
The two had been separated for many years, yet he found her again at this time.
Although there was the pain of struggle in his hawk-like eyes, there was even more joy of a long-awaited reunion. Now his gaze was almost glued to Ying Ning.
The moment his eyes met hers, his reason completely collapsed.
Before Ying Ning could respond, Yan Chaoji took action.
He suddenly took a large step and reached out to pull the girl and the plum blossom into his arms.
"I know...it's you."
Yan Chaoji's strength was immense; even after sensing Ying Ning's struggles, he did not let go, but instead placed his chin directly against her forehead.
"I recognize you."
Yan Chaoji hugged her tightly, and as he spoke, he suddenly remembered something from many years ago.
He was incredibly foolish back then.
In the second year after they separated, even though he had never believed in Buddhism since childhood, he still secretly went to the most efficacious temple in the Min Dynasty.
That day.
He prayed before the Buddha statue, hoping only for her happiness and peace.
May she be free from worries year after year...
Hoping for her...
He's still alive.
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