Chapter 51: Benxiao’s matter is by no means simple.
The silvery moonlight filtered through the carved window lattices and fell onto the swaying gauze curtains, appearing extremely cool and clear.
Yan Jinghuan looked at Shen Xingwan, who seemed a little at a loss, with pity in his eyes. He gently tidied her clothes to cover the snowy scenery, and then quickly tidied his own clothes. Every movement seemed particularly clear in the silence.
After tidying up, he turned and walked out. The floor tiles shining with cold light made a slight sound under his footsteps. Shen Xingwan subconsciously reached out and grabbed his sleeve, her fingertips trembling slightly, as if she was holding the last glimmer of hope.
Yan Jinghuan paused and looked back. He saw that her eyes were red and tears were welling up in her eyes. In the dim light, she looked even more pitiful.
He held her hand tightly without hesitation, then held her in his arms and walked out the door with her.
The two men walked to the door, and Yan Jinghuan reached out and pushed the door open.
The door hinge made a slight sound, breaking the silence. The door was suddenly opened, and the biting cold wind from outside, carrying a damp chill, instantly rushed in, cutting across the skin like an ice knife.
The servant at the door was so frightened by the sudden sound of the door opening that his whole body trembled, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground trembling.
Yan Jinghuan's expression was stern, his eyes were like cold ponds, and he asked coldly: "What's going on?"
The servant lowered his head, his voice trembling as he quickly explained, "To answer your Highness, the battle situation on the front line is extremely tense, so we urgently sent someone to bring back the news. It was said that General Shen Yunchao personally led a detachment to sneak into the enemy's territory this morning to launch a sneak attack, but they were unexpectedly ambushed."
"General Shen acted decisively and led his troops to break out. However, for some reason, on the way back, the horse the general was riding suddenly went crazy and completely disobeyed his orders, running forward like crazy. No matter how hard the general pulled the reins or how loudly he shouted to stop it, it was of no use."
"At that time, they were walking on the edge of a steep cliff, and the mad horse actually rushed straight into the cliff with General Shen on its back. The horse was as fast as lightning, and everyone couldn't catch up at all. When everyone finally arrived at the cliff, it was already..."
The servant raised his eyes, looked at Shen Xingwan timidly, and said timidly: "There is no trace of General Shen anymore."
When Shen Xingwan heard the servant's words, her body shook violently. If Yan Jinghuan hadn't supported her in time, she would have almost fallen.
Her eyes instantly turned red and tears flowed uncontrollably.
"Impossible! How is this possible? My brother has personally raised Benxiao since he was a child. During those years with the army, my brother even placed the foal near the tent when he slept and took good care of it."
"It is the most docile and obedient, a rare divine horse. It has been charging into battle with my brother for many years and has never made any mistakes. How could it suddenly go crazy? There must be something strange behind this!" By the end, she was choking with sobs and her shoulders were shaking slightly.
Yan Jinghuan frowned and looked at the servant who was still kneeling on the ground, shaking like a sieve. "Is this news true? Think it over before you answer. If you lie, I'll kill you."
The boy was so frightened that his face turned pale as paper. His head hung even lower, and his lips trembled. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a few words: "Little...Little...I only heard it from the messenger. The details...the details..."
After hesitating for a long time, he was unable to come up with a definite answer, and the chill that permeated the air made the silence seem even longer.
Yan Jinghuan's face darkened and he said in a cold voice: "Go and bring the person who sent the message over to report back."
"yes."
The servant boy kowtowed repeatedly as if he had been granted amnesty, then crawled to his feet, ran out in a hurry, and walked away on the cold stone road.
Feiyun, who was waiting outside, hurried into the flower hall with a few maids.
She waved her hand and the maids dispersed in an orderly manner and lit the candles in the hall one by one.
The warm yellow light gradually brightened, but it still couldn't dispel the inky-thick haze in the house.
Feiyun personally picked up a cup of hot tea, walked quickly to Shen Xingwan, held it in both hands and handed it to her, and gently comforted her: "Miss, please drink some hot tea first to warm your body. It's cold at night, so don't catch a cold."
However, the chill in the room seemed to have penetrated into her bones, and a mere cup of hot tea could hardly dispel the fear in her heart.
Shen Xingwan took the teacup, but just held it in his hand, with no intention of drinking it at all.
Yan Jinghuan supported her and slowly sat down on the main seat in the flower hall.
Shen Xingwan's body was still trembling slightly, and Feiyun stood behind her with an anxious look on his face.
Shen Xingwan would occasionally stick her head out and look towards the door, hoping that new news would come soon. But outside the window, rain began to fall, and the sound of the dripping rain seemed to be striking at her heart.
After a while, hurried footsteps came closer and closer, and a servant led a soldier in armor and looking dusty into the flower hall.
The soldier had been running all the way, his armor was covered with dust and traces of frost, and he looked quite tired. But as soon as he stepped into the flower hall and saw Yan Jinghuan and Shen Xingwan in the hall, he immediately perked up, knelt on one knee with a "dong" sound, and saluted in a standard military manner. His voice was loud but a little hoarse: "This humble general pays respect to the Regent and the Princess!"
The cold wind outside was like a roaring beast, making the doors and windows rattle, as if it was going to swallow up everything in the world.
Lead-gray clouds weighed heavily on the sky, as if they would collapse at any time, shrouding the entire world in a depressing haze.
The big raindrops hit the roof, making a dull sound, which intertwined with the strong wind like a piece of desperate music.
The dim candlelight in the flower hall swayed violently under the raging wind. The faint light and shadow twisted and swayed on the wall. Every flicker of the candlelight seemed like hope was extinguished bit by bit.
Yan Jinghuan raised his hand slightly.
"Get up and talk."
The soldiers received the order and stood up straight.
Yan Jinghuan looked at the soldier in front of him with cold eyes.
"Do you know the details of Shen Yunchao's fall from the cliff? Tell me the truth, and don't leave out any details."
The soldier looked embarrassed, clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and replied respectfully: "My Lord Regent, I am just a messenger. Normally, I can hardly get close to the general's tent. I really don't know the specific situation."
“But now General Shen’s whereabouts are unknown, and the front line is without a commander. The army is in chaos, the soldiers are panic-stricken, and are being beaten back by the enemy.”
He took a step forward, knelt on the ground, and begged earnestly: "I beg the Regent to make a quick decision, otherwise the front line will be in danger and the people on the border will also suffer! If this continues, I'm afraid our defense line will not hold out for much longer!"
His voice seemed faint and heavy beneath the sound of wind and rain.
Yan Jinghuan's expression suddenly changed, and his already stern face became even more solemn. He subconsciously turned his head to look at Shen Xingwan.
Tears welled up in Shen Xingwan's eyes. She bit her lower lip so hard that her nails almost dug into her palms.
She knew very well that without her brother as the head coach, the front line would be in chaos.
This concerns the safety of thousands of Liming people. Although she is extremely anxious, she also knows that she cannot act on impulse at this moment. She can only hold back her tears, nod slightly, and say with a choked voice: "Your Majesty, the overall situation is more important. You should go and deal with the war first."
Yan Jinghuan held her hand and said, "I'm going to the Military Affairs Office."
He squeezed her hand soothingly, held her gently in his arms, and whispered in her ear: "Don't be afraid, Xing Zhou has already rushed to the front line. He is efficient and will definitely find Shen Yunchao's whereabouts."
"Just wait for the news in the mansion. I'll be back after I finish dealing with it."
"Um."
Shen Xingwan leaned in his arms. Although she was anxious and frightened, she knew that she was powerless to change the situation and could only nod silently.
She clutched Yan Jinghuan's sleeve tightly, as if she could grasp a glimmer of hope in this way.
Yan Jinghuan let her go, looked at her deeply, turned around and strode away with the soldiers.
Shen Xingwan looked at his departing back, tears finally welled up in her eyes, and she slumped down in the chair.
The wind outside was getting stronger and stronger, making the windows rattle. Feiyun hurried over and closed the windows.
Yan Jinghuan's footsteps gradually faded away, and Shen Xingwan looked towards the door with empty eyes.
Feiyun walked to her side lightly, looking at her distraught appearance, he felt distressed and whispered, "Miss..."
Shen Xingwan slowly came back to his senses, looked at Feiyun, and moved his lips but no sound came out.
Feiyun couldn't help but speak again: "Miss, how could the eldest master fall off the cliff? Benxiao has been very obedient and smart since he was a child. He was trained very well by the eldest master. When the eldest master asked him to stop, he would never dare to move forward. Why did he suddenly go crazy today? Did he eat something wrong? There must be something fishy here!"
The candle flame in the room suddenly jumped violently.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xingwan frowned tightly, and her eyes lowered, inadvertently falling on the secret letter that had fallen to the ground earlier.
The letter lay quietly on the ground.
She bit her lower lip, her thoughts churning. After a moment, she took a deep breath, slowly stood up and walked over, then bent over to pick up the letter.
The moment her fingertips touched the paper, her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
She stood up and looked at Feiyun, a trace of determination flashing in her eyes, "Maybe I really ate something wrong?"
Shen Xingwan's eyes fell on the letter, thoughtfully.
She clutched the letter tightly, the veins on the back of her hand bulging slightly, and said to Feiyun: "This matter is by no means simple."
Feiyun came closer and looked at the letter in Shen Xingwan's hand. After a few glances, the blood on his face instantly faded, and he was as pale as paper. He covered his mouth with both hands, and his voice trembled violently: "Oh my God, someone really wants to harm the eldest master, what should I do! Who is so cruel?"
She panicked and grabbed Shen Xingwan's arm, and urged hurriedly: "Miss, what should we do? Let's go back and tell the master and the mistress, they will definitely find a way!" As she said that, she was about to pull Shen Xingwan out.
Shen Xingwan grabbed Feiyun, his expression solemn, and lowered his voice and said, "No! Since this person can mobilize so many people to assassinate my brother, the power behind him must be very strong, and he must be watching our every move."
"The prince said that we must not act rashly at this moment."
Shen Xingwan frowned, "Besides, my mother is not in good health, how can she bear such news? This matter must be kept secret from her, and she must not be aware of it at all."
Shen Xingwan said, lowering her eyes and sighing, "If my mother knew about this, she would be so worried that she would get sick!"
"Then what can we do now?" Feiyun's eyes were red with anxiety, and he kept stamping his feet. "Why don't we go to the palace to find Princess Guang'an? She is of noble status and has many connections. Maybe she can help. She must have a way. Let's go and beg her!"
Shen Xingwan shook her head. "No, you know, Princess Guang'an is already very worried about the marriage, and she cries all day long. How can she have the energy to help us?"
"Besides, my brother is her only belief now. If I tell her that Shen Yunchao fell off a cliff and his life or death is unknown, given her personality, I'm afraid she will do something even more stupid."
When Feiyun heard this, her face turned red with anxiety, "This won't work, and that won't work either. So what should we do?"
She shook Shen Xingwan's arm, "We can't just sit there and wait! Miss, please think of a solution!"
Shen Xingwan frowned and paced back and forth, thinking rapidly in his mind.
Suddenly, as if she thought of something, she paused, raised her head, and looked at the storm outside the door with a determined gaze. "Change clothes, let's go find Tang Lin'er."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
