Chapter 99 I Won't Stick to You
Yan Jinyue was a woman and not very strong.
The whip struck Pei Yi'an, and while it wasn't exactly a tickle, it certainly didn't hurt a seasoned warrior enough to make him turn pale.
Seeing this, Xue Ziying took the whip from her hand, raised her hand and lashed out with a fierce lash. The tip of the whip grazed Pei Yi'an's cheek, leaving a clear bloodstain, and blood beads immediately appeared.
Pei Yi'an frowned in pain, his eyes coldly fixed on Xue Ziying.
But Xue Ziying clearly hated him. She hated that he sent her back to the capital of Yongchao, hated that he caused her to fall into Wen Heyun's hands, and hated that he colluded with the Crown Prince of Nanzhao and used her life to threaten her father.
The whip lashed at him relentlessly, erratically and without any pattern, purely an act of venting personal hatred. However, her strength was clearly much greater than Yan Jinyue's, completely disproportionate to her slender and frail figure.
Yan Jinyue stared in astonishment for a long time before slowly turning her head and looking at Yan Yang's face: "Brother, she has great strength."
Almost every lash drew blood.
Before long, Pei Yi'an's prison clothes were torn in several places.
Yan Yang's gaze fell on Xue Ziying's face. Considering her father's identity, even if Xue Ziying hadn't formally practiced martial arts, she should at least have had some experience in physical fitness and self-defense.
Therefore, when Tang Beixuan was going to hand her over to Pei Yi'an as a hostage, she had to knock her unconscious first. If she were awake, a woman with good physical fitness would struggle desperately, and even if she couldn't escape, she could definitely take advantage of the chaos to injure a few people.
The sound of whips whistling through the air echoed continuously from the prison, occasionally splattering blood.
Xue Ziying suddenly stopped moving and then fainted without warning.
"Miss Xue!" Yan Jinyue exclaimed in surprise, instinctively supporting her. "What happened?"
Yan Yang snatched the whip from her hand, picked her up in his arms, and ordered, "Do as I just said. Do as much as you are supposed to do. Xue Ziying's whipping doesn't count."
"yes!"
"Jinyue, you've seen everything you need to see. Hurry back to the palace."
Yan Jinyue said "Oh," and turned to walk out of the prison.
Back at the Prince's residence, Yan Yang ordered a doctor to be summoned. After a thorough examination, the doctor confirmed that Xue Ziying had fainted due to excessive emotional fluctuations and physical weakness.
Yan Yang nodded and ordered someone to send the doctor away. When he turned around, he found that Xue Ziying had woken up and was lying quietly on the bed, tears streaming down her face.
Yan Yang looked at her in silence.
That day, when she was rescued from Wen Heyun's house, she looked so miserable, but I didn't see her shed a single tear.
Yan Yang decided to give her some time to vent.
He got up to leave, but as soon as he turned around, he realized that someone was tugging at his clothes again.
He looked down and saw a small hand gripping his clothes tightly. A woman's choked voice rang out: "Don't go."
Yan Yang turned his head and met a pair of misty eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he sat down again: "Are you hungry?"
Xue Ziying sat up from the bed, slowly shook her head, and said in a slightly trembling voice: "My father is the current emperor's younger brother. Xue Beixuan and I have been close since childhood. Outsiders say that we are closer than blood sisters."
Yan Yang didn't say anything.
"The Crown Prince was very good to me too." After saying this, Xue Ziying's tears fell again. "But it was all fake. Their kindness to me was all an attempt to get close to me with ulterior motives. Xue Beixuan invited me to go horseback riding at the horse farm. She handed me a cup of tea laced with drugs. After I drank it, I passed out. Although my mind was hazy, I could still hear what she was saying. She said I was a fool for easily believing in the feelings of the royal family and that I deserved to be used by her."
Yan Yang patted her on the shoulder: "You're not an idiot."
"When I woke up, we had already reached the border." Xue Ziying lowered her eyes sadly, her whole body filled with sorrow and helplessness. "I saw Xue Beixuan leaning against Pei Yi'an's arms. She was showing off her identity to me, saying that she was going to marry into the Yong Dynasty. She and Pei Yi'an were inseparable, enjoying the friendliness and flattery of the Yong Dynasty soldiers... Pei Yi'an only said that Xue Beixuan was his wife, and did not tell anyone Xue Beixuan's true identity."
Yan Yang said, "Because the soldiers in the army are defending their country and fighting against Nanzhao, how could they possibly accept their general associating with the princess of Nanzhao?"
Pei Yi'an's treacherous intentions do not mean that all the soldiers harbored treacherous intentions.
The soldiers in the army consider it their duty to defend the country, so it's right that Pei Yi'an doesn't let anyone know.
If others knew that he would lose prestige in the army if even a few generals opposed him and made a big fuss about it.
“I wanted to tell them that Pei Yi’an was colluding with the Crown Prince of Nanzhao and would lead the Yong Dynasty soldiers into injustice, but I couldn’t utter a single word. Tang Beixuan told me not to waste my energy, saying that the medicine she gave me would make me mute for a month… A few days later, I was sent to the capital.”
Xue Ziying blinked, her tear-stained eyelashes glistening and making her look pitiful. She said blankly, "I was sent to the Prince of Jin's residence. Although they didn't explicitly tell the Prince of Jin my identity, he recognized those two people as Pei Yi'an's subordinates. Fearing trouble, he refused to let me into the residence, citing the Princess of Jin's jealousy. However, he personally ordered someone to send me to the Wen family and give me to Wen Heyun."
Yan Yang took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears.
"I won't cling to you." Xue Ziying raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, but she looked at Yan Yang with utmost seriousness. "I just don't know who to trust. I have no relatives or friends here. You're the one who dealt with Wen Heyun, and in my heart you're a good person. I... I will return to Nanzhao sooner or later. I want to expose the Crown Prince's treason, and I want to return to my mother's side. She must be worried about me these days, and I wonder if she's been crying every day..."
Yan Yang was silent for a moment: "After the interrogation of Pei Yi'an is over, I will find a way to send a letter to the border to tell your father and mother that you are still alive and well."
Xue Ziying nodded and sincerely said, "Thank you."
"Do you want to take a nap?" Yan Yang asked gently. "I've sent someone in to take care of you. We're going to the Imperial Prison later to finish this case as soon as possible, so I can't stay at the manor with you."
Xue Ziying nodded and lay down on the bed: "I can do it."
Seeing her actions, Yan Yang couldn't help but smile slightly: "What a good girl."
After saying this, he got up and walked out, instructing two clever maids to go in and look after her, and then left the mansion for the imperial prison.
He is ruthless and has many tricks up his sleeve.
Even a general like Pei Yi'an couldn't withstand it for long.
After only an hour of interrogation, Pei Yi'an confessed to almost everything, and his confession was written down in detail.
Yan Yang took this confession to the palace to meet the emperor.
"Pei Yi'an cooperated with the Crown Prince of Nanzhao and married Princess Tang Beixuan, but he dared not let anyone know Tang Beixuan's identity and only dared to bring her back as a concubine. He originally thought that Jin Yue's feelings for him over the years would allow him to marry another woman, but he did not expect Jin Yue to be so strong-willed, which caused his plan to fail."
"The purpose of their cooperation was simple: the Crown Prince of Nanzhao embezzled military funds under the guise of war, abused his power for personal gain, built a palace on the border, and kept a group of young boys and girls to satisfy his perverted fetishes. Pei Yi'an, on the other hand, used this to achieve his goal of repeatedly making military achievements. He wanted the southern border to be unable to do without him."
Yan Yang spoke succinctly, highlighting the key points, and then said calmly, "Xue Ziying is the daughter of the Prince of Huaibei of Nanzhao. She was sent to Yongchao as a hostage, but was cruelly abused by Wen Heyun. If the Prince of Huaibei finds out, how should we explain this? How should we answer to others?"
Emperor Zhaode slammed his fist on the table and rose to his feet, roaring in fury, "What a traitorous minister! His heart deserves to be punished!"
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