Chapter 27: The Journey to Mount Tai (1) The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it...
On the eve of their trip to Mount Tai, Yan Huinan and Yu Xian went to the northern suburbs camp to inspect the troops, but they didn't return until late in the evening. The next morning, they would marshal the troops and wait outside the city gates for their departure.
After dinner, Xie Yun sat in the courtyard, holding the little coal ball and teasing it. However, in just over ten days, the little guy had grown a little fatter.
A few days ago, Xie Yun had someone pick up a small, thick stick and hold a small coal ball in her mouth. She peeled and washed it, then smeared it with a scent she had personally created, which smelled like pastries. She just threw it out, and the small coal ball ran to pick it up excitedly, throwing it out and picking it up again... This went on for a long time.
Han Zhen approached and asked, "Madam, the water is ready. Do you want some?"
Xie Yun, however, was waiting for something. She had been preparing for it for a long time, waiting for it to happen tonight. She smiled faintly and said, "Wait a little longer."
After saying that, she took the stick from Little Coal Ball's mouth and threw it far away again.
When the night sky was dotted with stars, someone outside the door announced that Princess Changheng had sent someone to invite the general's wife to the princess's residence for a chat. Xie Yun handed the small coal ball to the servant who took care of it and took Han Zhen out.
During the Taishan expedition, Yan Huinan was the commander-in-chief, Si Wen his deputy. Therefore, Si Wen was also in the barracks tonight, and no one else was accompanying Xie Yun. This was something Xie Yun had anticipated. Since Yan Huinan was taking her to Taishan, tonight was the only night she had the perfect opportunity, with the right time, location, and people.
She's going no matter what!
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The lights in the princess's mansion were bright, and Xie Yun came as invited.
Princess Changheng held a banquet in the flower hall and invited all the noble ladies in the capital to appreciate the magnolia flowers.
When Xie Yun arrived, quite a few people were already sitting in the hall, enjoying refreshments and chatting. On the stage was a performance of The Peony Pavilion. This was a troupe Chang Heng had sent from Jiangnan to give the people of Beijing a taste of something new.
"Finally, Madam Yan is here!" Chang Heng saw Xie Yun coming from afar. "She is the apple of General Yan's eye. I'm hosting a banquet to invite everyone to enjoy the flowers. Madam Yan is absolutely indispensable for such a joyful occasion."
There was a sting in her words, clearly indicating she hadn't forgotten the grudge between them. But Xie Yun didn't care for the innocuous sarcasm. She bowed to the princess and allowed the maid to lead her to her seat.
Chang Heng had let her suffer three times, and she would not tolerate it again. If this plan was not for this reckless Chang Heng, it might really be difficult to achieve.
Xie Yun was thinking, "I'm sorry, I'm not a very generous person. Tonight, she will definitely drag Heng into this mess."
In the center of the flower hall stood a row of viburnums like a green waterfall, with buds about to bloom scattered on them. Crystal drops of water hung on them, and under the dazzling light, they shone with a golden luster.
The noise of merriment continued until midnight, when, amid the crowd's exclamations, the pots of magnolias gradually unfolded their curled petals until they were in full bloom. Each pot held many pure white magnolias in full bloom, their slender, overlapping petals dotted with star-like stamens. Everyone gathered around to admire them.
Xie Yun's attention wasn't on the Epiphyllum. Under Chang Heng's watchful eye, she drank a good amount of fruit wine. With her years of medical experience, even though the drug in the wine was colorless and odorless, Xie Yun still sensed something was wrong. She immediately took the antidote she had brought with her, then pretended to be drugged. While everyone else was admiring the flowers and paying no attention to her, Xie Yun slumped over the table.
After a while, someone quietly led Xie Yun away from the hall. They brought her to a side room, along with Han Zhen, who had indeed been drugged and unconscious. They then carried her to the bed and left.
Xie Yun opened her eyes and saw that the other person lying on the bed was Fei Jing.
Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Fei Jing was unconscious, having obviously been drugged to a high concentration. However, since Lu Lingyu had told Fei Jing all her plans when she secretly took her to the Dali Temple to see him last time, Fei Jing was mentally prepared.
Xie Yun fed Fei Jing and Shui the antidote she had prepared in advance and gestured to him, "Wei Hong has given me the route to the side door of the princess's mansion. You should wait a while while you deal with the guards in the courtyard. Wei Hong has already arranged everything and will meet us outside the side door."
Fei Jing nodded.
Probably because he knew that he had learned martial arts, Chang Heng gave him a large dose of medicine after he got Fei Jing out of Dali Temple.
After Chang Heng caused trouble at the General's Mansion, Xie Yun's plan gradually took shape. She first went to the palace to ask Lu Lingyu for help, avoiding Yu Xian and taking her to see Fei Jing.
Afterwards, he deliberately asked someone to leak the news that he went to the Dali Temple to see Fei Jing to Chang Heng, and then Wei Hong's people took the opportunity to spread the false news to Chang Heng that Xie Yun had a relationship with Fei Jing.
Given Chang Heng's hatred for Xie Yun at the time, she would have held on to any evidence she could find against Xie Yun and made good use of it.
Chang Heng was sure that even if she really hurt Xie Yun, as long as she let Yan Huinan see clearly how Xie Yun betrayed him, even if Yan Huinan was angry, he would only transfer his anger to Xie Yun.
Chang Heng might find out tomorrow morning that the so-called news she had received was nothing more than what Xie Yun had delivered to her. Everything she did had become Xie Yun's help.
But at this moment, she was probably still immersed in the excitement of her plan coming to fruition. If Chang Heng wanted to catch the adulterer, he would probably wait a while, until the scene was lewd enough to shock the ladies at the banquet and exaggerate the situation, and then she would bring her men over.
This time is enough for Feijing to recover.
Fei Jing took advantage of the night to deal with the guards in the yard, and rushed to the side door with Xie Yun.
As soon as Wei Hong's men saw them, they led them out of the city. The city gates were unlocked tonight, waiting for the troops from the northern suburbs camp to arrive overnight. But at this moment, the army should not have arrived yet.
They mixed in with the people carrying swill and left the city. As they walked south along the path, the summer evening breeze blew on Xie Yun's face, bringing a refreshing coolness.
Her eyes suddenly became moist. This was the freedom she had longed for! If she hadn't had the misfortune of meeting Yan Huinan, she would have settled down in Jiangnan long ago. How could she have suffered such humiliation?
If I leave tonight, maybe we will never see each other again in this life.
She was grateful for Yan Huinan's protection in her childhood, but they would never become people with a shared destiny.
Wei Hong asked, "Miss, what should we do with this girl?"
Xie Yun: "When she wakes up, let's ask her what she wants to do. After all, our journey to Jiangnan won't be safe. If she doesn't want to go with us, give her some money to keep her safe and put her in a safe place."
Wei Hong nodded
Xie Yun asked, "How is my brother doing lately?"
Wei Hong: "The young master just sent a letter a few days ago saying that everything is fine. But Master Xie was very angry because the young lady ran away from the marriage. In order to maintain the alliance with the Third Prince, he has changed it to the eldest daughter marrying the Third Prince."
Xie Shaohua looked down on Lou Cheng when he was in the Great Zhou Dynasty. After he went to the Liang Kingdom, although Lou Cheng became the third prince with the right of inheritance, he had two older brothers who were more favored by the Liang Emperor. In terms of legitimacy and seniority, the throne would not be Lou Cheng's turn.
With Xie Shaohua's determination, she would not be willing to marry Lou Cheng. She also definitely looked down on Xie Yun's position as a substitute.
"The eldest young lady was imprisoned for many days and starved for three days before she agreed. The Third Prince, on the other hand, never resisted and the marriage was finalized three months ago," Wei Hong said. "The Third Prince is a man who endures humiliation and bears great burdens. After all, Lord Xie risked his life to rescue him and bring him back to the country. Now that Emperor Liang is gravely ill, the court is overwhelmed by the cliques and opportunism. The Third Prince's foundation is unstable and he has no confidants in the court. Now he and the Xie family are inextricably linked."
During their escape, Xie Yun became separated from them and has been missing ever since. Xie Qingyun wouldn't go to such lengths to find a daughter who had little use for him. So, besides Xie Yun, the only other eligible daughters left in the Xie family are Xie Shaohua.
"By the way, the young master joined the Arsenal two months ago. He sent me some blueprints and asked me to pass them on to you after I meet you. This is a new weapon that Daliang has been developing recently. If it is completed, it is expected that gunpowder can be loaded into a portable device and fired like an arrow. However, it is faster and more powerful than an arrow." Wei Hong said solemnly, "The young master wanted to ask you if you can imitate it according to the blueprints. He will secretly send someone to deliver the necessary materials to you."
Xie Yun put the blueprint away and said, "I'll study it later."
She had played with fireworks as a child and could make them, but these were not exactly the same as fireworks, and she wasn't sure she could make them.
The carriage drove steadily on the dark road, and after leaving the city, the journey was smooth.
Xie Yun hadn't rested all night, and now that she was far away from the capital, she was able to relax her vigilance.
Just as he was about to take a short rest, the carriage suddenly braked and a long horse neigh rang out.
Xie Yun was awakened by the strong vibration. She quickly lifted the curtain and saw dozens of secret guards rushing out from the originally silent dense forest.
Wei Hong rushed out with the remaining few people to fight with them, and Fei Jing stayed beside Xie Yun to protect her.
The moon was filled with the gleam of swords and the clash of weapons.
But before they had fought for a moment, the leader took off his mask and said to Xie Yun in the carriage, "Miss Xie, we are sent by the Third Prince. If you don't want all these people to die here, just follow us back and they will be safe."
Xie Yun couldn't help but clench her hands around the carriage door frame, and Fei Jing shook his head at her.
Wei Hong and Fei Jing are both highly skilled in martial arts, and the people Wei Hong brought with him are also secret guards trained by Xie Run for a long time. If they really fight, they may not lose.
Xie Yun: "What if I don't agree?"
"Even if we kill them all, we will still take Miss Xie back." The leader spoke slowly, then continued, "Besides, Miss Xie, don't forget that Master Xie Run is still in Liang State. It shouldn't be difficult for the Third Prince to deal with a son that Master Xie doesn't value very much."
"you!"
"The Third Prince knew from the beginning that it was Master Xie Run who sent people to rescue you. He knew you would definitely go with Master Run's men, so he instructed us to wait while the mantis stalks the cicada, while the oriole waits behind."
It's no wonder Xie Yun couldn't imagine this; this group of people had been following Xie Run's men from the beginning, never showing their faces. Trapped in the general's mansion, she had no time to take care of herself, and had forgotten how Lou Cheng could be so easily scared off by Yan Huinan.
He has endured humiliation for so many years.
"I'm afraid there is someone else behind this." Wei Hong suddenly said.
The next second, a circle of fire lit up around the dark forest. It was unknown how many people were on the opposite side, but they surrounded them like a tide.
The person who was originally talking arrogantly to Xie Yun saw that something was wrong and took the opportunity to hold Xie Yun hostage.
But Fei Jing was quick to cut off the hand of the leader and protected Xie Yun behind him.
In the firelight, Yan Huinan was seen riding into the battle formation: "Xie Yun, come here."
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