45 Chapter 45
◎It turns out he was the young Prince Muqing in his previous life◎
The old snow has not yet melted, but the new snow has already arrived.
A carriage slowly pulled up in front of Meishan Villa along the mountain road. There was a large plum grove on the mountain, with white snow weighing down the plum branches, creating layers of red and white that complemented each other.
Huaijin lifted the curtain, and a pair of delicate, nail-covered hands reached out from inside the carriage, helping Huaijin out of the carriage.
Having learned his lesson last time, Zheng Qiushi watched helplessly as Xie Yutang got out of the car, looking like he had already behaved himself. He dared not try to stand out again. He thought he would have to stand outside as punishment with the guards again, but unexpectedly, Huai Jin and Wo Yu escorted Xie Yutang to the courtyard gate, handed the food box to the young lady, and then stopped without following her inside.
Zheng Qiushi touched his nose, a little worried: "So...you're letting His Highness go in alone?"
Huaijin glanced at him: "Only Miss can enter this courtyard."
Sensing the seriousness in her words, Zheng Qiushi silently made a note of it and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Inside the main hall of the courtyard, there are 107 memorial tablets for the Xie family, with rows of red candles intertwined. Xie Yutang took a feather duster to sweep away the thin layer of ash, lit incense, and remained silent throughout the process.
She carried the food box to the west corner pavilion, which was nestled among plum trees. There was no snow on the stone table. She placed the food box on the table; inside was only a pot of wine and two cups.
She filled both glasses, pouring one into the snow in front of the courtyard, where the clear liquid melted and left a small pit in the snow.
This was General Xie's favorite wine during his lifetime.
The other cup went down Xie Yutang's throat.
The pungent liquor rolled over, bringing a brief stimulation to his already numb nerves. Xie Yutang finally got up when the wine pot was empty and the sun was setting.
On the return journey, the carriage, which had been traveling smoothly, suddenly stopped. Zheng Qiushi whispered, "There's an ambush!"
Immediately, the sound of clashing weapons rang out.
Xie Yutang lifted the curtain to look and saw Zheng Qiushi fighting with his guards and dozens of men in black.
Her trip wasn't exactly secret, but not many people knew about it. Who leaked the news, and who wanted to take her life?
This is the only way back to the princess's residence. It is nestled against the mountains and is located in a remote area, making it an excellent ambush point.
Looking at the battle ahead, it appeared that Zheng Qiushi and his men were advancing steadily, but in reality, the group of black-clad assassins were fighting and retreating, getting further and further away from her carriage...
They are stalling for time.
Why?
Xie Yutang immediately realized what was happening and quickly looked around. When his gaze fell on a certain spot on the cliff face in front of him, his pupils suddenly contracted.
It's explosives.
The mountainside here is covered with jagged rocks, and with the heavy snowfall in recent days, the snowmelt is slippery. An explosion in that location would inevitably trigger a landslide, and everyone would perish.
Huai Jin and Wo Yu quickly realized what Xie Yutang was thinking when they saw his expression. Xie Yutang shouted "Run!" and then drew his sword and leaped up.
The explosives were hidden in the mountains. Xie Yutang lit a protruding rock with her foot and quickly arrived near the crevice where the explosives were stuck. But it was too late. The short fuse had already burned out. Time seemed to slow down infinitely at that moment. She could even see the scattered sparks from the explosion.
Without thinking twice, Xie Yutang channeled his inner strength into his sword and swung it with all his might. The gunpowder pack in the crevice was lifted up by the sword energy, and Xie Yutang took advantage of the momentum to flick it in the opposite direction. The gunpowder pack turned in the air and flew towards the open opposite side of the mountain.
The fuse burned out completely in that short moment, exploding in the air.
At the same moment, a figure in white suddenly rushed out from behind her, caught her as she tumbled down the rocks, and held her in his arms as they sped away from the mountain.
Bang--
Everything around them was blown to pieces. The two were thrown into the air by the huge shockwave. The heat and the smell of gunpowder filled their nostrils in an instant. The earth and sky were shaking, and rocks were rolling down the mountainside.
She instinctively curled up, but the embrace opened even wider, as if a soft shield was carefully protecting her whole body. The embrace was hot, yet there was a faint fragrance of snow between the lines.
Xie Yutang instantly knew who the person was.
She knew he was highly skilled in martial arts and possessed profound inner strength, but flesh and blood could not be an impenetrable wall. He was using his body to shield her from the attack and risking his life to create a way out for her in a seemingly hopeless situation.
The two men crashed into a thick, broken tree.
The other person protected her head, and even when rolling to dissipate the force, they did their best to prevent her from being bumped or hit, finally stopping her in a position where they cushioned themselves with their bodies.
Xie Yutang hurriedly propped herself up from him.
Upon seeing his face clearly, Xie Yutang was so shocked that she quickly placed her hand on his neck and felt a faint pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had just been to the underworld. She hurriedly pulled the boy up and placed her palm against his back to protect his heart.
Only when they touched through his clothes did they realize with a start that the burning sensation in his arms was not from gunpowder, but from the temperature of his own body.
The boy's long eyelashes trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked at her and raised the corners of his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but when he opened his lips, he coughed up blood.
Xie Yutang channeled a large amount of her inner energy into his back: "Don't move yet, we can talk about it when you're better."
She channeled her inner energy into him, but instead of strengthening his heart meridian, it seemed to weaken. Xie Yutang's expression changed drastically, only to see the boy's shoulder slump and he fall into her arms.
Su Lu was embraced by Xie Yutang, and the scent of the moonlit begonia finally enveloped him tightly. He greedily indulged in it, unable to resist wanting more.
The boy raised his hand, wanting to touch her cheek, but just before he could make contact, he saw the bloodstains all over his hand, hesitated, and then restrained himself from touching her.
The voices in the distance grew closer, and Huai Jin and Wo Yu's shouts were mixed in. Thanks to Xie Yutang throwing the gunpowder pack out of the mountain at the last moment, they and Zheng Qiushi and others were pushed several feet by the huge aftershock. Although they were injured to varying degrees, fortunately they were not close to the mountain and were not hit by the broken rocks, so their lives were not in danger.
Xie Yutang seemed not to hear anything, gripping the boy's wrist tightly, her eyes filled with disbelief.
On the wrist stained with blood, a small crescent moon was conspicuously visible.
Spirit Control Guide.
The high fever caused a thin layer of powder to rise from Su Lu's face, which clung to the corners of his eyes like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow.
With a persistent high fever and excruciating pain in his internal organs, Xie Yutang could hardly imagine the suffering he was enduring, or how he managed to rush over and shield her with his own body at the critical moment of the gunpowder explosion.
"You're crazy."
The suppressed, trembling voice carried emotions stretched to the limit.
"Your Highness."
The young man suppressed the metallic taste in his throat and his constant coughing and wheezing. His wrist was a little sore from Xie Yutang's grip, but he didn't care. He ran his fingers along her forearm and said lightly but solemnly, "I am not like the Third Prince. I will not betray you."
Xie Yutang suddenly opened his eyes wide.
"Miss, Miss, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
A slid of loose rocks in the mountains separated Xie Yutang from the others. Zheng Qiushi and the others spent a lot of effort clearing a path. Huai Jin and Wo Yu, disregarding their own injuries, ran over, stepping on the loose rocks and checking everyone over.
Thank goodness, it was a false alarm.
The young lady's condition was much better than they had expected.
But Su Lu, whom she held in her arms, was not in good condition.
He was almost entirely covered in blood, his lips were pale, and if it weren't for the barely perceptible rise and fall of his chest, he would have been practically dead.
They looked at each other, bewildered.
What... how come Prince Su is here?
What exactly happened during the explosion?
The next moment, their eyes widened completely.
Xie Yutang picked up Su Lu, propped himself up, and actually wanted to carry him onto the carriage himself.
Zheng Qiushi, who had been standing by in a state of high alert for a while, was startled and hesitated before chasing after him: "Your Highness, let me do it."
"No need."
Xie Yutang didn't look at him, and strode over to carry the man into the carriage. "Call Imperial Physician Liu over, and bring out all the best medicinal herbs from the storeroom. When the carriage arrives at the manor, I want to see the man and the medicine."
*
When news of Princess Ning'an's assassination spread, the court and the public were shocked. Emperor Chongde was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. However, the scene was completely destroyed by the explosion, and no clues could be found. The assassins were all dressed in black and masked, and they used moves that were impossible to identify. They also took advantage of the explosion to make a clean getaway. There was not even a corpse at the scene, let alone any survivors.
We've asked everyone we needed to, but to no avail.
Xie Yutang was calm; she only had minor abrasions, and once the wounds were treated, she was fine. However, Su Lu's original injuries from the lantern festival had not been properly treated, and he was poisoned and suffered new injuries, so he remained unconscious in bed for three days.
When Su Lu woke up, Xie Yutang was in the study handling official business. Wo Yu came over happily to report, and Xie Yutang paused in his hand as he turned the page of his book, said "I know," and then said nothing more.
Woyu was very puzzled. When the young master fell into a coma, it was clearly the young lady who personally carried him onto the carriage and rushed back to the manor at full speed. She had the imperial physician Liu examine him carefully, and she personally supervised the changing of his dressings and feeding of his medicine over the past few days. She also had a special person report the situation every day. Even a blind person could see how carefully the young lady cared for the young master. So why was the young lady so indifferent after the young master woke up?
Xie Yutang held the book pages and remained silent for a moment: "Tell him that I will be waiting for him tonight at the place where the 'Shangyun Gathering' took place back then."
Woyu was even more puzzled. She had grown up with her young lady since childhood, from the Xie family mansion to the palace and then to the princess's mansion, but she had never seen her young lady hold any "elegant gatherings".
Has she lost her memory, or is something wrong with Miss?
Xie Yutang knew she was confused, so he didn't explain, but simply said, "Just tell him that."
When Woyu relayed the message, Su Lu seemed to have expected it, nodding to indicate that he understood and thanking her gently.
Xie Yutang did indeed organize the "Shangyun Yaji" gathering.
It's just not in this lifetime.
In her previous life, when Emperor Chongde was still in power, a trend of poetry and wine gatherings suddenly swept through the nobles of Da Yan. She helped Lin Tan build relationships and expand his network, and also indulged in the refined pursuits. She held a gathering of poetry and wine in the back garden of the princess's residence, and all the high-ranking officials and important figures from the powerful families of Da Yan were invited. Su Lu also attended.
Even though Xie Yutang was completely focused on Lin Tan at the time, he still remembered that outstanding face. Su Lu was about the same age as he is now. He had just begun to make a name for himself in the court due to several brilliant victories, and various forces wanted to win him over. However, they had heard that he was aloof and had never been interested in any gatherings or meetings, so they hadn't really expected to be able to invite him. But when the invitation was sent, he actually showed up.
Xie Yutang sat in his old seat, fiddling with the tea cake in his hand. The water in the ceramic pot on the table was about to boil, and the charcoal fire beside him was burning brightly, crackling and popping, which made people feel a little warm in the cold winter night.
Hearing footsteps, she paused in her tea-making, and her voice trailed off with a hint of hoarseness: "So the general is still the general."
He was the young Prince Muqing in his previous life.
The words, "I am not like the Third Prince, I will not betray him," struck her like a bell, awakening the most improbable conjecture in her heart.
Lin Tan's various betrayals of her occurred after he ascended the throne in the previous life. Looking at this life alone, the only thing Lin Tan did that could be considered a betrayal was his close relationship with the daughter of the Imperial Guard Commander. But if it were only this one thing, it would not have made Xie Yutang so wary that she dared not gamble, dared not trust, and would not allow any people or things that she could not fully control to appear.
With just a few words, he accurately struck at the knot in her heart that she had never told anyone else.
Looking back on the past, everything has its traces.
His profound inner strength far exceeded his age; he had never been on the battlefield yet was familiar with the techniques of actual combat; he deliberately restrained himself yet still revealed the unique demeanor of a superior; even his knowledge of his own background, his knowledge of the existence of the Spirit Control Guide, and the statement "The Third Prince is not a good man" all had a reasonable explanation.
Xie Yutang took a deep breath, feeling a surge of emotion in his chest, a lump in his throat, and a hint of tears welling up in his eyes.
The fact of her rebirth was too bizarre; no one would believe it unless they experienced it themselves. She had always kept this secret to herself, with no one to tell, no one to confide in, not even her closest friends Huai Jin and Wo Yu. In the dead of night, she would feel a desolate sense of being lost in a dream, as if her past and present lives were not dreams. She felt like a lonely ghost who did not know what kind of body she was.
Unexpectedly, there were others just like her.
Like a lone traveler in the desert suddenly finding a spring, like a lost lamb suddenly hearing a shepherd's flute, like a withered tree in the dead of winter suddenly finding spring, like a parched land suddenly receiving sweet rain.
It turns out that the world is vast and she is not alone.
From then on, we had a place to come from, and we were no longer afraid of where we would go.
So she said, "A general is still a general."
It turns out that the newcomers are also old acquaintances.
Su Lu's long eyelashes trembled slightly. She slowly raised her eyes and said softly, "But Your Highness is no longer Your Highness."
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