Chapter 74 Yunzhu, you mean you and Azhi will meet...
Yunzhu slammed the door and walked out.
Ayan was waiting outside. When she saw Yunzhu come out, she wanted to go up and ask her about her conversation with Xiao Mingzhang, but seeing Yunzhu's expression, she wisely kept quiet.
“Ayan…” Yunzhu said, “I’m going out for a walk. You don’t need to come with me. Let me calm down on my own.”
This is strange.
Ayan, unaware of what had transpired between the two, was about to ask when Yunzhu had already turned and left. She could only stare at Xiao Mingzhang, bewildered, blocking his path.
"If you want to continue studying in the military camp in the future, then go ahead. If you're too lazy to go anymore, I'll have someone deliver the message directly to you. You don't need to stay in the military camp anymore."
But before she could even speak, Xiao Mingzhang stood on the steps, looking down at her, and his words shocked Ayan.
Ayan's eyes widened even more.
Xiao Mingzhang... he knew everything all along...?
She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Xiao Mingzhang said calmly, "I have no intention of pursuing these matters with you, so you don't need to be nervous. You've worked hard with Yunzhu and Azhi all these years, and I will need you to continue to stay by their side in the future. Thank you for your help."
"..."
She has stayed by the princess and Azhi's side all these years of her own free will, so why does it seem like he's giving orders?
Xiao Mingzhang's words were like the uneven growth of leeks in the field, one crop after another, and Ayan's displeasure immediately surged, spreading from head to toe, overshadowing her desire to defend herself.
She wanted to ask Xiao Mingzhang about Yunzhu's situation that day, but after she finished giving him her instructions, Xiao Mingzhang did exactly the same thing as Yunzhu: he simply lifted his foot and left without paying any attention to her.
Ayan was left standing at the bottom of the steps, unable to say a word, only able to watch the two figures leave one after the other, completely bewildered.
—
Yunzhu walked all the way to the foot of the city wall of Liangzhou.
She didn't know why she came here. Xiao Mingzhang's words made her feel suffocated. She wanted to go out for a walk, so she came to this place.
The commander's mansion was not far from the city wall, but it still took her almost half an hour to get to the place where she had almost been able to leave the pass before.
She looked up at the towering city wall in front of her. In the past three years, Liangzhou City seemed to be no different from before. The majestic wall blocked out the outside world. Anyone who wanted to go to the other side of the mountain had to obediently queue up to pass through the pass.
However, perhaps due to the war between the two countries, there are now almost no people queuing in front of the city walls. Only a few people are carrying packages and heading towards the city gate. The soldiers guarding the city gate are very dutiful, questioning everyone thoroughly before opening the gate to allow people to pass through.
Yunzhu stood on the street, gazing in the direction of the city gate, not knowing what she was looking at, and stood there for a long time.
The wind was stronger under the city wall than inside the commander's mansion. She had left in a hurry and hadn't taken anything with her, and now she finally felt a chill.
Estimating that she had been standing there for about half an hour, Yunzhu sighed softly and turned to leave, but just as she lifted her foot, someone was walking towards her.
The man was dressed in black iron armor, his tall and imposing figure completely encased in layers of armor. As he moved, the rhythmic creaking of the armor reached the ears of outsiders.
Yunzhu looked at the man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who had the appearance of someone from the Western Regions. She then carefully studied his figure and, in a moment, remembered his identity.
It was the same general who, when she and Ayan first tried to leave the pass, blocked them all from entering the city walls with a tall horse.
Back then, she and Ayan were truly just a hair's breadth away from being able to leave the pass directly. It was this person's arrival that blocked their group, preventing them from leaving the pass that day, and what followed led to the situation they are in now...
It turns out that he is still in Liangzhou, and is still wearing the same armor as he did three years ago.
Yunzhu focused her attention and saw the person getting closer and closer. She couldn't help but look around, wondering if she had been standing there for too long and thus attracted the attention of the army.
She intended to explain to this person.
"This general..."
"This humble general, Qi Hanyi, greets the Crown Princess!"
Yunzhu stood there, stunned.
She didn't know the general's name, but she still remembered his imposing presence on horseback.
Even though she was no longer someone who needed to leave the pass, and no longer needed to fear anyone in Liangzhou City, she still felt a little nervous when she saw him coming in his black armor.
But at this moment, all her tension vanished. Yunzhu was stunned to see that the black-armored general in front of her was not only extremely respectful, but even, the instant he opened his mouth, he knelt on one knee and bowed his head to her.
"I wonder what brings the Crown Princess to the city gate?" he asked Yunzhu.
Yunzhu gradually realized, and then it dawned on her. Yes, now she was back by Xiao Mingzhang's side, and was once again Xiao Mingzhang's heir apparent. During her stay at the commander's mansion, she guessed that many generals in Liangzhou City had already recognized her face.
Qi Hanyi? So that's the name of this burly general.
She remembered Qi Hanyi, but Qi Hanyi didn't remember her.
He only recognized Xiao Mingzhang's wife.
Yunzhu chuckled softly, finally allowing herself to break free from her memories.
She said to Qi Hanyi, "General Qi, please get up. I'm fine; I just happened to be taking a walk here and stopped to take a look."
"Then it would be best if the Crown Princess did not linger here for too long. This is a city gate pass, a place with a mix of people and many soldiers patrolling. There is no guarantee that she might accidentally bump into the Crown Princess." Qi Hanyi stood up and gave Yunzhu another word of advice.
Yunzhu nodded. She naturally understood these rules; otherwise, she wouldn't have thought of explaining them to him earlier.
"If the Crown Princess has nothing else, I will take my leave." Qi Hanyi seemed very busy. After confirming that Yunzhu had nothing else to do, he bid farewell to her.
Yunzhu nodded slightly, allowing him to leave.
She and Qi Hanyi were merely two chance acquaintances, and the other party didn't even remember her in her disguised form before. Naturally, she had no need to keep her around to reminisce about the past.
However, she always lamented that status determines position. In the past, she had to be careful and cautious when she met Qi Hanyi, but now she not only no longer had to bow her head in front of this general, but he also had to kneel down and bow to her.
All of this is because of Xiao Mingzhang.
It was all because of Xiao Mingzhang.
Yunzhu gazed at Qi Hanyi's retreating figure, exhaled deeply, and thick white mist drifted before her eyes, only to dissipate again shortly afterward.
This Liangzhou city is meaningless. The city walls are meaningless, the streets are meaningless, and even the soldiers here are obedient and uninteresting. Yunzhu knew that she should no longer stand here, so she turned her head and walked towards the alley.
Although it had been three years since she last visited Liangzhou, Yunzhu still vividly remembered the city's main streets and alleys.
She took a different route, intending to return to the commander's mansion.
It was not yet noon when she came out, and the sun was rising. Now that she had been wandering around the city gate for so long, it was the best time of day.
As she walked, Canyang followed her.
As she turned into another alley, Yunzhu unexpectedly found Xiao Mingzhang just two streets away from the Commander's Mansion.
He stepped down from a four-horse carriage, flanked by Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng.
If Yunzhu remembered correctly, this was the first time Xiao Mingzhang had stepped out of the Commander's Mansion in more than half a month.
Finally able to go outside, Xiao Mingzhang stood on the ground outside the commander's mansion, his complexion actually much better than when he was recuperating inside the mansion.
The midday sun shone on his cheeks, each ray of light seeming to nourish him. Yunzhu was not standing close, but she could still see that he was now radiant, his appearance and demeanor completely different from a few hours ago.
After Xiao Mingzhang got off the carriage, he noticed that someone was following him. He turned around and saw Yunzhu, which surprised him.
His eyes lit up with surprise, but Yunzhu followed his gaze and looked up at the gate where the carriage was now parked.
It is the General's Mansion.
In the entire Liangzhou region today, apart from Xiao Mingzhang, there is only one other person who can be called a first-rank general.
This refers to Chen Yin, who once led troops to a great victory in the Western Regions and was later appointed as the General Who Conquers the West.
In a flash, Yunzhu understood the purpose of Xiao Mingzhang's visit.
General Chen, despite his illustrious military achievements, was already over seventy years old. The imperial court had long arranged a residence for him in the capital to enjoy his retirement. He could have easily returned to Jinling to live a peaceful old age, but he refused and chose to remain in the Western Regions, on the land of Liangzhou.
Many people did not understand his actions. Yunzhu did not understand them either, and thought that this general had some deep affection for the border of the country, which was why he chose to stay here for a long time.
It wasn't until later that Xiao Mingzhang told her that this General Chen had taken his mother's surname; his original surname was He, and he was from the same family as Consort He, the mother of Prince Yi, Xiao Jing.
Yunzhu then understood that it wasn't that the general himself wanted to stay here, but that he had no choice but to stay for the sake of his family's honor and future.
It's a pity that it's no use for him to stay here and try to keep the Western Regions' forces firmly under his control.
Xiao Mingzhang came today to tell him in person the news of Prince Yi's death, to tell him that all his hopes over the years had been shattered.
"Yunzhu!" Yunzhu watched as Xiao Mingzhang walked towards her. After her initial surprise, only the joy of unexpectedly meeting her remained on his face.
He asked, "Would you like to come inside with me and take a look?"
She? Went to the General's Mansion?
When Yunzhu saw the cold glint beneath Xiao Mingzhang's smiling eyes, she instantly understood his complete malice.
Yunzhu didn't want to get too involved in the intrigues and power struggles in the imperial court, but the Prince Yi who died today had kidnapped Azhi.
Without much thought, Yunzhu followed Xiao Mingzhang through the door in front of her.
The reaction of General Chen Yin, who was over seventy years old, was entirely within their expectations.
Upon learning that the prince he supported had been completely wiped out, Chen Yin spat out a mouthful of blood, which turned his once pure white clothes crimson.
"If the old general wants to return to Jinling now, he should make plans as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the new emperor ascends the throne, you may never be able to go back." Xiao Mingzhang had no intention of genuinely caring for others. After informing Chen Yin of the bad news, he spoke rudely and said nothing but annoying things.
When had Yunzhu ever seen Xiao Mingzhang so naked and unashamed in front of her?
Although she agreed with Xiao Mingzhang's harshness at the moment, she couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.
"You brat! Who dares to say that your father is destined to be the next ruler of the land!" The old general was indeed enraged by Xiao Mingzhang and continued to curse, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth. "You killed Prince Yi, you will all die a horrible death, your entire Huanwang family will die a horrible death, there will be no good end for you!"
Xiao Mingzhang naturally wouldn't take the loser's words to heart.
Seeing his leisurely demeanor, Yunzhu continued, "Then there's no need for the old general to worry. In any case, Prince Yi is dead, and whoever becomes the ruler of the world in the future will not be of the He family bloodline. Speaking of which, I still want to congratulate the general. From now on, you no longer need to worry about scheming at your age."
Xiao Mingzhang really knows how to infuriate people.
These words enraged Chen Yin so much that he vomited a mouthful of blood again and fainted.
Xiao Mingzhang finally left the General's Mansion with Yunzhu.
Yunzhu remained expressionless throughout the journey. She didn't speak a word after entering the General's Mansion, and she still didn't speak after leaving the mansion.
“Yunzhu…” As soon as Xiao Mingzhang stepped out of the threshold of the General’s Mansion, he pulled Yunzhu to a stop.
He pressed down on Yunzhu's shoulder and asked, "Were you scared by me?"
She was frightened?
Yunzhu shook her head. She already knew what kind of person Xiao Mingzhang was, and she wouldn't be so easily frightened.
I was just a little shocked by his shamelessness.
"...Why did you do these things in front of me?" After thinking it over, Yunzhu couldn't help but ask her question under Xiao Mingzhang's repeated gaze.
No matter what, Xiao Mingzhang would never have done these things in front of her. Yunzhu never imagined that one day, Xiao Mingzhang would show her all of this – his indifference when dealing with his political enemies, his cold-bloodedness, his malice.
Wasn't he the one who loved to pretend to be a perfect gentleman in front of her? Wasn't he the one who most often boasted of being a benevolent ruler who governed the world?
Yunzhu felt that this was not like him.
Xiao Mingzhang said, "So you've been silent all this time because you're thinking about this? Yunzhu, I've already sworn that I will never hide anything from you or deceive you again, so I think you can know all of this."
But she didn't want to know any of this!
Yunzhu glanced impatiently at Xiao Mingzhang, not expecting it to be for this reason.
Today's events were an accident. Yunzhu spoke righteously and clearly, stating her demands to Xiao Mingzhang: from now on, whether in Jinling or Yunzhou, whether on the frontier or in the Central Plains, she did not want to see this side of Xiao Mingzhang, and even less did she want her daughter to see it. She didn't need Xiao Mingzhang to promise never to hide things from her again; she only wanted to know what she needed to know.
She finished speaking confidently, only to find Xiao Mingzhang standing motionless.
Yunzhu couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Mingzhang, did you understand?"
“I understand…” Xiao Mingzhang finally answered Yunzhu.
Yunzhu breathed a sigh of relief, intending to give further instructions, but she never expected that Xiao Mingzhang would suddenly grab her wrist and ask again with burning eyes in public, "Yunzhu, by saying this, you are promising that no matter if it's Jinling or Yunzhou, no matter if it's the border or the Central Plains, you and Azhi will always stay by my side, right?"
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