Chapter 4 Meeting You Again After Crossing a Thousand Mountains (Part 4) She quickly knelt down...
She frantically tried to finish bandaging him, but the more flustered she became, the clumsier her fingers became, and her fair and soft palms brushed against the sensitive skin on the inside of his knee more frequently.
Above him, Chu Huaili's breathing seemed to become heavier and rougher, sounding particularly clear in the silent tent.
The burning gaze fell on the top of her head, her reddened ears, and her slender neck, almost materializing.
Ye Yixiang felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Finally, she hurriedly tied the last knot, stood up abruptly, and took several steps back until her back hit the cold tent pillar before she stopped.
She swiftly knelt on the ground, her forehead pressed against the cold earth, breaking the eerie and dangerous atmosphere with an almost resolute gesture. Her voice trembled slightly, yet rang out with exceptional clarity:
"General! My husband, Lu Qingyuan, died on the battlefield, his body barely cold. Now he is unjustly accused of treason! I beg you, General, to have mercy, investigate the truth, and clear my husband's name! I am willing to serve you like a slave to repay your kindness!"
She lowered herself to the lowest point, kowtowing heavily, trying to suppress the unsettling episode that had just occurred with the weight of reality.
There was a moment of silence in the tent, broken only by the crackling of the burning charcoal and her own rapid heartbeat.
After a long pause, Chu Huaili's voice, devoid of emotion, slowly rang out, carrying a hint of languor and cold calculation: "Serving as a slave? My military camp has no shortage of those two things."
"I never do anything that doesn't benefit me. I can help you overturn the verdict. Unless... my sister-in-law possesses something of value that I would be willing to exchange."
His gaze, almost tangible, fell upon the slender, fragile neck of the woman kneeling on the ground, carrying an air of scrutiny and assessment.
Ye Yixiang's heart sank, then leaped again. She slowly raised her head, her gaze meeting his unfathomable eyes with unwavering determination. Her red lips parted slightly as she said, word by word, "I do possess something worthy of exchange. And the General will surely be interested."
"Oh," Chu Huaili lowered his brows slightly, concealing the subtle, aggressive glint in his eyes. Only a cold, probing gaze remained, as if his momentary loss of composure had never occurred.
He wanted to see what other tricks this woman could pull.
Ye Yixiang took a deep breath and offered her biggest bargaining chip for a chance: "The new dynasty has just been established and the throne is not yet secure. Although the royal family of the previous dynasty has been destroyed, what the current emperor fears most is that the remnants of the previous dynasty will hold the symbol of legitimacy, rise up in rebellion, and disturb the hearts of the people."
She stared intently into Chu Huaili's eyes and said clearly and slowly, "I know where the dragon-patterned jade seal passed down from the previous dynasty is now hidden."
As soon as the words were spoken, the air inside the tent seemed to freeze instantly!
The last glimmer of light that might have remained in Chu Huaili's eyes due to the ambiguity just now suddenly vanished! In its place came a sudden, overwhelming chill.
His aura suddenly turned dangerous and distant, his voice so cold it could freeze to the bone: "The Imperial Seal of the Former Dynasty? Ye Yixiang...aren't you yourself a remnant of the former dynasty?" His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if he wanted to slowly torture her to death.
Under his oppressive aura, Ye Yixiang trembled slightly, but she still forced herself to meet his gaze and even managed to force a nearly bleak smile: "General, you jest. A princess of a fallen kingdom, powerless and like a rootless duckweed, what waves can she possibly stir up? She just... wants to use this secret to exchange for a chance to seek justice for her husband."
She finally revealed her biggest trump card to this dangerous man.
The candlelight inside the tent flickered, casting a dim, flickering light on the faces of the two people.
Chu Huaili stared at her, silent for a long time, only his unfathomable eyes churning with complex and unfathomable emotions. After a while, a smile that was impossible to decipher curved his lips, but his voice was as cold as ice, brooking no argument:
"Someone come here."
The tent flap opened with a sound, and two stern-faced guards strode in, exuding the crispness and imposing presence characteristic of soldiers. They simply clasped their hands in salute to their commander and awaited orders.
"Take her away." Chu Huaili's gaze did not leave Ye Yixiang's face. His tone was calm, but every word carried immense weight. "Keep her under strict guard. No one is allowed to approach her without my order."
"General!" Ye Yixiang's heart tightened, and she subconsciously took half a step forward, wanting to say something more.
However, Chu Huaili had already turned away indifferently, leaving only one sentence that left no room for negotiation: "Take him away."
She took a deep breath, straightened her thin back, and without looking at the man again, silently turned around and followed her personal guards outside.
The curtains fell, separating the inner and outer worlds.
Ye Yixiang was taken to the woodshed. The wind and snow raged, stinging her face like knives. She clutched the hairpin in her sleeve tightly; its icy touch was her only support at that moment.
The woodshed was located in a remote corner of the military camp. It was low and dilapidated. As soon as the door opened, a musty smell mixed with the odor of dry hay hit her. The guard pushed her inside and locked the door with a click.
"The general has ordered you to stay put!" A cold voice came through the door, followed by footsteps fading into the distance.
In the darkness, Ye Yixiang slowly slid down to sit on the cold earthen wall. The woodshed was drafty, and the cold seeped in through every crack. She hugged her knees, trying to draw a bit of warmth.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the cold air. Her risky move today, seeking survival through the secret of the Imperial Seal, was tantamount to playing with fire. Chu Huaili's eyes, which had suddenly turned dangerous, said it all.
Inside the commander's tent.
Chu Huaili had not gone to bed. He had changed into casual clothes, his dark hair slightly damp, casually draped over his shoulders. In the candlelight, he held a delicate, translucent pale purple jade pendant between his fingers. The pendant was carved with fine cloud patterns, but there was a clear crack in the middle, as if it had been injured by a sharp weapon.
He slowly stroked the crack, his eyes dark and unfathomable, a barely perceptible undercurrent of danger surging within. The jade pendant twirled between his fingers, reflecting his cold, handsome profile.
"The imperial seal of the previous dynasty..." he murmured to himself, his voice so soft it almost disappeared into the air, but a cold smile curved his lips. "Ye Yixiang, just how many secrets are you still hiding?"
Outside the tent, the wind and snow howled, like the lament of departed souls.
Ye Yixiang tossed and turned in the woodshed, unable to sleep. The cold was bearable, but the chaotic thoughts in her mind and the deep-seated fear in her heart were hard to dispel. Chu Huaili's suspicions, the dangers of the military camp, her deceased husband's injustice, and... that bloody past she never wanted to recall.
In the hazy light, the pungent smell of smoke seemed to have changed, tinged with a heavy stench of blood and acridity. Shouts of battle pierced through five years of smoke and dust, booming in her ears!
She suddenly curled up, as if she had turned back into the fifteen-year-old Princess Ningxiao, held tightly in her wet nurse's arms, squeezed into the cold, damp, narrow crevice of the artificial hill in the Imperial Garden.
"Granny... I'm scared..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably, and her teeth chattered.
"Shh...don't make a sound, please don't make a sound..." The wet nurse's voice was extremely low and trembling, while warm tears kept falling onto her forehead. "Close your eyes, cover your ears, don't be afraid...the wet nurse is here..."
Through the cracks in the rocks, one could glimpse a true hell on earth.
The towering flames engulfed the magnificent palaces and turned the night sky a hideous crimson. The rebel army swept through like locusts, their cries of savage laughter and howls mingling with the muffled thuds of weapons piercing flesh and bone.
"Run!" A familiar voice pierced the chaos.
The maid, brandishing a broken broom, deliberately ran in the opposite direction from where they were hiding, shouting at the top of her lungs, "The princess is running this way! Chase after her! Don't let the remnants of the previous dynasty escape!"
Several rebels were immediately drawn to the chase and gave chase with sinister smiles.
"Slow down, little beauty!"
She saw a young guard with several knives stuck in his body, yet he still used his last strength to shove a rebel soldier who was trying to assault a maid away, yelling, "Run!" before being torn to pieces by the blade.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning, making it hard to breathe. The place that was once filled with the sounds of music and laughter was now nothing but ruins and mountains of corpses.
That night, fire, blood, death, betrayal, and the fragile dignity that ordinary people defend with their lives were branded into her heart like the deepest mark, becoming a nightmare that has haunted her for years.
...
In the woodshed, Ye Yixiang suddenly woke up from a nightmare, her forehead covered in cold sweat, her heart pounding wildly, as if she had returned to that desperate night when the palace collapsed and she fled in panic.
However, the next moment, she was startled.
That pungent, suffocating smell was not a remnant of a dream!
A strong, acrid smell filled the air! And it was getting increasingly pungent at an alarming rate!
Turning around in horror, I saw thick black smoke billowing in through the cracks in the simple door of the woodshed, while a terrifying red light emanated from outside, accompanied by the sound of burning wood.
The fire has started!
Ye Yixiang felt a chill run down her spine. She lunged towards the door. The heavy door was locked from the outside. She pounded on it, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Help! There's a fire! Open the door! Open the door now!"
The door remained as still as a cold iron wall, trapping her firmly in this cage that was about to turn into a living hell.
All that could be heard was the noise of people outside:
"Fire! The woodshed is on fire!"
"Quick! Get me some water!"
"Be on alert! Prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the chaos to launch a sneak attack!"
The wind fanned the flames, and in the blink of an eye, the woodshed was mostly engulfed.
The sharp sound of gongs ripped through the night sky, mingling with the soldiers' desperate shouts, the hurried footsteps of running soldiers, the clanging of water buckets, and the restless neighing of warhorses, instantly shattering the tranquil snowy night.
The entire military camp was like a hornet's nest that had been poked, engulfed in a tense and chaotic firefighting frenzy.
The woodshed was filled with thick smoke, and visibility plummeted. A wave of scorching heat rolled in, searing her skin; each breath felt like inhaling burning steel needles, piercing her lungs with excruciating pain. She coughed violently, tears streaming down her face, her vision blurring rapidly.
The raging flames danced wildly, much like the demon who had taken her loved ones five years ago.
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