Chapter 24: Abandoning Wen Zheliu and exchanging him for two people from Pingyang Mansion...
In front of outsiders, Wen Zheliu always acts aloof, but in front of He Jiuyue, he is a rose without thorns. At most, he will give her a cold shoulder, but rarely acts hysterically like this.
He Jiuyue was worried about the blind Wen Zheliu, but she was more concerned about the imminent official business.
The war in the southeast was imminent, and she took the initiative to ask for orders to lead the troops south, regardless of Emperor Jingming's suspicion. She was determined to put an end to the war herself, so how could she delay for a man?
She has never been someone who wants beauty over power.
"Okay, I won't touch you."
He Jiuyue turned around and called Chen Jin, then tugged at his cloak and went outside: "You watch him, I'll go and call the troops."
Chen Jin was stunned for a moment, the words "Aren't you going to take him there yourself?" turning over and over in his mind, but he didn't dare to say it out loud before He Jiuyue left.
Well, the princess has her own plans.
As the daylight gradually brightened, Wen Zheliu was still curled up on the bed, motionless. Apart from his hands tightly wrapped around himself and shaking constantly, he looked almost like a dead person.
The thick black in front of his eyes turned into a hazy white, but he still could not see anything.
Without vision, the other four senses became clearer. The north wind was blowing outside the window. Inside the house, Chen Jin sighed and added charcoal to the brazier, muttering, "I hope you two didn't break up again."
Break up? Indeed, he pushed He Jiuyue away with his own hands.
Normally speaking, ordinary people cannot see with their eyes, and they may not even be able to recognize familiar people, but the sound of breaking willows is different.
Firstly, he had been weak since childhood and had been warned many times by Wu Yang that he might go blind, so he had to make plans early. Secondly, there were only him and He Jiuyue in the room. Wu Yang had a husband at home and would not touch him on her own initiative. Chen Jin did not dare to move without He Jiuyue's order.
Furthermore, He Jiuyue was stained with the cold fragrance that he had carefully spread on her. With all these things, how could he not recognize her?
He knew clearly that He Jiuyue was the anchor that kept him calm. Without her, he would be unable to even carry out his daily life, let alone this desperate moment of blindness.
But he was really scared.
The moment He Jiuyue touched the lotus mark on his scalp, his drowsy mind instantly cleared up, and his weak heart suddenly began to beat wildly, as if he was staying overnight in a temple on the outskirts of the city and was awakened by the cold and sticky feeling of a poisonous snake crawling across his neck in the early morning.
He was so drunk that he forgot that the days he spent with He Jiuyue in Zhongyuan were just a beautiful dream.
But dreams always end in waking up.
"Mr. Wen, are you okay?"
A single woman and a single man were in the same room. Chen Jin couldn't stand or sit, and she felt so embarrassed that she could only fly to the rafters and eat dust. But when she saw Zheliu's face getting paler, and he covered his mouth and started coughing violently, each cough becoming more and more shrill, she couldn't find words to talk about.
"Ahem, no problem."
Wen Zheliu was unable to see and couldn't find the handkerchief after searching for a long time. The itching in his chest was so severe that he had to cover his mouth with his hand and cough.
The familiar smell of blood rose up, his palms felt warm, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Wen Zheliu tried his best to pull his bloody palm inward, thinking that he could hide it from Chen Jin, but he didn't know that the blood had already splashed onto the curtain, leaving dots of blood and a large red area.
"Oh my god!" Chen Jin jumped to the ground. "I'll call Wu Yuanshi over here!"
"No, don't make it public."
Wen Zheliu's voice was extremely hoarse.
He followed the sound of Chen Jin's shouting and groped forward, but he was not careful and hit his knee on the corner of the table, and fell straight down. Fortunately, since he heard from Wu Yang that Zheliu had a cold body, He Jiuyue ordered someone to spread a blanket on the ground.
The blanket is soft and delicate, just like He Jiyue's serious appearance but a heart full of fierceness and a nature that can sniff out roses.
Wen Zheliu struggled several times, but kept slipping on the blanket. Hearing Chen Jin's increasingly distant voice, "Wait, I'll go find Wu Yang," his nose felt sore and his eyes became blurry.
He returned to Xiyue a long time ago.
He was in poor health and had no martial arts skills, so he would only be a burden on the battlefield. Now that he was blind, it was even worse.
...He is not worthy of her.
"What's going on? You fell down even when you were walking?" Wu Yang's anxious voice came closer. "Wen Zheliu, get up first. The ground is cold... Hey, your eyes! Why can't you see?"
"Well, didn't you say that this day would come sooner or later?"
Wu Yang was shouting loudly, but Wen Zheliu looked calm.
"...Where is the princess?"
He tried to hold it in for a long time, but couldn't help it. He coughed twice to cover up his mistake and pretended to ask about He Jiuyue's whereabouts casually.
"The princess is in the camp." Chen Jin replied.
Is it true that He Jiuyue is going to order his troops to go out?
Wen Zheliu stretched out his hand, groped around, hugged the table leg beside him, and struggled to get up from the ground.
"Ahem, please take me there."
Bandits are rampant in the southeast, and Wuhuan may not be able to return until someday. As her chosen husband, if he doesn't send her off, is he waiting for Xiaoqing to do it?
Even if he couldn't see her go away with his own eyes, he would at least be there.
The sun was high in the camp outside Beijing, adding a bit of warmth to the cold winter.
The Red Armor Army soldiers held their weapons and shouted loudly, piercing the sky. He Jiuyue on the stage picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. Everyone in the stage smashed their glasses.
"I will follow Da Sima until death!"
"Your Majesty has arrived—"
He Jiuyue had just finished her words to boost morale when she was about to send someone to the Princess's Mansion to call Chen Jin over. However, Chen Jin failed to come and Emperor Jingming came uninvited.
"Your Majesty."
He Jiyue was wearing heavy armor, so it was inconvenient for him to kneel. He stepped down from the high platform and bowed, "I didn't know Your Majesty was coming. I'm sorry for not coming to greet you. But, what brings you here?"
"I have something to ask you," Emperor Jingming asked casually, "I heard that you want to take Wen Zheliu south?"
He Jiuyue's eyebrows twitched.
"Exactly."
Emperor Jingming chuckled, "Jiyue, I'm not questioning your decision, but I'm afraid this isn't appropriate. The journey is long, and I heard Zheliu is frail and ill, so she can't handle the bumpy ride. Why don't you stay in the capital and chat with me to ease my boredom?"
"Your Majesty has three thousand beauties in his harem, yet he still needs Wen Zheliu to accompany him? I'm afraid he doesn't have that blessing."
He Jiuyue had a smile on her face, but her eyes were cold.
It was obvious that Emperor Jingming wanted to take Wen Zheliu as a hostage.
Even with her father and younger brother as hostages, Emperor Jingming still did not know how to restrain himself. He repeatedly tested her bottom line and even regarded Wen Zheliu, who had temporarily gained her favor, as a bargaining chip.
"That's not the case," Emperor Jingming rubbed his chin with his hand, twisting his non-existent beard.
"But this war is dangerous, and I'm afraid you can't handle it, so I'm just taking care of him for you... Jiyue, you can't bear to see him suffer in Jiangnan, right? It would be much better for him to stay in the capital, safe and sound."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The journey is long and arduous. If I were truly interested in Wen Zheliu, I would not have taken him into such danger."
He Jiuyue was slow and measured.
"So, my servant Xiaoqing specially brought him along."
"Jiyue, this is wrong. You can say this to others, but it's meaningless to lie to me."
Emperor Jingming raised his hand to interrupt and spoke in a sinister tone.
"Not only were you making excuses for him today, but at the banquet last night, you were also very protective of Wen Zheliu. You even disobeyed me for him. I've watched you grow up, and I've never seen you so devoted and caring towards a man."
He Jiuyue sneered.
"He is beautiful, and even if I dote on him for a while, so what? But Your Majesty, with bandits at our doorstep, do you still want to discuss your daughter's love with me?"
"Not really."
Emperor Jingming shrugged and sighed.
"Jiyue, you are a smart person. I might as well be frank with you. On your way south, you will pass through Pingyang County. If you want to take your father and brother out, I will be far away in the capital and will not be able to stop you.
"I feel uneasy about letting you go like this, so I'm asking you for a bargaining chip in advance."
He Jiyue's sneer remained unchanged: "I was wondering why Your Majesty sent me off. It turns out you came to ask for bargaining chips."
Emperor Jingming was as thick-skinned as a city wall. Hearing He Jiuyue's sarcastic words, which were obviously mocking her, he was not annoyed. He just gestured with one hand and stretched out two fingers with the other hand.
"I'll trade Wen Zheliu for two people from Pingyang Prefecture. Are you satisfied with this deal?"
He Jiuyue pursed her lips and said nothing.
Emperor Jingming clearly wanted her to choose between Wen Zheliu, her father, or his younger brother.
"Princess!"
Chen Jin arrived at this moment.
She carried Wen Zheliu on her back and rushed from the Princess's Mansion to He Jiuyue like the wind: "I am late, please punish me, Grand Marshal!"
He Jiuyue frowned and signaled Chen Jin to retreat with her eyes.
Why did she bring Wen Zheliu here at this time? Shouldn't she just hand him over to Emperor Jingming?
Chen Jin was stunned and turned to run back, but Wen Zheliu grabbed her shoulder and motioned her to stop for a moment. Chen Jin was a little embarrassed, but the pain in her shoulder became more and more severe, so she had to stop.
She compromised in a low voice: "If you have something to say, please say it quickly. If I'm late, the princess will punish me."
"His Majesty."
Wen Zheliu turned his head and used his memory to find the place where Emperor Jingming had just spoken, and his tone was light but firm.
"You just said that I, alone, could exchange for both the princess's father and my younger brother. I want to know if you still mean it."
Emperor Jingming did not expect Wen Zheliu to ask her this, and was stunned for a moment before answering.
"Of course, my word is final."
He still carries a sin, but it is actually possible to exchange one for two?
Even he himself doesn't know that he is so valuable.
Wen Zheliu subconsciously raised a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth, and after a moment, it slowly lowered, forming an arc that was suppressed halfway up. His self-deprecating smile turned into an indescribable feeling of being unable to laugh or cry.
What qualifications does he have?
However, he would be happy to help He Jiuyue even if it was just a little bit.
Isn’t it just staying in Beijing?
As long as He Jiuyue doesn't fall out with Emperor Jingming, he won't die as a hostage to check and balance the emperor.
What's more, the military doctor did not have such high medical skills. If he wanted to cure his illness and restore his eyesight bit by bit, he could only stay in Beijing and be taken care of by Wu Yang.
But even though he knew that this matter was harmless, his heart still ached as if it was stabbed when he thought about leaving He Jiuyue.
Wen Zheliu bit her lip and was about to say "Your Majesty, I am willing" against her will, but she heard He Jiuyue laugh.
"To exchange a man for my father and brother, I know which is more important. Your Majesty, the conditions are so generous, if I don't agree, wouldn't that be taking advantage of you?
"I agree to your condition."
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