Chapter 243 He Wants the World, and He Wants to Hear the Stars Fall
The news that the city gates were blocked and people entering and leaving were strictly checked was quickly transmitted to the eastern city through beacon fire.
If Wen Xingluo had not been accompanied by Xie Yanchen, it would have taken some effort for her to escape from Shu County. However, Xie Yanchen simply took out a human skin mask and took her to easily avoid the interrogation of the soldiers guarding the city.
"Go further and you'll be out of Shu County." Xie Yanchen led the horse. "Ningning, I can only take you so far."
Wen Xingluo looked into the distance.
She and her second brother traveled for several days and nights and finally saw the boundary marker of Hanzhong County.
She said sincerely: "Second brother, thank you."
Xie Yanchen patted her head and said, "The driver behind the wheel is my trusted confidant. He will escort you to the capital. Ningning, you and Madam Wei must live well."
Dusk is falling between the mountains and rivers.
The young man in white clothes as white as snow is too gentle.
Wen Xingluo returned Xie Guanlan's token to Xie Yanchen, "Could you please tell him, second brother, that I'm deeply grateful for his care over the years. He and I share a deep bond, but we each shoulder our own responsibilities. However, even if we have to take separate paths, he will always be in my heart. This trip to the capital, where life and death are uncertain, is uncertain. If anything happens to me, please don't worry. If he finds a good partner and marries... I don't blame him. I don't want to be a burden or a nuisance to him."
She said this seriously before rolling up her skirt and getting into the carriage.
Xie Yanchen held the token in his hand and watched the carriage disappear on the post road.
He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves behind him.
He turned around and saw the city guard general riding towards him with a group of soldiers.
The general bowed to Xie Yanchen and said, "Second Master, I'm here on the orders of the commander to ask the young lady to return home. Do you know where she is?"
Xie Yanchen said softly, "She left Shu County."
Everyone looked at each other in surprise.
Further east is the territory of Hanzhong County. Although Shu County is on good terms with Hanzhong County, they cannot lead troops into other people's territory without official documents.
After a long while, the general defending the city finally swallowed his saliva and asked, "Did the young lady leave any message for the commander before she left?"
Xie Yanchen said seriously, "She said that her heart belongs to Big Brother, but she has responsibilities that mean she and Big Brother will have to take different paths. If Big Brother finds someone good and marries someone else, she won't blame him. She doesn't want to be a burden or a nuisance to Big Brother."
Xie Yanchen was saddened by Wen Xingluo's departure, and was afraid that he would be beaten if he returned home, so he asked the general guarding the city to present these words and the token to Xie Guanlan, and he went to the border to join Xie Shi'an.
The general defending the city scratched his head.
He was a rough man, and he could only barely remember what these people said in such a literary way.
He rode at full speed to the next city and, speaking in the local dialect, handed over the words and token left by Wen Xingluo to the master there.
"The young lady said that she and the prince are going to go their separate ways. If the prince marries another girl, she won't blame him. She doesn't want to cause him any trouble."
The advisor on the other side didn't quite understand what was said, and quickly passed on the message to the neighboring city according to his own understanding.
"The young lady said that she and the prince have different ideals and cannot work together. The prince can marry another virgin girl. She doesn't want to get involved in this mess."
“…”
When these words reached Fushan's ears, they became like this:
"The young lady said that she wants to part ways with the prince and ask him to marry someone better. She doesn't want to have anything to do with him."
Fushan was shocked.
Fushan returned to Rongcheng, respectfully presented the token, and recounted the incident.
He glanced at Xie Guanlan's face and whispered, "The young lady said that she wants to part ways with you and asks you to get married as soon as possible because she doesn't want to have anything to do with you."
Xie Guanlan seemed not to have heard clearly, "Say it again."
Fushan drooped his brows and had to repeat it even louder.
Xie Guanlan gritted his teeth, his jawline tense.
What does it mean to part ways?
What do you mean you don't want to have anything to do with him?!
She actually asked him to marry someone else!
What did she think of him, Xie Guanlan?
When the Prince of Liangzhou, the eldest son of the Song family and others came in to discuss matters, they saw that Xie Guanlan's face was as gloomy as water.
The Prince of Liangzhou asked with concern, "What's wrong, Commander? Who made you angry?"
Xie Guanlan ignored him and forcibly broke the amulet around his waist.
He raised his thin lips, his dense eyelashes covering the jealousy and unwillingness in his eyes, "That's great. In her heart, I'm not even a lover without a name or status!"
Everyone looked at each other.
The Prince of Liangzhou covered his mouth with his hand and whispered to everyone, "It seems that your commander-in-chief was taken advantage of and then ruthlessly abandoned by that Miss Wen! If I were you, I would stay away to avoid being blamed—"
"Why don't you go back to Liangzhou? Are you planning to stay in Chengdu and eat and drink for free?" Xie Guanlan glanced at him impatiently.
"Why do you speak so harshly?"
The young prince felt guilty, and before he could say anything else, Xie Guanlan had someone cover his mouth and send him away.
The Song family's eldest son and the others didn't want to offend Xie Guanlan, so they were racking their brains to find an excuse to leave quickly. Xie Guanlan said coldly, "Add another hour to the daily training time."
He is not strong enough.
If he was strong enough, strong enough to help Wen Ningning to take revenge and restore her country with ease, perhaps Wen Ningning would not abandon him.
He looked down at the amulet in his palm.
He wouldn't let Wen Ningning go so easily.
The knuckles tightened little by little until the amulet was firmly grasped in the palm of the hand.
He wants the world, and he also wants to hear the falling stars.
…
In March, Kyoto is bustling.
The market town was lined with shops and tall buildings with flying eaves and brackets. Wen Xingluo rode in a carriage through the streets and alleys and looked out through the curtains. Everywhere was bustling with activity. Even the people's clothes looked neater and more affluent than those in other places.
"Kyoto..."
The girl murmured, and the relaxed mood she had felt while traveling through the mountains and rivers disappeared, leaving only the nervousness of seeing her mother soon.
My mother had not yet entered the palace, but was placed by the emperor in a temporary palace in the south of the city.
When Wen Xingluo entered, he saw his mother leading the palace maids to decorate the palace and the garden.
She was wearing the pearl shoes that Wei Si had made for her and stepped forward quickly, "Mother!"
Throwing herself into Wei Si's arms, she took a few deep breaths of her mother's sweet scent before looking up and asking, "Mother, you've been in the capital for two months. Why have you been living in the temporary palace? Doesn't he want to welcome you into the palace?"
Wei Si picked up a piece of freshly made hibiscus cake from the plate and put it into her mouth, saying softly, "It was the court officials and concubines who advised the emperor that I was a remnant of the previous dynasty and that they would not allow me to enter the palace."
Wen Xingluo frowned.
What's the point of keeping it outside?
Seeing Wei Si's composure, she couldn't help but ask, "Do you have a plan for dealing with this?"
"When Xie Zhe led his army to attack Wei, many officials in the court surrendered voluntarily, with the Mei and He families being the most prominent among them." Wei Si took her seat leisurely. "Now, the daughter of the Mei family is the Empress, and the He family has become the head of the civil officials."
She picked up the scissors and slowly trimmed a pot of peonies on the flower table. "Now that I have returned to the capital as a princess of Wei, these two families have been the most aggressive in trying to stop me."
Wen Xingluo hit the nail on the head, "They are afraid that you will retaliate against them."
With a "click", Wei Si cut off two branches.
Her face was expressionless. "The daughter of the Mei family was once my close friend. Old Master He was my brother's and my mentor. His eldest son was once rescued by my brother at the hunting grounds. He was my childhood sweetheart and once asked my father to marry me. He is now the Prime Minister of the Zhou Dynasty. Many court officials surrendered back then. When their families faced the fate of their families, I don't blame them for making this choice. But what I didn't expect was that the Mei and He families were the first to surrender. They had already written the surrender letter before Wei was even at a disadvantage."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
