Chapter Nine
"Oh dear, why don't you believe me?"
Chen Wu recounted the events to her in detail, and Si Yanmo then realized that she had misunderstood.
To protect her reputation, Zhou Yanqing not only petitioned the Southern Emperor but also deliberately publicized his infatuation with the Si family's young lady. He wanted others to say either that the two were mutually in love or that the Prince of Qin had forcibly taken a woman; in any case, they wouldn't utter any vulgarities against her.
"Have you found the person who made the rumors?" Si Yanmo asked.
This person not only has the audacity to spread rumors about himself, but he also has the audacity to spread rumors about Zhou Yanqing?
Chen Wu glanced at the carriage. His master had originally forbidden him from speaking of this, but…
My Lord, I am doing this for your happiness!
Thinking this, Chen Wu leaned down beside the princess and whispered, "It's the Fifth Princess."
Indeed, with Zhou Xiru's smug expression that day, who else could it be but her!
I suppose I was this person in a past life as well.
Si Yanmo had always been curious. In her previous life, she had little interaction with the Third Prince. Judging from her destiny, Consort Shu was also satisfied with her sister as her daughter-in-law. So why was she the one who was betrothed?
It must have been the Fifth Princess who was behind this!
Her mother was at odds with Consort Shu, so she wouldn't call Consort Shu "Ruyi" (meaning "as you wish"). And in this life, she and Zhou Yanqing offended her, so they were the ones who suffered again.
What a troublemaker!
Fortunately, this marriage wasn't entirely without merit, and Si Yanmo didn't want to argue with her anymore. Right now... she should first appease the sulking "husband" in the carriage.
The woman with delicate, furrowed brows sighed, lifted her skirt, and boarded the carriage.
The people on the bus were meditating with their eyes closed. They clearly heard her voice as she got on, but they ignored her.
Seeing his sulky expression, Si Yanmo poked his arm with her jade hand and said, "Well... Chen Wu just told me that I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."
Zhou Yanqing remained silent and did not look at her.
The carriage creaked and swayed as it moved forward. Si Yanmo tried several times to start a conversation, but the person opposite her remained completely still.
Okay, if you won't tell me, I won't tell you either.
Si Yanmo simply ignored him.
And so, the carriage left the palace and, after a day's journey, had already left Jinwu City.
After all, there were two powerful and influential people in the carriage, so they couldn't travel all night. Chen Wu found a post station and asked the driver to stop and rest.
As soon as Zhou Yanqing came down, he instructed Chen Wu to fetch some pen and ink. When Si Yanmo lifted her skirt and entered the guest room of the inn, she saw a written divorce agreement.
"You...want to divorce me?"
Zhou Yanqing nodded, "This matter is my fault. No matter how you feel about us getting married, you will be the one who suffers the loss."
"Here's the divorce agreement for you. You can come back to Qin with me, or I can take you to Lanyu. Women in Nandu have a lowly status, but not in Qin or Lanyu. No one will care that you've been divorced, and no one will even know. You can choose someone else you like then, and I will compensate you."
“Of course, if you’re worried about your reputation, we can choose not to divorce…” He paused, then continued, “I’m willing to give you a written agreement. I will never take a concubine, and I will treat you well from now on. If you want to become a sorcerer, I’m willing to help you. It’s all up to you.”
He spoke earnestly, his eyes full of sincerity, which amused Si Yanmo.
"Was the King of Qin just now thinking about how to compensate me and my future?" Si Yanmo picked up the divorce papers in front of her and teased.
"What if I insist on divorce, and happen to like Nandu and want to find a husband from Nandu?"
Zhou Yanqing lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said, "Then I can recognize you as my sworn sister. If he is unwilling, I will beat him until he is willing."
"puff!"
Si Yanmo couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She thought he was angry, but she didn't expect that he had already thought of her escape route.
At that moment, she actually found this "jinx" somewhat endearing.
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Zhou Yanqing felt a little uneasy. "What... exactly do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Si Yanmo folded up the divorce papers and tucked them into her sleeve. She parted her lips slightly and said, "I have accepted the divorce papers, but... not now."
“I said I would save you, and I will.” She smiled, pursing her lips. “Besides, I still need His Highness Prince Qin to help me get into the Divination Academy. Divorce at this time would mean nothing to either of us, and would only arouse His Majesty’s suspicion.”
“How about this,” she suggested, “the calamity in Your Highness’s destiny will be within a year. After a year, when the calamity dissipates, I believe you will have become a sorcerer. At that time, we can go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other.”
Zhou Yanqing shook her head.
"You disagree? Then what's the point of writing this divorce agreement?"
Just as Si Yanmo was about to retort, she heard him say, "You might not be qualified to be a shaman."
She immediately realized that the other person was mocking her, and, feeling both annoyed and amused, grabbed a sheet of Xuan paper from the table and threw it at them: "Get lost!"
Outside, the night was hazy, and the night owl, cooing, hid under the eaves with Chen Wu, listening to the noise inside.
Chen Wu sighed contentedly, "As expected, you still have to rely on me!"
——
The Southern Capital was close to the Qin region, and even with frequent stops, it still took half a month to reach Wufeng Pass.
The area in front of Wufeng Pass is where Nandu, Qin, and Qigu meet. Each of the three places has set up its own checkpoints. Once you get here, you've entered Zhou Yanqing's territory.
The guard general Liu Ziqi was already prepared and welcomed the two into the pass, providing them with a camp for rest.
Zhou Yanqing wanted to discuss matters with everyone, leaving Si Yanmo to wander around alone.
Wufeng Pass is named so because there are five century-old maple trees in the pass. In autumn, they turn fiery red, attracting many people from Guanzhong to come and visit and pray for blessings.
However, spring has not yet arrived in Qin, and Si Yanmo can only see a barren landscape, which is quite desolate.
She had lived in the southern capital city since childhood and had never been to the border, let alone the Qin region thousands of miles away.
She's only traveled a few thousand miles from home, and she can already no longer see the spring scenery of Nandu City. If she were any further away...
She missed her parents and her sister.
She strolled to the top of the city wall at Wufeng Pass, hoping to see something in the south and find some solace.
Beside the earthen wall beneath the city gate, a furtive figure caught Si Yanmo's eye.
On one side, a soldier was seen carrying a birdcage containing a snow-white carrier pigeon.
The soldier secretly tied a note to the carrier pigeon's leg and looked around.
Si Yanmo immediately hid behind the wall and pressed herself against it; her intuition told her that something was wrong.
She didn't know what to do. She didn't know martial arts, and if she went up against him, she might be killed to silence her. She could only turn her body slightly to the side and continue to peek, pinching her fingers to try and see the person's fate.
Just then, a hand patted her shoulder, and Si Yanmo was so startled that she almost screamed.
"You..." What are you doing here?
Before the man could finish speaking, she covered his mouth. The familiar scent of jasmine enveloped him again, and Zhou Yanqing froze.
The woman extended a slender finger and pointed behind the city wall, indicating that there were people there.
Zhou Yanqing hated the feeling of her body being out of her control. Somewhat awkwardly, she looked in the direction the woman was pointing and, sure enough, found a soldier standing at the foot of the city wall.
His face flushed, he pushed the other man aside, strode forward, and grabbed the soldier.
The homing pigeons were startled and fluttered wildly in their cages.
When the soldier was discovered, he didn't forget to open the cage door, and the carrier pigeon immediately broke out of the cage and flew eastward.
"Sigh!" Si Yanmo tried to reach out and grab it, but only managed to catch a feather. Helplessly, she watched the white figure disappear into the sky.
She turned around and glared at Zhou Yanqing with some annoyance, then pouted and said, "It's over, Your Highness Prince Qin, the intelligence has flown away."
Zhou Yanqing coughed awkwardly, the blush on her ears noticing in the other person's eyes.
"You didn't say he had any carrier pigeons." There seemed to be a hint of grievance in her voice.
Good intentions are wasted!
Si Yanmo rolled her eyes at him, strode over to the soldier, looked him up and down, and pinched her fingers, "Sent by the Prince of Qi?"
The soldier stared wide-eyed as if he'd seen a ghost: "You, how did you know?"
Si Yanmo smiled mysteriously, "Tell me, what did you just send away with the carrier pigeon?"
Upon hearing this, the soldier pursed his lips, giving an impression that it was up to them to kill or torture him as they pleased.
At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps kicked up dust.
It was Liu Ziwei, the vanguard general, who arrived with a group of his men.
This man was big and burly, with a fat build, and his voice was several decibels louder than others. He seemed to be an honest and kind person.
"Your Highness, Madam." He bowed to the two of them.
When Zhou Yanqing saw him, the blush on her ears had faded, replaced by a dignified demeanor.
"Old Liu, there are actually spies from Qi Valley on the Qin border. I think you don't want your head anymore!"
His voice grew louder and louder until he finally roared it out, and the murderous intent in his eyes made Si Yanmo take a step back.
Si Yanmo had never seen him like this before; it was as if he were not the same person who had been childishly bickering with her before.
Even when she told him she wouldn't live more than a year when they first met, she never saw him show such murderous intent.
At this moment, Si Yanmo truly witnessed the Qin King, who was described by others as a demon.
Liu Ziwei was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face. "This official was wrong, this official was wrong..."
"I'm not here to hear your apology. Take this man away and investigate him!"
Zhou Yanqing didn't even glance at the other party. He called Chen Wu to take the soldier away. Just as he was about to walk forward, his sleeve was grabbed.
Just as he was about to lash out, he discovered it was Si Yanmo.
She went to Zhou Yanqing's side and whispered, "This person has accomplices."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqing turned to the side and asked in a low voice, "Who?"
"It can't be seen in the destiny chart." Si Yanmo's tone was rather helpless.
"Then investigate!" The man's gaze was fixed on the spy, as if he were about to spit fire.
This kind of thing actually happened on their own turf, and their own vanguard was completely unaware of it.
Is he trying to get the Marquis of Qi to ride on his head?
No wonder news of my attack on Sak reached Nandu so quickly; it turns out there was an informant waiting for me.
Zhou Yanqing ordered Chen Wu to take the spy to the dungeon inside the pass used to torture prisoners, and Si Yanmo followed.
"Your Highness, that place is not a place for women to go," Liu Ziwei quickly stopped her.
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