Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, Mo Xing stared in shock at Ashina Ye Ting, then subconsciously looked at Shang Shao Yan.
Shang Shaoyan stared intently at Ashina Yeting, exuding an inexplicable sense of oppression: "Do you know what you're saying?"
Ashina Yeting smiled casually: "Of course I know. Princess Heyang, your parents are not dead, but they are not exactly alive either."
Shang Shaoyan was silent for a moment, then closed his eyes and said, "Explain clearly."
Ashina Yeting glanced at Mo Xing, and Shang Shaoyan understood, so she told Mo Xing to leave. Then she looked at Ashina Yeting and said with a half-smile, "If you dare to lie to me, don't even think about going back to the Western Turks, you won't even live."
Ashina Yeting stared indifferently at the rooftop, not responding: "After your parents received the imperial decree, just as you suspected, they did not intend to return to the capital. Upon seeing this, Emperor Wen became even more convinced that Shang Xiao and Cheng Lingxiu harbored rebellious intentions. He was filled with shock and anger, but before he could do anything, he passed away."
"When the emperor dies, your parents will have no choice but to go back, even if they don't want to."
"The only thing Emperor Wen did before he died was to leave a will for his grandson—the current Crown Prince, and the Prince of Nan'an." Ashina Yeting tapped the wall intermittently. "No one knows exactly what he said. But after leaving the palace, the Prince of Nan'an began pursuing your cousin, Shang Jieyou."
"I don't know what happened to you in Southern Chen after that. Not long after, your parents returned to the Northwest again. After they came back this time, they invited me to drink together. It was on that occasion that Cheng Lingxiu gave me that jade pendant and told me to take good care of you and your brother."
"The Prince of Nan'an wrote a letter to my uncle Ashina Zheng, saying that he wanted to get rid of Shang Xiao and Cheng Lingxiu. My uncle was naturally overjoyed and immediately agreed."
"Although I am not a good person, I have always respected every opponent. Your parents and I have a relationship that is both enemy and friend, a friendship of mutual respect among heroes. I only want to fight them fair and square, and I have never looked down on these underhanded tricks."
"After I learned of this news, I risked my life to sneak into Shuocheng, wanting to warn your parents, but I found that they were gone. I thought they had discovered the conspiracy and fled without a fight. I was a little annoyed and felt that I had misjudged them, so I didn't care much more."
"Until half a year ago, I went to the border between Northern Zhou and Southern Chen to retrieve something for my father. I met your parents in a town. I was very angry and wanted to argue with them, but I found that they didn't recognize me at all."
"They don't even remember you and Shang Yunlan, they don't remember that they were once renowned generals—they only remember their own names."
“They have amnesia, but the town is far from Shuocheng, and something about this is definitely not right. I investigated for half a year without any results—at that time, all I could do was protect them, so I concealed the fact that they were still alive and tried every means to send messages to you and your brother, but they were all intercepted by unknown people. Fortunately, I did not reveal this information in my letters.” Ashina Yeting sighed deeply as he said this, “Just when I was at my wit’s end, you appeared in the Northwest.”
Shang Shaoyan listened quietly, and when he saw that Ashina Yeting was silent, he knew that he had finished speaking.
Shang Shaoyan was silent for a moment, then continued Ashina Yeting's words: "You originally wanted to tell me this, but I appeared in the Northwest, so you came up with a plan—why not send Princess Heyang to keep her parents company? So you deliberately provoked and humiliated me on the battlefield, just to provoke me into fighting you so that you could capture me. But you didn't expect that you would be captured alive by me."
After a pause, Shang Shaoyan calmly looked at Ashina Yeting: "After I captured you alive, you didn't intend to tell me this, because you didn't know if I would kill you, you didn't understand me, and you didn't know if I admired you as much as my parents did. But I never killed you, and you gradually came to understand me, began to believe me, and were willing to tell me this. Coincidentally, I also didn't believe that the famous war god and tough guy of the Western Turks could really be tortured to the point of madness by me, so I have been waiting for you to tell me the truth."
Ashina Yeting was not annoyed that his thoughts had been guessed; he simply smiled and praised, "The county princess is wise."
Shang Shaoyan waved his hand, looking at Ashina Yeting with amusement: "Ashina Yeting, let me tell you—I won't kill you, not because I admire you as much as my parents do, or because I consider you an evenly matched opponent."
"I'm not killing you because you pose no threat to me, understand?" Shang Shaoyan looked down at Ashina Yeting, who had been lying on the bed for a while, with a smile in his eyes, but without any emotion. "I only believe half of what you say. As for the specifics, I will send people to investigate. Don't even think about leaving here until the truth comes out."
Ashina Yeting stared intently at Shang Shaoyan, then laughed heartily, "Princess, you truly are the person I have ever seen with the most imperial bearing."
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
She wasn't surprised that Ashina Yeting had guessed her plans, after all, she had never deliberately hidden them.
"Just the appearance of an emperor..." Shang Shaoyan's mind was filled with the foolish face of Emperor Chen. He twitched his lips and asked, "Where do I have the appearance of an emperor?"
Ashina Yeting glanced at her, raised an eyebrow and smiled, “You are naturally suspicious, but you are willing to rely on those you trust; you are inherently cold-hearted, and you will never hesitate to use someone when necessary, even if that person is your lover; you are skilled in both literature and martial arts, capable of overcoming all odds with sheer force and winning battles, and able to manage the merchant army with both kindness and severity—even though you just threatened me with harsh words, I couldn’t feel any disgust at all. County Princess, your appearance reflects your heart, you are destined for success.”
Upon hearing this, Shang Shaoyan couldn't help but laugh: "Ashina Yeting, you are truly the most interesting person I have ever met."
The two exchanged a smile, both recognizing the admiration in each other's eyes.
Of course, Shang Shaoyan couldn't possibly think that Ashina Yeting posed no threat to her, and Ashina Yeting wouldn't look down on Shang Shaoyan just because she was a woman.
This is what it means to be both an enemy and a friend, and to be evenly matched.
This appreciation has nothing to do with romance, and is by no means love—for people as intelligent as Shang Shaoyan and Ashina Yeting, who are both shrewd and skilled in both literature and martial arts, meeting someone who is their equal is already an extremely exciting thing. It doesn't matter whether the other person is stunningly beautiful or even their gender.
It's like seeing another version of yourself in the world.
After the two had finished laughing, Shang Shaoyan pondered for a moment, then frowned and asked, "The town you mentioned, is it called Green Water Town?"
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