Sending off
Shen Yao knew it was Lan Yunyi, but she really didn't want to speak.
"It was my fault today, I scared my sister." After getting into the car, Lan Yunyi still didn't let go of her hand and said softly.
Shen Yao: "General Lan has his own reasons for doing things... It is I who am not up to the task and cannot handle cases involving human lives."
She was just an ordinary, methodical businesswoman. The mere smell of blood nearly drove her to madness. The fact that she managed to walk out on her own today was already an extraordinary feat.
She couldn't see Lan Yunyi's expression clearly, but it seemed that she slumped down onto a sweet and soft cushion.
The car was bumpy, making it difficult for her to rest. Her mind was buzzing, and her mood became even more agitated.
After a long while, she heard Lan Yunyi's voice again.
"...Last spring, half of the rice imported into Xiliang was adulterated with mold."
Shen Yao forced herself to open her eyes.
Lan Yunyi's voice was icy as she said, "Fortunately, A Yuan discovered it in time, and I paid out of my own pocket to find another way to transport new grain; otherwise, Xiliang City would surely be filled with starving corpses this year."
The people will suffer, the army will be unable to supply them, and they will be unable to win the war. Famine will also strike the city. Beset by internal and external troubles, he, the garrison commander of Xiliang, will inevitably suffer the tragic fate of countless innocent souls.
"...Was it Prince Jing? Was the person you killed today also involved in this matter?"
Lan Yunyi neither agreed nor disagreed, and sneered: "He may want to do that, but where does he get the guts?"
Shen Yao: "Emperor Sheng..."
Lan Yunyi leaned back on the cushion, lowered her head and kissed Shen Yao's hair, saying lightly, "It's Consort Lan."
Shen Yao felt that her brain was about to stop working.
Isn't Consort Lan Lan Yunyi's older sister?
Even in the original book, when faced with the male protagonist's attempt to force her to abdicate, she was the type to jump into the river and commit suicide with her youngest son.
Shen Yao didn't have a particularly good impression of her, but she didn't have a bad impression either, so she couldn't connect these things for a while.
“After my older sister gave birth to the prince, she became increasingly intolerant of me,” Lan Yunyi said in a deep voice.
Shen Yao waited for him to continue, but Lan Yunyi couldn't say anything more. He gently stroked Shen Yao's hair and kissed her forehead: "Sister, rest. Don't let these things disturb your mind. I will protect you."
Shen Yao pursed her lips and asked in return, "Is this a test from the Prince Consort for me?"
Lan Yunyi was about to leave seclusion and had no time to test Shen Yao's abilities.
So he went straight to the point and killed his ex-lover, and seeing Shen Yao's reaction, it seemed to be a warning.
Lan Yunyi didn't speak, and Shen Yao's spirit finally gave out, and she collapsed into the fragrance of pear blossoms and fainted completely.
...
When she regained consciousness, the surrounding light was dim, and a strong, bitter smell of Chinese medicine lingered in the air. When Shen Yao opened her eyes, she saw the flickering candlelight in the room. As her consciousness gradually returned, she realized that someone was holding her wrist, and rough fingertips were pressing on her pulse again and again.
Shen Yao curled her fingers, and then stopped moving. She withdrew her hand and turned her back to the figure outside the bed curtains.
The person outside the bed curtain did not leave despite Shen Yao's resistance; instead, they lifted the curtain and sat down on the edge of the bed.
He leaned down, his body enveloped in the rich fragrance of pear blossoms, and said softly, "My sister promised to give it to me tomorrow."
"...I am feeling unwell."
Lan Yunyi was silent for a moment, then sighed and rubbed her cheek against Shen Yao's: "Then forget it, it's more important for you to get better, sister."
Shen Yao closed her eyes. A short while later, Lan Yunyi took off his outer robe, rustled as he climbed onto the bed, and gently shook Shen Yao's shoulders, insisting that she rest her head on his arm.
Shen Yao couldn't sleep because he was disturbing her, so she gave in to his whims and was pulled into his arms.
"I want to stay with my sister a little longer," Lan Yunyi said. "But I will definitely come back to visit her again in ten days."
"Ten days..." Shen Yao said sarcastically, "Now that the Prince Consort knows that I am as timid as a mouse, he can finally rest assured."
Lan Yunyi didn't refute Shen Yao's sarcastic remarks. Instead, she lowered her head and kissed Shen Yao's forehead affectionately. Then, she slid her head down, and just as the kiss was about to land on Shen Yao's lips, Shen Yao stepped back and cursed angrily, "Crazy."
Lan Yun chuckled meaningfully, then quickly leaned in and kissed Shen Yao.
Shen Yao had no choice but to accept the kiss with mixed feelings. In her heart, she secretly admired Lan Yunyi's strong mentality. If it were an ordinary person who had done this, they probably wouldn't have the face to show up in front of Shen Yao for a while. However, Lan Yunyi not only acted as usual, but Shen Yao even felt that he was more relaxed than yesterday.
If Shen Yao hadn't been unwell, this person might have dragged her along to continue their antics tonight.
...
After falling asleep, the smell of blood filled Shen Yao's dreams once again.
She opened her eyes to find herself lying in the middle of nowhere, under a dark and windy sky. She instinctively looked around and found herself surrounded by a desolate desert. Not far away, there were a few other motionless figures that looked like people.
She felt an itch on her neck, which was damp and steaming. When she touched it, her palm was immediately covered with a sticky, scarlet substance.
Shen Yao stared in shock at her blood-stained hands. In a panic, she suddenly realized that this might be a dream. However, the dream was too real and she couldn't seem to wake up. The more she struggled, the more trapped she became, unable to extricate herself. Fear gripped her as she slowly felt her life slipping away.
In the moments before her death, she suddenly couldn't distinguish between her past and present lives, the plot of the book, or the original owner's memories.
Everything became extremely chaotic.
Until the moment death truly arrived, the world was plunged into darkness once more.
Then, with a "snap," like a light being suddenly switched on, she woke up...
Before she could even process what was happening, Shen Yao hurriedly scrambled to her feet. She instinctively touched the spot beside her, knowing it was the source of her fear, yet unable to resist taking the desperate measure.
However, the pillow on the other side was already cold.
Shen Yao also calmed down.
After sitting on the bed for a while, she moved her body and leaned against the headboard, recalling the content of her past life meditation course to adjust her breathing and emotions.
When I opened my eyes again, the distracting thoughts in my mind were not completely eliminated immediately, but they were somewhat lessened.
She got out of bed, casually threw on a red coat, and went out into the yard. A walk and some exercise would help ease her inner turmoil. Halfway there, she suddenly saw A-Yuan.
A-Yuan cupped her hands and said, "...Princess."
Shen Yao pursed her lips and nodded.
She suddenly remembered that Lan Yunyi had said he would be returning to the camp to continue his garrison today.
Last night he even asked Shen Yao to see him off.
Shen Yao didn't want to see him again, but if she didn't see him off, she wondered if it would affect his prestige.
After all, who in Xiliang City didn't know that General Lan had recently married the princess in a grand procession?
Moreover, it was Shen Yao herself who proposed seeing him off, and she doesn't like to break her promises easily.
Besides, the vast borderlands are extremely dangerous. Who knows if Shen Yao will be separated from this King of Hell by death if she fails in her mission? Even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. Lan Yunyi went too far yesterday, but it was not without reason that she disregarded human life. Shen Yao did not want to have any regrets.
"Where is the general?" Shen Yao asked in a hoarse voice.
A Yuan hurriedly said, "The general just left not long ago. He made an appointment with Commandant Zhou at the border outside the city. If the princess wants to see him off, it might not be too late now."
After saying that, he secretly glanced at Shen Yao's expression and found that Shen Yao was also looking at him. He quickly looked away and respectfully lowered his head.
Shen Yao murmured, "Go."
A Yuan looked up, peeking out one eye as she cautiously observed Shen Yao.
Shen Yao sighed, put on her outer robe, and said, "I'll go see the general off."
A-Yuan hurriedly agreed and then went to arrange a carriage. Shen Yao told him not to bother and walked straight towards the stables.
In her past life, she knew how to ride a horse, but the original owner of this body, Shen Yao, did not. She picked a horse in the stable that caught her eye, stepped onto the wooden post, and mounted the horse.
However, she had clearly made the wrong choice. The horse seemed docile and obedient, but as soon as Shen Yao sat on its back, it became mischievous, its head drooping to the ground and refusing to move an inch.
Shen Yao gently tugged on the reins, but it didn't work. Shen Yao kicked him, and the horse finally calmed down, humming and raising its head.
Seeing how swiftly she mounted her horse, A Yuan's expression of astonishment deepened. However, he was used to being silent and didn't chat with Shen Yao. After mounting his horse, he hurriedly led Shen Yao out of the city.
The horse was very obedient beneath her. After the wind brushed against her face, Shen Yao suddenly felt much more awake. In addition, the horse beneath her was not as easy to control as it seemed. So Shen Yao couldn't care less about anything else for the moment and focused on following behind A Yuan all the way out of the city.
Halfway there, Shen Yao saw a small group of soldiers in neat armor silently marching along the road, with Zhou Sui seemingly leading the way.
Upon seeing A Yuan, Zhou Sui called out. A Yuan glanced at him but didn't greet him. Before he could even get angry, a red shadow flashed in his eyes.
Then the red figure sped after A Yuan, and soon they arrived outside the city.
Shen Yao gently tugged on the reins, and the horse beneath her obediently stopped at a fixed point.
A gust of sand kicked up by the horse's hooves obscured Shen Yao's figure, but her distinctive color still revealed her to be a woman.
Lan Yunyi turned her head upon hearing the sound and saw the figure being helped off the horse by A Yuan and walking towards her.
His eyes lit up, and then he heard a soldier beside him say, "General, it's the princess..."
He seemed not to hear her, staring intently as Shen Yao approached. Only when Shen Yao's figure finally became clear did he suddenly come to his senses and hurriedly go to meet her.
"Princess."
He pushed A-Yuan aside and held Shen Yao's hands.
Shen Yao was surprised by his enthusiasm, but then she thought that it was necessary for the couple to show their affection in public for the sake of the marriage. This was a perfect opportunity for them to make a good impression, and Lan Yunyi would certainly not miss it.
Shen Yao looked up at him.
Compared to the noble young master in his usual black robes, Lan Yunyi, dressed in military uniform, seemed less sinister and cunning, which calmed Shen Yao's unease somewhat.
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