Chapter 124
Suddenly, everything became quiet.
The commotion continued not far away, and the sound of running outside the courtyard was faint. Zhou Ye slowly stood up and looked at the two people. In the moonlight, the tall woman was half a head taller than Gu Mingyue. Gu Mingyue quickly took two steps back, and the dagger that fell to the ground shone coldly. Zhou Ye's eyes suddenly narrowed, looking at the dagger, then raised his eyes to look at Gu Mingyue.
He was not stupid and immediately realized that if the woman had not spoken, the dagger might have been stuck in his back.
"Gu Mingyue!" Zhou Ye's face turned pale instantly and he looked at Gu Mingyue in shock.
Gu Mingyue only glanced at him quickly, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at the tall woman. Her heart pounded like a drum. But she knew she absolutely couldn't admit knowing the person before her. If she did, and she said something, she would be doomed. Her mind raced, and she reacted quickly, shouting, "Who are you? Why are you calling me sister?!"
Seeing her like this, Lin Zeyu sneered sarcastically: "Sister, you are still so good at pretending."
After saying that, he turned to look at Zhou Ye. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Mingyue grabbed the dagger on the ground and suddenly stabbed at him. However, no matter how fast she moved, she couldn't be faster than Lin Zeyu. Lin Zeyu grabbed her wrist and pushed her forward, and Gu Mingyue fell heavily to the ground.
"How outrageous!"
When Zhou Ye saw someone fall to the ground, he subconsciously wanted to come over to help, but he was frozen by the tall woman's shout of "Brother Ye".
Zhou Ye was the youngest of the late emperor's more than twenty sons, a son born in old age. However, this late-born son did not enjoy the late emperor's favor, simply because his background was not glorious - he was the child born when the late emperor insulted his wife during his southern tour.
Until the age of thirteen, he was raised in a small village in Anqing Prefecture, Huizhou, in southern China. His nominal father disliked him, his mother resented him, and his half-siblings despised him. His family hid him away on the village, alone, with only a deaf-mute servant to care for him. No one spoke to him, no one paid any attention to him, and he didn't even have a name.
The name "Ye Zi" was given to him by a child. Because he had no name, the child who often crawled into the farm to look for him gave him this name. He thought it was a good name, and later asked his biological father to give him the homophone "Ye" for his full name.
For Zhou Ye's bleak first half of his life, that much-younger playmate was the only person he cared about. The name Ye Zi was known only to that child. Later, Zhou Ye was brought back to Yanjing by the palace as the prince, and he was never called by that name again. Six years ago, he heard this name from Gu Mingyue at a banquet, and that was the beginning of Gu Mingyue's favoritism.
Gu Mingyue's face was pale, and cold sweat streamed down her face. She grabbed the dagger and tried to stab Lin Zeyu, shouting, "Shut up! You daring criminal, trespassing into the Forbidden Palace! Someone, arrest him!"
After years of training under Ajiu and having drenched himself in blood on the battlefield, Lin Zeyu was no longer the frail young man he once was. He dodged a few times, tilting his head to look at Zhou Ye, who stood there with a puzzled expression. Zhou Ye's gaze fell on his face, and at the moment Gu Mingyue stabbed Lin Zeyu in the back with a dagger, he raised his leg and kicked Gu Mingyue, sending him crashing towards the rockery.
Gu Mingyue fell heavily to the ground, her wrist hitting the stone on the rockery, and the dagger fell into the pool with a thud.
The lights flickered, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the wind rustled like ghosts chanting all around. Gu Mingyue realized she was doomed, fearing she would die here. She curled up and trembled.
Zhou Ye walked over quickly, grabbed Lin Zeyu's arm and shouted, "Who are you?"
"Brother Ye, don't you remember me?" Lin Zeyu didn't struggle even when someone grabbed his arm. He shrugged and replied, "I'm Xiaoyu."
"Xiaoyu?" Zhou Ye looked at his face, then turned to look at Gu Mingyue.
Gu Mingyue took a long time to get up, her eyes instantly filling with tears. She shook her head in grievance, her face tearing up. "Your Majesty, don't listen to his nonsense. He's not Xiaoyu, I am Xiaoyu. I've been with Your Majesty day and night for so many years, doesn't Your Majesty know who I am? Didn't Your Majesty send people to Anqing Prefecture to investigate long ago? I am Xiaoyu..."
As she spoke, she pointed at Lin Zeyu and argued hatefully, "Your Majesty, this man must have been sent by an external enemy to assassinate you! He's a man. I just touched him with my own hands, and he's definitely a man. This man has a vicious mind, disguising himself as a woman to enter the palace. It's impossible for him to have no ulterior motives!"
"Sister, I'm giving you face by calling you sister." Lin Zeyu knew she wouldn't accept her fate so easily, and sneered, "You're such a heartless, ungrateful bastard. My father raised you for many years, but you don't care about that at all and just want to kill my whole family. My parents were wrong back then, and I accept that my family was sold out. But you risked my life for so many years, and I've given you back the good life you deserve. Now you're turning the tables on me without blinking an eye. You said your name is Xiaoyu? You're really shameless!"
Gu Mingyue naturally denied it, and the two of them exchanged words. Zhou Ye's eyes flickered between them, unsure who to believe.
Seeing that Gu Mingyue didn't cry until she saw the coffin, Lin Zeyu decided to hold on to the end. He sighed, "Brother Ye, I once took a jade pendant from you. I was young and didn't know the consequences, but now I think about it, I know it was wrong. Taking something without permission is stealing, and I was ignorant. I wanted to return the jade pendant to you, but I lost it when I was nine..."
Lin Zeyu had taken the jade pendant from Zhou Ye, not given it by Zhou Ye. This was something only Zhou Ye and Xiaoyu knew.
From this one thing alone, Zhou Ye immediately knew that the man before him was not lying. He suddenly glared at Gu Mingyue. Gu Mingyue was startled and subconsciously shrank back. Zhou Ye's eyes suddenly became gloomy, "Gu Mingyue, you actually lied to me!"
Six years ago, Zhou Ye was summoned by Gu Mingyue, calling her "Brother Ye." Because of a jade pendant, he believed she was Xiaoyu, his childhood companion. After hearing Gu Mingyue's difficult life story, he began to show unconditional favoritism and tolerance for her. He supported her and helped her punish those who bullied her. All this was premised on the fact that Gu Mingyue was first his only and best friend, and only then could she become the woman he deeply loved.
It turned out to be all fake! This 'Xiaoyu' was not that 'Xiaoyu', Gu Mingyue was just playing him like a monkey!
"You're so brave..."
Gu Mingyue proved right about Zhou Ye. Realizing he'd been tricked, Zhou Ye drew his sword and walked toward Gu Mingyue. Under the moonlight, the blade shone with a chilling light.
Gu Mingyue wanted to argue, but she had no excuse. She was truly crying. She had expected to be exposed, but she had never imagined it would be under such circumstances. Tears fell drop by drop from her eyes. She fell to her knees with a plop, kowtowed and begged for mercy.
"Please let me go, Your Majesty, please let me go."
Her mind raced as she began to talk about her two children. "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I truly know I was wrong. Even if I'm not Xiaoyu, I've been your Majesty's bedmate for six years, haven't I? I gave birth to two children for you, and the youngest is still in swaddling clothes. Even if I haven't done anything meritorious, I've worked hard. Your Majesty, can you really bear to see your children lose their mother... Please, Your Majesty, spare my life..."
With a flash of cold light, Zhou Ye's knife struck Gu Mingyue's wrist. Gu Mingyue let out a sharp scream, tears and snot instantly streaming down her face. Bright red blood also spurted out, quickly staining the ground red.
Zhou Ye raised his sword again and swung it coldly.
The knife hit Gu Mingyue's knee, and she screamed again.
Zhou Ye didn't kill Gu Mingyue with a single blow, but instead slashed her body one cut at a time. Zhou Jingchen had spent countless efforts in his previous life trying to injure someone, but Zhou Ye easily inflicted four or five cuts on her. Zhou Ye didn't seem to intend to kill her immediately, but after slashing her ten times, he slowly put away his sword.
He squatted down, touched Gu Mingyue's cheek gently next to her ear and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you die so easily."
It was as gentle as a lover's whisper, but Gu Mingyue suddenly trembled violently...
…
Lin Zeyu stood silently watching the whole process. Outside the garden, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps. A group of people hurried over, carrying valuables.
After seeing the situation of Zhou Ye and Gu Mingyue, they immediately knelt on the ground, their faces showing shock and trembling. Zhou Ye didn't even look at the group of people. He turned his head to look at Lin Zeyu who had been watching his movements, and raised one eyebrow slightly: "Are you a man?"
Lin Zeyu blinked, pulled off the padding on his chest, paused, and then nodded: "Yes."
"Xiaoyu is a boy?"
"My surname is Lin, and my name is Lin Zeyu."
Zhou Ye's face instantly turned ugly, as if he had eaten ten thousand dead flies. Clearly, he hadn't expected that the only lover in his memory would actually turn into a man. Zhou Ye lowered his head gloomily, exuding a very dangerous aura. After a moment, he raised his head again and looked at Lin Zeyu, seemingly with some reluctance: "But considering your figure and appearance, it doesn't seem unacceptable."
Lin Zeyu, who looks like a man with a feminine appearance: “???”
"Xiaoyu, come with me."
After saying that, Zhou Ye coldly told the kneeling people to stand up, and took Gu Mingyue and Lin Zeyu away from the secret passage.
Gu Mingyue fainted from the pain, then woke up again. When she awoke, she was on the back of a palace maid. All around her was a dark secret passage and a sea of heads. She slowly lifted her heavy eyelids and looked at a bright yellow figure in front of her. Hatred flashed in her eyes.
At the same time, Zhou Jingchen had already broken through the palace gate and occupied the Forbidden City.
Half the imperial guards had been withdrawn, and the remaining defenders were all taken under the control of the border troops. When Zhou Jingchen entered the palace, Zhou Ye, Gu Mingyue, and the others were nowhere to be found. The palace servants were driven tremblingly to the Xuanwu Gate, and no one could reveal Zhou Ye's whereabouts.
"Your Highness," Li Wenzhu led his men to search the palace, searching every room but finding no trace of Zhou Ye or Gu Mingyue, "The two children in Weiyang Palace were not taken away."
As he spoke, he pushed out two wet nurses holding children from the crowd. They stumbled and knelt before Zhou Jingchen. The older child had just woken from sleep and looked at him timidly with wide eyes. The younger child was still in swaddling clothes, and the commotion didn't wake him. The two nurses knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, begging Zhou Jingchen to show some mercy.
Zhou Jingchen stood atop the platform with a cold expression. The backlight made his already bleak features appear even more unapproachable. Zhou Ye's abandonment of the palace, his disregard for the lives of his own children, was expected. He had long known that Zhou Ye was cold-blooded and insane, with no trace of affection for his children.
"Send someone to block the exits of each palace," Zhou Jingchen waved his hand and ordered someone to take the child down, "Seal off the city gates and search every house."
The secret passages in the imperial palace were known only to each successive emperor. Zhou Jingchen, having been the regent in his previous life, naturally knew about them. The tunnels only led to the inner city, not the outer city. Regardless of when Zhou Ye had fled the palace, he must still be in Yanjing.
Just as Zhou Jingchen had his men searching house to house, Ye Jia encountered his first attack in Suiye Town, far away in Beiting.
The act of burning the granary angered the Wuhuan people, who surrounded Ye Jia's courtyard overnight.
Ye Jia was awakened from her sleep by the sound of swords and guns clashing, the clash of blades almost ringing in her ears. Xiaoli and Huanpei had already drawn their weapons and were guarding the door and windows. Cheng Feng had appeared in Ye Jia's room at some point, ripping off a piece of clothing hanging from the screen and covering Ye Jia completely with it. He muttered, "I'm sorry," then hugged her by the waist and began to retreat.
At that moment, Ye Jia's mind was extremely clear, and he reacted quickly: "Wait, Xiaoli, take people to pack up all the drawings and documents in the study and take them away. If you can't take them away, set them on fire."
Xiaoli Huanpei knew the importance of the blueprints and documents in the study. She glanced at Cheng Feng, who had shown such rebellion, and quickly went to work. She led her men to quickly gather all the blueprints and documents from the study, waking up all the key craftsmen and hiding them in the underground passageway beneath the courtyard. Ye Jia nestled in Cheng Feng's arms, holding the blueprints and directing the group through the underground passageway, leaving the courtyard overnight.
After leaving the yard, Ye Jia was carried onto the horse. At the sound of a whistle, she rushed out like an arrow from a bow. She was startled, but the person behind her held her tightly, swallowing the scream that was about to come out of her mouth.
When the Wuhuan people broke through the guards' obstruction, entered the yard, and kicked open the door of Ye Jia's house, the house was already empty.
The sky was pitch black, beneath a starry sky, a group of men on horseback galloped. Ye Jia, held in Cheng Feng's arms, her hips numb from the bounce, didn't even glance back. Cheng Feng tugged at the reins, his gaze like a hawk circling the sky. Unfazed by the darkness, he galloped over the hills, heading into the unknown. Behind the two men and their horses, Xiao Lihuan and the craftsman chased after them, gradually fading behind them as the clash of swords and sabers faded.
They ran for who knows how long; the night seemed especially long. Finally, just when Ye Jia felt her bones were about to fall apart, Cheng Feng pulled the reins and reined in the horse with a whoosh.
At this time, the scene before my eyes is completely different: endless grassland and shadowy mountains.
It was a wilderness. Cheng Feng carried Ye Jia off his horse. He then asked her to sit down and wait for him for a while. He made two trips back and forth. He carried three bundles of hay or firewood, threw them on the ground, and lit a bonfire with a tinder. The night in Beiting was much colder than the day. Ye Jia was only wearing a single layer of clothing. Her face had unknowingly turned pale from the furious ride.
It must be said that after the bonfire was lit, her limbs warmed up and her body did feel much more comfortable.
"Why are you in my room?" As the temperature returned to normal, Ye Jia's mind slowly calmed down. His pounding heart subsided, and he took a deep breath, opening his eyes and looking at Cheng Feng, who was sitting next to him.
"My ears are quite sharp, thanks to years of escorting, so I'm quite alert. I can clearly hear unusual movements a mile away." Cheng Feng got a rabbit from somewhere and skinned it with a few slashes of his dagger. He deftly removed the rabbit's internal organs, then strung them together on a stick and roasted them near the fire. "I heard the sound of the horses, so I went to guard outside your yard."
Ye Jia: "...Thank you."
Cheng Feng glanced at Ye Jia and grinned, "Jia'er, you're being stingy. You only need two words to thank me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Jia was stunned. Suddenly, she remembered the original owner's relationship with Cheng Feng. It had been so long that she didn't think about this relationship for a while. After a pause, Ye Jia pursed her lips and said, "How do you want to thank me?"
Ye Jia's serious reply froze Cheng Feng's smile. He blinked and straightened his lips: "Jia'er..."
"I'm already married." After a pause, Ye Jia sighed.
"I know." Cheng Feng's smile turned sad. He lowered his eyes, grabbed a branch with one hand, and poked the firewood in the campfire. He watched the fire burst into life, and the temperature instantly rose.
There was wind in the wild, blowing the flames this way and that. Because of Ye Jia's words, the atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
Ye Jia felt a little sorry, but she truly wasn't the original owner. She couldn't reciprocate Cheng Feng's feelings. Furthermore, with the situation so urgent, Ye Jia was also worried about the situation back at the courtyard. She wondered if the Oghuz had given chase, or if this late-night Wuhuan attack had affected the innocent people nearby. Ye Jia's heart was in a state of panic, and she had no time to think about anything else.
When she escaped, she was holding a package. Inside were the designs for her latest crossbow. These weapons hadn't yet been prototyped, but they would surely be ready in due time. Ye Jia carefully opened the package by the firelight and examined each sheet.
The wild wind was blowing, and apart from the chirping of insects and the rustling of grass in the wind, the only sound was the sound of Ye Jia flipping through papers.
After checking, Ye Jia found that nothing was missing and breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as she was folding the blueprints one by one, a hand suddenly reached out. It was Cheng Feng. His hands weren't as fair and slender as Zhou Jingchen's, like the perfect white jade. Perhaps from years of martial arts training and escorting, his hands were rough and slightly black. In his palm lay an open cloth bag. Inside the bag were several pieces of slightly broken snacks.
"Huh?" Ye Jia raised her eyes and looked at him in surprise.
"Mung bean cake, sweet." Cheng Feng squatted in front of her, his eyes bright like a little wolf.
To be honest, Ye Jia was actually a little hungry after the bumpy ride. But she didn't really like sweets, and she rarely ate mung bean cakes. Facing Cheng Feng's expectant eyes, Ye Jia hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took a piece: "Thank you."
Cheng Feng's eyes lit up because of her action. He grinned, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
He wrapped the remaining mung bean cake in his palm and stuffed it into Ye Jia's hand. He picked up a branch from the ground and poked the fire, saying in a somewhat cheerful tone, "Jia'er, you can be like before. You don't have to be so polite to me. You can tell me what you want or what you want to eat. If this snack is not enough to fill you up, the rabbit meat will be roasted soon. This time I brought a lot of Western spices that you like. Let me tell you, my roasting skills are first-class..."
Ye Jia paused chewing the mung bean cake and looked at him.
"I've already sent for the batch of poisoned bows and arrows you requested. They should arrive in about two days." Cheng Feng deftly turned the rabbit over, fished out a few small paper bags from his arms, opened them, and sprinkled the powder inside on the rabbit. "This time, my Cheng family's escort team will also be here. You know the Cheng family's escorts, their martial arts are well-known in the underworld. When they come, you don't have to be afraid."
Ye Jia chewed slower and slower, and the corners of his mouth slowly drooped: "Cheng Feng..."
"Um?"
Cheng Feng turned his head and looked at Ye Jia with his head tilted.
"Listen to me," Ye Jia didn't like this feeling, which made her feel very guilty. "This matter has nothing to do with you. You are not a soldier of Suiye Town, and you are still injured. I am very grateful for saving me this time, but the situation in Suiye Town is so chaotic, you should go back..."
"Jia'er." The smile on his face was a little bleak: "Please don't chase me away, okay?"
Ye Jia paused as the persuasion that was about to come out of his mouth, and looked at him with a frown.
Cheng Feng's smile couldn't hide a hint of loneliness: "Even if you marry someone else now, Jia'er is still Jia'er, and you are still my beloved girl. You can ignore me, but you can't stop me from protecting you."
"Actually, I'm not..."
Ye Jia was about to say she wasn't the original owner when footsteps sounded nearby. Before she could react, Cheng Feng had already rushed in front of her, his sword drawn in one hand, poised to attack. At that moment, the group of shadows approached at high speed. Huan Pei was the first to rush in, instantly dodging in front of the two men and kneeling in front of Ye Jia, "Master."
Cheng Feng's eyes flashed, and the hand holding the sword slowly pushed the sword back into the scabbard, and stood up straight in a nonchalant manner.
"How is it?" Ye Jia asked Huanpei to get up quickly.
"Ugus has already led his men over."
Huanpei glanced at Cheng Feng, who was leaning too close to Ye Jia, and said in a steady tone, "There weren't many Wuhuan people this time, only about thirty. They were contained by Captain Ogus in less than half an hour. Everything in the courtyard has been hidden. The craftsmen and their research and development were hidden in the hiding cave and were not affected. We can go back when daybreak."
Ye Jia nodded, "Did Xiaoli lose anything?"
"No."
"What about the casualties?"
"Because of the timely retreat, except for one or two guards who were injured while guarding the gate, everyone else is safe and sound." Huanpei explained the situation after Ye Jia left. When she heard that the Wuhuan people did not rush into the study at all, she couldn't help but feel relieved.
The night was very chaotic. By the time the group settled down again, it was already dawn.
Huanpei had been squatting beside Ye Jia, guarding her tightly against Cheng Feng from getting close to her. Ye Jia, draped in thin clothes, squatted beside the package, examining the blueprints one by one. Occasionally, she looked up at the sky, and when she saw it was almost time, she stood up and said, "Let's go."
Cheng Feng put out the fire with some dirt, walked to Ye Jia's side, picked up Ye Jia suddenly, and jumped onto the horse's back.
Ye Jia screamed "Ah", and Huanpei drew his sword and stabbed at him.
"Huanpei."
Ye Jia shouted, Huanpei's body stiffened, she put away the knife and knelt down.
"Nothing." Ye Jia sat down, exhaled slowly, and said calmly: "You keep my things safe and follow me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Feng patted his horse's butt, turned his horse around and rode back.
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