Chapter 115 Black-Hearted Boss
Yelu Duhan was very busy and did not come back for one day after he went out.
Several maids dressed as Liao people brought hot water and clothes. Wen Yao then took off the human skin mask and washed and cleaned the blood. She pushed her hair aside, leaned against the wooden barrel, and stretched out her arm to lift up a piece of clothing to look at it.
The dress was of the Tianshui style, a ivory-white plain gauze folded skirt and a dark blue plain silk jacket, with a matching headband thoughtfully placed next to it. Wen Yao tilted his head to stare at the dress for a moment, then stood up and put it on.
Without using internal energy, she couldn't dry her hair. Her long hair was dripping wet under the towel. Wen Yao didn't mind. She twisted it once for the sake of expression, then let her hair down and knocked on the door slowly, dragging the chain on her hand like a ghost.
Even after giving Wen Yao a dose of the Qi-removing powder and shackled her hands with meteorite iron chains, Yelu Duhan still felt uneasy about leaving Wen Yao alone. He knew how powerful Wen Yao was, so he made sure the arrangements were watertight.
Outside the door stood a row of Liao people, all martial artists, with sturdy builds and swords hanging from their waists. As the door opened, they darted over with sharp, vigilant eyes.
"I'm a little hungry." Wen Yao folded his arms across his chest, leaned against the door, and smiled at them lightly: "Do you provide meals?"
Of course, meals were provided; the Northwest Recruiting Office couldn't do without Wen Yao's help. Adhering to the principle of "don't take advantage of others, you're a jerk," Wen Yao devoured the feast without restraint, ordering from every famous pastry shop in Xingqing. The group of Northern Liao warriors guarding her outside would go out and buy her snacks several times a day, completely reduced to running errands.
Even when Yelu Duhan came back on the morning of the third day, he came to see Wen Yao with a box of cakes in his hand.
As soon as he stepped into the room, he said in a loud voice, "Are Xingqing cakes so delicious?"
Wen Yao lay on the couch, his face covered with a book, and said in a muffled voice: "It's okay."
"Then go back to Nanfu this afternoon and take away the chefs from the shops you bought."
Wen Yao took off the notebook with the top upside down and threw it into Yelu Duhan's arms, cursing, "You brought a piece of shit with you. You have the nerve to force people to leave their hometown."
Yelu Duhan was clearly in a particularly good mood today, perhaps because he had gotten a significant advantage in his negotiations with the Li brothers. He clutched the notebook in his hand and surprisingly didn't argue with Wen Yao. Instead, he said, "Well, Xijin Prefecture isn't short of pastry shops."
Northern Liao was divided into north and south. The royal court remained in the north, where Liao tribes had lived for generations. Much of the southern territory had been annexed by the previous dynasty, and the people shared common ancestry with Tianshui. County governance was established based on Tianshui customs, and the people's ways remained unchanged. Yelu Duhan served as the Director of the Tulu tribe's Xianyin Division, overseeing the southern capital Xijin Prefecture, and concurrently as the Commander-in-Chief of the Northwest Recruiting Division—Wen Yao only knew of these three titles, each holding a prominent position.
Wen Yao sat up cross-legged, chin propped up, and looked at Yelu Duhan. She felt something was not right. Although his eyes and mouth were the same as before, he was nothing like the Lou Chengyi who had been so sarcastic with her and Jiang Qiaosheng in the past.
But she knew clearly that Lou Chengyi was no ordinary person as he had been exiled thousands of miles away at such a young age and had been supported and strengthened by the enemy's imperial capital as a spy for Northern Liao. He had never concealed his ambition and ruthless methods from her. Now he just returned to where he should be and became Yelu Duhan, changing his name and identity.
Why did it make her feel so different?
She stared at Yelu Duhan for a long time. Yelu Duhan came over, opened the box of pastries and placed it next to her. He pushed it aside, his brows relaxed, his expression softened, and he said with a hint of pleasure: "Eat. Why are you looking at me?"
Without the pair of golden rings on his arms, the sense of danger from the alien aggression faded a lot.
Wen Yao's nose twitched and he said, "You didn't use the wisteria incense."
Yelu Duhan raised his eyebrows and replied, "Don't you dislike it?"
Wen Yao picked up the cake and stuffed it into her mouth, the chain on her bracelet clattering with the movement. Yelu Duhan listened to the movement, the relaxed look on his face dissipating, his expression slightly frozen. She said calmly: "So you care about me? Han Zhao said you like me, I thought you were driven crazy by the Queen of Northern Liao."
Yelu Duhan remained silent, as if it wasn't him who had warned Bianliang and sent Han Zhao the message. Yelu Duhan looked at the chain, his gaze slowly shifting to Wen Yao's clothes. Suddenly, he frowned, "Why are you wearing this kind of clothes?"
"A beautiful dress." Wen Yao: "Why, wasn't it given to me by one of your people?"
This dress is beautiful, but it is extremely cumbersome to put on and not comfortable at all. Wen Yao is usually a mess, squatting here and lying there, and she has messed up this exquisite dress.
"The belt around your waist is so tight, how can you wear it comfortably?" Yelu Duhan was inexplicably angry. "I'll have someone change it for you later."
Wen Yao was amazed, not understanding why he was angry. She felt that the young women who worked under Yelu Duhan were quite pitiful. She didn't know what bad luck they had done in their past lives to end up with such a moody boss in this life who obviously didn't care about the basic human rights of his employees.
"Okay, okay, that's thoughtful." Wen Yao pinched the chain with two fingers and shook it in front of Yelu Duhan's eyes: "I'm so touched. I believe you like me... It's so thoughtful, so why not untie this too."
Yelu Duhan slowly stretched out his hand, his fingers slightly apart from Wen Yao's fingertips, and lightly touched the chain. His movements were quite gentle, but he refused ruthlessly: "No, I'm afraid you'll run away. I'll untie it for you when we get to Xijin Mansion."
"You know." Wen Yao sighed: "After Qiao Sheng left, the current head of Hongge is Feng Jimin. You and him will have a lot in common."
Yelu Duhan didn't understand this joke. He frowned briefly, but said nothing. He sat down beside Wen Yao with his legs stretched out and his arms resting on the soft couch.
After calming down, Yelu Duhan looked a little tired.
Wen Yao looked at him, crushed the cake with her fingers, and made a request: "I want to see Jinyun before I leave."
"Jinyun?" Yelu Duhan thought for a while before remembering this person, the princess sent from Tianshui to marry.
Now that the old emperor of the Western Dynasty has died, the princess of Tianshui has become a widow without even having a consort ceremony. Furthermore, the Western Dynasty has an ambiguous relationship with the Northern Liao Dynasty, and its current situation must be worrying, and it is bound to be the subject of much gossip.
Yelu Duhan knew that Wen Yao and Zhao Xuanxu were escorting the princess to the Western Dynasty for a marriage alliance. However, Wen Yao's desire to meet someone at this time might indicate that his relationship with the princess was much closer than he had imagined.
After all, she was just a princess married off for peace, insignificant. After entering Xingqing, every letter Princess Tianshui sent to Tianshui would be carefully screened. Even if Wen Yao wanted to pass on a message to Zhao Xuanxu through the princess, it would be useless. Yelu Duhan, unwilling to offend Wen Yao on such a trivial matter, agreed without hesitation. He also kept his word. Before departure, Jinyun, who was originally in the palace, actually came to the posthouse to see Wen Yao.
Wen Yao opened the door and saw Jin Yun's maid trembling under the gaze of the Northern Liao people. Jin Yun, dressed in pink and with a hair full of gold and jade, was completely unafraid of the burly men around her. She pushed Wen Yao's shoulder into the room and closed the door behind her.
"The old emperor is dead." Jinyun grabbed Wen Yao's hand and quickly lowered his voice, "The palace said there was an assassin. Was it Hao Chunhe? He told me he came to Xingqing to kill someone. Was that the emperor? Where is Hao Chunhe?"
She was indeed a very clever girl, and she was able to figure out all the twists and turns with just a few words.
At the mention of Hao Chunhe, Wen Yao's smile quickly faded, her head began to pound again, and her heart felt as if it were drowning in the cold rainy night, cold and heavy. In fact, she hadn't closed her eyes to sleep until now, she simply couldn't sleep. Hao Chunhe's death was beyond her expectations. She indulged him in revenge because she thought it would protect her and get away safely. Unexpectedly, after all these years, Hao Chunhe still hadn't recovered from Wanniang Xier's death.
Breaking into the palace, killing the emperor, and committing suicide by poison—all of these events were so closely linked that she hadn't had time to react. Hao Chunhe, the usually slow-paced and nagging old man, was so decisive this time.
Jinyun stared at Wen Yao, gripped her wrist tighter, and said in a more serious tone, "The assassin who committed suicide was indeed Hao Chunhe."
Wen Yao said softly, "I've asked your third brother to take him back."
Jinyun was about to continue when her fingers suddenly touched the meteorite chain hidden by Wen Yao's sleeve. She was startled, then looked down at Wen Yao's condition. After a long pause, she spoke, "I was going to ask why you're here... why aren't you running away?"
"It's a long story." Wen Yao shook the chain. "There was a small accident. My internal energy was sealed and I can't escape for the time being. Do you remember the spy I told you about before?"
Jinyun nodded quickly: "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to stop contacting them for now." Wen Yao said, "Western Dynasty plays both sides. The letters you send out will be read by them several times. If the message is not delivered, your identity as a spy will be exposed. I'm going to Northern Liao next. You are alone in Western Dynasty. Remember to be careful and don't leave anyone by your side."
Jinyun pursed his lips and said dejectedly, "Can't I help you?"
Wen Yao smiled, thought about it, and said, "The emperor is dead. What are Li Fubai and Li Youqi doing now?"
"Li Fubai is preparing to take the throne," Jinyun said carefully, counting on his fingers. "Li Youqi has been named Prince of Li, and once Li Fubai takes the throne, he will be given his fiefdom." Wen Yao had expected Li Fubai to succeed him; it was legitimate. However, Li Youqi had troops at his disposal, and his mother came from a prominent family. He seemed quite dissatisfied with Li Fubai, so Wen Yao was surprised that he hadn't made a scene from the beginning.
She felt a little regretful. It seemed that Xingqing would not be able to cause any more chaos, otherwise she could try to escape during the chaos.
"Knock, knock, knock." There was a knock on the door. Yelu Duhan stood outside and said, "It's time to go."
Jinyun grabbed Wen Yao's hand and clenched it tightly. She subconsciously stood in front of Wen Yao, holding her breath and wanting to say something. Wen Yao saw what she was thinking, patted her comfortingly, and turned to open the door.
Yelu Duhan wore a golden ring on his arm again, and was followed by a large group of guards, with an extraordinary aura. He glanced at Jinyun with a cold gaze and said in a stern tone: "Do you have so much to say to her?"
This was the first time Jinyun met Yelu Duhan, and her face looked unhappy. She looked up and down at the man who was dressed like a Liao man but had no shaved hair. She keenly noticed something wrong from the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice when he looked at Wen Yao.
It is difficult to hide your love for someone, let alone Yelu Duhan who did not try to hide it at all.
Is this her third brother's rival in love? He looks good on the surface. But when Jinyun thought about the chain on Wen Yao's hand, she didn't have a good impression of Yelu Duhan at all.
Wen Yao motioned her not to speak, turned to look at the maid and said, "How did the princess get here?"
The maid trembled: "Take a carriage."
Wen Yao nodded, pushed Jinyun, and said, "Go and take good care of your princess. If the princess misses home, she can always write to Tianshui."
She is so considerate to everyone except him.
Yelu Duhan was watching from the side, his face becoming grim again.
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