Chapter 29 Yelu Duhan
"Walk."
Wen Yao stretched out his arm and placed it around Lou Chengyi's neck, using a little force to force the latter to bend down.
Lou Chengyi glanced at the greasy paper bag rubbing against his sleeve, his shoulders relaxed, and he didn't resist. His tone softened a little: "...Where are you going?"
"Whatever." Wen Yao sneered: "Didn't you say I don't care about you? Then sit down and tell me what's going on in detail, so that I can take good care of you."
No one knew how Lou Chengyi had ended up here with Ning'er, without a carriage or servants. Wen Yao led him around the alleyway and toward a teahouse a street away. Since Lou Chengyi was paying, she naturally chose the most expensive teahouse in the area and the best private room.
Lou Chengyi stopped at the entrance of the teahouse, looked up critically at the cloud-patterned logo on the lantern at the entrance, and said in an inexplicable tone: "The property of the ghost market owner."
"Are you afraid of being monitored?" Wen Yao shrugged. "Well, this is the only teahouse nearby. You can come in or not. If not, come sit down at the tofu stall next door and talk."
Lou Chengyi glanced at the tables and chairs on the tofu stall that were covered with damp water marks, raised his eyelids, and then shut up again.
The three of them asked for a private room by the window in the corner of the second floor. Wen Yao and Lou Chengyi sat at the table by the window, while Ning'er made tea beside them.
Wen Yao supported his chin and went straight to the point: "Come on, it is known that the three people you killed were from the Northern Liao delegation. First, tell me what your relationship is with the Northern Liao."
Lou Chengyi looked at Wen Yao with a meaningful look and sneered, "Prince Yan's spies are quite sharp. That idiot Yelu Huishi couldn't have anticipated that his men's whereabouts would be completely discovered the moment they arrived in Bianliang."
"So you are indeed from Liao." Wen Yao took the tea from Ning'er and imitated Lou Chengyi's sarcastic tone: "When we first met, you said your name was 'Lou Chengyi'. Now, would you like to know your real name?"
"...I'm not lying. Lou Chengyi is my real name. It's the Tianshui name I chose for myself." Lou Chengyi's voice softened inexplicably. He looked at Wen Yao and said, "Yelü Duhan, my name from Northern Liao. My mother is the daughter of the Wanyan tribe, one of the forty-eight tribes of Northern Liao. I originally thought you shouldn't be involved in these things, so I left you alone and free without telling you. Now there's no need."
Wow, your last name is Yelu.
Very good, not only a Liao person, but also a royal family.
At this moment when he should have been shocked, Wen Yao instantly thought of the information network that Lou Chengyi had run for many years and the countless intelligence on Tianshui officials in his hands, and thought to himself that this world was really humorous.
"What?" Lou Chengyi looked at Wen Yao's expression carefully, his face suddenly darkening: "You don't like Liao people?"
"No, no." Wen Yao held his forehead: "It's just that this big news is too shocking. I need some time to calm down."
The war between Tianshui and Northern Liao had raged for over a decade, and most of the people in Tianshui harbored a deep hatred for Northern Liao. As a modern person with fixed values, Wen Yao struggled to establish a sense of belonging to a feudal dynasty. Staying aloof from the conflict, he naturally couldn't say whether he disliked Northern Liao or not.
"Why were you alone inside the Great Wall at that time?" Wen Yao couldn't help but ask, "Bei Liao was training a spy leader. Did they really need to send a prince like you here?"
"Of course not." Lou Chengyi recalled the past embarrassment, his tone grim, sounding like he wanted to grind someone's bones and suck blood: "The Queen Xiao of Northern Liao murdered my mother. At that time, the emperor led his troops south to attack the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, and had no time to deal with the affairs of the harem. The Wanyan tribe was weak and could not resist the Xiao clan. If I wanted to survive, I had no choice but to come to Tianshui to find my uncle."
Lady Wanyan's brother was the Northern Liao's spy in Bianliang. Before Lou Chengyi reached the border crossing, Empress Xiao's men were already in pursuit. The Wanyan clan members who had been escorting Lou Chengyi were completely slaughtered, and he was lucky enough to sneak into a slave caravan and escape with his life.
Wen Yao understood: "Then the caravan was robbed by someone, and you met me."
"Yes." Lou Chengyi said, "It was only after I came to Bianliang that I learned that my uncle's health was almost failing. I took over his management, and later on, Qiongyu Tower was established."
"So, when Northern Liao sent people over this time, are you planning to pack up and fight back for revenge?" Wen Yao patted Lou Chengyi's shoulder and said soothingly, "It's all in the past. Things change over time. You're taking the path of counterattack. If the story continues as it is, you'll have a bright future."
"You want me to go back?" Lou Chengyi said, half-smiled. "I have so much information about Tianshui in my hands. Why don't you consider telling Zhao Xuanxu and have his Feathered Guards besiege Qiongyu Tower and make a great contribution to Tianshui?"
To be honest, Wen Yao had an inexplicable intuition that even if she told Zhao Xuanxu about Lou Chengyi's identity, Zhao Xuanxu would not stop Lou Chengyi from returning to Beiliao.
"Not considering it." She chuckled. "Why, you killed those people and don't plan to go back with them? I thought those Liao people were killed because they made you unhappy."
Although it is said that two armies should not kill envoys when fighting, this gentleman's agreement would definitely not work on Lou Chengyi.
Lou Chengyi said solemnly: "No, you guessed right."
"Yelü Huishi is Empress Xiao's son. He should come to see me himself." He said indifferently, "I pulled out the tongues of those people. He will see them when he arrives in Bianliang."
In a word, his cruelty and violence were clearly revealed.
The atmosphere suddenly became quiet, Ning'er stood up from the side, closed the door quietly and went out.
Lou Chengyi looked straight at Wen Yao. His face was handsome and deep. One eye was emerald green, and the other was not pure black, but a translucent amber. "But you need to think clearly. If I go to Northern Liao, and you stay with Prince Yan, maybe one day we will meet on the battlefield."
"Nonsense, I'm a guard, not a general, and I don't fight."
"You said before that you wouldn't get involved in these things, so why are you standing with Zhao Xuanxu now?" Lou Chengyi smiled, but it wasn't quite as funny as it seemed. His eyes were blazing, as if a fire had ignited the heavens, gleaming with a brilliance he had never seen before. He said slowly, "Wen Yao, if I asked you to choose, would you want me to leave or stay?"
"Why are you asking me?" Wen Yao held the cup steadily in his hand and asked, "Queen Xiao did all these things, and you've been holding your anger and working hard for years. Is it possible that you won't go back for revenge?"
What kind of person is Lou Chengyi? He's vindictive, ready to chop anyone into eight pieces, including interest, if they offend him even a little. The revenge for his mother's murder, coupled with the resentment of being chased thousands of miles away, means that Bianliang City's years of painstaking efforts will never go to waste.
Tianshui borders Northern Liao, and the people on both sides have been holding grudges for too long. It is only a matter of time before a war breaks out. It doesn't matter whether Lou Chengyi goes back or not.
If that's the case, how stupid must she be to stop someone from taking revenge?
The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became silent.
Wen Yao wasn't a serious person, and Lou Chengyi was often rude when they were together, often mocking each other mid-conversation. Regardless, a moment of silence like today was a rare occurrence.
Lou Chengyi suddenly asked, "Why were you staying in the border town of Mobei?"
Wen Yao lowered his head and drank his tea: "Hmm? I just like it. It's a big place with few rules. It's free."
Lou Chengyi had anticipated this answer. His heartbeat quickened slightly, but his expression remained normal. His thick eyebrows lowered, and his emerald eyes were like jade balls. "That's perfect."
He spoke quickly, "Northern Liao occupies the grasslands. To the west is the Loulan trade route, where there's abundant grass and water, and there are large herds of cattle and sheep. In May, there's snow on the mountains, and there are vast fields of flowers at the foot of the mountains. There are camel caravans, and it's very lively, and it's close to Mobei. I have a lot of people to deal with when I return to the royal court, but I promise you that within three years, no one in the entire Northern Liao will dare to restrain you. You'll be more comfortable in Shangjing, Northern Liao, than in Bianliang."
"Come with me." Lou Chengyi's fingers, gripping the edge of the table, turned blue and white, and veins popped out on the back of his hand. He stiffened his throat and tried to make his tone soft and natural: "Why do you have to stand across from me? Didn't you say you were going to Daluo on a camel? I—"
Wen Yao said without hesitation: "I won't leave."
Lou Chengyi's words died in his throat. He looked at Wen Yao's calm expression, and the blood in his body gradually cooled down. The words he had just swallowed were like a red-hot iron, burning his internal organs.
Why?
He was almost about to utter a question tinged with venom.
Is it because of Zhao Xuanxu?
His hand, which was tightly gripping the corner of the table, trembled for a moment, and suddenly loosened.
Lou Chengyi took a deep breath, raised his lips and smiled. When he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse, and his voice was sinister and low, with a sense of cruelty: "... Tell me, you stayed with Prince Yan just to repay the favor?"
The word "just" rolled between his lips and teeth, with a sarcastic tone that was particularly harsh.
"But that day in the Qiongyu Tower, I saw Prince Yan showing affection towards Commander Wen, and Commander Wen was also very protective of Prince Yan." Lou Chengyi laughed for no reason, the teacup in his hand shattering, and a few strands of blood oozing out from between his fingers. "If you didn't know better, you would think the two of you were in love, and that you, Wen Yao, were ready to completely commit to the Prince Yan's Mansion!"
It was a sunny day outside. Wen Yao sat in a chair by the window and watched Lou Chengyi leave.
Ning'er had worry in her eyes and she bowed to Wen Yao before leaving.
After a long time, Wen Yao carried the moxibustion bones back to Prince Yan's Mansion.
There was some noise in Prince Yan's Mansion, with servants and maids coming and going in a hurry, carrying one large box after another.
Wen Yao stopped at the big tree outside the yard. She felt a little tired. She leaned against the trunk with her eyes half closed and thought slowly. She had only been out for an hour. What had happened?
At this time, a man walked out from under the tree.
Wen Yao lowered her head and met Zhao Xuanxu's eyes, long and dense, like crow feathers. His long hair fell to his waist, and he looked up at Wen Yao with his sleeves gathered, his eyes extremely focused.
"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Wen Yao jumped down from the tree: "I'm fine. I went to buy some moxibustion bone medicine and met Lou Chengyi on the way."
The matter between the Liao people and Lou Chengyi has not yet been resolved. Wen Yao thought that Zhao Xuanxu might ask about it, but Zhao Xuanxu did not.
He looked at her quietly. She was tall, with straight, smooth shoulders. Her exposed wrists were strong and beautiful, and her hair flowed freely and gracefully across her chest. The King of Yan, whose achievements had intimidated Sichuan and Shu, a powerful minister with a formidable reputation, was feared by his subordinates, and his brothers, the sons of the emperor, either courted him or were wary of him. Regardless, Zhao Xuanxu was no longer the sickly child trapped in Nanzhao.
But the look in his eyes was as warm as water, quiet and gentle, exactly like the child who followed Wen Yao back then.
"What's going on?" Wen Yao looked at the people coming in and out, cleared his throat and asked, "Are you moving the yard?"
"We are packing our luggage. We are leaving for Yanling tomorrow." Zhao Xuanxu paused and said, "Ayao, do you want to go? If not, forget it."
Wen Yao: "Yanling, what are you doing there all of a sudden?"
"Just now, the Supervisory Commission sent a letter saying that something bad has happened to the Xu family in Yanling. Many people have died in the past ten days." Zhao Xuanxu came over and took the moxibustion bone from Wen Yao. He summoned someone to take it to Hao Chunhe's room. "The Xu family is a powerful family in Yanling. Princess Yong is a Xu family member. If the prefecture can't solve the problem, then report it to the Supervisory Commission."
The Supervisory and Administrative Office, located outside the Tianshui prefectural government, was specifically responsible for inspecting the work of officials, but it also reviewed cases involving important officials. Prince Yong's wife's surname was Xu, and the Xu family, a relative of Prince Yong's wife, had numerous retainers and disciples. It was customary for the Xu family to refer any difficult issues to the Supervisory and Administrative Office.
"Yanling has beautiful scenery. I'd like to go out with you before the New Year, while it's still not too cold." Zhao Xuanxu finished speaking, and then said sincerely, "I mainly want to go out with you."
It's honest.
It just so happened that Wen Yao really didn't want to stay in Bianliang.
She became interested, perked up a bit, and asked, "What case can't be solved by the Yanling government office and needs to be reported to the Procuratorate?"
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