Ich denke an dich, wenn der Wind weht

Kapitel 17

"How easy it is to ruin a person's reputation."

"Chishu has forever lost the possibility of legitimately succeeding to the throne." He stated the result with displeasure, a scene that they had planned in great detail.

“I know what you’re thinking. It’s cruel, isn’t it?” She curled her fingers one by one, as if sorting through the emotions in her heart. “There was no other choice, you know, I know.”

He pressed his lips tightly together and remained silent.

Yes, he had no other choice, but she did.

She could have left the demonic cult, abandoned her life as an accomplice, and gone far away like Fei Qin, where could she not stay? Instead, she willingly sank into the mire, something he could never understand.

“People are gullible, foolish, bloodthirsty, and impulsive.” She uttered softly, her eyes still fixed on the street. “When they discover that a hero is different from what they expected, they become furious and want to get rid of him as soon as possible. They are unable to let go of their anger at being deceived and only believe what they want to believe.”

"I merely forged a secret letter, which was then delivered by Lang Gan to a close advisor who had sided with the concubine. Everything else is true."

The fighting was real, the peace talks were real, and Chishu's uncle's treason was real. However, when these realities were combined with ulterior motives and deliberate or unintentional ambiguity, the resulting answer was enough to destroy a person.

Rumors mislead the wise and convince the foolish. Faced with rising calls for punishment, who would have the courage to go against the crowd and explore a different truth?

She sighed softly, almost wearily.

"Tomorrow we will pay our respects to the King of Kucha."

Since the murdered Left Minister was a traitor who colluded with the enemy, his importance was naturally greatly reduced. With the downfall of the hardliner Chishu, the status of the concubine and the young prince instantly increased, and maintaining good relations with the religion became the top priority for Kucha.

The door opened again.

At the cost of countless lives.

The audience went very smoothly.

The concubine beside the King of Kucha smiled brightly, holding her infant son tightly in her arms.

The little prince was only eight years old, innocent and naive, clinging to his mother and acting spoiled.

A perfect chess piece, allowing the King to control the powerful Kucha with ease.

Jia Ye performed the courtesies with propriety, expressing her apology and goodwill in a dignified and appropriate manner. After the audience, they were led out by the eunuch.

Soon they would be able to return to Tianshan, and Jia Ye seemed to relax a little.

Several people hurried past the corridor, but suddenly froze the moment they saw her.

"Who are you………"

"Your Highness, this is the envoy of the Demonic Sect. He has just met with Your Majesty." The eunuch reported respectfully, but his eyes were full of disdain for those plotting to usurp the throne.

"The Demonic Sect... Your Excellency...?"

"The Demonic Cult..."

"...The Demonic Cult..."

The man murmured the man's words repeatedly, his voice gradually growing hoarse.

"………I see……"

As he listened to the increasingly strange words, his heart trembled violently.

Who would have thought?

The leader of the cavalry, that handsome and profound young man, was none other than Prince Chishu.

Jia Ye's face was as white as paper, and she subtly shifted her posture, indicating that she was on full alert.

“You are an envoy of the Demonic Sect.” Chishu finally uttered a complete sentence, staring straight at Jiaye, his pupils seemingly burning. “Your Excellency appeared in the battlefield the day before yesterday and then hurriedly rushed to Kucha.”

"You must have had a long and arduous journey," the man said, his words dripping with sarcasm. Veins bulged on his forehead as he struggled to suppress his murderous urge, leaning down to stare intently at the petite girl.

"How fortunate I am, all for the sake of Chishu alone."

“Your Highness…you are too modest.” Jia Ye composed herself and looked back at the other party. “I have long heard that Your Highness is a pillar of Kucha, how could my sect dare to underestimate you?”

The man suddenly burst into laughter, filled with boundless anger and resentment. The eunuchs were so startled that they took several steps back.

"What a demonic sect! They can turn the world upside down with a flick of their wrist, and all the kingdoms of the Western Regions are under their control. Chi Shu is truly impressed. To be defeated by such an opponent, what more can be said?"

"Your Highness is so generous and magnanimous, I admire you greatly," she said, offering only polite words without any expression.

"That child? Was that also part of your scheme?"

After a long silence, Jia Ye answered very slowly. "Those are survivors from the village, unrelated to our sect. Your Highness can find out by investigating."

“To receive the attention of the esteemed envoy, how could he be an unrelated person? Chishu should indeed investigate this thoroughly.”

Her pale face flushed crimson, and she straightened her back, looking up with a sharp, knife-like expression for the first time.

“That child is from Kucha, I was just passing through. If Your Highness is a man, you should not use your own people to punish the enemy.”

The man instantly lost his mind, let out a low growl, and his fingers were already gripping the slender neck.

A flash of cold light appeared, followed by the soft sound of the sword being drawn.

Chishu staggered back, blood slowly seeping from a wound on his cheek. The handsome young man, who had remained silent and motionless, stood protectively in front of Jiaye, coldly watching him.

"Please calm down, Your Highness, and do not be impolite." The icy words carried a hidden threat.

The girl behind him didn't even flinch, giving him a fleeting glance before walking away.

After a long standoff, the young man sheathed his sword and followed closely behind, leaving behind a variety of strange looks.

"I miscalculated." Jia Ye gathered her wide sleeves and frowned.

“Knowing this won’t change anything.” He remained silent for a long time. “That child’s fate is not something we can control.”

Even if time could be reversed, what difference would it make?

Bringing him back to Tianshan? That would only add another innocent soul to the slave camp. Leaving him in the village? There was no chance of survival. Jia Ye had already made the best choice... If that person hadn't been Chi Shu, if it hadn't been for that sudden encounter when leaving the palace, which instantly made the prince, trapped in his predicament, understand the cause and effect of everything...

She sighed deeply. She didn't know what kind of luck it was, to have encountered the target of this assassination attempt three times.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have provoked him."

"That's irrelevant."

"That's right, he didn't want to kill me because of that one sentence."

It was the uncontrollable hatred for all the things she had done to him. He had transformed from a proud and arrogant royal into a traitor who sold out his country for personal gain, condemned by thousands and cursed by millions. Everything that was within his grasp had vanished like a dream. How could he not hate her?

The wind was a bit cold, so she hugged her arms tightly.

"Pack your things, we're going back to Islam tomorrow."

"The King of Kucha's banquet arrangements and meetings with officials?" He wasn't surprised.

“Push it away.” Jia Ye said listlessly. “Make up whatever excuse you want.”

"Chishu may not give up easily."

She nodded, agreeing with his deduction. "They must have arranged for someone to ambush him on the road."

"It would be safer to wait a while before leaving. Within ten days, the King of Kucha will strip him of his military power and confine him to the palace." He did not agree with the idea that the possibility of being attacked on the short return journey was too great.

“That’s right, but unfortunately I don’t want to delay.” Jia Ye lowered her eyelashes, concealing her gaze. “We must set off as soon as possible and return to Tianshan.”

"It's too risky."

"It is imperative."

"What's the reason?" Jia Ye's will was quite firm, and he was puzzled.

"The journey will take much longer than I expected. Since Alice is in the church, it would be best for her to return to the mountain as soon as possible." After a long silence, she gave her answer.

"She..." Without a doubt, falling into the hands of the cult leader in such a clandestine manner must have resulted in an utterly miserable fate. The cult has countless ways to make life worse than death.

Having probably thought of the same thing, Jia Ye fell silent.

Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.

The only consolation is that we are safe today, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Get into the trap

He blinked, and what was usually an easy movement became extremely difficult.

A throbbing pain shot through my forehead, accompanied by an unbearable heaviness in my body.

I barely managed to open my eyes, and everything became blurry, sometimes near and sometimes far, before finally becoming a clear image after a long time.

In the dimly lit room, the oil lamp on the wall cast a faint light, flickering and changing with the leaping flame.

The walls were made of solid boulders, with a fire pit about half a person's height in the middle, the charcoal fire burning brightly, and several thick iron bars stuck in it. Several kinds of torture instruments hung on the walls, which were covered with dirt and dark color, perhaps because of their age.

A small figure was suspended in the air, with messy long hair falling down, motionless.

That was... Kaya!

The thought struck him, and he immediately tried to jump up, but his hands and feet tightened instantly. The cold shackles locked his limbs, fixing him to a corner of the room. He couldn't muster any strength to struggle; all he could hear was the clanging of the chains dragging.

He gasped for breath, recalling his previous impressions.

Everything was going so smoothly, how could it suddenly turn out like this?

The concubine of the King of Kucha secretly summoned them to the palace. Although Jia Ye was impatient, she still went with the summoned carriage.

The eunuch led them to a very quiet flower hall.

The concubine was late in arriving, and Jia Ye had just taken a sip of tea when her expression suddenly changed.

"Walk!"

It was too late when they jumped up.

A sudden, clanging sound arose as thick iron plates slammed down on the doors and windows, sealing off all avenues of entry and exit. Jia Ye's short sword left only a shallow mark on the plate.

He moved swiftly, leaping onto the beam. Beneath the exquisitely painted coffered ceiling was a steel roof, and the seemingly ordinary white walls were actually made of extremely thick bluestone. With the doors and windows locked, it became an incredibly sturdy cage.

"Refined steel, smelted metal..."

He slashed several times, but all his efforts were in vain except for slightly deeper marks. Jia Ye cursed under his breath in resentment.

"What a brilliant technique!"