A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 159

Zhan Zhao nodded: "I've thought about that too, but I don't know who leaked the map of the Song Dynasty's troop deployment to Yelü Hongji? Brother, do you think it could be the same person?"

“That’s possible, but I don’t know how Yelü Hongji contacted her,” Su Zui said. “After that embroiderer died last time, Yelü Chongguang’s connection was cut off, which is a real pity. It would be great if you could find a clue from Yelü Hongji.”

Zhan Zhao pursed his lips and frowned deeply: "I will pay close attention, but it's a pity I'm not by Yelü Hongji's side, so I'm afraid it will be difficult."

"We shouldn't rush into this matter. As long as we're alive, we can always rebuild," Su Zui comforted him. "Yelü Longzhu is old and sick now, and he won't have any intention of invading the Central Plains for the time being. Our first priority is to guard against Yelü Chongguang and prevent him from successfully usurping the throne. He's very ambitious, and if he becomes emperor, the Song and Liao dynasties won't have many days of peace. Secondly, it's still about that matter: following the clues to find the culprit. Of course, I know this clue won't be easy to follow," he deliberately shrugged, "and then we'll find the traitors in the court, remove this thorn in our side, and then we can gracefully withdraw."

When Zhan Zhao heard the words "retire after achieving success," he felt that it was a long way off. He gave a wry smile and nodded.

"Go back early, lest you arouse suspicion," Su Zui said.

"Brother, it's too dangerous for you to stay here alone..."

Before Zhan Zhao could finish speaking, Su Zui interrupted him impatiently, saying, "You always say the same thing. I'm annoyed even if you're not. Alright, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. But you, now that girl is here, you'll inevitably have to meet her, so don't act like you did before."

With a wry smile, Zhan Zhao stood up and took a small porcelain box from his pocket, placing it on the table.

Su Zui glanced at it and laughed, "It's this medicine again. I'm so tired of it."

Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "Brother, your legs have poor blood circulation and you can't regulate your internal energy. This medicine promotes blood circulation and helps you feel better if you take more of it."

"This medicine is only available in the palace. It wasn't easy for you to get it. It's not like you absolutely need to take it. Don't bother me next time."

Zhan Zhao smiled without answering, put on his cloak, gave Su Zui a slight bow, and turned to leave.

The snow fell heavily all night, and by early morning, it was still lingering, with sparse snowflakes drifting in the air. The snow had accumulated to a depth of more than a foot on the ground, making it difficult for people and livestock to walk.

When Mo Yan lifted the curtain, she was suddenly blinded by a blinding white light. She closed her eyes tightly, then slowly opened them again, and only then did she adjust.

Near and far, guards were busy shoveling snow, carrying things, or harnessing the carriages... To the southeast, a man stood not far from her, his figure as upright as a pine tree, his face as cold as ice and snow, directing a small team of Liao guards to pull the carriage out of the snowdrift.

Mo Yan stared intently for a moment, then smiled slightly and slowly walked forward.

Out of the corner of his eye, he clearly saw her walking towards him, but Zhan Zhao forced himself to turn around, pretending not to see her, and continued to give orders to the guards with his back to her.

His mind was in turmoil. Footsteps came and went around him, but he couldn't even make out hers. For a long time, he heard no word from her. Perhaps she had already walked away; otherwise, knowing her personality, she might have patted him on the shoulder, he guessed…

He turned around and met those bright eyes.

"Lord Yelü, it's been a long time," she said with a slight smile.

Yes, it's been a long time—at that moment, he tried to say it as naturally as possible, but found his throat dry and unable to make a sound, so he could only nod heavily.

Knowing that he was a man of few words, Mo Yan didn't mind and said, "It's been three years since we last met. I haven't had a chance to thank you for the great kindness you showed me when you healed my elder brother."

He remained speechless, only able to stare at her intently. Su Zui wasn't entirely right; she had become much thinner, the carefree spirit in her eyes had subsided considerably, and a hint of melancholy lingered in her gaze.

“When we arrive in Zhongjing, I will hold a banquet to thank you. You must come,” Mo Yan continued.

"You..." Zhan Zhao began with difficulty, about to refuse, when two more people came over: Ning Jin and Xi He, the civil official in charge of receiving the Song people among the Liao envoys.

Ning Jin held a mink fur glove in his hand and handed it to Mo Yan first: "Quickly put your hands on, you're still not well, and..." He then noticed that she was wearing ordinary boots and said angrily, "Didn't I put a pair of lambskin boots in your tent yesterday? Why aren't you wearing them? What if you get cold again?"

"I didn't see it," Mo Yan said dismissively. "Besides, it's not that cold." Just as she finished speaking, a gust of wind swept by, and she hunched her shoulders and coughed several times, her face turning red from coughing.

"Are you sick?" Zhan Zhao couldn't help but ask, forcibly suppressing his urge to go forward and help her, his hands clenched tightly into fists in his sleeves.

"I caught a chill from the rain the other day, it's nothing," Mo Yan said dismissively, waving her hand.

"Come on, come on, hurry back and put it on."

Without exchanging pleasantries with anyone else, Ning Jin pulled her back. Zhan Zhao remained standing there, expressionless and motionless.

Mistaking him for being dissatisfied with Ning Jin's rudeness, the civil official Xi He smoothed things over and smiled at him, saying, "It is said that people from the Central Plains are affectionate, and it is indeed true. Even Prince Ning is so caring towards his concubines."

concubines!

In that instant, it felt as if Zhan Zhao's chest had been slashed open by an extremely fast and thin knife, blood gushing out, yet he felt no pain or sensation.

This was a good thing for her, and he should be happy for her. He stood stiffly, trying to calm himself.

Wen Guan Xihe's voice was not quiet; even though Mo Yan and Ning Jin had already walked four or five steps away, they could still hear him clearly. Mo Yan turned her head and glared angrily at Ning Jin, but before she could speak, the latter shrugged and said innocently, "I didn't say anything; it's all just their own wild guesses."

Not wanting to argue with him, Mo Yan turned around and walked towards Xi He, the civil official who had spoken carelessly. When she got to him, she clearly and loudly declared, "My husband's surname is Zhan."

"Hmm?" The civil official Xi He was clearly a little confused.

“I am not his concubine. My husband’s surname is Zhan. Don’t get me wrong,” she said clearly.

Wen Guan Xihe then realized what was happening and quickly said with a smile, "Yes, yes, there won't be any more mistakes, Madam Zhan."

Mo Yan was finally satisfied. She glanced at Zhan Zhao beside her and said with slight annoyance, "You know perfectly well that your subordinates are talking nonsense, so why don't you do anything about it?"

Zhan Zhao stared straight at her, his heart filled with a thousand questions, yet he couldn't utter a single word to her. His blood rushed to his head, his chest felt unbearably constricted, and a burning sensation rose to his throat. He quickly turned and walked away.

"Hmm?" Mo Yan, puzzled, scratched her ear. "Why is his temper still so strange?"

The civil official Xi He didn't dare to offend Yelü Pusa Nu, so he naturally didn't dare to follow. He stayed where he was and said with a forced smile, "Lord Yelü probably has important matters to attend to. I wonder if Madam Zhan has had breakfast? I just ordered someone to cook some porridge. It's plain porridge. I know that you Central Plains people eat light food, so I specially asked them to cook some millet from Jiangnan. I don't know if it suits your taste..." He kept rambling on and on, which annoyed Mo Yan so much that she gave him a few perfunctory replies and then left.

"Girl, it's not shameful to be my concubine, is it?" Ning Jin said with his arms crossed, annoyed. "Is it really necessary for you to rush to explain to strangers like this?"

Mo Yan rolled her eyes at him and said matter-of-factly, "There's nothing shameful about it, but it makes me uncomfortable."

"Does calling you Madam Zhan make you feel better?" Ning Jin snorted. "It makes me feel even worse."

"It's not like I'm being called, it's not like anyone's asking you to listen."

Mo Yan was still annoyed by what had just happened, so she ignored him and went back to her tent. Ning Jin was left standing outside, also full of anger. He hadn't done anything wrong, so what had he done to deserve this?