A pure heart in a jade pot - Chapter 202
Hearing her use of "absolutely not" several times, Yelü Hongji knew that she had no desire to become empress. Seeing that she was not interested in fame or fortune, Yelü Hongji believed that she was truly only thinking of himself and couldn't help but feel even more affection for her.
"Then tell me, what should I reward you for to make you happy?"
Zhao Yu paused for a moment, then straightened up and looked directly at Yelü Hongji: "Your Highness knows that I married into the Liao Kingdom for the sake of a lasting alliance between the Song and Liao. If Your Highness truly wishes to reward me, I only ask that Your Highness grant me one request..."
Yelü Hongji already understood somewhat: "You want me to promise you that I will never wage war against the Central Plains in the future?"
"No!" Zhao Yu shook his head.
This surprised Yelü Hongji once again. Even Mo Yan, who was outside the screen, was a little puzzled. The princess had already said so much, so why was she still denying it?
When Zhao Yu looked up again, tears welled up in his eyes. He slowly said, "I know that I am but a nobody and my words are not enough to influence such a great matter. I only have one small wish... If one day someone advises Your Highness to raise an army in the Central Plains, and Your Highness thinks of me even for a moment when considering it, then I will be content."
Completely unprepared for her request, Yelü Hongji's heart surged with the music, filled with boundless pride. He embraced her tightly and said, "I understand your intentions. Rest assured, as long as I am in power, I will never invade the Central Plains."
Upon receiving this promise, Zhao Yu was overjoyed and wept tears that finally streamed down her face and quickly soaked into the quilt: "Thank you, Your Highness."
Mo Yan also closed her eyes deeply, and finally heard Yelü Hongji make this promise. The princess's move of retreating to advance was truly ingenious.
After instructing Zhao Yu to take good care of himself, Yelü Hongji wrapped himself in the divine tortoise and left, satisfied. Mo Yan saw him off out of the tent and watched him ride out of the camp before finally letting out a long sigh of relief. She then turned to look at the tent hall not far away…
Ning Jin had clearly seen Yelü Hongji leave as well. His fingers slowly released the strings, and the music stopped. He rose, left the tent, and walked towards Mo Yan.
"How is it?" he asked when he got closer.
Mo Yan nodded emphatically: "She did it. ... Yelü Hongji personally promised the princess that he would never invade the Central Plains during his reign."
Ning Jin closed his eyes, and although his face did not show much emotion, when he opened them again, tears were faintly visible in his eyes: "Little Yu'er, she is no less than the heroes of this era. Compared with her, I am truly ashamed."
Mo Yan smiled, neither refuting nor agreeing.
"Let's go see Xiao Yu'er."
Ning Jin turned and walked towards Zhao Yu's tent, and Mo Yan followed him back.
Upon entering the tent and turning around the screen, both of them were horrified by the sight before them—Zhao Yu was half-lying on the couch, and the snow-white lambskin mat beneath him was stained red with blood.
"Princess! Princess!"
Mo Yan rushed forward and helped Zhao Yu lie down. There was still blood on the corner of the latter's mouth, and he was already unconscious. It turned out that Zhao Yu had only managed to finish the play by sheer willpower. After Yelü Hongji left the tent, Zhao Yu could no longer hold on. Exhausted, he vomited a mouthful of blood and fainted.
The imperial physician was summoned, medicine was prepared, and the area was cleaned... Zhao Yu's tent was bustling with activity. After the imperial physician finished his examination, Ning Jin stepped forward to ask if the condition was serious. The imperial physician hesitated for a long time before saying with difficulty, "The princess has been ill for a long time and is already exhausted. Now she has suffered this serious illness. I'm afraid her days are numbered."
"What!" Ning Jin exclaimed angrily, "How old is she? And you're saying she's on her deathbed? Do you even know how to treat a patient?"
The imperial physician had no choice but to remain silent.
As the lamps were lit, Mo Yan went to the stables after her meal, but found no trace of Su Zui. She returned to Zhao Yu's tent, made an excuse to dismiss the maids, and said she would keep watch herself. The maids, knowing the close relationship between Zhao Yu and Mo Yan, all complied and left. Zhao Yu remained fast asleep, and Mo Yan, having nothing to do, extinguished the lamps and waited to doze off. Around midnight, the tent flap was gently lifted, and the two slipped in.
When the person entered, he intended to first strike her pressure point to make her faint, but after seeing her clearly through the moonlight shining through the skylight in the canopy, he quickly stopped.
Volume 3, Chapter 40
"Big brother! You're here too!" Mo Yan was both surprised and delighted to see that not only Su Zui but also Zhan Zhao had come.
"Hmm, I heard the princess is seriously ill, how is she?"
Fearing to expose his secret, Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan met very few times, so Mo Yan had no chance to tell him that Zhao Yu had suicidal intentions. He only learned about this today after meeting Su Zui.
"The princess...it's all because of him!"
Mo Yan glared at Su Zui. The latter had already slowly walked to Zhao Yu's side, squatted down by the bed, and gently brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear.
Zhao Yu was still unconscious, his face pale and his hands trembling slightly.
Seeing this, Mo Yan knew that Su Zuiding was also extremely distressed, so she softened her tone and said softly, "Today, the princess was truly remarkable. She managed to get Yelü Hongji to promise her that he would never invade the Central Plains while he was in power. I have an indescribable admiration for her."
After hearing this, Zhan Zhao took a deep breath: "Truly remarkable."
Su Zui was heartbroken, but upon hearing this, she smiled slightly and said softly, "She has always been like this. In the past, you all looked down on her."
Zhan Zhao lowered his head and asked Mo Yan, "Have you seen the imperial physician? What did he say?"
"The imperial physician said she has been ill for a long time and is on her last legs; she won't last much longer." Mo Yan said, her nose stinging with tears. She nestled into Zhan Zhao's arms and whispered, "Brother, what should we do? We have to save the princess!"
Zhan Zhao gently patted her back and softly comforted her, "I know... don't worry."
“I have a way, but…”
Mo Yan hesitated, unsure whether Zhan Zhao would agree to this method.
After a long silence, Zhan Zhao said, "I've also thought of the method you mentioned."
"Big brother..."
Mo Yan stared at him in disbelief: "You, do you know what method I'm talking about?"
"Of course I know." Zhan Zhao smiled slightly. He knew Mo Yan's personality all too well and naturally knew what she would think.
"So you agree with doing this?" Mo Yan asked happily.
Zhan Zhao shook his head: "This is absolutely not going to happen."
Mo Yan's expression changed slightly. She took a step back, tilted her head slightly, and stared at him with unfamiliar eyes.
Glancing at Su Zui, who was kneeling beside him, Zhan Zhao was also eager for them to travel far away, but this matter was truly extraordinary. Unless they could keep it a secret from everyone, even the slightest leak would have unimaginable consequences. And right now, with their limited strength, they absolutely could not do it.
"You must not act rashly in this matter," Zhan Zhao said to Mo Yan in a deep voice, steeling his resolve. This matter was different from Bai Yingyu's; it concerned the alliance between the Song and Liao dynasties. Mo Yan was impulsive, and he feared that she might act rashly out of a sense of righteousness and cause a terrible disaster.