"..."
Once Akutagawa fell, it quickly created a hidden danger for Meng Xizhi's impregnable border defenses. Instead of continuing the northern expedition, Song Yanji took measures, mobilizing a large number of troops to evacuate the people of Akutagawa and ordering the burning of Akutagawa.
The fire in Akutagawa burned for seven days and seven nights, turning the lush green forests into a raging inferno, with flames illuminating the night as if it were daytime.
Jiang Yuan knew that Song Yanji was razing Akutagawa to the ground, and when the two armies clashed, a bloody battle would inevitably take place there.
"Well done! Well done, Song Yansi!" Meng Xizhi smashed the teacup to the ground, splashing water everywhere. He had really underestimated Song Yansi. No sooner had he burned Akutagawa than news of Lü Qiong's presence reached Huo Zidu's ears, effectively trapping him in Yongming City.
Xue Sheng stood silently in the shadows to one side. After a moment, seeing that he had calmed down, he said, "Lady Zhuang Ji has been taken to the palace by the King. What should we do?"
"Hmph, what can you do? Just wait."
"But if you are confined to this Marquis's mansion, what will happen to the front lines?"
"The front line?" Meng Xizhi narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow, revealing a hint of mockery. "Then I won't go. Without me, I want to see how long our lord's people can hold out. It's just a pity that Song Yansi got the better deal."
Meng Xizhi's guess was correct. Song Yanji had breached the defenses of Akutagawa. Without Song Yanji's presence, they could advance unimpeded, and Longdi had almost completely fallen. Upon receiving the news, Meng Xizhi sighed a few times and then ignored it, continuing to indulge in pleasures with his concubines, behaving like a typical spoiled young master.
"My lord, a letter is on its way from the palace."
Meng Xizhi sipped his fruit wine, patiently teaching the beauty in his arms to write, without even glancing at Xue Sheng. "When will you arrive?"
"I reckon it won't last more than two incense sticks."
"Just say I'm sick." Meng Xizhi lightly kissed the beauty in his arms, but he didn't quite get the strength right, which made the beauty laugh a little and playfully tease him.
The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree had just arrived at the Marquis's residence when he saw people coming and going. Upon inquiring, he learned that the young Marquis Meng was ill, quite seriously, and was currently unconscious. He had no choice but to hastily announce the decree at the bedside and then slunk back to the palace to report.
"Sick? Didn't you summon singing girls to your residence just two days ago? How come you're sick today by such a coincidence!" A pillow was thrown off the dragon bed, startling the eunuchs and maids of the Holy Peace Palace, who all knelt on the ground. "Get out!"
The servants inside the hall immediately kowtowed and knelt to pay their respects.
"Why bother, Your Majesty? You know his temper all too well." A pleasant male voice drifted from inside the tent, carrying a hint of languid charm.
Huo Zidu looked at the man beside him, whose face was as beautiful as a peach blossom in March. A sudden surge of lust rose in his heart, and he leaned down to kiss him. "It is still my heart that is with you, Qingqing."
"It hurts." The man gently pushed him away. "Then what does Your Majesty intend to do about Lady Zhuang?"
"What Lady Zhuangji?" Huo Zidu felt a bit annoyed at the mention of Lü Qiong, and immediately lost his interest in the matter. He stood up fully clothed. "She's just a woman. If he likes her, I'll give her to him!"
Huo Zidu grew increasingly agitated. He threw back the bed curtains and called out loudly, "Where is he?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuchs rushed in to attend to him. He then said to the man on the bed, "Go and tell that man to go along with everything he wants and to tell him to stop causing trouble!"
"Then, should we also bring Madam Zhuang?"
"Take her with you. I feel uncomfortable having her in my palace!" Huo Zidu, dressed in a crimson robe, looked even more handsome and dashing. After thinking for a moment, he frowned and said, "We can't just give her away for nothing. Let him think carefully about how to thank me for this gift of beauty."
"That's all he said?" Meng Xizhi looked at the man in front of her, increasingly displeased with his heavily made-up appearance. "Achu, couldn't you at least wash off your makeup before coming here?"
“I used my beauty to serve you.” Yin Chu raised an eyebrow. “I’ve brought you all this, and this is how you treat me?”
Seeing that Meng Xizhi remained silent and looked at him with a cold smile, Yin Chu clicked her tongue twice, "You guys have all grown up together since childhood. What Lü Qiong did was indeed unethical. Don't blame the emperor for disliking her. If it were me, I wouldn't like her either."
"You talk too much."
"Okay, I know I was wrong." Yin Chu didn't like getting involved in their affairs. If Meng Xizhi hadn't saved his life, he wouldn't have wanted to associate with such a scheming person. He turned to leave, saying, "You decide what to do."
"Wait!" Meng Xizhi called out to him, "Where's Huo Ze?"
"If you're the emperor, how could you let him run rampant for so long? Kill him."
Meng Xizhi's heart skipped a beat. Huo Zidu had done this so quietly that even he didn't know about it.
"But everyone thinks he's still alive. You'll find out sooner or later. Rather than finding out from others, I'd rather confess myself." Yin Chu glanced at him, a forced smile curving her lips. "You know how the Emperor treats you. But you're the one who's too wary of him."
"Ah Chu is getting worse and worse at talking."
"Anyway, you're not going to kill me. Besides, I'm just a worthless life. What difference would it make if I lost it?"
“You…” Meng Xizhi stared at him for a long time, and finally sighed, “Fine, do whatever you want.” As she spoke, she helped him tighten his cloak. “I’ll go back to Longdi tomorrow, tell him not to worry.”
"Hmph, I'm leaving." Yin Chu impatiently slapped his hand away, pulled her hat down, revealing only a pair of peach blossom eyes, which looked even more captivating against the backdrop of white fox fur.
Chapter 29 Assassination in the Military Camp
During his time in Yongming, Meng Xizhi, along with Huo Zidu, thoroughly purged the court and the public in light of the Huo Ze incident. He refused to believe that a prince who was already a dead man could appear openly in Yongming City. However, the outcome was more unexpected than he had imagined. A series of people he hadn't anticipated appeared one after another, their entrenched connections prompting him to consider eliminating them completely.
If it weren't for the incident involving Lü Qiong that thoroughly angered Huo Zidu and crossed his bottom line, he probably would have returned to the battlefield long ago to confront Song Yanji in public. Previously, his plan with Huo Zidu did not include killing Huo Ze, as he held the secret location of the late emperor's treasury, which was a great temptation for Meng Xizhi.
However, Huo Zidu killed Huo Ze without a word. He would find out sooner or later; since Huo Zidu dared to act, he didn't intend to hide it from him for long. He was just unsure whether Huo Zidu killed Huo Ze to slap him in the face because of Lü Qiong's matter, or if he genuinely suspected him.
The lanterns swayed with a faint orange light. Meng Xizhi stood on the stone steps, watching Yin Chu's departing figure, his eyes dark and unfathomable. "Xuesheng, give the instructions. Return to Longdi tomorrow."
"Yes." A reply came from the dark corner, and then silence returned.
"Madam! Something terrible has happened!"
That day, Jiang Yuan and Zhu Chuan were picking and choosing dried purple hibiscus flowers in the courtyard, preparing to steam them and make some snacks, when they heard Bi Fan's panicked voice. Jiang Yuan frowned and asked, "Tell me slowly, what's wrong?"
"Princess, the Princess has run away!" Bi Fan's eyes widened, and she slurred her words due to the intense running. "Just now, the Princess complained that the tea was tasteless and insisted on having a fresh pot. She took me there to brew some fresh tea, and then she disappeared!"
"You silly girl, didn't I tell you to keep following her around?" Zhu Chuan patted Bi Fan's back to help her catch her breath, and gave Jiang Yuan a few words of criticism.
"Miss." Bi Fan looked up at Jiang Yuan with teary eyes. She didn't even call her "Madam" anymore. She knelt down on the ground with a thud and grabbed Jiang Yuan's skirt, shaking it twice.
She looked so pitiful. Jiang Yuan sighed and helped Bi Fan up. "Get up. If she really wants to run away, you can't stop her."
"lady……"
“She must have gone to Longdi.” After a moment of silence, Jiang Yuan lost his mood and casually threw the flower petals in his hand. “Bifan, go and send someone to deliver a letter to me immediately, the sooner the better. Zhu Chuan will come with me to collect the things, and then bring a small team of people from the city to go to Longdi with me.”
"Okay, I'll go right now." With that, Bifan lifted her skirt and ran outside.
Seeing her run out of the courtyard, Zhu Chuan shook his head vigorously. Bi Fan was carefree, but she was different. What kind of place was Longdi? It was a battlefield, a pit of fire! "You can't go. That's the front line. Besides, what could you do if you went? She looked like she'd gone mad. You couldn't persuade her to come back."
"Of course I know."
"Then you still..."
"They sent a county princess to the front lines instead of a general's wife. If this news gets out, it will probably cause trouble again. Besides, it's good that she's alright there, but if something really happens to her, it will be hard to explain."
"The military is heavily guarded; how could something go wrong?"
"Better safe than sorry." Even though Song Yanji's military camp was as sturdy as an iron cage, she still ended up in Meng Xizhi's hands back then.
Jiang Yuan was already on his way when he received the reply. Bi Fan secretly glanced at it and saw four strong characters written on the clean white letter: "Be careful on the road."
Jiang Yuan continued to close her eyes and rest, but this time, she still went.
When they arrived at Longdi, it was snowing heavily outside. Jiang Yuan lifted the heavy curtain and immediately saw Song Yanji.
He wore a silver-white armor, his jet-black hair was neatly tied up, and without the adornment of brocade and silk, he appeared even more upright and resolute.
As the carriage came to a stop, the curtain was pulled up, and a north wind carrying snowflakes rushed into the carriage, making Jiang Yuan shiver. Then, her arm sank and a hand warmer inlaid with gold bells was shoved into her hand. Song Yanji held her arm firmly, his voice low and unwavering, "Let's go, there's charcoal burning in the tent."
Jiang Yuan took a deep breath. All he could see was a vast expanse of desolation, and the air was thick with the smell of raw iron. "Qingping has been found?"
Song Yansi did not slow his pace and said calmly, "A woman, can she fly?"
Well, she shouldn't have asked that. Jiang Yuan could tell that he seemed to be in a bad mood, so she decided to try a different approach. But before she could even speak, Song Yansi snorted twice, "If you hadn't gotten the news first, she probably would have been executed as a spy long ago."
Jiang Yuan rolled her eyes a dozen times in her mind. What kind of spy would be executed without even a glance? But on the surface, she had to remain calm. "It was my fault for not keeping a close eye on her. Don't blame her." Finally, she added unwillingly, "Don't blame me either. I really didn't bring enough people with me this time."
"You know you were wrong?"
"Hmm." Hmm? Jiang Yuan responded habitually, but something felt off this time. She stopped, looked up, and met Song Yansi's gaze, somewhat taken aback. Honestly, she hadn't brought him out, nor had she let him run away. What had she done wrong?!
However, that gaze is a bit too sharp.
Jiang Yuan swallowed back the rebuttal that was stuck in her throat, putting on a wronged look on her face, but in her heart she had already cursed Song Yanji to the bone.
Jiang Yuan's expression at this moment was absolutely pitiful, but Song Yanji was clearly not buying it. He led her forward and said, "I've locked her up. With Mu Qing watching over her, let her reflect on her actions for a few days."
Jiang Yuan's arrival was also quite opportune; she had barely stepped into the military camp when the battle report from the front lines arrived.
Meng Xizhi is back.
Jiang Yuan blinked, feeling a headache coming on. It seemed like the heavens were going to kill her!
Meng Xizhi's arrival quickly halted the Wei army's disastrous defeat. He was skilled in strategy, and the Wei army was strong and well-equipped, clearly far superior to the Southern Liang, which had long suffered from internal strife.
Even with his extraordinary abilities, it would not be easy for Song Yanji to reclaim Shuobei. For a time, the two sides were evenly matched, burning down the granary and assassinating the vanguard. They did indeed use some underhanded methods.
In March of the same year, the Wei army completely withdrew from Longdi, and Jiujiang City was reintegrated into the map of Southern Liang.
Jiang Yuan has been feeling uneasy these days. The Liangwei War took place several years earlier than in his previous life. Meng Xizhi was still young at this time and was not as invincible as he was back then.
But it was precisely because he was young and arrogant, valuing victory and defeat more than reputation, and resorting to underhanded tactics, that Jiang Yuan became increasingly uncertain about what he was capable of.
"Sister Jiang, what's wrong?" Li Qingping had tied her hair up, and her plain clothes with a blue cloth base made her small face look even whiter.
The dried sweet potatoes were cut into strips and arranged on a plate. With the border war raging and little good food available, this kind of food became their favorite. Jiang Yuan shook her head and pushed the plate in front of Li Qingping. "I don't know, but I feel that the Wei army's withdrawal this time was too easy."
“Brother Zhongli said the same thing.” Li Qingping ate some. In the past few months, he had been following Feng Xiuyuan and had grown rapidly. His flamboyant personality had also been completely restrained as the war became more and more serious.
Amidst the flames of war and the smoke of battle, people died every day on the battlefield; every victory they achieved was built upon the bones of fallen soldiers. Only when Li Qingping was immersed in this reality did she truly understand that behind all her glory lay unknown bloodshed.
"Did Supervisor Feng tell you that?" Jiang Yuan asked curiously, as Song Yansi hadn't really mentioned this to him much.
Li Qingping nodded and moved closer to her. "The number of people patrolling the camp has increased by half in the past few days. He repeatedly told me not to wander around unnecessarily."
Jiang Yuan frowned slightly. Song Yansi was clearly prepared for a sneak attack, so he reached out and patted the uneasy Qingping to comfort him, "Just don't leave the camp these days. Leave the rest to the men."
Song Yansi's prediction was correct; an incident occurred in the military camp a few days later.
The midnight wind was still a bit chilly, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the orderly patrols moved through the military camp, the sturdy armor clanging in unison.
Suddenly a whistle blew, and hundreds of arrows shot out from afar, their arrowheads gleaming coldly, shattering the tranquility of the military camp.
The newcomers were well-trained and headed straight for the commander's camp.
Jiang Yuan was awakened by the sounds of fighting outside, as if she had returned to that year. She was alone in the tent, and everyone else was protecting Song Yanji in the distance. She was kidnapped almost without any resistance.
That year in Weiguo became an unspeakable nightmare for her.
This time, she couldn't just sit and wait to die. Jiang Yuan reached for the dagger under her pillow and touched something warm. She turned around in surprise and met Song Yanji's eyes. She blurted out, "What are you doing here?"
"Why can't I be here?" Song Yansi put on a dark-colored robe, and his three-foot-long sword was already in his hand. He stared at the tent flap, seemingly unaware of the inappropriateness in Jiang Yuan's words.
"You knew all along?" Jiang Yuan didn't reply. She put on a loose robe, her hair was casually tied up, her eyebrows were slightly raised, and she held the dagger tightly in her hand, like a small animal that had wandered into the depths of the jungle, her whole body full of vigilance.
Song Yansi sneered, slightly twisting his wrist as the sword blade slashed heavily across the ground.