Robe blanche - Chapitre 123
The capital of the Golden Sparrow Kingdom, Hanyue City, is located some distance to the south. Shen Haoyu said it was very prosperous and beautiful. Although I longed to visit, the most important thing for me now was to return to my country as soon as possible, so I had to suppress my curiosity.
Traveling eastward, they finally pieced together fragments of information about the Youjing Dynasty. While the Youjing Dynasty had won the war in the Northwest, it had lost tens of thousands of civilians in five northern border cities. Those five cities were now deserted except for the garrisoned soldiers. Most importantly, the war in the Northwest was far from over. Prince Qing had fled the capital to Dongjun overnight. Upon arriving, he produced an edict from the late emperor and proclaimed to the world that the current Youjing Emperor had conspired with the late Empress Zeng to poison the late emperor with a slow-acting poison. During the late emperor's critical illness, the two had sealed off the palace gates, cutting off his communication with officials, and forged a will bequeathing the throne to the former second prince, now the Youjing Emperor. The late emperor, sensing the empress's treachery, had prepared a succession edict beforehand, ordering trusted palace servants to keep it safe until it was revealed to the world. Unfortunately, the palace was under the empress's close surveillance, and the servants dared not rashly send out the edict; if it fell into her hands, everything would be over. The palace maid endured humiliation and subservience within the palace until, three years after the new emperor's ascension, a large number of former palace servants were released. Only then was the maid able to leave the palace and deliver the true imperial edict to Prince Qing, the rightful heir to the throne. However, by then, the new emperor's power had grown significantly, and the nation's strength was increasing daily. To avoid chaos, Prince Qing suppressed the edict. It wasn't until the beginning of this spring that Prince Qing's only son was murdered in the northwest army by Emperor Youjing, who had always viewed Prince Qing as a threat. Emperor Youjing also planned to target Prince Qing in the capital. Only then was Prince Qing forced to flee the capital, reveal the true edict to the world, raise an army, seize territory, and launch a campaign against Emperor Youjing, who had usurped the throne and killed his son.
These stories terrified me; they were all a mix of truth and falsehood, and I couldn't be bothered to verify them anymore.
Shen Haoyu remained silent until evening when he asked me, "Do you believe it?"
I shook my head: "I don't know."
Shen Haoyu smiled bitterly, “There was indeed such an edict, but when my father received it, he was not yet able to contend with the emperor. He dared not rashly produce the edict, lest he fail to seize power and be branded as a traitor. He had no choice but to swallow his anger and secretly develop his power. As for the fake edict, the old ministers in the court all knew about it. When the late emperor was on his deathbed, Xie, the then official of the Ministry of Rites, produced the original draft of the edict to pass the throne to my father and questioned the fake edict to pass the throne to the emperor. In the end, he could not withstand the joint efforts of the late empress and the current emperor, and Xie’s family was also buried with him.”
I believed Shen Haoyu's words; after all, he had no reason to lie to me. Thinking of something, I suddenly smiled at Shen Haoyu and said, "I still don't know what the news is about us outside. I wonder if they're saying we've all died in the Northwest."
Shen Haoyu shook his head helplessly, remaining silent. After a long while, he looked at me with a very serious expression: "Tell me, if we can return safely, if Father can reclaim the throne, would you be willing to become my queen?"
Knowing that she couldn't avoid it this time, she looked at Shen Haoyu frankly and asked, "Young Prince, are you serious?"
Shen Haoyu seemed about to get angry again, so I quickly said, "If you want to hear the truth, Your Highness, I haven't fallen in love with you yet. However, I have felt your care and concern for me over this long period of time."
"Is it the Third Prince in your heart?" Shen Haoyu asked, his voice wavering with uncertainty, suggesting that Gan Lin was still within his range of suspicion.
I shook my head: "No, I enjoy admiring the Third Prince's unparalleled beauty, and I cherish the romantic memories he brings me, but it's not love." Shen Zexuan always stirs my heart, but after that stirring comes helplessness and powerlessness. Helplessness at the extent of his sincerity, and powerlessness over the numerous obstacles between us.
"Then, what about Gan Lin?" Finally, the question was asked.
Upon hearing Gan Lin's name, I chuckled and said, "To me, Gan Lin is like Zinuo, Brother Zhixuan, and Brother Lin Zhao—a friend and family member."
Shen Haoyu breathed a sigh of relief, but then suddenly snapped, "You heartless woman, you don't have a single person in your heart!"
"You're wrong, Your Highness. I have too many people in my heart, but I've reserved that part about love until someone truly loves me." Your Highness, you're not much different from the Third Prince. Your intentions aren't pure. Knowing I'm the daughter of the Marquis of Qiyun, you still kept me quietly in Qiufeng Garden for years. Didn't you have any ulterior motives? Or perhaps it was Prince Qing's ulterior motives, but how could you not know? When you learned that Mu Hanyan had been betrothed to Shen Tingxuan, you specifically sent me to the Second Prince's residence—isn't that proof enough?
After discussing the issues openly, I felt much lighter. Those tangled, inexplicable feelings that had been weighing on me for so long seemed to be gradually untangling. What I need is genuine affection; their relationships are all too complicated, something I can't bear. The kind of affection I crave is probably unattainable in this chaotic world.
Shen Haoyu lowered his eyelids and sighed almost inaudibly; the two remained silent.
After traveling for nearly twenty days, they were finally approaching the border of the Golden Sparrow Kingdom. The money and goods they had robbed last time had been exhausted, so they finally decided to pull off one last heist before leaving the Golden Sparrow Kingdom. Otherwise, once they arrived in Youjing, Chao Chenhaoyu's identity would be in danger, making the operation even more risky.
After several days of investigation, we finally decided to target the patrons of brothels. Since this was our last chance, we naturally wanted to find a lucrative client so that we wouldn't have to worry about money in Youjing Dynasty. The owner of the No. 1 Silk Shop in Lucheng became our patron. However, this time I wasn't doing it alone; Shen Haoyu joined in, saying he wanted to share my joys and sorrows and be with me through thick and thin.
With money in hand, the journey was much easier. The docks in Luzhou were bustling with activity, and across the river lay the fiefdom of Marquis Qiyun. Merchant ships traveled back and forth between the two sides, making the return trip convenient. However, the situation there was different from that of the Golden Sparrow Kingdom. There were likely many people who recognized Shen Haoyu there, so the two of them slightly altered their appearance. Shen Haoyu even grew a beard and dressed a bit slovenly, making him look nothing like the young Prince Qing.
We mingled with the dockworkers and boarded a ship, hiding on board. Merchants without proper documentation were not allowed to board, and since we had neither the capital to impersonate merchants nor the necessary paperwork, we had to sneak around again. It was very stuffy hiding in the hold, but thankfully, the ship reached the dock on the other side after about half an hour. Workers from this side boarded the ship to unload goods, and we quietly disembarked, setting foot on the land of Youjing Dynasty once more.
Upon arriving in the Youjing era, Shen Haoyu did not contact the spies of the Prince Qing's mansion. Learning from his experience in Caizhou, although he was unsure whether Dai Chongyan was responsible, caution was always wise. On the way, he learned that the emperor and Prince Qing's armies were engaged in battle, and most of the cities in the east had already fallen to Prince Qing's control. The various regional lords remained inactive, observing from the sidelines. The battle lines stretched far from north to south, and the fighting in the south was not far from the fiefdom of the Marquis of Qiyun. The Marquis of Qiyun's troops were on high alert at the border, but had not crossed the line.
After buying horses, the two galloped eastward at full speed. Once they passed Jingcheng, the next city—Luancheng—would be within the sphere of influence of Prince Qing, the southernmost battlefield between the two armies.
After traveling for seven days, they finally arrived outside Jingcheng. The two dismounted, went into the city to buy some food, and came out again. The east gate of the city was tightly closed, making it impossible to reach Luancheng from there. Once outside the city, they entered the dense forest, attempting to cross the mountains and ridges and traverse the battlefield once more to reach Luancheng.
It was early autumn, but it was still very hot in the south. Fortunately, the forest was lush and shady.
We spent the night in the forest, and could faintly hear the sound of drums in the distance. If I'm not mistaken, it means Prince Qing is attacking the city again. It's still dozens of miles to Luancheng, and we don't know what we'll encounter along the way. If Prince Qing's army is right under Jingcheng's walls, perhaps it would be better to go there directly.
Shen Haoyu frowned, seemingly lost in thought, and after a long while finally said, "Let's go."
Their eyes met, and he understood that what he meant was exactly what he had been thinking. So they turned back towards Jingcheng. The mountains here were not as difficult to traverse as those in the northwest, but if one wanted to march, the terrain was still quite treacherous. Even those of us with light-footed skills had to proceed with caution and at a relatively slow pace, let alone others.
After traveling for nearly an hour, they could see the city walls of Jingcheng brightly lit, with soldiers standing in formation, and the battlefield outside the city teeming with people and shouts. They wondered who was leading the troops on Prince Qing's side; it would be laughable if they didn't recognize Shen Haoyu.
Looking at Shen Haoyu's mustache, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "Young Prince, would you like to shave your mustache?"
Shen Haoyu glared at me, but still drew his sword and used it as a mirror in the moonlight, then took my sword and started shaving his face. Fortunately, the moonlight was bright tonight, but without any lubricant, I wonder if it hurt him. Due to limited conditions, he shaved off his beard, but still left many stubbles, making it relatively easy to recognize him as Shen Haoyu.
After tidying themselves up, the two headed down the mountain. Before they even reached the foot of the mountain, the enemy had already sounded the retreat, so they quickened their pace.
Rows of soldiers marched past in neat formation, but the general leading them was unknown. Looking at Shen Haoyu, he saw that Shen Haoyu also frowned slightly. "You don't recognize him either?"
Just as I was hesitating whether to follow, a rider caught up from behind and spoke a few words to the general. At first glance, the rider seemed somewhat familiar, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Jiang Ming. I tugged at Shen Haoyu's sleeve, asking him if I had mistaken him for someone else, so as not to cause any misunderstanding. Shen Haoyu nodded slightly and then pulled me along the road.
Just as we were about to get close to the crowd, we suddenly heard a loud shout from the ranks: "Who goes there?" It was the general who was nocking an arrow and aiming it at Shen Haoyu and me. Without thinking, I shouted: "Master!" and ran straight towards Jiang Ming.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 107
Chapter word count: 4129 Update time: 09-09-08 12:01
Before I could reach Jiang Ming, the arrow was already flying towards me. Jiang Ming, recognizing my voice, quickly blocked the arrow and stood beside me: "Is it you? Huai En?" His tone was filled with surprise and uncertainty.
"It's me, Master." Having survived a near-death experience, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I saw my loved ones again. I took a deep breath to force back the tears that were welling up in my eyes.
Shen Haoyu had also arrived, and Jiang Ming was even more surprised. He quickly bowed and said, "Young Prince!"
"Young Prince?" the general who had shot me with an arrow earlier asked in confusion, then quickly rode over and looked Shen Haoyu up and down.
Jiang Ming clasped his hands in a fist and said to Shen Haoyu, “General Park is a general recently recruited by Your Highness. He has never seen the young prince before, so he did not recognize him just now. I hope the young prince will not take offense.” Then he said to General Park, “General, you are rash. The person who came is indeed the young prince.”
General Park then dismounted and knelt on one knee before Shen Haoyu, bowing deeply: "Park Gon was rude just now, please forgive me, Your Highness."
Shen Haoyu waved his hand, signaling General Park to get up, and then asked Jiang Ming, "What happened during the siege just now?"
Jiang Ming laughed and said, "It's just that the strategist told us to harass them from time to time. We never thought about taking Jingcheng now."
"The strategist?" Shen Haoyu frowned. Jiang Ming explained, "It is indeed Mr. Qi."
Shen Haoyu's face immediately lit up with a smile. He and Mr. Qi had been master and disciple for many years, and their relationship was naturally extraordinary. Upon learning that Mr. Qi was also in Luancheng, Shen Haoyu seemed unable to wait a moment longer and immediately demanded to return to the city at all times. A soldier brought over two horses. Shen Haoyu took the reins and handed one to me, then mounted the horse himself and rode ahead.
Jiang Ming and the others exchanged a smile, then followed closely behind, and the troops continued their march. The group spurred their horses and galloped towards Luancheng, leaving General Park and his large army behind.