It was early autumn, and above the plains to the north of the capital of the Kingdom of Qing, a patch of clouds appeared and disappeared. The people working in the fields did not raise their heads. They had no interest in watching the beautiful tricks the heavens played with the shape of the clouds and the refraction of the sun. They just wanted to harvest the golden crops before the rain cloud floated over. There had been a lot of rain this year. It was said that the river in the south had swollen violently. But for the people living in the north, the safety of the river banks had nothing to do with them. They were more worried about whether or not this damned rain would delay the harvest of the year.
Occasionally, a few fat field mice would fearlessly pass under the feet of the farmers, snatching the scattered grains in the fields. The scythes in the farmers' hands were too lazy to deal with these scourges. They focused on harvesting the grains. In the endless rice fields on both sides of the official road, the sounds of harvesting gradually merged into one, forming a neat and beautiful sound that could make anyone who heard it feel a certain sense of satisfaction.
The farmers, who were bare-chested, were facing the yellow soil with their backs to the sky, showing the small cuts made by the leaves on their bodies to the cold sky. However, they did not notice that there was a long line of carriages on the official road that seemed to have no end in sight moving slowly toward them.
The Kingdom of Qing's diplomatic mission to Northern Qi had finally fulfilled its promise of leaving in spring and returning in autumn. They had hurried back to their homeland in the middle of September.
But the returning carriages were even larger than the ones that had left. Other than the gifts that Northern Qi had given in return to show their sincerity, there were also many officials and ceremonial guards. It was enough to show the importance that the Northern Qi court placed on the princess's marriage. After all, this was the first marriage between the two countries. No one knew what kind of change this kind of diplomatic relationship would bring to the continent, which had just experienced 20 years of peace.
Other than the magnificent carriage that the Great Princess of Northern Qi was in, there was another carriage in the long line of carriages that was more eye-catching. Regardless of whether it was compared to the colorful carriages of Northern Qi or the black carriages of the Qing court, this carriage appeared much more wretched. Although the horses pulling the carriage were also fine horses, even the horses' heads swayed weakly.
The members of the diplomatic mission knew that it was because the carriage was too heavy. On top of it were the books that Zhuang Mohan of Northern Qi had given to the head envoy, Fan Xian, before he died. The books looked unremarkable, but they were much heavier than the Eldest Princess' dowry. Every time they saw the carriage, many of the members of the diplomatic mission could not help but feel a sense of respect. It was not only because of Sir Fan's radiant face, but also because of his scholarly style. Everyone knew that ever since they had passed through several small countries in the north and entered the border of Cangzhou, Sir Fan had locked himself in the carriage, reading day and night. He was not even willing to come down to eat or rest.
"I can't live like this anymore."
Fan Xian sighed and put the book of poems from the previous dynasty back into the box behind him. The curtain of the carriage was blown shut by the wind, plunging the carriage into darkness. It was impossible to see the expression on his face, but from the sound of his voice, it was clear that Master Fan was not very willing to stay in the carriage and pretend to be a diligent literary master of the present age.
The journey south had been smooth and peaceful. After the Eldest Princess of Northern Qi had shaken off the grief of Zhuang Mohan's death, she had regained the modesty and self-respect that a noble should have. She did not cause him any trouble. On the contrary, in the courier station, in the city guard's manor, Fan Xian was able to speak with the beautiful Eldest Princess occasionally. They chatted about more mundane matters, and it was to relieve the loneliness of the journey. Although he did not dare to be overly courteous as an official, talking to a girl was much better than talking to Gao Da and the other cold-faced swordsmen, or Yan Bingyun, that block of ice.
But this situation finally ended after they passed Cangzhou. It was not that Fan Xian did not dare speak to the Eldest Prince's future daughter-in-law upon returning to the Kingdom of Qing. It was because there was suddenly one more person in the diplomatic mission, and that person's identity was a little special. Her background was a little strange, and she had an unclear relationship with one of the members of the diplomatic mission. That person had been staying in the Eldest Princess' carriage, and Fan Xian did not want to see her crying every day. So he hid himself in the carriage, leaving the difficult problem to Yan Bingyun, Master Yan junior.
Along the way, there were reports from the Overwatch Council. Other than the few strange murder cases in the south that still had no clues, there was nothing special. No one thought that the most shocking news would come from the north.
Shen Zhong had died. On a rainy night, under the protection of 13 Brocade Guards, he had been killed by Shang Shanhu, a spear-wielding general of the military, in the middle of the street.
The Provost of the Provost of the Brocade Guard, the head of Northern Qi's secret service after Xiao En, had died in such a cowardly manner! This seemingly absurd news had already been proven to be the truth. Fan Xian rubbed his temples and laughed bitterly. Thinking of Wang Qinian's description in the report, he could not help but feel a little shocked.
According to the intelligence report, on that rainy night, Shang Shanhu was clad in black armor from head to toe. He held a long spear in his hand as he galloped down the long street. With one strike of his spear, he beheaded Shen Zhong, who was in the palanquin. With another sweep of his spear, he tore apart the bodies of the bodyguards around Shen Zhong. It was only when he retracted his spear and galloped back to his residence that the rain on the long street seemed to dare to fall. Such a display of power was truly frightening. A peerless expert of the ninth level had used such a valiant method to directly tear apart all the conspiracies and schemes. He had used pure force to challenge the authority of the entire imperial court.
Fan Xian had not expected Shang Shanhu to be such a tyrannical figure. He knew that he had still underestimated the iron-blooded nature of the military, trained on the battlefield. He could not help but feel his head ache even more. No matter how much he rubbed it, he could not alleviate it. After all, many people knew that he had played a disgraceful role in Xiao En's escape. Even if Tan Wu had not shouted "Kill me, Fan Xian" before he killed himself, Shang Shanhu would still have blamed Xiao En's death and the betrayal of the people of the south on Fan Xian's head.
Fan Xian could only hope that Qing and Northern Qi would remain friends for generations, never to fight again, never to give Shang Shanhu a chance to face him on the battlefield.
Of course, there were still many suspicious points about Shen Zhong's death. After all, he was the head of the Brocade Guard. No matter how ruthless Shang Shanhu was, or how angry the military was, to kill him in the middle of the street was not an easy task. Furthermore, the reaction of the Northern Qi court seemed to confirm this point. After a night of silence in the palace, Shang Shanhu was placed under house arrest in the manor and his title of nobility was taken away. Another edict shockingly pointed out the many crimes Shen Zhong had committed over the years. Each stroke of the imperial edict threw the recently deceased Shen Zhong into a vat of dirty water, making it impossible for him to rise again for the rest of his life.
The Shen mansion was subsequently raided, and the Brocade Guard was purged. The military was proud and elated. Although the young Emperor maintained his silence, it could be assumed that he was happy in his heart. This was because, through this incident, Shang Shanhu's resentment towards the royal family would lessen. However, a fierce tiger like Shang Shanhu was not an easy character to control. Just by looking at the fact that the palace still had Shang Shanhu imprisoned in the capital, one could tell that they were still having a headache over how to deal with him. Naturally, they could not kill him. No one wanted to bear the repercussions of the military. They could not let him go either.
Who knew what would happen to him when he returned to the mountains? Fan Xian shook his head. He had not thought that after hearing his words, Haitang would act so quickly and so fiercely against Shen Zhong. But after constructing the scene of Shang Shanhu killing Shen Zhong in the rainy night in his mind, Fan Xian, who should have been worried about his own safety, felt an inexplicable sense of pleasure and admiration. Ruthless and decisive, quick to repay kindness and enmity. When Shang Shanhu slowly raised his black spear on the horse, ready to reap Shen Zhong's life, there was no longer a trace of reverence in his eyes. That night rain on the long street, how arrogant was it?
He lifted the curtain of the carriage and jumped out without calling for the driver to stop. Standing on the official road, he waved his hand to disperse the oncoming yellow wind. Looking at the farmers laboring on both sides of the road, his heart stirred. He threw all the matters of the north to the back of his mind. Those matters could no longer affect him, and he could not affect them for the time being, so he could only throw them aside.
Raising his head to look at the sky, which alternated between light and darkness, he narrowed his eyes. He knew that he should be able to reach Longquan Inn by the end of the day, and he relaxed a little. The princess had married far away, so the journey should be much slower than it was now. But Fan Xian had a hidden concern, so he took advantage of the fact that no one in the diplomatic mission dared to say anything, and sped up the journey. Seeing that they were about to enter the capital, he finally stopped thinking about his family. Tomorrow, he should be able to see Wan 'er. He wondered if her health had improved. As for his sister, if Uncle Wu Zhu was in the capital, she should be fine for the time being.
Getting into the carriage behind them, he looked at Yan Bingyun, who was pretending to be asleep. He frowned and reprimanded him. "You caused this mess, and you will have to deal with it. We are about to enter the capital; are you going to let her follow Her Highness? If Northern Qi finds out that we are sheltering their felon, how will the court explain it? "
Yan Bingyun opened his eyes, but turned his head away from looking at his superior. He looked at the golden paddy fields outside the carriage window, and a trace of struggle flashed through his eyes. In the end, he only said lightly, "Shen Zhong's death was only one step in the Northern Qi Emperor's plan to seize power. As for her life or death, I believe Northern Qi will not care."
Fan Xian looked at him, and his tone suddenly softened. "If you don't care about her life or death, then leave it to me."
Yan Bingyun slowly turned his head, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes. "Killing her will do us no good."
"If I don't want to, I don't want to." Fan Xian shook his head. "I thought you were no ordinary person. I didn't expect you to be so self-deceiving."
Yan Bingyun did not reply. He silently turned his head away, watching the farmers reap the heavy harvest outside the window.
...
...
In the luxurious carriage at the front of the group, the Great Princess of Northern Qi sighed. She looked at her sister, who had been very close since childhood, and said nothing. Miss Shen, who had luckily escaped from Shangjing, was currently lying on the window frame in a daze. She looked at the same scenery as Yan Bingyun, but it was unknown whether she was thinking about her lover's heartlessness, the tragedy of her family being ruined, or the sorrow of leaving the country.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
