Before the cry was finished, the sword light drew a white rainbow with a 'cha' sound, illuminating the dark hall. Screams were heard. The Fourth Feng Prince shouted in a trembling voice, "Sister!" Then someone shouted, "The Princess must not commit suicide!" Someone slid forward and snatched the sword away. Screams, cries of pity, and pleas for help rang out all at once. Then, the sword fell to the ground with a clang.
The sound of steel hitting the golden brick floor was crisp and clear, causing everyone to tremble. Meng Fuyao did not even turn her head as she stood with her back to Fo Lian. A mocking smile floated between her brows.
If she really wanted to die, why would she commit suicide in a crowd?
Her Highness would never forget to put on a show even in death.
Fo Lian fell into the Fourth Prince's arms and sobbed. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me!"
The Fourth Prince hugged her with hot tears streaming down his face. "I didn't know either … Father and Mother must have been afraid that your body wouldn't be able to take it and wanted to wait until you were better before telling us … Who knew that this would happen …"
He turned his head abruptly and glared at Meng Fuyao. "General Meng, are you satisfied now? Are you happy now that you forced Buddha Lotus to commit suicide and beg for death? "
"What's there to be happy about?" Meng Fuyao crossed her arms and looked around at the people around her, who all had sympathetic looks on their faces. "I see everyone sighing for the liar and feel that life is really f * cking unfair. Why didn't anyone sigh for me when I was forced to commit suicide? If I was forced to commit suicide because I couldn't take out the Map of Stars, wouldn't you all be applauding me? Those who speak the truth are condemned by everyone and those who lie are pitied by everyone. So this is how the princes and dukes of the Seven Nations are, and this is the truth and justice? "
Those who were swept by her gaze could not help but lower their heads awkwardly. Someone said in a low voice, "The Princess was also kept in the dark. Who asked the Wuji Crown Prince to keep it a secret?"
"F * ck you!" Meng Fuyao flew into a rage. "Is your brain filled with mud or pig dung? How dare you blame the Crown Prince? If not for the fact that the King of the Four Stars Kingdom requested the Crown Prince to wait until Fo Lian's body had recovered before announcing it to the Seven Nations, why would he need to keep it a secret? The Crown Prince is at fault. His only fault is that he was too soft-hearted towards the hypocritical Xuanji! "
Grinning from ear to ear, she strode over, scaring the Xuanji man into taking a step back. Ignoring him, she picked up the sword that had been left on the ground and placed it on her neck, making a slash.
"Aiya! I'm going to kill myself! "
Ya Lanzhu immediately rushed over and shouted, "General Meng, you must not commit suicide!" She immediately let go of the sword and hugged Ya Lanzhu, pretending to cry. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me? "
Ya Lanzhu painfully caressed her back. "If I tell you, you'll cry to the moon and vomit blood to the flowers …" The two of them hugged and laughed heartily. Ya Lanzhu clutched her stomach and staggered to the wall. "Oh my god, I can't do it anymore …" She threw the sword away and stepped on it with her foot. "Look, I can kill myself in a crowd too!" she said disdainfully.
All the noble heads in the hall were stunned. They watched as Meng Fuyao laughed heartily and bowed to Zhan Nan Cheng. Without looking at anyone, she grabbed Ya Lanzhu's arm and stepped over the high threshold of the main hall. Their silhouettes gradually disappeared on the long white marble steps. Only their laughter could be heard from afar.
"Zhangsun Wuji, I won't forgive you even if I become a ghost …"
"General Meng, you must not commit suicide!"
"Aiya, why did you snatch my sword? Let me die, let me die … "
"Didn't you hand it over yourself …"
= = =
"Zhangsun Wuji, I, Feng Jingfan, won't forgive you even if I become a ghost …"
"Please, my stomach isn't very good. Hearing you say that during supper makes me lose my appetite even more." Zong Yue picked up his bowl and walked out without looking back.
"Princess, you must not be careless …" Lord Ingot raised his claw and threw a chicken bone accurately into the braggart's mouth, right between her upper and lower teeth.
Meng Fuyao was furious and slammed the bowl down. "You can't even finish your sentence! How can you let me live? "
Yun Hen sighed. "We've heard you say it three times."
Depressed, Meng Fuyao pushed the bowl away and left. "I'm not eating anymore!" She didn't even look at a certain someone from the beginning to the end.
A certain someone quietly ate his dumplings, deep in thought. Lord Ingot squatted in front of him, looking at him with a sympathetic expression that said, "Master, you're in trouble."
Zhangsun Wuji smiled and caressed Lord Ingot, who immediately danced with joy and offered up his half-eaten fruit. "All trouble belongs to Meng Fuyao. Master will always be victorious."
Zhangsun Wuji stuffed the half-eaten fruit back into Ingot's mouth as a reward and carried it to a certain someone's boudoir. Yun Hen looked at his back silently for a long time before turning his head away.
Ya Lanzhu glanced at him with her big black eyes and suddenly asked with half a mouthful of soup in her mouth, "Yun Hen, how do you feel?"
Yun Hen turned back to look at her, a spark flashing in his clear eyes. He didn't reply, but neither did he get angry. Instead, he pushed his chair away and walked to the window, looking out at the darkening night sky with his hands behind his back.
His back seemed to be straight like a green bamboo in the dark night, looking lonely and bright. However, even though it was so bright, it still couldn't help but be smeared with a trace of darkness, a faint halo of sadness floating around.
Behind him, Ya Lanzhu persistently followed. Tilting her head to look at his back, she suddenly said, "Actually, I know how it feels."
Yun Hen turned back to look at her, and Ya Lanzhu smiled. At that moment, this colorful girl was no longer gorgeous, flamboyant, and cheerful. Instead, there was a hint of sadness that was similar to Yun Hen's.
She said, "I like Zhan Beiye. I chased after him for five years."
She looked at Yun Hen seriously and said, "For five years, from the age of 12 to 17, I chased after him from Fufeng to Tiansha, to Taiyuan, to Wuji, and back to Tiansha. In the end, it became a habit. In the end, I became the laughingstock of Fufeng. Father and Mother scolded me again and again, locking me in the palace and not letting me out. I smashed windows, dug tunnels, pretended to be dead, and bribed maids to escape. Father and Mother confiscated my monthly fief, wanting me to have no money to go out. I sold my jewelry, twisted gold plates, knocked out a makeup box inlaid with pearls, and even dug out the jewels from the throne. Everyone in Fufeng knew that Princess Ya was a love-struck fool. The more they refused to let me go, the more they laughed at me, the more I didn't want to give up. What did they know? Did they wash their mother's hair? Did they bleed for their subordinates? Did they not eat or drink in the desert to chase after the enemy just to give the local people a peaceful life? Did they sleep on the mattresses and kick over the women who washed their hair? They are men that the world recognizes, men, but not me. "
Yun Hen trembled and turned to look at her. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't.
Suddenly, Ya Lanzhu smiled dreamily and said, "I chased after him for five years, until it became a habit, and so did he. Many times, when I was tired and homesick, I would think, 'Sigh, wait a little longer, persevere.' Zhan Beiye is avoiding me now, but one day, he will turn this habit into an inseparable part of his life. When that time comes, he will never be able to leave me, Ya Lanzhu. Five years. Five years. Gradually, Zhan Beiye became helpless because of my pursuit. Occasionally, he would laugh at the sight of me chasing him. Thus, I felt that day was getting closer and closer … Then, Meng Fuyao appeared, and he fell in love with her at first sight."
She tilted her head, her large eyes sparkling in the night. She asked Yun Hen, "Tell me, how should I feel?"
Yun Hen was stunned and suddenly found it difficult to speak. After a while, he said, "She didn't do it on purpose …"
"Look at you, look at you guys. Your first reaction is to explain for her, as if you're afraid that I'll eat her up." Ya Lanzhu interrupted him and giggled, but there was a hint of helplessness in her smile. "Fuyao has suffered a lot, but she's really lucky. She's met people who understand her, love her, protect her, and protect her. Compared to her, I often feel like I'm so poor that I have nothing."
She sat down and clasped her hands in her colorful dress, her body swaying slightly as she looked at the twinkling stars in the sky. "Today, when I looked at Fo Lian in the hall, I saw her fall into the trap and make a fool of herself. I thought that she did it out of love and desire. In the end, we're the same. But when I saw her like that, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. I don't want to become her, it's too pitiful."
"I like Zhan Beiye. I like how upright and honorable he is. That's why I have to be an upright and honorable person to be worthy of him. Otherwise, if I look down on myself first, how could Zhan Beiye possibly look up to me? "
Ya Lanzhu stood up and held onto the windowsill. She placed an ant that was crawling on the windowsill in her palm and watched it scurry away in panic. She seemed to be reminded of Zhan Beiye, who had been chased by her, and could not help but giggle.
She said, "It was my first time meeting Meng Fuyao. She told me that the revolution had yet to succeed and that comrades still had to work hard. Sigh, what an interesting thing to say. I fell in love with her the moment I heard it. "
She said, "I slept on her bed at the Huazhou Inn. I don't know how I ended up in the outer room, but when I woke up in the morning, I realized that my blanket was tightly covered. My blanket is always on the ground in the morning, so I found it strange that it didn't fall off." She turned to look at Yun Hen. "Guess, guess, why didn't it fall off?"
Yun Hen pondered for a moment. "She wrapped it around you?"
Ya Lanzhu wrinkled her nose. "I can kick it off even if it's wrapped around me. She was the one who brought a chair over and pressed down on the corner of the blanket. At that time, I was thinking that this person was really funny, even asking me to drop my blanket. Even my mother didn't care about that. Sigh, how troublesome. No wonder I felt so hot."
Yun Hen looked at her, a smile gradually forming in his eyes.
"Then, Zhangsun Wuji passed on the news of his death." Ya Lanzhu grinned at the ant and leaned in to sniff its earthy scent. "She didn't move at all, so quiet that it scared me. I squatted in front of her and looked at her, thinking about how I would react if I were the one who received the news of Zhan Beiye's death. I definitely wouldn't be like her, smiling but empty. I would go crazy, throw a tantrum, go out with a knife to kill people, and then commit suicide in front of Zhan Beiye's grave. But when she looked like that, it was the first time I wanted to cry for someone else. "
Yun Hen's body swayed, his hand pressed against the window frame in silence. Ya Lanzhu grinned at him. "Feeling bad, right? That's how I feel. I'm also human, I'll be jealous, I'll be jealous, I'll want to kill Zhan Beiye when he's chasing after her, but I know that if I really do that, Zhan Beiye will never be mine. "
She slowly used her fingernails to draw a long, straight line on the wooden window frame. "She taught me to persevere."
She sent the ant back to its original path and adjusted its antennae. She said softly, "I'll send you home." Then, she climbed up the window and opened her arms. She shouted against the wind, "You must persist!"
Her petite figure climbed high up, her colorful braids spread out, one purple and one gold pant leg filled with the wind, making her look like a colorful sail in the wind. Yun Hen took a step back and looked up at the child. He had always thought of her as a child and had never paid attention to her. Under Meng Fuyao's dazzling halo, the light of this child, who was somewhat similar to her, was overshadowed. But today, he realized that the playful Ya Lanzhu had a maturity and wisdom that did not lose to anyone else. Perhaps she would never be able to reach Meng Fuyao's level, but in terms of the brilliance and fullness of human nature, she was definitely on par with Meng Fuyao.
This little princess, who had led a pampered life, who had been the laughing stock of the world, who had chased after her love, who had lost all hope when she saw hope in pursuing Meng Fuyao. She had ten thousand reasons to hate Meng Fuyao.
But she chose to lift her gaze and look further.
The more selfish someone was, the more magnanimous someone was.
When he looked at her, it was as if he was looking at a ray of light that was as white as a fish's belly in the distance. It was so subtle that it could not be seen, but it was so bright that it gave people an invigorating power. Just that ray of light was silently telling everyone that the sky was about to brighten.
Ya Lanzhu turned around and yelled. She was rather agitated, her cheeks flushed and her breath rising and falling. Suddenly, she jumped down and dragged Yun Hen away.
"What are we, a pair of unlucky fellows, looking at him foolishly? Let's go have a drink! "
= = =
"Lord Ingot, I'm warning you, if you keep following me, I'll fry you, steam you, boil you, and make you into a Manchu Han Imperial Feast!" She stomped on the ground, shouting without turning back.
Lord Ingot felt wronged. 'Who the hell wants to follow you? It's my unscrupulous master who's following you. I'm just a prop, and you're picking on the soft persimmon!'
Lord Ingot crossed his arms and looked up at the sky, pondering a serious question. 'Am I really at odds with Meng Fuyao? Ever since I met her, the dignified Heavenly Mystery Mouse, which had been worshipped by Qiong Cang, had been reduced to a mere prop for her bodyguard. His status was declining day by day, and his future was bleak.
His master suddenly lowered his head to look at him and read the grievances in his heart. He stroked his big head in a placating manner and changed his grip.
Meng Fuyao turned around and saw that he was still smiling. Immediately, her little universe began to emit smoke. Instead of returning to her room, she stood straight and said with a fake smile, "Your Highness, I suddenly feel the need to apologize to you."
"Hmm?" Zhangsun Wuji smiled faintly, his smile like the moonlight. "Tell me and I'll decide whether or not to forgive you."
Meng Fuyao gritted her teeth and hissed, "I broke up your happy marriage, but I realized that I was wrong. I shouldn't have broken it up. You two are too compatible!"
"Oh?"
"Both of you are experts at lying!" Meng Fuyao felt nauseous at the thought of the lotus. "One of you doesn't have the Map of Stars, yet you claim to have it. The other clearly has it, yet you claim to not have it!"
Zhangsun Wuji looked at her, his eyes seeming to be smiling yet not smiling. After a while, he said, "Fuyao, please carefully think about it. From the time I met you until now, perhaps there are things that I have not explained to you, but whenever I have spoken, have I ever lied?"
Meng Fuyao rolled her eyes and thought about it carefully. She realized that … she really hadn't.
"From now on, it will appear!" She argued eloquently, twisting words to force logic.
Zhangsun Wuji laughed and suddenly reached out to grab her. With a strong tug, he leaped up.
"Aiya, what are you doing!"
When she was done, she realized that she was sitting on top of the wall. The wall of the courtyard was relatively high. Sitting on top of it, she could see all the streets and alleys of Pandu. Simple and orderly roads, simple and heavy buildings, row upon row of houses, and the majestic imperial palace in the distance. The cool midnight breeze, along with the lights of thousands of households that had yet to be extinguished, blew into her face, making her feel refreshed.
"When people stay high up, they see more and more complicated things, and their minds become clearer." Zhangsun Wuji's words seemed to have a deeper meaning. Meng Fuyao's heart skipped a beat, but she was immediately angered. "That's why I'm bringing you up to the wall to get some fresh air to clear your head."
"I've always been clear-headed, wise, and wise." She turned and pushed Zhangsun Wuji fiercely. "Get down, get down! The wall is narrow, and you're blocking my vision."
"Those who are on the same level as you will never block your vision. Most of the time, you're the one who blocks you." Zhangsun Wuji was very philosophical tonight. "Fuyao, do you hate me for lying?"
"Of course." Meng Fuyao turned to look at him, her eyes as bright as a pair of cat's eyes. "I'm not that unreasonable. I don't like it, and yet I refuse to admit it."
Smiling, Zhangsun Wuji took out a cloak from somewhere and draped it over her. "The wind is strong, be careful not to catch a cold." He then added, "I didn't bring back the Map of Stars that I gave away as a betrothal gift."
"Hmm?"
"Everyone thinks that there's only one copy of the Map of Stars, but it's actually two." Zhangsun Wuji smiled. "It came from two pieces of a cloak, and each piece had half of its contents written on it. The real Map of Stars has 882 words and eight chapters in total. What I'm giving you is the other half."
"Since you only took out your half, why isn't the other half in Fo Lian's hands?" Meng Fuyao was puzzled. "She even used the Moonlight Brocade that looks like a silver brocade to pass off the Map of Stars as if she's never seen the real thing before."
"That's why I broke off the engagement." Zhangsun Wuji looked at her with a deep smile. "I met the wrong person."
"You're saying that your fiancée is someone else?" Meng Fuyao suddenly turned to look at him. "Who?"
"No, I'm just suspecting that Feng Jingfan took out a fake map. It's also possible that the real one was really lost, and she had no choice but to make a fake one." Zhangsun Wuji seemed to be thinking, and his smiling eyes glanced at her. "Some things will come to light sooner or later, but I have to thank you, Fuyao. You've finally helped me get rid of that woman."
"Shouldn't you feel that it's a pity?" Meng Fuyao looked at her with a smile. "She was so beautiful, so noble, and had such a perfect reputation. Even her temperament was similar to yours. What a perfect match you painstakingly created. Sigh, I tore it apart. How wicked."
"There's something even more wicked." Zhangsun Wuji broke off a blade of grass and tasted it leisurely. "I heard that they left Tian Sha overnight. I sent people to wait at the border. I'll return what Zhan Nan City tried to do to me in its original form."
"You sent people to assassinate Fo Lian …" Meng Fuyao instantly understood what he meant. She jumped up in shock and widened her eyes. "Shift the blame to Tian Sha?"
"It doesn't matter whether I shift the blame or not. The key is that Feng Jingfan has to die." Zhangsun Wuji turned around and gently stroked her hair. "She has to die very quickly."
Meng Fuyao bit her lip and didn't speak. She was a little speechless. Although Zhangsun Wuji didn't say it explicitly, how could she not know that he wanted to kill Fo Lian because of her? With Zhangsun Wuji's temperament, he actually disdained assassination, and even more disdained to kill a woman like Fo Lian. But he still chose to go against his own principles and act as quickly as possible, purely because he didn't want Fo Lian, who hated him to the core, to have the chance to create any unfavorable variables for her.
With Zhangsun Wuji's methods, he had many ways to deal with the marriage between him and Fo Lian without batting an eyelid. However, he allowed her to use the most intense method, creating an irreconcilable hatred between the two of them. Then, he took action to clean up the mess for her.
Doing what seemed to him to be such a stupid thing was only because he wanted her to live more freely and happily.
Meng Fuyao was stunned for a long time before she turned around and said with a red nose, "I'm sorry … I never trusted you enough."
"I have my own reasons for not trusting me enough." Zhangsun Wuji tried to braid her hair again. He seemed to be especially interested in her hair. "I'm always secretive and not frank enough. With such a temperament, you can't blame me for not trusting you."
"I won't, I won't in the future." Meng Fuyao felt ashamed. She felt that Zhangsun Wuji was really a good person. He still remembered to explain for her when he was wrongly accused. She was excited and felt that she didn't have enough conscience. Just as she was thinking about how to repay such a gentleman, she suddenly heard the gentleman behind her whisper, "Oh, Fuyao, what's that thing you're wearing? Why are there two straps? "
Wearing … straps … Just as she was thinking of repaying him, her mind turned for a while before she realized that he was talking about her self-made brassiere!
And she was wearing a simple shirt with a cloak over it. How did he see the brassiere?
'What a gentleman!'
Meng Fuyao yelled and raised her leg to kick him. 'Shameless! If I had known, I would have made you a pair with the Buddha Lotus!'
Just as she lifted her leg, Zhangsun Wuji held her down. He pressed one hand on her leg and the other on his lips. "Shhh …"
Meng Fuyao instinctively wanted to scold him for being deliberately mystifying, but then she heard faint footsteps coming from the opposite alley. She turned around.
The night was dim, and the alley was deep. Ahead of her, a scholar who was studying hard could not sleep. His dark silhouette was reflected on the paper window, and a faint yellow light shone through the window like a crescent moon into the depths of the alley.
In the depths was a chaotic darkness, and gradually, a human silhouette was peeling off. Someone was slowly walking out of the darkness at the end of the alley.
He walked very slowly, as if he was carrying something in his arms. As he walked, he called out in a low voice. His voice was carried by the wind, and she could vaguely make out a few sentences. "… Soul, return …"
It was someone who was summoning the souls of the dead in the middle of the night.
Meng Fuyao sighed softly. Looking at the silhouette, she could tell that he was very young. Walking alone in the middle of the night while calling out, he must be a filial son trying to summon the soul of an elder.
She did not want to disturb the communication between the Yin and Yang, so she turned around and was about to go down the wall when she suddenly saw the person walking into the crescent moon. The light shone on his features, which were delicate, gentle, and slightly sad.
Yan Jingchen!
Meng Fuyao was stunned on top of the wall, forgetting to leave.
She sat beside Zhangsun Wuji and watched as Yan Jingchen's lonely figure slowly emerged from the depths of the alley. She looked at the smooth green jade jar in his arms, and watched as he slowly and softly chanted, "Soul, return." He scattered the paper money in his hand bit by bit. The thin, grayish-white paper flew away from his fingertips like butterflies, and was carried by the wind over the top of the wall, disappearing without a trace.
All traces of a person in the world flew away like a kite with a broken string.
A piece of paper money seemed to be lingering in his mind, drifting and slowly pouncing on Meng Fuyao's palm.
Meng Fuyao reached out and pinched it. The thin, soft touch was instantly transmitted to the bottom of her heart, sweeping across her heart and causing a tender pain. She looked up at Yan Jingchen, who was focused on summoning the soul. Suddenly, she remembered that today was the seventh day of Pei Yuan's death.
According to the customs of Taiyuan, on the seventh day of a deceased person's death, the relatives of the deceased had to walk through the place she had walked through to summon her soul.
Meng Fuyao's gaze fell on the small green jade jar. That gorgeous and flamboyant woman in red, who was as conspicuous as a peony wherever she went, had really turned into a pile of grayish-white powder in this simple and silent jar?
Would her unwilling soul be content with such a small dwelling, or would it struggle to break free?
As for Yan Jingchen, the noble young master of the Golden Horse Hall, the heir of the Duke's Marquis Family, the young man who had a smooth and bright life but had fallen after meeting her, how was he going to walk the rest of his path?
Some encounters were inherently unfair, such as her and Yan Jingchen's encounter at Mount Xuanyuan. From start to finish, it was only to help her advance a thousand miles. Then, she left without looking back. Yet, he refused to admit that they were not fated. He wasted his time in the same place, making the wrong choices because he had lost her, only to lose her again and again.
Recalling everything she had seen and heard in Zhan Beiheng's villa, Meng Fuyao's fingertips turned slightly cold. She was speechless at the cruelty of fate. Then, she felt a warmth in her palm. Someone gently held her hand and took the paper money away from her. Then, he wrapped his fingers around hers.
His warm palm felt smooth to the touch, like silk from her fingertips to the bottom of her heart. It was smooth and soft, like a light feather falling into a deep sleep.
He was always able to read the feelings in her heart at any time and use his own way to tell her, "I'm with you."
Meng Fuyao looked up at him, thinking that she was ultimately lucky. Not everyone could enjoy such warm, undemanding companionship. Those people, such as Yan Jingchen, Pei Yuan, and Fo Lian, were still people she loved. It was just that some people were wrong in the process of love, while others were wrong in the way they loved.
The process and the way she had met were the most correct people.
However, fate always played a prank on her. She was lucky to meet someone, but she could not be lucky to have him.
She blinked her eyes, trying hard to blink away the bitterness in them. Looking at Yan Jingchen's lonely and desolate shadow, she pursed her lips and wrote on Zhangsun Wuji's palm: "I want to kill Yan Sha."
Zhangsun Wuji paused for a moment before replying: "Alright."
Meng Fuyao took a silent breath and smiled.
"Yan Jingchen, I killed your wife, so I have to kill your master to make up for it."
Yan Jingchen did not know that at that moment, the couple who were watching him summon the soul of his deceased wife had made a decision that would affect his entire life. He quietly scattered the paper money and hugged the ice-cold green jade jar in his arms. It was the first time he hugged Pei Yuan so closely.
That arrogant woman, in the end, quietly curled up in his arms in such a way.
The mouth of the jar under his hand was as cold as frost and snow, just like the snow of last winter falling on the lonely mountain on the outskirts of Yan Jing. He was drinking wine in the snow, and there were messy jars all over the ground. At that time, he had just met Yan Sha and was "lucky" to be accepted as a disciple by him. After the initial joy, what followed was a nightmare. What was worse was that this matter was vaguely guessed by a few nobles who had always fought with him openly and covertly. Gradually, among the nobles of Yan Jing, there were some unspeakable jokes that could only be understood. They used ambiguous tones, intimate glances, hints of snickering, and obscene movements to express it.
That kind of joke was like an invisible wall in front of him. It could not be seen or touched, but it stood coldly in front of him. Because of that, he was covered with cuts and bruises, but he did not have any power to break it. The tongue of the people was the coldest trap in the world. It killed countless people, and the more he struggled, the more injuries he would suffer.
Then, she appeared.
After the change of Taiyuan Palace and the establishment of the Shangyuan Empire, she appeared in front of him for the first time.
He thought she was going to ridicule him, so he covered his face with his sleeves. But then he heard her sit down beside him and grab a jar of wine. She opened the clay seal in a rude way that a noble princess would never do and drank it all without hesitation.
After the jar was empty, she threw it far away. She looked at the green light that pierced through the clouds and fell into the deep valley. She heard the sharp sound of shattering echoes from the bottom of the cliff. Then she said, "I will marry you."
He suddenly turned around, but she did not look at him. Her delicate profile was calm and determined. She had made the final decision on this important matter of her life. Then she stood up and said, "Come to the betrothal ceremony in three days."
He was ashamed to go to the Pei family again and was afraid of being humiliated again. Yan Sha was happy and said, "It's rare to see someone willing to marry you. In fact, I don't care about this, but you are shy. If she is willing to marry you, then your life will be complete. I will personally propose for you." He went and came back happily, saying, "Get ready to get married."
Later, he found out that Pei Yuan used those three days to persuade the angry General Pei. She also talked to Yan Sha. As for what she sacrificed to get this result, he would never find the answer in this life.
He would never know how she felt when she was alone in her own room, like a lonely lamp, looking at the light in his courtyard, even though they were husband and wife but lived in separate courtyards.
After that, those rumors disappeared. Pei Yuan's marriage was the most powerful refutation of those speculations.
How much she sacrificed was how much he let her down.
She loved him, he loved that she, and that she loved that he.
In life, there were many funny chains that trapped a lifetime of entanglements and sins of love.
Yan Jingchen slowly caressed the green jade jar and pressed his face against it. The coldness was a little creepy, just like her temperament. She was cold and arrogant, not gentle, and even venomous. However, only he knew that all the warmth she had in her life was only for him.
From then on, the flickering light that warmed him was blown out by the cold fate.
Yan Jingchen hugged the green jade jar tightly. Slowly, he turned around in a desolate manner. The people on top of the wall stared at his back in silence. Their eyes were filled with sorrow. Even Lord Ingot came out from Zhangsun Wuji's sleeves and squeezed between the two of them. Watching Yan Jingchen scatter the paper money and leave, his round black eyes became slightly moist. He thought to himself, "Back then, in the Firmament, that beautiful black pearl …"
= = =
Yan Jingchen's long silhouette was cast into the lonely night.
In the darkness of the night, there was a commotion.
Two people were singing and laughing loudly as they staggered into the alley. Their clear and melodious voices broke the sorrowful silence.
"Brother, drink again … drink three more jars!"
"I'm not drunk … Uh … I'm not drunk!"
"Don't … hide from me … you devil … I'm like a flower, why are you hiding from me?"
"Ptui! Ptui! "
Miss Hua sang and laughed loudly as she walked in a zigzag pattern. She was grinning from ear to ear. Her unlucky drinking buddy was holding her arm with great care. They walked crookedly and bumped into each other along the way.
Since when did Ya Lanzhu and Yun Hen go out for a drink? How could they be so drunk?
Ya Lanzhu started singing.
"Brother, you walk forward boldly, I chase after you without turning back. Brother, you run to the death of three horses, I run to the death of nine cows …"
Meng Fuyao let out an "uh" and plunged herself into Zhangsun Wuji's shoulder, desperately trying to stifle her laughter. 'Oh my god, this guy is really good at changing lyrics. I only hummed it once, but when it came out of her mouth, how did it end up like a dead horse and cow?'
She laughed so hard that her shoulders trembled. She looked like a butterfly flapping its wings silently in the dim light. Zhangsun Wuji smiled and took her into his arms. He raised his head and thought that the lyrics were actually quite simple and appropriate, and they were also suitable for him.
Lord Ingot squatted on his master's shoulder and stared at her in disdain. 'You have the nerve to laugh? If it weren't for you, how would nobles like us know how to be vulgar? '
The drunken couple in the alley did not know about the tricks on the wall. They continued to bump into Yan Jingchen as they walked. Yan Jingchen frowned. Afraid that they would break the jar in his arms, he quickly switched the jar to another arm and leaned to the side to wait for them to pass.
When Ya Lanzhu walked past him, she suddenly tilted her body and wanted to vomit. Vomiting was one thing, but she was a princess and had a habit of vomiting into a bowl. Her dizzy eyes darted around, and when she saw what looked like a bowl in Yan Jingchen's bosom, she reached out to grab it.
Yan Jingchen raised his eyebrows and was about to push her away when Yun Hen pulled her back at lightning speed. "She's drunk, how could you hit her so hard!" he said angrily.
The two of them put their arms around each other, raised their heads and looked at each other in the lamplight. "Ah!" they both exclaimed, "It's you."
Yan Jingchen's face darkened. He glanced at Yun Hen, put down his hand, and walked away without a word. Yun Hen looked at him with a glint in his eyes. Ya Lanzhu suddenly stumbled over and was about to hit the wall. Yun Hen had no choice but to grab her. Coincidentally, Ya Lanzhu was also flailing her arms and legs. Half of Yun Hen's robe was torn off by the drunkard, and an item fell to the ground.
Yun Hen did not hear the sound of the item falling. He frantically tried to support the drunk Ya Lanzhu, but he did not know where to support her. He could only drag her away by the collar. Suddenly, he heard Yan Jingchen's voice. "Stop right there."
Yun Hen turned around and saw a small Lapis Lazuli Swallow in Yan Jingchen's hand. His expression changed. He placed Ya Lanzhu by the wall and was about to pounce on him.
Yan Jingchen retracted his hand and asked in a low voice, "Where did you get this?"
"Give it back!"
"Where?"
"I'm asking you to give it back!"
Yan Jingchen stuffed the swallow into his arms and said coldly, "This is a symbol that the children of the Yan Family are born with. Only the direct descendants of the Yan Family can have it. If you don't tell me where it came from, I won't be giving it back to you." With that, he turned around and left with the jar.
Yun Hen immediately pounced on him.
Before he arrived, Yan Jingchen had already turned around, and a ray of sword light had already shot out. Yun Hen snorted, and a white light flashed under his hand, causing a loud clang.
The two of them had actually started fighting.
On top of the wall, Meng Fuyao stared blankly and mumbled, "Why did they start fighting?" She was far away and could not hear their conversation clearly. She could only vaguely see Yan Jingchen pick up an item and ask Yun Hen for it. Then, they started fighting.
Zhangsun Wuji held her hand and looked in that direction. "Some things, even if covered up by time, will eventually be exposed by fate," he said leisurely.
The wind howled in the alleyway. The fight between Yun Hen and Yan Jingchen was coming to an end.
Since Yan Jingchen was using his sword with one hand, he was no match for Yun Hen. However, Yun Hen was not in the mood to fight. He only wanted to force Yan Jingchen to return the item. After more than ten moves, Yun Hen's sword light had completely overwhelmed Yan Jingchen, who was fighting with one hand.
Yan Jingchen pursed his lips and looked at Yun Hen, who was giving in to his sword aura. A trace of doubt flashed across his eyes. Suddenly, he handed the green jade jar in his hand forward and shouted, "My wife's ashes!"
Yun Hen's sword ray was as fast as lightning. Before Yan Jingchen could finish his sentence, his sword ray had already reached the jar. Hearing this, Yun Hen's face turned pale with fright. He used all his strength to take a step back. The True Power on his sword surged, and he was knocked back.
Then, a sword as clear as autumn water was gently placed on his throat.
Meng Fuyao, who was watching the fight from the top of the wall, thought that Yun Hen would definitely win. She did not expect the tables to turn in an instant. Shocked, she muttered, "Despicable!" and was about to rush down when Zhangsun Wuji pulled her back.
Then, she saw Yan Jingchen's gaze.
His eyes were filled with shock, doubt, confusion, and bewilderment.
She also saw the movement of his lips.
He was saying,
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