novelhk Chapter 250 The Living Abandoned Empress of the Cold Palace X The Invading Unruly Buddhist Son 84
Chapter 250 The Living Abandoned Empress of the Cold Palace X The Invading Unruly Buddhist Son 84
The distant snow reflected the faint pale light of the morning sky, shrouding everything in a cold and pure glow. Nearby, the accompanying guards marched in orderly and solemn steps, the sound of their horses' hooves treading the snow like a deep drumbeat, adding a touch of solemnity to the stillness.
It was as if the air was filled with the heavy smell of iron.
The sedan chair moved forward through the snow, the sound of its axles grinding through the accumulated snow crisp and soft, as if the entire world maintained an unspoken distance from this noble sedan. Snowflakes did not stain the sedan, nor did the cold wind intrude. Everything around it was isolated from it, as if it were a noble and dust-free world of its own. Yun Qian sat within it, her expression calm, her gaze piercing the curtains, gazing directly at the vague outline of the city gate in the distance.
As soon as daybreak came, she had rushed here day and night. Lu Zheng's team was circling behind her. If the plan changed, she would retreat there...
The outline of Liaoshun City was shrouded in snow and fog, the faint sight of its gates tightly closed and heavily guarded. This was a fortress in the northern border, but now, it had become the meeting place she had agreed to meet with Qi Jueyu.
The sky and the earth were all white, and the feeling of the wind and snow was not very pleasant. Fortunately, she did not wait too long. It could even be said that she had just settled about three miles outside the city gate. The quietly closed city gate seemed to open to her, but when she saw the person walking out of it, she realized that the city gate was not opened for her.
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time. When they met again, she had broken her previous "vow" and married into the Crown Princess. When they met again, they were in different camps. It should have been extremely tense, with swords drawn and aggressive, but the man was still wearing a plain robe, standing between heaven and earth.
This time, however, he wasn't holding the familiar Buddhist beads; instead, what was visible from afar was a long sword gleaming with a cold light. Qi Jueyu had no followers; he simply walked out alone. Instead, Yun Qian, the man the letter had requested to "come to Liaoshun City alone," brought a large group of men.
But Yun Qian wasn't ashamed of it. In fact, if she had truly come alone, she would have been crazy. But she hadn't considered that Qi Jueyu was so crazy, wouldn't he be afraid to just use a crossbow and shoot three arrows at once to pierce him?
The sedan chair stopped beside the empty riverbank, its curtains slightly lowered, letting in a faint light through the gauze-like texture. Outside, the snow was reflected in the sunlight, a dazzling white. Yun Qian sat upright in the middle, her hand on the edge of the sedan chair, her eyes lowered, seemingly lazy and careless, yet she could vaguely perceive every movement outside through the changes in light and shadow.
It wasn't that she didn't bring a crossbow; she even brought more than one. Behind the sedan chair, where the secret guards were ambushing, there were crossbows hanging high. With just one word from her, Qi Jueyu would have no chance of escape. But she didn't give the order. Killing him wasn't her purpose today.
Beyond the curtains, the snow, reflected by the sunlight, became dazzling. She gradually lost sight of what was happening outside, relying on sound to discern movement. In her heart, she knew better than anyone else that she was gambling—a bet on whether this man would listen to her. A bet that he didn't actually care about past grudges... After all, every wrong had its perpetrator. If he desired revenge, Yun Qian could lend him a knife and slice off the head of the culprit, Emperor Shenzong, piece by piece. No one would ever know who had done it.
……
The curtain in front of the sedan chair hadn't been drawn, but Yun Qian could sense Qi Jueyu's approach. He said nothing, as if certain she wouldn't easily hurt him. He simply raised his hand to signal his followers to stop, and he slowly approached, his steps leisurely, as if he had no fear of arrows being shot from the shadows.
"Qi Jueyu..." Yun Qian's voice softly passed through the curtains, like a wisp of gauze floating down from the sky, invisible yet exceptionally clear. "I have followed your instructions and traveled a hundred miles to Liaoshun City. In that case, you should at least talk to me about what I want to discuss."
She was very anxious. After all, he was too close to her. For no reason, Yun Qian found that her palms were sweating... Perhaps she knew in her heart that once her people attacked Qi Jueyu, the arrows deployed on the city wall would fall towards her like ten thousand meteors.
"Ah"
Outside the curtain, the man chuckled softly, his smile carrying a hint of sarcasm, as if he was mocking something.
"Your Highness, you are truly... forgetful," his voice sounded slowly, as low as a glimmer of light in the dark night, with an elusive emotion. "Of course we must talk. However, before that, I want to talk about something I want to discuss."
It was almost inappropriate as the small system said something woodenly that only Yun Qian could hear: (Talk, talk, talk,) (Talk) talk to get rid of crow's feet.
Yun Qian's self-possessed calmness was almost completely ruined by these words. She pinched her palms tightly to prevent herself from laughing, and then issued a gag order to the small system.
Yun Qian raised her eyes and vaguely spotted his shadow standing not far away through the curtains. He didn't come any closer, as if deliberately maintaining a subtle distance. But even through the curtains, she could feel his gaze. His gaze was like a hook, easily picking through the defenses in her heart, and like a sharp knife, slicing straight through the psychological defenses she tried to conceal.
"I think,"
The words "I want to see you" were swished back and forth between my lips and tongue for several times. Finally, after so many twists and turns, they turned into just one sentence: "Crown Princess, this is too insincere. I came to the appointment alone, but I couldn't even see your true face."
After hearing this, Yun Qian choked up for a rare moment. Although she didn't have much in her belly, she still didn't dare to put herself in danger...
Seeing that she hadn't answered for a long time, the man raised his lip and said coldly, "How about this? All those people brought by the Crown Princess come to me together. Every one of you must show your true abilities. If I win, I will definitely tear down the Crown Princess's curtain. How do you say that?"
The man spoke in a deep voice, with the last syllable curled up, revealing a bit of unruliness. As expected, when the people Yun Qian brought saw him like this, they all frowned and cursed inwardly: You damn baldy, you are so audacious and lustful, how dare you tease the Crown Princess.
Yun Qian frowned slightly behind the curtain, her heart trembling as she listened to the man's provocation. Strangely, she didn't feel angry at his "brusqueness." However, the followers behind her tightened their grip on their swords, indignant.
"How can you guarantee...your people?"
"I am not the kind of person who breaks his promise."