Xie Xun’s eyes throbbed with pain as he looked at Xiao Rongyan, tears hovering at the corners, too afraid to blink.
Seeing Xie Xun’s guilty expression, Xiao Rongyan’s voice calmed down, carrying an almost inaudible sigh, "This... is what you, Xie Xun, as a man, as a soldier, should do!"
After speaking, Xiao Rongyan pulled open the partition door and walked out of the Huang Residence without looking back.
Xie Xun knelt by the bedside, listening to the sound of Zhang Yan chasing after Xiao Rongyan. Tears fell unchecked from his eyes, entering his mouth, tasting bitter.
Before long, a light rain arrived silently. The rain grew heavier, forming a curtain of water along the eaves.
Xie Xun’s legs were numb, his ears filled with the sound of raindrops hitting the osmanthus leaves. He turned to look out at the overcast sky through the open window and weakly propped himself up against the edge of the bed. His gaze inadvertently fell on the Eight Immortals Table where Xiao Rongyan had just sat.
Remembering Xiao Rongyan tapping the edge of the Eight Immortals Table before he left, Xie Xun struggled to walk over to it.
When he saw the pouch that Princess Mingcheng had personally embroidered, Xie Xun’s face was instantly covered in tears, nearly collapsing.
His trembling fingers gently stroked the pouch, then clutched it tightly in his hand. He gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, his ears filled with Xiao Rongyan’s words before he left.
He, Xie Xun, had to stand up. He had to lead the Yan iron cavalry to sweep across the nations. He wanted Yan to become a powerful country feared by others, a dominant force capable of uniting the world, so strong that no Yan woman would ever have to marry far away for political alliances!
In chaotic times, a strong military made a strong nation. A strong nation had people who did not fear neighboring enemy states.
He, Xie Xun, wanted to become Yan’s true god of war, to make Yan’s people believe that he, Xie Xun, had the ability to protect the entire nation. He would ensure that no woman from Yan would have to marry far from home for the country’s sake.
·
On September 24 of the sixteenth year of Xuanjia, two thousand soldiers escorted the Crown Prince from Anping Camp to the Capital. The Crown Prince’s carriage, having survived two assassination attempts, rendezvoused with them at Huibi City on the twenty-seventh and headed straight for Dadu City.
On September 29, the Crown Prince was obstructed at Huayang City. The Huayang City commander claimed to have received orders only allowing the Crown Prince’s carriage to pass, barring the soldiers from Anping Camp unless they returned immediately, or else be charged with treason.
The Princess of Zhen held high the secret edict from the Emperor summoning the Crown Prince back to the Capital, threatening the Huayang commander with charges of rebellion and annihilation of the Nine Clans if he dared to block the way. Seeing the edict, the Huayang commander opened the city gates.
The Empress, having received the news, sat restlessly within the palace.
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