GSY Chapter56

“Ah Lan, I’m fine.” Su Chenzhao held a cup of medicine, took a few sips, stuffed two candied fruits into his mouth, and said vaguely, “The Seventh Prince looked fierce that time, but he still kept some measure.”

 

Cen Yelan responded with a sound with no expression on his face. Su Chenzhao looked at him and asked him, “Ah Lan, what’s going on between you and the Seventh Prince?”

 

Cen Yelan lowered his eyes and calmly said, “Nothing.”

 

Su Chenzhao said, “Don’t hide it from me. He looks like…” He thought for a moment and said, “He likes you, Ah Lan. Does the Seventh Prince like you?”

 

Cen Yelan pressed his fingers between his eyebrows and said nothing.

 

Su Chenzhao looked at Cen Yelan, his eyes gradually widened, even his mouth opened slightly. He remembered that days ago, Cen Yelan had a fever for no reason and lived in the medicine house. Yuan Zheng came to the house at that time, and the atmosphere between the two was very strange.

 

Su Chenzhao realized it belatedly. He bit the candied fruit, greedily putting another one in his mouth, and said, “Do you like him?”

 

Cen Yelan paused and said coldly, “No.”

 

Su Chenzhao groaned and said, “Actually, this guy just has a bad temper, but the soldiers in the army like him very much.”

 

Cen Yelan looked at Su Chenzhao, a smile appeared on his face, and he said, “He hurt you the day before yesterday.”

 

Su Chenzhao rubbed his chest unhappily and said, “That’s why I said he has a bad temper and a bad mouth. I don’t like him.” He looked at Cen Yelan again and said, “But if Ah Lan likes him, I won’t be mad at him.”

 

Cen Yelan froze, sighed, and said, “Chezhao, I don’t like him, I can’t like him.”

 

Su Chen Zhao blinked in confusion and said, “If you like him, you like him, why can’t you like him?”

 

Cen Yelan: “If he were an ordinary person, it would be fine, but he is a royal family, the only prince of the late empress. He is also responsible for the rise and fall of the Meng family and the honor and disgrace of the aristocratic family. How can everything be decided by him? I also can’t let go of the North, and I can’t let Adoptive Father down. In this life, I have no choice but to die on the battlefield and be buried in the mountains.”

 

Su Chenzhao seemed to understand, but somehow he felt a little sad, “Ah Lan…”

 

Cen Yelan was calm and said, “Besides, Yuan Zheng should be leaving.”

 

Su Chenzhao looked at Cen Yelan, who looked a little cold, and said, “I received a letter from the capital a few days ago. The capital is in chaos.”

 

When the letter from the capital reached Yuan Zheng, it was already the second day. He woke up from a hangover and saw Meng Jiu. Fang Jing looked grim. “…Ah Zheng.”

 

Yuan Zheng closed his eyes and said, “Meng Jiu, why are you here?”

 

Meng Jiu knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, “Your Highness, Meng Jiu is here to take you back to the capital.”

 

Yuan Zheng opened his eyes and looked at Meng Jiu indifferently. Meng Jiu was the attendant of his uncle Meng Tan. No matter where Meng Tan went, Meng Jiu always followed him closely, like his shadow.

 

Yuan Zheng felt dizzy, nauseous, and had a terrible headache. He said indifferently, “You didn’t stay with my uncle just to ask me to go back?”

 

“Where is my uncle?”

 

Meng Jiu pursed his lips and said softly, “Master was assassinated and seriously injured. When I left the capital, he was still… still unconscious.”

 

Yuan Zheng suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Meng Jiu. Meng Jiu met his gaze and said, “Before Master fell into a coma, he specially ordered Meng Jiu to pick up Your Highness. Please return to the capital as soon as possible!”

 

Yuan Zheng’s head hurt even more, and his head was buzzing. For no reason, he felt cold in his heart and said, “What happened?”

 

Fang Jing said, “His Majesty suddenly had an emergency. He vomited blood and passed out during the morning court…”

 

Yuan Zheng stared at Fang Jing in disbelief. Fang Jing said, “This happened seven days ago. The capital was sealed off, and the news could not get out at all.”

 

Yuan Zheng angrily said, “Emperor Father was fine when I left the capital, how could he suddenly fall ill? Are those imperial physicians useless?”

 

Meng Jiu said softly, “Not long after Your Highness left the capital, His Majesty caught a cold and never recovered. Until Master was assassinated, His Majesty suddenly vomited blood and fainted during the morning court session. Now the capital is in a state of panic, and everyone feels danger.”

 

Yuan Zheng’s face was pale. “… How are my Emperor Father and uncle?”

 

Meng Jiu remained silent.

 

Yuan Zheng anxiously said, “Speak!”

 

Fang Jing grabbed Yuan Zheng’s arm. “Ah Zheng, don’t be anxious.”

 

“No news has come out of the capital yet, and we don’t know anything about it.” Meng Jiu bit his lips, fell to the ground, and knocked his head hard, saying, “Meng Jiu begs Your Highness, please put the overall situation first and return to the capital immediately!”

 

Yuan Zheng calmed down, silently looking at Meng Jiu’s figure. He swallowed the nauseating bitterness in his throat, raised his hand to touch the wound on his shoulder, and said in a hoarse voice, “Fang Jing, go and pass on my order, return to the capital immediately.”

 

It was hundreds of miles from Yandu to Hanzhou City, which was on the northern border. Even though the news had been spreading to the northern border at full speed, but it had already taken several days. Yuan Zheng did not dare to think about what had happened in the capital. After all, he was born in the imperial palace. With such a sudden turmoil, he knew that when he returned to the capital, everything would be turned upside down.

 

Yuan Zheng even had a vague feeling that this time when he returned to the capital, he would embark on a different road. That road was a sea of blood and corpses. Before he even started walking, the strong smell of blood and cold air was already blowing in his face.

 

The news of Yuan Zheng’s return to the capital spread quickly. At that time, Cen Yelan was discussing the construction of the new Beicang Pass with the generals in the city. He was silent for a moment and only ordered Qi Ming, Zhao Yiqing, and others to see Yuan Zheng off.

 

The walls on Hanzhou City are high and stretch out like a solid backbone, lying between the boundless heaven and earth.

 

Yuan Zheng recalled that the day he arrived in Hanzhou was in autumn, the sky was high and the clouds were light, the northern geese were flying south, and Cen Yelan led the generals in the city to greet him at the city gate.

 

He had been on a rough road and was punished, so he was unhappy. When he lifted the curtain, the dry and cold wind carried fine sand, it made him even more unhappy.

 

Fang Jing got off the horse first and whispered beside him, “Ah Zheng, we’re here.”

 

Yuan Zheng leaned against the carriage with his arms folded. Before he could speak, he heard a low and cold voice outside the carriage, which reminded Yuan Zheng of the first snow in winter and the melting ice.

 

He said, “General Cen Yelan greets His Highness.”

 

Yuan Zheng raised his eyebrows and slowly opened the carriage window, then saw Cen Yelan standing outside, wearing a black robe and black hair, a waist belt that showed off his slender waist, and a white jade pendant with a carved Pixiu. His figure was as straight as a pine tree, indestructible and unbreakable.

 

Cen Yelan raised his head, and the two of them looked at each other. Yuan Zheng slowly smiled and said, “General Cen, long time no see.”

 

A few months passed in the blink of an eye. Now it is the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The northern border is still bleak and cold, with no sign of spring.

 

Yuan Zheng rode on his horse, his eyes swept over the generals from the northern border who came to see him off one by one, but he didn’t see Cen Yelan. He suppressed the sudden sharp pain, but there was no expression on his face.

 

Qi Ming led a group of elite soldiers behind him and said respectfully, “Your Highness, the General has ordered the subordinate to escort you back to the capital.”

 

Yuan Zheng looked at him solemnly without saying a word.

 

Fang Jing seemed to sense something, so he rode closer and called out softly, “Your Highness?”

 

Yuan Zheng tightened the reins and whipped the horse violently. Amid the sound of horse hooves, he calmly said, “Let’s go.”

 

In the study.

 

“Ah Lan, aren’t you going to see them off?” Su Chenzhao said.

 

Cen Yelan held the document in his hand and said calmly, “No need.”

 

Su Chenzhao muttered quietly, “You have been reading this document for quite a while already.”

 

Cen Yelan suddenly loosened his hand, and the document fell on the table. He lowered his eyes, slowly closed the document, and said, “It’s useless to see them off.” He seemed to be talking to himself, and his voice was soft, “No need to see them off.”