Book 1: Winds Begin to Blow in Tai Yuan
Chapter 42 – Extortion at the Palace Gates
The second palace gate slowly opened. As three experts worked together and snatched this opportunity again, the five hundred soldiers were no longer able to block their way. However, in front of them the first palace gate came into view.
At the end of the one hundred or so meters long black stone corridor, the thousands of soldiers guarding in front of the gate awaited in strict formation. It was only because the princess had been captured that no one dared to release their arrows.
Without the threat of arrow rain, the three people walked over with much more relaxation. Meng Fuyao’s attitude was even that of going on an idle stroll. She carried her whip as she followed behind Zhan Bei Ye, swaggering as she walked.
In actuality, she didn’t really want to walk with such lack of disposition, but because of the fresh blood from the wound on her thigh had congealed and stuck together with her skirt, with every step of hers came a tearing pain. Right now was also not the time to take care of her injuries, so Meng Fuyao could only crookedly walk to cover up this fact.
Fuyao didn’t notice the strange expression of Prince Zhan. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the pale-faced Yan Jingchen who was guarding at the gate. Yan Jingchen didn’t look at anyone else, only fixedly staring at her. Curling her lip, Meng Fuyao realized that her figure was too fantastic, which was why even if her face was disguised, she still couldn’t fool people who were familiar with her – like Yuan Zhaoxu, like Yan Jingchen.
“Ha luo!”[1] She waved her hand. “Little Duke Yan, I leashed your luxury doggy over for you, how will you thank me?”
Yan Jingchen’s face turned even paler by several degrees, in the darkness seeming as if it was smeared with frost. The past gentle elegance, was already nowhere to be seen.
After a while he said, “Release the princess.”
“Sure.” Meng Fuyao nodded. “Open the gates.”
A moment of stillness. A while later Yan Jingchen said, “You stay behind, and I will let them go through. Or else, I’ll command them to surround and attack.”
Pei Yuan immediately turned her head, so shocked even her pupils had expanded. Her whole body suddenly began to lightly tremble, as if she had never thought that Yan Jingchen would give this kind of answer. She trembled into a fallen leaf in the wind, and that leaf helplessly fell down, in an instant brittle and dry.
Meng Fuyao also stared wide-eyed, unable to resist coldly hissing a sound through her teeth. Truly there was no such thing as most horrifying, only more horrifying. The last time they encountered each other, she had already been so shocked by his absurd suggestion that her eyeballs almost popped out. This time he actually said these kinds of words right in front of Pei Yuan!
Zhan Bei Ye had already burst into a great rage, and with a tightening of his fingers Pei Yuan’s bones made ge ge sounds. He screwed up his eyebrows as he glared at Yan Jingchen, saying, “Little white face[2], this Prince doesn’t need woman to sacrifice themselves for me to escape, if you dare to stay her, then I’ll dare to stay your life!”
Yun Hen didn’t say anything, only striding forwards a step and protecting the Meng Fuyao behind him.
Yan Jingchen’s face color fluctuated, and he swept his gaze across the faces of Zhan Bei Ye and Yun Hen. In his eyes quickly leapt up a blazing wildfire that charred his usually cultured expression with some savageness. The torches’ glow eerily danced and combusted, and his face also seemed to distort amidst the burning fire light. After a while, as if he had made up his mind, he silently retreated backwards a step and sliced down his palm towards Zhan Bei Ye!
Pei Yuan instantly spit out a mouthful of blood with a cry. Zhan Bei Ye’s sleeve flung out with a slap as he angrily said, “Spit then spit, but you’re not allowed to splatter your dirty blood on this Prince’s body!”
Behind, the rushing over General Pei furiously roared, “Yan family brat, you!”
“Father-in-law! Jingchen is guarding the very last palace gate, this is a matter of great importance, and I do not dare neglect the major situation just because of my personal affairs!” Yan Jingchen didn’t look at General Pei. On his cheeks blue veins slightly protruded, and his eyes were tinged with blood-colored red.
Meng Fuyao saw that Yan Jingchen’s hand gesture was actually pointing towards Zhan Bei Ye and Pei Yuan, leaving herself to the side. Fuyao couldn’t help but fold her arms and sneer.
Many thousands of sharp blades pointed towards Zhan Bei Ye and Yun Hen. Yan Jingchen’s face was pale as he faced Meng Fuyao, saying, “You come here!”
Meng Fuyao looked up at the sky, ignoring him.
Yan Jingchen sucked in a breath. When he was stationed at the first palace gate today, seeing changes in front and the Crown Prince escaping, he knew that the palace coup was going to be hard-pressed to achieve the expected outcome. The Yan and Pei family’s beautiful dreams of prestige and fortune were about to go up in smoke, and showing consideration for Pei Yuan right now was already meaningless. Plus the sight of Meng Fuyao and Zhan Bei Ye being all intimate and affectionate in front of him, the depths of his heart were scorched by the flames of jealousy to the point of bursting. With the change in his usual state of mind under his intense rage, he became determined to use this opportunity to leave behind Meng Fuyao.
Making her stay behind, even if he had to bind her wings, would still be better than seeing her journey the jianghu with other men, and brightly smile in their embrace.
Yan Jingchen clenched his teeth, spitting out words through the gaps of his teeth.
“You come here! Otherwise even if I risk losing a thousand men, I will still cut them into meat paste!”
Meng Fuyao turned her head, giving him a sideways glance. After a while she lightly said, “I’d rather turn into meat paste with them, if only you could stomach it.”
Her tone was lighthearted, yet her words were righteous. Yun Hen turned his head, his eyes complicated as he glanced at her. The resplendent star light in his pupils became denser. Zhan Bei Ye then threw his head back in a loud laugh. “Good, good woman! — I’ve decided, I’m definitely marrying you!”
Meng Fuyao was stunned, what was this person’s mind made of? Did he know where her house was her age this year how good her personality was what her preferences were what her cup sizes were what her shoe size was who her father was what her mother’s surname was? How could he casually throw out this kind of talk, he was joking right?
Thinking a little Meng Fuyao decided, this definitely was him joking.
She didn’t know that the sound of this loud laugh traveled out, reaching the ears of Yuan Zhaoxu at the first palace gate who was currently preparing to leave. His figure that was about to get on the horse paused, and he lowered his head to say to the Master Yuanbao in his bosom, “Hey, someone wants to fight with me over my woman.”
Master Yuanbao’s two claws waved, most likely with the meaning of “fighting over woman huh is it Meng Fuyao huh ok ok quickly give her to him then everyone will be happy ha ha ha ha”.
Yuan Zhaoxu raised his eyebrows. “You don’t feel that I would have no face at all if it’s like this?”
Master Yuanbao continuously made zhi zhi sounds, absolutely exhilarated as it stuck out its chest, then bared the super large buck teeth that it thought were very pretty.
Yuan Zhaoxu’s beautiful eyebrows rose high up, strangely looking at it. After some time he said, “Sorry, I don’t have any interest in you.”
Footnotes Chinese characters that sound like the English “Hello” Derogatory term for a pretty boy