Kill the Northern Yan Crown Prince, Chizhan Lan Ce?
Her??
Wasn’t this decision… too rash?
Ye Xiren briefly doubted whether she had misheard, or if this General Yan had lost his mind. He couldn’t even kill Chizhan Lan Ce himself, yet he was asking her to do it.
If Chizhan Lan Ce were easy to kill, the man before her wouldn’t be imprisoned here.
Seeing her shocked expression, her eyes wide and round, Yan Danqing couldn’t help but curl the corners of his lips upward, a faint smile touching his eyes. He shook his head and finished what he had to say:
“Before the last assassination attempt, I considered the possibility of failure and hid a private order in Southern Capital City. I’ll tell you the location. Once you retrieve the token, go find the people I left behind in Nandu. They will obey your commands…”
His expression grew solemn as he leaned forward, lowering his voice to explain the assassination plan he had long prepared. Ye Xiren leaned in, listening intently, her eyes growing wider and wider until she sat bolt upright.
She dared not miss a single word.
By the end, she frowned and asked, “But how do we lure out Chizhan Lan Ce?”
“There is someone hidden within the Peace Faction who won’t be heavily guarded against by Northern Yan’s people,” Yan Danqing naturally hadn’t overlooked this crucial detail. He continued, “Take the token to Yuyin Tower in Xishi, and you’ll be able to contact that person. Have them cooperate with you, then execute the plan as I just described. Chizhan Lan Ce will surely be killed.”
His tone was light and casual, as if he weren’t plotting to assassinate the Northern Yan Crown Prince but merely discussing the weather.
After listening, Ye Xiren drew a sharp breath.
While she was still wondering if there was a way to delay for a day, this man was already planning how to strike Chizhan Lan Ce with a single, fatal blow. He clearly hadn’t been idle during his time in prison.
“But what if no one comes to the Imperial Prison? How would your plan proceed then?” Ye Xiren’s gaze was complicated. Since the people who imprisoned him here—whether Jiang You or the councilors—were all from the Peace Faction, they certainly wouldn’t allow anyone from the War Faction to see him.
If she hadn’t found a way to enter, what would have happened to this plan?
Yan Danqing smiled, his voice firm:
“They will come.”
Those destined to meet will always find a way.
Ye Xiren looked at him, sensing something odd in his gaze, but she didn’t dwell on it. Time was pressing, and there was no room for waste. She straightened up again and asked, “Who do I go to after retrieving the token?”
“Ma Shan,” Yan Danqing uttered a name.
Ye Xiren: “??”
She raised her voice: “Ma Shan? That burly refugee with a sickle hanging from his waist, Ma Shan?”
What a coincidence!
“You’ve met him?” Yan Danqing was somewhat surprised. “He’s my personal guard. Before the assassination attempt, he disguised himself as a refugee and infiltrated Nandu with his men, awaiting orders for emergencies. Just show him the token, and he’ll obey you unconditionally.”
Ye Xiren fell silent for a moment before answering honestly:
“I think maybe I won’t even need the token to get his help… After all, he’s waiting right outside the door.”
Yan Danqing was stunned once more.
Then, he suddenly burst into laughter. Despite the danger of the moment, despite the life-or-death stakes, he laughed heartily, lifting his chin so his messy hair revealed his face. His brows relaxed, like melting ice and snow, as if the spring scenery he hadn’t had time to see on the third day of the third lunar month was captured entirely in that single smile.
Only then did Ye Xiren realize—General Yan… was actually quite handsome.
Yan Danqing finished laughing, his tone still carrying amusement. "That's good. I was worried you wouldn't cooperate smoothly with the Yanjia Army, but now it seems there's no need for concern. The Yanjia Army isn't just him alone. After I'm imprisoned, Huai'an Qu will secretly send experts from the Yanjia Army. Take the token, have Ma Shan help you gather the others, and they will follow your orders."
Ye Xiren took a deep breath, setting aside other emotions, and nodded solemnly.
"As soon as Chizhan Lan Ce dies, the court will inevitably fall into chaos, too preoccupied to care about anything else. Minister Ye, upon receiving the news at Dali Temple, will realize that taking the blame for me is pointless, and the Ye family's crisis will be resolved," Yan Danqing said softly.
This way, not only would the Ye family's troubles be resolved, but the peace talks would also be successfully thwarted. By pulling the rug out from under them—with the Northern Yan Crown Prince gone—how could there be any possibility of peace talks?
Leaving the outcome to the battlefield at Huai'an Qu, rather than relying on behind-the-scenes schemes, would prevent the Great Liang Dynasty from being stolen away by the peace talks ploy.
This was the best possible outcome at the moment.
After speaking, he raised his hand again.
The iron chains clattered loudly. With every movement, the chains tugged at his body, the fixed points embedded with iron spikes instantly tearing his flesh and drenching him in blood.
Ye Xiren frowned.
Yan Danqing ignored the wounds, and the pain didn't even make him flinch. He merely pulled a tattered cloth from his sleeve, already stained with a letter written in blood, and handed it to Ye Xiren.
Separated by the bars, with him fixed inside, raising his hand and reaching forward was a difficult motion. Blood slowly soaked his clothes.
Ye Xiren quickly sat up, leaning against the bars and stretching her hand inside, her body almost pressed against the iron grating. Her fingertips reached the blood-stained letter, sparing him the pain of extending it further.
Yan Danqing was taken aback.
Ye Xiren was already reading the blood-stained letter, and the more she read, the tighter her frown became. Her heart ached, and she looked up at General Yan without a word.
Yan Danqing gave a faint smile and said softly, "The Yanjia Army must not fall into chaos. After killing Chizhan Lan Ce, have Ma Shan take this blood-stained letter and return to Huai'an Qu as quickly as possible to stabilize the troops' morale."
Ye Xiren felt increasingly distressed. Her dark eyes fixed intently on the man inside the cell, bound by countless chains, her voice so soft it seemed to vanish instantly in the wind:
"General Yan, but you haven't finished. When your men kill Chizhan Lan Ce and thwart the peace talks, the people in the court, and even the common folk, won't know that the peace talks were actually a conspiracy. They'll only think you're harming Daliang and inciting war.
"You will become an undeniable rebel. Even if Huai'an Qu has no commander, even if you are exceptionally talented, the Emperor won't dare to let you lead troops into battle. You… will undoubtedly die."
The plan was sound—it could kill Chizhan Lan Ce.
But all of this came at a cost: Yan Danqing would sacrifice himself. He would die alongside Chizhan Lan Ce, with no possibility of clearing his name.
She only needed to relay the plan and deliver the items, without exposing herself. But the members of the Yanjia Army were not unknown, and casualties were inevitable.
Once investigated afterward, it would be clear whose men they were and who carried out the act.
"That's why I prepared the blood-stained letter. Ma Shan must take it back to Huai'an Qu. Even if I die, the Yanjia Army must not fall into chaos and fall for that Northern Yan trick," Yan Danqing replied.
Ye Xiren's heart ached.
The more General Yan considered the greater good, the more her heart ached for his plight.
Seeing her like this, Yan Danqing softly comforted, "It's alright. I can't get out anyway, and taking Chizhan Lan Ce with me is the best outcome."
He was important to Daliang, just as Chizhan Lan Ce was to Bei Yan. If they both died, there would still be a chance for victory on the main battlefield, preventing them from falling into a known dead end.
Ye Xiren bit her lip. Unable to hold back, she finally asked:
"Is it worth it? Ever since your Yan family began guarding the border, generations of the Loyal and Brave Marquis have died on the battlefield. You are the last of the Yan family. You are brave and skilled in battle, turning the tide, leading the Yanjia Army to defend the nation's gates, yet you were still wrongfully imprisoned… With such injustice, why do you still strive to save the country?"
Yan Danqing was taken aback.
Then, he smiled and asked, "Have you ever seen the real Daliang?"
Ye Xiren shook her head.
Yan Danqing looked at her, his gaze seeming to pierce through her dark, clear eyes, reaching far, far away—to the vast landscape and the countless lights of homes.
"I grew up in the northern deserts of the Sixteen Prefectures, a vast and boundless world. My father and brothers rode with me across the grasslands, while my mother herded sheep and hunted horses with the nomads. The sky was high, the land wide, and the nomads sang and danced around bonfires, living their lives to the fullest. Later, the northern deserts were overrun, and Bei Yan occupied the Sixteen Prefectures. The nomads died or fled, and the grasslands were left with nothing."
"I was taken to Bai Plain, the heartland of the Central Plains, rich in millet and wheat, feeding countless people. When the weather was favorable, vast golden wheat fields stretched as far as the eye could see, their waves rippling in the wind—the most beautiful sight on this land. Later, Bai Plain was occupied by the Northern Yan Army. Iron hooves trampled the farmland, and war burned the wheat fields to ashes."
"I then arrived in Weishui City. Amidst the chaos of war, famine and corpses were everywhere. Together with a group of wandering soldiers and displaced farmers, we formed the Yanjia Army. Our hoes were our spears, our sickles our swords, and our bodies our shields."
"Now I am imprisoned in Nandu, a land of rivers and lakes, rich and gentle, yet trembling in the storm… Across this vast land of over three million square miles and countless people, Daliang belongs to everyone—not just the officials in the high halls who endlessly debate 'peace or war.'"
"When the nest is overturned, can any egg remain intact? When the city falls and the nation perishes, those in power may betray the country or flee—they always find a way to survive. But the common people cannot."
Yan Danqing shook his head, his eyes filled with melancholy:
"When the city falls and the nation perishes, they cannot survive, nor can they hide."
Only by using war to end war can peace be achieved.
He did not die for the court, but for this land of over three million square miles and its countless people.
Ye Xiren stood frozen in place, her eyes fixed blankly on Yan Danqing. His words still echoed in her ears, resounding and profound. In that moment, she seemed to understand why her father and others were willing to risk everything, even their lives, to protect this man.
The War Faction in the court was not closely acquainted with Yan Danqing, yet they acted with perfect tacit understanding, for they were working toward the same goal, protecting the same purpose.
Ye Pei was, Bai Chengguang was, Zheng Wen Jue was.
So were Yan Danqing and the tens of thousands of soldiers guarding Huai'an Qu.
"Are you done yet?" Lu Qian's voice called out, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.
Ye Xiren immediately stood up, stuffed the blood-stained letter into her robes to hide it, took a deep breath, and said with determination, "General Yan, rest assured. Leave this matter to me."
After speaking, she turned and strode away.
But after entering the secret passage, she suddenly turned back and ran, panting heavily, raising her voice to ask, "General Yan, what was your name again?"
Perhaps from now on, he would be labeled a "rebel," recorded in Daliang's register of criminals, but Ye Xiren wanted to remember his name and courtesy name, to firmly etch this General Yan who sought to rewrite the ending into her memory for the rest of her life.
"Yan, as in 'urgent as a command,' and Danqing, as in 'two illusory forms of Danqing and I,'" Yan Danqing replied with a smile. "My name is Yan Danqing, and my parents gave me the courtesy name 'Chun Zhou.'"
Yan Danqing, courtesy name Chun Zhou.
Clad in shackles, he sat upright in the dilapidated cell. Neither his wounds nor the chains could affect him in the slightest. This place confined him, yet it could not truly hold him. The flickering candlelight cast half-light and half-shadow, and his eyes shone brilliantly, as if capable of piercing through the silent dark night.
Ye Xiren's eyes grew moist. How could she have ever thought General Yan was a savage rebel?
Chun Zhou—such a vibrant, life-filled name.
Yet it was like brushing away snow to see spring, or burning a lamp to prolong daylight. He was clearly using his own life and blood to light a lamp and extend the life of this dynasty.
Ye Xiren blinked, holding back the moisture in her eyes, lifted the hem of her skirt, and strode out.
"Finally out." Lu Qian looked her up and down. "If I didn’t know you two were strangers, I might have thought you were bidding farewell to a lover, reluctant to part…"
Ye Xiren’s expression instantly darkened as she sneered, "The lewd see lewdness, Lu Qian. Don’t use your narrow eyes to judge General Yan."
Lu Qian’s hand tightened in anger, gripping his longsword, his gaze venomous. "Let’s see how long you can hold out. Sooner or later, you’ll fall into my hands, and I’ll make you wish you were dead."
Ye Xiren lowered her eyes, concealing the killing intent within.
Once she gathered Yan Danqing’s men and killed Chizhan Lan Ce, she would definitely slaughter this traitor too!
The two left the Imperial Prison.
Ye Xiren’s expression was serious. There was still much to do, and time was slipping away, not a moment could be wasted. The entire plan was far from simple, and she had to act quickly.
Just as she was about to lead Ma Shan away from the area, her brow suddenly twitched. For some reason, an ominous aura surged over, and even the sound of the wind grew strange. Her heart almost stopped beating for a moment.
Several arrows suddenly shot through the air, carrying a chilling killing intent.
Lu Qian grunted, looking down in disbelief.
An arrow had pierced through his heart, blood slowly seeping out. Seeing the Bei Yan secret symbol on the arrow, Lu Qian collapsed stiffly with a look of shock and confusion, his breath cut off. Shouts of alarm erupted around them.
Watching Lu Qian fall, Ye Xiren’s pupils contracted, and she instinctively looked up.
On the rooftop opposite, a group of people stood silently. The leader looked familiar, his gray-blue fur collar making him appear like an immortal, ethereal and graceful, his brows and eyes smiling, yet his gaze was icy and merciless.
He held a crossbow in his hands, his upturned eyes fixed intently on Ye Xiren, his lips moving soundlessly.
As this name flashed through her mind, the arrow released from the crossbow had already reached Ye Xiren’s eyes…
An arrow pierced her throat!