Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 178 I must see Song Yi with my own eyes
Xie Ling didn't dare to delay and quickly handed the letter to Jiang Lanye.

Jiang Lanye clutched the letter tightly. The thought that Song Yi had touched it and folded it herself filled his heart with endless bitterness.

"Your Majesty, please open it and take a look."

The usually composed Jiang Lanye's hands were trembling uncontrollably at this moment. It took him several attempts to fully unfold the letter, and what he saw was the handwriting that he was most familiar with, the handwriting that belonged only to Song Yi.

Jiang Lanye read the letter over and over again without blinking, then couldn't help but reach out and touch the dried ink stains, as if that would allow him to touch her across thousands of miles.

Xie Ling hadn't read the letter yet. Observing Jiang Lanye's expression, he asked nervously:
"Your Majesty, what did the Imperial Concubine say?"

Jiang Lanye closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "She's alright now."

Xie Ling breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "That's great! I knew Your Highness was intelligent and would be alright."

Jiang Lanye lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Next time you lead troops to the front line, I want to go with you."

Xie Ling's expression changed, not understanding why Jiang Lanye would do this again. She said anxiously, "Your Majesty must take good care of your health now and cannot travel or exert yourself! The Imperial Concubine would certainly not want Your Majesty to be like this."

Jiang Lanye handed over the letter.

Xie Ling looked at it carefully, then her expression became somewhat serious.

"So, in the next direct confrontation, the Imperial Concubine might very well be brought along to test us."

Jiang Lanye forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart; the metallic taste in his throat had almost made him vomit blood again.

But when he thought of what Song Yi had told him—that he must cherish his life—he suddenly calmed down.

Only by living well can I rescue Song Yi in the future and be with her forever.

He had had enough of the three years they had been apart and couldn't accept Song Yi leaving him again.

Jiang Lanye said coldly, "Therefore, I will go there. I may not carry a sword or take action, but I must see Song Yi with my own eyes."

He had to see Song Yi and make sure she was unharmed.

Xie Ling remained silent upon seeing this.

Who can be sure how the Imperial Concubine will be treated? If the soldiers see her covered in wounds, they might be able to pretend to be calm and not recognize her, but what about Jiang Lanye? He is already weak, and if he is further agitated, Xie Ling doesn't even want to think about the consequences.

“Your Majesty, if you insist on going, I have no right to stop you. But since they have decided to test us, the calmer we appear, the less likely they will succeed and the less likely the Imperial Concubine will be harmed.”

"I understand."

Xie Ling returned the letter to Jiang Lanye and comforted him, "Your Majesty, at least we can still contact the Imperial Concubine. And it seems that the Imperial Concubine is truly unharmed over there, otherwise she wouldn't be able to contact the carrier pigeons or get paper and pen to write to you."

Jiang Lanye looked at the letter in his hand, carefully reading every word and every stroke, wishing he could engrave it directly into his heart.

Xie Ling sighed silently, turned around and walked out.

Looking at the peach blossoms in the lower right corner, Jiang Lanye suddenly smiled, but then an indescribable pain swept through his body. He curled up, took two heavy breaths, and placed the letter on his chest, where it hurt as if a piece of him had been ripped out.

The next day, Song Yi tried to leave the camp again. Although some people still deliberately stared at her, it was much better than the previous day.

It seems that the provocation tactic is still effective on the wolf owl.

But that Khan
His eyes were truly terrifying. Song Yi realized that he was the one who could command the entire army, far more terrifying than Wolf Owl, and extremely sharp and vigilant.

If she was captured by that person, she's probably still in prison. Just as she was lost in thought, the sound of Wolf Owl's footsteps sounded behind her.

He sobered up.

Song Yi recalled that last night, when he was drunk, she deliberately touched his waist and did feel the key, but she couldn't be sure if it was the one for that door.

She stiffened, feeling a little guilty. Then she looked down and found a clean, flat patch of grass to sit on. She looked up at the azure sky, then looked down and listlessly picked at the grass.

There was another noise from the side. Wolf Owl sat down beside her and asked, "You didn't come out just to sit here and daydream, did you?"

"What else can I do?"

Wolf Owl stared silently at her profile and couldn't help but say, "Sometimes, I really don't think you're like a palace maid?"

"Why do you say that?"

"You have such delicate skin and no calluses on your hands. You don't look like someone who would normally serve others."

Song Yi suddenly chuckled, leaning back and bracing herself on the grass with her hands, feeling the wind blowing in her face.

Wolf Owl stared at her. Her skin was beautiful, and it looked even whiter in the sunlight. She was truly different from any woman he had ever met since childhood.

"I am someone who works in the palace, after all. Do you know that when palace maids are selected, they all have to come from slightly better backgrounds, and their features have to be regular? As for what you just said, I'll take it as a compliment."

Wolf Owl remained silent for a long while, then suddenly said, "The Khan suspects that the Emperor is particularly concerned about you. Therefore, in three days, I will lead troops to war. At that time, I will bind you and test you. Heh. If you give yourself away then, I will not let you off easily!"

Song Yi said softly, "Sure, go ahead and tie me up. But I'm really curious about what you're thinking. Even if I'm someone the emperor cares about, so what? Are you planning to hurt me and then threaten them?"

Wolf Owl chuckled, "I don't know what he's thinking. I just don't believe the other side would surrender or agree to any conditions because of a woman."

Song Yi neither agreed nor disagreed.

She turned to look at Wolf Owl and noticed that two strands of his hair were braided into very fine braids. His black hair was half loose and half tied up, with wolf tooth pendants at the ends. So, she deliberately squinted her eyes and suddenly leaned closer.

"you"

Wolf Owl frowned, unaccustomed to others suddenly being so close to him.

Song Yi's eyes were bright. She reached out and casually wrapped her hand around his thin braid, and asked with a smile, "Who braided this for you? It couldn't have been you, could it?"

Wolf Owl awkwardly pulled his hair away from her hand and said irritably:

"Of course it wasn't me; it was my maid who wrote it."

Why are you curious about my hair?

Song Yi smiled and said, "Aren't you curious about me? The way you're looking at me seems a bit strange."

She tilted her head and teased, "Are you very interested in me?"

Wolf Owl stood up abruptly, looking at her coldly. "What nonsense are you spouting? You're a prisoner. My interest in you is merely to find out who you really are!"

After saying that, he turned and left in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)