The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 160 Elopement
After finishing his shift, Xiao Yi went to Fanlou to take a bath and wash away the ashes.

As the shopkeeper saw him out, he smiled apologetically and reminded him, "Recently, military governors from various regions have come to the capital to pay their respects. I've heard that Commander Zhaoyi Chang will be returning to the capital soon."

"It seems you've already heard about the fire at the Chang residence, sir?"

"Young Master Xiao, you should be careful when you go out these days."

"Okay, thanks for reminding me. Give me a straw hat."

As he stepped out and mounted his horse, Xiao Yi made sure no one was following him before heading towards Song Garden.

He is highly skilled in martial arts and is not afraid of anyone seeking revenge, but he does not want to implicate An Yuanzhen, so he needs to be more careful when going out in the future.

However, upon reaching Tangfangkou Alley, they saw a group of strong men in the alley.

The leader was an elderly man in his sixties, dressed with an extraordinary air, his temples were white as frost, and his nose was very high. When he turned his head to look at us, his eyes were narrowed into slits.

Behind the old man was a middle-aged man who was not yet forty years old. Suddenly, he pointed and shouted.

"Grandpa, it's him!"

"Take it!"

Two people immediately rushed towards Xiao Yi.

Having become an enemy of the Buddhist sect, Xiao Yi was already on guard. He kicked his horse's belly, and instead of retreating, he rode forward, passing between the two men.

He braced himself on the saddle bridge with both hands and kicked out with both feet at the same time, knocking the two men down.

They rushed straight at the sixty-year-old man.

"Stop him! Protect Grandpa!"

No sooner said than done, Xiao Yi shoved aside two guards and punched the middle-aged man in the face.

The attack was so swift and unexpected that the opponent had no time to react and stumbled backward, almost falling off his horse.

"Ow!"

Xiao Yi withdrew his fist and immediately grabbed the old man by the back of his collar.

He had a strategy planned out from the beginning: since the enemy outnumbered him, he would capture the leader first and catch them off guard.

However, they came up empty-handed.

The old man appeared frail and slow, with failing eyesight, but at the crucial moment, he leaned forward and dodged with incredible speed.

Xiao Yi drew his whip and lashed out at those who dared to block his way, then charged past the blockade without stopping, heading straight for Song Garden.

However, a group of unfamiliar soldiers were standing in front of the gate of Songyuan.

His heart sank, and he was about to force his way through the door when he heard An Yuanzhen's voice coming from the crack in the door.

"Hurry up and leave, my uncle is here!"

"Take him!"

Behind them, pursuers arrived, and in front, the guards at the gate surrounded them.

Once Xiao Yi realized that it was someone from the An family, he turned his horse and rode away.

Looking back, An Yuanzhen had already pushed open the door and come out. She lifted her skirt and ran a few steps, looking at this side expectantly.

"Come on!"

They ran out of Tangfangkou Alley and gradually shook off their pursuers.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yi went to find Wang Jun.

As night fell, Wang Jun was still in the Privy Council. In his office, several staff members were making a constant "clattering" sound with their abacuses.

As soon as Xiao Yi entered the door, he was scolded.

"You're only reporting this now? The truth is already known. Why was Fan Zhi present?"

"Master Fan was also searching for the Zen Dew..."

"You shouldn't have let him in."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi had not come for this matter; he casually agreed but did not leave.

After a while, Wang Jun finally looked up from the ledger, turned to him, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"I heard that An Shenqi's brother has gone to the capital?"

"Come with me."

Wang Jun got up and went into the inner room.

Xiao Yi followed him inside and saw him standing with his hands behind his back, looking displeased.

“An Shenhui, originally from Xingzhou, recently suffered a sudden flare-up of his eye disease and submitted a petition to retire and return to the capital to live out his remaining years. His Majesty granted the petition, appointing him as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and bestowing upon him the title of Duke of Lu.”

"So he's going to stay in the capital and not leave?"

“Well, his son An Shoulin is mediocre and not worth worrying about. With both father and son in court, His Majesty has already agreed to release An’s daughter back to Xiangzhou.” Wang Jun said, “You should also wake up. His Majesty will not pursue the matter before. From now on, you should do your job well and not let others steal the credit.”

"Yes."

As soon as he left the Privy Council, a cold wind blew, and Xiao Yi's mind became much clearer.

He knew that An Yuanzhen would return to Xiangzhou sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.

He returned to his duty room and slept alone in his cold quilt all night. The next day, he was busy with drills and errands until the afternoon when someone came to the Palace Guard looking for him.

It was An Shenhui.

He dismissed the others and entertained the other person alone in the duty room.

"Please have a seat, Lord An."

"Your martial arts skills are quite good; you punched my son and left him with a black eye and a swollen face."

"In the heat of the moment yesterday, we became friends through a fight."

An Shenhui seemed not to hear, his eyes did not move, his head did not turn, and he sat stiffly, saying, "I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll just say it directly. My niece was the empress of the previous dynasty, so it is not easy for her to remarry openly in the future, and she cannot give you a title. But if you are willing to come to Xiangzhou, you will definitely not lack wealth and honor."

Xiao Yi said, "Lord An, you misunderstand. I have no intention of going to Xiangzhou."

"So you're saying you bullied my niece?"

This is a really difficult question to answer.

Xiao Yi had no choice but to say, "If Lord An has any dissatisfaction, I will apologize to you."

An Shenhui sat for a while longer and said, "You are His Majesty's confidant, so I will not touch you this time. Since you have no true feelings for her, do not let me see you associating with her again, otherwise, do not blame me for turning my back on you without mercy."

After saying that, he got up and walked outside.

"I'll see Lord An off."

Xiao Yi saw him off at the gate and watched the procession disappear into the distance.

He stood alone for a long time.

He didn't refute the phrase "since there is no true sincerity," because he truly couldn't abandon his life plans for anyone. What more could he say? He couldn't leave An Yuanzhen in Bianjing and subject her to even more risks.

He was far from powerful enough, unlike her family who could protect her.

"What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought."

Xiao Yi turned around and saw An Yuanzhen standing there, and was stunned.

Today, unlike her usual splendid attire, she was dressed as a maid, losing some of her usual elegance but gaining a touch of charm. Her eyes were filled with affection, as if veiled by mist. After a while, feeling shy under his gaze, she lowered her head and took his hand.

Why do you look at people like that?

Xiao Yi came to his senses and smiled, "I don't know who you are, young lady. I didn't recognize you."

"Fool, it's your Xiren, doesn't she look like a maid?"

"Doesn't seem like it, the hands are too soft."

An Yuanzhen couldn't help but throw herself into his arms and said, "I walked all this way today, I'm so tired."

"Shall I give you a foot massage?"

"Then carry me and take me home."

Xiao Yi turned his head to look, but the guards at the gate deliberately turned their heads away, pretending not to see him.

He didn't pretend to be stupid; he waved and had someone bring the horse over.

He carried An Yuanzhen, mounted his horse, and returned to his mansion in Guanqian Lane.

The house had been uninhabited for a long time, with only a few rooms cleaned up by hired people last time. There were no servants at the moment, so Xiao Yi decided to go to the well to fetch water and boil it.

An Yuanzhen hugged him from behind, preventing him from doing anything.

"I'll boil some water for you to drink."

"No, I just want to hold you."

"You'll be heading to Xiangzhou soon, won't you?"

Do you want me to stay?

“You can’t stay here.” Xiao Yi said firmly, “You’re safer back with your grandfather.”

"Humph."

Xiao Yi smiled wryly when he saw that she had lost her temper.

After a while, An Yuanzhen said, "Uncle said you have no sincerity, but I really like the way you look at me."

"Aren't you angry anymore?"

"If you stay with me these next few days, I won't be angry."

"Okay, is there anything you want to do before you go back?"

"I miss you so much. You weren't here yesterday..."

Xiao Yi was actually trying to restrain himself.

She leaned closer, but he kissed her forehead.

An Yuanzhen refused and pushed him onto the bed.

After a long struggle, reason was gradually worn away, but a little bit remained.

"Xiao Yi, you're so brave. When you're able to protect me in the future, will you come to Xiangzhou to pick me up?"

Xiao Yi was surprised that she understood his heart, and gave her a deep look.

"Okay, as long as I'm not dead."

"Then I'll wait for you, even if it kills me."

She pulled his hand to her waist, put her nose close to his ear, breathed softly, and said, "I know what you're thinking. I don't care, I've wanted you for a long time, I don't care about anything else... Come on."

A gentle, tender feeling welled up inside.

The only way is to inquire about it thoroughly.

An Yuanzhen spoke boldly, but in the end she couldn't bear it. First she sobbed and shed tears, but finally she managed to utter a few words from her throat.

"So good...it feels amazing..."

The next day, Xiao Yi went to the Palace Guard to ask for leave, saying that he had been burned.

This is also to slightly reduce the negative impact that Buddhism has on him.

Fearing that An Shenhui would come knocking on his door, and also because he was currently enjoying a romantic time with An Yuanzhen, he brought her along.

She only waited in the duty room for a short while before pouting.

"Hmph, you've been gone for so long, did your military commander agree to it?"

"I was injured on duty, so I had no choice but to agree. He didn't recognize you and asked me why I had a new lover."

"Then buy me some pretty clothes, and I'll find you a new lover..."

"Your uncle is here."

Xiao Yi suddenly saw the soldiers on the watchtower make a hand signal, knowing that An Shenhui had come looking for him, so he simply took An Yuanzhen and rode out through the back door.

An Yuanzhen found it amusing and asked with a smile, "Where are we going?"

"How about going to Chenliu?"

"Okay, but the horseback riding is so bumpy, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable. How about we hire a carriage?"

"it is good."

Although the carriage ride was bumpy, Xiao Yi could at least cushion her fall, so they cuddled together for another long way.

Although the journey was long, it felt like we arrived quickly. Old Pan had already arranged an inn, though the environment was far inferior to that of Fanlou.

An Yuanzhen, however, did not mind. Standing by the window of the post station, he picked up the newly made telescope and could see the rippling waters of the Sui River, the lush reeds, and the distant city of Chenliu resembling a phoenix.

"so beautiful."

"Do you like the rustic village house?"

"I like being with you everywhere. Love makes even water taste sweet."

The two then regarded this place as a paradise.

For several days, they abandoned worldly troubles and worldly pursuits, enjoying only the fragrant grasses and fallen petals of Peach Blossom Spring.

In the stillness of the night, they strolled along the stream beside the peach blossom grove, enjoying themselves immensely.

Afterwards, An Yuanzhen couldn't bear to sleep, so she hugged Xiao Yi's arm and talked until dawn.

"Ever since you stole my phoenix crown and ran away, I've been dreaming about you every day."

“I dreamed about you once during that time.”

"Really? I want to hear it."

"Because in Xuzhou, some people guessed that we were planning to elope..."

"We're eloping now, and I think eloping is so much fun."

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

As if sensing something, Xiao Yi stood up, picked up his binoculars, and aimed them at the official road in the distance.

A short while later, An Yuanzhen came over and hugged him from behind.

She used to be clingy, but this time, she didn't say anything.

(End of this chapter)