Denghuangtai

"Should I send someone?"

Yun Zheng's pupils contracted, his eyes filled with astonishment. "You mean, in the North, someone claiming to be someone I sent injured you?"

"They didn't just hurt me, they tried to kill me," Pei Qingyan emphasized. Looking at Yun Zheng's blank expression, her resentment grew stronger, and she sneered, "Grand Marshal, even now you're still playing dumb. You're quite the actor."

Pei Qingyan harbored resentment and bluntly compared Yun Zheng to a third-rate actor, an insult no less than directly cursing the other party's ancestors.

Even the most good-tempered person would find it hard not to get angry upon hearing such words. But Yun Zheng showed no reaction whatsoever; his focus was entirely on the phrase "are you trying to kill me?"

"Do you remember what the person who wanted to kill you looked like?"

Pei Qingyan scoffed, "So what if I remember, or I don't?"

"Ah Yan".

Yun Zheng's voice was gentle, with a hint of coaxing.

There was a time when Pei Qingyan heard this kind of address and tone almost every day.

When she didn't like studying, when she couldn't control her temper and wanted to fight, or when she was injured while practicing martial arts, Yun Zheng would always gently call her "A-Yan" in this tone...

Later, the next time she wanted to hear Yun Zheng call her that was in the cold night of the North, in the middle of the night, when she dreamt that Yun Zheng and Princess Yongchang were standing hand in hand. Princess Yongchang was smiling at her, while Yun Zheng said to her with a serious expression, "Ayan, I don't want you anymore."

Every time she dreamt of this place, she would suddenly wake up. The night was as cold as water, and her heart trembled from the freezing darkness.

She wanted to forget, to forget every little thing she had shared with Yun Zheng, to forget Yun Zheng as a person. But the more she tried to forget, the more she couldn't. Scenes from the past flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

Occasionally, when she picks up a book of poetry, she thinks of Yun Zheng, recalling his gentle voice as he softly recites "Guan Ju"; when she climbs the city wall to patrol and catches the sunset, she remembers the time she and Yun Zheng watched the sunset together on the city wall of Chang'an...

Nine out of ten years of her life have been marked by Yun Zheng's presence; a brief recollection reveals his shadow. Sometimes, she even wonders with self-deprecation whether her life is forever trapped in the past, confined in the shadow of "Yun Zheng."

She never knew the answer...

Yun Zheng's call of "A-Yan" brought Pei Qingyan back to reality. Pei Qingyan came to her senses and saw Yun Zheng looking at her with a serious and earnest expression. "Whether you believe it or not, I have never thought of taking your life all these years. There must be another misunderstanding."

He gazed into Pei Qingyan's eyes with sincere eyes.

Pei Qingyan's eyes trembled slightly, and a wave of bitterness welled up in her heart. She turned her head away, tears welling up in her eyes.

"What a spineless coward! What's there to cry about when someone just said something so casually?" Pei Qingyan thought to himself, utterly disgusted.

She closed her eyes, forcing back the tears welling up in her eyes. She could deliberately show weakness to Yun Zheng and use him, but she could never reveal her true vulnerability.

After a long while, Pei Qingyan opened her eyes, turned to stare into Yun Zheng's eyes, and said calmly, "Yun Zheng, I used to trust you a lot. But..." She paused, a mocking smile playing on her lips, "In the end, you personally destroyed my trust in you, making me a laughingstock."

"I'll wipe it off myself?"

Yun Zheng became more and more confused as he listened. He didn't understand how Pei Qingyan had come to these conclusions, but he was certain that there must be a misunderstanding between him and Pei Qingyan.

"Ah Yan..."

His lips moved, and he was about to ask for details when he saw Pei Qingyan's face suddenly turn ashen, his expression somewhat ferocious, as if he were in extreme pain.

"What's wrong with you?" Yun Zheng asked, trying to reach out and support Pei Qingyan, who was about to fall forward, but was refused by the other party.

Pei Qingyan clutched her chest, her vision blurring. The effects of the Dragon Tiger Pill had long since worn off; she had only managed to hold on by sheer willpower to avoid falling into a coma.

If she hadn't been so caught up in the past and her emotions hadn't been so turbulent, she could have held on for a while longer. But unfortunately... Yun Zheng's repeated calls of "A-Yan" stirred up memories of the past, memories that tore at her like knives, leaving her no peace.

She swayed, but finally couldn't hold it in and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Ah Yan!"

Yun Zheng exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to catch the man. Looking at the dazed Pei Qingyan, he was extremely anxious and shouted outside, "Change course, go back to Xuandu Temple."

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Qingyan forced his eyes open, grabbed Yun Zheng, and said, "We can't go back, keep going around in circles, I still need to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yun Zheng said angrily, "You just want your troops to leave early, right? I assure you, even if we go back now and run into your two troops, I won't arrest them."

"I don't believe you..."

"Even if you don't trust me, you can't just ignore your own safety, can you?" Yun Zheng was so angry that he wanted to knock the man unconscious and take him back.

Pei Qingyan used his remaining stamina to think for a long time before saying, "Swear an oath. If you break your promise and capture my troops, you will suffer a terrible death... That's not harsh enough. Let's change it. If you break your promise, you will be without a wife or children, and live a lonely and destitute life."

Yun Zheng: "..."

He had never believed in ghosts and gods, and did not think that such oaths could be effective. If such ethereal things were useful, why would there be so much suspicion between the ruler and his subjects? Wouldn't it be easier for them to make a solemn oath and put their minds at ease?

Throughout history, oaths have never been taken; instead, factional struggles and power plays have been constant, demonstrating that oaths are utterly ineffective.

"You're not going to swear an oath?"

Seeing that Pei Qingyan's breathing was weak, and he was drowsy and on the verge of losing consciousness, she stubbornly held on, her eyes closing and opening again.

Yun Zheng sighed, "I swear, if I see your troops, I will show them mercy and let them go. If I break this vow, may I die a miserable death, never get what I want, have no wife or children, and live a lonely life."

"May all the gods bear witness for me."

Pei Qingyan clasped her hands together and murmured something to the air. Her wish had been fulfilled, and the breath she had been holding on finally came out. She closed her eyes and fainted completely.

Yun Zheng looked down at Pei Qingyan, who was almost lifeless, and felt a sharp pain in his heart. He reached out and gently wiped the bloodstains from Pei Qingyan's lips.

"Give me some time, and I will definitely clear up the misunderstanding between us."