Inside the carriage, the doctor carefully helped Xiang Han to extract the knife. Xiang Han’s face was pale and covered in sweat. Occasionally, he would tremble from the pain.
Xu Yan Ze helped him wipe off his sweat in distress. “Does it hurt? If it does, just bite me.”
He gently brought his fingers to his mouth.
Xiang Han instinctively shook his head. “No need.” The system couldn’t feel pain. What if he accidentally lost control and bit off his entire finger?
After saying so, he realised that Xu Yan Ze couldn’t hear his words at all now that the system was controlling his body.
[Little Nine, tell him what I said. He’s very worried.] Xiang Han said anxiously.
Therefore, the system mechanically replied. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Xu Yan Ze was silent for a moment before he suddenly turned to the doctor with burning eyes. “Physician, there’s something wrong.”
At the same time, the doctor replied in terror, “Marquis, the young master he… has been poisoned.”
The air in the carriage plummeted. Xu Yan Ze’s expression changed many times before he finally asked, “Where’s the cure?”
“That… Please forgive me, Marquis. This servant has never seen this poison before.”
Xu Yan Ze’s face grew even darker and he suddenly barked. “Stop the carriage.”
“What’s wrong?” Jin Er hurried over.
“Little Fool has been poisoned. Look after him carefully.” Xu Yan Ze got off and rode a horse back to the capital.
Jin Er tried to stop him anxiously, “Aren’t you seeking death by going back at this time. Wait till we get back to Jin Wu…”
“It can’t wait!” Xu Yan Ze eyes were filled with murder. Once he thought of Xiang Han in danger, he couldn’t care about anything else.
Seeing this, Jin Er grew desperate. “Brother-in-law, are you crazy? If you go back alone like this, do you think you’ll survive even if you manage to obtain the cure? We need to hurry back and send out an order for Jin Wu to attack them and some soldiers to negotiate. You have to stay by third cousin’s side… right, cousin?”
He turned towards the carriage and shouted.
Xiang Han was growing anxious and told the system. [Hurry up, let me control it for a bit.]
After regaining control, the pain made him gnash his teeth but he couldn’t think much. He quickly tried to get off the carriage and called out weakly, “Yan Xiao Ze, i-if you dare leave, I-I’ll dare to die.”
The doctor trembled. “Marquis, although this servant has no way of curing the poison, I can block his acupuncture point to prevent it from spreading and reaching his heart.”
Xu Yan Ze was frozen in place as he stared at Xiang Han in a daze.
Enduring the pain, Xiang Han managed to squeeze out in a small and pitiful voice, “Wifey, it hurts. Can you hug me? It won’t hurt anymore if you hug me…”
Xu Yan Ze’s heart squeezed and he finally croaked, “Okay.”
Jin Er let out a breath and hurriedly reminded his subordinates. “Send a message to Jin Wu to dispatch an envoy.”
As he watched Xu Yan Ze get onto the horse, Xiang Han sighed in relief and soon curled back, allowing the system to regain control of his body. Meanwhile, he asked Big A, [Why didn’t you pull me out when we were in the palace?]
[It’s because the fluctuation was increasing, so we wanted to wait…]
Xiang Han was left speechless.
After they left, the emperor reprimanded the third prince, “Who allowed you to act so rashly on your own?”
The third prince was bitter. “Why is Imperial Father hesitating? So what if the Jin lad brings his men and charge here? The Imperial Guards are not for decoration. Moreover, the Gyeonggi soldiers are arriving.”
“I’m only afraid that my life and yours would be sent to the yellow springs1 before then.” The emperor was furious. “Immediately send out Zhen’s decree to transfer Dragon scale guards and Tiger guards. The marquis will definitely not let us off.”
Hearing this, the third prince burst into laughter. “The Jin family’s third young master has no choice but to die. It’s best if Yan Xiao Ze becomes depressed because of this and saves us the trouble of dealing with him.”
“How do you still have the shame to say this?” The emperor kicked him furiously. “The Marquis has earned the trust of the civilians in the North. This time, when he returns, he’d definitely spread the rumour that the emperor is killing a meritorious soldier because of his power and he’d then borrow the strength of the army and use this as an excuse to attack.”
Suffering a kick, the third prince wasn’t angry and instead, said profoundly, “Imperial Father, calm down. That female dancer was a Turkic national, so the one who used poison were the Turks. This matter has nothing to do with us at all.”
The emperor’s anger had diminished by half and after a moment, he spoke. “You’re not bad.”
At this point, there was no turning back. If there was going to be a fight, let there be one. In any case, Xu Yan Ze couldn’t be spared.
Before that, the emperor felt that his odds of winning were equal to Xu Yan Ze’s and maybe even a little more. He was the emperor, the monarch and the backbone of the country who everyone looked up to.
However, he didn’t expect for Xu Yan Ze to be crazier than he imagined. Without stopping to rest, he fought as if he wanted to break into the capital within a day. Under his command, the Northern Army was like a pack of ferocious wolves, bringing chaos and destruction as easily as a hot knife cutting through butter wherever they went.
Towards the end, the imperial palace suffered a defeat too great that the soldiers lost their will. Many people fled the moment they saw the word ‘North’.
Xu Yan Ze didn’t play by the rules. In order to force the emperor to spit out the cure to the poison as soon as possible, he simply charged in alone and broke through the capital.
Although most of the imperial guards were battling the northern army at the frontlines, it did not mean the capital was lacking military power. But the emperor was also startled by Xu Yan Ze’s overwhelming momentum. When he heard the latter was nearly about to penetrate his defenses, he stood up in shock and shouted, “It’s only been three months. How can he be so quick?”
There were a hundred thousand troops fighting at the frontlines. If he died just like this in the capital, wouldn’t it be too pitiful?
He suddenly recalled that if the third prince had not acted on his own accord, there was no need for him to face Xu Yan Ze so quickly. He could take his time to nibble away at the other person. But now, he may become the emperor of a destroyed nation.
What about the third prince? He could escape and regather his former subordinates in the future. He could temporarily seek refuge in the south and make a living for himself for a few years or even tens of years. Wasn’t this what happened in the previous dynasty? In any case, Xu Yan Ze’s anger was all directed at him but in his fear, he didn’t think of this.
The more the emperor thought, the darker his expression turned. After taking a few steps, he suddenly decided to move the capital. He would first leave Chang’an and make a plan. At the same time, he drugged both the third prince and the dancer, wrapped them up, and sent them to Xu Yan Ze to express his desire for peace. He claimed the third prince was the one behind the assassination attempt after he colluded with the Turks and acted on his own. The dancer and drug were supplied by the Turk so they were the only one who could resolve it.
When the third prince woke up, he was dumbfounded to discover he had been tied up.
Xu Yan Ze’s voice was calm. “Let’s begin.”
After a round of interrogation, the third prince was quick to spit the truth out. Thinking of how it was the emperor’s fault he was in such a predicament, his anger grew. “Did you really think he was unaware? Hah! Stop joking. He also wants to kill you. You have no idea how many imperial guards were lying in ambush outside the palace, but he was a coward and didn’t dare to give the order. Hahaha…”
“Marquis, how should we deal with this person?” The interrogator asked.
“Execute.” Hate flashed through Xu Yan Ze’s eyes.
“Then… what about the dancer?”
“Same.” Since they had no cure, there was no need to leave them alive.
Xu Yan Ze swiftly brought a few strong soldiers with him and left, but didn’t withdraw his troops.
After returning to Jin Wu, he went to find Xu Yan Ze.
Xiang Han’s wounds had been tended to, but he looked extremely weak and cold. Although they were in the north, summer was warm but Xiang Han was wrapped up in a thick wad of blankets.
Xu Yan Ze’s heart squeezed. He went forward and lightly caressed his face. “Wait for me to return.”
After he left, Xiang Han woke up and asked Jin Cui. “Did Yan Ze return?”
Jin Cui didn’t know Xu Yan Ze had come back and hesitated. “Probably not. The marquis is still fighting.”
The system quickly told him, [He came back but has left.]
Xiang Han sighed, [How long more do we have to abuse his heart?]
[Soon, the accumulated abuse is giving rise to a change. I have a feeling the general can’t hold it for long.] Big A said excitedly.
Xiang Han was speechless. His heart was stuffy. Although he spent everyday eating and sleeping, apart from a little chill, he didn’t feel that much discomfort. But thinking of Xu Yan Ze… sigh, why did his heart feel so unwell.
He grew unhappy and even lost interest in those yellow books. “What if we can’t find the cure?”
If he really died, how sad would Xu Yan Ze be…
Big A hesitated. “… We can change a new body for you.”
There was such a thing? Xiang Han’s mouth twitched.
Xu Yan Ze was very swift. In order to prevent the Turks from taking the opportunity to invade while in the midst of the war, he left 100,000 troops behind in Jin Wu. He led 50,000 with him to the Turkic empire to seek the cure.
The Turkic Emperor easily agreed. “You assisted this king in obtaining the throne so we owe you a favour. We just have a small request. This King heard that the emperor is finished, so we hope that after you have ascended the throne, you’ll do trade with our Turkic people.”
“We will.” Xu Yan Ze immediately agreed.
After their agreement, Xu Yan Ze hurriedly brought the medicine back to the physician at Jin Wu.
When he saw Xiang Han once more, his heart softened. He gently woke the other person and said in a soft voice, “Little Fool, you’re saved.”
Xiang Han opened his bleary eyes and saw Xu Yan Ze holding him closely with joy in his eyes. A foreigner greeted him and spoke words he didn’t understand before kneeling down to help him apply the medicine.
Xiang Han dared not look at Xu Yan Ze, only asking Big A hesitantly. [If it’s cured just like this, isn’t all that abuse for naught?]
Big A said, [Don’t worry. After applying the medicine, I’ll pull you back and scare him.]
[Oh.] Xiang Han nodded and suddenly felt his heart go cold.
He looked down and saw a dagger had gone through his chest. Looking up, he saw the Turkic physician with a sinister smile on his face.
Inside the carriage, the doctor carefully helped Xiang Han to extract the knife. Xiang Han’s face was pale and covered in sweat. Occasionally, he would tremble from the pain.
Xu Yan Ze helped him wipe off his sweat in distress. “Does it hurt? If it does, just bite me.”
He gently brought his fingers to his mouth.
Xiang Han instinctively shook his head. “No need.” The system couldn’t feel pain. What if he accidentally lost control and bit off his entire finger?
After saying so, he realised that Xu Yan Ze couldn’t hear his words at all now that the system was controlling his body.
[Little Nine, tell him what I said. He’s very worried.] Xiang Han said anxiously.
Therefore, the system mechanically replied. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Xu Yan Ze was silent for a moment before he suddenly turned to the doctor with burning eyes. “Physician, there’s something wrong.”
At the same time, the doctor replied in terror, “Marquis, the young master he… has been poisoned.”
The air in the carriage plummeted. Xu Yan Ze’s expression changed many times before he finally asked, “Where’s the cure?”
“That… Please forgive me, Marquis. This servant has never seen this poison before.”
Xu Yan Ze’s face grew even darker and he suddenly barked. “Stop the carriage.”
“What’s wrong?” Jin Er hurried over.
“Little Fool has been poisoned. Look after him carefully.” Xu Yan Ze got off and rode a horse back to the capital.
Jin Er tried to stop him anxiously, “Aren’t you seeking death by going back at this time. Wait till we get back to Jin Wu…”
“It can’t wait!” Xu Yan Ze eyes were filled with murder. Once he thought of Xiang Han in danger, he couldn’t care about anything else.
Seeing this, Jin Er grew desperate. “Brother-in-law, are you crazy? If you go back alone like this, do you think you’ll survive even if you manage to obtain the cure? We need to hurry back and send out an order for Jin Wu to attack them and some soldiers to negotiate. You have to stay by third cousin’s side… right, cousin?”
He turned towards the carriage and shouted.
Xiang Han was growing anxious and told the system. [Hurry up, let me control it for a bit.]
After regaining control, the pain made him gnash his teeth but he couldn’t think much. He quickly tried to get off the carriage and called out weakly, “Yan Xiao Ze, i-if you dare leave, I-I’ll dare to die.”
The doctor trembled. “Marquis, although this servant has no way of curing the poison, I can block his acupuncture point to prevent it from spreading and reaching his heart.”
Xu Yan Ze was frozen in place as he stared at Xiang Han in a daze.
Enduring the pain, Xiang Han managed to squeeze out in a small and pitiful voice, “Wifey, it hurts. Can you hug me? It won’t hurt anymore if you hug me…”
Xu Yan Ze’s heart squeezed and he finally croaked, “Okay.”
Jin Er let out a breath and hurriedly reminded his subordinates. “Send a message to Jin Wu to dispatch an envoy.”
As he watched Xu Yan Ze get onto the horse, Xiang Han sighed in relief and soon curled back, allowing the system to regain control of his body. Meanwhile, he asked Big A, [Why didn’t you pull me out when we were in the palace?]
[It’s because the fluctuation was increasing, so we wanted to wait…]
Xiang Han was left speechless.
After they left, the emperor reprimanded the third prince, “Who allowed you to act so rashly on your own?”
The third prince was bitter. “Why is Imperial Father hesitating? So what if the Jin lad brings his men and charge here? The Imperial Guards are not for decoration. Moreover, the Gyeonggi soldiers are arriving.”
“I’m only afraid that my life and yours would be sent to the yellow springs1 before then.” The emperor was furious. “Immediately send out Zhen’s decree to transfer Dragon scale guards and Tiger guards. The marquis will definitely not let us off.”
Hearing this, the third prince burst into laughter. “The Jin family’s third young master has no choice but to die. It’s best if Yan Xiao Ze becomes depressed because of this and saves us the trouble of dealing with him.”
“How do you still have the shame to say this?” The emperor kicked him furiously. “The Marquis has earned the trust of the civilians in the North. This time, when he returns, he’d definitely spread the rumour that the emperor is killing a meritorious soldier because of his power and he’d then borrow the strength of the army and use this as an excuse to attack.”
Suffering a kick, the third prince wasn’t angry and instead, said profoundly, “Imperial Father, calm down. That female dancer was a Turkic national, so the one who used poison were the Turks. This matter has nothing to do with us at all.”
The emperor’s anger had diminished by half and after a moment, he spoke. “You’re not bad.”
At this point, there was no turning back. If there was going to be a fight, let there be one. In any case, Xu Yan Ze couldn’t be spared.
Before that, the emperor felt that his odds of winning were equal to Xu Yan Ze’s and maybe even a little more. He was the emperor, the monarch and the backbone of the country who everyone looked up to.
However, he didn’t expect for Xu Yan Ze to be crazier than he imagined. Without stopping to rest, he fought as if he wanted to break into the capital within a day. Under his command, the Northern Army was like a pack of ferocious wolves, bringing chaos and destruction as easily as a hot knife cutting through butter wherever they went.
Towards the end, the imperial palace suffered a defeat too great that the soldiers lost their will. Many people fled the moment they saw the word ‘North’.
Xu Yan Ze didn’t play by the rules. In order to force the emperor to spit out the cure to the poison as soon as possible, he simply charged in alone and broke through the capital.
Although most of the imperial guards were battling the northern army at the frontlines, it did not mean the capital was lacking military power. But the emperor was also startled by Xu Yan Ze’s overwhelming momentum. When he heard the latter was nearly about to penetrate his defenses, he stood up in shock and shouted, “It’s only been three months. How can he be so quick?”
There were a hundred thousand troops fighting at the frontlines. If he died just like this in the capital, wouldn’t it be too pitiful?
He suddenly recalled that if the third prince had not acted on his own accord, there was no need for him to face Xu Yan Ze so quickly. He could take his time to nibble away at the other person. But now, he may become the emperor of a destroyed nation.
What about the third prince? He could escape and regather his former subordinates in the future. He could temporarily seek refuge in the south and make a living for himself for a few years or even tens of years. Wasn’t this what happened in the previous dynasty? In any case, Xu Yan Ze’s anger was all directed at him but in his fear, he didn’t think of this.
The more the emperor thought, the darker his expression turned. After taking a few steps, he suddenly decided to move the capital. He would first leave Chang’an and make a plan. At the same time, he drugged both the third prince and the dancer, wrapped them up, and sent them to Xu Yan Ze to express his desire for peace. He claimed the third prince was the one behind the assassination attempt after he colluded with the Turks and acted on his own. The dancer and drug were supplied by the Turk so they were the only one who could resolve it.
When the third prince woke up, he was dumbfounded to discover he had been tied up.
Xu Yan Ze’s voice was calm. “Let’s begin.”
After a round of interrogation, the third prince was quick to spit the truth out. Thinking of how it was the emperor’s fault he was in such a predicament, his anger grew. “Did you really think he was unaware? Hah! Stop joking. He also wants to kill you. You have no idea how many imperial guards were lying in ambush outside the palace, but he was a coward and didn’t dare to give the order. Hahaha…”
“Marquis, how should we deal with this person?” The interrogator asked.
“Execute.” Hate flashed through Xu Yan Ze’s eyes.
“Then… what about the dancer?”
“Same.” Since they had no cure, there was no need to leave them alive.
Xu Yan Ze swiftly brought a few strong soldiers with him and left, but didn’t withdraw his troops.
After returning to Jin Wu, he went to find Xu Yan Ze.
Xiang Han’s wounds had been tended to, but he looked extremely weak and cold. Although they were in the north, summer was warm but Xiang Han was wrapped up in a thick wad of blankets.
Xu Yan Ze’s heart squeezed. He went forward and lightly caressed his face. “Wait for me to return.”
After he left, Xiang Han woke up and asked Jin Cui. “Did Yan Ze return?”
Jin Cui didn’t know Xu Yan Ze had come back and hesitated. “Probably not. The marquis is still fighting.”
The system quickly told him, [He came back but has left.]
Xiang Han sighed, [How long more do we have to abuse his heart?]
[Soon, the accumulated abuse is giving rise to a change. I have a feeling the general can’t hold it for long.] Big A said excitedly.
Xiang Han was speechless. His heart was stuffy. Although he spent everyday eating and sleeping, apart from a little chill, he didn’t feel that much discomfort. But thinking of Xu Yan Ze… sigh, why did his heart feel so unwell.
He grew unhappy and even lost interest in those yellow books. “What if we can’t find the cure?”
If he really died, how sad would Xu Yan Ze be…
Big A hesitated. “… We can change a new body for you.”
There was such a thing? Xiang Han’s mouth twitched.
Xu Yan Ze was very swift. In order to prevent the Turks from taking the opportunity to invade while in the midst of the war, he left 100,000 troops behind in Jin Wu. He led 50,000 with him to the Turkic empire to seek the cure.
The Turkic Emperor easily agreed. “You assisted this king in obtaining the throne so we owe you a favour. We just have a small request. This King heard that the emperor is finished, so we hope that after you have ascended the throne, you’ll do trade with our Turkic people.”
“We will.” Xu Yan Ze immediately agreed.
After their agreement, Xu Yan Ze hurriedly brought the medicine back to the physician at Jin Wu.
When he saw Xiang Han once more, his heart softened. He gently woke the other person and said in a soft voice, “Little Fool, you’re saved.”
Xiang Han opened his bleary eyes and saw Xu Yan Ze holding him closely with joy in his eyes. A foreigner greeted him and spoke words he didn’t understand before kneeling down to help him apply the medicine.
Xiang Han dared not look at Xu Yan Ze, only asking Big A hesitantly. [If it’s cured just like this, isn’t all that abuse for naught?]
Big A said, [Don’t worry. After applying the medicine, I’ll pull you back and scare him.]
[Oh.] Xiang Han nodded and suddenly felt his heart go cold.
He looked down and saw a dagger had gone through his chest. Looking up, he saw the Turkic physician with a sinister smile on his face.
