Yu Linzhi watched Tang Rudai approaching from afar, and suddenly realized that everything he had experienced before was just a series of tricks by Sutijia. Sutijia wanted to dominate Kushan and then become the overlord of the entire Western Region. Perhaps after all these were achieved, he would prepare to invade the Central Plains.
"I am far inferior to Sutija in terms of scheming and calculation."
Yu Linzhi sighed sincerely. Although he has always been praised for his intelligence, he still can't catch up with Sutija in terms of scheming. It's not because Sutija is so smart, but because Sutija can hide his thoughts and can plan step by step.
For example, this time, it was not until Sutija laid out most of the cards in his hand that Yu Linzhi completely understood what was going on.
Mu Lingsu was not a stupid woman. After a little thought, she guessed the true identity of Tang Rudai who appeared at this time. Maybe Tang Rudai was a fake. She was just an insider arranged by Su Tijia. In order to get close to everyone, she pretended to be the third lady of the Tang family.
She said: "In the end, we lost."
If the court had taken preemptive action when Shen Hanyan was first kidnapped, perhaps things would not have developed to this point. The emperor still did not take Shen Hanyan seriously and just wanted Shen Qingyu to come out as a representative of the royal family to quickly resolve the matter.
Now this kidnapping case, centered around the newly-appointed young king and the noble princess, seems to be evolving from a dispute between the two countries.
If it really rises to the level of countries, then the already complicated matter will become even more complicated. It may quickly get out of control and involve a war.
It would be even more difficult to deal with if a dispute between the martial arts circles turned into a war.
"Not necessarily. It all depends on Shen Hanyan." Yu Linzhi walked out of the carriage and stood at the front of the carriage, looking far away. He stared at Shen Hanyan's carriage in front of him and said slowly, "As long as she gives the order, Sutijia will not act rashly. In this way, everything will have room for maneuver."
He had an inexplicable intuition that Sutija's affection for Shen Hanyan was not caused by ordinary physical pleasure. Perhaps Sutija himself did not realize that Shen Hanyan was the one who played the leading role.
He and Sutijia had been classmates for nearly ten years. Although he could not tell Sutijia 's temperament and character, he could guess about 80% of it. He had never seen Sutijia take care of others like he took care of Shen Hanyan.
"The fact that he has such a good temper shows that Shen Hanyan has this ability." Yu Linzhi shifted his gaze away from Shen Hanyan's carriage and observed how Su Tijia's men deployed their troops.
Three years ago, he could have been confident that he had the ability to kill Sutija and get away with it. But today, he is no longer the protagonist of this dispute, and the other party has a hostage who cannot be killed. Even if he is confident, it is in vain.
Mu Lingsu stood beside Yu Linzhi, watching the slightest movement outside with him. When she came out, she saw Shen Qingyu coming with his men. Seeing Shen Qingyu's figure, Mu Lingsu felt a little complicated.
If Sutijia knew about her past with Shen Qingyu, would he also take her hostage? In this case, Shen Qingyu would only be in a more difficult situation.
"The situation is becoming increasingly difficult to control." Mu Lingsu sighed.
In the past , Yu Linzhi was a manipulator, someone who manipulated and ordered others around. Now he can only stand here and watch from afar, unable to do anything.
Yu Linzhi's current situation is very similar to the situation of the queen during the dispute over the crown prince. She has always been able to make things happen, but she can only be ordered around and manipulated by others unwillingly. In the end, she still has no good result.
No good results?
As soon as she thought of this, Mu Lingsu's heart instantly tightened. At this moment, it was a matter of life and death, how could she think about such an insignificant thing here, and have such an unlucky idea?
Mu Lingsu forced herself not to continue to think about it, but she was still frightened. It was just a fleeting thought, but she was very scared. She reached out and held Yu Linzhi's hand, and said softly: "Linzhi."
This nickname made Yu Linzhi's heart throb. He turned around and comforted her: "Don't be afraid, everything will be fine."
He looked into Mu Lingsu's eyes. The woman in front of him was the one he loved. As a man, he should have promised her a peaceful life, but she followed him through life and death without any complaints.
He suddenly felt a surge of self-blame and guilt, and he suddenly realized that he actually owed Mu Lingsu a lot. He was weak and sickly, and could die at any time. It was already a very risky behavior for Mu Lingsu to fall in love with him. Now, because he insisted on letting Mu Lingsu accompany him, he brought Mu Lingsu into a life-threatening situation. It seemed that between him and Mu Lingsu, he was always the one who created trouble, and Mu Lingsu was helping him solve the trouble.
Yu Linzhi smiled at Mu Lingsu and said, "If we can escape safely this time, when we return to Lin'an, I will definitely...well, compensate you."
He wanted to bring up the matter of marriage between them once more, but he had just regretted dragging her into danger. Now that he brought up the matter of marrying her again, wouldn't that just drag her into another dangerous situation?
Mu Lingsu noticed the obvious hesitation on Yu Linzhi's face and wanted to ask him if he had any worries. But just as she was about to ask, she was interrupted by the housekeeper beside Su Tijia.
The butler rode over from Sutijia in the distance, looked at the two for a moment, and then said to Yu and Mu with a stern face: "Our king invites Master Yu and Miss Mu to come over. His Royal Highness Prince Yiyang has arrived. Our king is worried that Princess Yongjia's injury is unstable, and hopes that you will accompany the princess."
Mu Lingsu was secretly delighted. She and Yu Linzhi had just said that Shen Hanyan's safety would determine how the dispute would end . Now Su Tijia asked her to watch beside Shen Hanyan, which showed that Su Tijia really took Shen Hanyan's injury very seriously as they expected. It could be said that as long as Shen Hanyan's life was not in danger, both sides would most likely not fight.
The butler took Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu towards Shen Hanyan's carriage. Along the way, the two did not dare to speak because the butler could speak a little Chinese. They just held each other's hands tightly and followed the butler on horseback.
The Yumen Pass was covered with sand and there was no grass. The two people were already on the brink of life and death. At this moment, they held each other's hands and walked in the vast yellow sand, as if they were going through this life.
Mu Lingsu suddenly admired herself. At this life-threatening moment, she was still in such a mood to think leisurely about love.
Perhaps she didn't want to face worldly pressure and didn't want people to frequently remind her of the deep hatred between them, so she would rather be an ordinary woman at this time .
She had never thought that there would be such a day when she would be able to relieve herself of the responsibility of supporting her family, rely on the man beside her for the rest of her life, face life and death with him, and walk the road outside the Great Wall without any burden. Even if she could lose her head at any time, she was not afraid. Perhaps there was something in Yu Linzhi that could make her forget about life and death.
Yu Linzhi had not thought of taking the initiative to hold Mu Lingsu's hand, but Mu Lingsu pulled him over, and the two walked hand in hand. The moment he touched Mu Lingsu's fingertips, the surprise and surprise that flashed made him realize that he had been expecting Mu Lingsu to take the initiative again and again.
Things seemed to be progressing very quickly between them, and it seemed as if they were falling in love with each other over time. A month or two ago, they were like a pair of enemies who would not let each other go verbally, but now, the two of them seemed to be going to walk the rest of their lives hand in hand.
Yu Linzhi looked at the distance to Shen Hanyan's carriage and suddenly wanted to stop or slow down. The length of this road was too short compared to the time he wanted to spend with Mu Lingsu.
He knew that going forward might lead to a dead end, so he was a little scared. Not because he was afraid of death, but because he felt that the life he had spent with Mu Lingsu was too short. There was a time when he wished he could end his ruined life early.
But at this moment, Yu Linzhi developed an unprecedented greed for life, and he didn't want to die with Mu Lingsu so early.
He had not yet given Mu Lingsu a status, had not yet told his father that he planned to go to the Mu Mansion in Suzhou to propose marriage, and had not yet brought Mu Lingsu home in a sedan chair carried by eight people.
In the past, Yu Linzhi only thought that the world was just like this, with bright lights, wine, women and colorful flowers. He had seen it, and he couldn't keep it anyway. But now his thoughts have completely changed. He not only wants to see the beauty and fun of this world, but also wants to keep it for Mu Lingsu and share it with her.
Because Mu Lingsu was by his side, he became a person who was very attached to the world.
After all, he and she had wasted too much time.
"Xiao Mu..." Yu Linzhi tightly held Mu Lingsu's hand, looked at her and said, "This road is too short."
No matter how far you walk, it’s never enough.
I wish I could travel ten thousand miles until my hair and beard are white.
The butler heard Yu Linzhi's words while on horseback, looked down at the two of them and said, "Mr. Yu is really very leisurely at the moment, he is really a rich young man."
How could Yu Linzhi not hear that the housekeeper was mocking him? But he didn't care. He just smiled at Mu Lingsu and raised the hand that was holding hers and kissed the back of her hand.
The three of them walked forward in silence, and soon they arrived in front of Shen Hanyan's carriage. Su Tijia and Tang Rudai were both there, and fifty feet away was Shen Qingyu and the Imperial Guards' artillery team.
When Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu approached, they saw Tang Rudai kneeling in front of Sutiga with tears in her eyes, begging him not to act on his own and to release Shen Hanyan immediately for the sake of the people of Kushan.
"Your Majesty, if you had proposed marriage openly, you would not have married the legitimate daughter of the Queen to you, let alone you who had forcibly abducted Princess Yongjia?" Tang Rudai burst into tears, and at this point, she kowtowed three times to Sutijia. The yellow sand on the ground clung to her forehead, covering up her originally gorgeous beauty.
She had originally planned to follow Sutija's orders and hide in the ranks of the Central Plains martial artists. Unexpectedly, Shen Qingyu suddenly lost his patience last night and flew into a rage. He planned to skip the negotiation process and directly use force to take back Shen Hanyan.
Although Sutijia had been secretly storing gunpowder for Kushan in the Central Plains as a merchant for many years, he was definitely not comparable to the professionally trained Imperial Guards. She was worried that if Sutijia really insisted on not letting Shen Hanyan go and wanted to kill Shen Qingyu, they would be wiped out.
At this moment, she no longer cared whether Su Tijia really liked Shen Hanyan or just wanted to destroy Weifeng. She just wanted to live a good life with Su Tijia.
In her heart, Sutijia would never get Shen Hanyan. Shen Hanyan should return to the palace, be raised until she was seventeen or eighteen years old, marry the son of a prince or general, and live a life of luxury, instead of staying in the bitter cold land of Kushan with her Tang Rudai, waiting for Sutijia to visit her.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please look at me!" After Tang Rudai had given her some earnest advice, she realized that Sutijia was only paying attention to Shen Hanyan in the carriage. She was immediately anxious and grabbed the corner of Sutijia's clothes with both hands. "Your Majesty, please quickly send Princess Yongjia back to His Royal Highness Prince Yiyang. After that, we will hurry back to Kushan!"
Sutijia didn't bother to pay attention to Tang Rudai who was kneeling on the ground. He never liked subordinates interfering too much in his decision-making. If Tang Rudai had not had sex with him before, he would have lost his patience and sentenced her to death.
Shen Hanyan was determined to get him, and no one could persuade him. Today, let alone Shen Qingyu bringing the artillery team, even if the Celestial Empire sent 100,000 troops, they would not be able to take Shen Hanyan away.
The reason why he asked Shen Qingyu to come to Yumen Pass to find him today was just to let Yu Jianwu bring those Central Plains martial artists together. He could kill two birds with one stone, kill Shen Qingyu, and then destroy the main force of the Central Plains martial arts.
At that time, Shen Hanyan will understand that her eleventh brother is just a straw bag, and the ultimate hero is still him, Sutijia. And Yu Linzhi will also understand that even though he has been better than Sutijia for so many years in the eyes of others, it was Sutijia who finally destroyed his family.
If everything went well, he wouldn't mind giving Yu Linzhi a way out and keeping Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu under house arrest in the Kushan Palace for life, just like raising pets, which would be quite interesting.
Sutija said coldly: "Don't say any more ."
The housekeeper waited for a while until Tang Rudai stopped talking, then he stepped forward and told Su Tijia: "Your Majesty, Master Yu and Miss Mu are here."
Sutijia then noticed a couple standing next to him. He smiled and said, "Brother, Miss Mu, I'm sorry for bothering you all along the way. I'd like to trouble you to look after Princess Yongjia for me." He pointed at the Imperial Guards artillery team across the street and said, "They haven't taken any action yet. I'm worried that the princess is not in good health."
Yu Linzhi could see that Su Tijia was hinting at them that the other party had not taken any action yet and Shen Hanyan could not be in any trouble.
He pulled Mu Lingsu over and put her on the carriage. He then supported himself on the handlebars and got on the carriage. He said to Su Tijia, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration of our princess." Yu Linzhi emphasized the word "king" and without waiting for Su Tijia's response, he lifted the curtain and went in with Mu Lingsu.
Shen Hanyan watched Mu Lingsu and Yu Linzhi come in one after another, and she no longer had the energy to stand up and greet them. She leaned weakly on the cushion beside her, her face pale, and it was obvious at a glance that she was in poor spirits.
"Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?" Mu Lingsu's strong medical instinct made her run quickly to Shen Hanyan's side. She first took her pulse and then felt the bleeding through her clothes.
Shen Hanyan saw the two of them coming in hand in hand, and quickly guessed that they had secretly engaged. Although she didn't have the energy to celebrate, she was still very happy. She turned a deaf ear to Mu Lingsu's concern and only said, "You two are together, it's really... it's so good, so good."
Her royal brother finally lost his chance completely, and Mu Lingsu would never look back for him again. Her eleventh brother was her eleventh brother again.
"There's... nothing good about being the Princess of Yi Yang. When we return to the palace, I will report to my mother and ask for a ancestral shadow for Yu Linzhi so that he can serve as an official in the court. Then I will confer a title of first-rank lady on you. It's much better than... than being a concubine in the palace." Shen Hanyan was really happy. She hadn't spoken so much in several days.
She firmly believed that everything would be fine as long as she returned to the palace.
Mu Lingsu couldn't understand why Shen Hanyan was dying and still wanted to stop herself and Shen Qingyu from being together. But now was not the time to think about this problem.
Mu Lingsu took out a ginseng pill from the bag nearby that she usually gave to Yu Linzhi to save his life, and asked Shen Hanyan to eat it. She also stuffed a ginseng slice under Shen Hanyan's tongue to ensure that she had the strength to stay awake.
"Why don't you speak?" Shen Hanyan still wanted to get a positive answer from Mu Lingsu herself. She wanted to know if it was because of Yu Linzhi that Mu Lingsu gave up her eleventh brother, and if it was because of Yu Linzhi that Mu Lingsu was with Yu Linzhi of her own will.
She didn't want what happened eight years ago to happen again. Even if Mu Lingsu was forced to separate from her eleventh brother today, the two of them would still be together in the future.
Yu Linzhi had been watching silently, and finally couldn't help but interrupt: "Princess, please forgive me for my honest advice." He paused, observed Shen Hanyan's reaction and said, "No matter whether Prince Yi Yang still has feelings for Xiao Mu, you will never be able to monopolize Prince Yi Yang."
After Yu Linzhi said this, Mu Lingsu was confused. She didn't understand why Yu Linzhi said that. She carefully glanced at Shen Hanyan who looked flustered, and a very absurd idea popped up in her mind.
Shen Hanyan didn't know how Yu Linzhi saw through the secret she had kept in her heart for many years. For a moment, she didn't know whether she should deny it outright or talk about something else. After opening her mouth to speak, she chose to remain silent.
On second thought, even an outsider like Yu Linzhi could see it, so why couldn't her eleventh brother understand that she was so devoted to him and didn't consider him as her own brother?
The panic in her heart disrupted Shen Hanyan's thoughts. Perhaps the drug took effect and her mind became active. After her fantasy was shattered by Yu Linzhi, thousands of thoughts came and went in her mind, and even she herself couldn't sort them out.
She had known for a long time that it was impossible for her and her brother to be together, but she still hoped that her brother could sense her feelings. Shen Hanyan suddenly had a strong premonition that she and her brother Eleven would drift apart.
"I..." Shen Hanyan wanted to refute Yu Linzhi, but she lost her confidence after she opened her mouth and had to give up. She had been feeling groggy these past few days because of her injuries. She had no idea what was happening outside the carriage, and she thought that Su Tijia had a change of heart and wanted to send her back. She turned to Mu Lingsu and asked, "Are we going back to Nanjing directly?"
When Mu Lingsu was asked this question, she didn't know how to answer. She could guess that Shen Hanyan asked this question because she didn't know the current situation, but Shen Hanyan's current physical condition made her dare not tell the truth to Shen Hanyan.
She looked to Yu Linzhi for help with a guilty conscience. Yu Linzhi immediately understood what she meant and continued, "Your Highness, we are about to meet with Prince Yi Yang. We just encountered a little trouble. Don't worry, Your Highness."
To Shen Hanyan, Yu Linzhi's words were telling her that she and Shen Qingyu would soon be reunited. Excitement only occupied the high ground for a moment, and soon it was squeezed down by loss and panic.
Now, when she faces Shen Qingyu again, it is impossible for her to be as comfortable as before. If she sees him, she will only think about what to do if he sees through her thoughts?
Maybe she would never be able to act like a spoiled child in front of him again and act like a normal sibling.
"I'm afraid that when I see my eleventh brother again, I won't have the courage to raise my head." Shen Hanyan smiled bitterly, "In this case, it's better to agree to Sutijia and stay in Kushan. Accept his title and become a concubine or a queen. At least it's more open."
For the first time, she thought that her love for Shen Qingyu was dirty. She felt ashamed of this thought and even began to avoid it, not daring to face Shen Qingyu.
Yu Linzhi sat down next to Mu Lingsu, looked at Shen Hanyan and said, "If you want to escape, Princess, you can just go back to Lin'an with us. I guarantee that you won't have any chance of coming into contact with Prince Yiyang on the way." He lifted the carriage curtain, stuck his head out to observe the situation ahead, and after making sure that there was no progress for a while, he turned around and continued to talk to Shen Hanyan, "You are the queen's daughter after all. It's a pity that you condescend to marry the king of a tiny country."
Shen Hanyan looked at Yu Linzhi's slightly sallow face due to long-term illness, and suddenly found that he was so meticulous that it was scary. Even if she said nothing, he could see through her thoughts. Such a smart person, if he had not severed his friendship with Gu Cheng, he would definitely become a big worry for the queen.
"Well, let's not talk about this anymore." Yu Linzhi looked at Shen Hanyan's dull expression and realized that he had said something wrong. He then changed the subject to himself and Mu Lingsu, "Princess, Xiao Mu and I are now secretly engaged. We have to avoid being arrested by the Ministry of Households and questioned by the official media. You are a princess, so you must provide us with information in advance."
Yu Linzhi was actually half joking when he said these words, hoping to make Shen Hanyan relax, but Shen Hanyan's mind was not here at all, and she didn't hear what Yu Linzhi said, just staring blankly. Yu Linzhi quickly understood the situation and stopped talking to Shen Hanyan, but turned to Mu Lingsu and said, "Do you want to go out and take a look? Prince Yi Yang has already arrived at the front of the team."
Before he finished speaking, the roar of artillery fire resounded through the sky, and in an instant the ground shook. Yu Linzhi thought something was wrong, and when he stepped out of the carriage, he saw that it was Sutijia's men who took action first, firing a bullet into the air, as if to demonstrate to Shen Qingyu.
The two sides were in a stalemate for a long time, and it seemed that Sutiga could no longer hold back.
Mu Lingsu was frightened by the loud noise, but she did not dwell on the shock. Instead, she was concerned about whether Shen Hanyan had any abnormalities due to the shock.
"Xiao Mu, come here." Yu Linzhi retreated back into the carriage and reached out to Mu Lingsu, pretending to hold her hand, "Let's go out and take a look together."
Since Sutijia has already started, it means that he will really launch an attack soon, and he will probably call him and Mu Lingsu to the front to watch the battle. They might as well take the initiative to go forward and be more calm.
"But..." Mu Lingsu was worried about Shen Hanyan. Just as she was about to hesitate, the butler beside Su Tijia came to the carriage.
The butler said, "Mr. Yu, Miss Mu, our king wants you two to go to him." After saying that, he did not get into the carriage, but waited quietly outside.
Mu Lingsu was a little anxious. She was worried about Shen Hanyan's safety, but she didn't dare not leave. After weighing the pros and cons, she took off the tourmaline necklace given to her by the queen from Shen Hanyan's neck, turned around and went out with Yu Linzhi.
She held the necklace not for any other reason but just in case Shen Qingyu asked about Shen Hanyan's condition, she could use the necklace as a token to reassure Shen Qingyu.