Chapter 226 Xie Yan's Silent Departure

Chapter 226 Xie Yan's Silent Departure

Xie Yan watched her departing figure without any lingering attachment, and felt a sense of desolation in his heart.

He rushed here after finishing his official duties in a great hurry, wanting to be with her.

It turns out that she didn't need his company. The girl who used to follow him everywhere, the one he couldn't get rid of even with his sarcastic remarks, was ultimately lost by him.

Even though he was intimate with her every night, her heart remained distant, and he could not get close to her.

Xie Yan followed, feeling utterly defeated, even though jealousy was causing him immense pain.

He still relished it all; what she had experienced was now coming back to haunt him.

…

After the Spring Festival banquet, Lie Feng's marriage proposal came to nothing.

Shen Nanzi returned to the palace with a heavy heart.

In her bedchamber, she gazed at the tourmaline bracelet in her hand for a long time before finally getting up, finding a brocade box, and putting it inside.

I opened the cabinet where the jewelry was kept, cleared a space in the corner, and put it in there.

Just like her feelings for Xie Yu, which she cherished deeply in her heart.

Xie Yan stood outside the door, watching her solemnly put away the bracelet Xie Yu had given her.

His feelings were complex, just as she had given up everything to reconcile with him.

Shen Nanzi always manages to smooth over the past in her own way, leaving behind a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

He simply left her in the past. Now, she appears docile, but he knows that she is hiding her true nature and playing along with him.

Xie Yan hated himself and was also angry with her.

Jealousy burned within him, making him feel uncomfortable all over, as if he were being scorched. She was right beside him, yet she seemed like a floating duckweed that he couldn't grasp.

He entered the palace and embraced her from behind; the person in his arms remained docile and motionless.

Her soft body pressed against his chest, and the resentment in his heart seemed to be soothed instantly.

He wrapped one arm around her slender, soft waist, and stroked her delicate, smooth face with the other hand.

Her red lips were right in front of his eyes, so luscious and tempting. He was as if under a spell, drawn to her, and pounced on her heavily.

His slightly cool lips were scalded by hers, their lips intertwined deeply, as if he wanted to warm her heart.

The palace gates behind him were closed by the palace servants, and he became unrestrained towards her. He wanted to see her pleasing him; everything about her fascinated him.

He cherished it dearly, treating it like a precious jewel.

Even a slight frown from her could make him lose his composure, fearing that his rudeness might hurt her.

I asked her questions cautiously, proceeding step by step according to her feelings.

From the moment she came into his heart, she became someone even the empire could not reach.

When Imperial Censor Zhang arrived with the urgent letter, he knew he would be away from her for a while, thinking he might not see her for several months, so he couldn't wait to see her.

Seeing how carefully she concealed Xie Yu's feelings, he was consumed with jealousy and wished he could take her with him.

He was afraid, afraid that she and Xie Yu would meet again when he left.

Xie Yu took another step forward, and Xie Yan felt that he was about to lose Shen Nanzi.

She's the kind of person who loves someone without considering the consequences.

He was afraid that she would fall in love with someone else without considering the consequences; she was so sincere and passionate, like fireworks burning in the sky.

He was genuinely scared!

He held her close, humbly trying to please her with his charms until she became completely absorbed in them.

As the indoor temperature rose, clothes fell to the floor.

…

Shen Nanzi noticed that Xie Yan seemed tireless today, and thinking that he might still be angry, she fell asleep because she was tired.

In a daze, I felt something on my wrist, slightly cool.

She was so weak that she didn't even have the strength to open her eyes, and she fell into a deep sleep.

…

As dawn broke, Shen Nanzi opened her eyes. Finding herself alone, she got up and called her great-aunt.

"Did Cheng'er go to the front hall?"

The aunt let the palace servants in to attend to her, and Shen Nanzi also got off the bed.

“Yes,” Auntie brought over the clothes, “His Highness Prince Jing sent this old servant to deliver a message.”

Shen Nanzi was slightly taken aback.

The aunt said, "His Highness left the palace early this morning, saying that he had been unable to conquer Cangjue for a long time and had to go there."

Shen Nanzi looked up. "Has he already left?"

"Yes, they left before dawn!"

Shen Nanzi lowered her head, no wonder she asked for it so many times last night.

With a lowered gaze, her eyes fell on her wrist, where a delicate pink jade bracelet stood, its jade body slender, translucent, and lively.

Three small pink persimmons, wrapped with gold thread, dangled from her wrist, looking beautiful on her fair skin.

Shen Nanzi's eyes flickered slightly. This was the second time Xie Yan had given her something since the jewelry he had given her.

Such a beautiful bracelet, I wonder where he found it?

As the days went by, Shen Nanzi learned about Xie Yan's army from Cheng'er.

Almost every day, he would write a letter back, with a separate note inside, addressed to her.

The text is short, often consisting of phrases like "All is well!", "Everything is fine!", "Don't worry!", etc.

She was too lazy to look at the rest and put them in the drawer.

She was busy with her business and wasn't idle at all.

More than a month later, it was already early summer.

The letters in the drawer were also piled up in a bundle; Shen Nanzi had not received any letters from him for three consecutive days.

Sensing something was wrong, they went to the front hall and learned that Xie Yan had led a force of 20,000 soldiers into the deep mountains connected to Cangjue and then disappeared without a trace.

The deep mountains were shrouded in miasma, and my brother suspected that they would get lost if they went in. If they ran out of food, they might all be wiped out.

The rest of the troops were engaged in battle with the Cangjue, leaving only a small contingent to search diligently.

Cheng'er said worriedly, "I will send another army of six thousand to find Father."

Shen Nanzi: "I'll go there. I have a merchant identity in Cangjue, a lady named Rou. I have a mole there who can send locals into the mountains to search for me."

Shen Minghan: "How can your brother feel at ease sending a woman like you to Cangjue?"

"I have Qinghe, I'm not afraid."

Seeing that Cangjue was difficult to defeat, Shen Nanzi was already making preparations. If Xie Yan could solve the problem with force, her little tricks would be useless.

Now that Xie Yan has lost contact, she doesn't want to sit idly by and wait for death. The longer this war drags on, the worse it will be for Yun Han.

Be wary of other small countries taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble.

After a fierce struggle, Shen Nanzi produced her business records in Cangjue, which finally convinced her brother to let her go.

That day, Shen Nanzi followed the 6,000-strong team towards Cangjue.

The general leading the team this time was General Lin Wei.

This person had previously served in Cangjue and was familiar with the terrain there.

Several days passed in a flash, and the army joined forces with King Qi and General Zhao.

After receiving the information, Lin Wei invited dozens of locals and led six thousand people into the deep mountains.

According to General Zhao, Xie Yan's grain supplies would only last for two more days, and it was about to rain, plus there were many poisonous insects inside.

If they don't come out soon, the chances of them escalating to dire straits are slim.

The new ruler of Cangjue is indeed a formidable opponent. It took three men—King Qi, General Zhao, and Xie Yan—to fight him. They barely managed to recapture half of the city, but suffered heavy casualties.

According to General Zhao, there are highly skilled individuals in the Cangjue army who are very familiar with their combat methods, and they are exhausted from fighting back and forth.

Shen Nanzi touched the jade bracelet on her wrist. On her other wrist, there was a silver bracelet, adorned with jadeite, both ancient and mysterious.

"Let me go and meet that King Cangjue."