Unyielding Spring Mountains - Chapter 72: Plunder

Wei Zhen sat down by the desk and placed the bamboo slip on it.

“When I was previously with the Princess, I always felt the Princess was reserved. I thought she didn’t enjoy my company, but I didn’t expect the Princess to have such a sincere and deep-hearted side.”

A gentle breeze came from beneath the eaves. Wei Zhen slowly raised her head, her stray hair brushing past her clear eyes.

Wei Zhen said, “Your Highness must be joking. I respect you, but since I am not familiar with you, I am a bit restrained.”

Ji Yuan smiled and moved past the topic. “I see the Princess writing letters to the General. You must be missing him. But it seems the Princess doesn’t write to the General often, whereas the General sends a letter every half month.”

Wei Zhen responded with a hum, “I don’t want my letters to disturb him and cause him to be distracted on the battlefield.”

Ji Yuan took a sip of tea and said with a smile, “The Princess and the General truly have mutual affection. As the saying goes, ‘For the sake of love, one searches high and low.’ Years ago, Princess Ji Qin fled the palace, abandoning everything to follow General Qi willingly. If the same thing happened to the Princess — if the King forced you and General Qi Shao to leave — would you abandon everything?”

Wei Zhen was slightly stunned.

The man’s deep eyes across from her were like an abyss, unfathomable.

“How much would the Princess sacrifice for love? Is it your noble status, everything you’ve spent the first half of your life struggling to achieve, or perhaps even… your life?”

The steam from the tea rose, mist spreading through the air, and raindrops blew in from outside, landing on them.

Wei Zhen actually didn’t like discussing her private matters with outsiders.

Ji Yuan pushed a cup of tea towards her, setting it in front of her. “It was just brewed. The Princess should have a taste.”

Wei Zhen replied, “I don’t know.”

Ji Yuan raised his head. “The Princess doesn’t know?”

Wei Zhen murmured, “Status, reputation, and everything gained before are all external possessions. They may perhaps be discarded. But the body and hair are gifts from one’s parents. If, for the sake of the one you love, you must give up your own life, I think the other person may not necessarily wish for you to suffer…”

She thought of that night when the fierce bear lunged at her, and Qi Yan unhesitatingly stepped in front of her.

Some things are driven by instinct, subconscious reactions within emotions, where there’s simply no time to think so much.

If Wei Zhen faced the same situation and knew Qi Yan was in danger, would she go to save him…

Wei Zhen said, “When the time comes for a decision, I will naturally be able to make a choice.”

Ji Yuan took a sip of tea. “Yes, when love arises, it is all driven by instinct. I have something to ask the Princess. I wonder if the Princess could enlighten me?”

“Please speak, Your Highness.”

“If a man and a woman were engaged through a marriage arranged by their parents when they were young, but the woman has fallen in love with another person, how should the man reconcile this matter with himself?”

Wei Zhen tightened her grip on the teacup. The woman Ji Yuan spoke of—was he referring to Princess Wei?

“Does the woman Your Highness speaks of know of the engagement?”

Ji Yuan replied, “She doesn’t. If you encountered such a situation, what would you do?”

In truth, Wei Zhen deeply understood this matter. Wasn’t her engagement with Jing Heng precisely like this?

Wei Zhen said, “Marriage is an arrangement by parents. If the other person has affection for someone else and it is truly deep, why should I intervene? Instead of forcibly being paired with that man, which would only lead to discord between husband and wife, it is unlikely any happiness would come from it.”

Ji Yuan smiled slightly. “The Princess is too earnest, truly pure. To be willing to yield purely out of love… But marriage involves much more, with tangled complexities, and love is but a trivial part of it. If it were me facing such a situation—”

He paused. “Even if the woman’s heart belongs to another, I would not back down.”

He raised the teacup to his lips, his gaze deepening as it fell upon her face. Wei Zhen found herself unable to comprehend him.

“What would Your Highness do?” she asked softly.

Ji Yuan shook his head and said nothing. He clearly did not intend to reveal his answer.

He reminded her, “The rain has lightened.”

Wei Zhen glanced outside. “Then I shall not disturb Your Highness’s work any longer.”

Ji Yuan watched her departure with a smile, but the smile gradually faded from his lips.

The answer he hadn’t told her was this: He would seize the person. He believed that under the absolute pressure of power, the other would eventually lower their head and submit.

He had just been observing her, testing her with talk of marriage. From start to finish, Wei Zhen’s expression never changed, not a hint of flaw revealed.

By reason, the Prime Minister of Wei had been staying in Jin’s palace for such a long time and had met Wei Zhen several times. He should have already told her everything. But since Wei Zhen did not follow him to Wei, there was only one possibility—she still didn’t know her identity.

Was it because the Prime Minister of Wei feared that if she knew the truth, she would insist on returning to Wei and get entangled in the Wei royal family’s internal strife?

If she already knew her identity but was pretending to be calm to deceive him, then Ji Yuan would willingly admit defeat and be utterly convinced of his loss.

He adhered to the marriage agreement, firstly because their marriage was arranged from childhood, and secondly because of the immense interests behind her in Wei.

So no matter what method he had to use, he would obtain her.

Ji Yuan took a sip of tea, only to find it unbearably bitter.

He glanced again at her tea cup. The tea leaves within had floated and sunk several times, but the tea itself remained untouched.

As expected, she was accustomed to putting on a show. Even though she politely thanked him for brewing the tea and raised the cup to her lips, she hadn’t taken a single sip.

Ji Yuan laughed at himself and gazed out the window.

The green mountains, washed by the rain, appeared even more vividly lush.

The continuous drizzle of the plum rain season had passed, and for several consecutive days, the weather was clear and bright.

From the moment she sent the letter to Qi Yan, Wei Zhen had been in a state of anticipation. Calculating the days, the reply should have arrived in the royal city around these days, yet no servant had brought the letter to her.

After her afternoon rest, Wei Zhen headed toward the royal hall. Just as she passed by the hall, she happened to encounter Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan was walking out from the inner hall, accompanied by another person.

It was a man around forty years old, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with an imposing demeanor. From the style of his clothing, it was clear his status was extraordinary.

He turned his face, his features sharp and stern, his eyes like deep, dark pools that sent chills down one’s spine.

Wei Zhen saw the shadow of the Jin King in him and realized he must be one of the royal family members.

The middle-aged man stopped when he saw Wei Zhen. After glancing at Ji Yuan beside him, he said, “Is this the Princess of Chu?”

Wei Zhen bowed to him with a slight smile. “May I know how to address Your Highness?”

“In terms of seniority, the Princess should address him as Royal Uncle,” Ji Yuan introduced.

“Royal Uncle?”

“Yes, the father of Sixth Royal Uncle and the Great King are brothers of the same mother. He has been staying in the southwestern Gaoling area all these years, titled as Marquis of Gaoling, and rarely returns to the capital. Therefore, you have not met him before.”

Wei Zhen froze. The name “Marquis of Gaoling” echoed like thunder in her ears.

In her previous life, after the Jin King’s death, the Marquis of Gaoling emerged from the shadows and stepped onto the political stage of Jin. Together with the rest of the Jin royal family, he deliberated over choosing a new king, assisted the new king, and took command of Jin’s military affairs.

Later, he issued a declaration of war against Qi Yan, firmly accusing him of treason, attempting to nail him to the pillar of shame and rally the world against him.

Afterward, the Marquis of Gaoling led troops into battle, personally fighting several battles against Qi Yan. Until the very end, his fate was sealed when Qi Yan shot him down with a single arrow on the battlefield.

Why was he here?

Things were disrupted, the timeline was off. Some events were happening prematurely.

A faint numbness crept up Wei Zhen’s back.

Ji Yuan smiled and said, “Royal Uncle has been residing in the southwest for many years, and this time I summoned him back to the capital. After all, the capital is currently defenseless with very few troops. With Royal Uncle here, the capital will have a pillar of support.”

The two of them walked away. Wei Zhen stepped aside, watching their departing figures.

Ji Yuan summoning the Marquis of Gaoling couldn’t be as simple as it appeared. There must be other purposes behind it.

Wei Zhen lifted her skirts and hurriedly descended the steps. She needed to find Ji Wo quickly and clarify this matter with him.