Wei Yun’s plan was well-conceived.
As Su Cha rushed back to the northern capital, Wei Yun maintained an impassive facade daily while secretly dispatching troops out of the city in batches under the cover of night. They couldn’t withdraw all at once; an immediate retreat would dispel the fear instilled in the capital’s residents. The current tranquility in the capital was entirely due to the terror Wei Yun had struck with his first day’s massacre. Once the people regained their senses, Su Can would organize a counterattack. Being in the heart of Bei Di territory, they might not withstand even an uprising of Bei Di civilians.
Moreover, given the stark differences in appearance between the Da Chu people and the Bei Di, they could only rely on the darkness of night to smuggle food and water out of the city in disguise, then hide in the sparsely populated mountains to await their next move.
Each night, a small group would escape, until only three hundred men remained in the palace. Wei Yun planned to flee that night, but during the day, he detained Su Can for a game of chess.
Su Can, typically docile, sat across from Wei Yun with unusual composure. Wei Yun couldn’t help but give him a second glance, saying coolly, “Your Majesty seems to be in good spirits.”
“Mm,” Su Can smiled slightly. “I suddenly recalled something.”
Wei Yun looked up at him, holding a chess piece, his expression cold. “Oh?”
“General Wei, I’ve always been curious,” Su Can raised his eyes, his gaze appraising. “In all the years since Da Chu’s founding, you’re the first to cross the snow mountains and directly assault our royal court. Weren’t you afraid?”
“Afraid of what?” Wei Yun placed the chess piece on the board, his demeanor cold and calm. Su Can stared at the board, his voice tinged with languor: “Isn’t General Wei afraid of death? You’re now in our Bei Di royal court. Even if our Bei Di frontlines suffer more defeats and your Da Chu decides to attack, it would take several months at the fastest, perhaps even years.”
Su Can looked up at him, a smile playing on his lips. “What does General Wei plan to do when my second brother returns?”
Wei Yun remained silent, then looked up at Su Can and asked directly, “He’s back?”
Su Can smiled without answering. Wei Yun scoffed, “If he weren’t back, would you be so brazen?”
Su Can’s face stiffened slightly. Wei Yun began to clear the chess pieces, saying coolly, “Rather than worry about me, Your Majesty should worry about yourself. With your second brother’s return, how long will you live?”
Su Can said nothing. He held a chess piece in his hand, and after a long while, slowly said, “I’ll trade a piece of information for my life.”
“Not interested,” Wei Yun replied promptly.
Su Can calmly said, “I’ll tell you the true reason behind the Wei family’s demise. How about that?”
Wei Yun’s hand, clearing the chess pieces, paused briefly. He looked up at Su Can, who burst into laughter. “Surely you don’t believe your Wei family perished simply because the Bei Di was too clever and Yao Yong and the Crown Prince too foolish?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wei Yun grabbed Su Can and slammed his face onto the chessboard. His sword was halfway out of its sheath, pressed against Su Can’s neck. He coldly said, “Speak.”
Su Can didn’t move. “I can tell you, but you can’t kill me.”
The sword pressed against Su Can’s neck, drawing blood.
Wei Qiu hurried in, anxiously reporting, “My Lord, Su Cha’s men have arrived ahead of schedule. They’re less than five li from the city.”
Wei Yun’s expression tightened.
Su Cha’s men couldn’t have arrived so silently. They must have arrived earlier and laid in ambush nearby, deliberately approaching now for a sudden assault.
Wei Yun pursed his lips and decisively ordered, “Don’t resist.”
Wei Qiu glanced at the pinned Su Can, nodded, and turned to leave.
However, he had only taken a few steps when Wei Yun added, “You and Wei Xia, both of you leave.”
They had discussed escape plans before. If Su Cha returned early, everyone was to scatter and flee in any direction.
But Wei Qiu had assumed that he and Wei Xia would stay by Wei Yun’s side. He never expected that the order to “flee” would include them as well.
What about Wei Yun?
Was Wei Yun planning to stay alone in the palace?
Wei Qiu had countless questions, but he had been trained from birth to obey. Whatever orders Wei Yun gave, he had to follow unconditionally.
He walked out, his steps slightly unsteady.
Once the hall was empty of others, Wei Yun turned back to Su Can. “What did you mean earlier? Explain clearly.”
“Someone was manipulating events behind the Wei family incident,” Su Can said calmly. “I know you plan to use me as a shield. Spare my life, and I’ll tell you who it was.”
“My apologies, then,” Wei Yun said calmly. “If I spare your life, I won’t be able to keep mine.”
“Do you think killing me will allow you to live?!” Su Can shouted angrily. “You’d be better off keeping me alive. I can ensure you don’t die.”
Wei Yun remained silent. Su Can quickly added, “I’m not trying to deceive you. If I want you to return, I have my reasons.”
“Su Cha won’t let me go back,” Wei Yun said calmly. “Nor will he let you live.”
Su Can was taken aback. Wei Yun continued coolly, “I impersonated Su Cha attacking the city, yet you showed no surprise. You didn’t even organize effective resistance, simply believing it was Su Cha’s attack. Your first reaction wasn’t to fight back but to summon the Empress Dowager. What do you think Su Cha will think when he learns of this?”
Su Can’s face changed drastically.
Wei Yun continued, “You don’t trust him.”
“He always could claim the throne, yet he’s been at your beck and call. How much trust do you think exists between you? You don’t trust him, and once he knows this, do you think he’ll trust you?”
“It’s not that I won’t let you go,” Wei Yun sneered. “It’s Su Cha who won’t let you go.”
By this point, Su Can’s face was beyond mere description as ‘grim’.
As they spoke, the sounds of an assault on the city came from outside. Wei Yun released Su Can and stepped back, calmly saying, “However, there is one way I could help you.”
Su Can remained silent.
He understood Su Cha’s temperament. As Wei Yun had said, once Su Cha realized that he didn’t completely trust him, this rescue mission might turn into regicide.
Su Cha had refrained from moving against him all these years, partly out of consideration for the Empress Dowager’s feelings, not wanting to upset her. The other reason was Su Can’s trust.
Realizing this, Su Can gritted his teeth. Wei Yun calmly said, “Have your men help me. I’ll take you out of the royal court, and you can find your loyal followers.”
“You’ve thought it all out, haven’t you?” Su Can said through clenched teeth. “If Second Imperial Brother hasn’t thought this way…”
“Then you’d better keep quiet,” Wei Yun smiled, his eyes cold. “Just wait and see.”
Su Can stiffened. Wei Yun sat back in his original seat and said with a smile, “Your Majesty, shall we continue our game?”
Su Can sat down stiffly. Wei Yun’s words had completely unsettled him, but he had to maintain a facade of calm as he sat down to continue the chess match with Wei Yun.
Before they were halfway through the game, they heard hurried footsteps. Then they saw Su Cha, clad in armor, rushing in with his men.
The moment he entered, Su Can tried to stand up, but Wei Yun calmly said, “Sit down.”
Su Can froze. Wei Yun took a sip of tea, then slowly raised his head to look at Su Cha, raising an eyebrow. “Oh my, so many people?”
Without a word, Su Cha waved his hand, and his soldiers rushed towards Wei Yun. However, Wei Yun moved faster, yanking Su Can over and forcing him to his knees with a loud thud, his sword pressed against Su Can’s throat.
“Hold on,” Wei Yun called out. Su Can close his eyes in humiliation. All the soldiers halted, turning to look at Su Cha.
Su Cha coldly stared at Wei Yun, who smiled and said, “I know you want to kill him.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Su Cha roared.
Wei Yun shook his head. “What are you afraid of? It’s just fratricide to claim the throne. We have plenty of that in Da Chu. People are all the same. If Da Chu people can be suspicious of each other, why should your brothers be any different? If you truly had a golden bond, why didn’t he have even a shred of doubt when I attacked the city?”
“Second Brother, let me explain…”
Wei Yun laughed, “What’s there to say? You make plans to overthrow Su Cha every day, doesn’t Su Cha also make plans to rebel daily?!”
Wei Yun stared intently at Su Cha, “Search your heart, Su Cha. Do you want this position or not?”
Su Cha pressed his lips together. Wei Yun continued, “If you were in this position, this battle wouldn’t have happened. Even if it did, it would’ve been fought according to your plans. If Fengling City hadn’t split its forces to attack Tianshou Pass, it would’ve been captured by now, right?”
“Shut up…” Su Cha spoke, his voice much softer this time.
Su Can’s heart grew colder by the moment. Wei Yun observed their expressions, his voice tinged with amusement, “You won’t kill him because you’re concerned about the Empress Dowager, right? Let me help you.”
Wei Yun lowered his voice, his expression serious, “Let me out, and I’ll kill him for you in front of everyone. That way, the Empress Dowager won’t blame you. If he dies in this palace now, under mysterious circumstances, I fear you won’t be able to secure your position.”
“Second Brother, don’t listen to his nonsense!” Su Can hurriedly said, “I’ve never doubted you. That day, I was just scared out of my wits, I…”
“I’ll trade his life for the distance to get out of the Imperial City. And if I’m not mistaken, letting me return would benefit you more, wouldn’t it?” Wei Yun said coldly, looking down at Su Can. “The person who harmed my Wei family is probably in a high position of power now. You’re hoping I’ll go back and turn the Great Chu upside down, aren’t you?”
Su Can’s face was filled with shock. Su Cha pressed his lips together and finally conceded.
This gesture already represented Su Cha’s intent. Wei Yun said, “Thank you.” Then, holding Su Can and wary of others, he hurriedly left the great hall.
As soon as they exited, Su Cha waved his hand and directly ordered, “Pursue them. Dead or alive.”
With this command, everyone rushed out in pursuit. Wei Yun looked down at Su Can and said with a smile, “Your Majesty, what did I tell you?”
Su Can recovered from his shock. Wei Yun raised his sword to deflect a cold arrow from behind, then leaped, carrying Su Can out of the palace gates. At this moment, an assassin swooped down from the shadows. Wei Yun dragged Su Can into a roll on the ground. Su Can suddenly reacted, shouting, “Protect Us for Cha Tu’s tribe!”
The assassin hesitated briefly, then turned around, swinging his sword to form a line of defense with Wei Yun.
Su Cha chased out, seeing that Wei Yun not only hadn’t killed Su Can but was protecting him as they escaped. He immediately understood Wei Yun’s plan.
He used killing Su Can as a condition to be let out of the palace gates, then used protecting Su Can as a condition for Su Can’s men to help him escape.
Su Cha stood on the city wall, roaring, “Catch him! You must catch him!”
By now, Wei Yun had obtained horses prepared by Su Can’s men. Mounted on horseback, he looked back, giving Su Cha a cold smile before galloping towards the forest with Su Can in tow.
Countless pursuers followed, with innumerable cold arrows flying from behind.
Wei Yun dodged in all directions. Once they reached the forest, he finally asked, “Who was that person?”
“Zhao Yue,” Su Can know what Wei Yun was asking. He spoke rapidly, “It was Zhao Yue who came to me originally, offering this strategy. Did you think Su Cha and I could understand your Great Chu so clearly, calculating that Yao Yong wouldn’t come to the rescue?”
Wei Yun tightened his grip on the reins. Having obtained the information he wanted, he flung Su Can aside and said coldly, “Let’s each take care of ourselves.”
With that, he plunged into the forest. Su Can wanted to curse but had no time, only able to flee in another direction under the protection of his guards.
Wei Yun rode his horse at full gallop. Gradually, people caught up from behind. He killed as he went forward, but more and more people charged towards him.
Su Cha, knowing he had entered the forest, specifically sent assassins to follow. In matters of killing and tracking, assassins were far more professional than soldiers.
Wei Yun’s body gradually accumulated injuries. He gritted his teeth and pressed on.
The horse was long gone. He clutched his wounds as he fled. The assassins behind pursued relentlessly. He didn’t know how long he had been running, only feeling the taste of blood in his mouth.
Due to excessive blood loss, his vision blurred, and even raising his sword became extremely difficult.
He knew he couldn’t hold on much longer, but he had to.
Another wave of assassins caught up. He heard the urgent whistle of feathered arrows from behind. He no longer had the strength to dodge. The arrows pierced his body. He lay on the ground, hearing a rumbling water sound in the distance. He crawled forward with difficulty.
He had to survive.
He must survive.
He inched forward bit by bit. The people behind caught up, raising their swords to strike him down. He used his last ounce of strength to roll suddenly, then heard a sharp cry: “Xiao Qi!!”
He struggled to open his eyes.
Blood covered his eyes. He only saw the sky, clear blue.
Who was calling him…
He felt a bit dazed. This voice was so familiar.
It seemed to be…
Chu Yu.
Thinking of this name, he couldn’t help but smile. However, at that moment, he saw a familiar figure leap down from above. Wei Yun’s eyes widened as he watched the person whip out a lash, wrapping it around his waist and pulling him up, embracing him.
They fell at an extremely fast speed. By the time she finished this action, they were already near the bottom. He had no time to think about anything, just held her tightly and turned over, crashing into the water.
The water slammed against them, making him feel as if every bone in his body was shattering. He tightly protected the person in his arms. The taste of blood lingered in his mouth as warmth spread from his embrace. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
How was she here?
How could she be here?!
However, these thoughts only flashed by momentarily before being washed away by a wave, causing him to faint.
As soon as Wei Yun lost consciousness, Chu Yu broke free from his embrace, dragging his entire body upwards.
The waterfall crashed down, making it almost impossible to breathe. The waves were enormous. She held onto him tightly with one hand, rolling in the water.
She dragged him downstream, using all her strength to swim to the shore.
Wei Yun had swallowed water and looked extremely pale. Chu Yu laid him flat, pressed the water out of his abdomen, then pinched his nose, lifted his chin, and without hesitation, kissed him, blowing air into his mouth. After repeating this several times, Wei Yun finally coughed violently. He slowly opened his eyes. Chu Yu didn’t wait for him to recover fully before slinging him over her shoulder with one hand, supporting his abdomen as she ran. As she ran, she said, “Tell me when you feel there’s no more water in your stomach, I’ll change your position.”
Wei Yun coughed up another mouthful of water, finally catching his breath.
“Sister-in-law…” Wei Yun said with difficulty, “You can put me down now.”
Hearing this, Chu Yu quickly set Wei Yun down.
At this moment, Wei Yun was covered in wounds, with an arrow still in his shoulder. Chu Yu didn’t dare remove the arrow rashly. She let Wei Yun’s shoulder rest on her body, supporting him as she continued to run forward.
As she ran, she created false trails to prevent tracking. After running for most of the day, by nightfall, she finally found a cave to stop in.
She took out dried food and water, handed them to Wei Yun, placed a dagger nearby, and put her hand on Wei Yun’s clothes.
Wei Yun’s pupils constricted sharply. He grabbed Chu Yu’s hand and said urgently, “What are you doing?!”
Chu Yu pushed his hand away. With a “rip” sound, Wei Yun’s clothes were torn open, revealing his battered body.
His skin was fair, now covered in crisscrossing wounds, making them appear even more gruesome. Chu Yu saw the wounds and her movements paused slightly. She couldn’t help but raise her hand, trembling as it fell on his relatively intact skin.
The warmth between them made Wei Yun’s whole body shudder involuntarily. He turned his head away, closing his eyes in pain.
Chu Yu silently watched, lowering her gaze. After a long while, she took a deep breath, took out a bottle of alcohol, poured it on a gauze, and began to clean Wei Yun’s wounds.
Her movements were gentle, but Wei Yun still frowned in pain. However, amidst this pain, with her fingertips inadvertently touching him, another kind of indescribable pleasure hidden deep in his heart arose.
This shameful emotion made Wei Yun clench his fists. He closed his eyes, not daring to make a sound.
After a long time, having treated his other wounds, Chu Yu raised her hand to cover his shoulder.
His body temperature had started to rise, making her hand feel particularly cold. He looked up at her in confusion, his gaze already somewhat dazed.
The woman before him had a calm expression. Her hand, pressing on him, didn’t tremble at all as she said calmly, “I’m going to remove the arrow for you.”
“Mm…” Wei Yun no longer had any consciousness to resist. He could barely understand what the person in front of him was saying. He vaguely heard her voice, seemingly asking something, but coming from this person, he didn’t care what she said.
Seeing that he was almost unconscious, Chu Yu prepared all the medicine and bandages. With swift movements, she removed the arrow, quickly applied hemostatic medicine, and then tightly wrapped the wound with bandages to prevent further bleeding.
Just as she finished all this and was about to say something, Wei Yun could no longer support himself and fell into her arms.
Chu Yu was startled. Just as she was about to prop Wei Yun up, she heard Wei Yun’s voice, childlike and somewhat hoarse, as if whining.
He probably didn’t even know what he was saying, just acting on instinct, resting his head on her shoulder and saying—
“Sister-in-law, it hurts.”
Chu Yu was slightly stunned.
Such a soft sentence, and yet she felt as if her entire being was pierced with pain.
Mini Scene
Reader: Tell me, why did you write such a melodramatic plot?
Sitting in the interrogation room with handcuffs, Mo Shu Bai: For love.
Reader: …