The Abandoned Empress General | Chapter 10 | A Solemn Vow | Novela.app

The eunuch who had delivered the decree had only just departed when Wang Yunzhao spoke up. "What is His Majesty’s intention? Does he truly believe that by granting my lord a noble title, the Crown Prince’s bestial conduct can simply be forgotten?" Murong Yan’s right hand tightened slowly around the imperial decree. "By sending Chancellor Pei over, he already signaled his intent to suppress the matter. This reward..." He turned to Zuo Canglang and asked, "What do you think this decree signifies?" Zuo Canglang reflected for a moment before saying, "I believe there is more to follow this decree." The others were taken aback. Murong Yan urged, "Go on." "By sending Chancellor Pei last night, His Majesty was effectively sounding a warning to Your Highness," Zuo Canglang explained. "Naturally, the next step is to offer appeasement. Whether it is to soothe Your Highness or to satisfy the veteran officials who still harbor loyalty to the late Consort Rong, he must make a gesture. However, if the reward is too lavish, it would embarrass the Crown Prince and give people cause to whisper that the King is acting out of a guilty conscience. Conversely, if the reward is too meager, it will fail to quell Your Highness’s resentment. Therefore, he first grants a title of moderate significance. Once Your Highness believes the matter has concluded and the court officials have fallen silent, he will deliver a truly substantial reward. In this way, Your Highness may be moved from anger to joy, the others will be convinced of his fairness, and the Crown Prince’s reputation... will not suffer too greatly." Murong Yan set the decree casually on the table and gestured for Wang Yunzhao and the others to withdraw. Once only the two of them remained, he asked her, "Then, in your opinion, what will my father’s next reward be?" Zuo Canglang lowered her head. After a long silence, she said, "This subordinate is not well-versed in the court’s affairs and cannot presume to divine the King’s will." Murong Yan nodded. "In the current court, the heir has been established. The officials look either to my father or the Crown Prince. The situation is not complex. Pei Chengjing is fair and impartial, a rare and virtuous minister. Wen Qi was personally groomed by my father and is utterly loyal to him alone; he answers to no one else—not the Queen, the Princess, nor the Crown Prince. Thus, my father relies on him heavily." "Is Your Highness suggesting," Zuo Canglang asked, "that His Majesty will send you to Marshal Wen’s camp?" Murong Yan gave a silent nod of affirmation. Zuo Canglang pressed further, "But what of Your Highness’s marriage to Lady Jiang?" "Do you still not see it?" Murong Yan said. "My father will certainly transfer me away from the capital. Otherwise, how is my eldest brother to marry his own brother’s betrothed?" Zuo Canglang froze. Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside. Murong Yan turned, his voice sinking. "What is it?" A maidservant dressed in apricot-yellow burst into the room and knelt before Murong Yan. "Second Highness!" Murong Yan’s brow furrowed slightly. "Huiyun. Why such panic?" The maid named Huiyun knelt on the floor, glancing at Murong Yan and then at Zuo Canglang, hesitating to speak. Murong Yan said, "She is one of us. There is no need for secrets." Only then did Huiyun prostrate herself. "Second Highness, my young mistress sent me to see you in secret. She begs you to meet with her, no matter what." With that, she presented a silk handkerchief. Murong Yan reached out and took it. On it were two lines of small regular script, the handwriting slender and elegant. At the corner, an exquisite magnolia was embroidered, emitting a faint, ghostly fragrance. "Tell your mistress," he said, "that I will be there on time." Huiyun kowtowed once more before taking her leave. Zuo Canglang asked softly, "Was that... Lady Jiang’s maid?" Murong Yan gave a brief hum of affirmation, tucked the handkerchief into his robes, and said, "Accompany me for a trip outside." North of Jinyang stood Mount Gushe, and at its foot lay a horse ranch. This was where Jiang Bilan had asked to meet Murong Yan. She wore a white gauze dress beneath a light green floral wrap, her waist cinched by a jade belt. She looked as fresh as a new bud sprouting on a branch in early spring. Upon seeing Murong Yan, her beautiful eyes gradually grew moist, like deep pools overflowing with spring water. "Brother Yan!" she cried, running toward him and burying herself in his embrace. Murong Yan slowly put his arms around her. His dark pupils were deep and kaleidoscopic, like a boundless sea she could never hope to see through. Zuo Canglang discreetly retreated to stand beneath a nearby peach tree, distancing herself from the pair in the meadow. She refused to even look in their direction. That was a cluster of grapes hanging far too high; she was well aware of that. "That day... it wasn't of my own will! It was the Crown Prince and my father... I..." She broke into sobs. Murong Yan rested his chin gently atop her head and whispered, "I know. I know." Jiang Bilan’s tears were like broken pearls clinging to her long lashes. She looked up and asked, "Will you... will you despise me?" Murong Yan’s body stiffened slightly. "I will not." A bay horse passed nearby. Jiang Bilan’s gaze followed it. "I remember when we were young, Brother Yan used to teach me how to ride." She bit her lip slightly; her red lips were so tender they looked as if they might bleed floral nectar. When they were young... Murong Yan seemed to recall something as well. "Yes. Back then, my mother was very strict. Every time I taught you to ride, I would return to a harsh punishment from her." He spoke lightly, but it had been more than just a "harsh punishment." That woman’s face twisted in his memory, turning from a hideous mask into a few specks of sorrowful dust. She had wanted him to submit, to weep bitter tears, to howl for mercy. She had wanted him to grow exactly as she willed. She had ground his dignity and pride into the dirt, trampling them into the mud. Jiang Bilan’s eyes were like shimmering droplets. "Back then... I was ignorant. You never said anything, Brother Yan. I thought... I thought it was just a few scoldings." Then she had accidentally seen his wounds, seen the blood soaking through his clothes. Her eyes grew wetter. "Then, my father locked me away for a long time. By the time I came out, you didn't visit as often." Murong Yan had almost forgotten. Had he been truly foolish back then? Or... had he been in love even then? Since childhood, that girl had been as dazzling as a flower. Had he come back time and again simply because he loved to see her smile and hear her voice? The feelings of his youth were stirred up by the wind like grains of sand hitting his face. It turned out that even he had once possessed something beautiful. He helped Jiang Bilan onto a horse, the frost deep within his gaze beginning to thaw. "We all have to grow up eventually." Jiang Bilan’s face was as radiant as a peach blossom. Murong Yan flipped himself onto the horse, sitting behind her to take the reins. His strong, powerful arms brushed against her hands, his tensed muscles making her heart race. His breath brushed past her ear; Jiang Bilan didn't dare look back, her cheeks already burning hot. Murong Yan nudged the horse’s flanks, and the steed began to walk slowly across the meadow. The headwind carried the scent of flowers and grass, bitter yet fresh. With the "soft jade and warm fragrance" of her body in his arms, he snapped the reins, and the horse broke into a gallop. Strands of her long hair brushed against his face, prickling slightly. After a long while, she suddenly spoke. "Brother Yan... you... you should marry me. Or take me away. Let’s leave this place and go somewhere where it’s just the two of us." Her face was flushed crimson, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears until they finally overflowed. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, scattering into the wind. Murong Yan looked down. In the soft spring breeze and golden sunlight, she tilted her face up slightly, weeping pearls of sorrow, her beauty breathtaking. Such slowly rolling tears could melt any man’s heart. "Don't cry." He reached out to wipe the tear tracks from her face and said softly, "In this life, Murong Yan will love only you." He slowly pulled her closer, feeling her soft warmth and her tears, which felt as hot as fire. *Do not cry. If I am King, you shall be Queen. Until the mountains and seas run dry, this promise shall not be broken.* Zuo Canglang stood far off beneath the peach blossoms, as still as wood or stone. Like the finest of guards, she paid no heed to her master’s words or deeds. The setting sun dipped lower, and the falling blossoms merged silently into the boundless fragrant grass. *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 潜翼君 | Lord Qianyi | A title meaning "Lord of the Hidden Wings," implying one who hides their strength while preparing for the future. 绘云 | Huiyun | Jiang Bilan's maidservant. 姑射山 | Mount Gushe | A mountain located north of Jinyang. 晋阳 | Jinyang | A city in the story. 温砌 | Wen Qi | A high-ranking General/Marshal loyal to the King.