Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 504 Relying on Favor (49)

Zhao Yuan took Yan Zhen back to Yunzhou and stayed at Yang Jun's residence in the eastern part of Yunzhou.

He hurriedly carried Yan Zhen into the bedroom, grabbed the quilt and wrapped her tightly, and immediately sent someone to fetch a doctor.

The entire mansion was bustling with activity, with people boiling water and carrying charcoal braziers; the atmosphere was tense for a moment.

Yan Zhen was wrapped in the blanket, but still felt extremely cold all over.

Seeing Zhao Yuan sitting on the edge of the bed, staring intently at her, she forced a relaxed smile: "How did you get here so quickly?"

Logically speaking, it would take time for the messenger to travel from Yunzhou to Jingzhou, and it would also take time for Zhao Yuan to arrive after receiving the news.

It would have taken at least three or four days for them to come and go, but Zhao Yuan arrived in just two days.

"We took a shortcut here." Zhao Yuan didn't intend to say more. Seeing her shivering from the cold, he got up, took off his armor, and hugged her.

After a while, Yan Zhen felt her body temperature slowly return to normal, and she finally stopped trembling.

A servant brought in hot water, and Zhao Yuan released Yan Zhen, got up, wrung out a hot towel, and wiped her face and hands.

After wiping his face, his gaze fell on Yan Zhen's hands.

Her palms were wrapped in gauze, and she was clenching them tightly.

Zhao Yuan felt a pang of pain in his heart: "He hurt you?"

"I guess so." Yan Zhen didn't deny it, and recounted how Xie Ying had injured her horse, which had gone out of control and galloped wildly, causing her hand to be injured while holding the reins. "Not only was my hand injured, but this place was also chafed by the saddle."

She pointed to her thigh.

Zhao Yuan's face was extremely dark, and he looked like he had a lot of curses he wanted to utter, but he couldn't show them in front of Yan Zhen.

He silently reached out to untie the gauze wrapped around Yan Zhen's palm.

Yan Zhen's hand was unconsciously clenched, but he only realized it when Zhao Yuan pulled him over. He then loosened his grip, revealing a piece of broken jade.

Zhao Yuan was taken aback when he saw the sharp-edged piece of jade.

He immediately realized what the jade was for—she was unwilling to go back with Xie Ying and intended to resist with her life.

This jade was the weapon she used to kill herself.

Zhao Yuan couldn't help but recall how Yan Zhen had stepped towards Xie Ying without hesitation, facing a spear blade that was within arm's reach.

She would go to such lengths to stay by his side.

What have I done to deserve such deep affection and love from her?

Yan Zhen didn't notice the change in Zhao Yuan's expression as he knelt in front of her. She casually tossed the broken jade aside and reached out for Zhao Yuan to remove the gauze from her face.

As she was untying the knot, a drop of warm water suddenly fell onto the back of her hand.

Then two drops, three drops...

Yan Zhen was taken aback at first, then realized that these were Zhao Yuan's tears, and she immediately lifted his chin.

As expected, Zhao Yuan's eyes were red, and tears streamed down his face like a broken string of pearls.

"Why are you crying?"

Meeting Yan Zhen's questioning gaze, Zhao Yuan turned his face away and roughly wiped away his tears with his sleeve: "It's nothing."

Seeing his expression, Yan Zhen instinctively assumed he had suffered some injustice, and she immediately pressed him, "Who bullied you? Explain yourself!"

"No one is bullying me..."

"Then why are you crying?"

Zhao Yuan: "..."

Seeing that he was stubbornly refusing to talk, Yan Zhen clicked his tongue impatiently: "If you're not going to talk, go outside and cry. Come back in when you've cried enough."

Zhao Yuan: "..."

He suddenly pulled Yan Zhen into his arms, his voice breaking with emotion: "Don't die! You must live no matter what."

Yan Zhen: "?"

“Someone like you can live well with anyone. Don’t take your own life for me.” Zhao Yuan cried uncontrollably, large tears falling onto Yan Zhen’s neck. “I hope you live, whether you’re with me or not.”

Yan Zhen was moved by his crying.

Her gaze fell on the broken jade pieces that she had casually placed aside, and she belatedly realized that Zhao Yuan had misunderstood.

"that……"

Yan Zhen was about to explain when Zhao Yuan interrupted her: "Promise me!"

Yan Zhen: "No..."

"Promise me quickly! You will live a good life!"

Yan Zhen: "...Okay, okay, I promise you, I will live well."

Zhao Yuan slowly stopped crying, and held her, choking back sobs as he composed himself.

Yan Zhen wrapped his arms around his waist and patted his back lightly with one hand, silently comforting him.

After a while, Zhao Yuan calmed down, released Yan Zhen, and lowered his head to continue unwrapping the gauze from her palm.

Outside the bedroom, the doctor who rushed over and the servant carrying a charcoal brazier looked at each other, neither daring to knock on the door.

-

Qingzhou military camp.

Outside, light snow mixed with drizzle pattered against the tents.

Inside the tent, Xie Ying had taken off half of his clothes, and the doctor was performing acupuncture on his shoulder.

Three years ago in Tingzhou, Xie Ying was shot through the shoulder by Yan Zhen's arrow. Since then, whenever the weather is damp and cold, the old injury on his shoulder will flare up and cause him severe pain.

After the acupuncture was finished, the doctor put away the needle box and said, "Sir, it's best not to practice or use a gun for the next half month. If your injury worsens, your arm will be useless."

Xie Ying agreed, put on his clothes, and had his attendants escort the doctor out of the tent.

Xie Ying was the only one left in the tent, the lamplight dim. He looked at the bamboo slips spread out on the table, but couldn't read a single word.

The words Tan Junzhuo had spoken kept echoing in my mind.

—In the second month after I was abducted to Tingzhou, assassins infiltrated the Prince of Zhao's residence. I thought they were there to rescue me and take me home, but they were there to kill me.

—I found your Xie family's token on the assassin.

—Do you believe that as soon as this news reaches the palace, within half a day, the rumor that I pretended to have amnesia to avoid a marriage alliance and married a peasant boy as a princess will spread everywhere?

—Xie Ying, don't forget what I said. Go back and investigate the origin of that token. See you another day, and give me an explanation.

The Xie family token, capable of commanding assassins...

Xie Ying tapped his long, slender fingers on the table.

The fact that the Xie family kept assassins was common knowledge throughout Daliang.

Hundreds of years ago, the Xie family ancestors started by raising assassins for the late emperor and were the most trusted by emperors of all dynasties.

The Xie family did not disappoint the emperor's trust, cultivating batches of loyal followers who sacrificed themselves for His Majesty, doing things that were inconvenient for him to do himself.

The task of raising assassins has been in Xie Ying's hands for more than ten years, and there are a total of five Xie family tokens that can command the assassins.

One piece was in his hands, one piece was in Tan Xuanmo's hands, and one piece was given to Tan Xuanmo's birth mother, the current Empress Dowager.

The other two pieces, with Tan Xuanmo's consent, were given to Tan Jinyu and Prince Yan, who was Tan Xuanmo's half-brother.

Prince Yan was born with a disability. He was born missing an ear, had only three fingers on his right hand, and could only see blurry vision. He rarely left the Prince Yan's residence.

This token was obtained by the Empress Dowager to save Prince Yan's life.

Whose token is it that has fallen into Tan Junzhuo's hands?

Xie Ying pondered for a while, then summoned his attendant and ordered, "Send someone to ride at full speed with a message back to the capital, saying that we have found Princess *** and that I will bring her back to court soon."

After a pause, Xie Ying continued, "If anyone asks where you found His Highness, tell them that His Highness was attacked and lost his memory three years ago, and was taken in by a farmer's family until now."