northernbook Chapter 498 Relying on Favor (43)
Chapter 498 Relying on Favor (43)
The blade stopped half an inch from Yang's mother's neck.
Zhao Yuan turned around and looked at Yang Jun with an air of composure.
Yang Jun was panting heavily, staring intently at Zhao Yuan.
If he surrenders, his whole family might have a chance to survive, but the Jingzhou and eastern Yunzhou that he worked so hard to conquer, as well as several nearby cities, will fall into Zhao Yuan's hands.
If he doesn't surrender, his whole family will die here today. At that time, the territory, which will be leaderless, will still fall into Zhao Yuan's hands. However, Zhao Yuan will have to put in more effort to subdue the soldiers guarding the city.
Whether to lower the price or not, even a fool knows which path to choose.
Yang Jun was furious.
But facing the terrified eyes of his children and mother, he felt his chest almost burst, and finally dropped the sword in his hand: "Fine, I surrender!"
As soon as Yang Jun surrendered, the soldiers behind him looked at each other in bewilderment and dropped their weapons.
Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, then ordered his men to tie up the soldiers and send them, along with Yang Jun's family, back to western Yunzhou.
Seeing this, Yang Jun roared in grief and anger, "I've already surrendered, and you still won't spare my family?"
“They are hostages,” Zhao Yuan said. “From now on, as long as you are obedient and cooperate with me to govern Jingzhou and the east well, not only your family, but also you and your soldiers will not be treated poorly by me.”
Yang Jun: "..."
-
After capturing Yang Jun, Zhao Yuan temporarily stayed in the west to handle the matter of taking over military power.
At this time, the Prince of Zhao's residence had just received a letter from Daliang.
The butler handed the letter to Yan Zhen. Yan Zhen looked at the four words "To Zhao Yuan" on the envelope and felt a strange sense of familiarity.
She tore open the envelope and quickly read the contents of the letter.
The letter was written in Tan Xuanmo's name, truthfully informing Yang Jun that he had gone to Daliang to discuss a joint attack on Tingzhou.
In the latter part of the letter, Tan Xuanmo invited Zhao Yuan to join forces against Yang Jun, and promised that after the matter was accomplished, Tingzhou and Yunzhou would belong to Zhao Yuan.
After reading the letter, Yan Zhen was surprised, but also sneered repeatedly.
Zhao Yuan rebelled because he was forced into it by the debauchery and tyranny of the Tan royal family.
Now that the Tingzhou army has reached the very gates of the capital, Tan Xuanmo extended this invitation and even "generously" offered to cede Tingzhou and Yunzhou to Zhao Yuan...
Absolutely ridiculous.
With their current strength, it's only a matter of time before they rule the world.
Why should she compromise and share the throne with this dog emperor?
Yan Zhen lit the letter over the candle flame and watched it burn to ashes.
Whether the letter was written by Tan Xuanmo or was Xie Ying's idea, she had no intention of paying attention to it.
After burning the letter, Yan Zhen put on his cloak and walked out of the warm pavilion, leading his men to inspect the fields outside the city.
Winters in Yunzhou are warmer than in Tingzhou. It's almost February, and there are signs of the snow melting.
This year, the cotton planting area has expanded again, requiring a large amount of labor.
Moreover, Zhao Yuan has already taken over eastern Yunzhou and Jingzhou, so the planting plan needs to be extended to these two areas.
At the same time, the construction of other facilities in the three state capitals, such as opening schools, establishing imperial examinations to select talents, building roads and bridges, and opening up and managing border trade, also had to keep pace.
Thinking about what he needs to do in the next year, Yan Zhen feels pressured, but also motivated and expectant.
She thoroughly enjoyed the process of gradually bringing the shattered land under her control and transforming it into a prosperous era.
After inspecting the fields, Yan Zhen led his men back home.
As she passed through a forest, an arrow shot out from above without warning, striking the rump of her horse with pinpoint accuracy.
The horse neighed in pain and then galloped forward at full speed.
The bodyguards who were usually responsible for protecting Yan Zhen all appeared in an instant.
At the same time, a dense barrage of arrows shot out from the forest, shooting down the guards one by one like shooting birds.
Yan Zhen lay on the horse's back, gripping the reins tightly. His cloak billowed high as he galloped at high speed.
The cold wind kept seeping into her clothes, quickly freezing her to the bone.
The trees on both sides of the road kept receding in her vision. Yan Zhen gritted her teeth, but dared not let go at all.
If she lets go and falls off the horse, given its current running speed, she'll probably die instantly.
The horse galloped forward for nearly an hour before gradually becoming exhausted. Its speed slowed down, and then it collapsed and could not get up.
Yan Zhen jumped off the horse the moment it fell to the ground, but the thick cloak she was wearing caused her to stumble and fall to the ground.
Before she could get up, dozens of masked men in black surged out from all around her.
As these people approached step by step, Yan Zhen, whose limbs were so weak that he didn't even have the strength to lift them, and who had only managed to get this far thanks to his will to survive, simply gave up.
She sat on the ground with her head down, staring motionlessly at her palms, which were raw and calloused from gripping the reins tightly.
The leader of the men in black stepped forward: "Your Highness, Lord Xie invites you."
Yan Zhen: "..."
The man put a hood over Yan Zhen's head, shoved him onto the back of a horse, and carried him for an unknown amount of time before finally arriving at their destination.
I was helped off the horse and walked for a while until we seemed to enter a house, where it became warmer.
Just as Yan Zhen had this thought, the black hood on his head was removed.
The light suddenly changed, and Yan Zhen subconsciously closed his eyes.
She slowly opened her eyes after they had adjusted.
The first thing I saw was Xie Ying standing about two meters away.
Speaking of which, Yan Zhen has been in this world for several years now. Apart from catching a glimpse of Xie Ying through a thick layer of ivy vines on Tingzhou Mountain, this is the first time she has met Xie Ying face to face.
Compared to the tired and anxious Xie Ying I met a few years ago, the Xie Ying before me looked refined and elegant, and also carried the dignity of a person in a high position.
As Yan Zhen sized up Xie Ying, Xie Ying was also observing her.
After a long pause, Xie Ying spoke up: "Jun Zhuo, it's been a long time."
Yan Zhen was about to speak when he sneezed first—he had been carried by an injured horse for an hour, and then thrown onto the horse's back and traveled for an unknown amount of time.
Although she was now inside this fairly warm house, her hands and feet were still ice-cold, and she felt as if cold was seeping out from between her bones.
Xie Ying seemed to only then notice that her expression was off, and took two steps forward to check on her.
Upon seeing this, Yan Zhen immediately took a step back warily.
Her evasive action seemed to sting Xie Ying, and his expression froze.
"Jun Zhuo, you..."
"Where is this?" Yan Zhen looked around. The house was exquisite but not luxurious. It didn't look like the residence of an official, but rather like the place where a merchant lived.
"Lord Xie, what is your intention in abducting me, the princess, to this place?"
Xie Ying was taken aback: "Your Highness?"
"Don't you know?" Yan Zhen's reaction was even more surprised than his. "I married Zhao Yuan and became the mistress of Tingzhou, the Princess Consort of Zhao."
Xie Ying's expression changed drastically, and her voice rose several decibels: "You actually married Zhao Yuan?"