Although the Qizhou Prefecture was heavily guarded, the waterways were not blocked. They disguised themselves as merchants and traveled north on a large ship belonging to a foreign merchant.
There were many people in the ship's cabin.
Lan Murou stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the scenery around her, a gentle smile on her delicate face.
Since following Tantai Ye, she had rarely experienced such freedom.
The years in Shangjing had felt like being a caged canary, without family, without friends, without freedom, only his suffocating greed.
She yearned for freedom!
"Aren't you cold?"
From behind, Yelü Qi approached with a white cloak and draped it over her.
Lan Murou came back to herself, smiled, and adjusted the cloak. "I'm fine."
"The wind is strong at night, wear more."
The bright moonlight cast a faint glow, illuminating his handsome face with a coolness, but his eyes were so gentle.
Lan Murou lowered her gaze, looking at the calm sea, and said nothing.
Yelü Qi rested his hands on the ship's railing, looking sideways at her downcast eyes, demure and beautiful. His gaze darkened slightly.
The little girl from back then had indeed grown up, so docile it was heartbreaking.
A vicious dog like Tantai Ye did not deserve her.
"Murou, what are your plans for the future?"
Lan Murou heard his voice, looked at him, and replied, "I want to find A Yan first."
Tantai Ye was very possessive and rarely let her go out alone, even rarely letting her see A Yan. Since A Yan went to the military camp, she hadn't seen him at all.
She really wanted to see A Yan.
Saibei was far away in the wilderness. Once she found A Yan, she could settle down there, or return to Gusu.
"Brother Qi, is the military camp in Saibei in the Great Northern Wilderness?"
Yelü Qi said gently, "There are many military camps in the Great Northern Wilderness. When we reach Saibei, I'll help you find him."
Lan Murou was slightly stunned and thanked him, then fell silent.
She never believed that there was kindness without reason in this world. Why did he keep helping her? Was it simply because she had saved him before?
Yelü Qi sensed her subtle change in expression and raised an eyebrow slightly, changing the subject.
After a short conversation, Lan Murou felt sleepy and returned to the cabin to sleep.
He watched her departing figure, his dark eyes gradually deepening.
"Young Master, a letter from the Crown Prince."
"Speak."
Huo Feng opened the letter and after reading it, said, "The Crown Prince is about to ascend the throne. The border is in turmoil. He has ordered you to kill him as soon as possible and return to assist."
A hint of calculation flashed in Yelü Qi's gentle eyes, and he said nothing.
Before coming here, he hadn't expected the unexpected arrival of Lan Murou, the little girl who had saved him back then.
"Young Master, in this battle in Southern Xinjiang, Tantai Ye absolutely cannot go."
"You must not hesitate any longer. If he doesn't die, Lingnan cannot be taken, and the Crown Prince and the Saintess's great cause will fail. Your years of planning will be in vain. Now is the perfect time to use this woman to design Tantai Ye's death and rush back to Yanjing."
Yelü Qi looked at the deep blue sea, his dark eyes inscrutable.
Huo Feng frowned, "Don't forget, Yelü Hong is your father. Tantai Ye ordered Chu Yijun to personally sever your father's head. The hatred for the killing of your father is irreconcilable. What are you hesitating about?"
"Hatred for the killing of my father?!" Yelü Qi said calmly, "That old bastard should have died long ago. Since I pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince, he was a discarded piece. The Yelü clan has no Yelü Hong."
"The day the Crown Prince ordered him into Hongzhou was the day of his death!"
As he spoke, Huo Feng was startled, suddenly realizing something. Looking at Yelü Qi's cold expression, he fell silent.
A cool breeze gently stirred his ink-black hair, and the moonlight shone on that gentle face, revealing a bone-chilling coldness.
"Then what will the Young Master do?"
Yelü Qi chuckled gently, "Tantai Ye must die, of course."
-----
Tantai Ye received the news just as he disembarked at Yanzhou.
In the prefect's mansion.
He looked at the received letter, a cold sneer flashing in his gloomy eyes. "My guess was right, they went to Saibei."
Li Qiongyu sat beside him, lazily narrowing his eyes. Upon hearing his voice, he curled his lips.
"If the water routes aren't blocked, they must have left by ship. What does Blood Blade say?"
"Of course, burn that godforsaken place to ashes. How could she live in such a broken manor?"
Tantai Ye coldly burned the letter in his hand. In the darkness, his eyes were terrifyingly cold.
"Those days, she always pestered me to let Lan Muyan go to Saibei. It turns out she had already planned to leave me."
Li Qiongyu couldn't be bothered to listen to his complaints and crossed his legs.
"Find her quickly. Lingnan is about to go to war. Those noble sons, in order to gain military merit, are giving blind orders. If this continues, Lingnan will be handed over."
Tantai Ye sneered, "For the Great Liang border defense map, Southern Xinjiang is even using a honey trap. Liu Rongruo cannot disappoint the Saintess."
Hearing his words, Li Qiongyu burst into laughter, his defiant eyes filled with wildness.
Tantai Ye gestured to him with his chin and strode out.
"We have to leave tonight."
Li Qiongyu rubbed his temples and lazily stood up.
Tantai Ye descended the stone steps, looked up at the bright moon, his expression grim.
"Set sail tonight. I don't want to wait another moment."
He wanted to kill that scoundrel himself, drag her back, and lock her up.
When the group arrived at the Yanzhou wharf on horseback, warships were already waiting.
In the night, the faint moonlight cast onto the river. On the warships, flames soared, filled with soldiers in clanking armor.
Tantai Ye, clad in black, strode onto the warship.
"Set sail."
The magnificent warships followed the water route northward, with more than ten warships leading the way, carving several arcs on the cool river surface, making splashing sounds.
Tantai Ye hadn't slept for several days. The mere thought of those two together made him too angry to sleep.
Seeing his ashen face standing at the bow, Li Qiongyu brought him two jars of wine.
"Have a drink."
Tantai Ye took the wine jars, bit open the stoppers, and drank directly.
The night sea breeze blew. After drinking for an unknown amount of time, he leaned against the ship's railing in a daze, his narrow eyes slightly blurred.
Seeing this, Li Qiongyu pulled him up and sent him back to the cabin.
Tantai Ye lay on the bed, his eyes slightly closed.
Perhaps due to days of suspicion, he had a very long dream, so real that he could clearly feel the pain.
In the dream, she married Yelü Qi.
Dressed in a phoenix coronet and robes, radiant with beauty, on the day of her wedding, peach blossoms filled the sky, blazing for ten miles.
When he heard the news, he was in Lingnan, fighting on the battlefield and dying.
Rain poured down, swords and shadows filled the sky, and hot blood sprayed all over him.
He knelt on the battlefield, countless soldiers surrounding him with flashing blades. The cold blades, accompanied by the rain, stabbed into him.
He seemed to feel no pain, only her laughter echoing in his ears.
"Tantai Ye, this is the best ending I chose for you. Someone like you doesn't deserve to live. I wish you eternal loss of love in all your lives."