The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan-Chapter 594 - 592 Deep Regrets (Second Watch)

Under the chilly moonlight, Murong Ce stood atop the city wall, gazing into the distance.

Although the moon shone, the far reaches merged into the dark night, a foggy, pitch-black expanse where nothing could be seen clearly.

Murong Ce stood tall, the harsh wind lifting his sleeves and robes, accentuating his extraordinary grace and poise—rarely seen among the nobility of this world.

The generals behind dared not come forward to disturb him.

The young emperor of Houliang was decisive in killing and his methods were ruthless—anyone who crossed him met with a wretched end.

They looked at the young emperor’s silhouette—regal and handsome, a picture of nobility.

Such a good-looking man with such deep affection, how could the Empress of legend be blind to it?

Murong Ce rested a hand on the cold battlements, looking in the direction of Yanzhou.

The military flags on the city wall fluttered noisily in the biting cold wind.

According to the scouts, at dusk, Yelu Yan had already entered Yanzhou City with Li Xianyun.

Murong Ce furrowed his brow.

He was filled with regret.

He had been too compassionate toward Li Xianyun, too gentle with her.

When he had captured Li Xianyun last time and spent several days alone with her in a carriage, he should not have taken such care to protect her.

In the end, it was a wasted effort.

If Li Xianyun fell into his hands again, he would not hesitate to use force, to make her his.

Even if he had to break her wings, he would keep Li Xianyun by his side.

Ever since he could remember, he had been killing—first those Palace Attendants who had humiliated him, and then, after he willingly went to Houtang as a hostage, he used the power he cultivated to kill those ministers and imperial relatives and nobility who were unfavorable to him.

Murong Ce realized early on that everyone is a bully to the weak but a coward to the strong, and he could not afford to be tender or merciful to others.

Only when people feared him could he have everything he desired.

Seeing those who claimed to be steadfast and unyielding get their bones progressively shattered by him, showing fear as if they’d seen the devil, Murong Ce felt particularly comfortable and accomplished.

He didn’t know when it started, but Murong Ce gradually became obsessed with this process.

Only those who are both physically and emotionally steel can be invulnerable and command respect.

But even the strongest cannot escape "love."

Li Xianyun was his kryptonite.

In this world, Murong Ce was only tender and soft-hearted toward Li Xianyun, yet she left him battered and bruised.

So, he was still not suited for kindness or mercy, he must stick to his old ways—if he wanted something, he would take it by any means necessary.

Compared to before, Murong Ce’s heart had become even colder and harder.

The next morning, when Li Xianyun woke up, Yelu Yan was no longer by her side; on his pillow lay a thick, somewhat yellowed medical book.

Li Xianyun took only one look at the name of the medical book, and her heart began to beat wildly.

She picked it up with delight.

This was the medical book that Li Xianyun had casually mentioned to Yelu Yan in conversation, lamenting that it had been out of print for many years and regretfully had not been seen on the market.

She hadn’t expected that Yelu Yan went through such trouble to find it for her.

For Li Xianyun, who was obsessed with medical knowledge, this book was even more precious than Gold and Silver Jewelry.

Li Xianyun wanted to lean against the headboard and read for a while, but she had too many other things to do.

Reading would have to wait.

Though Li Xianyun was left sore and limp from Yelu Yan’s attentions, she felt a satisfying fullness there; any movement caused pleasure to spill out.

After taking a moment to rest, she finally called Youlan in.

"Has the Khan already set out for Hengzhou?"

Youlan gave an "Mm-hm," and added, "When the Khan left, he specifically asked me to tell you not to worry about him; rest well. If you feel bored, you’re welcome to stroll around the city, but make sure to take more people with you."

Li Xianyun responded with an "Mm-hm" of her own and got dressed to wash up.

After washing up and having breakfast, Li Xianyun led a group of people out of the residence.

With Yelu Yan fighting in the front, besieging cities and seizing territories, she wanted to see what she could do from behind to support him and alleviate his concerns.

Li Xianyun meandered through the city. The civilians were each busy with their own lives.

Sometimes acquaintances would meet on the road and stop to chat idly at the side of the street.

They seemed entirely unaffected by the war.

Li Xianyun purposely went to a bustling tavern.

On the ground floor, many people were eating, drinking, and chatting with great animation.

Since Yelu Yan wouldn’t tell her anything, she decided to gather information in her own way.

Bater looked at Li Xianyun and said, "My lady, I’ll ask the tavern keeper if there are any private rooms available."

Li Xianyun stopped him, "Let’s just eat on the ground floor; it’s livelier with more people."

Both Bater and Youlan were puzzled and didn’t understand. Their master usually preferred peace and quiet; why on earth was she keen on mingling in a crowd this time?

Seeing that Li Xianyun didn’t want to go to a private room, Bater started to arrange for a quieter spot by the window for her to sit.

But to his surprise, Li Xianyun pointed to a spot and said, "Let’s sit there."

Youlan saw that the spot Li Xianyun had chosen was the noisiest one on the floor, where a table gathered four or five people who were loudly holding forth.

Diners in the tavern all cast disapproving glances their way.

Nevertheless, the few men were robust and tall, so the others at the tavern didn’t dare to provoke them easily.

Just as Bater and Youlan were about to dissuade her, Li Xianyun had already walked over directly.

The people at the neighboring table glanced at Li Xianyun and thought to themselves how daring someone was to sit next to them.

Surprised, the group of five resumed their conversation. frёeωebɳovel.com

From their talk, Li Xianyun gleaned quite a bit of information.

For instance, the battle between the Khitan and Houliang was tense; if Hengzhou couldn’t be taken, morale among the Khitan soldiers would plummet, diminishing the standing of Khitan in the eyes of other states, and the prestige Yelu Yan had built would suffer significantly.

The battle for Hengzhou held widespread implications, with all eyes of the world fixed upon it.

This battle must be won.

Beyond this, Li Xianyun also learned that Hengzhou was easy to defend but hard to attack.

Outside the city was a broad moat, and within the moat was a large expanse of open ground, ruling out the possibility of breaching Hengzhou City’s walls with trebuchets.

Rushing the attack was the worst strategy; if they had a more powerful weapon to help the soldiers cross the moat and avoid the slaughter from above, then the difficulties posed by Hengzhou City could be resolved.

Li Xianyun racked her brains but could not think of any formidable weapons.

Now, she needed to clear her mind and calmly reflect – inspiration may strike unexpectedly, bringing an unforeseen idea.

Li Xianyun ate slowly, and when she realized that the conversations in the tavern offered nothing new, she led her entourage to leave.

In order to clear her head and give herself enough energy to think, Li Xianyun commanded Bater to drive the carriage in a loop around the city.

Rather than sit and ponder in frustration, it was better to get out and see; she might just be inspired by something and achieve an unexpected revelation.

After a round through the city, Li Xianyun told Bater to head back to the residence.

She leaned against the wall of the carriage, closing her eyes to rest.

Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

Li Xianyun’s body leaned forward, but fortunately, since she hadn’t fallen asleep, she steadied herself in time.

There was a clamor outside the carriage, pouring in like a tide.