Chapter 930: Missing (3)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
She opened one of them. It was a dried flower, a few hairpin rings, a safety buckle, and a few smooth and round stones.
Seeing this, Yuan Yuwan’s tears fell uncontrollably again.
She was not someone who liked to cry, but tonight’s tears seemed to be endless.
In the other box was a messy stack of letters. A few of them were even stained with blood. When she picked them up, she realized that these letters had no end. They seemed to have been cut in half. n-/o/)V)(e-.l-)B.-1))n
Her vision gradually blurred. With trembling hands, she poured out all the letters and pieced them together...
“On the 15th of January in the first year of Qianyuan. We passed by the Liangshan Mountain and encountered heavy snow. The army temporarily rested and walked alone in frustration. We saw the red plums in the snow on the mountain. They were extremely beautiful. You were not around, so I secretly took one of the red plum blossoms and made it into dried flowers. I
hope Ah Wan will be happy.”
“Fool, don’t you usually call me Miss Yuan? Why are you calling me so intimately in the letter? Do you really think that you can disregard etiquette and do whatever you want just because I can’t see it?” She took a deep breath and carefully placed the letter aside. She picked up the letters beside her and read them one by one.
Every letter roughly explained where the army was. There were only a few words, but it could be seen that the person was trying his best to find some interesting things. However, the journey was arduous and boring. How could such a thing happen?
Hence, there were those stones.
In her mind, she could not help but imagine the young man sitting in the tent with a stone and racking his brains to write a letter. Yuan Yuwan smiled through her tears. As she smiled, more tears flowed out.
“On the 3rd of March in the first year of Qianyuan. The army arrived at Nanling Pass. The people in the pass were poor, but they were still in chaos from the flames of war. They couldn’t bear it and were terrified that the flames of war had spread throughout Chang’an. I couldn’t sleep at night. I swear to chase the Wu army out of the border and protect Great Xia.”
“On the 21st of May in the first year of Qianyuan. The Wu army is coming in to attack the city more and more frequently. They saw their companions die in battle. As the commander, I was unable to do anything and felt deeply guilty. The South Mountain Pass is in danger. If I can’t return safely, I hope Ah Wan won’t be sad. Find a good person to protect you for the rest of your life.”
“On the 6th of June in the first year of Qianyuan. Ah Chen and his wife have already arrived at Nanling Pass. Our army has repelled the Wu army twice in a row. I believe we’ll be able to return triumphantly in a few days. Seeing how they interact, I’m anxious and look forward to returning early.” A tear fell on the letter, wetting the words “returning early”.
This was the last letter.
It was rumored that the city gate was destroyed on the 7th of June. The black-robed men rushed into the city, and Xiao Qirui was accidentally injured in order to save a child. He was unconscious for three days. When he woke up, he realized that he had lost control and led his troops out of the city to resist the Wu army. He died in battle.
He had clearly written about “returning early” happily the day before.
Yuan Yuwan raised her hand to cover her eyes. She choked, feeling that it was hard to breathe.
The sobbing in the room only stopped at dawn. You Bai was guarding the door, her eyes swollen from crying. She sniffed and carefully pushed the door open.
Yuan Yuwan had fallen asleep on the table. There were neatly sewn letters beside her hand. Noticing that her face was covered in tears, You Bail s heart ached. She quickly called two nannies to carry her back to the bed.
Xiao Qirui’s coffin stayed in the Xiao residence for three days, and Yuan Yuwan never appeared again. On the day of the funeral, she brought You Bai back to the manor.
Madam Li was worried, but she knew that she could not keep her here, so she could only let Lin Miaomiao accompany her for a while.
Because of the deaths of Xiao Qirui and the nearly 200,000 soldiers, the happiness brought about by the good news was diluted.
Because all of this was brought about by his once respected brother, Shangguan Han’s expression became uglier by the day. Even the atmosphere in the palace was very oppressive. However, at this moment, the empress dowager, who was supposed to be in the harem, disappeared.
Shangguan suddenly stood up from the dragon throne. “What did you say? Why did Mother disappear for no reason?”
With that, he did not wait for the palace maid to reply and strode towards Renshou Palace.
There were palace maids and eunuchs of all sizes kneeling outside Renshou Palace. When they saw the emperor coming, they greeted him in fear and trepidation.
“Why are you kneeling here? Where’s my mother?” Shangguan Han roared.
“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager said that she was tired last night. After serving her and resting, we retreated. Who knew that the Empress Dowager would disappear this morning? Aunt Su Yun was also knocked unconscious in the bedroom.”
Shangguan Han’s pupils constricted and he said angrily, “Su Yun, where is Su
Yun?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Yun staggered out of the hall and knelt down in front of Shangguan Han. “Your Majesty, it’s Ping’er. Ping’er must have taken the Empress Dowager away.”
She still remembered that it was Ping’er who came in to change the incense. She fainted right on the heels of that