EBE Chapter 589 Xie Yun's Storyline: She Relinquished Her Secular Life for Her
Chapter 589 Xie Yun's Storyline: She Relinquished Her Secular Life for Her
Xiao Zhaoyuan said gently, "I don't drink alcohol."
Xie Yun said "Oh," and placed the wine beside her. "Then I'll drink it."
He didn't speak again, but just looked down at her as she poured the wine into the glass. Peach petals fell into the wine, but she didn't rush to scoop them out. She just smiled and looked up at him.
"What are you doing here? I remember you were at Qixia Temple in the capital last time."
Xiao Zhaoyuan's gaze remained calm. "I didn't say which temple I was from at the time; I was just passing by."
Xie Yun tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Oh right, you didn't say that, it was just my assumption."
She held a wine glass in one hand and rested the other on her knee, her eyes bright as she looked at him. "But you've traveled quite a distance, from the northwest to the southeast."
Hearing her say that, Xiao Zhaoyuan lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, then looked up at her and asked, "And you? How have you been these past few years?"
Xie Yun blinked and casually brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"What else can we do? Fight wars. After fighting in the Northwest, we're fighting in the Southeast. We just finished suppressing the pirates a while ago and only had a few days to rest."
The two chatted intermittently.
Xie Yun didn't drink much, but the plum wine had a strong aftereffect, and she craved its sweetness, so she unknowingly emptied half a pot.
She was leaning against the tree trunk as she spoke, her voice gradually lowering, and then, without her noticing, she stopped speaking halfway through.
Xiao Zhaoyuan felt a weight on his shoulder and looked down.
Xie Yun had turned her head to the side and fallen asleep on his shoulder.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her long eyelashes drooped gently, and a faint smile lingered at the corners of her lips.
Xiao Zhaoyuan's fingertips twitched slightly, but he didn't push her away; he just sat quietly.
The distant sound of a temple bell drifted softly in the air. A breeze rose, swirling up a few fallen peach petals, which danced in a soft arc in the night.
Xiao Zhaoyuan looked at Xie Yun leaning on his shoulder, his fingertips twitched slightly, and he pulled her into his arms.
The next moment, he picked her up in his arms.
Xie Yun stirred slightly in his arms, but did not wake up; she simply pressed herself closer to his chest.
The next morning, Xie Yun opened his eyes and found himself back in the military camp.
She paused for a moment, then sat up and looked down at her clothes, which were neat and tidy, with nothing unusual about them.
After packing her belongings, she mounted her horse and set off for the capital with her entourage.
Before leaving, she took out a warm and lustrous mutton-fat jade pendant from her bosom and whispered, "Send it to Yunlin Temple and personally hand it to Master Mingji."
That jade pendant was something she had worn for many years; it was translucent and had a small character "蕴" (yùn) engraved on the back.
The messenger received the order and left.
Xie Yun glanced at the distant mountain shadows outside the city, then turned and mounted his horse without lingering. He spurred the horse and rode away with the wind.
At Yunlin Temple, the morning bell has just ceased, and the mountain mists have not yet dissipated.
"General Xie ordered me to deliver this item to Master Mingji personally."
Xiao Zhaoyuan sat quietly on the futon, his gaze fixed on the jade pendant.
He lowered his head and stared at the jade pendant for a long time.
After a while, he gently closed his eyes and held it tightly in his palm.
Six months later, smoke billowed across the southwestern border front.
Xie Yun's temporary camp has been surrounded by enemy forces, and reinforcements are unlikely to arrive in time. The army is exhausted and its food supplies are running out.
All the generals looked anxious; the situation was extremely critical.
She stood in the tent, armored and frowning, discussing a breakout plan with several lieutenants when she suddenly heard a report from outside the tent.
"General, a monk is requesting an audience, saying he has come to deliver something."
The tent flap was lifted, and a soldier entered, presenting a brocade pouch and a jade pendant with both hands.
Xie Yun took it, and her expression suddenly changed.
She was very familiar with that jade pendant; it was a gift she had given to him years ago.
Inside the brocade pouch was a roll of plain paper with only a few lines, yet it clearly outlined the solution to the current battle situation, presenting a well-organized and logical plan, and the strategy for deploying troops was particularly insightful.
Xie Yun looked up and pressed, "Where is the monk? Where is he?"
The soldier was taken aback. "He left after delivering the brocade pouch, saying that fate brings people together and then separates them, so there's no need to ask any further questions."
Xie Yun gently put the jade pendant into her bosom without asking any further questions.
She quickly regained her composure, unrolled the scroll again, and ordered people to prepare according to the formation and troop deployment methods described on it.
Although it was late at night, Xie Yun gave the order, and the army sprang into action like a taut bowstring.
In less than two hours, everything was ready.
Before dawn, Xie Yun personally led his troops out of the camp.
She was clad in silver armor, her horse galloping through the frost, heading straight for the enemy's rear camp. At the same time, her deputy general, following plan, quietly launched a surprise attack on the enemy's supply route from the southwest valley.
Caught completely off guard, the enemy forces collapsed in an instant.
A resounding victory!
Months later, on the streets of the capital, people lined up early on both sides of the road, eager to catch a glimpse of General Xie.
Xie Yun was clad in armor, with banners fluttering behind him.
Along the way, people waved and shouted as they went.
"General Xie is mighty! General Xie is mighty!!"
When she entered the palace for an audience, Emperor Gao Che personally ascended the hall to greet her, his face beaming with smiles. "Thank you, my dear minister. This time, we have achieved a great victory in the southwest, recovering three key prefectures. I have approved the Ministry of Rites to confer upon you the title of Duke of Zhenyuan."
All the officials bowed and offered their congratulations.
This is the first time since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty that a woman has been granted a noble title.
Xie Yun bowed and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
Xie Jing, dressed in court attire, maintained his usual aloof and dignified demeanor, but a hint of undisguised joy flickered in his eyes.
The carriage headed towards the Prince's Palace.
Inside the carriage, Xie Yanli closed his eyes to rest, while Xie Jing flipped through the memorials he had just brought from the palace.
Xie Yun leaned against the car window, looking at the street scene passing by outside, her expression relaxed.
Xie Jingyu said gently, "Mother has prepared a welcome banquet at the Prince's Mansion. She said she has prepared all your favorite dishes, such as stewed pear soup, lotus leaf chicken, and braised venison ribs. There is plenty of everything."
Xie Yun laughed, "Mother is still the most thoughtful."
The brother and sister chatted idly.
Just then, a deep, resonant bell rang out from afar.
The sound was deep and lingering, yet it stood out clearly in the bustling city.
Xie Yun paused abruptly, her eyes flickering slightly.
This is the sound of a temple bell.
She tilted her head slightly, looking in the direction from which the sound came, and froze for a moment.
Suddenly, a person came to mind.
She remained silent, a strange flutter rising in her heart.
After returning to the Prince's Mansion and having dinner, Xie Yun went back to her own courtyard.
She did not rest, but sat on the stone bench in front of the couch wearing only a thin outer robe. With her head down, she gently stroked the jade pendant in her palm with her fingertips, tracing the small character "蕴" on the pendant in circles.
She has no news of him, and perhaps she will never see him again...
but……
Perhaps we were destined to be apart.
one year later.
After the victory in the Southwest War, Xie Yun led his army into Yangcheng.
She rode at the very front, with a magnificent army behind her.
The people had already crowded outside the city gates, lining the streets to welcome her and shouting her name.
She gripped the reins tightly, her gaze sweeping calmly over the crowd as always.
Just as the general's entourage was about to enter the city, Xie Yun suddenly paused, his gaze fixed on a spot in the crowd ahead.
Among the crowd, a young man stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a plain blue robe, not wearing a monk's robe, his hair reaching his shoulders and tied up with a jade crown.
It's him.
He returned to secular life!
Xiao Zhaoyuan stood in the crowd, looking up at her.
Xie Yun did not stop her horse, but the corners of her lips slowly turned up, revealing a smile to him.
Xiao Zhaoyuan also smiled slightly.
Across the crowds and the sound of the wind, as their eyes met, a thousand words were unspoken.
【Finish】
2025.6.30