Chapter 321: Forced
Chunyu Hanfeng’s cold and ruthless words echoed particularly clearly in the dungeon.
Chunyu Mingyue and he were brothers. Though they weren’t close, Chunyu Mingyue understood his character very well.
Chunyu Hanfeng was ruthless and merciless. To achieve his goals, he had always been uncompromising.
Moreover, Chunyu Hanfeng valued Military Strategist Dantai Yi so highly. If he didn’t treat Dantai Yi’s injuries, with Chunyu Hanfeng’s vicious methods, both he and his wet nurse would surely die. It didn’t matter if he died, but his wet nurse!
“Wait.”
Chunyu Hanfeng had been waiting for exactly these words.
His lips curved upward: “Has Prince Ming remembered something?”
Chunyu Mingyue clenched both hands into fists. Due to anger and helplessness, his nails dug into his palms.
“Let her return to Great Chu, and I’ll help you cure Dantai Yi.”
“Young Master Mingyue, you, you really are Young Master Mingyue.”
Wei Jiang’s eyes, which had originally grown dim, brightened again upon hearing Chunyu Mingyue’s words.
She could now be certain that the handsome, clean young man in white robes before her was indeed the young lady’s child.
“Young Master Mingyue, this servant has searched for you all these years and finally gets to see you.”
Chunyu Mingyue had lost his mother at age two. After losing his mother, he had been raised and cared for by his wet nurse Wei Jiang. Although the former Rongdi King Chunyu Jingde hadn’t paid much attention to this son, he had still protected him. After Chunyu Jingde died in battle, the Rongdi dynasty fell into chaos. When Chunyu Hanfeng inherited the Rongdi throne, the situation was unstable. Chunyu Hanfeng’s birth mother, the Rongdi Queen Dowager, was extremely wary of Chunyu Mingyue, the Prince Ming. Wei Jiang, fearing that the Queen Dowager would kill Chunyu Mingyue, escaped from the Rongdi royal court with him. The Queen Dowager sent Rongdi cavalry to hunt them down. To save Chunyu Mingyue, Wei Jiang led the cavalry away and was finally forced to jump off a cliff.
Chunyu Mingyue thought she had died. With no remaining attachments, he took the alias Bai Mingyue and practiced medicine to save people in the western border region of the Great Chu.
“Wet nurse, I’m sorry to you.”
Looking at Wei Jiang, disheveled and skeletal, Chunyu Mingyue felt guilt in his heart, and even more agonizing pain at his own helplessness.
“Wet nurse, I implicated you back then, and unexpectedly, I’m still implicating you now. I’m sorry.”
“Young Master Mingyue, what are you saying? You haven’t wronged this servant. Without the young lady, this servant would have starved to death long ago. With the young lady gone, caring for you is this servant’s duty.”
Chunyu Hanfeng watched from the side as Wei Jiang struggled desperately, wanting to rush to Chunyu Mingyue’s side.
“Tsk tsk tsk, Prince Ming and Lady Wei Jiang truly have deep master-servant affection.”
With one look from him, the two guards held Wei Jiang firmly, not letting her approach Chunyu Mingyue.
Wei Jiang said: “Young Master Mingyue, don’t agree to him. This servant’s worthless life doesn’t matter if it’s lost. Don’t submit to your enemy for this servant’s sake.”
She had always suspected that Chunyu Mingyue’s mother had been killed by Chunyu Hanfeng’s birth mother, the Rongdi Queen Dowager.
“Young Master Mingyue, in the next life this servant will still serve you and the young lady.”
Slap!
A crisp, loud slap rang out in the dungeon.
Seeing her action, Chunyu Hanfeng’s guard struck her with a palm, twisting her face to one side, then pressed her acupoints.
“Your Majesty, this woman wanted to bite her tongue and commit suicide. This subordinate has sealed her acupoints.”
“Mm.”
Chunyu Hanfeng glanced approvingly at the guard, then quickly returned his gaze to Chunyu Mingyue.
Chunyu Mingyue felt as if that crisp slap had landed on his own face, burning with pain.
“Chunyu Hanfeng, if you don’t want Dantai Yi to die, release her.”
“Take Lady Wei Jiang away and settle her properly.”
Chunyu Hanfeng waved his hand, and the two guards immediately dragged Wei Jiang away.
“Chunyu Mingyue, now that Wei Jiang is in my hands, you have no right to negotiate conditions with me. You cure Dantai Yi, and I will naturally release that old woman. If anything happens to Dantai Yi, not only will that old woman not survive, you won’t survive either.”
“Fine, I’ll help you save Dantai Yi.”
Chunyu Mingyue gripped the iron bars of the dungeon tightly with both hands, once again feeling immense anger at his own helplessness.
Three days later, Dantai Yi awakened.
“The Military Advisor is awake, the Military Advisor is awake.”
The person attending to Dantai Yi hurried to report to Chunyu Hanfeng.
When Chunyu Hanfeng arrived, Dantai Yi had already opened his eyes and was sitting up in bed.
Seeing Chunyu Hanfeng enter, he tried to rise and pay respects: “This subject pays respects to Your Majesty, cough cough!”
Hearing him cough twice, Chunyu Hanfeng quickly stopped him: “The Military Advisor’s injuries haven’t healed. There’s no need for such formality.”
Dantai Yi sat back on the bed, his back against the pillow. He looked at Chunyu Hanfeng and spoke anxiously: “Your Majesty, this subject didn’t betray you. This subject truly doesn’t know how the Great Chu War King obtained the cannon blueprints. Please believe this subject.”
That day, Chunyu Hanfeng had indeed suspected Dantai Yi, but after Dantai Yi risked his life to block an arrow for him, he had dismissed that suspicion.
He had seen those cannon blueprints in an ancient military text. The Great Chu War King Long Yu was well-versed in various military strategies, loved studying different military texts, and enjoyed collecting them. If he could see cannon blueprints in military texts, Long Yu could very likely have seen them too.
“I believe you.”
Dantai Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
These past few days, although he had been unconscious the whole time, this matter had been weighing on his mind.
Seeing his terrifyingly pale complexion, Chunyu Hanfeng frowned and glared at the several military doctors nearby.
“The Military Advisor’s face is so pale. You incompetent doctors, how have you been caring for the Military Advisor?”
The several military doctors were frightened and knelt down in unison, hurrying to explain.
“Your Majesty, the Military Advisor was injured and lost much blood. A pale complexion is perfectly normal.”
“The Military Advisor was unconscious for several days without seeing sunlight, so his skin naturally became pale.”
After hearing the explanations from the military doctors, Chunyu Hanfeng became even more furious and flicked his sleeves.
“You incompetent doctors, your skills at saving lives and treating illness are lacking, but your ability to make excuses is quite impressive. Take good care of the Military Advisor for me. If anything else happens to the Military Advisor, I’ll have your heads.”
The several military doctors knelt on the ground trembling, too frightened to breathe heavily.
Dantai Yi looked at the man whose entire being was shrouded in anger because of him, and warmth filled his heart.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern.”
“Military Advisor, rest well. I’ll come see you again later.”
“This subject respectfully sees off Your Majesty.”
Only after Chunyu Hanfeng’s figure disappeared at the tent entrance did Dantai Yi withdraw his gaze.
In the dungeon.
Hearing footsteps, Chunyu Mingyue turned to lie on his side, his face toward the cell door, glancing at the visitor.
“Dantai Yi should wake up today.”
Chunyu Hanfeng stopped in front of the dungeon door, looking down at the person inside.
“That’s right, Dantai Yi has awakened.”
The expression in Chunyu Mingyue’s eyes shifted as he sat up on the wooden plank bed: “Since Dantai Yi has already awakened, please honor our previous agreement and let Wet Nurse Wei Jiang return to Great Chu. She’s just a woman with no family or friends. Releasing her back to Great Chu won’t affect your throne.”