After Being Forced to Marry the Evil Star General

Zhao Yelan had sensed that something was wrong ever since he retrieved Yan Mingting.

No matter what, he would never believe that Yan Mingting would allow the horse to run back alone just because he was in a hurry to urinate. Such a pathetic reason must be because something big happened, and he hadn’t had time to figure out a lie.

And during the two days of spending time with one another, he clearly felt that Yan Mingting’s smile was not as worry-free as usual. There was a bit of helplessness behind it, and after it disappeared, there was an endless sigh.

How perceptive was Zhao Yelan? He had expected that he was hiding something from him, but didn’t expect it to be such a huge matter.

The poison that killed the old general was colorless, odorless, and difficult to detect. The symptoms were dizziness and weakness of limbs.

So Yan Mingting was unable to return with the horse that day perhaps because he lost consciousness and fell from the horse. It may be that with the last sliver of reasoning, he asked the horse to find someone to save him, or that the horse had the consciousness to save him and ran back alone to find someone to rescue him.

“Then…..is there an antidote?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yao Muze shook his head in shame: “I’m not very knowledgeable. I only know that this kind of poison exists, but not how to cure it. From last night to now, I have searched all through the medical arts without finding a solution.”

“What about other Imperial physicians?” Zhao Yelan asked, and was about to go find those other people when Yao Muze stopped him.

“It’s no use. I already inquired about it this morning, and they haven’t even heard of this poison,” Yao Muze said worriedly.

“In this huge hospital, there is not one useful person to be found. How is it worthy of being called a hospital! It’s a bunch of trash!” 

Zhao Yelan cursed a few times, turned around, and strode away. Summoning Yu Dali and the other forty-eight people, he ordered: “You go to Nanjiang now. No matter what methods you use, by whatever means, you must bring all the doctors with good medical skills to the capital. Hurry up!”

After they left, Zhao Yelan walked forward in a daze, unknowingly returning to the General’s Mansion. But just as he walked in the door, he heard Yan Mingting talking with Xiao Gao in the courtyard. He took a few steps back and told the guards at the door not to say anything, and then stood outside the door, listening to their voices.

“Xiao Gao, I will teach you everything I have learned all my life. You have to learn it quickly, all right?”

“Okay, ah!”

After showing him his martial arts, Yan Mingting said: “Three days. Can you learn it?”

“Three days is too fast, ba.”

“Then five days?”

“General, why are you in such a hurry? Isn’t there still a long time ahead? Can’t I learn a little each day?”

“If you finish learning earlier, you can protect your lord. Don’t you want to protect him?”

“Want to, ah. Okay, I’ll learn now.”

Zhao Yelan listened to the sound of fighting inside. His throat tightened and he couldn’t make a sound. Just as he raised his foot to step inside, he suddenly turned around and ran to the nearest sedan chair, held his face in both hands, and wept uncontrollably.

“Guest official, where are you going?” Asked the bearer.

After a long time, Zhao Yelan said: “The Imperial Academy.”

The whole afternoon, Zhao Yelan sat alone in an Imperial Academy room. The door was closed tightly, and no one was allowed to go in and talk. 

His colleagues were a little puzzled, and Ruan Xian walked over and knocked on the door: “Zhao-xiong, is something wrong? Talk to us, maybe we can help you?”

There was no sound from inside. Ruan Xian came several times but received no response. He became increasingly worried and asked the guards to knock down the door.

“Zhao-xiong, I’ll have to offend you.”

After the door was knocked open, Ruan Xian stood in the doorway and was stunned when he saw the scene inside.

He saw Zhao Yelan sitting at the table like a normal person, writing with a brush. The man gave him a slanted look: “Get out.”

“Excuse me, it seems I’ve interrupted you.” 

Ruan Xian insipidly closed the door, and for a moment, he didn’t know what had happened to him.

Zhao Yelan’s eyes returned to the table. On the rice paper spread out in front of him were instructions on what to do with his property.

After returning to the General’s Mansion at night, Xiao Gao excitedly told him that he had learned a very powerful move from the General today and wanted to show him.

Yan Mingting walked up to him, and the two of them watched Xiao Gao show off his skills. Yan Mingting gave a few words of instruction from time to time, and asked Zhao Yelan with a smile: “How about it? What do you think about the apprentice I’ve taught?”

“You’ve barely done anything,” Zhao Yelan said. “Xiao Gao is naturally talented.”

“No matter how talented you are, you must be guided by a good master.” Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows.

Zhao Yelan scoffed coldly: “Then I was also taught by you, so why am I not like him?”

“Isn’t it just your level of talent?”

“So it does come back to natural talent?”

“I say, I can’t win against you.” Yan Mingting scratched his head and laughed, then took his hand to go eat. “Let’s go, the kitchen has made your favorite dishes tonight, and I went to Huichun Tower to buy some snacks. I’m sure you will like them.”

After dinner, Yan Mingting proposed going out for a walk. He took him to the streets and bought a lot of things.

“Jinxuan’s is up ahead, let’s go buy some clothes.”

“No, there are too many at home.”

“You actually think you have too many clothes?” Yan Mingting asked in surprise.

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment: “Let’s go then, ba, we’ll go shopping for clothes.”

In the end, Yan Mingting bought a dozen or so items for Zhao Yelan, and found that Zhao Yelan also bought a dozen or so items for him.

“Why buy so much, I won’t be able to wear it all in my next life,” Yan Mingting lamented. 

Zhao Yelan paused and gave him a blank look: “Then you have to buy more, buy ten more pieces, and wrap up all the clothes for your next life.”

Yan Mingting laughed loudly and handed over the pile of clothing to Xiao Gao, asking him to send them back to the residence first.

When passing by the gold shop, Yan Mingting once again didn’t control his steps and went in to buy a few golden locks, rings, and pendants. After paying the bill and coming out, he found Zhao Yelan coming out of the weapons shop opposite with several swords in his hands.

Yan Mingting didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and took those things: “I haven’t seen you for a long time and just wanted to buy you something, why do you want to give gifts in return?”

“I have a lot of money and it’s burning a hole in my pocket, can’t I?”

“Okay, okay, you can burn whatever you want.” After Yan Mingting finished speaking with a smile, he didn’t know which word jabbed Zhao Yelan, but the other party stepped on him several times.

The two of them walked around for nearly an hour before returning home. Housekeeper Qin looked at their bags and said in surprise: “What day is it today? Or are you going out for a long trip?”

Both of them were silent for a moment, avoiding the question one after another.

After returning to the room, Zhao Yelan threw the tanghulu he had bought onto the table: “Eat, ba.”

“You bought so much, when can I finish it?” Yan Mingting said with a muffled laugh. This fellow had bought nearly all the tanghulu on the entire street.

“Eat it until your teeth rot,” Zhao Yelan said viciously.

“If I didn’t know, I would think today was my birthday,” Yan Mingting said.

At these words, Zhao Yelan gave him a sharp look: “You liar.”

Yan Mingting asked blankly: “When did I lie to you?”

Who said on last year’s birthday, ‘May you have today’s glory forever!’

Zhao Yelan was so angry that he beat him for a long time and then kicked him out: “Scram, I need a bath.”

Yan Mingting received this long-lost outburst of temper and felt a little happy, standing outside the door for a long time. After going to bed, he was somewhat worried that the other party’s body would not be able to handle it, so he hugged him and slept in a well-behaved manner.

Who knew that Zhao Yelan would ask: “Are you dying?”

“Ah?”

Zhao Yelan turned over and sat on him, bent down, and kissed him a few times: “Isn’t this very good?”

Yan Mingting wore a look of shock and watched his up and down movements in disbelief. No matter how hard it was to restrain himself, he rocked with him again.

In the second half of the night, Zhao Yelan didn’t show any sign of weakness. He clung to his shoulders, smiled coldly, and whispered: “Yan Fangli, let’s just die in bed like this.”

Yan Mingting was worked over hard by him, and the two of them embraced each other practically to death in bed.

The next day, when Yan Mingting got up, Zhao Yelan immediately sat up and asked: “Where are you going?”

“The army is back, I must meet them outside the city gate. The Emperor will lead the courtiers to greet them. Anyway, you don’t have to go to the Imperial Academy, so you can sleep for a while.” Yan Mingting tucked in the blanket for him.

“No, I’m going too.” Zhao Yelan couldn’t miss a moment. He stood up. “Change clothes for me.”

Yan Mingting admired the mottled marks on his body first, then put on his clothes, fondling his neck for a moment with his fingertips: “Ah, there are also marks here. Where is your ointment?”

“Never mind that, let’s go.” Zhao Yelan pulled him along and walked outside.

The two had to separate temporarily. Zhao Yelan walked to the palace, followed the group of the monarch and his subjects, and went to the gate of the city to greet them.

The Imperial army stood guard on both sides of the road, and the mighty troop drew in the common people to stop and watch. Everyone was waiting for the Imperial army with joyful smiles on their faces.

Zhao Yelan followed Zhao Xuan to the city gate and saw a hundred thousand troops falling neatly into rank on the endless road. As dawn arrived, Yan Mingting sat heroically on horseback.

“Open the city gate and welcome the soldiers,” Zhao Xuan said.

The city gate was opened, and Yan Mingting was followed in by a group of lively lieutenants, then soldiers, and the common people cheered and called Yan Mingting’s name.

After Yan Mingting waited for Zhao Yelan and the others to descend the city wall, he led the lieutenants to step forward. Zhao Xuan praised them for their bravery and fearlessness, and ordered the armed forces to be rewarded.

Just as everyone’s attention was drawn, suddenly, dozens of people in the crowd shot arrows at Zhao Xuan.

“Look out!” Yan Mingting reacted first and drew his sword, intercepting the nearest arrow. “There are assassins!”

The street became chaotic in an instant, and people screamed and ran around in fear. The lieutenants immediately protected the Emperor and courtiers as they dealt with the sudden sneak attack.

While evacuating the common people, the Imperial army located the assassins.

After Yan Mingting handed Zhao Yelan over to He Cuizhang, he jumped out to kill the assassins, slaughtering a dozen of them in a short while.

His intuition told him that these people were arranged by Zhao Xu.

Something came to mind, and he turned his head to look toward Zhao Xuan, only to see a man dressed as a person from the Western Regions with a veil covering his face sneaking past him.

His eyes darkened, and he picked up the bow and arrow from an assassin’s body. Aiming at that person with endless hatred in his eyes, he shot the arrow.

“Ah!” Zhao Xu had just clenched the knife in his hand and was about to approach Zhao Xuan, when his chest suddenly hurt. He looked down at the blood flowing from his torso, turned his head in a daze, and then knelt down weakly on his knees.

Only then did the people around discover his identity. Zhao Xuan said furiously: “It really is you!”

Yan Mingting walked up to Zhao Xu in a few steps, looked at his kneeling posture, and kicked him to the ground. Lifting the sword in his hands, he was about to give him another fatal blow, but was stopped by Zhao Yelan.

“Wait!” Zhao Yelan rushed in front of him, grabbed Zhao Xu by the collar, and asked forcefully, “Where is the antidote for the poison you used on the old general!”

Zhao Xu opened his mouth, and blood gushed out.

“Mengting…..” Yan Mingting slowly looked at Zhao Yelan with an astonished expression. “You know everything?”

However, Zhao Yelan didn’t have time to answer at all, and continued to press Zhao Xu: “Speak up, ah! Where is the antidote! Do you think I won’t skin you alive? Speak quickly!”

Zhao Xu spat out a mouthful of blood and suddenly laughed: “Ha, haha, it seems that he has also embarked on the road of his father’s fate. The antidote…….I don’t have one either, ah, hahaha. The antidote was only available to the Eighth Princess, didn’t he kill her? This is just life, ah!”

Zhao Yelan released his grip expressionlessly and looked at Yan Mingting: “Kill him.”

Yan Mingting raised the sword, and at last cut down his father-killing enemy. Blood spattered on his hands.

“Don’t get his dirty blood on you.” Zhao Yelan took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands.

“Hurry up and escort His Majesty back to the palace!” Eunuch Gao shouted.

The nearest dozen or so Imperial guards came forward to protect Zhao Xuan, and when they passed by Zhao Yelan, she suddenly smelled a faint fragrance.

Zhao Yelan was stunned.

“What is it?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Wrong, wrong.” Zhao Yelan frowned. “Zhao Xu has been hiding in Beijing, and neither we nor the Emperor found him, so where was he hiding?”

Yan Mingting was taken aback for a moment, starting to think about this question, but Zhao Yelan said with a pale face in the next moment: “Hongxiu House, he hid in Hongxiu House!”

There was a secret passage in Hongxiu House that outsiders were unable to find at all, and he had automatically ruled out this place when he sent people to search.

“And during the New Year, the curfew was strictly controlled. The Eighth Princess had private meetings with men, but all the men stayed home. Only one place was open.”

“Hongxiu House,” Yan Mingting said.

Recalling the familiar scent just now, a trace of panic appeared on Zhao Yelan’s face: “Quick! Gu Niaoniao is likely to be among those soldiers, go and stop her!”

As soon as he spoke, a scream sounded in the distance: “His Majesty! Come quickly, His Majesty has been assassinated!”

Yan Mingting rushed over immediately.

Zhao Yelan dragged his feet slowly, walking toward the chaotic crowd, but didn’t dare to go up and investigate when he approached until the people in front dispersed. He saw Gu Niaoniao.

Dressed as an Imperial soldier, Gu Niaoniao was already under control, and countless swords were aimed at her.

She also saw Zhao Yelan and threw away the bloody knife in her hand. Raising her lips, with a bloodstain on her cheek, she revealed a coquettish smile: “You’re here. I’ve left some of the best spices and tea leaves for you. Remember to go fetch them.”