Chapter 819: Farewell

Liu Xunyi never expected that Hu Lie would not even let him see Zhao Xin for the last time. He was extremely disappointed and completely hopeless.

He subconsciously wanted to argue with her, but then he thought, even if he could see Zhao Xin, what would happen? Saying goodbye in person would not only fail to change the fate of the two, but would only increase sadness and even make Hu Lie suspicious and dissatisfied with Zhao Xin.

With this in mind, Liu Xunyi decided to endure the shame and humiliation for Zhao Xin. He stopped the angry Feng Tianba and Li Haitang, and then silently returned to the tent to pack his luggage while waiting for Yin Zhan to "help" him but actually "urge" him.

At noon, smoke rose from the camp and the aroma of food filled the air, but Liu Xunyi and his companions slowly walked out of the camp under the "escort" of Yin Zhan.

"By the way, why don't you meet Eunuch Ding?"

Outside the camp gate, Liu Xunyi suddenly thought of Ding Qinghong. Since coming to Mobei, Ding Qinghong's whereabouts have become unpredictable. Except for the first day when they visited Hu Lie together, they hardly saw him again. No one knew where he was hiding.

A few days ago, Liu Xunyi was so focused on his battle of wits and courage with Hu Lie that he didn't care about Ding Qinghong's whereabouts. Today, when he was about to set off, he suddenly realized.

"After the Nadam Festival ended, Eunuch Ding resigned from the prince and General Wang and left Helin last night."

"what?"

Yin Zhan's casual answer surprised Liu Xunyi and others.

"What does Ding Qinghong mean?" Feng Tianba asked angrily, "Could it be that he wants to rush back to Lin'an first and report us to the emperor?"

"Complain?" Li Haitang was stunned and asked in confusion, "You are obviously meritorious officials, what can he complain about?"

"Haitang, you are a man of the underworld, you don't understand the intrigues of the court." Liu Xunyi said bitterly, "The disaster in Yunya Town, the princess's narrow escape, the lost ten carts of dowry, Xu Guangsheng's death, and the 100,000 dan of rice I promised to compensate the Mongols... There are so many things, each of which can make Ding Qinghong confuse right and wrong and demote us to unforgivable traitors in front of the emperor and the civil and military officials of the court."

"This……"

"That's right! The court doesn't know the truth and will never reward us for our efforts to save the prefecture. Instead, they will hold on to the issue of our lost dowry and compensation of 100,000 dan of rice. In addition, Ding Qinghong is stirring up trouble and instigating things. It's hard to guarantee that the court will not be deceived by him." Feng Tianba said anxiously, "No! No! We can't let the evil Ding Qinghong file a complaint first. We must hurry and return to Lin'an before him."

"No way?" Pan Yuyin couldn't believe it. "He was also one of the people who escorted the bride. If the court really wants to punish you, he will not have a good ending either."

"If he had nothing to hide, why would he sneak out so early?" Li Haitang pondered. "If I think about it carefully, Brother Liu and Commander Feng's concerns are not unreasonable."

"Forget it! Forget it!" Feng Tianba waved his hands impatiently, "We have been kicked out anyway, so instead of dawdling and worrying about the future, we might as well hurry up and get on with our journey."

Hearing this, Yin Zhan's face changed slightly, but he ignored Feng Tianba's insinuation. Instead, he walked up to Liu Xunyi, hesitated for a long time, and then whispered: "We are all Han people. Yin admires you as a man from the bottom of his heart. In fact, the prince's hasty expulsion is not unkind, but he does not want to cause trouble."

"What do you mean, General Yin?"

"Lord Liu also saw what happened today. The death of Hulan has made the people of Wanggu tribe feel resentful." Yin Zhan explained, "If I had not arrived in time today, if you were impulsive and impatient, if you had a fight with Temulun and the others, and even casualties occurred... the consequences would be disastrous. Although they have made mistakes, they are after all the relatives of General Wang. No matter how angry the prince is, he must take General Wang's feelings into consideration and will never kill them, let alone create a rift with General Wang because of... a few Song envoys. As for you, you are envoys of the Song Dynasty in public and friends of the princess in private. The prince also does not want anything to happen to you. Therefore, the prince thought about it last night and the only best choice for everyone is to order you to go south as soon as possible."

"In that case, we should thank the prince for his good intentions?"

Liu Xunyi's heart was as clear as a mirror. Yin Zhan's explanation was reasonable and well-founded, but it was definitely not the fundamental reason why Hu Lie hurriedly expelled him. In the final analysis, it was still related to Zhao Xin.

"Lord Liu, whether you believe it or not, the prince has absolutely done his best for you." Yin Zhan had a conflicted look on his face, as if there was something else he was saying.

"I believe what General Yin said. If the prince was unkind and unjust, we would not be alive today."

Liu Xunyi smiled calmly, and then changed the subject, saying, "General Yin, can you do me a small favor since we are both Han people?"

"What's the deal?"

"Help me say goodbye to the prince and princess..."

"Master Liu wants to say goodbye to the princess, right?"

Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, Yin Zhan's face suddenly showed strangeness, and his words hit the nail on the head, which immediately made Liu Xunyi frightened and his eyes became more solemn.

"General Yin, you..."

"Oh!" Before Liu Xunyi could speak to test him, Yin Zhan's expression suddenly relaxed, and he pretended to be absent-minded and answered, "After all, you are the princess's loyal servants. Now that you are leaving her alone in a strange place, it is inevitable that you will be worried. It is human nature."

Faced with Yin Zhan's explanation, although Liu Xunyi still had doubts in his heart, but seeing that he did not expose his relationship with Zhao Xin, his heart, which had been hanging in the air, was at ease, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"General Yin is so insightful, I admire him..."

"Master Liu, there is no need to flatter me, just speak directly!"

"Please tell the princess, General Yin, to serve the prince well in the future. She has made great contributions to the peace between Song and Mongolia. We, the subjects of the Song Dynasty, will remember her selfless dedication and appreciate her great achievements for generations to come. Tell her to take good care of herself."

Since Yin Zhan was Hu Lie's confidant, Liu Xunyi didn't dare to show excessive concern for Zhao Xin in front of him, so he could only say some high-sounding instructions to hide his feelings.

"take note of it!"

"I would like to thank General Yin in advance."

"It's just a trivial matter, why bother about it?" Yin Zhan said, "It's getting late, I will personally lead people to escort you to Crescent Lake." "No need to bother..."

"No trouble!" Before Liu Xunyi could say anything polite, Yin Zhan had already mounted his horse and said meaningfully, "Escorting you to Crescent Moon Lake... is also the prince's order. I hope Lord Liu will not make it difficult for me."

After saying this, Yin Zhan said no more and rode his horse southward first.

Liu Xunyi showed helplessness, and looked back deeply at the camp and grassland where he had stayed for a short time but had gone through many twists and turns. He let out a sigh with endless taste, and then calmed down, got on the carriage with the help of Feng Tianba and Li Haitang, and followed Yin Zhan southward.

In the afternoon, a strong wind suddenly blew up in the Mobei wilderness, with lightning and thunder. The clear and warm weather suddenly turned into windy and rainy weather, with the sky dark and gloomy.

A large dark cloud came from nowhere and loomed over the sky above Mobei. The howling of the wind mixed with the roar of thunder and lightning was daunting and chilling.

Three hundred meters away, a horse team consisting of dozens of people suddenly arrived against the wind and rain, and stopped on the hillside, overlooking the entire Crescent Lake.

The two leaders of the cavalry were Hu Lie and Zhao Xin, and the others were all guards with swords.

"Haha... I never thought that my beloved concubine is not only proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but is also good at riding horses."

Hu Lie looked at Zhao Xin, who was riding a horse beside him, with approval. At this moment, she was wearing a Mongolian riding suit with a deep blue base and golden and red embellishments. She looked different from her former gentle and beautiful self, and had a more dashing and heroic look.

"Do you like the dress the Khan gave you?" Hu Lie liked Zhao Xin more and more. He helped her adjust her slightly crooked hat and praised her, "My dear, you look more like a grassland girl in this dress. It's much prettier than those silk dresses with ornaments and pendants."

At this moment, Zhao Xin was so sad that she had no intention of appreciating her new clothes. Little did she know that her horse riding skills were taught little by little by her former lover Liu Xunyi.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xin was unable to accompany Liu Xunyi in the mortal world, and galloping on horseback has now become a means to please Hu Lie.

"The matter of 'Nadam'..." Zhao Xin reported respectfully, "I should thank the prince..."

"Hey!" Hu Lie waved his hand nonchalantly, "You are my woman, your affairs are my affairs, your difficulties are my difficulties, your joy is my joy. As long as it makes you happy, I am willing to do anything. How is it? Are you satisfied with the result of my handling of the matter between Da Song and Liu Xunyi?"

"Satisfied! Satisfied! Your Majesty is kindhearted and keeps his word. I am so grateful..." Zhao Xin looked at the sky as dark as ink as the rainstorm was approaching, and said, "The storm is coming, why are we here?"

"I have said it before, your business is my business." Hu Lie pretended to be mysterious and pointed in the direction of Crescent Moon Lake, "Look!"

"What are you looking at..."

Zhao Xin, full of doubts, looked in the direction of Hu Lie's finger, and suddenly found that a group of people were slowly appearing there.

She frowned slightly, looked carefully, and saw clearly that the people below were actually Liu Xunyi and his group. Her eyes changed immediately, and she felt flustered. In the eyes of Hu Lie, who seemed to be smiling but not smiling, Zhao Xin's face showed a strange and hesitant expression, as well as a mixture of sadness and pain.

"They left!" Hu Lie said straight to the point, breaking Zhao Xin's trance, "They went back to the Central Plains."

Zhao Xin, dumbfounded, stared blankly at Liu Xunyi who was walking away. An unprecedented loneliness and loss surged into her heart uncontrollably, making her feel a mixture of various emotions.

It seemed that Liu Xunyi's sudden departure made Zhao Xin feel inexplicably sad as if she was abandoned.

The past flashed by, and Liu Xunyi's smiling face could not be erased, but her heart was empty and dark. Zhao Xin seemed to fall into an endless abyss, and was repeatedly tortured in the world of ice and fire. She was helpless and unable to speak, which made her feel extremely melancholy, extremely sad, and extremely depressed. She wanted to cry but couldn't, and wanted to laugh but couldn't... She was almost suffocated.

"My beloved, do you want to go down and say goodbye to them in person?"

Suddenly, Hu Lie's voice rang in Zhao Xin's ears, shocking her and causing her eyes to tremble subconsciously.

"I……"

"You can go down by yourself, or you can let me accompany you." Hu Lie said gently, "As long as you are happy, you can do whatever you want."

"Your Highness, I..." Zhao Xin was so upset that she was speechless for a moment.

"Because of your relationship with Liu Xunyi, I don't want to bring you here, but..." Hu Lie forced a bitter smile on his sincere face, "But I really can't tolerate myself lying to you, and I don't want you to have any regrets."

"Your Majesty..."

"Go down! After today, you and Liu Xunyi will be separated like clouds and rain. Say goodbye properly..."

"no need!"

Suddenly, Zhao Xin, who was depressed and exhausted, straightened her expression, and a resolute look flashed in her tearful eyes. She turned her reluctant gaze from Liu Xunyi who was far away to Hu Lie who was right in front of her, smiled with tears in her eyes, and every word she said was full of pearls.

"Your Highness treats me with deep affection and respect. I will never be able to repay your kindness in my lifetime. Liu Xunyi and I are not meant to be together. We are destined to be apart in this life. If that is the case, why bother doing this and adding to our sadness? Leaving without saying goodbye is the best comfort for each other and the best ending for us. From now on, I, Zhao Xin... only wish to be Your Highness's woman..."

……

　This is the last chapter of this volume, and it is also the official end of the emotional entanglement between Xun Yi and Zhao Xin. Reluctant to part, repeated, sighing, sighing, finally the dust settled, each with their own sorrows and joys...

　　Farewell, Xin'er! The road ahead is long, I hope we'll meet again.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)