Yaoying looked at Zheng Jing, a light smile slowly emerging on her face: "Sanlang, thank you."
The adoration of the youth was sincere, subtle, and shy. Even if perhaps it was just an impulsive decision, it deserved to be treated with kindness and respect.
"My brother has never liked scholarly men. Previously, I was wondering how he could have picked you...." Yaoying smiled, "He did not misjudge you. Sanlang, you are a man worthy of a lifetime commitment. "
Zheng Jing's throat rolled a few times and said in shame, "I am really incompetent. I cannot protect the princess and I cannot save Qin wang...... I...."
Yaoying interrupted him, "You have already helped me a lot, and I remember it all in my heart."
"Princess, come away with me...." Zheng Jing murmured.
Yaoying shook her head, "Sanlang, when I was five years old, I was thrown on the battlefield. Everyone said I was dead, but my elder brother defied the loyal servants and entered the battlefield alone to save me. The war was still going on at the time, but elder brother dug through piles of corpses for days on end to find me. The rioting soldiers had not gone far, so we could not expose our identities as the Li family's noble son and daughter. Elder brother brought me north to escape. I could not walk, so elder brother carried me, bringing me...."
Li Zhongqian was only eleven years old at the time, carrying Yaoying east to hide in West Zang.
Without food, Li Zhongqian dug grass roots, caught snakes and rats from caves, abandoned his pride to beg, and went with other refugees to plunder anything that could be eaten.
Without shoes, Li Zhongqian tore off his clothes to wrap her feet but went barefoot himself for the whole journey. The soles of his feet were full of scars.
When he encountered the rioting soldiers burning and looting, Li Zhongqian carried Yaoying on his back to escape. He had not practiced martial arts for several years and was still a child. His body was not as strong as it was later on, so he could not run fast and was almost caught several times.
Once, Yaoying fell off his back.
The sound of horses' hooves rang out right next to her ears. Yaoying laid down on the grass without making a sound.
The fleeing Li Zhongqian very soon noticed that she was nowhere to be found. Turning around, and seeing her surrounded by the rioting army, his eyes flew wide open.
The other runaways who were running for their lives shouted at Li Zhongqian: "Silly boy! Run! Run!"
Yaoying was lying on the ground, inwardly shouting, "Run, brother, run!"
Li Zhongqian did not run.
Without even a moment's hesitation, he resolutely turned around and ran towards her, ignoring the cold, glittering spears. He threw himself on top of her, shielding her firmly underneath him.
They luckily escaped this calamity, and Li Zhongqian only suffered some minor injuries.
The refugees scolded Li Zhongqian for his foolishness: "You were lucky this time. Carrying this invalid, you will die sooner or later!"
Li Zhongqian calmly kept quiet, hugged Yaoying, and fed her the only piece of bread he had on him.
Yaoying refused to eat. She knew she was a burden to her brother, who had not eaten for days.
Li Zhongqian's face was gloomy as he pried Yaoying's mouth open and fed the bread into her mouth little by little: "Little seventh, be good. Elder brother will not leave you behind."
Yaoying cried and shook her head.
Li Zhongqian held her chin. His long and narrow phoenix eyes stared at her without blinking, his gaze malicious: "Little seventh, listen carefully. You are not a burden to elder brother. Elder brother will without a doubt bring you back home. If you live, elder brother will take you back. If you die, elder brother will also carry you back. So you have to live well, got it?"
The five-year-old Yaoying, touched and a little scared, dried her tears, ate a few bites of bread, and pushed the remaining smaller half to Li Zhongqian: "Elder brother, eat too."
Li Zhongqian took the bread but did not eat it, storing it in his sleeve.
The small piece of bread was ultimately set aside for Yaoying to eat.
....
After so many years, Yaoying still had red eyes when she thought back to the time when she fled for her life.
"Sanlang, if you had an older brother who treated you this way, would you have sacrificed yourself to save him if he were in trouble?"
Zheng Jing, with slightly red eyes, nodded his head.
Yaoying smiled: "Back then, my elder brother thought of taking me and my aniang away.... but he was only eleven years old. My aniang needed careful care, and I was also sickly. During those days of wandering, I was cut off from medicine, so I could not walk or stand. My brother went to beg doctors to help me every time we passed through a city. We did not have the money for treatment, and could not afford the medicine. Those people naturally would not treat me, and elder brother blamed himself...."
Eleven-year-old Li Zhongqian understood that he alone could not give Yaoying a stable life.
As Li De's advisors said after they returned to Wei County: Erlang, only by staying in Wei County can furen and the noble daughter's lives be safe and smooth in the midst of this chaos and have a steady supply of expensive medicine to nourish their bodies.
Yaoying bowed her head and gently pulled away Zheng Jing's hand: "Elder brother, afraid he could not protect me and aniang, did not dare to hide his strengths, so he put on his battle robe to lead the army. However, his identity was taboo to His Majesty, and also could not carelessly stand out and be outstanding like other imperial sons. He could not advance nor retreat, and simply abandoned all restraints and went with the flow. Even so, his efforts allowed me and aniang to live at ease all these years. "
She was not Li De's favorite princess, but who dared to bully her in the capital?
Yaoying lifted her head, her gaze firm: "Now that elder brother is in trouble, I want to save him, no matter the cost.
"I won't go with you."
Zheng Jing was unable to respond and dropped his hands with a sense of loss.
After half a day, he lifted his trembling hands, "I'll send Princess to the Liangtai."
Yaoying smiled at him and shook her head, "No. This road, I will walk by myself."
Zheng Jing's mouth opened, not saying anything as he was rooted in the spot, watching the woman he adored step up the long steps, her slender and graceful figure gradually disappearing into the boundless twilight.
On the high pavilion of the Liangtai, amidst the drinking, there was a lot of shouting and laughter.
The sunset was gradually sinking. Hundreds of candles had been lit in the pavilion, the lights placed around in a jumbled mess. The candle flames were brilliant, like the sky full of stars had fallen to the ground, glittering like the universe.
However, when Yaoying, who had her hair in a high bun and dressed in a splendid dress, walked into the pavilion through the curtain, the glinting candlelight in the room lost its splendor.
Everyone at the banquet unanimously stopped talking, staring at her in awe.
The Hu tribes' chiefs seated beside the main table even knocked over their wine bowls, stupefied.
Yaoying met the wave of countless eyes rushing towards her, her eyes calm, and walked step by step to the front of the main table.