He tricked his amnesiac partner into becoming crippled.

Chapter 228 The Marquis Has No Clever Heart 5

As dusk fell, a campfire was lit outside the camp.

Instead of speaking directly, Wen Yan took the letter from her chest and unfolded it by candlelight.

His voice was calm: "Please take a look, sir."

The man was puzzled. He propped himself up and used Wen Yan's hand to take a closer look. The further he looked down, the more alarmed he became.

"You've actually colluded with the enemy!"

The old man's eyes turned red with anger. "Wen Yan, you are my most prized student, whom I personally cultivated... You, you, you!"

"Please don't be angry, sir." Wen Yan sighed helplessly. She stood up and patted the old man's back to help him catch his breath. Her eyes were upright and honest. "Am I that kind of person? How could you not know my character?"

It's all about talent!

The gentleman could not hide his disappointment. Wen Yan was someone he had personally mentored. In his view, being ambitious and shrewd was not a bad thing in this world, but one cannot be without bottom line and principles.

He was a man of the Liu Kingdom; he was born a soul of the Liu Kingdom and died a ghost of the Liu Kingdom!

If his disciple betrays him, he will fight tooth and nail to climb back up even if he has to go to the underworld.

"Wen Yan..."

"Sir, if I really did collude with the enemy, would you still have a chance to find out?" Wen Yan looked straight into the man's eyes, which were as calm and serene as a cold spring in a secluded place.

The master opened his mouth and said, "Yes, this disciple of his is far more skilled than me. If he were truly colluding with the enemy, he wouldn't be alive today."

Thinking it over, a glimmer of hope rekindled in his eyes: "Really not?"

Wen Yan sighed softly and slowly recounted the original owner's actions one by one, but she did not say it directly, but instead used a different way of putting it.

Originally, the plan was to accept the Fourth Prince's offer, then turn around and sell the map to the Xiongnu, intending to massacre 200,000 soldiers and generals before heading to the capital. However, in Wen Yan's words, it became a story of enduring humiliation and infiltrating the enemy camp, putting himself in a life-or-death situation, and facing numerous crises and dangers.

The man broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this: "Foolish! Are you out of your mind?!"

Wen Yan looked up, her eyes glistening with tears. Her words struck a chord with the master: "Master, you gave me my life."

The man murmured, closed his eyes, and felt both moved and sentimental.

Was it right or wrong for him to bring Wen Yan to the military camp?

"Sir, you care deeply for the people and could not bear to see the Xiongnu's iron hooves trample on the border people. Therefore, you volunteered to guard Xuguan with the Marquis and survived several close calls. Your disciple respects you."

The gentleman's heartstrings trembled, and he waited quietly for Wen Yan to continue.

"But I am equally indignant. Why can't those in power see the suffering of the people? Wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice are frequent, and the people are starving and displaced."

"Sir, would you please hear a word from your disciple?"

Tears welled up in Wen Yan's eyes, her heart was burning, and she tasted rust in her mouth.

The original owner's emotions were so overwhelming that she almost burst into tears.

Was the original owner a villain?

Yes and no, she was just one of the many struggling beings. Perhaps she had a fleeting thought of saving the world, but it was only for a moment.

The higher you stand, the more desperate you become. The country is utterly wicked, from the core to the core. She is all alone in the world. How can the country be saved?

All she could do was kill the four princes, which could be considered revenge for her father.

"I have now repaid your kindness in saving my life, Master. Now I would like to ask for your help with something."

Wen Yan knelt down in front of the bed, and the teacher quickly helped her up: "Why do you, teacher and student, perform such a grand ceremony? Just speak frankly."

Wen Yan looked up at his hand and said, "I'm not stupid. How could I not understand what you mean, sir?"

The man's expression changed several times: "What do you know?"

"The master is seriously ill and will not live much longer. That is why he brought me to the military camp despite my weak health. This was partly to leave me a way out, and partly because he hoped that I could protect the Marquis."

He was Liang Jinglan's maternal uncle. His nephew had a fiery temper and was not good at scheming. In the corrupt and chaotic court, he had no capable people to help him. Once he died, Liang Jinglan would follow suit.

Wen Yan's gaze was direct, leaving the teacher nowhere to hide. Sometimes, it's not a good thing for a disciple to be too clever.

He resigned himself to his fate and sighed, "When did you find out?"

Wen Yan smiled slightly: "Just now."

gentlemen:……

We've fallen into their trap again.

She thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, even earlier, when I gave my husband sleeping pills."

Sir: "...You said this to my face?"

Wen Yan touched the tip of her nose: "Ahem, sir, you don't need to worry about the details. If you hadn't slept for a few days, would you have agreed to let me collude with the enemy camp to infiltrate and win?"

In short, this explains why the gentleman was in a coma, why the original owner knew about the enemy's ambush and held the military seal, and why he could deceive the Xiongnu commander even if he turned against him.

The motive was clear: to repay the man for saving his life.

But not enough.

They couldn't convince the old man either. This old man had raised the original owner to be so cunning; how could he be easily fooled?

Sure enough, after Wen Yan finished explaining, the master frowned: "There are many ways to win, why does the Yuanjun want to risk her life?"

Even with this method whose chances of success were so slim, the gentleman remained skeptical.

He even had the illusion that Wen Yan was setting him up.

But why frame him?

He didn't die.

They won the battle, not only defending Xu Pass, but also incorporating the entire Xu Mountain area into Liu's territory. They wouldn't be afraid even if the Xiongnu attacked them a hundred times over.

"This disciple needs to make a name for himself, the sooner the better."

There is no faster way to gain fame than winning a battle that annihilates the enemy and leaves our side unscathed.

After gaining fame comes promotion.

"Why?"

"To overturn my father's case." Wen Yan paused for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth: "I don't think I've ever told you, sir, that my father, Wen Zhijian, was the prefect of Yuanzhou."

When he heard the name Wen Zhijian, the gentleman took a moment to react, until Prefect Yuan came out, at which point he exclaimed in surprise, "Prefect Yuan has a son..."

Wen Yan nodded, her voice light and gentle: "Indeed, I am your disciple."

The man gasped for breath, his head buzzing, and he suspected he had tinnitus.

His own closed-door disciple has suddenly become a wanted criminal of the imperial court?!?!?!?!

His brilliant and resourceful student!

The gentleman beat his chest in frustration, while Wen Yan silently dropped another bombshell.

"The disciple needs an identity worthy of him."

"What?" The man was still immersed in the previous grief and his mind didn't process it for a moment.

Wen Yan's gaze fell on the sunken bow in a corner of the camp.

The man turned his head and looked in the direction she was looking—

The bow was as black as night, its winding patterns gleaming with an iron-blood luster under the candlelight, made even more biting by the scorching north wind within the camp.

He squinted, unsure; it looked like his nephew's bow and arrow...

"Cough cough cough, wait, wait, wait!" The man felt a sudden shock, his breath caught in his throat, and his vision went black.

"Yuanjun, please explain yourself... what do you mean by this?" He was so anxious that he choked on his own saliva.

Damn, he's still a patient recovering from a serious illness, why is he being so dramatic?

Wen Yan sipped a cup of tea and nodded slightly: "That's exactly what you meant, sir."

He even took a moment to pat the old man's heaving back.

She no longer hid, her dark pupils reflecting the flickering golden light of the candlelight. A slight smile played on her thin lips; she was determined to have Liang Jinglan.

The man was terrified.

He was most afraid of Wen Yan showing this expression, because it meant that she cared.

But... the person he cares about is his own nephew?

The gentleman awkwardly advised, "My Lord, this, I, this, I mean, uh, you two are not... not quite right."

"What's inappropriate?"

He's a man!!! His nephew is a man, a male, you understand? You're a man too! How can this be appropriate?!

The gentleman's expression of incompetence and roaring should not be too obvious.

Wen Yan continued to smile slightly, then dropped a bombshell: "What if I said that my disciple is a woman?"

The man was stunned by the blow and stammered, "A...a woman?"

He was dizzy; he must have been struck by lightning.

No wonder we only saw flashes of lightning tonight but heard no thunder; all the thunder was thrown into the camp and blew him up.

The man steadied his nearly shattered mind, rubbed his temples, and asked wearily, "Does the Marquis know about this?"

"I don't know."

At this moment, Liang Jinglan ran over excitedly, bent down and peeked out: "Uncle, what secrets are you and Brother Yuanjun whispering to me? Tell me quickly!"