《《蛮族之花》 Flower of Wilderness》Yina_bubbles

24、第 24 章 Jar o

　　Chapter 24 — The Ashes of Princess Shuran

　　The room was quiet after Xie Zheng asked them to speak. Nanny Zhang sat with her hands folded tightly in her lap. Ayao stood beside her, unable to stop trembling. Xie Zheng waited, he did not rush them. Finally, Nanny Zhang lifted her eyes. “General…” Her voice was soft. “Princess Shuran is dead.”

　　Xie Zheng went completely still. For a moment, he thought he had heard wrong. “...What did you say?” Nanny Zhang lowered her head. “Princess Shuran passed away.” “Where is her body?” Xie Zheng asked. Nanny Zhang's lips trembled. Ayao suddenly covered her face and the tears she had been holding back finally fell. Nanny Zhang reached for the wooden box beside her with shaking hands then, she opened it. She carefully took out the small ceramic jar, her voice broke . “Here.”

　　Xie Zheng stared at it. “The princess was cremated.” Nanny Zhang could no longer hold herself together , she wailed. “She wanted to return to Xian…” Her shoulders shook as she lowered her head. Ayao knelt beside her, crying silently. Xie Zheng said nothing , his gaze remained on the jar. Princess Shuran had spent years away from her homeland but now, the only part of her that had returned was a handful of ashes. Then, Nanny Zhang reached into the box again. “There is something else.” She placed a folded piece of cloth on the table , inside was the map.
　　Xie Zheng unfolded it and his expression changed almost immediately. He recognized the routes , the markings and the border positions. These were not ordinary roads , they were military routes. Some had been marked with small notes and circles, pointing toward passages between Xian and the northern territories. Nanny Zhang spoke quietly, “Princess Shuran kept this hidden, General Su's death was not an accident.”

　　Xie Zheng's fingers stopped moving, his late uncle. Nanny Zhang continued, “She believed someone had been secretly working with the Younis.” Xie Zheng stared at the map. All the years since his uncle's death suddenly felt much less settled. Then Ayao grabbed the edge of his sleeve. “General…” Her voice was desperate. “Please save Suyuan.” Xie Zheng looked at her. “She is still in Younis,” Nanny Zhang said. “She might do something foolish” Nanny Zhang closed her eyes. Xie Zheng looked from the ashes to the map then, to the two women kneeling before him. Xie Zheng folded the map and his expression became cold and focused.“Tell me everything you know about Suyuan's wedding.” The room fell silent again.And somewhere beyond the northern border, a young woman was waiting for the moment when there would be nothing left to lose.

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