The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 210 Xi Ruo fakes death and escapes, Yang Kang builds a youth army

Yang Kang laid Bao Xiruo on the bed and wrapped her in a brocade quilt. While fixing her makeup, he said, "Mom, is it warmer now? How could you be so careless? You caught a cold at night and didn't even bother to put on more clothes. Maybe the maids weren't happy, so I'll let you take care of you. If you really like it here, I'll move in with you. But please don't ignore me."

Wanyan Honglie, who was originally so sad that he almost fainted, felt his eyes warm up after hearing Yang Kang's words, and tears flowed down his face. "Kang'er, don't be like this. Your mother is gone."

"No! She just fell asleep and caught a cold in the middle of the night. She will be fine after warming herself up." Yang Kang roared loudly, and then drove everyone, including Wanyan Honglie, out. Wanyan Honglie was a little amused and helpless, and then he used a little trick to bewitch Yang Kang and sent the imperial physician to check carefully. However, the physician said that Yang Kang died of poisoning, which made Wanyan Honglie furious and he almost killed the imperial physician.

After Yang Kang woke up, he drove Wanyan Honglie away again and stayed by Bao Xiruo's side day and night, without sleep or even drinking water. This made Wanyan Honglie very distressed. He was heartbroken that his beloved woman had left him, and he was also heartbroken that the son he had raised for twelve years was becoming increasingly haggard. Three days later, Yang Kang ordered someone to send in a coffin to bury Bao Xiruo, and then he let Wanyan Honglie in.

"Father, please forgive my selfishness. Please take one last look at Mom and don't come here again, okay? I want Mom to leave you with a beautiful impression, and that won't change." Yang Kang pleaded with a haggard face, "I don't want your last impression of Mom to be a bad one, and for you to forget about her completely after marrying a new princess."

Wanyan Honglie gently ruffled Yang Kang's hair and said, "No, your mother will always be the most beautiful in my heart. No one in the world can compare to her. I will not marry any new princess. My princess can only be Xiruo."

Yang Kang shook his head slightly without saying anything. He ordered paper and pen to be brought, and in front of Wanyan Honglie, he sketched Bao Xiruo's features stroke by stroke. He revised it over and over again, and finally drew a painting that he was satisfied with. He handed it to Wanyan Honglie, "Father, please cherish this painting and don't show it to anyone. I want to observe three years of mourning for my mother. I beg your permission."

"Child, why are you doing this?" Wanyan Honglie gradually reacted. As his excellence became more and more outstanding and he was more talented than other princes, the Jin emperor became more and more fond of him. At this time, Bao Xiruo's identity caused dissatisfaction among many people. Although they didn't know who did it, the original intention might not be really bad.

After Bao Xiruo's death, the position of Princess Zhao became vacant, which could be used to win over a powerful person. However, Yang Kang, as a young prince, was a little embarrassed at this time.

Few people knew that Yang Kang was not the son of Wanyan Honglie, at least no one in the Jin Dynasty's upper echelons knew it. Even so, the fact that Yang Kang's mother was Han Chinese still caused dissatisfaction among many people, and even Yang Kang was looked down upon. Now that Princess Zhao had passed away, he, the son of his ex-wife, became even more frustrated.

In Wanyan Honglie's view, Yang Kang's initiative to observe three years of mourning was actually to provide convenience for himself, so that his status as a young prince would not hinder the paths of those ministers who wanted to get close to him. However, Wanyan Honglie was deeply in love with Bao Xiruo, so how could he accept someone else so quickly?

The two men, one big and one small, were relatively sad, and they were really sad. However, Wanyan Honglie was sad for Bao Xiruo, while Yang Kang thought of Lingmeng and Lingyue from the rehearsal of losing Bao Xiruo. It had been more than 30 years since he lost them, but his mind still had their voices, smiles, and appearances, just as before.

But how long can this memory last? Each world lasts at least ten years. So after a hundred years, will I still remember them? Will I still remember the original intention of redemption, resolutely bearing the pain that could make life worse than death every day?

Yang Kang painted two portraits and kept them with him, never showing them to anyone. Wanyan Honglie simply assumed they were portraits of Bao Xiruo and gave them no further thought. Soon after, Princess Zhao was buried, but due to her status, she was not buried in the Jin imperial gardens, but in a location with excellent feng shui. On the day of the burial, a carriage quietly departed from Zhongdu, driven by a middle-aged Taoist priest. Inside was someone who absolutely should not be there, as she was more suited to be in a coffin.

Yang Kang built a simple thatched hut in front of Bao Xiruo's tomb, but built a huge military camp five miles away. In addition to his own eighteen followers, he also recruited two hundred poor teenagers between the ages of ten and fifteen, most of whom were Han children. Here they needed to receive strict military training.

Wanyan Honglie had no objection to this and even asked for a banner of the Youth Army for him. The Jin Dynasty's high-level officials highly appreciated Yang Kang's "general awareness" and how could they refuse such a simple thing? They also provided him with all necessary supplies on time and in sufficient quantities.

This young army looked quite childish, but no one dared to really attack them, or even to touch their supplies. You know, the first idiot who did so had his property confiscated and his family exterminated. King Zhao had nothing to say about this eldest son, the young prince. He would visit him in person every now and then, and each time he would bring a large amount of supplies.

The father and son ate and drank in front of Bao Xiruo's tomb. Yang Kang said, "Father, mother is very kind-hearted. If she saw us eating meat in front of her tomb, would she jump out of anger?"

Wanyan Honglie couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard this. "If Xiruo is really so angry that she jumps out, I'll drink wine and eat meat in front of her grave every day. Even if a ghost comes, as long as it's Xiruo, I'll still like her."

"Father's guards are still a little weak. You need to find some loyal and reliable experts to protect you. You couldn't withstand the blow from Mom's back." Yang Kang's words left Wanyan Honglie speechless. He had been investigating for months, but still couldn't find the culprit. The more he investigated, the more certain he was that it was done by a high-ranking member of the Jin Dynasty, perhaps even someone very close to him. It was even possible that his father, the current Jin Emperor, had personally issued the order.

Therefore, Wanyan Honglie never told him the imperial physician's diagnosis, and even had the emperor kill the physician. "That palm power is indeed difficult to judge. Father doesn't understand martial arts, so he asked someone, and they said it was Iron Sand Palm, Blood Evil Palm, Heart-Severing Palm, and many other random palm techniques that could produce such an effect."

Yang Kang casually slapped the ground, leaving a shallow mark. "Even if I had mastered the Heaven-Flipping Palm to perfection, I would have been able to leave a mark like this. That man's martial arts skills are definitely superior to mine. However, I am confident that once the three-year mourning period is over, I will have first-class strength, and then I won't be afraid of him anymore."

"My son has such confidence, and I am very pleased with him. You don't need to worry too much. I am here for you. No one will dare to harm you." Wanyan Honglie sneered, "I have already sent ten royal guards to guard you. I don't think anyone will dare to harass you again."

"Father, you don't have to be so nervous. Those guards should not appear casually, so as not to disturb my master. The Quanzhen Sect's martial arts are still very good, but I don't want to waste the opportunity." Yang Kang suddenly remembered that there was a female master in the palace. He felt a little sorry and thought about asking someone to pay a little attention and not disturb her.

"The Quanzhen Sect, those big-nosed people are always talking nonsense. You can learn martial arts from them, but you must not really believe their lies." Wanyan Honglie was afraid that Yang Kang would know his true identity. He had already lost his wife, but did not want to lose his son again.

"Don't worry, father. I am no longer a child of three or five years old. Not everyone can fool me." Yang Kang asked Wanyan Honglie for a group of teachers. They did not need to be very talented, and young failed scholars would be enough. His young army had great plasticity, and they could not be wasted. At the same time, he asked for information about the Jiaodong Peninsula.

Wanyan Honglie also wanted to help Yang Kang recover from the pain of losing his mother, so he agreed to all of his requests. He briefly observed the young soldiers' training and found that, aside from the slightly different martial arts they were practicing, they were no different from ordinary soldiers. However, he overlooked one point: their ages were already similar to those of ordinary soldiers. What about three years later?