This "place that only we two know" has also appeared in the original text, at which time Nan Jiu had already fallen for Ye Ruxue and was competing with other male leads to get her attention, deliberately taking Ye Ruxue to that place.

  A maple forest under a high mountain, that was Nanju's most beautiful memory.

  He confessed to Ye Ruoxin under the night sky and they hugged each other, pouring out their hearts.

  Now, in his mind, the one worth taking is Xia Tian Meng.

  "Cough cough......"

  The horse-drawn carriage moved slowly along the quiet mountain road, with the sound of horseshoes and wheels occasionally ringing out.

  Nanjiu looked at Xia Tianmeng, who was sitting across from him slowly brewing tea, and coughed, seeing her white dress and elegant demeanor couldn't help but explain: "Second Brother and Left Chancellor said they wanted to take a walk together, it wasn't me inviting you." Otherwise, according to his idea, he would have hated for Xia Tianmeng to bring even the slightest distraction, wanting only the two of them to be together.

  In the summer, Mengwen heard him and looked up to see his handsome face full of seriousness, couldn't help but laugh: "I know." Nanjiu didn't seem like someone who would bring others along on a date, let alone with himself after he had just confessed his feelings.

  As soon as he saw her smile, he couldn't help but soften his heart a little, and he no longer frowned, instead relaxing slightly.

  "That place is a very special place for me." Nan Jiu didn't know why he wanted to tell her these secrets that he had never told anyone before, even though he thought he would keep them buried in his heart forever. "It was when I was fourteen years old and first went onto the battlefield to kill enemies that I realized that the 'training' of peaceful days wasn't the same, there was no holding back, no mercy, and everywhere my eyes landed was filled with bright red bloodstains. It was the first time I knew that I wasn't as cold-blooded as I thought, at least when I saw our soldiers falling one by one, I couldn't remain unmoved."

  "But at that time, I was still too weak." He said this and couldn't help but laugh, as if he wanted to laugh at his own youthful recklessness. "I thought I could take on a hundred alone, and had even become so skilled that others would praise me. But it wasn't until then that I realized how arrogant I was. I was at a loss, the martial arts I had learned were barely enough for self-defense, and in the end, I gave my enemy an opportunity to gain the upper hand."

  He stared blankly at his own hands, deeply immersed in memories.

  "At that time, if it wasn't for the vice general's protection, I would have died on that battlefield."

  "The deputy general took me on a southward escape, and we were intercepted by the enemy in an unfamiliar poor village. He used his life to buy time for my escape."

  It was then that I was rescued by a passing merchant caravan.

  In the summer, Meng Wan's eyes deepened slightly, this is a plot that has never appeared in the original text. At least in the original text, Nan Jiu did not tell Ye Ruxue about such past events.

  Nan Jiu's mouth involuntarily curled up with a hint of a smile, shallow but genuine. He said: "That is the merchant caravan that just returned from the neighboring country, there are robust men in the team, considerate but loves to gossip cooks, and also my uncle who has always been good to me, as well as his young 'daughter'."

  "The time I spent in the merchant group was the most wonderful time. No pressure, no complicated interpersonal relationships, everyone was so simple. Uncle's 'daughter' was called Yanyan, only seven years old, and her teeth were not even fully grown yet, but she always liked to bring her favorite candies to find me."

  "It's probably because she asked the uncle why I was alone, and the uncle told her that I didn't have any family left. She treated me so kindly with such simplicity, always saying 'Big brother, Xiaoyan will give you everything, don't be sad!' I had never felt that way before, being loved by someone simply because of who I am."

  In the summer, Meng looked at him, gently placing the porcelain pot on the table, and the rising water vapor made everything seem so hazy, even the sunlight pouring in from the window seemed more illusory.

  "I thought I could return to the capital happily and quickly, even when entering the city gate, I secretly sent a safe signal, but didn't leave." Nanjiu's face suddenly became painful and self-reproachful, "But it was precisely because of my selfishness that I harmed them..."

  "We stopped to rest in this maple forest, and Yan'er even took out paper and pen and asked me to draw a picture of myself. I still remember her hugging the drawing and laughing, saying that when she grew up, she wanted to marry someone like me, so pure." His hands clenched tightly, his eyebrows furrowed, "But... at that moment, the assassin sent by the enemy army found me, and in an instant, almost the entire caravan was wiped out! The people who were just talking and laughing with me, one by one, all died..."

  His eyes seemed to have flashed back to the image of Li Gong's silly smile, the kitchen maid's gossipy and busy appearance, as well as the kind uncle's smiling face towards him...

  In the summer, Meng pouted and stretched out her hand to touch his hand, wanting to give him some comfort.

  Nan Jiu was startled back to his senses by the warm sensation on the back of his hand, and when he looked up, he saw Xia Tian Meng's gentle gaze, which slightly alleviated the pain in his heart. He tried to make himself look less sorrowful, but his dark eyes still showed distress: "It's all because of them, they were looking for me, Uncle and the others were just innocent victims. Yan Er was so young, at an age where she didn't understand anything, her life had not truly begun, she hadn't received any reward for her innocence and kindness, and yet she gave her life to that moment."

  He could never forget the expression on Yan'er's face when she was beheaded on the ground covered with maple leaves, and even dreamed of it for many years afterwards.

  That was his crime and also his repentance.

  Later, if it wasn't for Emperor Wu sending someone to escort him, he would have probably been killed standing there in a daze.

  "It's not your fault." Xia Tian Meng saw that he seemed to be in a daze, and softly comforted him, "It's not your fault, you didn't have any malicious intentions, they just happened to be too kind and helped you. The ones who are truly at fault are the enemy army, they were too cruel and wouldn't even spare children. Yan Er was so kind, she definitely wouldn't want to see you being so self-reproachful now." Is this the reason why he later became the commander of the army, led 50,000 troops to defeat the 80,000-strong barbarian army by fifty miles, and at the age of sixteen as the commander-in-chief, defeated the barbarian army and captured 10,000 enemy soldiers?

  Nan Jiu's face was filled with pain, and he grasped her hand: "If I had left earlier, they wouldn't have suffered this disaster, it's all because of me..." It was his greed for too much tenderness and warmth that led these people who should be living happy lives to suffer such calamities.

  In the summer, Meng silently looked at him. She knew he was too self-blaming and all her comfort could not ease his inner wound.

  Perhaps this is why Nanjing is always called the "Cold-Faced General", and refuses people at a distance of a thousand miles.

  "Mengmeng, I want to take you to this place because it holds a different significance for me." Nanju finally calmed the pain in his heart and appeared more tranquil. He looked at her with sincerity in his eyes, "This is where my happiest memories and most painful memories reside. I want to take you there to pay respects to my past. Because I hope, our future will be together."

  Summer smiled slightly and looked at him with a gentle gaze: "I know."

  She only knew that place was special, but didn't know the reason. Today he told her and she realized that what she thought before was too shallow. When someone is willing to reveal the wounds buried deep in their heart for years to you, your significance to them is no longer just a simple liking.

  He wants you to see his entire self, good and bad.

  "Thank you." Nán Jǐu slightly averted his gaze, realizing that the corners of his eyes were growing hot, and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He hadn't intended to make Xià Tiān Mèng think anything of him, he simply wanted to share his secret with her, something he had only told Nán Yǐ Kuì before.

  Xia Tian Miao just smiled and didn't say "you're welcome". She knew Nan Jiu only wanted to pour out his heart, thanking her for listening.

  At the same time, the two people riding horses outside were silent all the way, and the atmosphere was eerie and awkward.

  Nan Yi Xie glanced at Murong Ling with the corner of his eye, seeing him staring straight ahead without expression, and couldn't help but mutter to himself: "What a fake! If he wasn't pretending in public, how could there be so many ignorant 'women' infatuated with him in the capital? I'm afraid they've never seen Murong Ling's furious side! A group of people blinded by appearances!"

  Murong Ling suddenly turned his head, directly facing Nan Yixiao who hadn't had time to move his gaze away. He let out a cold snort: "What are you looking at?" Bastard!

  Although he didn't say it out loud, Nan Yi Xie still saw the disdain in his eyes and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and glare back: "Don't you think I know when I'm being looked at?"

  Murong Ling coldly smiled and didn't look at him again.

  Nan Yi didn't hear his sharp words, but couldn't help feeling like he had been punched in the cotton flowers. He shouted: "What's wrong, nothing to say?" He knew he was handsome and charming, and no one could resist his charm!

  Murong Ling coldly smiled and slanted a glance at him: "You're asking to be scolded, but I'm too lazy to bother with you." What a joke, was he going to end up like him too?

  Nan Yi curled his lip, just about to retort when he heard Murong Ling let out a loud "hiss", furrowing his brow and closing his eyes as if listening for some noise: "It sounds like someone is running over from the front, and there are quite a few of them!"

  Nan Yi closed his eyes and listened carefully, but there was complete silence. He couldn't help but sneer: "Looks like you have a problem with your ears, how come I didn't hear anything... What's going on up ahead!"

  Murong Ling didn't care about Nan Yi's awkward expression, his mouth agape in a silly manner. Instead, he furrowed his brow and hastily instructed the groom behind him: "Move to the side!" In his heart, however, he was secretly thinking that they had come here on a whim, and at least no one else knew they were coming, so these people shouldn't have any malicious intentions. He also thought about their current location being quite unfavorable, as they were approaching the mountain top, and just over a hundred paces away was a cliff, making it unsafe in case anything happened!

  "What?" Nangong Jiu heard Murong Ling's order and lifted the curtain, only to see a group of people rushing towards them from the front, even kicking up dust with their feet. The birds perched in the surrounding trees were startled and flapped their wings, flying towards the sky.

  Next chapter: Leng Ye makes his move~