The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 177

Upon seeing this, Xu Tian initially thought she was a gentle and refined female poet, but he never expected that her gentleness was merely an outward appearance.

Seeing Xu Tian looking at her with some complicated feelings, Yan Ji explained, "Grand Tutor Xu, I am originally the daughter of a general, so drinking is a common thing for me."

"You're the general's daughter?" Xu Tian asked, somewhat surprised.

He had only heard of the name Princess Chang'an, but he was unaware that this Yan Ji was actually the daughter of a general.

Yan Ji took another sip of wine, nodded, and said, "That's right, I am the daughter of Yan Fangqi, the General Who Protects the Nation of the Tang Dynasty. Back then, my father fought alongside the Emperor and achieved great military exploits, but he died on the battlefield. Afterwards, he was granted the title of General Who Protects the Nation along with other military generals."

"Later, I unfortunately ended up in exile, unaware of my own origins. Wandering from place to place, I was arrogant and sharp-tongued from a young age." Yan Ji laughed self-deprecatingly, "Which princess has such a troubled past as me?"

Xu Tian shook his head. "Indeed, there isn't."

Yan Ji's eyes were filled with tears, but they weren't real in the shadows. All she wanted now was to find someone to tell her about the past.

So she continued to tell Xu Tian, ​​"Later, I met him in a village. He saw that I was pitiful and often shared food with me. Over time, we developed feelings for each other. However, his family said that I had a bad temper and that I was an orphan. The village fortune teller even said that I would bring bad luck to my parents and husband, and that I should never be married. So he said that he would become a high-ranking official and then overcome all difficulties to marry me."

Xu Tian naturally knew that the "he" Yan Ji was referring to was the border guard general.

“I waited for him for a long time, but he suddenly claimed kinship with me and took me back to the Yan residence. The Emperor took pity on me and said that my father had made countless contributions throughout his life, so he bestowed upon me the title of Princess Chang'an, placing me on the same level as Princess Changle.” Yan Ji lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression. “Later, the King of the Western Regions came to arrange a marriage alliance. Princess Changle was still young, so the King of the Western Regions specifically requested that I go. On the day of the wedding, he even humiliated me.”

“I thought of him and refused to obey even at the cost of my life. From then on, the King of the Western Regions often humiliated me, and none of the palace servants respected me. For a period of time, I even ate cold rice and cold dishes.”

Xu Tian guessed that Yan Ji was about to cry, but her voice remained steady, revealing a hint of numbness and indignation.

Xu Tian didn't know what to say to comfort him, so he could only listen quietly.

“I did not have a good time in the palace, and I could not return to the Tang Dynasty. All the letters I sent to my mother and the current emperor were intercepted and replaced with letters that said ‘all is well.’ Thus, I lived like a dog for many years under the deception of the King of the Western Regions.”

“When I met him again, I had been banished to the cold palace, and I never expected that he would actually become a general,” Yan Ji sighed. “I also never expected that he would still be angry with me for leaving without saying goodbye back then.”

“The general may have been searching for you, Princess, for a long time,” Xu Tian said calmly. “Perhaps it is because of his obsession and discomfort that he has decided to ignore you.”

He said this calmly, but his heart was filled with complex emotions.

Princess Yan Ji of Chang'an, though titled "Chang'an", actually had a very difficult life. Where did she come from in Chang'an?

Having finally escaped from the Western Regions, she found her beloved gone. Now, returning to Chang'an, she wondered what kind of gossip and slander she would face.

He couldn't respond to Yan Ji, so he could only listen quietly.

After hearing Yan Ji say that she couldn't get enough to eat and that she had been repeatedly beaten and abused by the King of the Western Regions, Xu Tianqi's eyes turned bloodshot.

Unexpectedly, this king of the Western Regions is truly a scoundrel, actually resorting to such cruelty to a woman.

Hitting a woman makes you no man!

Yan Ji's voice grew softer and softer, and when there was no response, Xu Tian stepped forward and found that Yan Ji had already drunk a whole pot of strong liquor without leaving a drop.

Xu Tian had no choice but to leave.

Just then, a figure walked over from not far away.

After Xu Tian waited for him to get closer, he took a good look and realized that he was the border guard general.

Xu Tian chuckled lightly, "General, don't misunderstand."

The border general nodded slightly to him, "I know, I've been here for a while now."

"Have you been hiding in the shadows the whole time?" Xu Tian asked in surprise.