Chapter 54: Where is the Silk Road?

She clenched her fingers tightly and with a sharp snap, it broke…

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Western Border.

Night had fallen.

Under the dim moonlight, Li Yunli and her group traveled over a hundred miles westward, following the route scouted by the military scouts along the Wei River.

They set up a simple camp outside the Wurong gathering area. Li Yunli took the command post and dispatched soldiers in small teams to infiltrate the area.

Xiao Linjia’s soldiers were all battle-hardened veterans. Using such a force, Li Yunli found orders carried out without hesitation, making the operation smooth and efficient.

“Your Highness, the perimeter patrols are in place for the night. This area is secluded, so you may rest assured.”

Yun Chu lifted the curtain and entered, bringing her a bowl of hot water.

Li Yunli was studying a sand table map set up by her soldiers inside the tent. Her military camp was the closest to the Wurong people, and the soldiers she brought were all elite troops. The purpose was to act as bait, making it easier for Xiao Linjia’s group to infiltrate successfully.

She placed a small flag on the sand table and said, “There’s no major problem. The Wurong people aren’t as bold as before. Even if they see my banner outside, they won’t dare act rashly. We just need to wait for their people to come.”

Their presence was anything but discreet; in fact, they deliberately raised the “Li” banner, openly revealing their identity. The camp was set up directly on the main route of the border crossing.

Years ago, after the Wurong were defeated, this land had already been incorporated into the Chu Kingdom’s territory. At the time, the Wurong King had surrendered and paid tribute in exchange for allowing his people to continue living here. However, due to Chu’s prolonged wars elsewhere, the northwest region had been neglected, leading to the current situation.

The soldiers they had sent out earlier were meant to serve as a warning to the Wurong people.

Yun Chu poured the hot water from the water pouch into a bowl and handed it to Li Yunli, tidying up the small flags on the sand table. “The Wurong will probably take action by morning. It’s late, Your Highness. You should rest a little.”

The moon was high, and the temperature had dropped.

Li Yunli shook her head. “No need. I wouldn’t sleep well anyway. If you’re not tired, keep me company for a while.”

Yun Chu removed his cloak and draped it over Li Yunli’s shoulders, smiling warmly. “I’m not tired. Your Highness, don’t catch a chill.”

His slender fingers picked up the small flag Li Yunli had misplaced and repositioned it on the sand table. “Yanling—this area’s terrain has always been detailed on Chu’s maps. Do you know why?”

His tone was calm, as if making casual conversation, yet the topic caught Li Yunli off guard.

She paused and asked, “Why?”

“Even during past wars with the Wurong, Chu’s merchants maintained trade with the people of Yanling. The Wurong lack advanced craftsmanship, and many Chu people here engage in construction. Yanling is rich in red jade, a treasure that is as rare and valuable as Chu’s silk. The demand is always greater than the supply.”

Li Yunli raised her eyebrows slightly, puzzled.

“How do you know all this?”

It was one thing to know that Yanling’s red jade was precious, but how did he understand the entire industry?

Yun Chu chuckled softly and shook his head.

She had forgotten.

In her previous life, during the seventh year of Yuanhe, he had already gained her trust and was her favored aide.

At that time, after suffering setbacks in court, she had traveled west for leisure. She had spent a fortune buying red jade raw stones just for him to carve.

He even remembered trying to please her by carving a red jade sculpture in the image of the Empress Dowager, just for her to smash it in amusement.

The purest and most exquisite red jade, treated so frivolously, all to earn a single smile from her.

Perhaps it was better that she had forgotten.

Lowering his gaze, he smiled and said, “You once told me this, Your Highness. Back then, you said Chu people loved red jade, but since Yanling’s supply was limited, it was always scarce. Meanwhile, the Wurong valued Chu’s silk. You suggested establishing a trade route—linking the two, calling it the Silk Road.”

“Ah??”

Li Yunli froze, her mind crashing as if she had been struck inside a sealed chamber.

What did he say? The Silk Road???

A strange, cold sensation crept up her spine. She shivered under the cloak.

“I said that…?”

In the current map, Yongzhou’s location was indeed near the Silk Road recorded in modern history. But in her knowledge of history, there had never been a Chu Kingdom, nor a Wei Dynasty ruled by the Yun family!

Wasn’t this a parallel timeline outside her own history?

Had a Silk Road really existed here?

And was it her past self who had conceived it?

Yun Chu tied the cloak properly around her and smiled lightly. “Your Highness doesn’t remember?”

Li Yunli shook her head blankly.

How could she remember?!

She spoke coolly, “But for a Silk Road to exist, someone has to first open the Western Regions.”

Given the current relationship between Chu and the western territories, how could they have simply thought their way onto the Silk Road?

Li Yunli felt as if she had touched the edge of some unknown truth, causing even her soul to tremble.

Her chest rose and fell sharply.

The cloak was large, and Yun Chu didn’t notice her strange expression. He merely smiled and said, “Exactly. That’s why Your Highness once said, ‘We need a Marquis of Bowang to open the West.’ But who would have thought that now, it is we who have come to the Western Frontier?”

At that moment, Li Yunli’s last shred of rationality shattered completely.

With a sharp snap, she broke the small flag in her hand.

Marquis of Bowang—that name came from her history!

Yun Chu finally noticed her pale face. “Your Highness? Your face looks unwell—are you alright?”

“Nothing…” Li Yunli took a sip of hot water, forcing herself to stay composed. “Nothing, continue.”

Yun Chu had originally intended to test whether she had truly forgotten the events of Yuanhe’s seventh year. But upon mentioning this, her reaction suggested he had instead triggered some deeply unsettling memory.

He hesitated, then gently rubbed her back, choosing to remain silent.

After a pause, Li Yunli spoke first. “I don’t seem to remember saying such things before. Did I often talk like this in the past?”

Yun Chu hesitated. This question was difficult to answer. Before he could respond, a soldier suddenly called out from outside the tent.

“Your Highness! The Wurong envoy requests an audience!”

“So soon?”

Li Yunli immediately discarded her thoughts, regaining composure. “Have the area cleaned up and bring him in.”

Yun Chu was momentarily dazed, glancing at Li Yunli.

She pushed aside the sand table and stepped onto the main seat.

If the Wurong had sent an envoy so late at night, it meant they had been intimidated by her banner and couldn’t afford to wait until morning.

Moments later, a tall, sharp-eyed man in Wurong attire was led in.

He greeted her with a bow, speaking in fluent yet heavily accented Han language.

“I am Harle, an envoy of Wurong. I wonder what instructions Her Highness the Princess of Nian’an has for us on this late-night visit?”

His eyes were shifty, scanning every detail of the tent.

Li Yunli sneered. “This land has belonged to Chu for years. If I, a princess, want to patrol my own territory on horseback, do you think I need permission?”

Harle’s smile stiffened.

But just as negotiations began, a sudden arrow shot into the tent—

“Enemy attack!!”