That night, Shen Qingyao suffered from insomnia for the first time after Lu Zhao’s departure.
Her mind kept dwelling on the contents of Lu Zhao’s letter, but her brain kept replaying scenes from the original plot in her dreams. In the original plot, Lu Zhao drank under the moonlight, his eyes wild and desolate, his white robe stained with blood and moonlight, and her Eldest Sister and Xiao Mu confronted him with a drawn blade…
“Ah!” Once again, Shen Qingyao woke up screaming from her dream. She sat up, panting heavily, her head already drenched in sweat. After calming herself for a while, she suddenly turned to look out the window. The night was stifling, and Cui Qiao hadn’t closed the window tightly. Through the crack, she could see that the sky was completely dark, with no moon or stars visible, only a sky full of oppressive clouds.
Suddenly, a strong wind arose, bringing with it damp and hot air, mixed with a faint earthy smell, making her chest feel uncomfortably tight.
Shen Qingyao sat holding her chest for a while. Recently, Kong Lin had been nursing her back to health, and though she was still weak, her heart condition hadn’t flared up again. But tonight, for some reason, the familiar pain began to subtly resurface. Absentmindedly, her fingers brushed over the jade fox placed beside her pillow. Lu Zhao had taken one of the pendants, and the other one had always been with her.
Just as her hand slid over it, a sharp pain pierced her fingertip. Shen Qingyao paused, staring blankly at her raised hand, seeing a thin cut on her fair finger. Startled, she quickly picked up the jade fox for a closer look. It turned out that the fox’s ear had been chipped at some point, leaving a small but sharp edge that had cut her.
Her heart pounded as she recalled the dream where the jade fox shattered after Lu Zhao’s suicide, as if it were some kind of omen. An unsettling feeling gripped her, lingering for a long time.
Unable to fall back asleep, Shen Qingyao got out of bed, threw on some clothes, and, without worrying about the impending rain, pushed open the door and went outside.
Cui Qiao, who was keeping watch outside, groggily opened her eyes at the sound and softly asked, “Miss, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just going for a walk to get some air. Don’t worry about me, you go back to sleep.” Shen Qingyao stopped Cui Qiao from getting up and didn’t let her follow.
When she went out, she hadn’t thought to bring a lamp. With no moonlight to guide her, the surroundings were pitch dark. But she wasn’t afraid, wandering around the courtyard, probing the path with her toes and feeling her way. Eventually, she walked out of her own courtyard and suddenly saw a light ahead.
She paused for a moment, recognizing the light as coming from a gazebo in the Gu family’s garden. Due to its secluded location, it was rarely visited even during the day, let alone at night. Who could be there now?
Her heart pounded with curiosity mixed with hesitation. In theory, a side character like her wandering around randomly could easily stumble upon some hidden secret and get silenced. That’s a common trope in both male and female-oriented novels.
“Forget it, I’d better go back.” Shen Qingyao thought for a while and decided her life was more important.
Just as she was about to retreat, the system in her mind suddenly stopped her: [Wait! Host! The person over there seems to be Gu Ziyan’s father!]
Gu Hui? Shen Qingyao paused. What was Uncle Gu doing there so late?
[Go take a look, Host!] The gossip-hungry system couldn’t hold back upon identifying the person, urging Shen Qingyao to go over. Shen Qingyao felt a bit helpless but thought Uncle Gu would never harm her. After pondering for a moment, she decided to satisfy both the system’s and her own curiosity.
As she got closer, Shen Qingyao saw that Gu Hui was burning something in the gazebo, seemingly performing a ritual. Realization dawned on her—there was a fire pit, explaining why the entire gazebo was illuminated.
She was hesitating about whether to go up and say hello when she heard Gu Hui in the pavilion holding what seemed to be a letter. Moments later, he unhesitatingly threw it into the fire, a few traces of nostalgia in his eyes, and murmured, “Ah Ruo, your son is indeed as outstanding as you. Unfortunately, you cannot see it…
“But rest assured, I will definitely help him.” After saying this, Gu Hui laughed at himself, “However, it seems he doesn’t need much help from me. He handles things very well.”
Shen Qingyao, who was eavesdropping, felt a bit puzzled. Ah Ruo? Who is that? From Uncle Gu’s tone, it seemed like there were some feelings involved. Could it be Madam Gu? But the content didn’t quite fit.
Gu Hui then unfolded a painting, staring at the person in the painting, his eyes filled with longing. The distance was still a bit far, so Shen Qingyao could hear Gu Hui’s words but couldn’t see the painting clearly. Curiosity got the better of her, and she stuck her head out slightly, but Gu Hui in the pavilion immediately noticed.
“Girl, come out, don’t hide there!” Gu Hui casually placed the painting on the stone table, hands behind his back, looking over without anger in his voice. Shen Qingyao, however, felt extremely embarrassed. She scolded herself inwardly and had no choice but to reveal herself, reluctantly walking over.
As soon as she entered, her gaze involuntarily fell on the open painting on the table.
The painting depicted a beautiful woman in exotic attire, her red dress like fire, her face like a peach blossom, smiling in the prime of her youth. However…
Shen Qingyao frowned as she looked at it for a while, feeling that the person looked somewhat familiar.
“Uncle Gu, this is…”
“Her name is Yun Ruo.” Gu Hui openly explained, “Twenty-five years ago, I was ordered to visit Huihe and brought back a princess they offered to the emperor, Yun Ruo.”
Princess Yun Ruo! Shen Qingyao suddenly remembered that the male Xiao Mu’s biological mother, was indeed a foreign princess named Yun Ruo!
Somehow, she recalled what Lu Zhao had told her months ago when they left Ningcheng—that Uncle Gu had a love he couldn’t marry, who was Xiao Mu’s mother. So no matter what, Gu Hui would definitely help Xiao Mu.
She opened her mouth, suddenly connecting all these pieces together.
“So Uncle Gu was commemorating an old friend. I disturbed you.” Shen Qingyao lowered her eyes, feeling a bit apologetic. Gu Hui didn’t mind much, waving his hand with a smile, “It’s fine. I admired Yun Ruo back then, but after she became a concubine, I regarded her as my dearest sister, nothing improper. Tonight…”
Gu Hui suddenly sighed, looking at the gloomy sky, heavily saying, “It’s a memorial, but also a farewell.”
Shen Qingyao frowned, not understanding what this farewell meant. She saw Gu Hui wave his sleeve, and the painting of the beautiful woman fell into the flames, quickly half turning into ashes.
“Hey! Uncle Gu, why are you…” Shen Qingyao hurried to save it but was stopped by Gu Hui. He gazed complexly at the painting being consumed by flames, as if seeing that bright young girl fading away in time. After a long time, he slowly said,
“If Ah Ruo’s spirit is in heaven, tonight, she will surely bless them with success.”
—Tonight?
In a flash of realization, Shen Qingyao understood that the first battle against Xiao Jing in the capital was tonight. She widened her eyes, having thought that Gu Ziyan’s return with a message meant there were still matters for Gu Hui to handle and the war wouldn’t start so soon. But unexpectedly…
It wasn’t completely illogical after all.
Gu Hui had a longstanding relationship with Xiao Mu’s mother and was an old friend of Duke Lu and Father Shen. This explains his unwavering support for Xiao Mu. Gu Ziyan was his only son, and it was reasonable for Xiao Mu to send him away to preserve a bloodline for Uncle Gu.
A suffocating feeling welled up in Shen Qingyao’s chest again. No wonder she had felt uneasy all night; Lu Zhao was also fighting on the battlefield, facing unknown dangers.
Her face turned even paler as she couldn’t help but worry.
The capital, usually bustling, had been on edge for some time. Since the previous Emperor’s death, banners rallying support for the princes had been raised across the land. The current ruler in the capital had neither legitimate claim nor popular support. The citizens of the capital, sharp-witted as always, had long anticipated a great battle amidst the tense standoff in Great Liang.
So, when the first battering ram struck the city gate with a thunderous sound, the entire city fell silent. The noise seemed to reverberate through everyone’s hearts, making them tremble. Expected, yet unexpected—they hadn’t thought the northern army would arrive so quickly and fiercely.
The city was ablaze, with soldiers fighting furiously. The northern army, well-trained, swiftly breached the inner city. Lu Zhao’s Nanzhao army, although not as fierce as the northern army, excelled in agility and guerrilla tactics, skillfully navigating the city’s alleys to clear out remaining enemies.
Xiao Jing’s imperial guards and the Eastern Sea Garrison hadn’t experienced real combat in many years; they had long forgotten the taste of blood and lost their fighting spirit. Now, they were being beaten back by the combined northern and southern forces. Xiao Jing, wearing a hastily made dragon robe, looked grim and had already smashed several objects in the imperial study in anger. Ministers and strategists who had already pledged allegiance knelt trembling below, unsure when Xiao Mu’s forces would break in, but everyone knew they would.
“What? Have you all lost your nerve?” Xiao Jing glared at the people below with a cruel smile, blood rising to his mouth which he forcibly swallowed. “Excellent! Just great! Twenty thousand imperial guards, a million Eastern Sea Garrison, and you can’t even stop a mere six hundred thousand northern troops?”
A general below flinched, wanting to say that the northern troops fought ten times as fiercely, but dared not speak under Xiao Jing’s bloodshot gaze, joining the others in begging for mercy.
The sounds of battle drew closer, each noise outside making those inside tremble more. Xiao Mu’s forces had already broken into the inner city; it wouldn’t be long before they reached the palace walls.
Xiao Jing clenched his fists, unable to believe how quickly his defeat had come.
“Guards!” After a while, he summoned someone with a gloomy smile, thinking that if he were to die, he would take someone with him.
“Report! Your Highness! The capital has been cleared; only the palace remains.”
Xiao Mu, riding a tall horse with a frosty expression and an imposing presence, was accompanied by Shen Qingli, who had also joined the battle and was stained with blood. Behind them was the blood-soaked Lu Zhao.
His white battle armor was dyed red with blood, and his jade-like face bore several bloodstains. The bloodied white lotus appearance made him look even more captivatingly demonic.
Hearing the soldier’s report, Xiao Mu nodded slightly, raised his hand, and commanded, “Soldiers, follow me into the palace!”
A thunderous response erupted from behind. Shen Qingli smiled, full of vigor, but noticed Lu Zhao’s expression suddenly turn grave as he gazed intently at the palace walls.
Far away, they could only see Xiao Jing wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, accompanied by several people slowly appearing.
“It’s Father and Mother! And…” Shen Qingli exclaimed, her gaze filled with fear as she looked towards Lu Zhao, “And… the Grand Princess.”
Xiao Mu’s birth mother had long passed away, but Shen Qingli’s parents and the Grand Princess had always remained within the imperial city. Shen Qingli was Xiao Mu’s weakness. Lu Zhao, too, was a crucial figure under Xiao Mu’s command. To control them was to control Xiao Mu.
On the city wall, Xiao Jing slowly revealed a cruel smile. With his sword at his waist, he pointed it towards the masses, saying coldly, “You traitorous ministers! Even if you want to force me to abdicate, it won’t be so easy!”
With that, he held his sword against Shen’s father’s neck.
“Father!” Shen Qingli cried out tearfully, her eyes red, but Xiao Mu held her hand. “Ah Li, don’t panic.”
“What do you want?” Xiao Mu’s voice was icy. He wished he could immediately drag them down and punish them. He could ignore himself, but he couldn’t watch Ah Li’s family perish.
Just when everyone thought Xiao Jing would complicate matters for Xiao Mu, he suddenly turned his sword towards another person.
Slowly, he said, “I want Lu Zhao to come up. Just Lu Zhao, alone!”
Below the city wall, Lu Zhao looked up at them, his eyes filled with tears but he vigorously shook his head, signaling him not to worry about the Grand Princess. He looked to the other side where Shen’s parents were equally defiant.
On one side were Yaoyao’s parents, and on the other was his own mother. Regardless of who it was, he must save them.
Lu Zhao tightened the sword at his side, his gaze slowly darkening. He raised his head slowly, without avoiding it, and met Xiao Jing’s fierce gaze.