Xie Chao had been on horseback from dawn till dusk, not daring to close his eyes for a moment. Utterly exhausted and half-dead from the frantic ride, he collapsed unconscious after barely managing to sob out a few words.
Yaoying brought him back to the residence and had the resident physician treat him.
She entered the study and asked Xie Qing to fetch the map of Qing County.
According to Xie Chao's account before losing consciousness, Li Zhongqian had been ambushed in the river valley of Qing County and was severely wounded. After being besieged for several days, no reinforcements ever arrived. Before passing out, he had sent several men skilled in swimming to break through the encirclement and seek help.
Xie Chao was one of them. They had fled through the enemy's multiple blockades but were discovered along the way. He was the only one who survived.
Yaoying studied the map, a doubt forming in her mind: "Why did Second Brother insist on Xie Chao returning to the capital for reinforcements?"
Zhao Tong, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince were leading several armies much closer to Li Zhongqian's location. Why would he choose the more distant option instead?
Xie Qing had never been on a battlefield and knew nothing about military tactics. Frowning in thought, he remained silent.
Xu Biao snorted coldly, slamming his hand missing two fingers heavily on the desk as he cursed irritably: "Because the Great King doesn't trust the Third Prince or Zhao Tong! If he'd sought help from the Third or Fourth Prince, the Great King and his men would have been completely wiped out!"
He suddenly slapped his forehead.
"I've been suspicious all along - the Great King was only transporting supplies this expedition. He was far from the front lines, so how could he have been ambushed? Someone must have betrayed him, deliberately leading him into a trap! Then they made half-hearted efforts, not properly searching along the river. Finding a few corpses, they declared the Great King's entire force annihilated - they never intended to save him at all!"
Yaoying's hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves.
A trap. Another trap.
Was Li Zhongqian destined to die on the battlefield?
Even though she had prevented him from going to Liangzhou a year ago, was he still fated to die in battle a year later?
Just because Li Xuanzhen wanted him dead, because he was Li Xuanzhen's greatest threat - did that mean he must die?
She had to save Li Zhongqian.
No matter what the cost.
Yaoying closed her eyes briefly, calming herself and organizing her thoughts.
Zhao Tong was a veteran general, moderate in temperament and not partial to any prince. He wouldn't harm Li Zhongqian... but neither would he save him.
The Third and Fourth Princes were unpredictable. Both would eventually be poisoned by cruel officials for alleged rebellion, though whether they actually rebelled remained unclear.
If the Third and Fourth Princes joined forces to harm Li Zhongqian, Zhao Tong would merely watch indifferently.
Why would they want to harm Li Zhongqian?
For the succession struggle?
To curry favor with Li Xuanzhen?
Or was this all one of Li Xuanzhen's vicious schemes? Had the Crown Prince's Palace already set an inescapable net, waiting only for Li Zhongqian to head south?
Yaoying smiled bitterly at herself.
In this lifetime, Li Xuanzhen had harmed Li Zhongqian, though not with the underhanded methods described in the book. So she had naively believed that if those events didn't occur, she could resolve Li Xuanzhen's hatred.
After all, Li Xuanzhen wasn't an utterly wicked person.
Yaoying had failed.
Li Xuanzhen wanted her to replace Zhu Lvyun in marriage. He arranged for Chieftain Ye Lu to attend the palace's Buddha's Birthday Dharma Assembly. Though he stopped her at the last moment, it didn't change the fact that he had schemed to make her a substitute bride.
Li De was cold and unfeeling, rational and merciless. The only person who could shake his resolve was his deceased wife Tang Shi. Li Xuanzhen hated Li De, yet he was actually most like him - he could lose all reason for Zhu Lvyun, stopping at nothing.
She shouldn't have clung to false hope.Two knocks sounded at the door as the attendant announced that Xie Chao had regained consciousness.
Yaoying immediately went to see Xie Chao and asked him about the specifics.
Whether it was due to the medicine he had just taken, Xie Chao appeared dazed and slow to react. When questioned, it took him a long time to mumble a vague response.
The physician explained that Xie Chao was utterly exhausted.
Xu Biao grew frantic with impatience, shoving the physician aside and grabbing Xie Chao by the collar as he roared, "Who ambushed the prince?"
Xie Chao shook his head. "I don’t know."
"Did you say the prince was injured? How many days has he been unconscious? How many of you are left? How many enemy troops are there?"
Xie Chao looked utterly bewildered.
"You fool! What else do you know?" Xu Biao, enraged, slammed his fist against the wall, shaking the rafters.
Xie Chao dared not utter another word.
The other guards exchanged uneasy glances.
Yaoying frowned slightly and signaled with her eyes for the guards to pull Xu Biao away. She walked to the bedside, looked down at Xie Chao with her large, captivating eyes—slightly upturned at the corners, shimmering like autumn waters.
"Why are you pretending to be clueless?" she asked.
Xie Chao hung his head in shame.
Yaoying had already guessed part of the truth, her heart filled with mixed emotions. "Did my brother instruct you... that no matter what happens, I must not be disturbed?"
Xie Chao trembled, struggling to get off the bed and kneel on the floor. "Forgive me, Princess."
Li Zhongqian, severely injured, had ordered him before losing consciousness to return to the capital and seek help from the Chief Steward without alarming the Seventh Princess. When Xie Chao saw the princess at the relay station, he had rushed to her in desperation. Now, having regained his senses, he recalled Li Zhongqian’s instructions and dared not reveal too much, intending to wait for the Chief Steward’s arrival.
Yaoying sighed softly.
Even at the brink of life and death, Li Zhongqian still thought of shielding her from trouble.
At nine, he was taciturn; at eleven, he was violent and brooding; at twenty, he was unrestrained and reckless. Yet, no matter which version of Li Zhongqian, he always stood firmly in front of her, sheltering her from storms and creating a serene haven, allowing her to grow up carefree in a turbulent world.
"You were only following orders. What fault is there in that?" Yaoying sighed. "Tell me, how was my brother injured, and how severe are his wounds?"
She slightly emphasized her tone. "My brother’s life hangs by a thread. Right now, I am in charge of the princely estate, and even the Chief Steward follows my commands. Answer my questions truthfully, without any concealment. If you delay matters, I will hold you accountable."
Xie Chao thought for a moment and agreed. "Princess, the ones who ambushed us were from Southern Chu! They disguised themselves as river pirates, burned our provisions, and when the prince pursued the enemy, he was struck by their poisoned arrow. Within less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his entire body became paralyzed and immobile. The Southern Chu forces seized the opportunity to turn back and counterattack, and the prince was stabbed several times..."
At this point, he stole a glance at Yaoying. Seeing that although her face was pale, she remained calm and composed, standing steadily without panic, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and continued.
"Before losing consciousness, the prince ordered me and a few others to swim out of the valley to seek reinforcements. He also told me to relay a message to the Chief Steward, saying that the Third Prince and Fourth Prince are not to be trusted."
Yaoying returned to the study and carefully unfolded the map.
The terrain along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River was complex, with Southern Chu, the Wei Dynasty, and several separatist forces interlocking like dog’s teeth. The location where Li Zhongqian was ambushed was very close to Huangzhou, which was occupied by Southern Chu.
Xie Chao had said that Li Zhongqian was severely injured and unconscious, in a precarious situation with only a few dozen guards left by his side.The Southern Chu forces had them trapped in the valley—escape was impossible, and they couldn’t hold out for more than a few days.
It was even possible that Li Zhongqian had already met with disaster before Xie Chao could make it back.
Yaoying recalled his words before he left.
He’d said that as long as he could return alive, he wouldn’t mind humbling himself to surrender.
Easier said than done—the situation on the battlefield was beyond his control. Moreover, he was already unconscious. Since Southern Chu had disguised themselves as river pirates for the ambush, they likely had no intention of leaving survivors.
Soon, the Chief Steward hurried over—he had already met with Xie Chao.
Yaoying asked, “Which generals at court can we trust?”
The Chief Steward hesitated, unable to speak.
Yaoying frowned and glanced at him. “Hu Bo, what did my brother instruct you to do?”
If Li Zhongqian hadn’t given the Chief Steward prior instructions on how to respond, why would he have sent Xie Chao back to the capital for help?
The Chief Steward’s lips trembled, tears streaming down his aged face.
Yaoying froze.
Wiping the corners of his eyes, the Chief Steward sobbed, “Your Highness, there are no trustworthy generals at court! When His Highness sent Xie Chao back for reinforcements, it wasn’t to have this old servant seek aid for him, but to remind me…”
Yaoying clenched her fingers. “Remind you of what?”
The Chief Steward lifted his sleeve to wipe away tears. “His Highness said that if he dispatched his personal guards back to the capital, it meant he was reminding this old servant to escort you away—as far as possible, without a moment’s delay!”
The bitterness she had barely suppressed surged over her like a tidal wave. Yaoying could hardly bear it, swaying on her feet and barely managing to steady herself against the desk.
There was no backup plan.
No clever stratagem.
No allies.
Xie Chao’s desperate ride back wasn’t to seek reinforcements—it was only to ensure she could flee faster and hide farther before news of his death reached the capital.
This was the one thing Li Zhongqian had firmly engraved in his mind before he lost consciousness from the poison.
Yaoying gritted her teeth, lifted her face, and forced back the tears that threatened to spill.
Now was not the time for grief. Li Zhongqian’s life hung by a thread—she had to find a way to save him. The longer she delayed, the slimmer the hope.
Yaoying spread out paper and picked up a brush to write letters.
The Chief Steward wept. “Your Highness, you truly must leave now… His Highness has even sent Xie Chao back. If you don’t go and something happens, how can this old servant face His Highness?”
Yaoying’s hand trembled uncontrollably as she wrote. “I’m writing a few letters pleading for help. Send people to deliver them—have them take tokens and ride the finest horses from the estate.”
Knowing he couldn’t persuade her, the Chief Steward nodded through his tears. As soon as she finished writing, he immediately sent strong servants to deliver the letters separately.
In the afternoon, Xie Qing brought back the first reply.
Yaoying immediately took the letter, opened it, and sighed in disappointment after reading it.
She continued to wait.
Several families sent replies in succession, while others remained silent. A few, upon seeing the estate’s attendants at their doors, immediately shut their gates and refused to accept the letters.
Yaoying opened each reply one by one, her face growing increasingly pale.
The letters contained only polite words of comfort. Li Zhongqian was a thorn in the Crown Prince’s side—no one dared to extend a helping hand.
The Chief Steward quietly wiped away tears.
Xu Biao tallied the number of guards in the estate and requested to join the fight: “We were all originally wandering martial artists from the jianghu. His Highness didn’t care about our backgrounds and gave us a future. Now that he’s in trouble, we can’t just sit idly by.”
The Chief Steward hastily dried his tears. “No! His Highness left you here to protect the Princess! If you leave, who will protect her?”
Xu Biao choked, unable to reply.Yaoying finished reading the last reply letter and walked to the front courtyard steps, glancing up at the sky.
The Southern Chu people were skilled in using poison. Li Zhongqian had first been struck by a poisoned arrow, then slashed with blades. Now surrounded and trapped, his life hung by a thread. Every moment of delay diminished his chances of survival.
She could not afford to wait.
The Chief Secretary stamped his foot in frustration: "What if we plead with His Majesty? Would he send someone to rescue the Prince?"
Yaoying shook her head.
Li De would certainly dispatch troops, but would those he sent actually save Li Zhongqian?
Ahead lay Zhao Tong, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince, along with the ruthless Southern Chu forces. Behind them were generals who dared not offend Li Xuanzhen. No matter who was sent to rescue Li Zhongqian, if they delayed even a day or two, Li Zhongqian would surely perish.
Moreover, the frontline situation was complex. There were undoubtedly Southern Chu spies within the Wei army. Even if the reinforcements genuinely intended to save Li Zhongqian, the Third and Fourth Princes would inevitably obstruct and sabotage their efforts.
The Chief Secretary wept in despair: "Is there truly no way at all?"
Yaoying lifted her gaze, her dark eyes gleaming with determination.
"There is one other way."
Everyone in the courtyard looked up at her.
Yaoying stood in the crisp twilight of early autumn, her skin like fresh snow, her hair jet-black, a faint halo shimmering around her.
"Prepare a horse. I'm going to the Crown Prince's Palace."
The Chief Secretary, Xu Biao, and the other attendants all stared in shock.
Only Xie Qing turned without hesitation and silently went to prepare Yaoying's mount.
Before leaving, Yaoying returned to her room to retrieve an item, tucking it into her sleeve.
The Chief Secretary chased her to the palace gates: "Princess, please don't go to the Crown Prince's Palace. The Eastern Palace and we are like fire and water. How could the Crown Prince possibly agree to save the Prince? You'll only suffer humiliation from that Wei Ming."
Yaoying mounted her horse.
"Li Xuanzhen will agree to save him." She tightened the reins and gently nudged the horse's flank. "Because I know what he wants."
The Wusun horse galloped into the golden twilight.
As dusk fell, drumbeats echoed successively from north to south over the scattered residential wards. The blazing sunset cast a brilliant rouge hue upon the towering palace walls and the dense array of rooftops and pavilions within.
Xie Qing escorted Yaoying to the Crown Prince's Palace and presented her name tablet.
The guard went inside to announce her, soon returning with a cold reply: "His Highness is unavailable. The Princess may leave."
Yaoying dismounted and said, "Please announce again that I wish to see the Crown Princess."
Hearing her voice, the guard's demeanor softened immediately. Not daring to look at her directly, he went inside again and returned accompanied by none other than Crown Princess Zheng Biyu's maid.
The maid directly led Yaoying to the rear hall, smiling warmly: "Your Highness is a rare guest! Her Highness the Crown Princess was overjoyed to hear of your arrival!"
Yaoying remained silent, her expression neutral.
In the inner chambers, Zheng Biyu, upon learning of Yaoying's visit, hurriedly changed her attire and personally went to welcome her at the winding corridor.
She had been troubled by the incident at the Buddha's Birthday Dharma Assembly these past days. After Duke Pei intervened to protect Yaoying, Zheng Biyu had written to explain she hadn't known the full situation at the time. Yaoying never replied, leaving Zheng Biyu deeply unsettled.
Zheng Biyu knew she and Yaoying were fundamentally different, yet she still hoped Yaoying wouldn't think less of her.
Spotting Yaoying's graceful figure near the lotus pond in the distance, Zheng Biyu hurried forward: "Seventh Lady, what brings you here at this hour?"
Yaoying came straight to the point: "I wish to see Eldest Brother."Zheng Biyu wore a troubled expression: "Seventh Lady... I know why you've come. His Highness will not see you."
At present, neither the court officials nor the noble families of the capital wished to see Li Yaoying, for they all knew her visits were solely to plead for Li Zhongqian's rescue.
Whether Li Zhongqian lived or died, no one would lift a finger—they had no desire to offend Li Xuanzhen.
The officials of the Crown Prince's Palace were especially eager for Li Zhongqian to perish in the south. Wei Ming had spent these days devising ways to confirm Li Zhongqian's death and delaying the court from dispatching reinforcements.
Given the circumstances, how could Li Xuanzhen possibly agree to see Li Yaoying?
Yaoying stood beneath the ginkgo tree in the courtyard, its trunk thick enough for two people to embrace, and said, "I apologize for troubling you, Sister-in-law. Please just relay a message for me. I will wait here."
Zheng Biyu sighed and instructed a maid to deliver the message: "Inform His Highness that the Seventh Princess requests an audience."
Before long, the maid returned.
"Madam, Chief Secretary Wei says His Highness is discussing important matters with the Commandant and others and has no time for visitors."
Zheng Biyu looked at Yaoying with remorse. "Seventh Lady, we are both women confined to the inner quarters. Matters of the battlefield are beyond our control. Do not grieve too deeply. If you face any difficulties, tell me."
Yaoying lowered her head, drew an object from her sleeve, and handed it to the maid.
"Please take this to the Crown Prince."
...
In the front courtyard of the Crown Prince's Palace.
The inner hall blazed with lamplight as Li Xuanzhen, Chief Secretary Wei Ming, Commandant Qin Fei, and a few others deliberated.
As Zhu Lvyun's wedding day drew nearer, Li Xuanzhen's expression grew increasingly grim, his temper more volatile. Yet he restrained himself, refraining from drawing his blade against Chieftain Ye Lu.
Qin Fei and the others silently prayed for mercy. Seeing Li Xuanzhen distracted and knowing he was tormented daily by Zhu Lvyun's affairs, they dared not remind him.
Suddenly, a maid's voice drifted through the window, announcing the Seventh Princess's request for an audience.
Qin Fei and the others exchanged surprised glances: Had the Seventh Princess, after exhausting all avenues in her efforts for the Second Prince, finally resorted to desperation by appealing directly to the Crown Prince?
Wei Ming's eyes flickered briefly. He stepped to the door and rebuked the maid.
The maid withdrew but soon returned, presenting an object wrapped in a brocade handkerchief. "Your Highness, the Seventh Princess insists you must see this. She says she will wait until you do."
A sharp glint flashed in Wei Ming's eyes.
Before he could examine the object in the maid's hand, Li Xuanzhen looked up, his face dark. He waved a hand dismissively and said coolly, "All of you, leave."
Wei Ming had no choice but to withdraw with Qin Fei and the others.
The maid brought the brocade handkerchief to Li Xuanzhen.
The room was bright with candlelight.
Li Xuanzhen frowned slightly and unfolded the handkerchief.
In the flickering candlelight, a crude, aged, and featureless clay figurine lay quietly on the desk.
Li Xuanzhen's eyes darkened, his narrow phoenix eyes merging with the boundless stillness of the night.
"What did the Seventh Princess say?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
The maid bowed. "The Seventh Princess said, A Yue has been waiting."
As the words fell, a thunderous crash erupted. Li Xuanzhen, in a sudden rage, drew the long sword hanging on the wall and brought it down, shattering the clay figurine into fragments.
Terrified, the maid's legs gave way, and she dropped to her knees.
Li Xuanzhen, his expression somber, stared at the scattered fragments on the desk for a long moment. Then, still gripping the razor-sharp sword, he strode out of the front courtyard.
In the gathering dusk, the sword's tip glinted coldly.The palace maids and eunuchs along the path trembled in fear at the sight of the furious Li Xuanzhen, hastily making way for him.
Li Xuanzhen strode straight into the inner courtyard. Shadows flickered along the corridor, and Li Yaoying stood at the foot of the steps. Hearing the footsteps, she lifted her head and looked over.
Her gaze was calm.
These were the same eyes that curved like crescent moons when she smiled and resembled peach blossom petals when she was solemn, making it impossible for anyone to dislike her.
Li Xuanzhen marched over and raised the sword in his hand.
The maids and eunuchs in the courtyard stared in stunned silence, frozen in place, not daring to move.
Zheng Biyu widened her eyes, nearly crying out in alarm as she stepped in front of Yaoying, scolding in a low voice, "Eldest Young Master! Have you gone mad? Seventh Lady is your sister!"
Li Xuanzhen took another step forward, his handsome face shadowed with gloom, a sinister fury swirling in his eyes.
Zheng Biyu had never seen him like this before and stood there, momentarily stunned.
Amid the tense silence, Yaoying also stepped forward.
She raised her head, met Li Xuanzhen’s icy gaze, and said softly, "Brother Changsheng."
Li Xuanzhen stared coldly at her, his eyes sharp as blades.
Yaoying seemed not to notice the sword pointed at her. "Brother Changsheng, A Yue would like to make a deal with you."
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