Sharp pain shot up his spine like lightning, leaving only one thought in Quan Yu’s mind…

He might be poisoned.

“Princess Zhenguo…” Quan Yu’s face was deathly pale as he raised his eyes to look toward Bai Qingyan.

Quan Yu’s hands dared not touch his knees, where the green-colored fragments were visible.

Seeing the fragments on Quan Yu’s knees, how could Gao Demao not understand what had happened? He cried out in alarm: “The poisoned wine cup fragments have pierced into his knees!”

Both Gao Demao and the Emperor suspected that Quan Yu was Bai Qingyan’s person, especially after Quan Yu had desperately clung to the Emperor and shouted for Bai Qingyan to flee quickly. This made Gao Demao even more certain that Quan Yu belonged to Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan suddenly stood up, taking three steps in two strides to reach Quan Yu’s side, crouching down to examine his injuries.

“Princess Zhenguo…” Quan Yu’s tears fell like broken pearls. When truly facing the moment of life and death, people cling to life. He didn’t want to die. His words came without thought, instinctively seeking rescue from Bai Qingyan, as if she were omnipotent. “This servant doesn’t want to die, Princess Zhenguo! This servant doesn’t want to die!”

Bai Qingyan’s eyes remained calm and composed. She pulled out the hair ribbon binding her hair atop her head, letting her long hair fall loose, and used the ribbon to tightly bind Quan Yu’s leg at the root: “You won’t die!”

The Emperor looked at Bai Qingyan, who was so close at hand, hatred surging in his heart like a tsunami. He suddenly gripped the flower vase that Gao Demao was about to take from him, staring fixedly at Bai Qingyan’s head, then suddenly raised the vase to strike at Bai Qingyan.

“A’Bao!” The Grand Princess was startled and stood up abruptly.

But the expected shattering of the vase and bloodied head never occurred.

Bai Qingyan, who had just finished binding Quan Yu’s thigh, didn’t even lift her head as she steadily caught the vase. Despite the Emperor’s full exertion, he couldn’t wrest the vase back – it remained motionless in Bai Qingyan’s hand.

The Grand Princess’s heart, which had leaped to her throat, settled back down, and she collapsed back into her seat. If that blow had truly struck A’Bao’s head, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Their eyes met – the Emperor’s turbid pupils gazing into Bai Qingyan’s clear, bright black and white eyes.

“Someone come!” Bai Qingyan called out loudly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Tianzhi led people pushing through the door, bowing to Bai Qingyan: “Your Majesty’s command!”

The Emperor stared wide-eyed at Shen Tianzhi, his gaze wishing he could devour him alive. These damn bastards… they were all in cahoots! All treacherous rebels, all conspiring against him!

“Quickly take Eunuch Quan Yu to find a physician! Eunuch Quan Yu’s wound has been contaminated with poison – you must… preserve Eunuch Quan Yu’s life!” Bai Qingyan ordered.

Shen Tianzhi looked at Quan Yu, whose knees were injured, face deathly pale, eyes full of terror, and body trembling uncontrollably, then nodded: “Yes!”

Shen Tianzhi turned and signaled his subordinates to carry Quan Yu to find a physician.

Seeing that Shen Tianzhi was Bai Qingyan’s person, Quan Yu finally felt relieved, but couldn’t help worrying about the Crown Prince. Just as he was about to speak and beg Bai Qingyan to spare the Crown Prince, before he could open his mouth, the Emperor suddenly flew into a rage.

“Dog things! All treacherous rebels!” The Emperor tried to pull the vase away to smash Shen Tianzhi, but the vase remained immovable in Bai Qingyan’s hand.

“Indeed! You’re hardly a weak person! How could you have been blocking arrows for the Crown Prince… hovering on the brink of death repeatedly! Physical weakness… it was all your smokescreen!” The Emperor’s fury turned to laughter, his voice like cat claws scraping against a wall, so grating that Gao Demao’s hair stood on end. “You… you and the Grand Princess, and this Shen Tianzhi… you’ve all been secretly plotting rebellion for a long time, haven’t you!”

Shen Tianzhi glanced at Bai Qingyan, who slowly stood up with her long hair cascading down. Her eyes remained calm. Shen Tianzhi then looked at the Emperor, whose eyes were bloodshot and nearly mad, being tightly held by Gao Demao. Confirming that Bai Qingyan was not in danger, he bowed and withdrew from Luohong Tower, closing the door behind him.

Bai Qingyan’s raven-black long hair fell over her shoulders. She looked directly at the Jin Emperor, her voice steady and indifferent: “Yes, I’ve wanted to rebel for a long time… from when you deceived Grandfather, yet privately harbored jealousy toward the Bai Family, even wanting to exterminate the Bai Family entirely, causing our Bai Family men to nearly all perish in Nan Jiang, and nearly leading our Bai Family widows and orphans to their deaths – from that moment, I wanted to rebel!”

“Nearly all?!” The Grand Princess started, straightening her spine and widening her eyes, feeling as if her surging blood was about to congeal. “A’Bao, but… but are there still people…”

Bai Qingyan gazed at the Emperor whose expression had drastically changed, the corners of her lips curving up as she said coldly: “The Bai Family ancestors’ protection ensured that A’Jue and A’Yun survived!”

Hearing these words, the Grand Princess was stunned for a moment… then raised her hand to cover her lips with her handkerchief and wailed loudly, old tears streaming down her face.

Finally…

Finally, two had survived!

The Grand Princess had never been so happy, nor had she ever felt such guilt. They had been so filial, yet she, as the grandmother of the Bai Family children, had never bothered to protect them, leading to the tragic deaths of seventeen grandsons… seventeen grandsons! All died miserably in Nan Jiang!

The Grand Princess didn’t even know what face she should show when she died and met her grandsons!

How could she tell them that throughout her life, she had prioritized the Lin imperial power, placing these grandsons behind the Lin imperial power?

“I have already announced to the world… calling for any Bai Family sons and Bai Family army members who still drew breath after the Nan Jiang battle during the Xuanjia years to return to the capital to witness the coronation ceremony! Therefore… I am determined to have this throne! I will never bow to the Lin imperial power, and I will never let the Bai Family suffer near-total annihilation again!”

As her words fell, Bai Qingyan snatched the vase from the Emperor’s hand with one motion, placing the exquisite vase steadily back on the high table.

The flickering candlelight illuminated the imposing Bai Qingyan, momentarily making the Emperor feel deeply unsettled, as if he had returned to the time when Bai Weiting still stood high above, and he was merely a prince elevated to Crown Prince by a single word from the Grand Princess. From the bottom of his heart, he had feared that invincible Duke Zhenguo.

Perhaps it was because Bai Qingyan’s silver armor had been through countless battles, stained with endless blood, radiating cold light all around, inexplicably chilling people’s hearts.

The Emperor instinctively stepped back. If not for Gao Demao still holding his leg, he would surely have been forced back several more steps by Bai Qingyan’s overwhelming presence.

He was the Emperor! He was the Heaven of Jin! How could he feel fear toward a young girl?

“You…” The Emperor raised his hand, pointing at Bai Qingyan, so angry that his face turned green.

Bai Qingyan maintained that same calm and indifferent expression, saying coldly: “From today forth, there will be no more Jin! No more Jin Emperor!”

As Bai Qingyan’s words fell, the Emperor heard the sounds of battle growing ever closer outside.

The situation was lost, Jin was destroyed – all of this was destined.

“I… I will kill you!” The Emperor raged, refusing to accept defeat as he shouted: “Come! Come! Kill her for me! Kill this treacherous rebel!”