Jing Hengbo looked up and saw a burning carriage piercing through the night like a toppling volcano, crashing straight toward her.

For an instant, she had a strange feeling of past and future lives.

In that trance, she was back at the Liuli Well, with the nine fire carriages from the Sang family roaring like nine fire dragons into the heart of Di Ge. She was still on the carriage, using all her strength to try to turn the tide. She seemed to see the carriage charging forward madly, overlapping with black shadows and radiating the bloody stench of death. She heard Sang Tong’s shrill laughter, his long hair flying in the wind, gradually turning white as frost and snow—black hair becoming white in an instant.

That fire-carrying collision was the beginning of her participation in Di Ge politics, and also the start of her confrontation with Di Ge’s political machine. It was precisely after that day that Di Ge’s existing interest groups noticed the Queen’s danger and began their silent entrapment and web-weaving, until they drove her out of Di Ge.

Perhaps this scene was too stimulating, or the overlapping memories too shocking—a flash of lightning suddenly struck her mind, as if confirming something important.

Thinking of important matters at this moment was really poor timing. In Zuoqiu Mo’s eyes, the Queen seemed somewhat dazed.

A cold wind pressed forward. Zuoqiu Mo’s mind suddenly cleared, and seeing Jing Hengbo already in front of the carriage with the carriage shaft about to strike her, she cried out in alarm, “Your Majesty!”

This shout awakened Jing Hengbo, who quickly flashed backward. She would have made it in time, but behind her was a low wall. “Bang!” Her back struck the wall heavily.

Her heart turned cold.

The carriage thundered toward her, like a mountain suddenly toppling. Some sparks flying in the wind splashed onto her face, burning painfully.

She couldn’t advance—blocked by horses in front, a wall behind. Zuoqiu Mo’s panicked face flashed past.

Her body suddenly felt light, her feet leaving the ground.

Zuoqiu Mo, desperately reining in the horses, looked up with wide eyes.

In that instant, she saw ice and snow flying in the summer night, frost flowers falling from the sky. The firelight quickly extinguished in a misty ice vapor, becoming thicker water vapor that rose like fog and clouds, painting a faint white layer across the deep blue sky. Through the winding white mist, those two embraced and soared overhead, their robes fluttering in the wind.

Zuoqiu Mo saw the man’s cool eyes looking down slightly, his pupils reflecting only the woman’s slightly startled face.

She saw the woman tilt her head slightly, and after her initial shock settled, suddenly bloom into a smile bright as this lush summer.

Zuoqiu Mo was dazzled and entranced, almost forgetting to quickly roll off the carriage shaft.

With a thunderous crash, the carriage struck the wall. Zuoqiu Mo glided down like a wild goose and landed.

The carriage split with a large crack. The ice and snow had extinguished all flames. The Ge sisters rolled out of the carriage compartment in disheveled states. Upon seeing them, Zuoqiu Mo’s eyes turned blood-red as she drew her sword and charged.

She had barely taken a step when someone appeared before her.

To Zuoqiu Mo, it felt like an iceberg had suddenly risen in front of her—towering and cold. Before even moving, she already knew it was insurmountable.

She gasped, looking up. An ice sword seemed to appear from nowhere, reaching her chest in the blink of an eye. Before the sword arrived, its cold qi had already penetrated her skin.

Zuoqiu Mo had no time to dodge and knew she couldn’t anyway.

She closed her eyes, awaiting death. Though unwilling, she knew this was her deserved punishment.

Suddenly a fragrant breeze swept past. Someone pushed her heavily, and she fell to the ground. Opening her eyes, she saw Jing Hengbo standing where she had just been.

That ice sword, which had appeared so suddenly, suddenly vanished. Only faint water vapor remained in the air.

Gong Yin frowned slightly, looking at the woman before him. When had she become such a do-gooder?

“What are you doing?”

Jing Hengbo blinked. “What are you doing?”

Gong Yin pointed at Zuoqiu Mo with his chin, his gaze cold and fixed. “Killing someone.”

“That won’t do.” Jing Hengbo refused outright.

Gong Yin raised an eyebrow at her, his gaze quite lethal, clearly threatening that if she dared say this was her royal husband and he wasn’t allowed to kill, he’d beat someone up.

Jing Hengbo smiled cheerfully. “This is my royal husband. How can I let you kill her?”

Zuoqiu Mo watched as that ice-snow-like person’s face grew darker and darker. At such a moment, she actually felt like laughing.

Falling in love with someone like the Queen must be quite difficult, right? Especially someone who looked so reserved and wouldn’t say anything—wouldn’t that suffocate a person?

Gong Yin seemed to endure and endure, taking a long while before saying, “She just tried to kill you.”

“Ah, she just had a momentary fit of madness. I’ll educate her when we get back.” Jing Hengbo answered in an intimate tone.

“Dangerous people cannot be left in this world.”

“That’s still for me to handle. She’s my person. My people, I protect them.”

Gong Yin narrowed his eyes, staring at Jing Hengbo. This woman was becoming increasingly skilled at provoking people.

Knowing she was deliberately trying to anger him, knowing she was using his own methods against him, clearly having ten thousand ways to anger her back, he found himself increasingly unwilling to argue with her.

Having witnessed her hardships along the way and begun reconsidering after their reunion, he owed her far too much already. Unable to give her the companionship, indulgence, and warm family she wanted, should he also quibble with her over mere words?

If she wanted to be sharp-tongued, let her. He suddenly felt that her deliberately sharp-tongued, provocative gaze burning bright was beautiful as flame, capable of lighting the lamp in his heart.

Unable to accompany her through eternity, let her bully and mock him instead.

Let her vent her anger.

Those years of accumulated resentment—however she wanted to release them was fine.

If he could give her a period of unrestrained venting and complete self-expression in life’s final stage, so that when she looked back in the distant future, she might occasionally smile—that would be best.

However, his willingness to indulge Jing Hengbo didn’t mean he was willing to tolerate Zuoqiu Mo.

It had nothing to do with that damned royal husband—anyone who made any move to harm her could not be allowed to exist in this world.

He only regretted that his lifespan might be too short to eliminate all her enemies for her. How could he allow a threat before his eyes to exist?

“Keeping a royal husband who intended to murder you by your side—are you too idle being a queen?”

“Life needs excitement.” Jing Hengbo said with a smile. “Better than being frozen to death facing an iceberg, right?”

“You protect anyone who’s your royal husband?”

“Of course, such a darling treasure.” Jing Hengbo looked at Zuoqiu Mo with a smile. She naturally wouldn’t let this go unpunished, but killing Zuoqiu Mo now was meaningless. In her view, this straightforward person had probably been deceived again.

“Your royal husband can do anything?”

“Yes.” Jing Hengbo answered comprehensively, looking utterly indulgent.

Gong Yin seemed to be pondering something, then suddenly asked, “Still planning to take more royal husbands?”

“Of course.” Jing Hengbo answered absentmindedly. “Later, the Luoyun tribe will hold their final selection, and I plan to personally choose. Sigh, I won’t say many—can’t compare to your eighteen dancers, but I should at least gather a dozen, right?”

The air seemed to carry a sour vinegar smell. Gong Yin gazed at her fixedly, then suddenly curved his lips in a shallow smile.

“Good.”

Jing Hengbo was still thinking about Zuoqiu Mo’s situation and replied casually, “Good what good…” Suddenly startled, she said, “Good? What good?”

But when she looked up, only Gong Yin’s robes could be seen as he swept away in the distance.

Jing Hengbo stared at his retreating figure until it disappeared, frowning and muttering, “Inexplicable…”

Good what good? Was he agreeing to let her take royal husbands?

The vinegar jar wasn’t being jealous anymore? This was almost harder than getting Seven Kill to stop being a fool.

Jing Hengbo shrugged. Gong Yin was always hard to fathom. Her current strategy was to go her own way and stop trying to understand him.

Zuoqiu Mo struggled to get up from the ground. The cold wind cleared her head somewhat. Thinking that since the Queen had returned, what the Ge sisters said was probably nine-tenths deception, she wanted to apologize but felt that for such a matter, an apology was completely insufficient to make amends. She couldn’t help but lower her head silently.

Jing Hengbo ignored her, turning to look around. She saw the Ge sisters lifting their skirts and sneakily fleeing toward the outer streets.

Meanwhile, Zuoqiu Mo, both seriously injured and frozen stiff by Gong Yin’s cold qi, couldn’t move and could only glare at those two retreating figures with splitting eyes.

Her Majesty the Queen looked at her, yawned, and muttered, “I really have a life of toil…”

Her figure flashed, and she was already above the two sisters, laughing, “I’ll count one, two, three. You’d better run quickly. Let me see if I can take you both down within three steps.”

At these words, the Ge sisters’ bodies stiffened—they didn’t dare run another step.

Jing Hengbo walked to the two women and tossed out two ropes already tied with loops. The two very sensibly put them on themselves. Jing Hengbo pulled the ropes tight and laughed, “Princesses, setting aside everything else, you’ve truly mastered the art of reading the situation.”

Ge Shao pressed her lips tightly together, saying nothing. Ge Lian was actually still smiling, shyly lowering her head as if Jing Hengbo really were praising them.

Jing Hengbo stared at these two, a flash of killing intent passing through her eyes.

Such creatures would cause trouble if left alive—they’d have to be killed sooner or later!

Zuoqiu Mo struggled over, drawing her sword as she walked. Ge Shao remained fearless, while Ge Lian even showed a slight smile.

Jing Hengbo’s sense of wariness and hatred grew stronger, but she could only sigh and stop Zuoqiu Mo. “Think of your family retainers.”

Zuoqiu Mo’s sword froze.

The Ge sisters couldn’t be killed now. The Zuoqiu family retainers were still in prison, and those thousands of troops were still waiting for the Ge sisters’ commands. To save people, they could only make an exchange.

She threw her sword to the ground in frustration.

Joyful voices came from ahead—someone seemed to be talking excitedly. Jing Hengbo’s eyes lit up as she smiled.

Sure enough, shortly after, Seven Kill came bouncing over, tossing an old man back and forth on their backs. Wu Shan’s Buddhist chanting could be faintly heard: “Amitabha, benefactor, is this bumping around comfortable?”

Looking carefully, Zuoqiu Mo’s whole body trembled as she rushed forward. “Father!”

After three steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Jing Hengbo.

The street was quiet and deep, scattered with debris and wreckage. She pressed her lips tightly together, shame and guilt surging like water in her eyes.

Jing Hengbo smiled and pointed to her own head.

Think more about everything. Don’t be afraid to trust people again.

Zuoqiu Mo stared at her intently, as if finally making up her mind. She quickly walked back and fell to her knees in the dust with a thud.

“Your Majesty!”

No more words, no apology, but everything was contained in that one phrase.

Under the moonlight, her eyes were clear black and white, her gaze so determined it made Jing Hengbo’s heart sigh.

She smiled and lowered her head, saying softly, “I helped you from the beginning because you’re very much like an old friend of mine.”

Zuoqiu Mo’s expression became clear.

The greatest doubt that had caused misunderstanding had been explained.

There was no such thing as love without reason in this world. Those who had experienced storms and power struggles and deception believed this even more firmly. She and the Queen had met by chance—she had done nothing for her and had nothing to offer help with. She couldn’t believe the Queen would be willing to abandon her own position and interests, risking conflict with the Luoyun royal family, to help a complete stranger.

But she believed there was a kind of person who cherished old feelings, loved by association, and valued affection and righteousness.

Hearing the Queen sigh softly, “I don’t know where she is now or whether she’s doing well. Seeing you do well makes me feel that someone with a similar personality must also be living well, which gives me confidence—confidence to find her and the others and reunite everyone. So I wanted to help you.”

Each word was understated, but even the most callous person could hear the longing and melancholy within.

Zuoqiu Mo suddenly kowtowed, her head striking the dust heavily.

She still said nothing. Even Jing Hengbo, who smiled and helped her up, didn’t think much about what this kowtow represented. Only the recently rescued Old Marshal Zuoqiu stared at his daughter with a shocked expression.

Zuoqiu Mo had never knelt since birth—not to heaven and earth, not to ghosts and gods. She even wore armor year-round so that when meeting the King, she could say “Please forgive this general for being in armor and unable to perform the kneeling ceremony” to avoid kneeling.

In her life, she had only knelt to her parents. Today, she prostrated herself in the dust before the Queen’s skirts.

She was the next-generation heir of the Zuoqiu family. Her submission represented the allegiance of the entire Zuoqiu clan.

Old Marshal Zuoqiu wanted to say something, his lips moving, but ultimately said nothing.

The Zuoqiu family had already become an uncontrollable burning carriage, driven by royal power toward the dead end of death. Now that Zuoqiu Mo chose to steer the carriage toward the Queen’s broad path, it was the last choice in a desperate situation.

A Queen who could care so much about even an old friend was more reliable than the cold and ungrateful Luoyun royal family.

Jing Hengbo hadn’t thought so much—hadn’t realized this was how old military families pledged allegiance, that she now had another force at her disposal. She simply casually pulled Zuoqiu Mo up and patted her shoulder.

Seeing Zuoqiu Mo kneeling in the dust, she couldn’t help thinking of Taishi Lan again. Somehow, she felt nothing seeing Zuoqiu Mo’s loyalty, but couldn’t imagine Taishi kneeling to anyone.

They were different after all.

May Taishi enjoy honor above others for life and never need to kneel to anyone.

Having been in this strange world for several years, she naturally knew this wish was difficult, but for no reason, she felt Taishi could achieve it.

She smiled faintly at the sky. Everyone watched in shock, feeling that the gentle radiance on her face was bright and crystalline, surpassing the bright moon in the sky.

Over there, the Ge sisters exchanged glances, each lowering their eyelashes with cold snorts.

Such radiance moved others, but they found it glaring, wishing they could erase such a smile with blood and trample it underfoot.

Jing Hengbo turned to look at them. When their gazes met, each showed a smile.

Coincidentally, she felt the same way.

Jing Hengbo didn’t participate in the subsequent events, which lacked technical content. She went back to catch up on sleep. Over a month pregnant, her only reaction was drowsiness—she was terribly sleepy tonight.

The night’s affairs would naturally be handled well by the centuries-old Zuoqiu family taking over. It was just a matter of “accompanying” the Ge sisters on a trip, withdrawing the military siege from the Criminal Justice Bureau. As for those retainers, they naturally couldn’t be left there for slaughter. Seven Kill, essential for home and travel, murder and arson, and jailbreaking, took the stage. After the troops withdrew, they took advantage of the chaos to “tour” the prison, “accidentally” opening many cell doors during their tour. Those doors “coincidentally” all held Zuoqiu family relatives, friends, and retainers, who naturally disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The escaped people wouldn’t return to the Zuoqiu residence to avoid giving anyone leverage. Zuoqiu Mo entrusted them to Seven Kill, first joining the Queen’s guard unit, then later leaving the Luoyun tribe to directly join the Halberd Army.

The Ge sisters’ mission failed. After suffering this setback and withdrawing troops, they were worried about how to apologize to the King and had already prepared their excuse when they were driven out by the King’s favored consort. Only then did they learn that both the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had met with accidents last night. Especially the Crown Prince—he had been poisoned with some inexplicable substance and was forced to bed eighteen women in one night. After sleeping with eighteen women, the already excessively indulgent Crown Prince was ruined.

This was a major matter concerning the succession of the Luoyun royal family, serious enough to affect Luoyun’s future stability. The Crown Princess fainted upon hearing the news and immediately sent urgent messages to the Floating Water tribe. The King was in a panic, ordering a thorough investigation into the source of the drug that had completely destroyed the Crown Prince.

Hearing this news, both Ge sisters turned pale and didn’t dare say another word, hurriedly leaving the palace.

On their way back to their respective princess residences, both were silent and heavy-hearted. For the first time in many years, sitting together, their gazes avoided each other, pressed close together yet thinking different thoughts.

Ge Shao arrived home first. After getting out of the carriage, she watched Ge Lian’s carriage depart, silent for a long time.

Behind her, her trusted maid waited silently for her mistress’s orders.

After a long while, Ge Shao seemed to make up her mind, saying in a deep, gloomy voice, “Keep close watch on the movements of that poison master around Princess Lian recently. Report to me at any time.”

“Yes.”

The carriage swayed slightly. Inside, Ge Lian’s smile remained even when alone, as if that expression had been carved into her life, becoming an eternal mask that would never fall off through life and death.

She seemed to speak casually to the void.

“Keep close watch on Ge Shao and those around her recently. Especially her movements with the palace.”

“Yes.”

“That poison expert by my side… must be dealt with today.”

“Yes.”

“No need to destroy the corpse. Just bury it in…” She paused, a strange smile blooming at her lips. “Ge Shao’s courtyard. Choose a hidden place.”

“…Yes.”

“If nothing happens, it stays buried there forever. If anything changes… you understand.”

“I understand.”

The carriage swayed gently. Dawn light was cut apart by bamboo curtains, crisscrossing on that gentle, beautiful face. Her face thus appeared to have countless deep, smiling cracks flickering in and out of view.

…

Between the Luoyun and Floating Water tribes lay a mountain range stretching dozens of li, connecting the two territories. The mountains were gently sloped, with vast swamps and plains below. Because the swamps were numerous and hidden, unless one was familiar with the local terrain or in urgent need of passage, people generally wouldn’t choose to travel through these mountains.

At this moment, two black dots moved slowly along the winding mountain path. Looking carefully, they were two people—or rather, one person carrying another on their back. From their direction, they were heading toward the Luoyun tribe, but their movement was so slow it was worrying how long that road might take.

The blazing sun beat down. The woman carrying someone looked up and wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

With this motion, the grime on her face, the dust and grass debris stuck to her, flowed down with the sweat in streaks of gray and white.

The person on her back, who seemed to have been sleeping or unconscious the entire time, was apparently awakened by her movement and stirred slightly, saying softly, “Ji…”

Ji Wen turned her head in delight. “You’re awake?” After thinking, her expression darkened, and she said, “Don’t speak. Save your strength. We’re almost there.”

The person on her back never lifted his head and didn’t seem to hear her words, continuing to murmur, “…Hengbo…”

His voice was very low. Ji Wen thought he was giving instructions and leaned over to listen. When she understood those two words, she lowered her eyelashes slightly. After a long moment, she raised her eyes to the cloudless sky and said to herself, “So you still haven’t awakened…”

She held her head very high, yet fine streams still flowed down from the corners of her eyes.

They had been walking this road for a long time.

Since that day when she fled in panic carrying Yelu Qi, she had taken the wrong path and couldn’t contact her subordinates. Anxious to save Yelu Qi’s life, she had hurried along, leaving markers for her subordinates, but no one had been able to catch up.

She had inquired about news and heard the Queen had arrived at the Luoyun tribe, so she rushed there. Though Yelu Qi had pills to sustain his life, his condition was worsening. A few days ago, he had still been able to treat her leg and say a few words, but afterward, he gradually fell into unconsciousness. Not daring to delay further, she traveled day and night. The silver she carried was limited and long spent. She pawned her jewelry, and when that was gone, only the jade pendant marking her as a Princely daughter remained—she dared not bring it out. The Ji Kingdom was located on high plateaus and had no dealings with other countries. She dared not casually reveal her identity for fear of bringing disaster when Yelu Qi’s life hung in the balance.

After that, she could no longer afford inns or hire carriages, sleeping rough along the way. Born noble, she couldn’t bring herself to beg. When desperately hungry, she resorted to stealing, always waiting until midnight to sneak into vegetable gardens, randomly stealing eggplants and corn. Too hungry to bear it, she often couldn’t wait to cook them and would gnaw them raw, getting a mouthful of sap. She stole corn for herself and chickens for Yelu Qi. Every village she passed had its chicken coops raided, and her roast chicken technique had improved dramatically during this time.

Born noble as a princess of the Ji Kingdom, she had never tasted such bitter hardship in her life. Yet at such times, she had no leisure to pity her difficult circumstances. Her thoughts were occupied day and night with worry for the person beside her—fearing he might suddenly die, fearing his warm body might suddenly turn cold, fearing she might wake one day to sunlight falling on his pale face but be unable to wake those eternally closed eyes… She hadn’t slept peacefully the entire journey, always tightly grasping his wrist with her fingers pressed to his pulse, so that even in sleep, she seemed to constantly hear that slow heartbeat—thump-thump. She therefore often dreamed of ocean waves and great tides. In her dreams, sun and moon hung in the sky, the highland winds swept clean, and beneath the plateau lay thousands of acres of blue sea. He came treading the waves, his robes stirring up thousands of piles of snow, which shattered against the dark reefs in an instant…

She would wake abruptly from such dreams, covered in cold sweat, unable to resist turning to hold him tightly. He didn’t know, and she felt no shame. On the road of suffering, all human emotions were concentrated to their truest, most intense, and purest forms.

So much so that later, if not for still worrying about his life and death, she almost wished to keep walking like this forever. The suffering didn’t feel like suffering—having him belong so completely to her, by her side, was enough.

She squinted at the gradually widening mountain path ahead, saying with uncertain joy or loss, “I heard the Queen’s Halberd Army left a portion at the Luoyun border. As long as we find them, you’ll be saved…”

As she spoke, Ji Wen suddenly heard the rapid sound of hoofbeats.