Year 31 of the Yuanfeng Era, Fifteenth Day of the Seventh Month, Midnight.

I was awakened by Suzhi.

Suzhi’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Female physician, please take a look. The princess has no breath. No matter how we pat her, she won’t cry. What should we do?”

Because she wasn’t full term.

Because the labor took too long.

“Bring her to me.” I was barely alive.

The midwife hurried to bring the child over.

So tiny, bony and thin like a small cat, her face was blue, blue mixed with ashen white.

Her tiny fingers were curled, clenched tightly into fists, as if she had foreseen her future fate and wanted to resist but was powerless.

This was my child!

Her tiny eyes hadn’t yet opened.

She hadn’t seen mountains, hadn’t seen seas, didn’t know joy, hadn’t tasted sorrow.

How could she die?

“Suzhi.”

My voice was hoarse. “Help me take out thirteen needles and warm them over the fire. Warm them carefully.”

“You’re going to perform the Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles?”

Lady Liang, who had rushed over, had a voice that trembled terribly.

I beckoned to her.

Lady Liang approached. I reached out and grabbed her lapel. “You promised me, didn’t you?”

Lady Liang nodded hard.

“Even though she’s a girl?”

Lady Liang’s tear-filled gaze was resolute. “Even though she’s a girl.”

I released her lapel and took all thirteen needles together.

Hand raised, needles inserted.

Ghosts and spirits, I’m not negotiating with you, nor do I have time to threaten you. I’m directly issuing you a challenge.

With me, Shen Duruo, here—you, none of you can take her away.

I won’t leave you any room, nor will I leave myself any way out.

We’ll fight to the bitter end!

First needle, Ghost Palace at the Renzhong acupoint.

Second needle, Ghost Messenger at the Shao Shang.

Third needle, Ghost Rampart is Yin Bai.

Fourth needle, Ghost Heart at Da Ling.

Fifth needle, Ghost Path connects Shen Mai.

Sixth needle, Ghost Pillow, Feng Fu is strong.

Seventh needle, Ghost Bed at Jia Che.

Eighth needle, Ghost Market troubles Cheng Jiang.

Ninth needle, Ghost Den at Lao Gong acupoint.

Tenth needle, Ghost Hall, Shang Xing is strong.

Eleventh needle, Ghost Store is Hui Yin, piercing the delicate maiden at the jade gate.

Twelfth needle, Ghost Minister is Qu Chi…

“Waaah—” came a cry.

My hand trembled, and the last needle fell to the ground.

Suzhi wept with joy. “She’s crying, she’s crying! The little princess is crying!”

“She’s alive, she’s alive.”

Lady Liang was both happy and worried. “Quickly, quickly, quickly, don’t let her cry. She can’t cry! My child, cry a bit more softly.”

Suzhi picked up the child and pressed her little face against my heart.

A strange scene occurred.

Sensing my breath, her crying suddenly stopped.

What an obedient little person!

I opened my eyes wide, wanting to get a good look at her face, but I couldn’t hold on any longer and slowly collapsed.

Suzhi helped me and the child lie down together.

I gently held her in my arms, unprecedented tenderness welling up in my heart.

This tenderness was like a breeze, like a cloud, smoothing out my four channels and eight meridians that had been exhausted to the extreme.

At this moment, how I wished Zhao Lin could ask me once more, “Do you want to stay by my side?”

“Yes!”

I wanted to give her a home, dress her in the prettiest clothes, braid her hair in the most beautiful style.

When it was hot, I would fan her.

When it was cold, I would cover her with blankets.

I wanted to accompany her as she grew up, watch her babble and toddle about.

On her coming-of-age day, I would personally pin the hairpins in her hair.

I would find her the gentlest man in the world, a man who would love only her.

I would personally place her hand in that man’s palm.

I would watch the backs of the husband and wife as they departed, both gratified and smiling, yet with tears streaming down like rain…

However, I only dreamed this dream for a moment.

A masked man in black stood silently at the doorway.

I saw Lady Liang’s body stiffen as she strode over.

The man in black leaned toward Lady Liang’s ear and said something in a low voice.

Lady Liang’s originally lowered right hand suddenly grabbed the doorframe with a “crack.”

She gripped very hard, the veins on the back of her hand protruding one by one like a man’s.

Yet even so, her body still couldn’t stop trembling.

After a moment, she raised her head, exhaled a long breath, and turned to look at me.

I saw her eyes full of tears and her face full of sorrow.

I lowered my eyes to look at the child in my arms.

Child, though you exhaust your entire life, you’ll never wait for father to come home.

Lady Liang’s sorrow lasted only a brief instant. She withdrew her hand, slowly straightened her body, and lifted her chest.

Her figure was very upright—the posture of a mother to the nation.

She looked coldly at the man in black.

The man in black nodded, stepped over the threshold into the room, and lightly drew the dagger in his hand across the midwife’s neck.

As blood spurted out, the midwife had already been hoisted out by the man in black. She didn’t even have time to cry out.

Suzhi also moved, beginning to wipe up the blood traces on the floor, tidying up the aftermath in the room…

As I stared in shock, Lady Liang walked over and sat by the bed.

She reached out to brush aside my sweat-soaked hair and said to me in a very calm tone:

“Shen Duruo, I’m taking the child away now.”

Finally this moment had arrived.

Though I was reluctant in a thousand ways, I still nodded in the end.

“By the rules, you can’t survive. ‘Leaving an heir’ has another meaning—removing the mother, keeping the child.”

She actually smiled. “He said someone must live to offer incense and burn paper for us at Qingming and Zhongyuan festivals.”

My tears fell again.

“During the confinement month, don’t cry. It will leave you with ailments.”

She took out her handkerchief and wiped my tears, her eyes gentle yet sorrowful.

“Oh yes, when you burn paper, could you recite the Rebirth Sutra for my son, so he can be reborn into an ordinary family in his next life?

Don’t recite it for His Highness and me. We’ve agreed—we don’t want to come back in the next life.”

“Liang Sunyi.” I choked out her name.

“Shen Duruo, you’re becoming more and more improper.”

Liang Sunyi took the child from my arms, looked down at me from above, and smiled gracefully. “I’m going to chase after him. You live well.”

After speaking, she turned with infinite grace, her back ramrod straight as she walked out.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Finally she walked out of my sight.

I would never forget her bearing even in death—like a warrior carrying a long sword, walking across a battlefield strewn with corpses.

At this moment, the general had already bloodied the battlefield.

Drums and horns sounded.

The warrior walked slowly before the enemy army, sword raised horizontally.

Resolutely and decisively, to keep a death pact!

My tears kept falling. I inexplicably remembered the first time I entered the Crown Prince’s residence when the husband and wife hosted a welcoming banquet for me.

He wore an old robe, sitting beside her.

The corners of her mouth held a smile as she picked up chopsticks, selected a piece of fish meat, carefully removed the bones, and placed it in his spoon.

After glancing at it, he picked up the spoon and naturally brought it to his mouth.

The waters of the Yellow River flow eastward, the Luoyang maiden’s name is Mo Chou. At fifteen she married into the Lu family, at sixteen bore a son named Ahou…

Zhao Lin, Liang Sunyi.

Farewell forever!

I closed my eyes and finally sank into a hollow darkness.

————

Regarding the character of Crown Princess Liang, Yiran has a few words to say.

When initially designing this character, I had many designs, but as I wrote, she became what she is now.

Not that I wrote her wrong, but when I entered Lady Liang’s inner heart, she was this kind of person.

Not perfect, but very resolute.

I love her like this. When she resolutely went to her death, I wrote myself to tears.

Ask yourself—how many mothers in this world could personally kill their own child? So she’s remarkable.

As for the Crown Prince, I’ll summarize with a very clichéd phrase: character determines fate.

The story of Shen Duruo, Lady Liang, and the Crown Prince has ended. There’s still one chapter remaining, saved for tomorrow.

Today only one chapter update—I’ve wounded myself with my own writing again.

About ten thousand characters remain until this heart demon is resolved.