“Right! I have no conscience, I won’t go rescue people from the execution ground, I won’t go save Miss! But A Yu, what gives us the right to storm the execution ground? What gives us the right to attack the official brothel camp? Just because of you? Or just because of me? We two have no money when we need money, no power when we need power, and we don’t know martial arts—we only have brute strength. Can we fight against the imperial city guards? I won’t go because I don’t want to throw my life away!”
“Bah!” Chen Yu spat in Yang Feng’s face and said angrily, “You cowardly weakling, finally willing to admit you’re afraid of death!”
“Yes! I am afraid of death!” Yang Feng said sternly. “But if my death could save Miss and bring back Master, I would die right now. But my death would be completely useless—no one would remember you, and it wouldn’t harm that bastard Tian Ze in the slightest. I don’t want to die, I just don’t want to die worthlessly. As long as there are green hills, there’s no fear of lacking firewood—don’t you understand?”
Chen Yu pushed Yang Feng away and shouted with a flushed face, “Three months ago you said this, and now you’re still saying it. So what are you doing now? What are your precious green hills doing? Courting women!”
Yang Feng suddenly stood up, pointing his index finger at his own chest, and said word by word, “Yes! I am courting those women, but at least I’m still making plans for our future. And you? Every day you just drink, then play cards with those guards. When you’re drunk you pick fights with them, constantly shouting about avenging Master—but what have you actually done?”
“I’d rather drink than be like you. You say courting women is planning for the future—do you really think I, Chen Yu, am a fool?”
Yang Feng laughed coldly and said in a low voice, “What kind of place is this? This is the imperial palace! Everyone who comes and goes here are high officials and nobles. One opportunity could let us turn our fortunes around and rise to success. How many chances in your life do you get to enter the imperial palace? I just want to find a way to stay here and wait for the right moment.”
“Hmph!” Chen Yu sneered and said in a low voice, “Those palace maids can help you stay here? Don’t be foolish.”
“Right, I know the chances are slim, but as long as there’s even a bit of opportunity, I want to work hard to seize it.” Yang Feng suddenly raised his head, his eyes showing powerful determination and confidence. He said with certainty, “A Yu, today we kneel at others’ feet, but we won’t kneel forever. Someday, I will stand up, stepping on all those who once stepped on me. Master’s revenge—I will never forget it.”
“Who’s there!” A series of chaotic footsteps suddenly rang out. Chen Yu’s face instantly turned snow-white. Yang Feng frowned, stepped forward to help Chen Yu up, and was about to run when he realized they were already surrounded by many people. The palace at night normally didn’t allow guards to walk around, and private fighting was strictly forbidden. Moreover, they were guards temporarily transferred into the palace from the outer Green Standard Army. If discovered disobeying military orders, it would mean immediate death.
Yang Feng knew escape was impossible. He drew the saber from his waist. Chen Yu, who had been arrogant toward Yang Feng earlier, now had a face pale as paper, his body trembling uncontrollably.
“It’s me!” A woman’s voice suddenly rang out. The guards outside were drawn away. They saw Qing Xia gracefully emerge from the low shrubs, dressed in luxurious clothing with a face like peach blossoms. They immediately recognized this as the currently most powerful concubine in the harem, Prince’s Concubine Lan, and all prostrated themselves on the ground.
“We pay respects to Concubine Lan!”
“Rise,” Qing Xia said lightly, then said softly, “I just returned from the Eastern Palace main hall and wanted to walk alone. What’s all this commotion about?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, General Lu ordered us to guard the safety of the harem. Just now someone reported that temporary guards from the outer city forces who don’t understand the rules were fighting here with weapons. We came to arrest them.” The leader of the personal guards said in a resounding voice while kneeling.
“Oh, I see.” Qing Xia said slowly, “I’ve been here for quite a while and haven’t seen anyone. Go look elsewhere.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” The guard leader responded, stood up, and said to his subordinates, “You, go check the West Sixth Courtyard.”
Seeing that most of them were still standing around, Qing Xia said sternly, “The night wind is strong and blew away my lantern. Escort me back.”
“Yes!” The guard leader responded. The troops immediately formed ranks and slowly followed Qing Xia toward Lan Pavilion Hall.
When they reached the garden corner, Qing Xia suddenly turned back. In the dense low shrubs, a pair of jet-black eyes were staring intently at her, bright as dark stars in the darkness.
Qing Xia curved her lips in a gentle smile, then turned and left.
The owner of those dark eyes stood transfixed in the pitch-black shrubs, feeling as if all the starlight in the sky had suddenly lost its color.
“Your Highness!” The panicked Xiang Wei suddenly rushed out and fell to her knees before Qing Xia, her face full of terror. Tears rolled down like broken pearls as she repeatedly called out incoherently, “Your Highness, Your Highness.”
“Xiang Wei, what happened? Get up and speak.” Qing Xia’s expression remained calm. She dismissed the crowd of guards behind her and said sternly.
“Your Highness,” Xiang Wei covered her mouth, trembling as she said, “Sister Xiangju, Sister Xiangju…”
Qing Xia raised an eyebrow, a flash of fierce light immediately crossing her eyes. She pushed aside the blocking Xiang Wei and strode toward the maids’ quarters.
“Qing Xia,” Chu Li’s figure suddenly emerged from Xiangju’s room, embracing Qing Xia’s body with his arms, his face grim. “Don’t go in,” he said sternly.
“Let me go.” Qing Xia struggled in his arms, raised her head, her eyes slightly red. She pressed her hands against Chu Li’s chest, staring at him steadily, and said sternly.
Chu Li still wouldn’t let go, holding Qing Xia tightly and shaking his head. “Xiangju is gone. The imperial physician just left. I’ve already ordered that she be given a grand burial and her family compensated. Don’t go in.”
“Let go of me,” Qing Xia insisted, her voice slightly choked but without a tremor. She looked at Chu Li and said word by word, “She died for me. I must go in.”
Chu Li looked at Qing Xia’s determined face and suddenly felt dizzy. He unconsciously loosened his grip, and Qing Xia immediately rushed in like a gust of wind.
Even though she had seen countless scenes of killing and countless people had died by her own hands, when Qing Xia saw Xiangju, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth. The white cloth bandages covering her entire body had been removed, revealing horrific wounds. A charred black face looked like a demon from hell, appearing sinister and terrifying. A sharp knife was embedded in her chest, blood flowing all over the bed, everywhere reeking with the stench of blood.
Qing Xia’s eyes grew wider and redder. Her hands clenched tightly, nails digging into her flesh, blue veins showing on her wrists.
Chu Li came up from behind, slowly embracing Qing Xia and holding her tightly against his chest. Warm sensations surrounded Qing Xia from all directions. She leaned into Chu Li’s embrace, biting her lower lip with her teeth, staring straight at Xiangju as if fire would shoot from her eyes.
After a month in ancient times, Xiangju had been her closest companion, always staying by her side faithfully, obedient and lovable. Now, looking at that charred, bloody mass on the bed, she couldn’t connect that thing with the young Xiangju.
If not for herself, Xiangju wouldn’t have died. If not for herself, she would still be alive and well.
“Don’t be sad.” His arms gradually tightened. Chu Li lowered his head, rarely showing a gentle expression. “I’ll have someone give her a proper burial. Don’t worry.”
“Let go of me.” A calm voice suddenly came from his embrace. Chu Li raised an eyebrow, a gleam flashing in his eyes, and quietly released his hold.
Qing Xia walked slowly to Xiangju’s bedside, carefully examining Xiangju’s corpse, then slowly crouched down. With a frown, she pulled out the dagger from Xiangju’s body.
“Ah!” Cries of alarm came from outside the door simultaneously. Chu Li stood at the doorway, watching Qing Xia’s actions impassively, his brow gradually furrowing.
“When was she discovered?”
Xiang Wei outside immediately said tearfully, “I was the first to discover her. I entered the room to bring Sister Xiangju medicine, but didn’t expect she had committed suicide. I…”
“I’m asking you what time?” Qing Xia suddenly turned around, her sharp eyes flashing like blade edges. She stared intently at Xiang Wei and said sternly, “Also, who told you she committed suicide?”
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. As soon as Qing Xia finished speaking, huge commotion erupted outside. Xiang Wei looked stunned, then hastily explained, “I saw the gauze on her face had been unwrapped, and there was a mirror beside her, so I thought, I thought…”
“You thought that seeing her terrible appearance, she couldn’t bear it and committed suicide?”
“Yes, yes, this servant, this servant thought so.”
Qing Xia laughed coldly, slowly walked forward, looked coldly at Xiang Wei, and said sternly, “Never mind whether she could have awakened so early—look at her hands. All five fingers were burned and covered with medicinal salve. If she really unwrapped the gauze herself, why is there medicinal salve only on the inside parts near her face and not on the outside? Moreover, last night she was trapped in the fire for a full hour. Her eyes are red and swollen—she absolutely couldn’t see clearly for half a month. How would she know her appearance was completely ruined? Furthermore, where did this dagger come from? She was severely injured and couldn’t get out of bed to move around. How did she find a dagger to kill herself? And also…”
Qing Xia’s gaze turned cold and menacing as she moved closer to the trembling Xiang Wei. “She’s just a small palace maid—how could she have such skillful technique to kill herself so precisely with one strike?”
Overwhelmed by Qing Xia’s intimidating presence, Xiang Wei fell to the ground with a thud and cried loudly, “This servant, this servant doesn’t know! Your Highness is wise!”
“Of course I’m wise!” Qing Xia shouted fiercely, grabbing Xiang Wei’s thin chin. “Shall we guess little Xiang Wei’s identity? You’re a second-rank maid from a noble household background who never worked in the servant quarters—why do you have such thick calluses on your hands? Your breathing is steady, your steps are firm. I only thought before that you were a girl who had practiced martial arts, but I never imagined you would be so conscienceless as to commit such heinous acts!”