“Zhu Danchen, am I correct in what I’ve said?”

Chu Li’s voice was cold as solid ice. Hearing this, Concubine Dan remained unmoved, declaring loudly, “Your Highness is the supreme ruler, today’s heavenly dragon holy son, divinely appointed by heaven’s mandate. Your actions have no right or wrong. Right is right, wrong is also right. As your wife, I should naturally share Your Highness’s worries. Mistakes and errors should rightfully be borne by me.”

“You mean this was my mistake from the start?”

“I wouldn’t dare!” Concubine Dan suddenly lowered her head, heavily kowtowing to the ground as she loudly said, “All mistakes rest solely with me. Please punish me, Your Highness.” The graceful, noble woman’s eyes were deep, like a desperate gambler as she stared with wide eyes. Her arms lay before her forehead, stable and calm, yet enormous waves surged within her heart like overwhelming tides. Only she knew whether her stakes were her Zhu family’s towering power or those nights of sharing the same bed.

“You indeed deserve to die ten thousand deaths!”

The low voice suddenly rang out. Concubine Dan startled and abruptly raised her head, directly meeting a pair of pitch-black eyes. Chu Li’s face was grim, without even a mocking smile. He coldly looked into Concubine Dan’s eyes, saying icily, “You went to such great lengths tonight, wasn’t it just to wait for me to come, then force me to say you had nothing to do with any of this?”

“I…”

“Stop playing word games with me!” Chu Li suddenly shouted harshly, saying in a low voice, “You scheme and calculate with deliberate planning, thinking yourself supremely clever without any flaws. Indeed, you’re very capable – cautious, careful, not leaking a drop. But I’m telling you today – if Zhuang Qingxia disappears or dies unnaturally, I definitely won’t spare you! Your Zhu family has been passed down for a hundred years, thinking your roots run deep, but you’d better remember this: within Southern Chu’s borders, for three hundred years, it has always been the Chu family’s surname!”

“Someone come! Send down the order – Concubine Dan has failed in womanly virtue. From today, harem affairs shall be managed by Concubine Rou. Starting today, Concubine Dan is confined to Yunxiang Palace to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors. For one day that Concubine Lan doesn’t return to court, Yunxiang Palace’s great doors shall not be permitted to open for one day!”

“Yes!” Several inner court officials who had hurried over upon hearing the news responded solemnly. Chu Li snorted coldly, turned his horse around, and headed proudly toward the main gate.

“Your Highness!” A shrill cry suddenly rang out. Chu Li didn’t turn back, only slightly reined in his horse and stopped.

“That woman deceived and harmed you, eating inside while crawling outside. Is she really that important to you? More important than your vast kingdom?” Concubine Dan stood in the great hall, the long wind dancing her blood-red robes like a broken butterfly. Her eyes were red, her nostrils rapidly contracting, her hands stiff as she clenched them into fists, deeply embedded in flesh and blood.

“Not important,” after a long silence, Chu Li suddenly said in a low voice, “In this world, no person or thing is more important than Great Chu’s vast kingdom.”

Hearing this, a glimmer of light suddenly rose in Concubine Dan’s eyes. Just as she was about to speak, Chu Li suddenly turned back. His voice became even lower, seemingly carrying a trace of sinister intent. His eyes were as black as the sky before a storm.

“But that doesn’t mean you can touch her.”

In the darkness, ghost-like words scattered in the air. Chu Li’s eyes slightly narrowed as he slowly turned back, laughing coldly, “Foolish woman, you’ve provoked someone you shouldn’t have. If Zhuang Qingxia dies, you can go accompany her in death.”

The heavy palace gates suddenly opened. Chu Li, in his silver-white soft armor, slowly disappeared beyond Yunxiang Palace’s gates. Concubine Dan’s face was deathly pale as she finally collapsed heavily to the ground.

“Your Highness!”

The quiet Zhuque Street suddenly echoed with urgent horse hooves. A long line of torches came racing toward them like a fire dragon. Chu Li’s eyebrows slightly raised as he reined in his war horse. The personal guards behind him cautiously brought their horses forward, surrounding Chu Li in the center.

Qing Xia slightly frowned. Due to the arrival of Western Chuan and Eastern Qi forces, Southern Chu had recently enforced strict curfews. Even the Military Headquarters wasn’t permitted private outings at night. Judging by this group’s direction, they should be from the Northern Cavalry Army, coming from the north gate. To block the imperial procession on the main street like this suggested something major had happened.

“Who approaches?” Xu Quan stood before Chu Li in military soft armor, his sword-like eyebrows raised as he shouted the challenge.

“I am Li Ping, Northern Cavalry Army city guard, with urgent matters to report to Your Highness!”

Obviously recognizing the other as an acquaintance, Xu Quan frowned. Seeing Li Ping’s clothes stained with blood and his left hand pressed to his side, clearly severely injured, he quickly made way. Chu Li’s expression was calm as he rode forward, saying in a low voice, “What happened?”

“Greetings, Your Highness!” Despite his severe injuries, Li Ping quickly dismounted and knelt on the ground with a bang, loudly reporting, “At the second watch, someone secretly left through the city gates. When discovered by guards, they killed two gate guards and wounded three others. I led troops out of the city in pursuit, but unexpectedly there were accomplices waiting outside. I fell into an ambush and lost twenty-eight men. I was forced to retreat and released tracking eagles to investigate. I request Your Highness grant me military authority to pursue the criminals outside the city.”

“Someone secretly left through the north gate?” Chu Li murmured quietly, then asked in a low voice, “Did you see the person’s appearance or clothing?”

“The person wore night clothes with face covered, but I can still confirm it was a woman.”

“A woman?” Chu Li’s expression shifted, his voice slightly rising. Qing Xia carefully looked up from among the crowd, an ominous premonition slowly rising.

“Yes, because during the fight, I tore off a piece of the opponent’s clothing, and this item fell out.”

A piece of snow-white silk was carefully presented. Even from this distance, Qing Xia could clearly see that white silk piece. This City Guard Li claimed he had torn off the outer clothing and something had fallen out from inside. But one look at this fabric revealed it was clearly torn during close combat – the outer night clothes and inner garments ripped away together in one piece. Just from the fabric’s appearance, one could tell it was soft material with fine craftsmanship, definitely top quality. But none of this was enough to draw Qing Xia’s attention, because she could clearly see that prominently embroidered on the upper part of the fabric was an exquisite orchid flower!

“Seeing this fabric appears court-made, and Your Highness having just ordered nationwide capture of Concubine Lan, I suspect…” The remaining words weren’t spoken, but everyone understood the man’s meaning. Normally, one or two criminals forcing their way through city gates wouldn’t warrant reporting to Chu Li – it could be handled by the capital prefecture. But with Zhuang Qingxia’s capture warrant preceding this, these people naturally didn’t dare be careless and reported directly to Chu Li through the night.

“Which direction did they escape?” Chu Li’s voice was calm, showing no emotion, but Qing Xia could truly sense storm clouds slowly gathering overhead.

“Ten Li Slope north of the city.”

A collective sharp intake of breath rang out almost simultaneously. When Concubine Lan was renamed “Dissolute Concubine” by Chu Li, the reasons had long been embellished and spread throughout the streets. And Qi, home to the scandal’s male protagonist, lay precisely in the northern direction. Though Ten Li Slope had “slope” in its name, it was actually a ferry crossing. Crossing the Liucang River eastward was the best route back to Qi.

“Xu Quan, return to Military Headquarters to organize the troops. Everyone else, follow me out of the city.”

“Your Highness, you cannot!” Xu Quan was greatly alarmed, quickly saying, “Beware of enemy deception.”

Sharp eyes slowly turned toward him, staring intently at Xu Quan’s face. Low words slowly emerged, freezing everyone around three feet deep.

“Don’t make me say it a second time.”

Horse hooves thundered forward. The Black Guards collectively followed. Qing Xia and Yang Feng exchanged glances, the caution and worry in each other’s eyes urgently transmitted.

Because they knew the person outside absolutely couldn’t be Zhuang Qingxia. Therefore, the intruder’s purpose was very clear.

In the dark night, a group raced urgently along the post road outside the city. Black Guards surrounded them on all sides, protecting Chu Li in their midst. Qing Xia was fortunately assigned to Chu Li’s right side. Since leaving the imperial palace, this was the first time she had been so close to him. She had to keep her eyes on her nose and heart, maintaining a natural expression while inwardly nervous, not revealing a trace.

Every cautious cell in her body activated simultaneously. Qing Xia knew that within this seemingly quiet dark night lay enormous hidden dangers. Countless demons and monsters lurked in the darkness with ulterior motives, ready to bite at any moment. She had always been careful to hide herself in her actions, but now accompanying this madman Chu Li racing down this post road, she felt like standing naked before others.

So this was how it felt to be someone’s target – so uncomfortable.

Just as she self-mockingly curved her lips, sudden alertness rang within her. Though she detected no unusual movements and the opponents had perfectly concealed themselves, years of experience dancing on death’s edge had given Qing Xia an almost miraculous sixth sense. This feeling had pulled her back from death’s brink many times. With a phoenix glance, an barely perceptible cold gleam faintly shone in the night. Human eyeballs reflecting faint light under the pale moonlight exploded like a bomb in Qing Xia’s mind.

“Ambush!”

Everything happened in 0.01 seconds. Qing Xia, guarding Chu Li’s right side, suddenly shouted harshly and leaped up, instantly leaving her war horse to pounce on Chu Li, knocking him off his horse.

Everyone was startled, some shouting loudly, but before these people could react, a dense rain of sharp arrows shot forth like locusts. All arrowheads pointed toward Chu Li’s direction. The masterless war horse suddenly cried out mournfully and crashed down heavily. Qing Xia pulled Chu Li into a side roll, dodging the horse’s massive body. Countless arrows densely covered the war horse’s corpse, their heads gleaming with faint blue light – clearly all poisoned.

“Protect His Highness!” Black Guard Deputy Commander Qi Yong shouted loudly, but as soon as the words left his mouth, two sharp arrows simultaneously struck his chest. Qi Yong groaned miserably, mustering his divine might to block several stray arrows, but finally couldn’t resist and fell from his horse.