In the carriage, the Emperor rose, his voice gentle yet naturally commanding.
The people became excited again, and the entire street seemed to boil.
“Do you think, with Magistrate Li gone, Consort Gu might fill his position in the future and become our Great Zhou’s first female Chief Magistrate?”
“Mm! Consort Gu even presided over Huang Tianba’s case. She’ll surely be competent.”
Su Zhen heard several young ladies nearby talking as she stood up.
She felt as if struck by a muffled blow, too pained to speak.
Just then, A Luo smiled, spurred her horse forward at full gallop to clear the way for the Son of Heaven. Behind her, the ceremonial cavalry controlled several steeds, galloping out together with her, just as she had once whipped her horse and rode past, accepting the congratulations of ten thousand people.
The right to be blessed by countless people, and she would fulfill the duties this honor demanded.
She stood in the most bustling place, watching A Luo draw closer to her. She felt no jealousy in her heart, was even relatively calm, and could still stand well, watching indifferently. But she couldn’t stop the chill rising from deep in her heart – that desolate loneliness of being abandoned in the wilderness, alone.
“Hey, you surnamed Li!”
A low shout, as if by divine inspiration, made her slowly turn her head away from A Luo. Her gaze fell across the street, where she saw Lian Xin standing on the opposite side, waving vigorously at her with a “let me catch you and I’ll kill you” expression of exasperated defeat!
“Don’t come over, help!”
She didn’t want to see them again, not even Lian Xin. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she heard another terrified scream from ahead. She looked tensely and saw a four or five-year-old child playing, taking advantage of his mother’s inattention to dash into the street. Behind him, a woman who appeared to be his mother desperately chased after him.
Seeing that the child was about to collide head-on with the horses, A Luo was shocked and tried to rein in her horse, but it was too late. Several fast horses followed closely behind – Su Zhen stood in the front row, not far from the child. She instinctively rushed out while shouting: “Lian Xin, have your guards stop the horses behind!”
Her martial arts were terrible, but she was more agile than ordinary people. At the crucial moment when the iron hooves were about to trample the child’s head, she had already scooped up the child and rolled on the ground, then tightly covered the child’s head and face, protecting him beneath her—
“Gu Xiluo doesn’t need to catch me!”
Lian Xin’s domineering voice broke through the air. Above, fierce wind and immense pressure suddenly descended!
Su Zhen knew horses were running overhead, right above her head.
Didn’t expect to die here, she thought calmly.
But she heard a series of tragic neighing. The expected pain didn’t come. In that moment between life and death, Su Zhen reacted quickly, rolling to the side with the child in her arms, then turning to look. She saw five or six female guards, each positioned before a horse, their right hands holding gleaming long swords with blood dripping from the blades. All the horses had fallen, while their left hands each held a person.
Only A Luo had fallen to the ground.
She seemed to have fallen quite hard, half-reclining with a pale face, unable to get up immediately.
Su Zhen smiled. Indeed, these were experts protecting the princess. Even women were so capable, killing horses to save people without hesitation.
Only then did she realize her whole body felt as if it had fallen apart. The woman rushed over, her brow still marked with fear, murmuring: “Thank you, thank you, miss…”
She took the child into her arms and burst into tears from delayed shock. The little child surprisingly didn’t cry or fuss, just stared at Su Zhen with his grape-like big round eyes.
Su Zhen touched his head and said softly: “Having survived great danger while remaining so calm, you’ll surely achieve great things in the future. Just don’t be so mischievous.”
This series of events happened in the blink of an eye. People on both sides of the street froze, not immediately reacting to the sudden change. Behind them, several figures rushed over from the carriage and surroundings. Someone quickly helped A Luo up, half-embracing her while carefully examining her, brows tightly furrowed.
“Seventh Brother, check her pulse. See if she’s injured anywhere. Ninth Brother, Ming Yanchu, end the parade. Return to court immediately. The debate session is postponed – please arrange that. Gao Chaoyi, you and Li Zhaoting assist.”
“Bai Hu, reward that brave young lady with a hundred taels of silver.”
“Yes!”
At his single command, several people behind him responded and moved. Lian Jie immediately knelt down, reaching out to touch A Luo’s wrist, saying gently: “Your Majesty, forgive the intrusion.”
“Thank you, Seventh Brother,” A Luo nodded and smiled at him, then said to Lian Yu: “I’m fine, just some minor injuries to hands and feet. After Seventh Master examines me, if my internal organs are unharmed, let’s complete this parade. I don’t want to disappoint the people.”
Lian Yu forcefully patted her shoulder, his gaze sharp as lightning as it coldly fell on Lian Xin ahead: “How dare you sneak out again and cause such trouble? Do you know your error?”
Lian Xin stood in the middle of the road, having been laughing while watching A Luo with hands on hips. Hearing this, her expression changed, her eyes widening, then she pouted: “I’m not wrong. My guards saved that child. As for other people, as long as they didn’t die, that’s fine. I can’t look after everyone individually.”
“Can’t look after everyone individually?” Lian Yu’s lips curved coldly. “I think otherwise. Your guards are all carefully selected experts, and the others all did well – only one failed.”
“Protecting the princess is a great responsibility. Since her martial arts aren’t sufficient, what use is she? Qinglong, arrest that female guard and return to punish her with two hundred strokes.” His eyes flashed with cold light, the command extremely harsh.
Lian Xin was momentarily stunned. She had often punished her own servants before, but hearing the punishment now, fear spread across her face.
Her female guard was the leader of the other guards, well-trained and extremely loyal. Hearing this, she immediately knelt: “Princess, this servant’s martial arts are insufficient, failing to save people properly. This servant deserves death and willingly accepts any punishment from the Internal Affairs Bureau.”
“No!” Lian Xin loudly interrupted her, finally looking pleadingly at Lian Yu: “Brother, spare my servant, please spare my servant.”
“If you say one more word, I’ll take her life.” Lian Yu said calmly, his eyes dark and gloomy, carrying an immovable, irrevocable authority.
A Luo saw this and wanted to say a few words of mediation, but knowing Lian Yu was teaching Lian Xin a lesson, she didn’t plead for mercy, also knowing that without this, Lian Xin, being extremely wild, would likely cause her trouble in the future.
Lian Qin walked over and patted Lian Xin’s shoulder. Lian Xin feared Lian Yu most, knowing it couldn’t be changed. She burst into tears with a wail, secretly glancing at Su Zhen but ultimately saying nothing, not “exposing” her, just sadly bowing her head in tears.
Su Zhen stood several steps away, head lowered, watching silently. In the earlier chaos, her hair ribbon had fallen somewhere, and her hair flew about, half-covering her head and face.
Having barely escaped death, she had initially wondered why she didn’t see Quan Feitong, only to realize that this “Prime Minister leading the way” referred to Yan Da. Later, seeing Li Zhaoting approach and quietly examine A Luo, though unpleasant, she could still control herself.
Unexpectedly, Lian Yu’s words were ultimately like the sharpest knife, cutting up the little remaining flesh on her already torn wound.
Only now did she understand why Lian Xin had come looking for her today, and later tried to stop her from taking the main road. She didn’t want her to meet them. Now she didn’t ask her to plead for mercy, letting her decide whether to stay or go.
Unexpectedly, in the end, it was this spoiled, arrogant girl who had been her enemy from the beginning who gave her a trace of warmth during her most painful time.
In Li Zhaoting’s eyes, she was nothing. In his eyes, she was just a roadside do-gooder, a girl covered in mud and dust. His gaze was only on the woman he loved most. Yet she was so shameful that she still couldn’t bring herself to kill him for revenge.
Because of their past connection, because of the life-saving grace he had given her, because she thought he was a good emperor.
Because she was convinced that Great Zhou must not be in chaos.
But he had long abandoned her, and even most of the people of Great Zhou had abandoned her. She wasn’t the best, wasn’t the most outstanding. When she could no longer do anything for them, she could be replaced.
Su Zhen thought she would cry like Lian Xin, but she didn’t. Her eyes were painfully dry, her hands in her sleeves clenched tightly.
Never had there been a moment of such despair as now.
A crazy thought formed in her mind.
Since he treasured that woman on the ground so much, since she couldn’t kill him, then let him… kill her instead. Return this body and blood to her parents.
This way, perhaps he would feel a little pain?
Being able to make him suffer would at least count as avenging this blood feud.
“Miss, your reward money – please catch it.” Bai Hu had come before her. Seeing her looking down silently, appearing disheveled, he couldn’t help but raise his voice impatiently.
Except for Lian Xin, everyone was somewhat surprised. Even Lian Yu, who was holding A Luo and preparing to return to the carriage, turned slightly to look.
Su Zhen didn’t accept it. She was thinking of how to follow them into the palace without being discovered when she heard a calm voice from across the street: “Miss Bai Hu, that’s this minister’s young wife. She’s quite stubborn. This little reward money probably doesn’t interest her. You’d better take it back and buy some rouge and powder to make yourself look better, so people don’t think everyone who serves before His Majesty looks shabby and brings shame to His Majesty.”
Bai Hu was startled and looked over to see a white-robed man emerge from the crowd and walk before the two of them. He removed his own hair ribbon and, without asking permission, reached out to gather Su Zhen’s hair to the front, tying it with the ribbon, leaving a long strand hanging to her chest side. He then took out a handkerchief from his chest to wipe the mud from her face.
“I waited for you for ten days, hoping you’d come find me, but you didn’t. Then I searched for you for over two months. I never expected you’d adopt this appearance – I was foolish. I came here today hoping to try my luck. I sent hundreds of people to mix into the crowd on this street to see if you were here. I never expected we were so close. When the princess called your name earlier, I looked but wasn’t sure, but when you rushed out to save someone, I knew it was you. Besides you, who else would be so… I finally found you. I’ve never regretted anything as much as today – that I only studied literature and never learned martial arts. Come on, let’s go home.” He gripped her hand, his voice quiet but his face completely devoid of its usual playful expression.
Dividing Line
Since everyone recently mentioned update times again, let me explain once more. It’s still the same as before – I try to update daily, but we’re still in the manual review period. If you don’t see an update by 6:30 PM each day, check the next day, because after that time, even if I upload, editors only review during work hours the next day. (If your schedule allows, you can try refreshing at 10:30 PM – editors occasionally review then, but this is rare.) If there are two consecutive days without updates, it might be an emergency on my end that prevented advance notice. Please check the comments section for moderator announcements about when updates will resume. Thank you with a bow.