Tie Ci stood in the hall.
Before her was a nightmare, behind her was another.
The moment the premonition arose, she rushed toward the palace gates regardless of everything, spitting blood as she ran, using the fastest speed to make Sang Tang’s dark domain collide with Duanmu who was stomping through the city wall.
In the shocking airwaves and soaring cries, whatever would happen—whether old friends would meet or regrettably kill each other—she no longer cared.
The moment darkness separated from before her, she turned and teleported, actually displaying the strongest ability of her life, reaching Chongming in one step.
In the wind and snow, Chongming Palace was in chaos. The palace gates were wide open, palace servants running and shouting wildly, in complete disorder.
But the innermost sleeping quarters were eerily quiet.
Tie Ci arrived at the sleeping quarters in an instant.
She stood in the courtyard, seeing the huge hole smashed in the wall and the mess visible through the large opening.
And the bloodstains splashed on the threshold, stuck to the door edges.
In an instant, her heart seemed to have a huge hole pierced through it too, a bloody blade stabbing through and twisting viciously.
She stood on the thick snow, motionless, while everyone stared at her back in shock.
Stumbling footsteps sounded as Dan Shuang ran frantically over, leaning against the door frame and gasping continuously, then slowly widening her eyes.
She saw Tie Ci, who had originally stood light as a feather on the calf-deep snow.
Suddenly began slowly sinking down.
Like slowly falling into a nightmare from which she could never struggle free.
Only when Tie Ci had sunk to the bottom did she suddenly realize and lift her leg, only to tumble into the snow.
The Crown Princess who came and went like wind and could break walls with a wave of her hand, at this moment, couldn’t even struggle out of the snow.
Dan Shuang trembled, her fingers gripping tightly into the hard wood.
But Tie Ci had already slowly climbed up.
She braced herself with her hands, pushing herself up inch by inch, standing straight, taking a breath, then step by step walking up the stairs and into the hall.
As soon as she stepped up, she saw Tie Yan lying among the fragments scattered across the hall floor.
She saw the knife in Tie Yan’s chest, saw those bright red pustules on his face and neck—some intact, some ruptured, blood and viscous fluid spilled everywhere.
She saw Father Emperor’s eyes still wide open in death, hatred and regret still lingering in that gaze.
Tie Ci suddenly covered her heart.
She thought she had prepared herself mentally while in the snow just now, but when the nightmare truly crashed down on her, she discovered that before real fear and agony, all preparation was futile.
Just as before a blade’s point touches the body, no one can truly know how much it will hurt.
It was ten thousand arrows piercing her heart, heaven and earth exploding, all the world’s ten thousand li turning to ash, mixed with blood, stabbing bones, carrying rolling molten lava, all stuffed into her chest at once.
For an instant, she even thought—perhaps this was just a dream, perhaps she was already dead.
How wonderful it would be to be dead.
How wonderful.
A thud from the inner hall, the sound of something falling to the ground.
Almost without thinking, she swept over like the wind.
In this moment she shamefully chose escape.
She needed any other matter to let her flee for just a moment—even one moment would do.
Too swift, her figure stirred up a fierce wind, lifting the bead curtains that crashed against the wall with a clatter.
Light and shadow swayed. The outer hall was still bright while the inner hall was dim. She stood at the boundary between light and darkness, also standing at the entrance to hell.
The salvation she had hoped for would not come.
Would never come.
Looking up, she saw Murong Yi.
Before she could feel even the slightest relief, she saw the person he was dragging in his hands.
Her excellent eyesight was enough for her to see clearly in an instant that it was already a corpse, and to see Murong Yi’s fingers that had just released the white silk, and the strangulation marks on the corpse’s neck.
Her gaze slowly fell on Murong Yi’s hands and sleeves.
On the sleeves, hard white clumps had formed, very conspicuous among all the blood.
That was fluid from ruptured pustules.
On the backs of his hands, countless fine scratches.
One could tell at a glance they were caused by sharp fingernails clawing during a struggle.
And Murong Yi sat there, sitting before her mother’s corpse, just looking at her like that.
On his blood-stained cheeks, those eyes that usually overflowed with radiant light were gradually dimming.
She stood there, thinking blankly at this moment.
Why.
Why.
Why was it like this.
Why, even with exhausting effort, could she not prevent the storm’s arrival.
Why, even after going through hardships, could she not guarantee a perfect ending.
Why, when she harbored no resentment, willingly endured suffering, shouldered everything she could or couldn’t shoulder, seeking only the simplest happiness in the world, could she still not obtain it?
Why had she already come this far, yet in this final moment, fallen into the abyss.
Her vision was somewhat blurred, people appearing far then near—one moment Father Emperor’s corpse pressed before her eyes, the next moment Murong Yi covered in blood suddenly distant, one moment Chongming Palace’s broken walls and ruins crashed into view, the next moment Noble Consort Jing’s white silk around her neck was swept away by wind and snow.
Suddenly a wailing cry from behind crashed into her mind.
“Your Majesty—”
Confused footsteps and continuous cries of alarm and weeping. She numbly turned her head to see that tonight’s cabinet officials on guard duty in the palace had all arrived.
Throwing himself at Father Emperor’s feet to stroke the corpse and weep bitterly was Duan Yande.
Zhu Yi stood numbly in the hall, his eyes blood-red as he looked at her.
Duan Yande looked up with tears streaming down his aged face. Before he could say anything, suddenly there was a crack overhead and a sword light stabbed straight down.
Duan Yande, who had no martial arts, stared in shock with wide eyes.
Tie Ci instinctively tried to teleport but felt severe chest pain and couldn’t move an inch.
The sword light was about to reach Duan Yande’s head.
A figure flashed, kicking Duan Yande away with a bang while sliding backward on their knees, blocking with a stool in hand.
With a crack the stool shattered. The figure rolled up and while in mid-air, kicked out.
The opponent planted their sword in the ground and spun, with a bang—two legs crashed together viciously.
Dan Shuang staggered and hit a pillar, but while spinning away, her fingers flicked.
A mask flew out and crashed among the ruins.
The opponent immediately drew their sword, retreated, and leaned against a screen with head lowered.
But Dan Shuang had already seen clearly who it was.
The girl like an ice sculpture suddenly had blood surge to her face, even her eyes turning blood-red.
But Mu Si didn’t look at her, rigidly raising his hand as more than ten black-clothed figures dropped from the rafters.
All wore black fur and carried Liaodong steel blades, tall and fierce in stature, their eyes cold as snow.
Almost the instant they appeared, the entire hall was covered with blade light like snow, descending toward the ministers.
Zhu Yi rushed to help up Duan Yande, shouting loudly, “Summon the Baize Guard! Release signal flares!”
Rapid footsteps sounded as a group of Baize Guards rushed in, led by Qi You who was on duty in the palace tonight.
As both sides fought, the leader of the Liaodong assassins was a slightly plump woman who twisted her body and had already passed Mu Si, heading straight for the inner hall.
To enter the inner hall, she had to pass by Tie Ci’s side.
She approached without hesitation, flying forward.
Tie Ci slightly raised her eyes, looking at her.
It was Chazi, whom she had met once before.
Chazi was also looking at her, a trace of disgust flashing in her eyes.
The two were about to brush past each other.
Tie Ci suddenly raised her hand.
The hatred in Chazi’s eyes grew thicker. She immediately raised her hand as well, blade light bright as autumn water.
But suddenly Murong Yi spat out a mouthful of blood with a “wah.”
Chazi immediately couldn’t care about Tie Ci, sweeping past her to rush directly to Murong Yi’s side.
Behind her, Tie Ci stood there, hand raised to chest level, never moving.
Chazi knelt on the ground. Skilled in medicine, her heart went cold the moment she saw Murong Yi.
At this instant, fury rolled like lava in a volcano in her heart, about to erupt.
The imperial family went too far in bullying people!
The Prince exhausted his mind and body for you, wearing himself out with work.
For you he repeatedly defied the Great King, destroying his own future.
For you he entered the palace alone, and when she tried to dissuade him, he said he was going to where A Ci was—that was the safest place in the world.
In the end!
In the end he was covered in wounds, his lamp oil exhausted!
Extremely sorrowful and angry, she couldn’t help remembering what the Grand Chancellor had specifically instructed her to say before departure.
Chazi secretly gritted her teeth.
The Grand Chancellor had instructed that upon seeing the Prince, she should immediately congratulate him on fulfilling his original promise. The Great King was very pleased and summoned the Prince to return to Liaodong immediately to prepare for succession.
The Grand Chancellor said the louder the better—as long as everyone, especially the ministers, heard it.
Chazi had originally hesitated somewhat.
Once these words were spoken, there would truly be no room for reconciliation between the Prince and the Crown Princess.
She didn’t care about this, but feared it would sadden the Prince.
But at this moment, seeing the Prince’s miserable state, seeing all that blood on the ground and on his body.
Seeing how even covered in blood, he only looked at that person.
She couldn’t suppress her anger and wanted to turn this anger into words sharp as blades to stab that woman who could only bring disaster to the Prince.
Murong Yi looked at her, the divine light in his eyes gradually scattering, but his lips were slightly moving, as if struggling to say something.
But in the end he couldn’t say anything, his body going limp.
Chazi quickly caught him, picked him up and headed outside.
As she walked, she called out loudly, “Congratu—”
Having said just one character, she suddenly felt her hand being gripped tightly.
Thinking Murong Yi had awakened, she looked down to see he was still unconscious, but at this moment, a tear slowly overflowed from the corner of his eye.
Chazi was so shocked she nearly failed to hold him.
She had followed the Prince since childhood. Though she didn’t often serve close by his side, in her memory, no matter what suffering he encountered, she had never seen him shed tears.
Not a single one.
He was the wind walking through the world, passing over snow mountains and through great seas. He had gazed into the world’s ten thousand li abyss and welcomed the ice winds from high heaven. The fierce winds had long since forged his heart like glass and steel. She had thought nothing in this world could make him weep, just as no person or thing should be able to make him care with his heart.
Yet at this moment, this single tear pierced through her anger, making her so heartbroken she wanted to grind her teeth to powder.
She struggled to swallow back those words.
Holding Murong Yi, she moved forward calmly.
Ahead, Tie Ci remained the same—standing quietly, without expression, without movement, without life.
She didn’t even care about the fighting in the main hall.
When still one step away from Tie Ci, Chazi said softly, “If you want him to die, then stop me.”
Tie Ci’s hand remained at her chest.
Chazi held Murong Yi and calmly passed before her.
In that instant.
Tie Ci finally slowly lowered her eyes.
Her gaze fell on Murong Yi’s face.
That tear, due to the movement, was slowly flowing down from the corner of Murong Yi’s eye, washing out a bloody groove.
Like tears of blood.
Tie Ci closed her eyes, her hand still placed at her heart.
Chazi passed silently by her side.
…In this instant the black night flowed by soundlessly.
One tear to bid you and me farewell.
…
Author’s Note: While writing this chapter, I continuously played the theme song “One Tear” from “Heroes of the Banner” in my headphones. The final lines also drew inspiration from those lyrics.