A deathly silence hung in the air.

Blood dripped one by one from Li Ying’s broken fingernail wounds she had suffered in the netherworld, falling onto the cold, smooth floor.

Li Ying’s voice was so faint it was barely audible: “You’re talking nonsense.”

“I’m talking nonsense?” Cui Xun let out a cold laugh. “When you were trapped in the Lotus Pond, didn’t you ever hear? Do you dare say that in your heart, you never had suspicions? If you truly had no suspicions, why, on that New Year’s Eve, when the Empress Dowager left Penglai Hall to attend the New Year’s Eve banquet, didn’t you go see her? Because you didn’t dare! You feared that the mother you had always respected and loved was your true killer!”

“You’re talking nonsense! You’re talking nonsense!” Li Ying covered her ears, her emotions completely erupting. “My mother would never do such a thing!”

Cui Xun sneered: “Why wouldn’t she do such a thing? Do you think your mother is someone soft-hearted? Your aunt, her blood sister, was poisoned by your mother merely because she wanted to send her daughter into the palace to serve your father. If she could be so cruel to her sister, would she be especially tender towards her daughter? Your mother didn’t want to repeat the fate of Consort Qi from the Han Dynasty, so she chose to drown her daughter to bring down the Empress. Is that so difficult to understand?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Li Ying was already in tears. “You’re talking nonsense! My mother wouldn’t kill me! She wouldn’t!”

Cui Xun mocked: “She didn’t want to kill you. She merely chose to protect herself when forced to choose between herself and you!”

“That’s just your one-sided statement. You have no evidence. Stop talking nonsense!”

“Evidence? Who dares to look for evidence?” Cui Xun pressed on relentlessly. “Besides, some things don’t need evidence. You only need to look at who benefited most from your death, and you’ll know who killed you.”

Li Ying was stunned.

Her death had resulted in Empress Zheng being deposed, and her mother had naturally become the Empress of the Great Zhou, then the Empress Dowager, wielding great power and influence across the empire. If she hadn’t died, her mother, as a merchant’s daughter, could never have defeated the blameless Empress Zheng, let alone become the Empress of the Great Zhou.

Li Ying’s tears rolled down continuously, and even her lips trembled: “You’re talking nonsense! You’re talking nonsense!”

Cui Xun no longer wished to argue with her: “You should leave. My wealth and glory all come from the Empress Dowager, so I was never going to investigate your case. You can find whoever you want, but that person will never be me, Cui Xun.”

Li Ying didn’t know how she had left the Cui residence. She walked in a daze along the street, her mind filled only with Cui Xun’s words: “Your mother didn’t want to repeat the fate of Consort Qi from the Han Dynasty, so she chose to drown her daughter to bring down the Empress. Is that so difficult to understand?”

No, it couldn’t be. Mother wouldn’t kill her for her own sake.

She didn’t believe it. She absolutely wouldn’t believe it.

It must be Cui Xun lying to her!

He was already an extremely bad person. To drive her away, he deliberately fabricated lies. Yes, that must be it!

But in her daze, Cui Xun’s words echoed in her mind: “Do you dare say that in your heart, you never had suspicions?”

She recalled when she was trapped in the Lotus Pond, a little palace maid who came to play whispered to her companion: “Have you heard? There’s a rumor that Princess Yong’an wasn’t killed by her consort but by the Empress Dowager!”

“What? That’s impossible.”

“Why is it impossible? Children can be born again, but there’s only one position of Empress. What’s so strange about killing a daughter for that position?”

Li Ying shuddered. No, it couldn’t be. They were all talking nonsense. It couldn’t be Mother. It couldn’t!

She didn’t believe it. She would never believe it!

Li Ying’s tears fell profusely as she walked aimlessly. Heaven was vast, earth was vast, and she, a lonely ghost, suddenly didn’t know where to go.

Unconsciously, she had walked to the gates of Daming Palace again. Looking at the tightly closed palace gates, she felt both grieved and distressed: “Mother, was it you? Mingyue Zhu doesn’t believe it. Mingyue Zhu truly doesn’t believe it.”

She caressed the towering Danfeng Gate, slowly kneeling to the ground. The Jinwu Guards at the gate couldn’t see her. Fully armed and holding weapons, they stood tall and straight, not knowing that before them was a long-dead princess, weeping sorrowfully.

Li Ying didn’t know how long she had cried. She wiped her tears forcefully. The Jinwu Guards at the gate had already changed shifts. The young guard’s eyes were sharp, diligently guarding the Empress Dowager and Emperor inside Daming Palace. Li Ying leaned against the vermilion-lacquered wooden gate and stood up.

Even if she cried herself to death here, she wouldn’t get an answer.

Rather than this, she might as well continue to seek the truth, no matter how unbearable that truth might be.

Li Ying turned and left Danfeng Gate. Not knowing where to go, she wandered through the streets. It was deep in the night, with heavy dew. The streets were empty. Suddenly, through the white mist, a young general in armor was hastily riding towards Danfeng Gate.

Li Ying was startled. During curfew, why would a military officer ride to Daming Palace? Was there trouble at the border again?

Looking closely, she realized something was wrong. This young general was covered in dirt and dust, travel-worn, but his body was riddled with sword wounds, covered in blood. Li Ying saw fresh blood flowing from his body, staining even his white horse red.

A normal person, having suffered such severe wounds, would have already died, let alone be able to gallop on horseback. Looking more carefully, Li Ying saw that the young general’s face was ashen. She immediately understood.

Like her, he was a ghost.

But why hadn’t he been taken by the netherworld officials? How could he gallop freely on these streets?

Li Ying was puzzled. She wanted to understand, so she rushed forward to block the ghost. The ghost general hurriedly reined in his horse. He urgently said, “Young lady, I have an extremely urgent matter. Please make way!”

Li Ying looked up and asked him: “What matter do you have?”

“The Turks have invaded. The Tianwei Army is trapped. General Guo ordered me to rush to Chang’an to report to Your Majesty and request reinforcements quickly!”

Li Ying was stunned. She recalled what the pipa player had said at Ximing Temple about the fifty thousand men of the Tianwei Army all dying at Luoyan Ridge. She asked doubtfully: “The Tianwei Army? Wasn’t the Tianwei Army completely wiped out?”

The ghost general was shocked: “Young lady, don’t talk nonsense! Delaying military intelligence is a responsibility you cannot bear!”

Seeing his expression, Li Ying suddenly remembered that if someone had a deep obsession with something in life, they would continue to cling to it after death. This person must have been a soldier sent by the Tianwei Army to Chang’an to request reinforcements but had unfortunately died on the way, which was why he continued to rush to Daming Palace even after death.

Li Ying felt sympathy. She asked: “May I ask the general’s name?”

“I am Sheng Yunting, Commandant of the Tianwei Army.”

“Sheng Yunting?” Li Ying recalled the scrolls she had seen in Cui Xun’s study. “Do you live in Da’an Ward, and do you have a younger sister named Sheng Ah’man?”

The ghost general was startled: “How does the young lady know this?”

Li Ying sighed: “Sheng Yunting, you are already dead, dead for exactly six years.”

The breath dissipated, the great dream awakened.

Sheng Yunting fell from his horse.

Li Ying was startled and quickly went to check on Sheng Yunting’s injuries: “General Sheng, are you alright?”

Sheng Yunting endured the intense pain, supporting himself with his hands, staggering to his feet: “Six years… It’s been six years…”

Seeing this, Li Ying felt a sense of kinship in their shared misfortune. She nodded: “Yes, six years ago, all fifty thousand men of your Tianwei Army died at Luoyan Ridge.”

She paused, then pursed her lips and said: “No, there was one person who didn’t die in battle.”

Sheng Yunting was overjoyed: “Which brother was it?”

Li Ying mentioned this name with a surge of hatred in her chest: “Cui Xun.”

“Seventeenth Brother? He didn’t die? That’s wonderful!”

Li Ying murmured: “He was called… Seventeenth Brother?”

“Yes, Seventeenth Brother was the seventeenth child in his family. We all called him that. The older ones also called him Little Seventeen.”

Li Ying saw that Sheng Yunting and Cui Xun seemed to have a good relationship. This Sheng Yunting was loyal and righteous, not forgetting his general’s mission even in death. Why would he associate with a villain like Cui Xun? She couldn’t help but ask: “Were you close?”

Sheng Yunting nodded: “The entire Tianwei Army was like a family.”

“Then he has betrayed your brotherhood,” Li Ying said resentfully. “He’s a very bad person. To save his life, he surrendered to the Turks, disgracing the name of your Tianwei Army. After returning to Chang’an, he became a cruel official, causing the deaths of many people. Everyone in Chang’an city curses him.”

Sheng Yunting was stunned: “Seventeenth Brother wouldn’t do such things.”

“He did exactly that,” Li Ying said. “And he did it without remorse.”

Sheng Yunting clenched his fist, breathing rapidly twice: “Seventeenth Brother was a good man of our Tianwei Army. If he truly did such things, he must have had his reasons!”

Li Ying smiled bitterly: “I used to believe in him like that, too, but I was wrong. I won’t trust him again.”

Sheng Yunting looked Li Ying up and down. By now, he had also realized that Li Ying was a ghost. He asked: “Does the young lady have a past with Seventeenth Brother?”

Li Ying reluctantly gave an affirmative sound. Sheng Yunting seemed to understand: “Seventeenth Brother is handsome, just a bit cold-natured. Sometimes he hurts young ladies’ hearts without even knowing it…”

Li Ying saw that he had completely misunderstood. She quickly clarified: “It’s not what you think.”

She sighed: “I did know Cui Xun. He could see me, so I asked him to do something for me. But not only did he refuse to do it, he also deceived me. Don’t you think I should be angry?”

“You should be angry,” Sheng Yunting paused, then explained for Cui Xun: “Seventeenth Brother is not bad by nature. He is a good person. If he deceived the young lady, he must feel very guilty inside.”

Li Ying shook her head: “I don’t think he’s a good person, and I don’t want to see him again.”

Sheng Yunting looked hesitant. Suddenly, he clasped his hands and bowed, sincerely saying: “Since Seventeenth Brother can see the young lady, I have a presumptuous request. Though I’m embarrassed to ask, at present, only the young lady can help.”

Li Ying had a vague sense of foreboding: “What presumptuous request?”

“Six years ago, I was rushing to Chang’an to request reinforcements. While changing horses at Changle Post Station, I encountered Commander Shen Que. This man had never been on good terms with General Guo, and I didn’t want to pay him any attention. But at the post station was also General Pei Guanyue’s wife, Lady Wang. General Pei was on good terms with General Guo, and Lady Wang invited me to have a cup of tea at the post station and rest briefly. She was so sincere in her invitation that I had to comply. But as soon as I stepped into the post station, I was hacked to death by soldiers who had already been lying in ambush.”

Li Ying listened in shock: “So the general died because of this. So Shen Que and Wang Ranxi conspired to kill you?”

“It seems so,” Sheng Yunting said. “After my death, Lady Wang, fearing my vengeful spirit would haunt her, attached a soul-suppressing talisman to my body. Now the talisman has fallen off, which must mean Lady Wang has already died.”

Li Ying pursed her lips: “Yes, Wang Ranxi is dead, burned to death.”

“No wonder my soul has been released,” Sheng Yunting continued. “Since my soul has been released, the netherworld officials probably won’t let me stay in the mortal world for long. The ghost officials from the City of Wrongful Deaths are probably already on their way. I don’t have much time. Could the young lady tell Seventeenth Brother about what happened to me?”

Li Ying was stunned: “Tell Cui Xun?”

Sheng Yunting was full of apologies: “I know this request is very unreasonable, but at present, I can only entrust this to the young lady.”

He gritted his teeth and knelt on one knee: “Shen Que and Lady Wang killed me. The destruction of the Tianwei Army must involve injustice! Now, of the entire army of fifty thousand men, only the Seventeenth Brother remains. The clearing of the injustice for fifty thousand wronged souls rests on him alone!”

Hearing this, Li Ying felt deeply conflicted. She didn’t want to see Cui Xun, but seeing Sheng Yunting covered in wounds, his body lacerated with sword cuts, flesh turned outward, still bleeding profusely—this was a soldier who had protected her Great Zhou! Regardless of whether the Tianwei Army had been wronged, he should have died on the battlefield, not from conspiracy and treachery.

A surge of passion rose in her heart, and without thinking about whether she wanted to see Cui Xun, she nodded and said: “Very well, I promise you!”

Sheng Yunting’s eyes grew warm: “Thank you, young lady.”

Li Ying helped him up. Sheng Yunting was silent for a moment, then said: “Young lady, please tell Seventeenth Brother, the road ahead is arduous. The entire Tianwei Army kneels in gratitude!”

Li Ying nodded silently. Suddenly, they heard the sound of chains. Turning to look, ghost officials in red robes carrying chains were approaching step by step through the white mist at the edge of the street. Sheng Yunting hurriedly pushed Li Ying towards the corner of the street: “Young lady, quickly go!”

Seeing the ghost officials, Li Ying dared not stay any longer: “I’m leaving. Take care, General.”

Sheng Yunting nodded. He suddenly remembered something: “Oh, young lady, remember to tell Seventeenth Brother, my body is buried outside Tonghua Gate.”