Tianyuan solemnly accepted the beads.

Years ago, when Master Xiqing asked her to cast incense burners and prepare Cetaka incense for Xiangguo Temple, he had promised to help however possible when called upon.

His Majesty must have begun suspecting Xiao Juesong’s connection to her and Xiao Huayong. The best way to test her would be to see if Xiao Juesong’s men would attempt to kill her indiscriminately.

She had already reminded Xiao Changqing of this, conveying her intention that from the moment they chose to strike fatally at His Majesty, she would remain his daughter-in-law, with no connection to them.

His Majesty would surely create opportunities for these men to attempt her life. He had already investigated everyone she could bring with her, and within the palace walls, it wasn’t appropriate for her to arrange additional protection now. She would have to rely on Master Xiqing’s protection.

As she thought this, her belly received another kick, forming a bump that quickly receded.

Shen Xihe cradled her abdomen, speaking softly: “Don’t fear. Mother won’t let anything happen to you. Once this passes, no one will prevent your birth.”

Seeming to sense his mother’s comfort, Xiao Junzhu quieted down.

On the seventeenth day of the tenth month in the twenty-third year of Youning’s reign, when the emperor fell unconscious, Master Xiqing from Xiangguo Temple led a group performing ceremonies in Mingzheng Hall. The palace women and all civil and military officials attended to pray for the emperor’s wellbeing.

Outside Mingzheng Hall, flags waved and guards stood at attention. The sound of chanting sutras and wooden fish drums floated above the great hall. Civil and military officials knelt on the left side, while the Empress Dowager and Shen Xihe, along with the noble women of the imperial clan, knelt on the right. In the middle, over a hundred monks chanted prayers.

Whether or not everyone’s hearts were truly devout, all appeared solemn before the sacred altar.

After about half an hour, an eunuch joyfully called out: “His Majesty arrives—”

This clear and jubilant announcement drew everyone’s attention. They saw Emperor Youning, appearing frail, slowly approaching with Liu Sanzhi’s support, wearing a loose fur robe. The monks in the middle-parted to make way.

Emperor Youning walked toward Master Xiqing at the central altar.

The officials and noble women felt relieved, feeling the recent anxiety and oppression would finally lift when suddenly a monk revealed a gleaming long sword and lunged at Emperor Youning who had reached the center.

Simultaneously, several objects struck the ground, releasing clouds of smoke.

Moyu and Zhenzhu immediately moved to protect Shen Xihe’s side. The noble women and officials were greatly startled, many crying out and fleeing.

White mist enveloped everything. Moyu quickly sensed killing intent approaching and raised her sword. In the thick fog where one couldn’t see their hand before their face, the clash of blades was particularly jarring.

Unable to see, they could only act on instinct. Tianyuan and Jiuzhang were dealing with the outer perimeter and soon joined the battle, leaving only Zhenzhu by Shen Xihe’s side.

In the dense smoke, Shen Xihe could only occasionally glimpse moving shadows.

As one cloud of smoke hadn’t yet dispersed, another followed. The smoke’s scent was particularly pungent to Shen Xihe, yet she remained calm and composed, slowly closing her eyes.

Through the fluctuations in the surrounding qi, she could roughly judge where her people were and how many opponents engaged them.

“Moyu, behind you!”

Moyu thrust her sword backward, resulting in a squelching sound as the blade penetrated the flesh. She withdrew her sword, and the scent of blood instantly spread.

These attackers weren’t necessarily highly skilled in martial arts, but using the smoke, treading lightly, and holding their breath, they could silently approach from behind. These weren’t Xiao Juesong’s men, nor… did they seem to be His Majesty’s people.

It appeared someone was taking advantage of the chaos.

Shen Xihe smiled coldly: “Tianyuan, southwest.”

Tianyuan didn’t hesitate, dodging a sneak attack from a known enemy with a side roll while simultaneously thrusting his sword toward the southwest relative to his position, killing another attacker.

“Jiuzhang, above, northwest!”

None dared stray far from Shen Xihe. Being a prayer ceremony, each person could only bring limited attendants, and even fewer could stand with their masters here.

They had all accompanied Shen Xihe for long enough that she could distinguish their qi. No matter how silently the attackers approached, their bodies would reveal their presence. With Shen Xihe’s guidance and their considerable skills, her people remained largely uninjured in the heavy mist.

Gradually the smoke began to disperse, with no new smoke being added.

Shen Xihe could now see the chaos on the ground, and the increasingly strong smell of blood began to interfere with her accurate judgments.

Someone sneaked up behind her, which Shen Xihe hadn’t detected, but Zhenzhu moved first.

Shen Xihe dared not move rashly. Fortunately, the smoke dispersed quickly, leaving only a thin cotton-like layer. Once Moyu could see clearly, her strikes became faster and more precise, though the assassins were so numerous that Tianyuan and the others remained fully occupied.

“Crown Princess, come with this servant.” Liu Sanzhi suddenly appeared, killing an assassin who had approached Shen Xihe, and grabbed her wrist through his sleeve.

Shen Xihe didn’t resist. Given her dire situation, she naturally followed Liu Sanzhi, who quickly escorted her to His Majesty’s side. Not just anyone could approach His Majesty – besides the well-trained Imperial Guards, there was the formidably skilled Embroidered Uniform Guard.

“Are you well?” Emperor Youning asked upon seeing Shen Xihe.

“Your child is unharmed,” Shen Xihe replied.

The exchange between father-in-law and daughter-in-law was perfectly peaceful.

Having received his answer, Emperor Youning turned his attention to the ongoing battle.

Shen Xihe also noticed one particularly agile figure who, though masked, wore clothing slightly different from the others and appeared to be a young man in his early twenties.

Though Shen Xihe had never seen Xiao Juesong’s men, she had an intuition that this person wasn’t one of them, but rather someone chosen separately by Xiao Changqing.

Though Shen Xihe didn’t understand martial arts, she noticed the two Embroidered Uniform Guard members attacking him were deliberately holding back, allowing him to break through their encirclement.

If she could see this person was too young, how could Emperor Youning not notice?

He must be disappointed not having found the Xiao Juesong he sought.

But he hadn’t given up testing her. Soon, with his companions’ help, the young man evaded the two Embroidered Uniform Guard members and, dragging his bloodied sword after killing several guards, leaped forward with his sword aimed at Emperor Youning.

Shen Xihe stood at Emperor Youning’s side. She wouldn’t have stepped forward to block the sword for Emperor Youning, but someone bumped her, quickly pushing her diagonally in front of Emperor Youning. The cold steel sword grew larger and larger in her pupils.

The swordsman showed no hesitation, and Shen Xihe likewise remained composed, showing no fear or panic.

Just before the sword could pierce her, a figure swift as lightning appeared. Prayer beads wrapped around the sword, binding it tight. As palm force rushed forth, the swordsman reacted, only managing to exchange palm strikes with Master Xiqing before being forced back.