The war had come to a complete halt, and the peace conference was about to convene. At this moment, every faction was racing day and night toward Akbachu, the imperial capital of West Jing!
The peace conference was scheduled for the Day of the Sand Sacrifice. If one were late, no one would wait — especially not for the defeated nations. So whether it was West Liang, the Xiongnu, or the sovereigns of East Qin, all were hurrying on their way.
Long before Ziqing and the others had set out, Wanyan Lie and the Emperor of West Liang had already departed. And up in the northern frontier, Minhan Mude’er and the Xiongnu Emperor had taken the route through West Chu, and were also nearly at Akbachu!
At this moment, Ziqing and the others could already see, far in the distance, the green oasis that was Akbachu.
Ziqing and Yelu Qianqian abandoned their carriage and rode hard on horseback alongside Situ Haonan!
“Akbachu, we’re back! We’ve brought the West Liang military tally back with us! We’re the first to arrive!”
Yelu Qianqian was thrilled. She rose up on her horse, cracking her long whip, her face full of laughter!
“We’re home!”
“Finally home!”
Compared to Yelu Qianqian, Ziqing’s excitement was quiet. She gazed at the familiar oasis in the distance, a faint smile at the corners of her lips, carrying an anticipation she couldn’t quite hide.
That faint smile masked a heart already full of longing, pounding like a deer in flight, like a girl in first love about to see her sweetheart — anxious and eager, thrilled yet not daring to show it.
To be able to love someone so purely and simply, one must possess the simplest, purest heart of all.
Jun Beiyue, will you be waiting for me at the city gate?
Jun Beiyue, in this one month, to keep our appointment, I created miracle after miracle on the battlefield of Longyuan. Do you know how anxious my heart has been?
Jun Beiyue, are you standing on the city wall right now, arms open, waiting to embrace me?
Jun Beiyue, in this one month, to keep our appointment, I counted every single day that passed, wondering every day what you were doing, where you were.
Jun Beiyue, please don’t break your promise. Let the first thing I see the moment I arrive in Akbachu be you, only you!
Jun Beiyue, in this one month, to keep our appointment, I racked my brain, endured scolding and blows, bowed my head and apologized — all so that when I finally saw you, everything would be whole, so you wouldn’t have to face your brothers turning against each other.
Jun Beiyue, my husband, are you there just ahead of me, in the place I long for?
The horses galloped on. Yelu Qianqian cheered with excitement, Ziqing’s eyes were faintly red, while Situ Haonan kept his head lowered the entire time.
Suddenly, a black shadow flashed past, blocking their path — it was a Shadow Guard.
Ziqing was the first to rein in her horse, so anxious she nearly fell off. They were almost there — why would Jun Beiyue send a Shadow Guard now? Could something have happened?
Situ Haonan watched her reaction, a flash of pain and guilt crossing his eyes, but he said nothing.
“What’s going on?” Ziqing asked, still composed. This woman — the only person before whom she would ever break down was Jun Beiyue. When he wasn’t around, even if the sky came crashing down, she could bear it alone. Always so composed, so strong, unshakeable by anyone.
“Reporting to my lady, the Prince is at Mingsha Mountain. He asks that you come at once — he says it’s urgent!” the Shadow Guard reported in a low voice!
“Mingsha Mountain? What happened?” Ziqing asked hurriedly. Could it be that Yingzi had discovered something?
“The Prince did not say. He only asked that you hurry there, to Mingsha Cave!” the shadow reported — though how could this possibly have been Jun Beiyue’s order!
This, of course, had come from Situ Haonan’s own mouth. After Yingzi had been knocked unconscious, all communication between the Shadow Guards had fallen under Situ Haonan’s control. Fabricating a false message was child’s play for him — after all, aside from Yingzi himself, he was the one most familiar with Jun Beiyue’s Shadow Guards, having come and gone freely in the Liuli Pavilion since childhood!
Yingzi had been sent ahead to Mingsha Mountain, and the Shadow Guard’s report followed after — the Shadow Guards were Jun Beiyue’s most secret and most loyal attendants. How could Ziqing possibly suspect them!
Besides, the Day of the Sand Sacrifice was almost here, and Jun Beiyue had been studying the secrets of Mingsha Mountain all along. It would only be natural for him to go inspect it before the peace conference began!
Ziqing didn’t think twice. She immediately turned her horse around. From here, continuing straight ahead led to Akbachu, while turning right for half the distance led to Mingsha Mountain — she wouldn’t even need to pass through Akbachu, which would save quite a bit of time!
“Haonan, I’m going to head over there. You two go on ahead — I’ll see you in Akbachu.” Ziqing said earnestly.
Situ Haonan couldn’t quite bring himself to meet her eyes. He only nodded. “Take care of yourself.”
Yelu Qianqian, however, grew anxious. “Ziqing, what are you doing? We’ll come with you! It’s not far from Akbachu anyway!”
“It’s nothing. You and Haonan go on back — your father the Emperor is waiting for you two.” Ziqing said with a smile. As she was about to leave, she added, still worried, “Haonan, no matter what happens, guard your military tally well. Everything else can wait until Beiyue and I are back to discuss.”
“Mm. I’ll wait for you both.”
Had the wind and sand not been so loud, one would surely have caught the faint catch in Situ Haonan’s voice. Had Ziqing not been in such a hurry, with her usual sharp instincts, she surely would have noticed something was wrong with him!
But unfortunately, Ziqing noticed nothing. She was too anxious to find out what had happened at Mingsha Mountain, too eager to see her husband, her lover, her man, her Prince — Jun Beiyue.
With that, she spurred her horse on at once, her figure quickly swallowed by the ever-thickening wind and sand.
Situ Haonan watched her figure gradually disappear, and his already stinging eyes finally couldn’t hold back, reddening and welling up. Though there were no tears at the corners of his eyes, he could clearly feel them there. Unconsciously, he raised a hand to wipe at his eyes, murmuring to himself, “I’m sorry… you… you must, you must come back. Beiyue… is waiting for you to come back!”
Yelu Qianqian stared at Situ Haonan, who was clearly not himself, utterly stunned. As if realizing something, she asked no further questions and immediately turned to chase after Ziqing.
But Situ Haonan gripped her hand tightly, yanking her hard, pulling her off her horse and onto his own, holding her fast so she couldn’t move.
“Situ Haonan, you lied to Ziqing?” Yelu Qianqian said in disbelief, her voice low.
Situ Haonan said nothing. He had taken Yingzi captive, seized control of all the secret communications, and fabricated everything. He knew Jun Beiyue was almost at Akbachu. In Yingzi’s name, he had told Jun Beiyue that everything was going smoothly, and that they would soon be arriving in Akbachu as well.
Seeing that Situ Haonan wouldn’t answer, Yelu Qianqian slowly shook her head, again and again — then suddenly her voice turned sharp, fierce, full of fury, “Situ Haonan, speak!”
“This is a matter between the two of them, husband and wife. Stay out of it.” Situ Haonan finally murmured.
“You still resent Ziqing — you’ve been holding a grudge this whole time, pretending all along!” Yelu Qianqian said, suddenly understanding, and she tried to wrench herself free — but she couldn’t budge even a single one of Situ Haonan’s fingers!
“You bastard, Situ Haonan, don’t you know Ziqing treats you like family? Don’t you know what you’re doing to her — why are you luring her to Mingsha Mountain!”
“Answer me — are you trying to kill her? You can’t do this, Situ Haonan, I’m warning you — if anything happens to Ziqing, I will never forgive you as long as I live, I will despise you as long as I live! You’ve gone too far! You don’t deserve the military tally, you don’t deserve it!”