The fire grew increasingly fierce, destroying everything in its path as thick smoke billowed upward.
The brilliant flames illuminated the elegant silhouettes of pavilions and artificial mountains in the detached palace. The Imperial Guards clashed with several rescue teams in close combat, all fighting with bloodshot eyes. As blades struck against each other, blood and flesh flew.
Thunder rumbled across the vast night sky as the wind carried the heavy scent of blood.
One team was forced back to the city gate by the Imperial Guards, screams echoing everywhere. Among them, a tall armored figure charged forward with his blade, leaving trails of blood wherever he went. His fearless and fierce demeanor caused the Imperial Guards’ offensive to falter. Others shouted and followed him, breaking through the Guards’ encirclement.
The flickering firelight fell upon that figure – silver armor, white robes, sword-like eyebrows, and phoenix eyes, his face full of killing intent.
With a boom, thunder exploded. The lonely moon had long hidden behind dark clouds. Half the night sky was lit by the great fire, the other half black as spilled ink.
“They’re here!”
Amidst the crackling of flames, Imperial Guards shouted to alert their companions. More and more Guards poured in, surrounding the team once again.
On the drum tower, Yao Ying’s heart pounded like a drum. She closed her eyes briefly. “Must Your Majesty pursue this to the bitter end?”
Li De’s eyes were clear as he signaled the Guards on the wall to release their arrows.
Arrows shot forth like a locust swarm, weaving a net of refined steel.
Yao Ying pushed past the Guards and rushed to the battlements. “Li Zhongqian!”
She shouted his name.
He didn’t want to implicate her, returning to the capital in secret, yet she insisted on calling out his name publicly.
The man in combat raised his head, cut down an Imperial Guard, and spurred his horse toward the vermillion palace gates. Wielding his blade to deflect iron arrows, his horse’s hooves thundered like rolling thunder, each beat striking Yao Ying’s heart.
She had found his letter in Gaochang. He had always remembered the political marriage, feeling he had burdened her entire life, wanting her latter years to be free of worry.
His solution was to keep her in the dark while returning to Chang’an to die together with Li De.
Rash, impulsive, bloodthirsty, resigned to death.
Just like years ago, when he went alone to the battlefield to save her.
Yao Ying wanted to curse at him, curse him fiercely, but couldn’t utter a single word of rebuke. Tears burst from her eyes.
He hadn’t burdened her. Without him, she wouldn’t have survived until now. They were family, supporting each other.
“Li Zhongqian!” Yao Ying shouted at him, “I’m not your sister! I wasn’t born to Empress Xie!”
Under the yellowish firelight, Li Zhongqian’s expression froze.
Yao Ying pushed away the Guards trying to stop her: “I am the daughter of the Chen family from Southern Chu. Due to the chaos of war, I was stranded on the battlefield and rescued by Xie Wuliang. The Chen family were mortal enemies of the Xie family. Among the Chu army that besieged Jingnan back then was my birth father… Li Zhongqian, you are not my brother!”
Whether or not there was blood between her and Li Zhongqian wouldn’t change their relationship, but she happened to be the Chen family’s daughter, so she had been hesitating, unable to bear telling him the truth.
“I am the daughter of your enemy!”
She practically screamed these words.
Leave her be, just go.
The sky is vast and the sea is wide – anywhere would be fine.
Li Zhongqian raised his head, his calm gaze meeting Yao Ying’s.
Thunder crashed, and buildings groaned in the great fire. Across the fighting Guards, wild flames, and dense arrow rain, the two gazed at each other silently.
The next instant, Li Zhongqian’s lips curved. In the cold arrow rain, he grinned at Yao Ying, raised his blade to cut down two Guards who had secretly approached, gave a light shout, squeezed his horse’s flanks, blade in hand, charging forward without hesitation.
Fool, he had long known her background.
What did it matter if she was from the Chen family?
He didn’t care.
The sister he raised, they had depended on each other. She would always be Li Zhongqian’s sister.
“Li De, if you dare touch a single hair on Ming Yuenu’s head, I, Li Zhongqian, will tear you to pieces!”
He galloped toward her, facing the rain of blades and arrows, cutting a bloody path. Leading his forces, he charged at the palace gates with an earth-shaking crash.
Tears streamed down Yao Ying’s face.
Li De’s eyes showed surprise. He turned and descended the drum tower: “Return to the Buddha Hall.”
The Guards grabbed Yao Ying’s arms and dragged her down from the tower.
Li Zhongqian’s phoenix eyes blazed with fury as he led the charge, broke through the Imperial Guards, and smashed open the palace gates. Several teams outside the detached palace turned back and poured in through this entrance.
The Guards escorted Li De back to the Buddha Hall. General Sun rushed in to report: “Your Majesty, the palace gates have fallen. Please relocate – this humble one will stay behind to trap them!”
Li De waved his hand, standing in the corridor, gazing toward where the flames rose.
Yao Ying sat bound beneath the Buddha statue.
General Sun was anxiously sweating, asking softly: “What is Your Majesty waiting for?”
Li De turned back, frowning slightly: “The Western Army, the Xie family’s army, the Khan’s central army…”
He had deliberately spread false information, yet none of these forces had appeared. Only Li Zhongqian, trapped in the ward, had come.
A thought flashed through his mind, and Li De summoned the capital’s guards.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, all is normal in the city. The Western Army’s commanders and the Xie family’s former generals show no movement. There are no urgent military reports from Gaochang either. The Khanate remains at peace with us, only sending several diplomatic letters requesting the marriage agreement for Princess Wenzhao from the Ministry of Rites.”
Li De turned back in disbelief, glancing at Yao Ying.
Yao Ying raised her eyes: “I regret disappointing Your Majesty. The Western Army won’t come tonight, much less the Khan’s central army.”
Li De remained vigilant, ordering General Sun to send more men to investigate.
“Why didn’t you mobilize the Western Army?” he asked.
Yao Ying’s gaze was clear: “The Western Army’s duty is to guard the frontier. The Western Regions have only recently been pacified and still have deep rifts with the court. Involving them in palace intrigue would only deepen these rifts, freezing them solid, impossible to thaw. If the court can’t trust the Western Army and the Western Army can’t trust the court, how can we achieve prosperity amid mutual suspicion? If the Khan’s central army appears in Chang’an, the slightest misstep could ignite a war between our nations.”
Li De’s expression showed slight movement.
He had considered all these issues.
He walked back to the main hall, looking at Yao Ying as if seated in court, his eyes containing hidden brilliance. “That you could think of this, and even restrain them to mind their duties, truly shows consideration for the bigger picture. It’s a pity Li Zhongqian lacks your broad-mindedness.”
Yao Ying laughed coldly: “If you hadn’t pushed him step by step, how would my brother resort to such desperate measures, returning to the capital to assassinate you? Prince, Crown Prince, Emperor – he never cared about any of it. Today’s situation was all caused by your selfish desires!”
“Selfish desires?” Li De smiled. “Li Yao Ying, even without Li Zhongqian, I cannot let you continue commanding the Western Army.”
He sat before Yao Ying, his tone becoming gentle. “Back when I took command of the Wei Army, the Li family had no ambitions to compete for the realm, merely taking advantage of the chaos to grow stronger. Later as the Wei Army conquered cities and territories, our reputation grew ever greater, and more noble families and small forces came to join us. I still wanted to be a regional warlord, but my soldiers wouldn’t agree. Having fought life and death battles with me, how could they be content to remain inferior when they saw others prospering under their lords?”
“Li Yao Ying, you underestimate others’ ambitions. The Western Army now follows your lead, but one day, when they wish to march south, they can cooperate with the noble families under your banner. No matter how much you consider the bigger picture, you cannot suppress human desire!”
“Over twenty years ago, when the last emperor fled south, I received orders and planned to lead troops to aid him. My subordinates and clansmen strongly urged me against it. At that time, I understood clearly – I had to walk the path of contending for power, or else be replaced by my subordinates.”
Once one had joined the power struggle, there was no turning back.
Caught in the turbulent currents, even one as noble as he was not free to choose, just as when he received news of Tang Ying and her son’s deaths. Facing the Wei Army’s devastating defeat, he had to arrange political marriages with noble families.
Li Yao Ying would also be forced by her subordinates to make choices. Under the weight of power, there were no exceptions.
“You are merely a chess piece in the hands of noble families. They use you to unite hearts and minds. Once their wings are fully grown, they will use you to oppose the court.” Li De met Yao Ying’s gaze. “You are a disaster waiting to happen. The Western Army cannot be controlled by one person. The Western Regions are vast with a sparse population. Only by relying on local noble families and ruling through division can we ensure no more major unrest erupts there.”
Yao Ying cut straight to the point: “What the Western Regions need now is stability, time to recover and rebuild, letting common people eat their fill and stay warm. Your so-called method is nothing but using profit to tempt noble families to fight for power so you can rest easy. Noble families fighting for power does nothing good for the situation!”
“Stability?” Li De sneered. “The Crown Prince has designs on you. Once he takes the throne, will your subordinates remain stable?”
He paused.
“Moreover, you are to marry the Tamo Khan – true, we have an alliance with the Khanate and they are at peace with us now, but what about in a few years? Can you guarantee the Khanate harbors no ambitions to absorb the Western Regions? Once you marry the Tamo Khan and bear his children, your children will have noble blood. When he gives an order, will the Western Army listen to him or the court?”
Li De coughed a few times behind his hand. “I never believe in anyone’s loyalty, only in interests.”
He suddenly smiled. “Seventh Lady, can you guarantee that when you entered the city amid people’s cheers, you truly had no ambitions? Don’t you want your children to inherit the Western Army and the trade routes you control? Once you become the Khanate’s queen, can you still be fair and just? Your trade routes have already expanded to Persia. Desire constantly expands – once it begins, there is no turning back.”
Yao Ying looked at Li De, her expression mocking but her gaze still clear.
“Your Majesty speaks truly – I too have my ambitions. People aren’t saints. Those who can truly act without any self-interest are extremely rare in this world. I am just a common person.”
She raised her head, looking at the night sky reddened by fire beyond the hall.
“The sages say: in poverty, cultivate oneself; in success, help all under heaven. I dare not claim to help all. When destitute, my heart was filled only with thoughts of survival alongside my brother. After gaining freedom from constraints and self-preservation, seeing others in similar circumstances, I would lend a hand when able.”
“The Western Regions have long been chaotic, with endless warfare. Controlling trade routes and bringing all tribes into the system isn’t for endless expansion, but to give them shared interests and concerns. In the future, whoever starts a war – the flames can be extinguished without deploying the Western Army. Of course, this is also a backup plan I prepared for myself. A cunning rabbit has three burrows – growing up under Your Majesty’s suppression, I’m used to preparing for the unforeseen.”
Yao Ying’s lips curved upward. “When I brought back the fallen Western Army soldiers to the capital, the people’s cheers were for them, not for me. Whether I was Li Seventh Lady living day to day, or the Commander who could lead the Western Army, I had only one ambition – to survive well. Since my subordinates trust me, I should do my utmost to let common people live peacefully even in chaotic times.”
Outside the Buddha Hall were thunderous sounds of killing and burning. Inside was Yao Ying’s composed voice, her tone gentle as if making casual conversation.
Li De silently examined Yao Ying, then after a while, smiled. “What a pity.”
Yao Ying’s gaze was too open and frank. He felt she spoke from her heart.
What a pity – he was an emperor, his vision must reach far. She was Li Xuanzhen’s weakness, tied to various forces. He had to clear obstacles for his son.
Footsteps clattered in chaos as a blood-covered Guard rushed into the Buddha Hall: “Your Majesty, Li Zhongqian has broken through!”
Several guards immediately surrounded Yao Ying.
Li De slowly stood and walked out of the Buddha Hall, standing on the steps.
Long winds filled the corridors, whistling. That tall figure in silver armor indeed led his followers to charge into the courtyard. Imperial Guards bent their bows and loosed arrows. He wore a helmet to avoid the arrows, dodging and weaving. One sweep of his blade felled many Guards.
The Imperial Guards remained calm and orderly, forming ranks to continue shooting arrows. Others took turns leaping forward to attack. When one strike missed, they would flip through the air as another group moved in with palm strikes, wearing down Li Zhongqian’s strength. As he gradually tired, panting heavily, the Imperial Guard switched to spear formation. Under the forest of spears, Li Zhongqian’s strength failed. His blood-stained robe was torn open as a long spear pierced his abdomen, blood spurting forth.
He gritted his teeth and pulled out the spear, continuing to fight, pushing back the layers of Imperial Guards closing in, step by step, walking up the stone steps along a path of blood.
Li De stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at his death struggle.
Li Zhongqian’s face was covered in blood, his phoenix eyes glaring in fury. As he continued forward, with a clang, his blade was knocked away by someone, falling to the ground. Several arrows pierced his back, spraying a burst of fresh blood.
He still walked forward step by step, his eyes fixed steadily on Yao Ying.
The Imperial Guards swung their spears, stabbing at his legs.
With a thud, he fell to his knees on the steps, looking at Yao Ying, crawling upward using both hands and feet.
Li De watched him coldly.
Yao Ying trembled all over, suddenly breaking free from her guards and rushing to Li Zhongqian’s side.
He lay at her feet, tremblingly reaching out his torn and bleeding hand to grab the hem of her skirt.
Li De signaled to the Imperial Guards with his eyes.
The Guards stepped forward, raising their blades to strike. The sharp edge cut open Li Zhongqian’s nape, blood flowing like a spring.
Seeing the Guards about to deliver the killing blow, Yao Ying stood in front of Li Zhongqian, raising her head, her eyes burning with tears and surging hatred, so bright none dared meet her gaze: “Li De, if you dare harm my brother’s life, you’d better kill me too. Otherwise, I will certainly kill you with my own hands to avenge my brother!”
Li De lowered his eyes, his aged face twitching slightly in the night wind.
“You are the Western Army’s Commander, I cannot kill you like this…”
He raised his head to look at the night sky, his tone suddenly changing: “If I don’t kill you, even if I capture Li Zhongqian, you would only obey temporarily. Only by killing you both can the Crown Prince ascend smoothly.”
Yao Ying’s pupils contracted, her thoughts racing, her gaze quickly sweeping around once before her eyes widened, panic flashing across her face.
Li De smiled at her, his smile surprisingly gentle: “You have support, knowing I dare not kill you, so you dare take risks. Seventh Lady, you are clever, you did nothing wrong. But you underestimated a father’s determination.”
A person with nothing to lose is the most frightening because all strategies crumble before them.
His indecisiveness in the past had bitter consequences. Today he would end everything with his own hands, leaving no future troubles.
Yao Ying couldn’t help shaking her head. “Impossible!”
Before she finished speaking, with a tremendous boom, Imperial Guards rushed into the courtyard carrying longboards made of refined iron, quickly sealing off all four corridors. Crossbows were mounted on the courtyard walls, trapping everyone in the Buddha Hall with no way to advance or retreat.
Li De looked at the mass of Imperial Guards and said: “It’s good the Western Army didn’t come. They are all promising young men who should die in battle for the country wrapped in horsehide, not be buried here with us.”
Blood welled between Yao Ying’s teeth. “So the one who truly wanted mutual destruction was Your Majesty.”
Li De nodded: “I understand Li Zhongqian because I would make the same decision. For the Crown Prince’s sake, I must eliminate you siblings. For your sake, he would certainly return to kill me.”
Besides Li Zhongqian, Li Xuanzhen also wanted to kill him. After conquering Southern Chu, Li Xuanzhen had already been secretly plotting. He knew this day would come and did not fear death’s arrival, but he could not rest easy while the Li Zhongqian siblings lived.
Rather than wait for Li Xuanzhen to commit patricide and regicide, he would act for his son, killing multiple birds with one stone – dealing with Li Zhongqian, Li Yao Ying, the Southern Chu remnants, and court officials loyal to the Xie family all at once.
Yao Ying’s voice trembled: “The Western Army is still in the capital!”
Li De replied calmly: “After tonight, the Western Army will find no evidence, and the Khanate will have nothing to say. No matter how clever the Tamo Khan is, he cannot raise the dead. When the Northern Rong surrendered, I had a group of prisoners brought back to the capital and settled them here, along with Southern Chu remnants… Seventh Lady, the Ministry of Justice will soon discover that the Southern Chu defector who spoke with you at the banquet was the mastermind. They conspired with the Northern Rong people to restore their country, so they set up an ambush. The people who came to rescue you tonight included them. These past years, your frequent contact with Du Sinan – I saw it all. He’s talented, and this time, his identity will serve a purpose – he was the one who helped you contact the Southern Chu noble families.”
“With both of us buried in the Buddha Hall, the chief culprits being Northern Rong people and Southern Chu remnants, with both you and Li Zhongqian suspected of assassination – what grounds would the Khanate’s Tamo Khan have to challenge Great Wei?”
A flash of bright lightning crossed her mind as Yao Ying instantly understood many things she hadn’t before.
The reason Li De hadn’t publicly revealed her background was for today. Once they were all buried in the Buddha Hall, no one would suspect Li De of framing Southern Chu. The Southern Chu defector was also his arrangement – they would certainly identify her as secretly helping Southern Chu due to blood ties, conspiring to commit regicide! Evidence of her alliance with Southern Chu could likely be found through Du Sinan. Add to that Li Zhongqian’s previous attempt at regicide – his presence here was the best evidence of guilt.
An emperor’s life was enough to make all doubts seem pale and powerless. Who could believe Li De was so mad as to willingly sacrifice his own life to set a trap?
Thunder rolled, the night wind turning cold.
Yao Ying closed her eyes for a moment: “What virtue do I possess, that Your Majesty would sacrifice your own life to eliminate me?”
Li De shook his head. “This is a very worthwhile trade.”
Using his blood to pave the way for Li Xuanzhen, who would then be free of constraints, with countermeasures ready for both the Khanate and Western Army. The Western Army left without a leader would be the perfect time for the court to act. According to his arrangements, the Hexi noble families would certainly fight among themselves over the princess. With Southern Chu remnants attempting assassination, they would lose moral standing, and Southern Chu nobles would no longer have the strength to oppose the court. From east to west, south to north, true unification would arrive.
And Li Xuanzhen wouldn’t have to bear the name of patricide and regicide.
Yao Ying gritted her teeth, suddenly asking: “What about Li Xuanzhen then? How will he escape suspicion?”
Li De said: “He’s not in the capital. All Eastern Palace forces are far from Chang’an. I made thorough preparations – officials will handle things properly afterward. Seventh Lady, tomorrow everyone will know that you invited me to the Buddhist temple to visit Empress Xie.”
Yao Ying stared at his slightly clouded eyes: “Yang Qian and the others won’t suspect me.”
Li De glanced at her, waving his hand. “What about this?”
With a boom, an explosion broke the quiet night like a thunderbolt from clear skies, shaking roof tiles as dust sprinkled down.
After the explosion came another from a different direction, flames shooting skyward where it occurred.
Yao Ying’s heart jumped, stunned for a moment before cold sweat broke out as she came to her senses.
“The Thunder Sword, fire bombs – known to all under heaven.” Li De said flatly. “These are the Western Army’s secret weapons, with you controlling the formula. Even when you and the Khanate’s army jointly resisted the Northern Rong, you didn’t reveal the formula. All who planted the firebombs were Western Army elite. Seventh Lady, tonight this entire detached palace will be leveled by these firebombs. Tell me, who else in this world besides you and the Western Army could control so many fire bombs?”
Yao Ying smiled coldly. “You stole the formula and planted the bombs long ago, just waiting for my brother to return to the capital… After tonight, the Western Army must distance themselves from me to avoid suspicion.”
No one could prove her innocence.
When the person is gone, the tea grows cold. With her dead here, the Western Army’s first thought would certainly be to elect a new commander. Li De must have left arrangements to keep the Western Army too busy to thoroughly investigate the detached palace incident. If they couldn’t investigate, the Khanate had even less means to interfere.
Li De gazed toward Chang’an, raising his hand to signal the Imperial Guards to ignite the firebombs.
In just an instant, this Buddhist hall would be completely overturned. Not one person in the courtyard would escape, including himself.
This was the grave he had dug for himself.
…
“Wait!”
At this critical moment, Yao Ying broke free of her bonds, wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes, and stopped Li De, all trace of fear gone from her face.
Li De frowned.
Yao Ying took out a bronze whistle and blew it. Amid the burning sounds, the whistle’s sound was sharp and piercing.
With several whooshing sounds of beating wings in the darkness, a huge creature swept over the courtyard before suddenly diving down, its sharp talons aimed straight at the Imperial Guards’ eyes. In an instant, men and horses fell into chaos as Guards either swung their blades or covered their heads to dodge, everything descending into disorder.
At the same time, the sounds of Imperial Guards falling came from beyond the wall, followed by the continuous sound of dropping blades. After shouts of battle, figures climbed over the walls one after another, all wearing dark helmets and armor.
Li De’s brows furrowed tightly as he made a gesture – whatever happened, as long as they all died here, everything would be settled.
“Your Majesty!” Yao Ying called to him. “Look.”
She pointed in one direction. Li De looked over and was suddenly startled.
On the courtyard wall, a man wielding a blade fought with archers hidden in the shadows – sword-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a tall figure.
How could there be another Li Zhongqian?
Li De thought of one possibility, his body violently trembling as he pushed away the Guards supporting him, rushed down the stone steps, lifted the person fallen before the steps, yanked off his helmet, and frantically wiped away the blood on his face.
Long hair scattered loose as firelight illuminated a stern countenance.
Li De was speechless for a moment, his entire body frozen as his cheeks gradually turned an unnatural red. His throat made wheezing sounds before he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of foul blood.
After going to such lengths to plan for him, he came to die for Li Yao Ying!
Did he hate himself so much? Would rather ruin his plans just to oppose him?
All efforts wasted.
In an instant, Li De’s heart turned to dead ashes as he spat another large mouthful of fresh blood, staining his front robes red.
Everyone was stunned.
They were loyal to Li De, knowing they would die in the detached palace today, fearing nothing. But with the Crown Prince appearing here, who would dare detonate the thunder bombs?
With a slap, the Guard who had just wounded Li Xuanzhen dropped his blade and knelt, kowtowing.
Li De’s face turned iron-blue, a hint of white showing through, his pupils contracting as if about to burst from their sockets. He grabbed a blade from the ground and, with strength from who knows where, swung it down at Yao Ying.
In his day he had also been a general who fought while ill. Though disease had plagued him these past years, his foundation remained. This strike carried tremendous force, unstoppable.
Li Zhongqian on the courtyard wall had just finished dealing with several Guards when his peripheral vision caught the change at the steps. His phoenix eyes widened – across an entire courtyard, he had no way to save her!
The blade fell, bringing a bloody wind.
Yao Ying collapsed before the long steps, feeling heart-piercing pain at her waist as thick blood dripped down, falling drop by drop on her face.
She opened her eyes to meet a deep gaze.
Li Xuanzhen held her. “Are you hurt?”
Yao Ying made no sound.
He had blocked Li De’s furious strike, the blade embedding deep enough to see bone in his back.
Yao Ying’s heart felt a moment of confusion.
Apart from where her waist had hit the steps, she felt nothing at all.
Since her last sleep she had vaguely sensed it, but now she could be certain: Li Xuanzhen’s life and death were completely unrelated to her now.
“Zhangnü!”
Li De stared blankly at the blade in Li Xuanzhen’s back, releasing his grip as the blood drained from his face, his gaze cold and deep as he shouted: “Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician!”
“Where is everyone? Go summon the Imperial Physician!”
The Imperial Guards stood frozen in place.
Li De appeared mad, randomly grabbing a Guard’s blade and slashing wildly. “Summon the Imperial Physician!”
Several people were struck by the blade and stumbled to the ground as others nearby reacted, dodging his attacks.
Li De’s hair disheveled, he suddenly raised his head, eyes blood-red, holding the blade as he lunged at Yao Ying again.
With a whoosh, an iron arrow shot through the air, striking his blade directly as sparks flew.
The eagle screamed as it swept past, its talons viciously hooking Li De’s scalp, tearing away a patch of skin and hair.
Several brave Guards seized the opportunity to rush forward, grabbing Li De’s arms, wresting away his blade, and restraining him.
Guards with medical knowledge squeezed through, carefully removing the blade from Li Xuanzhen’s back, stopping the bleeding and bandaging the wound.
The courtyard was in complete chaos as the dark-clothed soldiers outside the walls had long seized their chance, leaping over the walls as iron arrows whooshed down like rain. After one volley of arrows, the Imperial Guards fell in desperate resistance. With the second round, another batch of Guards fell. Soon some realized they faced the Flying Cavalry unit and that forces in other parts of the detached palace must have been controlled. Making quick decisions, they retreated to Li De’s side, using their bodies to form a wall tightly protecting him.
After five consecutive volleys of arrows, the Imperial Guards refused to surrender even unto death.
Li Zhongqian raised his hand, signaling the Flying Cavalry to cease their attack, and stepped onto the long stairs.
Li De stood in front of Li Xuanzhen, his clouded eyes showing a flash of clarity.
“Does Your Majesty think I want to kill you?” Li Zhongqian smiled slightly, walking directly to Yao Ying’s side. “All armies are waiting outside. If I dared commit regicide, once I left the detached palace, I’d have nowhere to be buried.”
Li De laughed coldly: “That you can command the Flying Cavalry – you’ve made me see you in a new light.”
Li Zhongqian glanced at the severely wounded Li Xuanzhen.
“The Flying Cavalry wasn’t summoned by me. Your Majesty, I didn’t return to the capital to use force against you. The one who secretly mobilized troops and wanted to kill you was him.”
Li De closed his eyes briefly.
Yao Ying hadn’t brought her main force into the capital, and Li Zhongqian didn’t have many troops either. Even if he had miscalculated, the two couldn’t escape Chang’an. But he’d forgotten that during Li Xuanzhen’s several distant campaigns, military commanders had likely been secretly won over by him.
Only the Flying Cavalry and military elite could have eliminated his forces arranged in the detached palace without anyone knowing. Li Xuanzhen entering the capital alone wasn’t rash but part of another plan.
For all his calculations, he hadn’t anticipated Li Xuanzhen preparing to usurp the throne so early, much less working in perfect coordination with Li Zhongqian.
Yao Ying deliberately falls for the trap to draw out the snake.
Li Zhongqian continued: “In the Khanate, I received the letter you deliberately had sent to me. I rushed back to Gaochang, and Li Xuanzhen’s letter also arrived. He knew you were planning to eliminate me and Ming Yuenu, and invited me to join him in patricide and regicide. In this regard, we truly are brothers.”
Li De stepped back several paces and collapsed to the ground, weariness and defeat between his brows as if all spirit had been drained in an instant, no longer able to hide his aging state.
“What of Chang’an?”
Yao Ying said flatly: “Your Majesty need not worry. Chang’an is under the Crown Princess’s command. She and the Crown Prince’s son were attacked, so she gathered the Imperial Guards to protect the imperial city, and closed all palace gates, allowing no one in or out. Chang’an’s Imperial Guards won’t come to rescue Your Majesty.”
Li De smiled.
Lady Zheng was also in league with Li Yao Ying. Li Xuanzhen must have been the one she rescued from the dungeons.
Li Zhongqian stepped forward, his blade pointing at Li De.
Li De looked at him, expression calm.
Li Zhongqian’s expression was cold as he said: “Li De, you blamed my mother for your incompetence, and suppressed me. I was your son and also your subject – I couldn’t resist, could only endure. I charged into battle for you, devoted myself entirely to Great Wei. When you ordered me to massacre cities, I massacred them. I only asked you to spare Ming Yuenu, but you didn’t keep your promise. You even tried to use my mother to threaten me.”
So don’t blame him for having neither a ruler nor a father.
He laughed coldly and swung his blade, the thin edge cutting off several strands of Li De’s hair.
“Having your blood flowing in me is the greatest shame of my life.”
Li De remained motionless.
Yao Ying walked past him: “Your Majesty, there’s one thing I forgot to tell you. Back in Gaochang, I had already told the Western Army of my background. Tomorrow I will announce to all under heaven that I am a daughter of the Chen family. The reason the Western Army didn’t come tonight is because I instructed them that they shouldn’t interfere in palace struggles.”
She wouldn’t let the Western Army lose control. Whether she married or not wouldn’t change her aspirations. Li De had forced her into a corner unnecessarily.
Li De’s eyelids twitched.
“I didn’t want my background revealed only because of my brother, not because I feared the Western Army would abandon me.” Yao Ying raised her hand to lightly brush her hair. “I’m not of Li family blood – perfect for cutting ties with Chang’an. The Western Army will forever be righteous forces defending the frontier and common people, never stationed in Chang’an.”
Li Zhongqian took Yao Ying’s hand, and the siblings walked out without looking back.
He had once wanted desperately to kill Li De with his own hands. Now he didn’t want to dirty them – letting Li Xuanzhen do it would be more satisfying.
The entanglements between father and sons were cut clean with one stroke, never to be entangled again.
…
The courtyard was littered with corpses, leaving only Li De, his son, and the Flying Cavalry.
Li De looked at Li Xuanzhen, whose breath was as thin as gossamer.
“Making wedding clothes for others… I planned so meticulously for you, yet you conspired with outsiders. Zhangnü, you will eventually die by Li Yao Ying’s hand.”
Li Xuanzhen was supported by his guards, his lips as white as paper, his gaze following Yao Ying’s retreating figure into the distance.
She didn’t look back.
He concealed his bitterness and said: “Li De, over twenty years ago, you didn’t know what my mother wanted. The one who killed my mother wasn’t the Xie family. You displaced your anger onto others, using the punishment of the Xie mother and son to ease your guilt… Twenty years later, you don’t know what I want.”
“Do you know why Mother took her own life?”
He waved for his guards to withdraw, leaned forward, and whispered several sentences.
Li De shuddered, his whole body trembling as he stared fixedly at Li Xuanzhen with wide eyes.
“Impossible! Impossible!”
Tears glistened in Li Xuanzhen’s eyes.
Li De kept shaking his head, stumbling to his feet, pacing chaotically.
“Impossible! Impossible! I knew you were both alive, I sent clansmen to help you… Just waiting until I married Xie Manyuan until the Wei Army won the victory, then you could return… Just half a month… I only delayed half a month…”
Li Xuanzhen heard the unfinished meaning in his words and raised his face in anger, the hatred in his eyes burning even more fiercely.
Back then, before marrying Xie Manyuan, Li De had already known he and Tang Ying were alive! Fearing Tang Ying would disrupt the wedding, he only sent clansmen to assist mother and son. It was precisely in that half month that Tang Ying lost her chastity.
Li Xuanzhen laughed out loud, unclear whether he was laughing at Li De or fate’s mockery.
“Half a month! Half a month!”
Li De screamed madly, running until he slipped and fell among the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, closing his eyes in agony, his face desolate as he kept repeating.
“Half a month…”
He had gone mad.
…
The great disturbance at the detached palace kept the imperial city sleepless all night.
During the day, the city was under martial law. Crown Prince Li Xuanzhen suddenly appeared with an imperial edict in hand, ordering the Feather Forest Army, Imperial Guards, and Golden Tiger Guards to follow the Crown Princess’s commands and defend the imperial city to death. The generals were anxious and unsettled, taken down by others who had long pledged allegiance to Li Xuanzhen.
The court’s ministers had long seen that there would be a confrontation between father and son. They wanted to mediate but were confined in the Taiji Palace by the suddenly appearing Flying Cavalry. By the time they were released, it was already midnight.
The next day, a rumor spread that while visiting Empress Xie, Li De had suddenly gone mad, attacking people wildly. The Imperial Physicians had examined him – there was no cure. State affairs would be managed by Crown Prince Li Xuanzhen as regent. The officials raised no objections.
The common people had no objections either: the Crown Prince had been appointed by Li De himself. With the emperor ill, the Crown Prince should naturally take charge of state affairs.
Afterward, the Crown Prince acted swiftly and decisively, dealing with many officials and commanders. Among them, Southern Chu defectors died of illness one after another. People paid little attention, assuming they fell ill from missing their homeland.
Several months later, Li De passed away in the detached palace, reportedly from exhaustion.
What happened after had nothing to do with Yao Ying anymore.
The night they left the detached palace, Xie Qing welcomed them with a whip. Yao Ying grabbed it and turned, lashing it at Li Zhongqian.
“Returning to the capital on your own? Conspiring with Li Xuanzhen to force abdication without telling me? And leaving me a letter saying to live peacefully and not seek revenge for you?”
Yao Ying gritted her teeth and struck again with the whip.
“If I hadn’t come back, you two could only have faced Li De head-on. Do you know how many casualties there would have been? Li De had thunder bombs – if pushed to extremes, no matter your martial skill, you’re no match for the Imperial Guards!”
Li Zhongqian dared not argue. After taking several lashes stoically, he pleaded: “I didn’t plan to rush in to die. Li De had set a poisonous trap. Li Xuanzhen feared he would strike first and decided on regicide. I helped him with some small matters – whether it succeeded or not, Li De would suffer.”
When Li Xuanzhen returned from Southern Chu, he had met with him privately. He hid in Chang’an while Li Xuanzhen pretended to be imprisoned but escaped. The brothers’ original plan didn’t involve Yao Ying, as she should have been in Gaochang. Even if she discovered something wrong and rushed back to Chang’an, people in Liangzhou would stop her.
Although he and Li Xuanzhen had deep conflicts, back when they were in Northern Rong, the brothers had stirred up trouble together in perfect coordination. In the matter of killing Li De, their goals aligned – they didn’t mind cooperating once more.
No one had expected that by the time news of Yao Ying’s return arrived, she was already in the Capital Prefecture.
At that time Li Zhongqian was still in hiding, unable to send messages to Yao Ying. Anxious and worried, he rushed to the detached palace to save her. If not for Li Xuanzhen arriving to delay him and exchange silver armor and felt robes, he would have thought Yao Ying knew nothing and had truly been deceived by Li De.
Yao Ying snorted lightly, knowing Li Zhongqian hadn’t revealed the whole truth. He and Li Xuanzhen hadn’t been completely confident. Fortunately, she had returned in time and coordinated with the Crown Princess, attracting Li De’s attention so Li Xuanzhen could find his chance to strike.
“We were still careless. Li De obtained the thunder bomb formula. If Li Xuanzhen hadn’t been present, the detached palace would certainly have been razed to the ground today.”
Yao Ying frowned. There were spies in the Western Army – she would have to thoroughly clean out the workshops. The formula wasn’t a secret, she would give it to the court, but the spies couldn’t be allowed to remain.
Li Zhongqian was also terrified in retrospect, letting out a long breath.
Yao Ying put away the whip. “Brother… I am a daughter of the Chen family.”
Li Zhongqian paused, then smiled and rubbed her head: “I knew long ago, Ming Yuenu. Brother doesn’t care – you will always be my sister.”
When he learned of Yao Ying’s background, he sat stunned for a day but felt no anger. Her birth parents had died in the chaos of war, her clansmen were distant blood relations. The grievances of the previous generation wouldn’t affect their sibling relationship. Beyond melancholy sighs, he was mostly happy for Yao Ying.
She wasn’t Li De’s daughter. If her birth parents hadn’t perished, they would certainly have loved her dearly.
“If you want to pay respects to your parents, let Tamo Luojia accompany you.” Li Zhongqian smiled. “Though they never raised you, you should still pay respects. Du Sinan’s letter said they thought you died in the flames of war and built a cenotaph for you. Pity they had no chance to know you.”
Yao Ying made a sound of agreement and took Li Zhongqian’s arm.
“Brother, let’s return to Jingnan once to pay respects to Uncle and the others.”
Li Zhongqian’s lips curved up as he nodded.
Walking down the long steps, guards escorted a carriage over. Yao Ying boarded it and leaned against the wall, her whole body feeling like it was falling apart as she closed her eyes to sleep.
The carriage swayed along the bumpy mountain road. Dim lamplight filtered through the curtains into the carriage as footsteps clattered chaotically – Li Xuanzhen had mobilized many troops tonight, and everywhere was in disorder.
Yao Ying suddenly awoke, yanking open the curtain to meet a pair of calm jade eyes.
She smiled, her exhaustion flying away as she leaned on the window: “Luojia, I knew you would watch over me.”
Just like in Gaochang.
“You’ve been following me all along, haven’t you? Were you the one shooting arrows at the detached palace?”
Tamo Luojia looked completely composed, showing no embarrassment at being caught, and nodded with slightly furrowed brows. “Sleep.”
Yao Ying reached for his sleeve. “Come in and keep me company.”
Tamo Luojia said nothing, pulled his reins, dismounted, and entered the carriage as guards led his horse away.
Fearing to waste time, Yao Ying traveled without rest for several days without seeing Tamo Luojia. She knew he must have been following her – every time she blew the whistle, she could feel he was nearby. Knowing he was by her side made her feel at ease in everything she did.
She had him sit back and sit in his lap, hooking her arms around his neck before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t let Khanate people enter the capital?”
They had returned to the Central Plains together, parting several days ago in the suburbs. She had gone ahead with light cavalry while Tamo Luojia promised to wait outside the city, only appearing if she and Li Zhongqian ran into trouble.
Tamo Luojia lowered his head, tightening his arms as he kissed her hair.
“I am Princess Wenzhao’s lover,” he said softly.
Since he was her lover, of course, he had to follow closely when she returned to the capital.
Yao Ying laughed lightly, breathing in his familiar scent, feeling only peace and comfort in her heart as exhaustion washed over her again and she fell asleep.
Tamo Luojia placed small, tender kisses in her hair.
Tomorrow, he could appear openly.
She had once left Chang’an in bitter tears amid the people’s weeping. This time, he would come personally to the Wei court to request marriage, taking her away to let joy replace her painful memories.
On the long road of life, they would walk side by side. She would never leave him even with white hair, sharing a lifetime.