Chang’an.

Li Xuanzhen read the secret report, his face dark as water.

Qin Fei and several other subordinates followed him out of the study. Looking at Li Xuanzhen’s back, they exchanged glances, but before they could say anything, Li Xuanzhen suddenly began trembling and collapsed to the ground.

“Your Highness!”

Qin Fei rushed forward to support Li Xuanzhen.

Li Xuanzhen clutched the letter tightly and coughed up blood.

Everyone was shocked – not long ago, during the Northern Rong’s sudden attack, the Crown Prince had defended Liangzhou, sustaining serious injuries that had not yet healed. Coughing blood was no small matter!

The eunuch jumped in fright and ran off, repeatedly urging the guards to summon the Imperial Physician.

Qin Fei helped Li Xuanzhen back to his room. Soon, footsteps came from the front corridor. The advisers and soldiers waiting in the outer courtyard withdrew as Crown Princess Zheng Biyu arrived with the Imperial Physician.

Zheng Biyu entered the inner chamber and asked, “Why did Your Highness cough blood? Were you practicing martial arts again?”

Qin Fei lowered his eyes and withdrew behind the screen, answering, “His Highness just finished reading a letter from the Pei family.”

On the bed, Li Xuanzhen lay with eyes tightly shut, his face as yellow as gold paper, still clutching the letter.

Zheng Biyu sat before the bed, pried open his fingers, and quickly read the letter. A surge of emotions filled her heart as she sighed softly.

Princess Wenzhao had already perished – what use was there in discovering her true identity now?

That captivating Seventh Princess who had enchanted the young nobles of the capital would never return.

The Imperial Physician examined Li Xuanzhen’s old wounds, applied new medicine, wrote a new prescription, and advised, “Your Highness’s old injuries haven’t healed. You must keep your spirit calm and avoid agitation above all.”

Zheng Biyu looked at Li Xuanzhen’s furrowed brows as he slept, recalling the events of the past few months with a grave expression.

Keeping Li Xuanzhen’s spirit calm would be difficult indeed!

…

Several months earlier, the Northern Rong had launched a sudden attack. Li Xuanzhen, defending Liangzhou, had led the frontier soldiers in bloody battles for days until reinforcements arrived.

When news reached Chang’an, the entire court was shocked. Before Li De could issue an order to send more troops, beacon fires were lit simultaneously in Jincheng, Xiaoguan, and Shanzhou in the northwest, Xiazhou and Jinzhou in the northeast, Jiangzhou and Shuzhou in the south, and Langzhou bordering Western Shu. Within days, several major outposts engaged in bloody battles with the Northern Rong, Southern Chu, and Western Shu, suffering countless casualties.

The entire nation was shaken.

Hearing of the Northern Rong cavalry’s southward advance and Southern Chu’s opportunistic raids, Chang’an’s wealthy families lost heart and fled south with their valuables. Court officials were also terrified and lost, strongly urging Li De to relocate to the capital.

Amid this panic, Li Xuanzhen sent a proclamation to Chang’an, fiercely denouncing those cowardly rats who wanted to abandon the city. He declared that moving the capital now would destabilize the people’s hearts and make Great Wei the laughingstock of the ages – how could they then unite the world?

At this time, urgent war reports arrived from Jincheng, Jinzhou, and other places. Though the outposts had been caught off guard and lost several cities, the soldiers had fought bravely. They quickly regrouped, retreated to defend their strongholds, and relied on easily defensible terrain to maintain their positions, reaching a stalemate with enemy forces. Moreover, several locations had received early warnings and sent out calls for help in time. Nearby garrisons arrived to assist, and working together with the defenders, they routed the attacking enemies. They only awaited the court’s continued deployment of troops and provisions to recapture the outposts in one sweep.

Soon after, Jincheng civil official Du Sinan rode day and night to Jiangzhou. With his silver tongue, he successfully forced the Southern Chu general to retreat. Southern Chu and Western Shu withdrew their troops simultaneously overnight. Within days, news came of court upheaval and heir replacement in Southern Chu, while the Meng family of Western Shu sent a diplomatic letter to Great Wei claiming it was all a misunderstanding – they had no intention of attacking Great Wei.

Li De rejected the majority opinion, angrily rebuking the officials who suggested relocating the capital as traitors to the nation. He sent reinforcements to Liangzhou, Jincheng, and other locations, appointing Commander Pei as Campaign Commander-in-Chief to recapture the lost cities.

The withdrawal of Southern Chu and Western Shu freed Great Wei from worry about its rear, allowing it to concentrate forces on the northern threat.

The Northern Rong cavalry came on fiercely but were few in number and short on provisions. Having failed to break through the northern defense line within half a month, they could not penetrate deep into the Central Plains. Realizing that Great Wei had begun a counterattack and not wanting to become entangled in prolonged warfare, they decisively withdrew after plundering around Jincheng.

Great Wei had held firm.

However, the Helong region had completely fallen to the Northern Rong, and Great Wei’s neighbor Northern Han had been destroyed overnight. Jincheng had suffered heavy losses and nearly fallen. If the Northern Rong concentrated their forces for rapid strikes, Great Wei would have to constantly send troops to defend various passes.

Fortunately, the Northern Rong currently lacked the strength for a full-scale attack, and Li Xuanzhen had held Liangzhou, preventing Great Wei from being completely exposed to the Northern Rong’s iron hooves.

Great Wei had weathered the crisis with more fear than harm.

During those days of universal danger, with their rapidly changing situations and strange twists, even Zheng Biyu, a palace lady, could sense the heart-stopping moments.

Even now, remembering it made her shudder with lingering fear.

Great Wei had come very close to being engulfed in war on all sides.

When the Northern Rong withdrew and Western Shu and Southern Chu temporarily restored diplomatic relations with Great Wei, the nation celebrated. The court began conferring rewards for merit, and Li De recalled Du Sinan, who had achieved great merit in the Jincheng battle. He asked who had warned him before the Northern Rong’s sudden attack, allowing him to discover their plot in time, not only holding Jincheng but also persuading Southern Chu to withdraw.

Du Sinan did not immediately answer.

Days later, in Chang’an’s Vermillion Bird Avenue, people poured out to welcome the returning victorious soldiers.

Li De led the civil and military officials to receive them.

A wounded guard from the north limped at the front of the formation.

“Liangzhou is held, Jincheng is held, Xiaoguan is held. Great Wei is safe, and the people are spared from war.”

He knelt at the city gate and raised his head, eyes blood-red: “Your Majesty, this humble servant carried out Princess Wenzhao’s order to return and warn the passes. Fortunately, I did not fail in my mission!”

At that moment, complete silence fell over the imperial street.

His voice echoed long before the palace gates.

The bustling crowd silently watched the guard.

The richly dressed civil and military officials looked at the guard in astonishment.

For a long time, no one spoke. Everyone remained silent, solemn, and wordless.

Li De was stunned for a while before asking, “Where is Princess Wenzhao? She has done great service to the nation. I wish to reward her.”

The officials joined in with endless words of praise.

The guard’s face was covered in tears: “The Yelu tribe was destroyed, the Princess… she… she…”

He broke down sobbing as if he had used up all his strength.

Sorrowful sobs arose from the silent crowd, first suppressed and controlled weeping, then breaking into waves of crying.

Months ago, they had sent off the Seventh Princess here, watching her marry far beyond the frontier, hoping she would live in peace.

Months later, the Seventh Princess beyond the frontier had risked death to warn the pass defenders. Great Wei was safe, but the Seventh Princess had perished, dying in a foreign land.

When the Ministry of Rites officials had escorted the Seventh Princess to her marriage, as the procession passed the foot of the Great Wall, an official had asked if she had any message for Li De.

The Seventh Princess had looked back at the towering mountains and cities behind her and smiled faintly: “May the rivers run clear and the seas be calm.”

A princess’s marriage alliance was worth a hundred thousand soldiers.

Men and women, old and young, knelt and wept.

That day, Zheng Biyu stood on the city wall watching the procession, listening to the wave-like sobs rising and falling along the street, and couldn’t help but tear up herself.

She didn’t see Li Xuanzhen among the returning troops and sent someone to inquire.

Qin Fei reported to her: “Your Highness, the Crown Prince… he took the flying cavalry to Helong.”

Zheng Biyu was shocked: Helong was now Northern Rong territory – was Li Xuanzhen seeking death with his wounds not yet healed!

“Why did he go to Helong?”

Qin Fei sighed: “When the Northern Rong attacked suddenly, His Highness sent a team to bring Princess Wenzhao back to the capital from the Yelu tribe. When the Northern Rong withdrew and those men returned to report, the Yelu tribe had already been destroyed. They searched for several days but couldn’t find the Princess. Then they were surrounded by Northern Rong cavalry and dared not stay longer, having to retreat to Liangzhou first.”

When the team returned unsuccessfully, Li Xuanzhen flew into a rage. After handling military affairs, he ordered the Chief Secretary to guard Liangzhou and, despite his injuries, personally led the flying cavalry to search for people in the Yelu tribe.

This search lasted over a month. Not only did Li Xuanzhen find nothing, but he was also repeatedly surrounded and pursued by the Northern Rong. Half his guards died, and he barely escaped back to Liangzhou with his life.

The area north of Liangzhou had completely fallen to the Northern Rong. They were helpless.

His subordinates desperately urged the seriously wounded Li Xuanzhen to return to the capital for treatment, but Li Xuanzhen flatly refused, insisting on finding Princess Wenzhao. Since he couldn’t lead troops past the Northern Rong’s defense line, he would disguise himself as a herder and infiltrate!

The local Liangzhou commanders were terrified: Li Xuanzhen was the heir apparent of a nation – if he died at the hands of the Northern Rong, they would never be able to absolve themselves of guilt!

Everyone was frightened and tried every way to dissuade Li Xuanzhen. Only Qin Fei didn’t speak up.

He understood the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince usually accepted advice humbly, but when he went crazy, no one could persuade him.

Years ago, to save Zhu Lüyun who had secretly run away, the Crown Prince had charged alone into the enemy camp and fought bloody battles all night.

Now with Princess Wenzhao’s whereabouts unknown, the Crown Prince would not return to the capital unless she was found.

Qin Fei could only leave all the personal guards behind and return to the capital to report to Zheng Biyu.

Zheng Biyu was desperately worried. If she had known Li Xuanzhen would go crazy, she wouldn’t have sent that letter revealing the Seventh Princess’s identity. He must have read the letter and felt guilty toward the Seventh Princess, which drove him to such madness.

She immediately ordered her maid to grind ink and prepare paper, intending to write a letter persuading Li Xuanzhen to return to the capital, when a servant suddenly entered with a letter.

Zheng Biyu stared speechlessly at the letter she had sent not long ago.

The servant explained that the letter had never reached Li Xuanzhen’s hands. With fighting everywhere around Liangzhou, the messenger had met with an accident, and others had returned the letter.

With a plop, the brush fell from Zheng Biyu’s hand, ink spilling and dripping down her skirt.

Li Xuanzhen hadn’t received the letter.

He didn’t know the Seventh Princess’s identity. Even though she was Lady Xie’s daughter, even though he had been tormented by hatred all these years, he still wanted to save the Seventh Princess.

Zheng Biyu suddenly understood many things.

She understood why Li Xuanzhen had harbored such hatred for the Seventh Princess in her chambers, hatred enough to have people watch her day and night, hatred enough to grind his teeth and call out the Seventh Princess’s name when awakening from nightmares.

Zheng Biyu sat upright by the window, closing her eyes briefly, her face caught between laughter and tears.

If they had known it would come to this, why did they do it in the first place?

He had acquiesced to Wei Ming’s scheme against the Seventh Princess, personally sending his fragile sister to the bed of the crude and barbaric Yelu Khan, saying he wouldn’t regret it…

He had regretted it long ago!

No wonder Wei Ming had constantly targeted the Seventh Princess. As Li Xuanzhen’s military advisor, he must have seen something unusual between Li Xuanzhen and the Seventh Princess. Using the Seventh Princess as a substitute bride wasn’t just to save Zhu Lüyun – it was also to make Li Xuanzhen completely sever his emotions!

Zheng Biyu crumpled the paper, never writing that letter urging Li Xuanzhen to return to the capital.

Sharing a bed for years, she and Li Xuanzhen had treated each other with courtesy and respect. No one in this world understood Li Xuanzhen better than she did. She couldn’t persuade him.

Zheng Biyu began planning for the future. She sent her son to the Taiji Palace, teaching him how to please Li De. Within days, Li De issued an edict saying he would personally raise the Crown Prince’s son.

The Eastern Palace’s position remained stable.

A month later, Li Xuanzhen returned.

He was covered in wounds, unable even to ride a horse, carried back by his guards.

The guards also brought back terrible news: Seventh Princess Li Yaoying had perished at the hands of the Northern Rong. Someone had witnessed the Northern Rong killing all the Princess’s guards, not even sparing the horses.

Li Xuanzhen was dejected, and silent all day.

Zheng Biyu held a memorial service for Li Yaoying.

Everyone knew the Seventh Princess’s chances of survival were slim. She had first secretly hired over ten Hu people to bring her news, then sent out dozens of personal guards. Most of those who successfully reported back were Hu people, with only one guard surviving by luck – in such dire circumstances, with the Yelu tribe destroyed overnight, how could the Seventh Princess have escaped?

News of Li Yaoying’s death spread throughout the Central Plains. The people wept endlessly, spontaneously offering sacrifices to Li Yaoying, building a temple in Southern Jing, and planting many flowers and trees in her memory. Li De issued an edict posthumously conferring upon Li Yaoying the title of Princess Zhenguo. Empress Xie received another honor – this empress living in the separate palace didn’t know her daughter had died beyond the frontier, while Li Zhongqian, recovering from injuries in Luoyang, was still kept in the dark.

Another half month passed. Li Xuanzhen’s injuries improved day by day, but he grew thinner by the day.

Zheng Biyu sent Zhu Lüyun to his side.

While Li Xuanzhen was defending Liangzhou, Du Sinan and Zheng Jing used the intelligence Li Yaoying sent back to interrogate every servant around Zhu Lüyun, thoroughly investigating her collusion with Southern Chu, Western Shu, and Northern Rong. According to Princess Manor’s guards, the loyal servant of Princess Yiqing who died by Li Xuanzhen’s blade was just one of many confidants the Princess had sent back to the Central Plains. More servants loyal to her were scattered throughout Western Shu and Southern Chu.

Their true purpose wasn’t to request the Central Plains dynasty to send troops to rescue Princess Yiqing, but to use her identity as a Zhu family princess to sow discord, gather intelligence for the Northern Rong, and incite the Central Plains countries to war with each other, weakening their military strength. When the Central Plains fell into chaos, the Northern Rong could advance directly.

This sudden attack by the Northern Rong was just a probe by Haidu Aling.

Li De and the court ministers read the confessions with lingering fear, breaking into cold sweats.

Zheng Jing also cleared up another matter that had puzzled the ministers for a long: why had Southern Chu ambushed Li Zhongqian?

The spy truthfully revealed the cause: Southern Chu was dominated by noble families, with weak imperial power. The great families openly and secretly fought for the position of heir apparent. Haidu Aling’s confidant seized the opportunity, persuading the achievement-hungry Crown Prince to ambush Li Zhongqian and provoke war with Great Wei.

That ambushing force was Southern Chu’s elite troops. If Li Yaoying hadn’t made a deal with Li Xuanzhen to save Li Zhongqian, he would surely have died.

Du Sinan wrote a sincere yet biting letter informing his old friends in Southern Chu of Haidu Aling’s plot. These old friends held high positions in the Southern Chu court. After confirming there were spies around the Crown Prince, they joined forces to overthrow him: though they were bitter enemies with Great Wei, they knew that if one’s lips were gone, one’s teeth grow cold. If the Northern Rong conquered the Central Plains, how could Southern Chu remain safe and uninvolved?

The Crown Prince and Western Shu were playing with fire!

Southern Chu quickly changed their heir.

Zheng Jing memorialized the throne, suggesting arresting Zhu Lüyun for treason. The court ministers debated fiercely. Since Zhu Lüyun knew nothing of Haidu Aling’s plans, she was ultimately pardoned, but all her servants were executed.

Seeing Li Xuanzhen return seriously wounded, Zhu Lüyun felt both guilty and heartbroken.

This time, Li Xuanzhen no longer comforted her as gently as before. In his dazed state, he had a huge argument with Zhu Lüyun.

Zhu Lüyun cried and said she wanted to leave Chang’an.

Zheng Biyu, thoroughly annoyed, ordered people to escort Zhu Lüyun back to her rooms.

Days later, Li Xuanzhen accidentally saw the letter that should have reached him months ago.

His whole body trembled as he coughed up blood. He found Zheng Biyu, his blood-red phoenix eyes staring at her unblinkingly, like a fierce ghost: “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why?!”

Zheng Biyu sighed and said calmly: “Your Highness, by the time I learned of this, you had already sent Princess Wenzhao to the Yelu tribe.”

Li Xuanzhen nearly lost control of his expression, his teeth grinding audibly as he staggered back several steps and laughed to the heavens.

“Yes! I had already sent her away!”

“I sent her to her death!”

“Why?! Why did she save Li Zhongqian? Why wouldn’t she sever ties with Li Zhongqian?”

“If only she had cut ties with Lady Xie and her son… if only she had nodded… I wouldn’t have had to hate her…”

“Why did she stop calling me Brother Changsheng?”

He suddenly stopped, his face distorted: “I must avenge Mother… must avenge Mother… Li De isn’t dead, Lady Xie isn’t dead… I’ve failed Mother… I’ve failed Mother!”

Zheng Biyu watched her husband’s madness with sympathetic eyes.

He had destroyed himself and destroyed the Seventh Princess too.

…

The day after his breakdown, Li Xuanzhen became eerily calm and began investigating whether Consort Rong’s words were true.

He sent people to inquire about the Xie family in Southern Jing and asked Commander Pei to write a letter to be delivered to the Pei family’s old residence.

The Pei and Xie families had long ceased contact, so Lord Pei might know some hidden truth – that’s why he had traveled thousands of li to Chang’an to speak up for Li Yaoying back then.

Now, this letter was in Zheng Biyu’s hands.

Lord Pei wrote in the letter that Li Yaoying indeed was not Consort Xie’s daughter.

That year, when Lady Tang died by self-immolation, Li De abandoned his troops to rush back to Wei Prefecture. The army’s morale collapsed, leading to frontline losses. Xie Wuliang and Lord Pei led troops to meet the enemy. While clearing the battlefield afterward, they accidentally found an abandoned infant.

The baby in swaddling clothes was too small and weak, just a tiny bundle without a sound.

The soldiers thought the child was dead and prepared to bury her on the spot. Xie Wuliang dismounted, took the bundle, felt the child’s pulse, and said: “She’s still alive.”

Lord Pei glanced at the child and said coldly: “This child is blue all over. Even if we save her, she won’t live more than a few days. Better to let her die quickly and hope for a better family in her next life.”

Xie Wuliang smiled, brushing the dust from the child’s face: “Still, it’s a human life. When I was born, I was about her size. I survived, perhaps she can too.”

Lord Pei thought to himself: This Young Master Wuliang truly has a soft heart, but his efforts will be wasted – that abandoned infant won’t live more than a few months.

Later, that child survived. Though physically weak and unable to walk, she lived on.

Xie Wuliang wrote a letter to Lord Pei containing a poem:

“Among them grows white lotus,

Three hundred stalks of flowering glory.

By day they shine with brilliance,

Pure winds scatter their sweet fragrance.

Silver pouches burst with escaping scent,

Jade plates tilt with spilling dew.

I shame my dust-clouded eyes,

Seeing this jade beauty English.”

Lord Pei replied with just one sentence: The name is well chosen.

Zheng Biyu put down the letter and sighed deeply.

Footsteps sounded outside the window as a maid hurriedly entered the room, whispering: “Your Highness, Princess Fukang has disappeared.”

Zheng Biyu’s brows furrowed slightly as she glanced at the dazed Li Xuanzhen and said: “Send people to search in different directions. She’s been talking about leaving these past days – just wait at the city gates.”

The maid acknowledged and left. Soon, another maid came running in.

Zheng Biyu frowned and asked: “Have you found Lady Zhu?”

The maid shook her head, her face terrified: “Your Highness, the Second Prince… no, the Duke of Wei has returned!”

Zheng Biyu’s heart skipped a beat.

Li Zhongqian had learned of Li Yaoying’s death.