Compared to his empress and concubines who adorned themselves with flowers and finery in years past, Li Qitian now envied more Qin Yining’s genuine feelings for Pang Xiao.

Ji Zeyu led his people in continuing the excavation.

Since Qin Yining couldn’t help much, she turned to instruct Ji Yun: “You take some people down the mountain and return to the mansion once. Go get several more sets of clothes, and also have people prepare hot water—it will be needed when the Prince comes out.” Looking again at the bloodstains on Li Qitian that had turned black in the night, with that pungent bloody smell detectable from far away, Qin Yining added: “His Majesty also needs to change clothes and wash up, lest he catch cold from the night air.”

Ji Yun acknowledged and turned to call two guards to follow her down the mountain.

Hearing Qin Yining’s instructions, Li Qitian smiled and said: “Princess Zhongshun is indeed thoughtful.”

Qin Yining curtsied slightly and smiled: “Your Majesty, please rest for a while. You’ll be able to change clothes and wash up shortly.”

Bingtang then brought over a rough ceramic bowl and pot, along with some sorghum flour cakes. She poured a bowl of warm water and presented it to Li Qitian with both hands.

Li Qitian took it and, not caring about appearances, drank it all in one go.

Seeing how urgently he drank, Qin Yining instructed Bingtang to continue pouring water for Li Qitian, saying: “Your Majesty, please have some flour cakes.”

Li Qitian was actually so hungry his front was touching his back, and not caring that his hands were dirty, he took a cake and bit into it.

He didn’t know how long he had been trapped in the underground palace.

When the explosion occurred, he had fled with Li Guanwen and Pang Xiao into the only underground palace without flames.

However, the underground palace had collapsed severely. Pang Xiao ran fast and had good luck, but he and Li Guanwen weren’t so fortunate—they were buried by falling stone slabs and blocks.

Fortunately, the stones formed a triangular space, and Li Guanwen loyally protected his master, shielding him once, so he wasn’t crushed to death on the spot. But Li Guanwen was already severely injured at the time.

However, being buried in a pile of stones with no water and no food, if things went badly, it would still mean certain death.

Li Qitian began carefully moving stones, trying to dig out a way to live.

Li Guanwen died.

Li Qitian could only rely on himself.

He didn’t know how long he stayed in that cramped space. When desperately thirsty, he even drank his own urine. When extremely hungry, he even drank Li Guanwen’s blood and ate Li Guanwen’s flesh.

The taste of human flesh really wasn’t good, especially raw.

But Li Qitian didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to give up.

Just after he had eaten one arm, he finally found a way out. To prevent being unable to find food, he took Li Guanwen’s other arm as provisions…

He walked and walked, the bloody smell on his body already numbing him. In the pitch-black environment, not knowing where the way out was.

Later he smelled the aroma of roasted meat.

Following the fragrant smell of cooked fat, he saw firelight and also saw Pang Xiao sitting by the fire, eating tribute offerings while roasting rat meat.

At that time, his face and body were covered with Li Guanwen’s blood, and he was still holding Li Guanwen’s arm in his hand.

Li Qitian recalled the look in Pang Xiao’s eyes at that time and wished he could turn back time. The side of himself he least wanted anyone to see had still been witnessed by Pang Xiao.

The imperial mausoleum always had people keeping vigil, and tribute offerings were also frequently replaced. The flour used to make tribute pastries was soaked in oil. Though they had developed a strange, bitter taste from spoiled fat after being left in the underground palace for a long time, those tributes were still flour-based foods that could be eaten.

Pang Xiao had found those tribute offerings before he did.

Li Qitian followed Pang Xiao to search for springs in the underground palace, both fearing that Pang Xiao would kill him and having to settle for waiting for Pang Xiao to give him food. Li Qitian wished he could erase such memories.

Just now, for a moment, he had almost wanted to tell everyone there was no one else in the underground palace. Just let Pang Xiao be buried inside.

But on second thought, Qin Yining was so stubborn that she would probably want to see him alive or see his body if dead. If Pang Xiao were rescued and then spread word of his behavior, others would criticize him.

Only then did Li Qitian tell Ji Zeyu and the others that Pang Xiao was still down there.

The fragrance of the sorghum flour cake in his mouth diluted the bloody smell. Li Qitian ate two full cakes with the warm water before feeling somewhat satisfied.

By this time, Qin Yining had already moved close to the excavation opening.

“My lord? Can you hear me speaking? It’s Ji Lan!” She called into the opening while digging.

Since this was the same opening from which Li Qitian had just been rescued, though soil and stones had collapsed to block the opening again, it was still much easier than the initial excavation.

“I can hear you.” Pang Xiao’s voice came from inside the opening. Through layers of earth, his voice sounded very muffled.

But to Qin Yining, this was simply heavenly music!

Qin Yining’s eyes filled with tears as she bit her teeth hard to prevent herself from excitedly rushing forward.

At this moment, only by quietly waiting and not causing trouble for Ji Zeyu and the others would be safest for Pang Xiao.

After digging for another incense stick’s worth of time, the opening finally expanded. Ji Zeyu grabbed Pang Xiao’s hand and pulled him out of the opening. Immediately after, the opening that could only accommodate one person collapsed again.

“Ah Lan!” Pang Xiao embraced Ji Zeyu briefly and laughingly patted his shoulder, “Thank you!”

Ji Zeyu smiled, showing his neat white teeth, and shook his head: “Are there others inside? How are you?” Ji Zeyu looked down and saw that though Pang Xiao’s robes were dirty, there were no bloodstains. Obviously Pang Xiao had had an easier time than Li Qitian.

Pang Xiao said: “There are no living people below. Where is His Majesty?”

Only then did Ji Zeyu step aside and say: “His Majesty is here.”

But in the instant Ji Zeyu stepped aside, Pang Xiao saw his beloved wife with her big belly in disheveled condition.

“Yining?” Pang Xiao could hardly believe his eyes. This was Chong Mountain, some distance from the capital, and Qin Yining was pregnant. Moreover, the time they were found was random, which could only mean that Qin Yining had been waiting for him on the mountain all along.

Pang Xiao couldn’t be bothered with bowing to Li Qitian now. He walked around Ji Zeyu and quickly approached Qin Yining, extending his arms to slowly embrace her.

“Yining, I made you worry.”

Qin Yining buried her face in Pang Xiao’s shoulder, tears streaming down. Pang Xiao was covered in mud, but she didn’t care at all. She just held herself tightly against Pang Xiao’s embrace, repeatedly whispering: “Buddha be praised. You’re safe now, you’re safe now.”

“Yes, I’m safe now! Yining, don’t get excited, you must think of the child.” His large hand touched Qin Yining’s cheek, leaving several muddy marks on her face. “Look how much thinner you’ve become. How long was I in the underground palace? Have you not been eating properly?”

“It’s been twenty days already.” Qin Yining’s tears washed two white tear tracks down her dirty little face. “I thought you had already…”

Pang Xiao himself didn’t know he had survived twenty days in the underground palace.

Pang Xiao held Qin Yining, using his chin to nuzzle her forehead hair: “Alright, don’t cry anymore. Am I not fine? Be careful lest the child hear and laugh at you.”