Ning Wanwei turned around, her eyes showing some surprise.
Li Huailin seemed somewhat absent-minded. By the time he realized it, he was already holding onto her hand like a fool.
The side chamber fell into a momentary silence.
Lord Ziyang had taught him since childhood that as an emperor, he must maintain dignity. Such tugging and pulling behaviors were unacceptable. However, it was too late to regret now. He could only stand stiffly, waiting for her reaction.
If… if she softened her expression, pulled him onto the soft couch, and spoke gently to him, then his dignity wouldn’t be in vain.
Ning Wanwei had no idea what he was thinking. After all, the face before her was cold and somewhat annoyed. She withdrew her hand as usual and kneeled, saying, “If there’s no need for an imperial physician, then let me have some lotus seed soup prepared for you.”
No sweet words, no pulling back her hand. An emperor extended his hand twice, and both times, she pushed him away.
Li Huailin fell silent, then chuckled coldly.
“No need,” he said, rolling up his sleeves and lifting his chin, regaining the dignity of an emperor. “I still have matters to attend to. You can stay here and have it yourself.”
With that, he swept his robe and left the side chamber in long strides.
“Your Highness,” a palace maid was on the verge of tears, coming to assist her. “Why do you quarrel with His Majesty? It’s not beneficial for you.”
Ning Wanwei shook her head, her eyes filled with despair. “Prepare lunch.”
“Your Highness…”
“Just go.” Ning Wanwei waved her hand.
The palace maid sighed and suppressed the words she wanted to say, bowing before retreating.
From that day on, the emperor and the imperial consort had a falling out. Neither visited the other, and the emperor even ordered the imperial consort to move to another residence, out of sight, out of mind.
Years of favor and affection seemed to vanish in an instant. Li Huailin never mentioned Ning Guifei again. What did a man need a wife for? She had grown cold. Should he still cling to her?
Liu Yunlie arrived quickly, and Lord Fengyi seemed to have no intention of resisting stubbornly. After some nominal resistance for two days, they opened the city gates.
Li Huailin had no chance to escape now. He was blocked in the palace by Liu’s troops, stubbornly refusing to surrender the royal seal.
“I’m late to protect Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty forgives me,” Liu Yunlie stood outside the hall, smiling as he bowed. “Your Majesty ran too fast, and I couldn’t catch up.”
“You treacherous scoundrel!” Li Huailin roared. “From the day you pledged loyalty to me, you’ve been deceiving me!”
“Your Majesty, calm down.” Glancing at the guards in front of him who were ready to die rather than surrender, Liu Yunlie smirked. “If I didn’t tell a few lies, how could Your Majesty have the heart to execute the Eldest Princess and take the throne yourself? Without me, Your Majesty might have to wait another eight years before laying hands on the royal seal.”
The main hall was surrounded by Liu’s troops, but he dared not make any reckless moves to capture the emperor alive.
Li Huailin sneered. “Allow me to rule? You’re plotting to usurp the throne!”
“Don’t speak so harshly.” Liu Yunlie chuckled. “Who is interested in this throne? Northern Wei is crumbling, with fires of war raging everywhere. The royal family is on the brink of extinction and will eventually be swallowed by Western Liang. While the royal seal still has some value in your hands, why not have a chat with me?”
The plan was perfect. He couldn’t beat Jiang Xuanjin now, so he waited for Jiang Xuanjin to repel the people of Western Liang and return to the capital, then produce the imperial decree to reap the rewards.
Fighting was easy, and conquering the world was easy, but when it came to distributing the spoils among the vassal lords, conflicts arose. Liu Yunlie seized this opportunity, using the imperial decree to restrain Jiang Xuanjin. The vassal lords would surely respond.
By then, Northern Wei would truly be no more.
Clutching the royal seal in his sleeve, Li Huailin said, “Give me a few days to think it over.”
The smile on Liu Yunlie’s face darkened slightly. “Your Majesty feels there’s still room for negotiation?”
“There is.” Li Huailin calmed down and continued, “If you refuse, I’ll smash the royal seal and take my own life to thank the world. In that case, you won’t even have the slightest chance of winning.”
Liu Yunlie’s expression stiffened, and his face darkened as he chuckled, “I don’t believe Your Majesty would choose to end your life. You are a selfish man, and selfish men fear death.”
With a sharp clang, a long sword was unsheathed and held at Li Huailin’s neck. He lifted his gaze and said, “You can make a wager.”
Both inside and outside the great hall fell into silence as Liu Yunlie stared directly at the emperor inside. When he saw the crimson blood trickle down from his neck, he motioned for his men to step back.
“How did I not notice before that the Emperor possesses such integrity? You exhibit the aura of a true disciple of Lord Ziyang,” a lieutenant joked quietly as he followed behind Liu Yunlie.
Liu Yunlie remained expressionless. “It was just a strategic move. He can afford to delay, but we cannot. Go, bring Ning Guifei here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Li Huailin didn’t catch everything, but the words “Ning Guifei” sent a chill down his spine.
“Do you think a woman can blackmail me?” His heart raced, but he remained composed on the surface. “Ning Wanwei has fallen out of favor. Haven’t you noticed her absence from the palace? Even if you bring her here, it won’t make a difference.”
“It remains to be seen. Once she arrives, we’ll know.” Liu Yunlie chuckled lightly. “Your Majesty may deceive others, but can you deceive me? I am your confidant, after all. How well you treat Ning Guifei, I’m well aware.”
“Recent events, Mr. Liu, have indeed escaped your notice,” Li Huailin said, his hand clenched. “Ning Wanwei and I have severed ties.”
“Then why are you nervous?” Liu Yunlie raised an eyebrow.
Indeed, why was he nervous? Ning Wanwei’s affection for him had turned into intense aversion. After more than half a month without seeing each other, even if Liu Yunlie brought her, he could at least catch a glimpse.
“Zuo Long,” Li Huailin said softly to the captain beside him, “You all have been loyal and steadfast. I know that. But this time, I may not be able to protect myself, let alone you. When Ning Guifei arrives later, surrender. Bind me and take me away, and you may yet save your lives.”
“Your Majesty?” Zuo Long was incredulous. “With the royal seal still in your possession, why stoop to this?”
Li Huailin didn’t answer, only said, “Remember my words.”
Zuo Long didn’t quite understand, but considering what Liu Yunlie had just said, he suddenly realized and became even more anxious. “Your Majesty, the bigger picture is important. You can’t sacrifice yourself for Ning Guifei!”
“It’s not about the royal seal.” Li Huailin murmured. “I’m not a true dragon emperor, nor do I possess any divine mandate. I’m just an ordinary man, flesh and blood.”
The tide had turned long ago. It was his stubbornness that prevented him from letting go. Lord Fengyi no longer saw him as an emperor, only these loyal generals still considered him as one. If… Liu Yunlie truly used Ning Wanwei as leverage, what could he do? He couldn’t let her die in front of him for the sake of these things.
The thought of that scene made Li Huailin feel overwhelmed. Northern Wei’s downfall was his responsibility. He could atone for it by taking his own life, but she was innocent.
However, the men sent by Liu Yunlie failed to bring Ning Guifei. After hearing a few words from someone, Liu Yunlie burst into laughter, “Have things soured so much? The moment she heard that you were trapped, she fled.”
Li Huailin was stunned, unexpectedly not feeling angry but rather relieved.
How clever, to escape.
“Your Majesty put away your sword. There’s nothing else to be gained from waiting another two days,” Liu Yunlie said. “If you come out now, you can make any other demands, and I’ll agree.”
The stone that had been hanging in his heart was finally let go. Li Huailin smiled and gripped the sword, saying, “Mr. Liu, let’s wait together.”
Liu Yunlie clenched his fist.
What could they possibly wait for here? Obviously — Lord Ziyang.
Jiang Xuanjin had anticipated that Liu Yunlie wanted to capture the emperor alive, but what he didn’t expect was that the emperor could delay for two days, just long enough for him to arrive and surround the retreating Liu troops.
Liu Yunlie was furious. While ordering his men to attack and kill the Emperor in the main hall, he fled with his followers.
Jiang Xuanjin, alone against a thousand, broke through the enemy lines. Reaching the main hall, he protected Li Huailin.
Covered in wounds, Li Huailin managed to lift his head and uttered, “I truly didn’t wish to see you, yet… I’m glad to see you.” With that, he lost consciousness from blood loss.
Expressionless, Jiang Xuanjin signaled for Zuo Long to support him. Turning around, he fought fiercely, carving a path through the bloodshed to reunite with Jiu Wu and others who were blocked outside. Fortunately, Yunlie retreated swiftly upon sensing the unfavorable situation, and the skirmish didn’t last long nor incur significant losses.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Xuanjin assessed the casualties in Fengyicheng. Frowning, he reported something to His Highness and then glanced at Li Huailin lying pale on the bed.
He was peacefully asleep, his face innocent, not resembling a weathered emperor but rather a well-loved child.
—
In the outskirts:
Huaiyu chatted with Chu Niang cheerfully, then sought out Baihua Jun who seemed idle, lifting her chin challengingly, “How about a fight? If you lose, you’ll scram back to Eastern Jin.”
Mourong Qiji was already in a foul mood. Upon hearing this, she rolled up her sleeves, “Alright, today I won’t let you off lightly. You think I’m easy to bully!”
The two squared off in the courtyard, while Qing Si sat silently nearby.
Mourong Qiji fought fiercely, leveraging someone else’s body, yet soon found herself at a disadvantage. Nonetheless, she showed no sign of retreat, stubbornly confronting her opponent until she received a punch to her shoulder from Baihua Jun.
Proudly flexing her fist, Mourong Qiji cocked her head, “Admit defeat?”
Huaiyu took several steps back, blinked at her, and suddenly teared up.
“Huh?” Mourong Qiji was taken aback, thinking she had sand in her eyes. But in the next moment, the person was sitting on the ground, sobbing.
“Really? I made you cry with just one punch?” Qing Si shook her head, calmly stating, “Her Highness just wanted to cry but lacked an excuse, so she’s pinning it on you.”
—
Every day, clutching the jade carving, yet still no letter came. Huaiyu woke up melancholic, having held it in for too long, feeling like bursting into tears. However, crying openly didn’t fit her style, so she had to find an excuse.
Tears dripped onto the soil as Li Huaiyu wiped her face, choking, “Even setting up a scam gets exposed by my most trusted maid. How can I live like this anymore!”
Mourong Qiji rolled her eyes, lightly kicking her butt, “Didn’t Lu Jingxing give you a jade carving? Why not hold onto that?”
“Holding onto it’s useless!” Huaiyu retorted, “It’s been over forty days, and still not a word! I’ll smash it later!”
Upon hearing this, Murong Qiji laughed and rushed to her room, taking out the jade carving and stuffing it into Huaiyu’s hands. Then, she sat down beside her, crossing her legs arrogantly, “Go ahead, smash it. I’ll watch you!”
Huaiyu: “…”
“Hey, don’t just talk, do it! It’s useless anyway, why keep it?” Murong Qiji smirked mischievously.
Glaring at her fiercely, Huaiyu stood up, clutching the jade carving, “It’s better to give it to someone than to smash it. There are so many refugees outside, what’s the use of having a grudge against silver?”
With that, she huffed and walked away.
However, late at night, the jade carving intended to be given away by Huaiyu still found itself cradled in her arms as she slept.
Qing Si stood by the bed, looking at the tear stains on her princess’s face, unable to help but sigh, tucking her in.
The pain of longing is hardest to bear, even when translated into words.
As Huaiyu shifted in her sleep, she loosened her grip, and the jade carving rolled a couple of times on the cool mat before falling off the bed. Qing Si hurriedly reached out to catch it, but only grabbed the base, while the carved figure hit the ground with a loud “crack.”
Qing Si’s face paled.
Huaiyu slept peacefully, seemingly oblivious to what had happened, muttering a few words in her sleep and puckering her lips as if kissing someone.
The princess’s residence, which had already extinguished its lights, suddenly came to life, with everyone in the other courtyards being summoned by Qing Si. The main hall was brightly lit, and everyone gathered around the table, staring solemnly at the jade carving, now broken into two pieces.
“What do we do?” Qing Si’s lips trembled, “If Her Highness sees this, it’ll be over.”
Yawning, Murong Qiji said, “It’s just a jade carving, not Lord Ziyang. If she sees it, she sees it.”
All eyes turned reproachfully toward her.
Clearing her throat, Murong Qiji pursed her lips, “Our Highness isn’t usually superstitious.”
“It’s different when it comes to matters involving Jiang Xuanjin,” Lu Jingxing said, fanning himself.
“Can we find an identical replacement?” Xu Chuniang asked anxiously.
Lu Jingxing shook his head, “If there were, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Silence fell over the group, and after much deliberation, Chi Jin spoke up, “Create a big disturbance tomorrow to divert Her Highness’s attention. Hopefully, she won’t have time to look for the jade carving.”
“But what about after tomorrow? We can’t hide it for too long,” someone remarked.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Chi Jin said, “Her Highness is very clever, so everyone must do their best to avoid any slip-ups.”
The broken jade carving lay innocently on the table as the people around it joined hands, offering each other encouragement and support.
That morning, Li Huaiyu was awakened by the sound of a falling iron pot.
“Bang!” The loud crash startled her, and she jumped out of bed. Before she even opened her eyes, she heard Chuniang shouting, “Oh no, oh no!”
Rubbing her eyes sleepily, Huaiyu sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her, “What’s going on?”
Rushing over to her, Xu Chuniang suddenly choked up, her face turning red with embarrassment, and she seemed a bit lost.
She… she forgot her lines…
Chi Jin caught up from behind and continued for her, “There’s a thief in the kitchen.”
What? Huaiyu raised her eyebrows, “In the kitchen?”
“Yes, it’s a mess in there now. Some servants said they saw bear paw prints.” Chi Jin lied without blinking an eye, “The shopkeeper suspects a wild bear from the mountains has come down and is hiding somewhere in the estate.”
Xu Chuniang swallowed nervously, wondering why it changed from a thief to a bear. Where were they supposed to find a wild bear? But Huaiyu’s interest in the bear outweighed the thief. Her eyes lit up upon hearing Chi Jin’s words, and she jumped up, exclaiming, “Qing Si, help me get ready!”
Seeing that she didn’t ask about the jade carving, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, as she sat in front of the dressing table, Huaiyu felt puzzled. She looked at Qing Si in the mirror and was about to speak.
“Mistress! We need to move quickly!” Qing Si interrupted her with a serious expression, swiftly styling her hair into a neat bun and inserting the wooden hairpin bought by Chi Jin and Chuniang. Then, she helped Huaiyu up and led her outside.
Huaiyu was bewildered. “Is it urgent?” she asked Chuniang.
Xu Chuniang blushed and stammered, unable to explain herself. Qing Si’s heart sank, and she glanced at Chi Jin, signaling to him—that Miss Xu wasn’t good at lying!
Chi Jin pulled Xu Chuniang behind him, then spoke for her with a grave expression, “It’s urgent. We can’t leak the news to the public, for fear of causing panic, but we also don’t want the bear to harm anyone if it escapes.”
Huaiyu nodded, her expression turning serious as well. She followed them to the kitchen.
Liu Jingxing and Murong Qiji were at the kitchen door. Seeing them approach, they were about to discuss the thief’s situation as planned. However, before they could speak, Chi Jin stepped forward and asked, “Where are the bear paw prints?”
…Bear paw prints?
Liu Jingxing’s eyes widened, and Chi Jin’s gaze was meaningful. After exchanging a glance, Liu Jingxing reluctantly swallowed his words and said to Huaiyu, “They’re back there.”
Huaiyu was thrilled. She had grown up in the palace, and there were no wild bears in the capital. She had only heard about them in books. Now, she finally had the chance to see one. She lifted her skirt and hurriedly walked inside.
The kitchen was a mess, with dishes and utensils strewn about, and vegetable leaves scattered everywhere. The hooks that usually held meat were now empty under the eaves.
Liu Jingxing asked Murong Qiji in a low voice, “Has His Highness ever seen bear paw prints before?”
Murong Qiji crossed her arms and replied casually, “Yes, there are many wild bears in the mountains of Eastern Jin. I even hunted two last spring.”
Seeing Huaiyu already searching for paw prints, Liu Jingxing had to put aside their recent disagreements. He bowed to Murong Qiji and said, “Please enlighten me, Your Highness.”
With a sidelong glance, Murong Qiji chuckled, “We’ll talk over dinner on the pleasure boat, or not at all.”
Liu Jingxing: “…”
Yawning, Murong Qiji said, “Hurry up and decide. She’s going to turn this whole yard upside down.”
Taking a deep breath, Liu Jingxing nodded, “Okay.”
“Excellent!” Murong Qiji smiled, revealing two dimples, then pulled him to a corner where Huaiyu couldn’t see. She squeezed his hand, then pressed it firmly onto the ground, creating a deep pit with her foot. Using the tip of her toes, she pressed his five fingers, making round imprints.
Liu Jingxing asked puzzledly, “Why use my hand?”
“It’s the same with His Highness’s hand,” Murong Qiji released his hand and said nonchalantly. “But His Highness couldn’t be bothered to wash his hands.”
Liu Jingxing: “?”
As Huaiyu searched excitedly for bear paw prints, she suddenly heard a cry, “Your Highness, over here!”
Huaiyu squatted down and looked at the thick paw print, which was completely different from a human footprint. Amazed, she stood up and instructed, “Quickly search every corner of the estate, inside and out. Report immediately if there’s any sign of the bear!”
“Yes!” The servants responded and dispersed, armed with long poles.
Remembering that her little rascal and little troublemaker was still with the wet nurse, Huaiyu turned and ran to the main courtyard.
Xu Chuniang was very pleased. She whispered to Chi Jin, “The master always says that Her Highness is stubborn and lacks some of the motherly tenderness. But now, you see, when there’s danger, Her Highness is still very concerned about the safety of the young prince and princess.”
Chi Jin remained silent, and he gestured to Xu Chuniang. She looked puzzled but followed him to see.
Huaiyu joyfully held two children—one in each hand—as she walked outside, saying, “My darlings, Mother will take you to see a bear today!”