Ning Wanwei turned around, her eyes filled with surprise. Li Huailin felt a bit dazed, realizing he was foolishly holding onto her hand without letting go. The side hall fell silent for a moment.
Ziyang Jun had taught him from a young age that an emperor must maintain decorum, and such behavior was unbecoming. However, it was too late to regret now; he could only stand there stiffly, waiting for her reaction. If she softened her gaze and led him to the couch to speak gently, his dignity wouldn’t be entirely lost.
Ning Wanwei had no idea what he was thinking. Seeing his cold and annoyed expression, she withdrew her hand as usual, curtsying, “If there’s no need for the imperial physician, then I’ll have someone prepare some lotus seed soup to calm the mind.”
No soft words, no pulling him back. An emperor reached out twice, and twice she pulled away. Li Huailin remained silent, then let out a cold laugh.
“No need.” He gathered his sleeves, lifting his chin to regain his imperial demeanor. “I have matters to attend to. You can keep it for yourself.”
With that, he swept his robes and strode out of the side hall.
“Madam,” the palace maid, on the verge of tears, came to support her. “Why do you insist on quarreling with His Majesty? It’s not good for you.”
Ning Wanwei shook her head, her eyes filled with desolation. “Go prepare lunch.”
“Madam…”
“Just go,” Ning Wanwei waved her hand.
The maid, helpless, swallowed her words and bowed out.
From that day on, the emperor and the consort were at odds, neither visiting the other. The emperor even ordered Consort Ning 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 Consort Ning again. Why worry about a wife when there are plenty of women? She had grown cold; should he still cling to her?
Liu Yunlie arrived quickly. The Lord of Fengyi seemed unwilling to resist strongly. Seeing Liu’s army was large, he put up a token resistance for two days before opening the city gates. By then, it was too late for Li Huailin to escape, and he was cornered in the temporary palace by Liu’s forces, stubbornly refusing to hand over the imperial seal.
“Your humble servant is late in protecting Your Majesty, and I beg your forgiveness,” Liu Yunlie said with a smile, standing at the palace door. “Your Majesty fled too quickly; I couldn’t keep up.”
“You traitor!” Li Huailin shouted angrily. “From the first day you pledged allegiance to me, you were deceiving me!”
“Calm your anger, Your Majesty,” Liu Yunlie said, glancing at the loyal guards standing resolutely before Li Huailin. “If I hadn’t lied, how could Your Majesty have had the resolve to execute the princess and take the throne? Without me, Your Majesty might have waited another eight years to touch the imperial seal.”
Liu’s army had surrounded the main hall, but he wanted to capture the emperor alive and dared not act rashly.
Li Huailin sneered, “You wanted me to take the throne? You intended to usurp it for yourself!”
“Don’t put it so harshly,” Liu Yunlie chuckled. “Who wants the throne? The Northern Wei is in ruins, war is everywhere, and the royal family is gone. Sooner or later, it will be swallowed by Xiliang. While the seal in your hand still has some use, why not discuss it with me?”
The people outside the hall dared not enter, and those inside couldn’t leave. After a long silence, Li Huailin asked, “What do you want to discuss?”
“It’s simple. If Your Majesty hands over the seal and writes an edict ordering the local lords to execute Ziyang Jun, I will offer you gold and silver to live out your days in peace.”
His plan was excellent. Unable to defeat Jiang Xuanjin now, he intended to wait until Jiang repelled the Xiliang forces, then return to the capital with the edict and reap the benefits. Fighting was easy, and pacifying the world was easy, but getting the lords to sit down and divide the spoils would lead to conflict. Liu Yunlie aimed to use the edict to restrain Jiang Xuanjin, and the local lords would surely respond. By then, Northern Wei would truly be a country in name only.
Clutching the seal in his sleeve, Li Huailin said, “Give me a few days to think.”
Liu Yunlie’s smile darkened slightly. “Does Your Majesty think there’s room for negotiation?”
“There is.” He calmed down, saying, “If you don’t agree, I’ll shatter the seal and take my own life to apologize to the world. Then you’ll have no chance at all.”
Liu Yunlie’s expression stiffened, and he snorted, “I don’t believe Your Majesty would dare to take your own life. You’re a selfish person, and selfish people fear death.”
With a Shig, a long sword was drawn and placed against his neck. Li Huailin looked up, “You can gamble on it.”
The hall fell silent inside and out. Liu Yunlie stared at the emperor, and when he saw the crimson blood trickling from his neck, he ordered his men to step back a few paces.
“Why didn’t I notice the emperor had such integrity before? He has a bit of Ziyang Jun’s disciple’s demeanor,” the deputy general behind Liu Yunlie couldn’t help but whisper.
Liu Yunlie remained expressionless, “It’s just a delaying tactic. He can afford to wait, but we can’t. Go, bring Consort Ning here.”
“Yes.”
Li Huailin didn’t hear much else, but the words “Consort Ning” made him tense.
“Do you think a woman can threaten me?” He was anxious inside but remained calm on the surface. “Ning Wanwei has already fallen out of favor. Haven’t you noticed she’s not even in the palace? Even if you bring her here, it won’t work.”
“We’ll see if it works when she arrives,” Liu Yunlie chuckled. “Can you hide it from me, Your Majesty? I’m your confidant. How well you treat Consort Ning, I know very well.”
“Recent events, Lord Liu, you are indeed unaware of,” Li Huailin said, clenching his hand. “I’ve already broken with her.”
“Then why are you nervous?” Liu Yunlie raised an eyebrow.
Yes, why was he nervous? Ning Wanwei’s love for him had turned to extreme disdain. They hadn’t seen each other for over half a month. If Liu Yunlie brought her here, at least he could see her once.
“Zuo Long,” Li Huailin said softly to the guard beside him, “I know you are loyal, but this time I may not be able to protect myself or you. When Consort Ning arrives, surrender, bind me, and you may save your lives.”
“Your Majesty?” Zuo Long was shocked. “With the seal, why go this far?”
Li Huailin didn’t answer, only saying, “Remember my words.”
Zuo Long was confused, but recalling the conversation between Liu Yunlie and the emperor, he suddenly understood and became more anxious. “Your Majesty, the greater good is at stake. You can’t sacrifice yourself for Consort Ning!”
“It’s not about the imperial body,” Li Huailin murmured. “I’m not a true Son of Heaven, nor am I destined by fate. I’m just an ordinary person, flesh and blood.”
The situation was already lost. It was his stubbornness that refused to let go. The Lord of Fengyi no longer regarded him as emperor, only these loyal generals still treated him as such. If Liu Yunlie truly used Ning Wanwei as leverage, what could he do? He couldn’t let her die before him for these things.
Imagining that scene, Li Huailin felt he couldn’t bear it. The Northern Wei was destroyed by his hands. He could take his own life to atone, but she was innocent.
However, Liu Yunlie’s men failed to bring Consort Ning. After hearing a few whispered words, Liu Yunlie laughed heartily, “So it fell apart? The consort, who used to worry so much about Your Majesty’s safety, has fled upon hearing you’re trapped.”
Li Huailin was stunned, unexpectedly not angry, but relieved.
Smart, she knew how to escape.
“Your Majesty put the sword away. Even if you think for two more days, there will be no other outcome,” Liu Yunlie said. “If you come out now, any other requests you have, I can fulfill.”
The weight in his heart lifted. Li Huailin laughed, holding the sword, “Lord Liu, let’s wait together.”
Liu Yunlie clenched his fists.
What could they wait for here? Clearly—Ziyang Jun.
Jiang Xuanjin anticipated Liu Yunlie’s desire to capture the emperor alive but didn’t expect the emperor to delay for two days, just enough time for him to arrive and surround Liu’s army, which hadn’t had time to retreat.
Liu Yunlie, furious, ordered his men to storm the hall and kill the emperor while he fled with his troops.
Jiang Xuanjin, alone, broke through the thousand-man formation and reached the main hall, protecting Li Huailin.
Already wounded, Li Huailin barely lifted his head, saying, “I didn’t want to see you, but… I’m glad I did.”
With that, he fainted from blood loss.
Jiang Xuanjin, expressionless, ordered Zuo Long to carry him, then turned to fight, carving a bloody path to join those blocked outside. Fortunately, seeing the unfavorable situation, Liu Yunlie retreated quickly, and the skirmish didn’t last long, with minimal losses.
After assessing the casualties in Fengyi City, Jiang Xuanjin reported something to his lord with a frown. Jiang Xuanjin listened, his face darkening, glancing at the pale-faced Li Huailin on the bed.
He slept quietly, his face innocent, not like an emperor who had weathered many storms, but like a child still cherished and loved.
Yixian City.
Huaiyu chatted and laughed with Chuniang, then went to find the idle Lord Baihua, tilting her chin provocatively, “How about a fight? If you lose, you go back to Eastern Jin.”
Murong Qi, in a foul mood, rolled up her sleeves, “Come on, I’ll make you regret it. You think I’m easy to bully!”
The two squared off in the courtyard, with Qingsi silently watching from the side.
Murong Qi fought ruthlessly, and since her Highness was borrowing someone else’s body, she quickly fell behind. But she had no intention of retreating, stubbornly facing her, only to be punched in the shoulder by Lord Baihua.
Proudly blowing on her fist, Murong Qi asked, “Do you yield?”
Li Huaiyu stepped back several paces, blinking at her, her eyes suddenly reddening.
“Hmm?” Murong Qi was stunned, thinking she had sand in her eyes. Who would have thought, in the next moment, she squatted down and started sobbing.
Really? She looked at herself, “Did I make you cry with one punch?”
Qingsi shook her head, calmly saying, “Her Highness just wanted to cry but had no excuse, so she blamed you.”
Holding the jade carving every day, yet still not receiving a letter, Huaiyu had been in a gloomy mood since morning. She had held it in for a long time, and if she held it any longer, she would break. But crying outright didn’t suit her style, so she needed an excuse.
Tears fell to the ground as Li Huaiyu wiped her face, choking, “Even my most trusted maid exposes me when I try to fake it. Life is unbearable!”
Murong Qi rolled her eyes, lightly kicking her backside, “Didn’t Lu Jingxing give you a jade carving? Why aren’t you holding it?”
“Holding it is useless!” Huaiyu said angrily. “It’s been over forty days, and there’s no news of his return! I’ll smash it later!”
Hearing this, Murong Qi laughed, rushing to her room to fetch the jade carving, stuffing it into her hands, then sitting beside her with legs crossed, “Smash it, go ahead. I’ll watch you smash it!”
Li Huaiyu: “…”
“Hey, don’t just talk, do it. If it’s useless, why keep it?” Murong Qi grinned mischievously.
Glaring at her, Huaiyu hugged the jade carving and stood up, “I’d rather give it away than smash it. There are plenty of refugees outside; why waste money?”
With that, she stormed off.
However, deep into the night, the jade carving she intended to give away was still clutched in her arms as she slept.
Qingsi stood by the bed, looking at her mistress’s tear-streaked face, sighing softly as she tucked her in.
The pain of longing is the hardest to bear, even words cannot fully express it.
Turning over, Li Huaiyu loosened her grip, and the jade carving rolled twice on the mat, falling off the bed. Qingsi, startled, reached out to catch it, but only grabbed the base, and the carving hit the ground with a “crack.”
Qingsi’s face turned pale.
Li Huaiyu slept soundly, seemingly unaware of what had happened, even smacking her lips and softly calling someone’s name.
The lights in the princess’s residence had been extinguished, but in the main courtyard, everyone was roused by Qingsi. The place was brightly lit, and everyone gathered around the table, staring at the broken jade carving.
“What do we do?” Qingsi’s lips were white. “If Her Highness sees this, it’s over.”
Murong Qi yawned, “It’s just a jade carving, not Ziyang Jun. If she sees it, she sees it.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to her, filled with reproach.
Murong Qi swallowed, pursing her lips, “Does your mistress believe in bad omens or something?”
“Usually not,” Lu Jingxing said, fanning himself. “But when it comes to Jiang Xuanjin, it’s different.”
“Can we find an identical one?” Xu Chuniang asked anxiously.
Lu Jingxing shook his head, “If there was, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Everyone fell silent. After a long pause, Chi Jin suggested, “Tomorrow, create a big distraction to divert Her Highness’s attention, so she doesn’t have time to look for the jade carving.”
“But what about after tomorrow? We can’t hide it forever.”
“One day at a time,” Chi Jin said. “Her Highness is very clever, so everyone must do their best to avoid any flaws that might alert her.”
The broken jade carving lay innocently on the table, while those around it joined hands, encouraging each other.