The Divine Spirit Cannon fired four consecutive shots, breaking through the Tianhen Formation. The earth trembled and mountains shook. Princess Hanyue naturally became aware of it.

She gazed at the western sky where black smoke billowed, speechless for a long while.

Prince Xiao Yan of Wei had already declared his intention to massacre the entire city. Now that the city walls had been breached, would she and her son still have a chance to survive?

Heh, her death wouldn’t be a great loss, but the child…

Miao Fengxian’s soul was also disturbed and floated out from the soul-nurturing wood. Seeing the situation, he immediately said, “Summon Zhao Rushan. He will help you and our son break through the encirclement. From now on…” At this point, his voice grew strained, “From now on, return to the Jin Kingdom and live in anonymity. Don’t think about restoring the country.”

Princess Hanyue’s eyes reddened again. She wanted to reach out but could not feel her husband’s comfort. After tonight, her husband’s soul would return to the Yellow Springs, and they would never see each other again.

These days, she had lost count of how many times she had cried.

The temporary palace was in chaos, but still, a palace servant came to report: Lu Ping, the son of Grand Tutor Lu, was seeking an urgent audience.

Lu Ping was merely an official in the Ceremonial Department. What urgent matter could he have at this critical moment?

Princess Hanyue thought time was precious and didn’t want to see him, but Miao Fengxian said, “Hear what he has to say.” Lu Ping’s rank wasn’t high, but he was a man who knew propriety and could prioritize. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been entrusted as an envoy to New Xia back then. If he said it was urgent, then it must truly be pressing.

Lu Ping had been waiting outside and now hurriedly entered. After paying respects to Princess Hanyue, he came straight to the point: “A few days ago, this humble servant encountered the Queen of New Xia at Shun Dongfeng.” Though it seemed like a small matter, after thinking about it for half a day, he decided to report it. However, the royal court was in chaos, and he had sought an audience with Princess Hanyue for a long time before finally succeeding.

“What!” Princess Hanyue exclaimed, “Are you certain you didn’t mistake someone else?” Feng Miaojun should be sitting in the royal court thousands of li away, how could she appear here at this time?

Miao Fengxian, who had been deep in thought, also raised his head in surprise.

“It was her,” Lu Ping said firmly. “I also recognized the man with her, named Chen Dachang, who is now the Court Constable of New Xia.”

Feng Miaojun’s beauty was hard to mistake for an ordinary person, let alone the likelihood of mistaking both her and Chen Dachang beside her. As absurd as it seemed, Princess Hanyue believed it and instinctively took a few steps forward: “Where is she? She…” The words died on her lips as she suddenly stopped.

At this critical juncture, what was Feng Miaojun doing in Yinzi City?

Miao Fengxian spoke softly: “Invite her to the palace.”

Princess Hanyue uttered in surprise: “Ah?”

Miao Fengxian urged, “Yinzi City still has a glimmer of hope, which rests entirely on the Queen of New Xia! Perhaps you and Linér won’t need to leave. Invite her here, quickly!”

Feng Miaojun was brought by Lu Ping.

She had visited Yanhu Mountain Manor before. The scenery was nice, but not suitable for administrative work. It was disheartening to see the mighty royal court of Jiao Kingdom reduced to such a desolate state.

She lamented inwardly but revealed nothing on her face, only smiling as she went to meet Princess Hanyue who was rushing toward her.

Princess Hanyue’s eyes were already red as she embraced Feng Miaojun without a word.

The embrace was tight and forceful.

Feng Miaojun gently patted her back and whispered, “Everything will be alright.”

Just this one sentence made Princess Hanyue’s heartburn like fire, and she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

In the days following Miao Fengxian’s passing, she had been arranging funeral matters for the ruler and crown prince while facing countless questions, doubts, and panic from court officials, utterly exhausted. Yet apart from Miao Fengxian’s spirit, no one had offered her these words of comfort.

Even such a simple reassurance seemed like a luxury to her.

Once she started crying, she couldn’t stop.

She truly needed to release the emotions that had been building up for days. Hearing her fear, sorrow, and helplessness, Feng Miaojun couldn’t help but sigh softly.

When a country is on the brink of collapse, even the most noble are living in constant fear—how can the common folk fare any better?

After a full forty or fifty breaths, Princess Hanyue’s crying finally subsided to small whimpers. Feng Miaojun patted her shoulder: “Time is precious.”

These four words immediately brought Princess Hanyue back to her senses.

Indeed, her husband’s time was limited, and so was Jiao Kingdom’s. How could she waste time crying?

She quickly wiped her face with a handkerchief and said embarrassedly, “How embarrassing… What brings you to Yinzi City?”

“Some official business. I heard about the chaos here and came by to check on things,” Feng Miaojun casually told a lie, “And to see you.”

“I’ve grown old,” Princess Hanyue shook her head. She had been working so hard these past days that she looked years older. She was only twenty this year, in the prime of her life, yet her face was already filled with worry, far less carefree than ordinary women.

But to Princess Hanyue, her friend had grown even more beautiful, with a complete spirit and full vigor. Standing there, she outshone all the delicate flowering trees in the hall.

Who was prospering and who was in decline was clear at a glance. Thinking back to their private conversations in their maiden days, Feng Miaojun had said that destiny should be grasped in one’s own hands. Later, she indeed escaped from the Jin Kingdom and achieved great success. As for herself, she had married Prince Miao Fengxian of Jiao and enjoyed a few years of happiness, but her fortune was tied to the Jiao Kingdom—they prospered together and would perish together.

Princess Hanyue admired her friend greatly but knew she could never become someone like her. She also understood that Feng Miaojun’s visit was not just “passing by.” In the past, she might have hesitated, but with Jiao Kingdom already in such dire straits, how much worse could things get?

Feng Miaojun’s gaze flickered slightly, “I heard Prince Zhao Yun of Yan is also here?”

“Yes.”

“At such a critical moment, did he come to encourage resistance rather than surrender?”

“Exactly,” Princess Hanyue said softly. “He promised that if Yinzi City could hold out for another month, Yan Kingdom would attack Xi from the north, forcing Prince Xiao Yan of Wei to withdraw his troops and resolve Jiao Kingdom’s crisis.” She spoke bitterly, “The royal court believed his words, or we wouldn’t have ended up in this situation!”

The King of Yan had merely used Jiao Kingdom as a tool to delay Wei forces. How could he truly care about their survival?

Feng Miaojun asked her, “What do you plan to do next?”

Prince Wei had only given Jiao Kingdom two choices, and only one chance.

Before Princess Hanyue could respond, a voice interjected: “From now on, the lives of a million souls in Yinzi City depend on the Queen of New Xia.”

The voice was strange, coming from outside yet seeming to resonate within one’s heart. Feng Miaojun was slightly startled. Looking closer, she saw a golden light emerging from Princess Hanyue’s embrace, transforming into a small figure sitting on her shoulder.

From his appearance, Feng Miaojun recognized him at once: “So it’s the Crown Prince.” Her tone showed little surprise. Miao Fengxian had been a State Preceptor, with solid soul power; it wasn’t unusual for his spirit to manifest after death. “I am bound by contract and cannot intervene to save the people of Jiao, otherwise—” she smiled bitterly, “—heavenly lightning would strike me.”