Empress Zhou paced restlessly in the hall. By this hour, things should have been settled. But her uncle had not sent any word, which likely meant the situation… was not good!
Zhou sighed deeply. Since marrying the Emperor at sixteen, she had enjoyed the prestige of being the Crown Princess. She couldn’t imagine losing that honor. The Zhou family would be uprooted by the Emperor – she knew his character all too well. Though he seemed uninvolved, he was aware of everything.
Finally, staring at the burning candles in the hall, she could no longer contain herself. She told her attendant: “…Bring Madam Luo San here!”
These skilled martial artists were left to her by Zhou Ying You.
As the attendant was about to comply, the hall doors suddenly burst open. A group of men in brocade robes with large swords at their waists poured in from outside. The Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard leading them said with a smile: “Your Majesty, we’ve been waiting for some time.”
Zhou’s face turned pale: “You… How did he know? How?”
Kunning Palace must have been set up long ago!
The commander continued smiling: “A word of advice, Your Majesty. Opposing the Emperor is like an egg against a stone. I suggest you surrender to avoid harm to your royal person.”
Zhou felt a chill run through her body. She had imagined the consequences of a failed coup countless times. But seeing these men closing in mercilessly, roughly restraining her limbs, she struggled like a madwoman: “What are you doing! I am the Empress, how dare you!”
“Since stealing the edict, you’ve stopped behaving like an Empress!” The deputy commander’s tone was cold as he ordered Zhou to be bound.
“Stealing the edict?” Zhou found it absurd. “What are you talking about… mmph!” A cloth was stuffed in her mouth to prevent self-harm.
The deputy commander snorted: “Still in denial at death’s door!” He waved for the once-esteemed Empress to be taken away, then told the earlier attendant, “Go tell Master Cheng to bring out Madam Luo San. Or I’ll kill you now!”
The attendant scrambled up and ran out of the hall, only to find all the noblewomen gone, likely taken away by the deputy commander. By now, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had surrounded the hall, with only Zhao Mingzhu and Madam Xu still waiting for Luo Yining. He knocked on the side chamber door, hearing Cheng Lang’s cold voice, but after a long pause, there was no movement.
The deputy commander grew impatient and ordered: “Break it down!”
The door crashed open, revealing only Luo Yining bound to a chair, gagged. The deputy commander looked around; the windows were wide open, and Cheng Lang and his subordinates had vanished. He rushed over to untie Luo Yining: “Madam, I’m here on Master Dao Yan’s orders to rescue you. Where’s Cheng Lang?”
“He sensed something was wrong when you knocked and escaped through the window,” Luo Yining said, flexing her wrists.
When Cheng Lang heard the commotion outside and looked at Luo Yining, he realized the plot had likely been exposed and feared being trapped. He quickly gagged her with a handkerchief and whispered in her ear: “The arrivals are probably your third brother’s men. They won’t harm you. I can’t stay. I must go.”
Then he left.
The Empress meant nothing to him; as long as the Third Prince was safe, the coup could proceed. With Kunning Palace surrounded, there was no point in trying to rescue the Empress. He might as well go meet up with Lu Jiaxue. The deputy commander’s action proved that open conflict had begun, so wasting time here was pointless.
Bound and unable to react, Luo Yining watched wide-eyed as he disappeared, then closed her eyes. Cheng Lang’s gag wasn’t very tight; she could have called for attention, but she didn’t. Perhaps she still couldn’t bring herself to betray Cheng Lang, knowing he’d surely die if caught by the deputy commander.
Why did he help Lu Jiaxue stage a coup? Why couldn’t he stay far away from all this?
Lu Jiaxue, that madman, had always been so reckless. He never considered consequences, taking risks as naturally as breathing!
Luo Yining followed the deputy commander out. Zhao Mingzhu and Madam Xu immediately surrounded her, asking if she was alright. The deputy commander signaled to a subordinate, who led men outside shouting: “Help! The Empress is cornered and has taken the noblewomen hostage, threatening to kill them all!”
Some guards left by Cheng Lang in Kunning Palace suddenly rose, fighting desperately. After a clash of swords, all fell silent. Luo Yining didn’t hear any of this.
At least Kunning Palace had calmed down. Only layers of arrows stuck out from the walls in the night.
This sound, however, alerted Cheng Lang nearby!
Had the Empress suddenly revolted? He knew she had skilled attendants. Could the deputy commander not protect the noblewomen?
What about Luo Yining?
He suddenly heard a shrill scream, filled with terror, sounding somewhat like Luo Yining. He hesitated, slowing his pace.
“Sir, the pursuers will catch up soon!” a companion whispered.
Cheng Lang gritted his teeth, gripping his sword hilt as he headed for Daming Gate.
Lu Jiaxue’s troops were all elite, while Dao Yan’s lacked his training. They soon began to falter. Dao Yan, seeing the tide turning against him, retreated without hesitation. Lu Jiaxue led his men in pursuit. Someone ran up reporting: “Sir, Kunning Palace has fallen! The cornered Empress is holding noblewomen hostage, threatening to kill them. We might not stop her in time!”
“That fool, why bother with her!” Lu Jiaxue’s expression was ice-cold. He still hadn’t seen Luo Shen Yuan emerge. If Luo Shen Yuan sent Dao Yan to block him, he must have another plan.
“Sir…” Ye Yan’s voice softened. “Our lady is inside. Master Cheng Lang said so himself.”
He didn’t know how Lu Jiaxue would decide, but he had to inform him. Otherwise, if questioned later, he would surely die.
Lu Jiaxue whipped his head around.
Blood dripped from his blade onto the horse’s mane and to the ground. He took a deep breath and asked: “Why is she in the palace?”
Is Luo Shen Yuan an idiot? Why send her into the palace? What use could she be?
“I don’t know, sir,” Ye Yan dared not say more. “Shall I take some men there immediately…”
Lu Jiaxue raised his hand to silence him. Faint candlelight flickered in the distance. The night loomed like a giant beast, as waves of troops pressed towards the Taihe Hall.
He suddenly seemed to return to that day, the day he lost her.
She had gone out for a spring outing with Xie Min, leaving happily. Lu Jiaxue hadn’t expected anyone to make a move, but by the time he knew, it was too late. He was secretly meeting the then Crown Prince and couldn’t get back in time.
He pressed his lips together, yanked the reins to turn his horse, and shouted to his men: “Follow me to Kunning Palace!”
Zhou Ying, You were still resisting up front and should hold for a while. No one could move as fast as he could. If that fool of an Empress became desperate, realizing they didn’t care about her life or death, Luo Yining would be her first victim!
Lu Jiaxue gripped his sword hilt and galloped through the corridor. Suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air behind him, the sound of it piercing flesh like a gust of wind. A sharp pain shot through his left shoulder as half an arrowhead penetrated his bone. Lu Jiaxue paused only briefly to snap off the arrow shaft. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he cracked his whip, urging his horse to even greater speed. The jolting ride caused excruciating pain in his wound, but he seemed not to notice.
At that moment, all his resentment towards her vanished, completely forgotten. He only wanted to save her!
The surging army surrounded the Taihe Hall, but having lost their commander, they began to falter. Luo Shen Yuan led the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s archers onto the walls. He spoke to Dao Yan: “You’re quite resourceful. How did you lure him away?” If Lu Jiaxue hadn’t been drawn off, the situation would be even more difficult. However, now in charge of the Ministry of Works, Luo Shen Yuan had artillery in reserve, so they might still hold out.
He had become the Emperor’s confidant this past year, though it was no easy role.
“You stole the Empress’s deposition edict and framed the Imperial Guard Commander, waiting for this moment, didn’t you?” Dao Yan said.
Luo Shen Yuan laughed: “How can you say I stole it? Clearly, the Empress instructed others to do so.”
“The Empress isn’t that foolish. Once she decided to stage a coup, what use was the edict? Only by stealing it could you convince the Emperor to let you deploy so many troops in the palace,” Dao Yan continued. “As for luring Lu Jiaxue, that was simple. I placed Luo Yining with the Empress. Thanks to her concern for you, she was willing to face danger. It would’ve been a shame not to use such a good opportunity.”
Luo Shen Yuan froze, and turned around, his smile turning ice-cold.
“What did you say?”
“Why so nervous? She’s fine now. I sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to rescue her,” Dao Yan said calmly, but Luo Shen Yuan’s face darkened. He grabbed Dao Yan and said coldly, “I told you not to involve her! Yet you used her to lure Lu Jiaxue. Are you mad?”
“You’re the mad one!” Dao Yan pried his disciple’s hand off, saying coldly, “I didn’t endanger her life, just used her. How else could you easily eliminate Lu Jiaxue? What’s done is done. You should go to Kunning Palace now. I estimate he’s arrived there too.”
At that moment, Luo Shen Yuan wanted to kill Dao Yan. What if something had gone wrong in the chaos of battle?
Without another word, he shoved Dao Yan aside. Dao Yan stumbled back a step, then sneered. On the battlefield, everything that can be used must be used!
His disciple had lost his composure, forgetting this principle.
“When you’re about to kill him, don’t hesitate,” Dao Yan’s indifferent voice came from behind. “Though I know you can be ruthless… I still want to remind you. You know what will happen if he rises to power again.”
Meanwhile, Kunning Palace had calmed somewhat. Palace maids took down lanterns from the eaves, lighting them one by one.
Unsure if it was safe outside, they didn’t leave. They boiled water on a small stove in the side hall, making tea and having some snacks.
Luo Yining heard the Empress trying to speak from a side room, her voice hoarse. She stood up, looking at the winding trail of lights.
What an absurd New Year this has been!
“Sit down, worrying won’t help,” Zhao Mingzhu beckoned her. “Success or failure, it’s all the same in the end – we’ll die either way.” She had always been brave, fearing neither heaven nor earth.
Luo Yining sighed deeply, sitting down to take another sip of tea. As the white steam rose from her cup, she said, “…I don’t want to die.”
“You won’t die, my lady,” the Deputy Commander smiled upon hearing this.
Luo Yining merely smiled. How could she explain to others that someone who had died once before feels differently about death? Only those who have truly died yearn to live. To live at all costs.
Even if it means clinging to a miserable existence.
As she finished her hot tea, a commotion erupted outside. The Imperial Guards on duty began to stir: “Deputy Commander, armed men are approaching!”
“They’re here!” Zhao Mingzhu’s heart skipped a beat.
The Deputy Commander ordered the Imperial Guards to engage, then hesitated, glancing at Luo Yining. Suddenly, he drew his sword and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her close. Before Luo Yining could react, Zhao Mingzhu cried out as she saw the Deputy Commander’s blade at Luo Yining’s throat.
“Deputy Liu, what are you doing?!” Zhao Mingzhu’s voice rose in pitch.
“Third Madam, forgive me,” the Deputy Commander’s voice was ice-cold now, his grip merciless. “Please don’t struggle, madam. I won’t harm your life.”
Weren’t the Imperial Guards supposed to be Luo Shengyuan’s men?
Luo Yining coughed as he gripped her. Unsure of his intentions, she gasped, “Have you gone mad? What are you—”
“Don’t speak, madam. Your life is not in danger. I’m merely using you as leverage against him,” the Deputy Commander offered no further explanation.
The Imperial Guards rushed to block the incoming troops, drawing their spring swords.
Luo Yining saw a man on horseback charge in. Clad in armor, his silhouette was unmistakably familiar. He dismounted at the foot of the stairs, sword in hand, cutting his way through. Seeing her held hostage, his strikes grew more vicious. He roared, “Deputy Liu, what are you doing?! Threatening her? Aren’t you afraid Luo Shengyuan will kill you!”
“I’m sure Lord Luo won’t mind,” the Deputy Commander merely smiled.
Luo Yining clenched her sleeves. Why had Lu Jiaxue come to Kunning Palace? The Deputy Commander had seized her as soon as he saw Lu Jiaxue – what was going on?
Lu Jiaxue had brought many men, but the Imperial Guards were no pushovers. In the ensuing battle, Lu Jiaxue seemed to have been wounded, his arm movements less nimble. Covered in blood, he had reached the top of the stairs, seeing Luo Yining nearby. Realizing he couldn’t intimidate Lu Jiaxue, Deputy Liu pressed his blade closer to Luo Yining’s throat: “Lu Jiaxue, do you believe I’ll kill her? Stop right there!”
Lu Jiaxue approached step by step, sword in hand, without fear. As Deputy Liu’s blade tip pierced Luo Yining’s skin, she remained silent.
Like an avenging spirit, Lu Jiaxue finally decapitated the man blocking his path. Blood splattered across Luo Yining.
Through the night, their gazes met and held.
Lu Jiaxue was exhausted, even a man of iron would be after such carnage, let alone with a bleeding shoulder wound. He walked heavily towards her, step by step. Luo Yining instinctively backed away, then heard a thunderous crash, as if a mountain had collapsed. He knelt before her, leaning on his sword, panting, but his expression relaxed.
“I thought… something had happened to you. He didn’t dare kill you.” Finally confirming she was unharmed, his hoarse voice carried a faint smile.
Luo Yining stepped forward. Lu Jiaxue thought… something had happened to her. Is that why he came to save her?
“You…” She moved closer, grasping his hand, only to find blood between his fingers.
Luo Yining’s throat tightened. Seeing him drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, she too knelt: “What are you doing? I’m fine!”
Perhaps due to blood loss, Lu Jiaxue seemed to be losing consciousness. He tightly gripped her hand in his large one, saying hoarsely, “Back then. I didn’t save you… You’ve resented me all these years.”
His words shook her to the core. Luo Yining now saw the arrow shaft protruding from his back, and she trembled. She reached out to touch it.
Seeing her eyes turn red, Lu Jiaxue raised his other hand to comfort her but only smeared blood on her face. He could only manage a strained smile.
“If I didn’t come to save you this time… you’d resent me for life.”
It was as if everything had come full circle; he had come to save her.
Luo Yining looked up, suddenly noticing arrowheads peeking out from the roof. An ambush! This was a trap! Who had set this trap?
Dao Yan wanted to use her to capture Lu Jiaxue!
Luo Yining suddenly realized this was all part of Dao Yan’s scheme. His talk of having her enter the palace to help was just a ploy to achieve victory, to harm the man before her. Perhaps even Luo Shengyuan was involved, knowing Lu Jiaxue wouldn’t abandon her.
Luo Yining felt her strength drain away. She had implicated him! If she hadn’t entered the palace, Lu Jiaxue wouldn’t have come to save her.
“Are you stupid… You believe whatever others tell you!” Luo Yining couldn’t hold back her tears.
“There’s a trap here!” Luo Yining said hoarsely, shaking his shoulders. “Didn’t you realize this was a trap?!”
Lu Jiaxue just looked at her, as if she were a child throwing a tantrum. Unconcerned, he still smiled: “I didn’t want to come either… but…”
But I thought you might die… Then where would I wait another fourteen years for you? I couldn’t. I’m already getting old, one fourteen years, then another. The pain of those fourteen years without her washed over him, countless nightmares of her falling off the cliff repeating. Grey mist, stumbling forward, she was nowhere to be found.
Lu Jiaxue simply said: “…But I still came.”
She remembered when she was about to die, trapped in the hairpin.
How desperately she had wanted him to save her then! How she longed for someone to rescue her, to free her from that despair, oppression, and pain.
Now he had come, though she was unharmed. The rescuer knelt before her, his mountain-like frame on the verge of collapse.
“Why did you come?!” Luo Yining cried out.
It was as if something had finally broken; Luo Yining held him tightly.
Luo Yining looked up to see the arrowheads drawing near. A familiar silhouette in a large cloak stood on a distant wall, backlit. The men beside him held bows, their arrows glinting coldly in the night.
He had indeed come! He wanted to kill Lu Jiaxue!
Luo Yining’s voice cracked from crying. Seeing the arrow wound on his back, her hand was covered in blood when she touched it. “Does it hurt?” Luo Yining asked, her lips trembling. “Does it hurt?”
Lu Jiaxue interlaced his fingers with hers. Feeling weak, he leaned on her slender shoulder, like when they were together years ago, and she no longer resisted. He said softly, “…It hurts, Luo Yining.”
While wiping her tears, she said, “It’s okay, it won’t hurt soon.” She shakily took out his prayer beads from her bosom, wrapping them around Lu Jiaxue’s wrist.
Luo Shengyuan watched silently. Knowing she was safe, he was no longer anxious. Now he had only one goal.
— To kill Lu Jiaxue!
Those two embraced, sharing a moment he could never be part of.
Luo Shengyuan raised his hand impassively, saying softly, “Fire.” Beside him, a skilled archer immediately raised his bow, aiming at Lu Jiaxue’s back.
As Dao Yan had said, they could only kill Lu Jiaxue, never letting the tiger return to the mountain!
Luo Yining’s body trembled; she seemed to sense the danger. She looked up towards Luo Shengyuan and said, “Stop this, please!”
Luo Shengyuan gazed at her tear-stained face.
Lu Jiaxue had closed his eyes. Luo Yining felt his hand grow terrifyingly cold. Having lost his strength, the full weight of his armor pressed down on her. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out in despair, “Third Brother, stop this! Just let him go, he can’t do anything now, please let him go!”
“You’ve already won, let him go!” Luo Yining trembled as these words left her mouth. She was beside herself, tears flowing uncontrollably.
That man heard her pleas, yet his face remained impassive. That man who loved her so much now had arrows at his command.
Not just aimed at Lu Jiaxue, but at her as well.
The night wind grew colder, and Luo Yining felt the body in her arms grow colder too. She murmured, “Luo Shengyuan… Dao Yan manipulated me, and now you’re taking advantage of the situation. Why don’t you just shoot me dead along with him? My life for his.”
Her tears fell onto Lu Jiaxue’s neck.
Why was she crying again? He was about to die. She still wasn’t happy…
Lu Jiaxue gripped her hand a little tighter. She was so hard to please. Don’t cry… Every time he saw her cry, it felt like his heart was being pricked by needles.
“Don’t cry,” Lu Jiaxue said softly, forcing a smile. “Stop crying, it doesn’t matter if I die… I’ve lived long enough…”
Luo Yining thought of the Lu Jiaxue who had given her a puppy, who had copied sutras for her, who liked to tease her. This man lived vividly in her memories. How could he die? He must not die!
“Luo Shengyuan!” Her voice lowered, “I’ve implicated him. I implicated him before, and now I’m even causing his death. I must protect him this once. Kill me too…”
It took Luo Shengyuan a long time to come to his senses, his mouth filled with bitterness. Luo Yining didn’t know that with each of her cries, he gripped his sword hilt tighter.
…She had even resorted to such threats. Did she not care about his feelings at all?
But after a long while, he suddenly fell silent. Then he raised his hand again: “…Withdraw.”
If this man truly died here, he would remain in Luo Yining’s heart forever, becoming a deep scar that he could never remove.
Luo Shengyuan walked towards the two, each step measured and steady. Then he grasped Luo Yining’s wrist and pulled her away. He finally saw Lu Jiaxue utterly defeated and in disarray.
Luo Shengyuan’s tone was cold: “I’m sparing your life, but this is all over, Lu Jiaxue.”
Lu Jiaxue seemed not to hear. He looked up at the sky, where a faint golden light was beginning to appear.
The sun was about to rise. He clutched the string of beads in his hand.
So she had found the beads that day after all… That was good.
Lu Jiaxue closed his eyes.
He didn’t value his own life, but this life was begged for by Luo Yining.
How could he not cherish it?