When Li Yao Ying awoke, she heard waves of mournful crying.

Maids knelt before her bed, each trembling with fear and continuously wiping away tears. Shadows moved by the door, windows, and through the corridors, with hushed conversations occasionally broken by sobs.

Yao Ying was bewildered for a moment. As she sat up, she found the crumpled battle report beside her hand.

Her brother was dead.

She would never have a brother again.

The person who had been kindest to her in this world was gone.

The elder brother who had always stood before her protectively, who had cherished her in the palm of his hand – she would never see him again.

From now on, in this chaotic world full of frost and sword-edge, she was alone.

Brother, don’t leave me behind. I’m scared.

Yao Ying sat motionless, completely still.

She had known from the beginning this would be the outcome. She shouldn’t have overreached in trying to change Li Zhongqian’s fate. Knowing Li Xuanzhen would be the final victor, why hadn’t she been wiser and chosen to ally with him?

That way, she wouldn’t have needed to be so careful, so cautious, so vigilant about everything.

But Li Zhongqian was the brother she depended on for survival!

He was the brother who had carried her when she couldn’t walk to see the apricot blossoms in the courtyard, who had patiently fed her medicine day after day and held her hand to teach her writing and reading, who had disregarded his own life to cross the battlefield alone, rescued her from among the dead, and carried her sick body over mountains and rivers, walking a thousand li.

Yao Ying lowered her head, feeling for the moonlight pearl Li Zhongqian had given her from beneath her pillow, and closed her eyes briefly.

Even knowing they were just insignificant sacrifices on Li Xuanzhen’s path to greatness, even if protecting her brother meant coughing blood without cause and opposing the Son of Heaven, she would have done anything.

But that day had still come.

They had promised to watch the dragon boat races together in the Eastern Capital – she had even prepared her clothes.

Yao Ying clutched the moonlight pearl tightly as tears fell.

Brother, you lied.

You promised you would return safely.

The maids began crying out: “Noble Lady, you must take care of yourself… His Highness cherished you most dearly in life…”

These wails were like water poured into boiling oil, instantly setting off an explosion. The servants, maids, and household concubines waiting outside in the courtyard all burst into loud sobbing.

Through the continuous crying, a tall figure crossed the long corridor, pushed through the dense crowd, and strode into the inner chamber. He walked to Yao Ying and knelt on one knee.

“Xie begs forgiveness for his abruptness, Princess.”

After speaking, he stood, grabbed Yao Ying’s hand, helped her from the bed, and wrapped her from head to toe in a cloak.

The maids cried out in alarm, hurriedly getting up to stop him: “How dare you!”

Xie Qing ignored the maids, supporting Yao Ying’s arm to help her stand steady.

Yao Ying’s face was pale, her expression dazed. Her legs were weak, and as soon as she touched the ground, she began to collapse.

Xie Qing hesitated for a moment, then lifted her in his arms and left the inner chamber.

Xu Biao and a squad of guards in narrow-sleeved robes were already waiting in the corridor. They followed Xie Qing, surrounding him in the middle, escorting Yao Ying out of the mansion and into a carriage.

The wheels rolled over the blue stone bricks with a rumbling sound.

Yao Ying leaned against the carriage wall, her gaze empty.

The moonlight pearl slipped from her palm, hitting the carriage floor with a thud.

Yao Ying stared at the moonlight pearl, lost in thought for a moment.

In her ears seemed to echo Li Zhongqian’s deep laugh, filled with undisguised pride: “Do you like it?”

“The night-luminous wall of the Fulin Kingdom also called the moonlight pearl. When Brother saw it, he immediately thought of our little Seven.”

“Little Seven, don’t be afraid, Brother has come to get you.”

Yao Ying pressed her lips together, bent down to pick up the moonlight pearl, and clutched it tightly in her palm.

She couldn’t fall apart.

Without seeing Li Zhongqian’s corpse with her own eyes, she wouldn’t believe he was dead!

Yao Ying wiped away the tears from the corner of her eye and lifted the carriage curtain: “Where are we going?”

Xie Qing rode beside the carriage and answered: “Princess, the Prince of Qin instructed that if anything happened to him, we should immediately send you out of the city.”

Yao Ying’s eyes grew hot. She closed them and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

“Who spread the news?”

Xie Qing answered: “Princess, the Ministry of War also received the battle report. Now everyone knows the Prince of Qin was ambushed and died. You must leave the city quickly.”

Yao Ying shook her head: “No, I can’t leave.”

Her lips trembled as she fought back tears, lifting her face to look into the distance.

“The battle report might not be true. Brother might still be alive, perhaps he’s just gravely wounded… I must stay.”

Xie Qing lowered his gaze to look at Yao Ying’s face, which like a bright pearl gave off a faint, cool radiance in the evening light.

“Princess, what if the news is true? You are just a woman who cannot even tie up a chicken.”

“True, I am just a lady of the inner chambers. I cannot wield a blade or lift a sword, but I still cannot abandon my brother.”

Yao Ying lifted her eyes, her expression calm. “If the news is false, I will investigate the truth and wait for Brother to return to the capital. If he is just wounded and surrounded, I will find a way to persuade His Majesty to send troops to rescue him. If… if he truly fell in battle, I will go to the battlefield myself to collect Brother’s remains and escort his coffin home for burial.”

In this life, she couldn’t let Li Zhongqian end up with no remains to be found again.

She would bring him home.

Xie Qing was silent for a while, his expression grave: “Princess, His Majesty values the Crown Prince, and countless people in the capital want to find ways to curry favor with the Eastern Palace. Ever since Princess Fukang refused to marry and the Yelu chieftain asked to marry you, they have wanted to force you to marry in her place, using this to flatter the Eastern Palace. They will use any means to achieve their goal. When the Prince of Qin was here, no one dared come to make trouble, but now that he has met with disaster, Xu Biao and the others alone cannot protect you.”

When the nest is overturned, no egg stays unbroken.

Li Zhongqian’s violent temperament had made petty characters afraid of his revenge, so they hadn’t dared move against Li Yao Ying. Now that they had nothing to fear, Li Yao Ying was in danger.

There was no need for Li Xuanzhen and Zhu Lüyun to act directly – there would be plenty of eager servants running errands for them.

It was impossible to guard against everything.

Lord Pei could only protect her temporarily.

Yao Ying gripped the moonlight pearl: “We’ll meet force with force, and counter each threat as it comes.”

Xie Qing couldn’t help but feel moved: “Princess, those situations you mentioned – the Prince of Qin thought of them all. He said that as long as you hadn’t seen his corpse, you definitely wouldn’t leave the capital to avoid danger.”

Yao Ying smiled slightly: “If so, why did you still try to send me out of the city?”

Xie Qing pulled on his reins.

“Because the Prince of Qin also said that nothing was more important than your safety. If anything happened to him, whether he was dead or alive, I and Xu Biao only needed to remember one thing, and only needed to do one thing.”

He looked at Yao Ying. “Ensure your safety.”

Yao Ying’s throat tightened. She opened her mouth as tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

“Princess, to become your guard, one not only had to win the martial competition but also had to first exchange moves with the Prince of Qin.”

Xie Qing gestured for Xu Biao and the others to continue forward as he spoke, “Two years ago, after I won the competition, the Prince of Qin wanted to test my skills. I exchanged several strikes with him, and he asked me: if he and the Princess were both in danger at the same time, who would I save? Without hesitation, I answered that I would save the Princess.”

Li Zhongqian was the Prince of Qin – Xie Qing’s answer would undoubtedly offend him and lose the chance to become a guard.

Xie Qing knew he should have answered more diplomatically, but he disdained lying.

Li Zhongqian hadn’t become angry. He had laughed heartily and patted Xie Qing’s shoulder: “Remember your answer. No matter what happens, you must protect the Princess.”

Xie Qing looked at Yao Ying, gripping his sword hilt firmly as he declared: “Princess, to this day, my answer remains the same. No matter how the situation changes, I remember only one thing: protecting you.”

Yao Ying smiled bitterly, raising her hand to smooth her temples, showing an indescribable grace even in her grief.

“Ah Qing, the young men of the capital privately say I am the most beautiful they have ever seen. What about you – do you think I’m beautiful?”

Xie Qing was stunned for a good while before saying: “Princess’s beauty is like flowers and the moon, unmatched in brilliance.”

Yao Ying smiled faintly: “My mother is an Xie woman, and my father is the Emperor of Wei. I am called the capital’s greatest beauty. The Eastern Palace wants to eliminate us, others want to possess me for themselves, the Yelu chieftain watches with greedy eyes, and many more have long been plotting in the shadows. Do you think I’ll be safe just by escaping Chang’an?”

Xie Qing was silent.

“Ah Qing, have you fought in battles? Been on a battlefield?”

Xie Qing shook his head: “I’ve trained in martial arts since childhood, but I’ve never been on a battlefield.”

Yao Ying felt completely drained. She leaned against the carriage window, gazing at the azure sky to the south.

She had completely calmed her thoughts and understood her situation clearly.

As long as Li Zhongqian lived, she could live in peace for that day. With Li Zhongqian gone, with no one to keep those evil spirits in check, she was meat on the chopping block.

Where could she escape to?

Her noble birth and outstanding beauty were heaven’s gifts, but when such gifts attracted the covetous gaze of evil people, beauty became a curse.

Li Zhongqian had no ambition for the throne and had long thought of taking her and Noble Consort Xie away, but the world was in chaos, filled with gunpowder smoke. No matter where they fled, they couldn’t escape from trouble.

Not to mention others – just the Li family’s enemies and the various powers surrounding Wei would not let them go.

Yao Ying lowered her head, tucking the moonlight pearl back into her sleeve. “When I was five, I was abandoned on the battlefield and saw what it was like to be surrounded by hundreds and thousands of enemy troops. The guards around me were the most loyal retainers of the Xie and Li families, each skilled enough in martial arts to fight ten men. But there were simply too many enemies, so many they were like a dense swarm, uncountable. To protect me, they all died under enemy blades. I didn’t dare cry out, hiding among the guards’ corpses, soaking in the stinking blood, barely escaping by luck.”

This memory had left her unable to bear the sight of even a drop of blood ever since.

“Ah Qing, I believe you would die to protect me, but no matter how good your martial arts are, you cannot defeat an army.”

Xie Qing straightened his back, wanting to refute Yao Ying, but after hesitating, he finally remained silent.

The Princess was right – one person could not resist an army.

Yao Ying looked around, her gaze sweeping across the faces of Xu Biao and the others.

Xu Biao and the others immediately pulled their reins to stop, respectfully looking at her.

“Outside the city, my situation won’t be much better. Better to stay in the capital – at least for now, no one dares forcibly enter the Prince’s mansion.”

Yao Ying’s voice was hoarse, her gaze showing determination: “Return to the Prince’s mansion.”

Everyone responded and turned their horses around.

…

The Prince’s mansion had fallen into chaos. With Li Zhongqian dead and Li Yao Ying sent out of the Imperial City, the remaining people were at a loss, their hearts filled with fear.

Everyone knew there was enmity between the Second Prince and the Eastern Palace. Now that the Second Prince was dead, would the Eastern Palace spare them? How would those nobles the Second Prince have offended deal with them?

Before nightfall, rumors were already spreading through the mansion.

The Chancellor had dealt with several insolent servants and stood crying in Li Zhongqian’s courtyard. When he heard Yao Ying had returned, he turned pale with shock and rushed out of the inner courtyard in panic.

His voice changed pitch with anxiety: “Princess, why did you come back?”

Yao Ying replied steadily: “There’s no need to discuss this further. I won’t abandon everything to leave the capital alone. Send someone to the Ministry of War to inquire – how did Second Brother end up in an ambush?”

The Chancellor sighed but didn’t try to persuade her further.

The Princess had been sickly since childhood and grown up amid hardship, never carefree like the Second Prince. Her nature had always remained gentle and kind – he knew he couldn’t persuade her.

Yao Ying asked: “Where is my mother?”

The Chancellor answered: “The Noble Consort is safe.”

“Don’t let her know about Second Brother.”

The Chancellor sighed. In Noble Consort Xie’s condition, even if they told her directly that Li Zhongqian was dead, she wouldn’t understand.

As they were speaking, the guard sent to gather news from the Ministry of War returned.

The Chancellor looked at the guard hopefully.

The guard said: “The Ministry of War is in an uproar – some people even want to blame His Highness! Some say His Highness and his men were ambushed by Southern Chu, others say they fell into Western Shu’s trap.”

Southern Chu and Wei often crossed swords over the Eastern Circuit of Shannan and Huainan Circuit. Years ago, the Xie clan had been destroyed when Southern Chu suddenly attacked both Li De’s main camp and Jingnan simultaneously. Xie Wuliang had hastily met the attack to reduce pressure on Li De, but later when Jingnan was surrounded and Li De was trapped in Xiangzhou, unable to send aid, Xie Wuliang held out until their food was exhausted and Jingnan fell.

Shu had also ambushed Wei’s troops before. The King of Shu had not submitted to Li De. When Li De sent people to Shu to persuade monks and scholars to return to the capital, the Meng clan of Shu was greatly displeased and repeatedly sent troops to prevent those monks and scholars from returning to the capital.

Battle reports continued to arrive at the capital. Commander Zhao Tong didn’t know who had ambushed them, but every report firmly stated that the right army led by Li Zhongqian had been annihilated.

The Chancellor’s face showed deep grief.

Yao Ying forced herself not to show disappointment as she instructed her guards: “Continue gathering information. Send someone to the Eastern Palace – the Crown Prince has always been close to the military commanders and knows more detailed battlefield intelligence.”

The guard acknowledged the order.

When Yao Ying returned to the Prince’s mansion, everyone suddenly found their center of gravity, coming to her for guidance.

The inner courtyard steward came to report: “Princess, those in the back courtyard have been causing trouble all afternoon! I’ve also caught several maids stealing valuables. With His Highness gone, they fear being sent to the teaching house, and are making a fuss about leaving the mansion – crying and threatening suicide. No amount of persuasion works.”

The Chancellor said angrily: “As concubines and maids, they should know their place. If they continue causing trouble, bind them all and sell them!”

Yao Ying stopped the Chancellor: “When disaster strikes, each flies their way. Second Brother has met with misfortune, and they fear being implicated – it’s human nature.”

She summoned all the stewards.

“Pass down the word: whoever wants to leave, pack their belongings and go to the front courtyard steward to collect their contract of servitude. Take their things and go.”

Everyone looked at each other.

Yao Ying repeated herself, saying: “If you want to leave too, you may go. You have served my Second Brother well, working diligently without incident. Don’t leave empty-handed – go to the accounting office for a reward before you depart.”

Shame flashed across their faces as they knelt, choking with emotion.

“Princess, we won’t leave! We’ll stay to protect you!”

They had become servants amid warfare, and the Second Prince and Princess had taken them in, allowing them to preserve their lives in chaotic times with food and shelter. Now that the Prince’s mansion faced trouble, they had selfishly thought of abandoning the Princess – how could they face her?

Yao Ying shook her head: “The Prince’s mansion may no longer be able to shelter you. If you have other places to go, don’t linger – pack your things and leave.”

When the news spread, cries of grief filled both outer and inner courtyards.

The servants felt guilty but feared being implicated if they stayed at the Prince’s mansion. Steeling their hearts, they quietly packed their bundles and agreed to leave together.

The steward publicly destroyed everyone’s contracts of servitude and rewarded each, saying: “The Princess has already ordered the official archives to be cleared. Everyone go their separate ways.”

Taking their rewards, the people cried heart-rendingly, turned to kowtow toward the main hall, and left looking back three times with each step.

In the inner courtyard, Li Zhongqian’s several concubines also cried deeply as they bid farewell to Yao Ying.

The commotion continued until late into the night before the Prince’s mansion finally quieted.

Those who could leave had gone, but many remained in the end, and not a single guard or soldier had left.

Xu Biao stood before the courtyard steps, looking at the scattered inner courtyard servants remaining, and spat: “Those ungrateful bastards! Forgetting kindness and righteousness! Why let them go? In my opinion, we should have bound them and broken their legs to show them the consequences of betrayal!”

Yao Ying looked at him and said: “Since they no longer wished to stay, there was no point forcing them. Keeping them would only breed trouble. Better to send them off early – they can make their way, and the mansion will be quieter.”

Those willing to stay now were truly loyal to Li Zhongqian and her.

Xu Biao thought carefully for a moment and saw the logic. He scratched his neck and fell silent.

Yao Ying ordered the steward to prepare horses, dried food, and other necessities.

Once they learned exactly where Li Zhongqian had been ambushed, she would set out.

The Chancellor hurried to dissuade her: “Princess, you plan to go to the battlefield yourself? You are delicate, and a young lady – how can you personally venture into danger!”

Outside the window hung a jade disc moon, its light thick and rich.

Yao Ying had been busy all day, her face wan. The scroll-grass patterned arm band hung loosely at her wide sleeve.

“If Second Brother is still alive, I’ll stay in the capital to help him, going nowhere. If Second Brother is truly gone, everywhere is dangerous for me. Swords and blades are blind – one can avoid them. But how does one handle treacherous hearts? What is there to fear on the battlefield?”

She had considered both the best and worst outcomes and was prepared.

She wouldn’t let her brother lie exposed and alone in the wilderness.

The Chancellor wept softly: “You are a precious princess!”

The Princess had been raised in luxury and was the Xie family’s granddaughter, a Li family princess. Now that the Second Prince had met with misfortune, no one cared about the Princess – instead, they all kept their distance. Did His Majesty truly have no fatherly feeling at all?

Yao Ying smiled slightly: “Precious princess, dragon’s child – in His Majesty’s eyes, none of it matters.”

Li De truly deserved to be Emperor – cold and calculating, with all the ruthless skills a ruler should have. In his heart, only Li Xuanzhen, born of Lady Tang, was his son. Other children were merely products of political marriages, ready to be sacrificed for his greater plans at any time.

She had long recognized this and never expected to receive any fatherly love from Li De. She regarded him solely as her sovereign.

The night passed as soldiers searched everywhere for news.

Yao Ying had stayed up all night, only closing her eyes briefly before dawn.

A Prince’s mansion guard entered the courtyard nervously to report: “Princess, servants have discovered several suspicious-looking barbarians.”

The Chancellor trembled with anger: “The Yelu chieftain still hasn’t given up!”

Xu Biao immediately exploded, grabbing his sword and heading out: “I’ll go slaughter them!”

“Stop!” Yao Ying commanded Xu Biao. “They’re only suspicious-looking – if you kill them, the Yelu tribe will have more excuse to come make trouble.”

Xu Biao’s face turned purple with repressed anger. He grunted several times and returned to his room hugging his sword.

Xie Qing said softly: “Noble Lady, the barbarians won’t give up their schemes. I can kill them quietly.”

Yao Ying shook her head.

“There’s more than one group watching the Prince’s mansion now.” She lowered her head, fingers lightly brushing the armband on her wrist. “People from the Yelu tribe, Princess Fukang’s people, the Eastern Palace’s people… you can’t kill them all. There’s no need to deal with them now.”

Xie Qing acknowledged.

Over the next few days, news of Li Zhongqian’s ambush spread throughout Chang’an, and more and more spies gathered outside the Prince’s mansion.

The mansion was filled with a heavy atmosphere of impending storm and collapsing edifice. In just a few days, the Chancellor had aged several years.

Yao Ying sent away the remaining servants, letting them take money and leave the mansion to avoid trouble, keeping only the guards and soldiers.

That day, Lord Pei suddenly came to visit.

“I’m returning to Wei Commandery in a few days. Your brother is dead, leaving you without support. Staying alone in Chang’an is like a lamb entering a wolf pack. Better come back to Wei Commandery with this old man.”

He had come to the capital only to help Li Yao Ying out of her predicament, with no real intention of having his great-grandson marry her. Unexpectedly, the terrible news of Li Zhongqian’s death had arrived. Unable to bear seeing the now-unsupported Li Yao Ying bullied, he had considered for two days before deciding to take this young lady back to the Pei family in Wei Commandery.

If Li Yao Ying was willing to marry Pei Yu, that wouldn’t be bad.

Yao Ying solemnly performed a deep bow to Lord Pei: “I hastily asked Lord Pei to come to the capital before, troubling you with this journey, and haven’t had the chance to thank you properly.”

Lord Pei waved his hand dismissively, coughing twice: “I promised to help you once, naturally I had to keep my word. You needn’t thank me. Seventh Miss, I won’t force you to marry Yu Lang. Come back to Wei Commandery with me – though the Pei family can’t compare to the capital’s great houses, we can at least guarantee your safety and peace.”

Yao Ying smiled and shook her head: “Thank you for your kindness, Lord Pei.”

The Pei and Xie families were hereditary enemies. Lord Pei had only stepped forward to help her to fulfill his previous promise.

Now Lord Pei was willing to support her, but after he left, would the remaining Pei family members treat her well?

Even if Pei Yu could treat her well, when Li Xuanzhen ascended the throne in the future, the Pei family would surely be implicated because of her. How could a minor Wei Commandery official with only an empty title resist an emperor?

Yao Ying had already made up her mind and said: “If there’s still no news in these two days, I plan to go south.”

Lord Pei lifted his eyelids in surprise, staring at Yao Ying for a long while. “This journey of yours may not allow a safe return to the capital, and besides, your brother has already fallen in battle.”

Yao Ying smiled, still delicate and beautiful like spring flowers blooming on branches: “If alive, see the person; if dead, see the body. Whether Second Brother lives or dies, I must bring him back.”

Lord Pei looked at Yao Ying, narrowing his eyes. After a long silence, he nodded in approval.

“The Pei family ancestors were at odds with the Xie family. I’ve always disliked Xie people.”

He lifted his head, his clouded eyes filled with melancholy. “But I greatly admired your uncle. He was a scholarly man, couldn’t draw a bow, couldn’t lift a sword, couldn’t even climb onto a horse. When His Majesty allied with the Xie family, I met your uncle. He wore loose robes with wide sleeves, standing beside His Majesty, his face more beautiful than the young ladies of Wei Commandery. I thought to myself, could this Master Wuliang of Jingnan, famous throughout the land, actually be a woman?”

Lord Pei’s mouth twitched slightly.

“I looked down on Xie Wuliang, thought him weak, and disliked his calculating nature. He was a noble family’s son – even if he couldn’t excel at archery and horsemanship, he should have had a noble’s bearing. But no, he was covered in the stink of copper cash, associating daily with profit-seeking merchants! Yet His Majesty greatly appreciated him, regarded him as a kindred spirit, consulting him on all military and political matters.”

Lord Pei had greatly despised Xie Wuliang then, believing he was two-faced, allying with Li De only for glory and wealth. Why else would the Xie family force Li De to marry Noble Consort Xie? Why else would they join with the Li clan members to suppress Li Xuanzhen and support Li Zhongqian?

Only on the day Xie Wuliang died did Lord Pei finally understand: that Xie Wuliang had never tarnished the Xie family’s century of integrity.

But no matter how much he admired him, as a member of the Pei family, he would have no connection with the Xie family.

Lord Pei was lost in thought for a moment, carefully examining Li Yao Ying.

“You somewhat resemble your uncle…”

Yao Ying was startled. She had met Xie Wuliang when she was very young, but she had been too young to remember her uncle’s appearance clearly, and no one had ever said she resembled her uncle.

Lord Pei withdrew his gaze and stood up: “Since your will is firm, this old man won’t try to persuade you.”

He could only help this far. No matter how much he admired Xie Wuliang and Li Yao Ying, his promise wouldn’t change: he would save only Li Yao Ying herself.

If she wanted to go to her death, he couldn’t stop her.

Yao Ying saw Lord Pei out.

Lord Pei’s attendant helped him into his carriage, and seeing his regretful expression, asked softly: “Young Master, why do you regard the Seventh Princess differently?”

The Seventh Princess had saved Pei Yu, and Lord Pei had kept his promise, disregarding his advanced age to come to the capital and help her out of trouble – they were now even. Lord Pei wasn’t a warmhearted person, so why did he still want to help the Seventh Princess?

Lord Pei looked back. Yao Ying still stood on the steps seeing him off, her skin whiter than snow, her figure graceful – a lush branch with dew-kissed fragrance, beautiful and charming. Anyone seeing her would probably find it hard to believe how weak and thin she had been as a swaddled infant.

Noble Consort Xie had managed to raise that dying baby girl.

“I don’t save anyone connected to the Xie family.”

Lord Pei turned and sat in the carriage, speaking softly.

…

Yao Ying waited another two days, but the battle reports sent back to the capital remained unclear.

Zhao Tong had found traces of Wei troops by the river valley and followed them to discover a battlefield. The river current was swift, and he had only found some soldiers’ remains, not yet discovering Li Zhongqian’s body.

Yao Ying didn’t want to wait any longer. She ordered the steward to prepare carriages and horses, ready to set out.

Xie Qing and Xu Biao first escorted separate carriages out of the city to draw away the barbarians and other spies who had been lingering outside the Prince’s mansion daily. Yao Ying, disguised as a merchant, left the city afterward.

They met at a post station on the official road, but before they could speak, a thunderous sound of hoofbeats came from the mountain path to the south.

A fast horse shot forward like an arrow, but when it reached the post station, the magnificent beast could no longer hold on. It gave two tragic neighs and fell dead.

The rider was thrown in front of Xie Qing’s mount. He crawled up, face covered in blood, his gaze sweeping across Xie Qing’s serious face. He froze for a moment before crying out in excitement.

“Ah Qing!”

Xie Qing recognized him as an Xie family guard who had once been defeated by his blade and later became Li Zhongqian’s guard.

For the first time, shock appeared on his face: “How are you here?”

He immediately looked toward Yao Ying.

“Princess, this is Xie Chao, His Highness’s guard!”

Xie Chao followed his gaze to Li Yao Ying. With no time to be surprised at why the pampered Princess would appear at a post station, he rushed forward, tears cutting two tracks through the blood covering his face.

“Princess, His Highness is in danger, barely alive – you must save His Highness!”

The dry, pungent summer mountain wind swept across the silent mountain path, moaning mournfully.

Yao Ying gripped her reins tightly, her body alternating between cold and hot as her heartbeat suddenly became very slow.

Brother was still alive.