The night was deep.

The imperial mausoleum was far from quiet, with sorrowful cries continuously echoing overhead.

The two children were exhausted. After returning to their room and quickly washing themselves, they collapsed onto the bed and immediately fell asleep.

Yun Chu knew that Chu Yi probably wouldn’t return all night, as there were far too many matters requiring his attention.

She removed the plain white flower from her hair, preparing to rest.

Suddenly, Qiutong’s cold voice rang out from outside: “Who goes there? Remove your cloak, or don’t blame our blades for being merciless.”

“It’s—it’s me, don’t kill me!”

A somewhat familiar voice came from outside.

Yun Chu felt she had heard this voice before, but couldn’t immediately recall who it was.

Then, a figure suddenly flashed through her mind.

She quickly rose, and Tingfeng hurried forward to open the door.

She saw a slender woman kneeling at the bottom of the courtyard steps, wearing a black cloak. Her hood had already been removed, revealing a gaunt face.

Yun Chu could barely recognize her.

It had only been about four months, just over a hundred days, yet Xie Ping had become completely different from before.

If Yun Chu hadn’t lived with her for four years, she probably wouldn’t have recognized her at all.

“Mother, it’s me—Ping’er.” Xie Ping knelt on the ground, crawling on her knees toward Yun Chu. “After I learned Mother came to the imperial mausoleum, I tried every means to see you…”

Yun Chu looked at her with a complicated expression: “You shouldn’t have come, and you shouldn’t call me Mother either.”

“No, once a mother, always a mother. I always remember Mother’s teachings.” Xie Ping clutched Yun Chu’s legs. “I can’t stay in this hellish place even one more day. Please, Mother, take me away. Mother, I beg you, save me. I’ll truly die here…”

Yun Chu crouched down, looking at her: “Back then, you were imprisoned because of Prince An’jing. Your father and Brother An’s intention was for you to go with Prince An’jing. Even if you leave the imperial mausoleum now, there’s no place for you in the Xie Family. Where could you go?”

Intense hatred surfaced in Xie Ping’s eyes.

When she was locked in that lightless dungeon and saw her father and Brother An come, she thought she saw hope. Who would have imagined that those two closest relatives would tell her to go die.

Even her own father and brother treated her this way—what right did she have to ask a stepmother with no blood relation to save her?

“Mother, I’m suffering so much, truly suffering so much…”

Xie Ping broke into sobs.

She didn’t know who else she could turn to besides Mother.

She truly didn’t want to stay in this purgatory-like place anymore.

She was supposedly here only to guard Prince An’jing’s tomb, yet she was assigned all sorts of menial labor. That would have been bearable, but she was also bullied by those eunuchs.

She had no choice but to seek help from an old dowager consort. The old dowager consort was a tomb guardian for the late emperor, the legitimate daughter of a second-rank family from the capital. She did protect her, but Xie Ping had paid an enormous price for it…

“Ping’er, I once told you—you must walk the path you’ve chosen, even if you have to crawl.” Yun Chu’s voice was gentle. “You’re a tomb guardian. You shouldn’t have come here. If you’re discovered, you’ll suffer even more. Be good and go back.”

“Mother, I don’t want to…” Tears streamed down Xie Ping’s face. “Mother, can you tell me what to do? What should I do…”

Yun Chu shook her head.

She signaled Tingfeng with her eyes to bring out a plate of food from the room.

“Ping’er, I don’t have the ability to help you. Eat your fill, then go back to where you belong.”

Xie Ping knew that even Mother couldn’t help her.

Her eyes were full of tears as she lowered her head, taking small bites of the pastries.

She hadn’t tasted these sweet pastries in over four months. As they melted on her tongue and the sweetness spread, for that instant, she felt as though she was still the eldest miss of the Xie Family…

No matter how slowly she ate, there came a moment when the food was finished.

She was pulled up by Qiutong in despair and escorted back to the tomb guardians’ quarters.

She stood there blankly, not knowing how long she had been standing, when an old nanny said coldly: “The dowager consort has been searching everywhere for you. Why aren’t you hurrying over?”

Xie Ping’s body involuntarily shrank, and her chest throbbed with pain.

The methods the dowager consort used on her were not only physical torture but also mental torment. Sooner or later, she would be completely drained and die.

She was only a fourteen-year-old girl. Just because she had taken the wrong path, did she deserve to live a life worse than death?

“I—I’m not feeling well today.”

Xie Ping lowered her head and refused.

The old nanny grabbed her hair: “If it weren’t for the dowager consort protecting you, you would have been violated long ago. How dare you refuse the dowager consort’s orders?”

“I really can’t today…” Xie Ping quickly struggled free and turned to run into the night.

The old nanny knew that today the Empress Dowager was being interred and that the Emperor and Empress were staying overnight at the imperial mausoleum, so she didn’t dare make too much of a scene. She cursed: “You wretched wench, just wait. Once the Emperor leaves, we’ll see how I deal with you!”

Xie Ping ran in one breath to the back mountain area of the imperial mausoleum.

She gazed at the pitch-black night, bewildered and at a loss.

Where should she go? It seemed there was no place left for her in this world…

She walked forward aimlessly, thinking that if she could walk out of this imperial mausoleum, perhaps there would be a chance to live.

After walking for a long time, she suddenly saw a group of people appear before her.

Several eunuchs and guards, and at the very front was someone wearing yellow robes—a young man.

In this world, those who could wear yellow brocade were none other than the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

That person was indeed the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince had never liked studying. He could only read thanks to the Empress’s supervision. He didn’t like learning martial arts either; his horsemanship could only be considered passable at best.

What he loved most was wood carving.

But the Empress wouldn’t allow such frivolity.

He could only do it behind the Empress’s back, behind the Crown Princess’s back—secretly coming to the mountains behind the imperial mausoleum to search for tree roots. He wanted to create a magnificent root carving.

He was searching everywhere on the mountain.

From a distance, Xie Ping watched that patch of bright yellow, and a plan formed in her mind.

She turned and left—no, she ran, lifting her skirts and running swiftly. She feared she wouldn’t have enough time, feared the Crown Prince would leave the back mountain too early.

The Crown Prince also wanted to leave this pitch-black place early, but not having found a satisfactory piece of wood for carving, he could only carefully search with his torch. Fearing he might start a forest fire, he didn’t dare make any large movements and walked extremely slowly…

Suddenly, the roar of a wild beast rang out.

“Your Highness, let’s go back…” An attendant said with trembling hands and feet. “There must be wolves on the mountain. It’s too dangerous. How about this servant searches for you early tomorrow morning instead?”

The Crown Prince snorted: “Everything you find is rotten wood. I don’t trust you.”

He continued going deeper. After just a few steps, the roar sounded again, getting closer and closer.

Then came the sound of trees being knocked down, followed by footsteps rapidly approaching in their direction.

“Quick, protect His Highness!”

Several guards hurried forward to block.

They thought it was a wolf. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect that in the firelight, it was actually a tiger pouncing toward them.

The guard in front didn’t even have time to cry out before being knocked down, his neck bitten through by the tiger, the smell of blood instantly spreading.

The Crown Prince was scared stiff.

How could there be a tiger on this mountain… Wasn’t it said that the only tiger had been captured and confined within the imperial mausoleum to guard the imperial tombs for generations…

The Crown Prince’s legs went weak. He wanted to flee but tripped on a branch and fell to the ground.

The tiger had been eating, but hearing the commotion, it immediately turned around and lunged forward again with its bloody maw wide open.

The guards quickly raised their torches, attempting to frighten the tiger away, but this tiger was clearly unafraid.

“Roar!”

The tiger’s saliva dripped down as it swatted the second guard aside with one paw.

Those terrifying large eyes fixed on the Crown Prince, its fangs slowly approaching.

Just then, a petite figure nimbly positioned herself in front of the Crown Prince.