“What a grand scene.” Mo Zi descended from the phoenix palanquin, speaking sarcastically in reverse.

Ye’er at her side opened her mouth to speak, but Wu Yanle shook his head at her.

He spoke for her, but matter-of-factly. “Eagle God Temple is the most sacred royal ground. The celestial hall is somewhere only the King and Queen can enter. When you walk up later, you’ll find it very quiet, so quiet there’s only the Grand Priest and the God-Serving Monks. However, when you emerge from the hall again, your status will be different.” She would be the Queen Consort.

Mo Zi snorted lightly. The people who had quieted before her didn’t make her nervous—her mind was on Dou Lu’s words.

“We’re under house arrest in the courtyard where the God-Serving Monks practice austerities below the North Tower. Behind is a cliff—we can only enter and exit through the front gate.”

The North Tower.

She looked over. There was indeed quite a large courtyard there, built against the mountain, rising in layers. From her angle, she couldn’t see the cliff. If what Ye’er said was true—that Wu Yanqie had already set an ambush, wanting to capture those rescuing her and Jin Yin—then Jin Yin was very likely not there. Right now, she could only hope Luo Ying and Xiao Yi had already passed the message to Yuan Cheng.

Yuan Cheng said Wu Yanqie was not an ordinary opponent—she couldn’t rely on plans. She only knew that someone would infiltrate the temple to rescue Jin Yin, and she needed to act according to circumstances—escape if she could, and if not, try her best to return to the Song residence. Try her best to return to the Song residence? Easier said than done. How to do it—she was still troubled.

The temple seemed deserted, but Grand Chancellor Duange’s smiling face and Wu Yanle’s composure made Mo Zi feel no ease in her heart. Wu Yanqie was a very formidable figure—without mixing in personal emotions, she believed Daqiu’s ambition to unify the world could very possibly be realized by him.

The festive music had been playing continuously. When it suddenly changed tunes, Wu Yanqie appeared at the base of the ninety-nine steps. Wearing a red-gold great dragon robe, purple-silver hanging sleeves, jade crown with pearl tassels, ivory belt with phoenix stones—supremely noble. Seeing Mo Zi at the end of the red carpet, his handsome face was full of joy, his eyes smiling.

“Miss, please proceed forward.” Ye’er reminded.

Mo Zi bit her lip. Whether Jin Yin was still at the North Tower or not, she had to confirm. But who exactly had Yuan Cheng sent? She looked around but couldn’t spot anything suspicious, and Wu Yanle’s personal guard unit couldn’t possibly let spies mix in.

“Miss.” Ye’er called again.

Getting married once is just getting married once. After the ceremony, she’d run. Mo Zi took a deep breath and walked toward Wu Yanqie.

According to protocol, the King and Queen had to walk together up to the celestial hall, where the Grand Priest would bestow blessings on behalf of the Eagle God, add the eagle-eye phoenix purple stone to their crowns, and they would drink the divine spring water together. The two had to swear before the Eagle God to share one life for this lifetime and the next, and as the Eagle God’s son and daughter-in-law, to consider the world before themselves.

The Eagle God created by the Daqiu royal family possessed powerful ambition.

The closer Mo Zi got to Wu Yanqie, the slower her steps became. Her palms even broke out in cold sweat, her breathing growing short. With just a few steps remaining, she completely stopped moving.

Duange Erfeng suddenly dropped to both knees, bowing once to her. “Queen Consort, please ascend to the hall.”

At his kneeling, those nobles and ministers loyal to Wu Yanqie all knelt as well, shouting together, “Queen Consort, please ascend to the hall!”

Wu Yanle made a kneeling gesture to his personal guards, also leading all his people to kneel. “Queen Consort, please ascend to the hall!”

Mo Zi turned around. Except for Wu Yanqie’s shadow guards, no one was standing. The repeated calls of “Queen Consort, please ascend to the hall” shocked her eardrums numb.

Wu Yanqie extended his hand. His gaze was supremely confident, not allowing her to retreat. “My Queen, please ascend to the hall.”

Mo Zi looked sideways at the North Tower. White clouds passed over the tower’s peak. The sky was high and distant. Flowing wind blew over, tugging at her sleeves. She hesitated no more, stepped up one level, walked to Wu Yanqie’s side, but didn’t extend her hand to him.

“Holding hands before the wedding ceremony is improper.” Her reason was ice-cold.

Wu Yanqie wasn’t angry. She was beside him, about to become his Queen. All her coldness would slowly warm until she loved him as before. He’d always been the most patient—waiting wasn’t too difficult an ordeal, if she accompanied him in the waiting. He told everyone to rise and turned to ascend the stone steps with her.

Heaven and earth fell quiet. The groom in dragon robes couldn’t enter Mo Zi’s eyes—she either focused on the steps beneath her feet or inadvertently glanced northward.

Suddenly, urgent hoofbeats, someone shouting loudly, the voice coming from far and drawing near. “Your Majesty, Song Mo Zi absolutely cannot become Queen!”

Mo Zi immediately turned around, thinking—it’s here!

Wu Yanqie grasped her elbow. “A Zi, don’t gloat.”

This man still understood her quite well. Mo Zi saw clearly who had come and sneered. “Wu Yanqie, borrow this opportunity to see clearly—you and I, it’s impossible to start over. Even if you want to, even if I want to, they—the clan powers your ancestors relied upon—will oppose to the end.”

Wu Yanqie looked at Kena Zhendi and the billowing dust and smoke behind him, his expression very calm. “A Zi, you also borrow this opportunity to see clearly my true heart toward you.”

In just moments, the previously sparse grounds filled with neighing horses and clanging iron—over a hundred cavalry in war armor and several hundred Capital Guards wielding curved sabers dramatically elevated the atmosphere. Not only that, but over a hundred archers formed a semicircle, arrow strings notched between their fingers.

Besides Kena Zhendi, there was Maer and leaders of several other clans, riding forward on horseback.

“Your Majesty, please cancel the grand wedding.” They dismounted, knelt on one knee, hands clasped in petition.

“Minister Kena, Minister Maer, what do you intend by leading troops here?” Duange, hale and hearty for his age, bellowed with full vigor. “Today is the King’s joyous day. Is this how you arrive to celebrate?”

“Minister Duange, you claim to be most loyal to His Majesty—how can you watch His Majesty go down the wrong path without counsel? Could it be you harbor ulterior motives?” Maer was much younger than Kena and Duange, in the prime of life, his momentum like a rainbow.

Duange’s eldest son immediately changed expression, pointing at Maer in fury. “You speak nonsense! You’re clearly jealous that we Duange receive the King’s favor and are taking this opportunity to provoke.”

Maer was a clan leader—how would he take Duange’s eldest son seriously? Ignoring him, he looked up at Wu Yanqie. “Your Majesty, Song Mo Zi is not only jealous and vicious—she even laid hands on the virtuous Concubine Xiang—but also harbors ulterior motives toward Daqiu with unspeakable purposes. Please, Your Majesty, investigate the facts and convict her.”

Mo Zi raised her eyebrows. They were targeting her, but she was quite grateful.

“Nonsense!” Wu Yanle was Wu Yanqie’s blood brother—in Daqiu his status was second only to the King, and his words carried extreme weight. “The jealous one is Concubine Xiang. She wanted to kill Mo Zi—naturally Mo Zi couldn’t sit and wait for death. Sparing her life was already merciful. Harboring ulterior motives toward Daqiu makes even less sense. Mo Zi’s shipbuilding techniques are unmatched. If not for her, our Daqiu warships would still rank lowest among the four kingdoms. Minister Maer, how can a person be so ungrateful?”

Kena picked up this question. “Song Mo Zi can build ships, but she refuses to use her ship techniques for Daqiu’s military power—resentment arose long ago. Later she followed Song Yu to Yuling and never again drew a single ship diagram for Daqiu. The reason our Daqiu warships are excellent is because my daughter gathered the abilities of thousands of craftsmen and successfully reformed them. Song Mo Zi contributed nothing.”

Maer nodded repeatedly, stood up, and looked at Mo Zi with narrowed eyes. “That’s right. No matter how capable she is, if she’s not used by Daqiu, she’s worthless. Moreover, she has already allied with Great Zhou. This infiltration into Daqiu is to rescue the Crown Prince of Yuling, wanting to help the Emperor of Great Zhou gain favor with Yuling.”

Hearing these words, Duange Erfeng furrowed his white brows. “Minister Maer, that the Emperor of Great Zhou enfeoffed her as a female official—we knew long ago. However, since she kept her agreement with the King and returned, henceforth she will be loyal to Daqiu. It’s not rescuing the Crown Prince of Yuling but reuniting with her sister. Words without evidence are best left unsaid.”

“Several days ago, the Capital Guard led by my son captured two Great Zhou spies who have already confessed that Song Mo Zi came following a secret decree from the Emperor of Great Zhou to rescue the Crown Prince. I’ve brought those two spies here—would the Grand Chancellor like to interrogate them personally?” Maer beckoned, and soldiers brought forward two people bound hand and foot.

Mo Zi looked and saw they were indeed Xiao Er’s subordinates—she couldn’t help but be surprised.

Maer grabbed one of them by the head, forcing him to look at Mo Zi. “Speak! Is the woman up there the one who brought you to execute the secret order?”

That person stared at Mo Zi for a while, then said yes.

Maer laughed loudly, suddenly drew the blade from his waist, and severed that person’s head. He placed the blade at the other person’s throat, asking him the same question.

Though those two had never spoken with Mo Zi, they’d traveled the waterway together on the same ship—she’d at least seen them enough to recognize their faces. She’d never imagined she would witness their deaths, and couldn’t help crying out.

“Maer, stop!”

Maer’s sinister gaze swept over her. “As you command, Queen Consort!” But his hand exerted force, slitting the throat beneath the blade.

Both men died, their blood staining the cloud-pattern bricks red.

By calling out to stop, in everyone’s eyes Mo Zi had essentially admitted she was in league with these two, including to Wu Yanqie.

“A Zi?” Wu Yanqie didn’t believe it, pulling her close to his side. “Didn’t you come to keep your promise?”

“Wu Yanqie, you captured my sister—could I not keep my promise?” Ridiculous—of course she hadn’t come voluntarily.

“Coming for Dou Lu is one thing, but coming for the Crown Prince of Yuling is another. Did you truly follow orders from the Emperor of Great Zhou?” The ministers and clans objecting on grounds that Mo Zi was a Han woman, or that Mo Zi was a Great Zhou female official, or that Mo Zi was jealous and refused to contribute her shipbuilding techniques—he could refute all these. But following secret orders regarding the Crown Prince of Yuling conflicted with Daqiu’s fundamental interests. If this crime was established, it was colluding with the enemy and treason. Forget Queen—her very life would be forfeit.

“So what if I did?” She didn’t care at all.

“Song Mo Zi!” Wu Yanqie ground his teeth. “Do you think by completely making yourself Daqiu’s enemy, I’ll give up?”

Mo Zi looked at the people below the steps. “Wu Yanqie, look at Duange Erfeng’s expression, then look at Wu Yanle’s personal guards and your shadow guards’ expressions. Your obstinacy will only force everyone to give up. The result of giving up is what Kena and Maer are doing to you now. A palace coup!”

Wu Yanqie saw it. Those who had firmly supported him, because Mo Zi served Great Zhou rather than benefiting Daqiu, finally showed hesitation or displeasure on their faces.

And at this time, over a hundred mounted men arrived outside Daqiu’s palace gates.

The gate guards were startled and quickly summoned the garrison commander.

“Where are you from?” Though suspicious, the commander wasn’t nervous.

The leader had a lean narrow face and slitted eyes, looking like a villain. He produced a token and presented it before the commander. “Following orders from General Duange, here to extract a serious criminal from the Heavenly Prison. Open the gate quickly—delay will cause trouble.”

The commander saw it was Duange Shou’s palace gate token and immediately allowed passage and led the way.