Imperial City Department, Imperial Prison.
The pitch-black dungeon held no light, but by the faint glow seeping through the narrow entrance, one could vaguely make out the figure of a man sitting inside. His white undergarments were stained red with blood, his hands and feet bound by iron chains.
He slowly opened his eyes and reached out a hand.
The man looked down—there was nothing beside his hand. He waited a moment, but still nothing happened.
He then raised his head to look toward the dungeon entrance. The candlelight in the secret passage flickered in the wind, yet no shadow of a person appeared. The passage remained eerily quiet.
Time passed minute by minute, but still no jailer came.
【Six】
The man frowned instantly.
Thump, thump.
Footsteps sounded as two people hurried in. The man’s ears twitched, and he looked up to see a familiar figure appear. The person behind him flatteringly held up a lantern for the newcomer, approaching step by step.
As the lantern was slightly raised, it illuminated the face of the man—clearly, it was Lu Qian, the Imperial City Commissioner!
Lu Qian looked the imprisoned man up and down, sneering, “We meet again, General Yan.”
Yan Danqing raised his head, swept a glance over him, then calmly withdrew his gaze without a trace of sorrow or joy, as if he had never regarded him with any importance—cold and mocking.
Lu Qian’s expression instantly darkened.
He abruptly raised his hand, the blade in his right hand pressing against the man inside. His face twisted with rage as he gritted his teeth, “I truly despise this demeanor of yours, Yan Danqing. Today, you will surely die!”
Hearing the words “today,” Yan Danqing’s previously slightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed. He finally spoke, his voice hoarse and rough from long disuse:
“You said the same thing the day before yesterday.”
Two mornings ago, this man had similarly pointed a blade at him, his face contorted with rage, swearing confidently, “In three days, you will surely die.”
Lu Qian sneered, his face full of mockery, “Ah, General Yan, you’ve exhausted yourself for Daliang, yet you’ll ultimately die at the hands of its people. How laughable.”
Yan Danqing remained unmoved, his eyes calm and unruffled.
“I’ll watch and see if you still wear this fearless, noble expression when your head is being chopped off!” Lu Qian angrily turned around with the lantern and hurried away.
【Seven】
Afterward, he stared at that word and frowned deeply once more.
At Caishikou, the executioner raised both hands, spat out a mouthful of strong liquor, and the Ghost Head Blade flashed coldly before falling heavily. Excruciating pain surged, blood sprayed, and the scene intertwined with the long blade in the hands of the Imperial City Department commander—a neck colliding with it, blood dripping everywhere…
Ye Xiren clutched her neck and abruptly sat up, breathing rapidly, her eyes filled with terror.
She had returned again!
“Miss?” Xue Chan hurried in, her face full of concern. “Did you have another nightmare?”
Ye Xiren took a deep breath and quickly got out of bed. Her face was pale as she spoke with practiced familiarity, “Quickly, help me get dressed and prepare the carriage.”
The troubles of the past two days had already been handled with ease. The hardest part was the third day of the third month, but fortunately, she had returned early and learned quite a bit of information. There was always a way…
Xue Chan fetched clothes and helped her dress, somewhat puzzled:
“Why is Miss preparing the carriage again today? The day before yesterday, when the eldest young master took the imperial examination, Miss prepared the carriage early in the morning to go out. But there’s nothing happening today?”
Ye Xiren’s pupils contracted, her expression changed drastically. She looked at Xue Chan in disbelief, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to speak, “You… what did you just… say?”
Xue Chan froze, “Huh?”
Ye Xiren grabbed her wrist, blood rushing to her head in an instant, her mind going blank as her voice trembled: "Xue Chan, what is the date today?"
Though bewildered, Xue Chan answered truthfully: "It's the third day of the third month."
What has been wrong with the young lady these past two days?
Every morning, the first thing she asks is the date—has she been sleeping too deeply?
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiren's body went limp, suddenly losing all strength as she weakly sank back onto the bed, trembling uncontrollably, her face filled with terror and shock.
The third day of the third month!
She had returned to the third day of the third month, no longer the first!
"Young lady?" Xue Chan grew anxious. "What's wrong with you? Someone, quickly call for a physician!"
Ye Xiren's face turned pale, her body swaying unsteadily as she sank into her own world, murmuring: "The third day of the third month, how could today be the third day of the third month?"
Why had she returned to the third day of the third month?
Clearly, it had always been the first day before—only today was different. Could it be… this was the final Rebirth?
At the thought of this answer, Ye Xiren panicked entirely, her face as pale as paper, her vision darkening in waves. She braced herself against the bed to barely steady her form, preventing herself from collapsing.
"That's right, even if the bodhisattva blesses me, they wouldn't give me chance after chance. Seven Rebirths—could that be all the opportunities Heaven has granted me?" Ye Xiren murmured.
Her fearlessness of death was based on the ability to go back and start over; even if she made mistakes, there were still chances.
But if this was the final one…
Ye Xiren's eyes filled with terror, and she shuddered.
If Ye Pei went to court today, the Execution of the entire family would mean real death—she would have no further chance to save her family. But if she stopped Ye Pei from attending court, could Daliang still be saved?
On one side, the destruction of her family; on the other, the fall of the nation.
Ignoring Xue Chan's anxious voice, Ye Xiren pulled out a cloak, draped it over her arm, and hurried out. It was precisely the moment when Ye Pei was about to leave for court.
"Xixi?" Ye Pei, seeing her arrive breathless, grew concerned.
Ye Xiren stepped into the front courtyard and softly asked: "Father, must you go today? Is there no other way?"
Ye Pei paused for a moment before forcing a smile: "I have reasons I must go, unchangeable. Xixi, if something happens, you must leave Nandu as quickly as possible."
On the previous second day of the third month, they had already spoken openly.
Ye Xiren knew he intended to take the blame and had been unable to stop him. On the morning of the third day of the third month, she had poisoned him to forcibly prevent it, but the events that followed remained vivid in her memory.
Ye Xiren's eyes reddened as she asked again:
"The evidence will arrive tomorrow—is there truly no way to delay for one day? Even if you don't confess, being imprisoned to buy time would be better… Must you sacrifice your life for this?"
This might be the final chance—death would be real death.
"This is our plan." Ye Pei no longer hid it from her, smiling bitterly. "Today in court, I will bring up the Military Provisions Case, allowing them to investigate. In the end, it will inevitably lead to me. The only ones who could tamper with military provisions and conceal it for so long are me and the Minister of War. He won't confess, so it falls to me.
"At that time, I will likely be imprisoned in Dali Temple and handed over to your Uncle Bai for interrogation. We have already agreed—he will work with Zheng Wen Jue and others to buy time…"
Pausing, Ye Pei chose to speak the truth: "This is the best-case scenario. But if Bei Yan presses too hard, and His Majesty refuses to believe us, General Yan will still have to die… then, if necessary, I will confess."
Ye Xiren's eyes reddened.
With two experiences behind her, she knew all too clearly that everything was at its worst. They had failed to delay for even a day. Her father would die, and the Ye family would face execution of the entire family.
Even though Ye Pei guessed the outcome, he still pressed forward without hesitation.
Tears welled in Ye Xiren's eyes as she whispered softly, "Alright, then I'll see you off."
Ye Pei sighed lightly, his face full of reluctance as he ruffled Ye Xiren's hair. Side by side, the two walked toward the main gate, and for a moment, everything fell into an eerie silence.
The sky had not yet brightened, and the night wind blew, bringing waves of chill.
Ye Xiren's mind gradually cleared. She turned her head and asked, "Chizhan Lan Ce is so meticulous in his calculations. Could he not know that if General Yan dies, he won't survive either?"
"If General Yan dies, the Northern Yan Crown Prince will certainly turn hostile, leaving no possibility for peace talks. By then, with Northern Yan growing stronger, many fence-sitters in the court will likely not dare to kill him. This man personally entered Nandu, putting himself at risk in this game… It is precisely these daring moves that have convinced countless officials he truly intends to negotiate peace." Ye Pei couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "In the end, it's highly likely that General Yan will die because of him, while he himself remains alive."
Ye Xiren thought of the news she had heard "last night" and truly felt everything was like a dream—unravelable and still unclear.
"Where is General Yan being held?" Ye Xiren asked again.
"In Lu Qian's Imperial City Department, inside the Imperial Prison." Ye Pei sighed once more. "The Imperial City Department is controlled by Zhang Yuanmou and Lu Qian. Our people can't even get a single meeting."
Ye Xiren's heart sank.
Yan Danqing was in Lu Qian's hands, yet he hadn't killed him. Clearly, he intended to use the court's hand to carry out the beheading, completely crushing the Yanjia Army and making it easier for Northern Yan to win.
This Chizhan Lan Ce was truly terrifying!
Ye Xiren escorted Ye Pei to the entrance of the Ye Residence.
Ye Pei stopped and turned to look at her. "This is far enough, Xixi. Staying alive is more important than anything else. Don't push yourself too hard. Today, take your mother and the others away. Your brother is impulsive—you must stop him…"
He paused, then added one last piece of advice: "Take care of yourself."
With that, Ye Pei exhaled deeply and strode across the threshold of the Ye family home. Outside, a coachman was waiting with a horse. Dressed in vermilion court robes—a crimson silk robe, scarlet skirt, and a scholar's cap—Ye Pei stood tall and straight as he walked toward the tall steed. The horse shifted its front hooves slightly.
[Heaven does not bless our Daliang!]
In Ye Xiren's ears, it seemed as if she could hear Ye Pei's desperate roar once more. Her eyes grew increasingly red.
If Ye Pei went, it would mean execution of the entire family. This was the last time, but she wouldn't stop him. General Yan was a stranger; they shouldn't sacrifice their lives for a stranger.
Yet, if her father didn't go, even more people would die.
Ye Pei walked to the side of the horse. In the darkness, he suddenly turned back. His vermilion court robes rustled as his wide sleeves spread to either side. He brought his hands together in front of him, bent at the waist, and bowed deeply toward the Ye Residence.
To be loyal to the country was to betray the family.
Ye Pei straightened up, flicked his sleeves, and nimbly mounted the horse. As the coachman led the reins, he disappeared into the darkness. The sound of hoofbeats gradually faded into the distance, and he was gone.
Ye Pei had been Ye Xiren's mountain since childhood, but as an official, he was also a mountain for the Daliang court. Even as the nation faced ruin, there were still those willing to be its pillars, even if it meant being a mantis trying to stop a chariot or a moth flying into the flame.
Ye Xiren looked back.
Suddenly, she noticed that deep in the front courtyard's corridor, her mother had been standing there all along. Hidden behind a vermilion-lacquered pillar, her face was streaked with tears, yet she hadn't uttered a word to stop him. Those closest to him knew what he had to do, and their silence was their support.
Ye Xiren calmly withdrew her gaze, opened the black cloak in her hands and draped it over herself. After tying the cord at her neck, she pulled the cloak’s hood over half her face, then stepped firmly away from the Ye Residence, her pace hurried.
Her father had his own duties to fulfill.
So did she.
If he would protect the nation, she would guard their home.