In the mountain forests north of Shangyuan County, the thunderous sound of galloping hooves shattered the silence. Five fierce horses raced through the woods, each ridden by a young girl.
Suddenly—whoosh!—the shrill sound of an arrow tearing through the air pierced the stillness. A scream of anguish followed immediately after.
“Ah…!” The delicate voice trembled with terror and despair.
“Your Majesty, run!” a maid turned back, her eyes filled with panic, yet her face was resolute as she threw herself behind her mistress.
The girls on horseback had disheveled clothes and pale faces, sweat mixed with tears streamed down their cheeks, blurring their vision. Fear consumed their eyes as a cavalry unit pursued them relentlessly, like ferocious demons. The soldiers had vicious expressions, their arrows already nocked.
With a flash of cold light, the next volley whistled through the air.
“Pu!”
A dull thud echoed as the arrow pierced through the back of the maid who had shielded her mistress. Blood gushed out like a fountain. Her body convulsed as she fell off the horse and crashed hard onto the ground.
Immediately, another girl took her place but was also struck down by a swiftly fired arrow. Just before her death, she managed to utter, “Your Majesty… run…!”
Her eyes were filled with regret as she lost hold of the reins and slipped powerlessly from the saddle.
Thud!
Dust rose from the ground.
At the front, the Empress screamed, “Xiao Cui… Xiao Die!”
She knew that even the slightest delay would seal their fates—and hers would be even more tragic. For she was the Empress of the Beiheng Empire—Xiao Lingshuang.
Prime Minister Yuwen Du and Assistant Minister of War Situ Xin had conspired together, laying a trap and ambushing her during her inspection tour.
“Hold on… just hold on!” Xiao Lingshuang vaguely recalled someone saying that if they kept heading south along this mountain path for another 3 to 4 kilometers, they would reach the so-called fake Shangyuan County.
As long as she reached that county town, she’d be safe. Rumor had it the people there were fierce and battle-hardened.
Suddenly, the cavalry behind them simultaneously yanked their reins, stopping their horses with a chorus of neighs.
“Y-Your Majesty, the cliff…!” The last remaining personal maid, Xiao Rou, screamed in horror. Their own horses also reared and stopped abruptly with a panicked neigh.
The pursuing soldiers burst out in mocking laughter, their faces twisted with menace. “Why aren’t you running anymore? Go on, keep running!”
Xiao Lingshuang stared coldly at the advancing soldiers and said with chilling determination, “If I, Xiao Lingshuang, survive this, I swear I’ll annihilate the entire clans of Yuwen Du and Situ Xin!”
Then she turned to look at Xiao Rou and gave a sorrowful smile. “Xiao Rou, let’s be friends in the next life.”
With that, she leapt off the cliff without hesitation.
“—Your Majesty!” A despairing, heart-wrenching scream echoed from above the cliff.
…
By the riverside of the Li River, County Magistrate of Shangyuan County, Master Gu Fei, sat with two maids by the water, enjoying a leisurely fishing session.
This had become his routine every rest day over the past five years—ever since he had woken up on this very riverbank one day five years ago.
“Master… I’ve been fishing all morning. You haven’t caught a single thing! Let’s go home already!” One maid fanned herself while glaring up at the scorching sun with irritation.
“Da Ya, have you never heard the saying? ‘A true fisherman never comes home empty-handed.’ I haven’t caught anything yet—how can we leave now?” Gu Fei said, “If I return like this, won’t that idiot Zhang Biao laugh at me for life?”
“Then let’s just say you released all the fish!” Da Ya argued.
Gu Fei turned his head to the other maid and said, “Er Ya, the person I trust least is that mouth of yours. Last time, I just casually said Ye Anlan’s boobs were huge, and you ran straight to her and told her! I was nearly chopped in half chasing down two whole streets!”
“But Master, she is big! You weren’t wrong!”
“You little brat! Even so, you shouldn’t have said I said it!” Gu Fei was both furious and amused.
Just thinking of Ye Anlan’s death-stare made him break out in cold sweat.
Suddenly, Da Ya screamed, “Master… I think there’s a corpse floating over there?”
Gu Fei frowned and looked in the direction she pointed. Sure enough, there was a figure drifting in the river. The sunlight was harsh, but the floating body swayed gently with the current, making it especially visible.
“No way… is that really a corpse?” Gu Fei muttered, his expression turning serious. Under his governance, murder cases were rare. If this was a dumped body, it would be a disgrace.
“Quick! Quick! Er Ya, go get the long bamboo pole!” Gu Fei commanded, silently deciding he would not get in the water himself.
“Yes, Master!” Er Ya rushed to the shore and brought back a long bamboo pole.
Gu Fei grabbed the pole and reached out to pull the body closer. Ripples spread across the water as the figure gradually approached the shore.
Da Ya and Er Ya stood behind Gu Fei, their faces filled with both fear and curiosity. “Master, is that really a person?” Da Ya’s voice trembled as she clutched Er Ya’s sleeve tightly.
“Judging by the skin tone, they probably died not long ago…” Gu Fei murmured. But as the figure came closer and her face emerged from the water, Gu Fei’s eyes widened.
“Heavens, it’s a woman!” Er Ya exclaimed.
“And a beautiful one at that…” Gu Fei muttered, sighing inwardly. What a pity.
“Let’s pull her out first.” Gu Fei seemed slightly flustered as he waved his hand. Da Ya and Er Ya immediately moved to help. The three of them worked together and dragged the woman out of the water.
Her soaked clothes clung tightly to her body, revealing an incredibly alluring figure—undeniably seductive. Her garments were luxurious, her aura refined, her small hands pale and delicate.
“This woman… doesn’t seem ordinary.” Gu Fei secretly gulped.
When he lifted her, he felt a slight warmth still lingering in her body. He quickly laid her down on the shore and reached out to check her nose—no breath. Then he pressed his fingers to her wrist.
“Huh… she still has a faint pulse! You two move aside, Master is going to save her. She’s not dead yet!”
Gu Fei hurriedly knelt beside her. Several rescue techniques for drowning victims flashed through his mind. “You’re lucky to have run into Master Gu!”
He mumbled to himself, placing his hands on her chest to start CPR.
Suddenly Da Ya shouted, “Master, how can you take advantage of her like this? I know she’s even bigger than Chief Ye, but still, you can’t!”
Both girls looked like they had just been deeply disappointed in their master.
Gu Fei glanced up at the two of them and snapped, “Shut up! Your master is saving a life!”
Then he interlaced his hands and pressed down hard on the woman’s chest.