At the final moment, Ali rushed forward and shielded her.
The sharp arrow pierced through her chest, blood gushing out. Tears slid from the corners of her eyes before she collapsed before Xiao Changning.
The crimson blood spread out, resembling the Manjusaka flowers of hell.
Trembling with fear, Xiao Changning stared at her in horror.
Inside the tent, Murong Yao sensed something amiss. Grasping his longsword, he rushed over in quick strides.
“Changning!”
He glanced sideways and ordered, “Lu Ran, leave none of these assassins alive!”
Xiao Changning’s mind went blank as she stared helplessly at Ali, who lay on the ground moaning in agony.
“Ali!” Xiao Changning knelt before her, embracing her. “Why were you so foolish? Why did you have to do this?”
“Princess, don’t… don’t cry.”
With great difficulty, Ali raised her trembling hand and wiped the tears from the corner of Xiao Changning’s eye. “It is I who have wronged you.”
“If not for me, Princess, you would have long been free as the sky and sea.”
Gasping for breath, she pleaded for forgiveness. “Please… Princess, do not blame me!”
Xiao Changning shook her head through her tears. “No! It is not your fault. Even without you, Murong Yao would not have let me go, and Brother Yanchen would not have kept his promise.”
“Because… because as a princess, this is my fate.”
“You had your own hardships. In truth, I never blamed you.”
Receiving Xiao Changning’s forgiveness, Ali seemed to resolve her final lingering regret. A smile spread across her lips, reminiscent of the bright, lively eyes she had when they first met.
Ali suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. “Princess, I… I want to go home.”
“Alright!”
Xiao Changning agreed through her tears. “I will definitely send you back.”
Then, due to her severe injuries, Ali closed her eyes forever.
“Ali!”
Xiao Changning cried out with all her might, but only empty silence answered her.
The Beiyuan cavalry were fierce, and the assassins were soon captured. However, they would rather die than surrender, and all committed suicide before interrogation.
Murong Yao stood quietly by Xiao Changning’s side, drawing her into his embrace. His warm hand continuously stroked her back, comforting her.
Tears fell like broken strings of pearls.
After a long while, Xiao Changning said weakly, “Bixia, could you send someone to take Ali home?”
“And her family… please release them as well.”
“Ali worried about them most while she was alive. Now that she is gone, let us fulfill her wish.”
Murong Yao nodded, leaning close to her ear and whispering, “Leave it to me.”
With tear-filled eyes, she watched as Ali’s body was carried away, growing more distant until a sharp pain shot through her head, and she fainted.
“Changning!”
Murong Yao anxiously called her name. He scooped her up in his arms and strode away, ordering, “Summon the military physician.”
While Xiao Changning was unconscious, Murong Yao sensed danger. Leading the cavalry at full speed, they reached the Beiyuan capital, Jincheng, in less than half a month.
Xiao Changning seemed trapped in a nightmare, remaining in a deep slumber throughout the journey, occasionally murmuring a few words in her sleep.
Empress Jiang Yuzhou led the palace concubines to gather at the entrance of the main hall, awaiting their arrival.
A flock of gorgeously dressed women, all vying for attention, craned their necks in anticipation.
Empress Jiang Yuzhou sat crookedly in her chair, sipping tea without much care.
Chen Zhaoyi pulled aside a close sister and whispered, “I heard Bixia mobilized troops to Nanxiao, all for some princess?”
“Who knows what kind of peerless beauty could have Bixia so bewitched and utterly smitten.”
“Hmph! What else could it be?”
Lou Meiren, dressed in a light pink palace gown, chimed in, “Just a fox spirit, that’s all.”
She continued, “We were already living a plain and simple life, and now things are even more hopeless.”
Shen Chongyi also leaned in, “Exactly. Before, only Her Majesty the Empress received favor, and we sisters all…”
Empress Jiang Yuzhou slammed her teacup heavily onto the table.
The other concubines were frightened into silence, bowing their heads. The Empress rose and inspected them one by one, her sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd as she scolded sternly, “Bixia’s actions always have profound intentions.”
“Instead of thinking about how to share Bixia’s burdens, you sisters are all spouting nothing but sour words!”
At the forefront, Chen Zhaoyi bowed deeply, “Your Majesty, forgive me! I know my mistake.”
The Empress looked at her, “Since you know your mistake, I sentence you to kneel at the entrance of your palace for two hours each day, for ten consecutive days.”
Chen Zhaoyi widened her eyes in shock, staring at her in disbelief, “Ten days?”
She had been a pampered young lady from a noble family—how could she endure such punishment?
The Empress stared back, her tone leaving no room for doubt, “Naturally. If you disagree, you may take it up with Bixia. How about that?”
Chen Zhaoyi pressed her lips together. When had Bixia ever not sided with the Empress? How dare she?
Swallowing her anger, she replied, “I obey.”
“Don’t think of playing any tricks. I will have someone watch you every day.”
Defei stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, why be so harsh?”
“We are all sisters who see each other day and night. A light punishment as a warning should suffice.”
The Empress turned her head toward her, “What? Does Defei wish to join her in kneeling?”
Hearing this, Defei flushed with embarrassment and lowered her head, “I spoke out of turn.”
The other concubines trembled with fear, not daring to utter another word, afraid of accidentally offending the Empress—Bixia’s childhood sweetheart.
The Empress rubbed her temples, relieved that the noise had finally subsided. She sat back in her chair, sipping her tea idly.
Inwardly, she cursed: Murong Yao, really, I’ve been freezing for so long. I’ll have to give him a good talking-to.
Not far away, a grand procession finally appeared before the crowd.
“We greet Bixia!”
The carriage stopped in front of everyone. He lifted the curtain, his expression cold, “Rise.”
“My beloved consorts have worked hard.”
Then, Murong Yao lowered the curtain and ordered, “To Weiyang Palace. Summon the Imperial Physician.”
The carriage wheels rolled on, bypassing the crowd and heading westward.
Empress Jiang Yuzhou watched the carriage fade into the distance. Indeed, that great iceberg Murong Yao had finally won his beauty.
The other concubines returned to their respective palaces, while Jiang Yuzhou took advantage of the moment to slip unnoticed into the Imperial Study.
She flipped through the memorials on the desk, many of which denounced Xiao Changning, calling her a femme fatale who had bewitched Bixia.
Especially Defei’s father, Beiyuan’s General Helian Jue, who was particularly resentful and defiant.
All because of her, Murong Yao had abandoned the cities he had captured, releasing prisoners and soldiers, demanding only ten thousand gold in return.
Jiang Yizhou looked at the furious memorial and chuckled softly, “Murong Yao, you’re in for it this time.”
The young eunuch Qin Feng sitting on the carpet beside her, grinding ink while speaking, said, “Didn’t Your Highness say you wanted to help Bixia?”
“Why do you sound a bit gleeful?”
Jiang Yuzhou closed the memorial, picked up the imperial brush, and let a drop of ink fall onto the pristine rice paper. “What do you know? Xiao Changning—this palace must protect her well.”