Years ago, the Empress Dowager had bestowed a cup of poisoned wine upon Concubine Qian, the birth mother of Li Yuanli. The murder of one's mother was a debt that demanded vengeance.
"Empress Dowager, this humble servant shall escort you to your end," Lu Yun sneered, her lips curled in mockery.
Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou instantly stepped forward, shielding the Empress Dowager with their small but sturdy frames, their young faces tense with vigilance. Lu Yun cast a fleeting glance at the two robust and adorable princes, grinding her molars.
The goal of the Southern Chu emperor was to assassinate the Empress Dowager of Qing State.
But since Lu Yun had arrived on the scene, she intended to seize the opportunity to eliminate every last one of Li Yuanjing's children—sparing only the son of Lu Xuan. In the future, with no rivals left, the courtiers would have no choice but to rally behind Lu Xuan's son as the next emperor.
Lu Yun licked her lips.
Once, she had harbored suspicions toward her elder sister Lu Xuan's kindness, all because of a dream. Now, slaughtering the children Li Yuanjing cherished would serve as her apology.
Without further delay, Lu Yun took two steps back and raised her hand, commanding coldly, "Kill them all. Leave none alive."
Assassins disguised as eunuchs drew their blades.
Li Chengtai's face paled with fear.
At the critical moment, the sound of clashing steel and the clank of armor echoed from outside the secret passage. Lu Yun whirled around in shock—somehow, a dozen elite guards had appeared, cutting down the assassins with ruthless efficiency.
By the time Lu Yun regained her senses, her hands were already bound. Her eyes widened in disbelief—how had she become a prisoner in the blink of an eye?
The room fell into dead silence.
The leader of the guards knelt on one knee and saluted. "This humble servant was ordered by His Majesty to protect Cining Palace."
The Empress Dowager calmly instructed, "Take the children back to their chambers to rest."
Servants and elderly nannies hurried into the passage, soothing the terrified young royals as they led them away.
Leaning on Nanny Qian's arm, the Empress Dowager stepped out of the passage with steady grace. The sunlight outside was blinding, the courtyard lush with blooming flowers, though the air reeked of pungent blood.
Squinting slightly, the Empress Dowager basked in the warmth of the sun on her skin before asking the guard, "What is the situation in the palace?"
"All assassins have been captured," the guard reported.
The Empress Dowager nodded. "Remove the corpses and wash away the blood. The children are young—they must not see such filth."
Maids and eunuchs filed in, swiftly cleaning the bloodstains with practiced efficiency. Nanny Qian brought a bowl of calming tea, which the Empress Dowager sipped leisurely as she reclined in her soft chair.
Inside the inner chamber, Lu Yun knelt on the floor, her body drenched in blood.
She wasn’t entirely foolish. Seeing the Empress Dowager’s composed demeanor, realization struck. "This was a trap!" she shrieked. "You set me up!"
A classic ambush.
The Empress Dowager pressed her fingers to her temples, exhaustion flickering across her face. Her voice remained measured. "I once ruled the imperial harem. Did you think I hadn’t weathered storms before? Concubine Qian died by my hand because she was too naive to recognize her own folly."
A pause. The Empress Dowager’s vision blurred momentarily, the image of Concubine Qian’s striking beauty flashing before her.
With a hint of regret, she murmured, "I rather liked her spirit. Had she lived, we might have even been close friends."
A pity.
Their opposing loyalties had destined them to be enemies.
With a slight wave of her hand, the guards entered, gagging Lu Yun mid-scream before dragging her away as she thrashed wildly.
Order returned to Cining Palace. The flowers in the courtyard bloomed as vibrantly as ever, as if nothing unusual had transpired.
...
Outside Yanjing City, a small boat rocked violently on the turbulent river.
Shen Wei clung desperately to the mast, watching in exasperation as the two emperors brawled on deck.
Couldn’t they fight somewhere else?
The boat was about to capsize!
"So you anticipated my assassination attempt on the Empress Dowager," Li Yuanli wiped blood from his lips, his smile sinister. "How cold-hearted. Weren’t you afraid my men would slaughter your children as well?"
Li Yuanjing wasted no words—he slashed forward with his blade.
Princes of Qing State were trained in martial arts from childhood, and his skills were formidable.
The boat lurched again, sending Shen Wei reeling. Icy spray drenched half her body, and her grip on the mast slipped. Like a fish tossed into water, she plunged headfirst into the frigid river.
Splash—
Water flooded her nose and mouth.
The spring river, fed by melting snow, was bone-chilling. The moment Shen Wei hit the water, the cold nearly stunned her senseless.
Her limbs grew numb, sapped of strength.
She wanted to curse those two reckless fools!
Their feud had dragged her into danger. Kicking desperately, she fought to surface, but her right leg cramped in the freezing water. As she gasped, more icy water rushed into her lungs. The seconds of drowning stretched into an eternity.
Death loomed close.
After a lifetime of hardship, was she really to die in some river before enjoying her retirement?
...
On the boat, the moment Shen Wei fell, both Li Yuanjing and Li Yuanli froze mid-fight.
Li Yuanjing barely registered his rival—he sprang toward the edge, ready to dive.
But Li Yuanli was faster.
With a loud splash, he vanished into the icy depths. Li Yuanjing hesitated, an inexplicable emotion twisting in his chest.
His younger brother had always prized his own life.
Yet today, he’d risked it without hesitation to save Shen Wei.
Since when had they grown so close?
"Stop gawking and help!" Li Yuanli resurfaced, struggling to keep Shen Wei’s unconscious form above water.
His grip was protective, his face half-submerged as he fought the current. One misstep, and he’d be swept away.
The sight pierced Li Yuanjing’s heart like a thorn.
Bending down, he hauled Shen Wei onto the boat.
She was drenched, shivering violently. Li Yuanjing immediately shed his outer robe, draping it over her before gently patting her back to expel the water from her lungs.
Li Yuanli hauled himself aboard with difficulty, his right hand nearly numb. Blood gushed anew, staining the deck crimson.
Gasping for breath, he collapsed onto the planks.
Li Yuanjing tossed him a bottle of wound powder without a word. Li Yuanli caught it, eyeing it suspiciously. "Poisoned?"
Li Yuanjing ignored him.
The battle was temporarily suspended.
As the boat reached shore, Li Yuanli hastily applied the powder, stemming the bleeding from the wound Shen Wei had inflicted earlier. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Li Yuanjing carefully carry Shen Wei off the boat.
Pale and blue-lipped, she looked fragile in her unconscious state.
When Li Yuanli moved to check on her, Li Yuanjing blocked him with an arm. "If I hadn’t boarded today, where were you planning to take my woman?"
Li Yuanli merely smiled.
The riverside wind howled, the sun glaring overhead.
Hooves pounded in the distance—a Southern Chu scout galloped toward them, urgently whispering into Li Yuanli’s ear.
His pupils dilated in shock. Teeth bared, he glared at Li Yuanjing. "A masterstroke. I underestimated you."
Li Yuanli had believed his covert plan to infiltrate Qing State and assassinate the Empress Dowager was flawless.
Little did he know, Li Yuanjing had been prepared all along.
While Li Yuanli was away from Southern Chu, Li Yuanjing activated his network of spies there, inciting other members of the Southern Chu royal family to seize power. With no true leader present, chaos erupted in the Southern Chu court. The hard-won stability was shattered once again.
If Li Yuanli did not return swiftly to quell the rebellion, the Southern Chu throne—which he had fought so bitterly to claim—would slip from his grasp.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Holding the unconscious Shen Wei in his arms, Li Yuanjing said coldly, "Get lost."
