Begging

Lin Xu and Dou Yanxun didn't return until almost the end of the Chou hour (1-3 AM), under the starlight. Because they were thinking about their plans for the next morning, they barely slept all night.

Dou Yanxun was exhausted from a busy day and this ordeal at night, both physically and mentally, but nothing worried him more than her safety. He never wanted to experience this feeling of turmoil again.

He pulled her into his arms from behind, gently stroking her pregnant belly, as if trying to comfort the baby he had never met.

Lin Xu felt the warmth of his chest, which almost made her forget all her worries. In her hazy state of consciousness, she heard him sigh softly in her ear: "Don't scare me anymore..."

His voice was almost drowned out by the dark and silent night, yet it carried with it boundless worry.

"I'll do whatever you want." Then she added softly, "Please promise me that no matter what, you'll take good care of our child and won't try to be strong..."

She nodded slowly in her drowsy state.

When morning came, both of them had dark blue eyes. Zhu Ling had styled her hair and makeup, and then changed her into a simple, understated dark blue satin dress, over which she draped a thick cloak. Dou Yanxun was also dressed in court attire, with the cloak she had made for him draped over it. Since it was cold, she had someone add a layer of cotton inside for extra warmth.

Dou Yanxun stepped forward, cupped her face in his hands, and gently kissed her forehead. His expression was incredibly tender, as if he wanted to erase the worry that had unconsciously furrowed her brow.

He made a silent vow in his heart: to accompany her in doing everything she wanted to do, and to protect her forever.

Meanwhile, in the streets and alleys of Mujing, a group of women with resolute eyes and dressed in military uniforms appeared out of nowhere. Each of them had their hair piled high in a bun, and as if they had made a secret agreement, they sang "Women's Song" and gradually gathered on the main street.

.

As dawn approached, the sound of drums resounded across the sky, and civil and military officials, all dressed in court robes and with their hats and belts in order, slowly arrived from the west along the nine imperial roads.

However, as they stepped onto the steps, before they could hear the drums and music again, they saw a dense mass of dark figures in the snow and the sound of their clothes rustling in the wind and snow not far away.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, stunned by what they saw.

Amidst the swirling snow, a woman in white robes knelt, her body covered in snowflakes. Behind her, a dense and orderly array of figures rose like ocean waves.

And those figures were all women! Each was dressed in simple, light-colored clothing, their black hair tied up high, their foreheads streaked with snow, and their expressions solemn. Their kneeling, mountain-like formation, their flowing robes like clouds, was awe-inspiring, like a silent, surging wave in the rustling wind.

Among a line of officials slowly making their way to court, Lin Fu, dressed in a purple round-necked official robe, stopped in his tracks. He paused, his expression suddenly changing as he stared in disbelief at the all-too-familiar figure in the distance—

The woman in the lead was actually his daughter!

Lin Fu felt a sudden darkness engulf his vision and nearly lost his balance.

Xu'er... How could Xu'er be so foolish! What is she doing?! Isn't she pregnant? How could she act so recklessly here! Lin Fu clenched his fists. He only had this one precious daughter. Even though the fate of the princess and Yingzhi was still unknown, he was uneasy. But how could Xu'er take such a risk? This was the Golden Palace, a place where thousands of officials dared not even breathe loudly. A slight mistake could lead to total defeat!

In an instant, the snow wind whipped up the hem of his wide robe. Lin Fu's eyes were filled with a mixture of surprise and anger. His throat bobbed slightly, and he was about to stride out, wanting to stop it all before it happened.

Before he could take a single step, a hand gently pulled him back from behind. At the same time, a deep male voice sounded, "Father-in-law."

Lin Fu slowly turned his head to look.

The man braving the wind and snow was none other than Dou Yanxun, a rising star in the court whom everyone in Dayu was vying to curry favor with. His features were sharp and clear, his brows furrowed, and he spoke in a low voice, audible only to the two of them, "Father-in-law, Xuxu is trying to clear the princess's name. Please allow her to go."

Lin Fu's anger intensified. He felt that Dou Yanxun was being so frivolous and was filled with regret for how he had allowed Xu'er to marry this unruly man in the past. Now, he was even willing to watch her risk her life!

"She's my daughter, if anything happens to her..."

Dou Yanxun's eyes were calm, like snowflakes falling in a turbulent wind, his expression resolute.

"Please rest assured, I value Xuxu's life more than my own. If anything were to happen to her today, I, Dou Yanxun, would die in her place."

Lin Fu raised his head again and looked at Dou Yanxun once more. He heard Dou Yanxun plead in a low voice, "This is her wish, and I only want to fulfill her ambition and loyalty."

Lin Fu's finely lined eyes trembled slightly. He looked again at the slender kneeling figure in the snow, opened his mouth, but remained silent for a long time. The wind and snow lashed his face, and he finally slowly withdrew the step he was about to take.

Meanwhile, whispers arose among the assembled officials.

Then an old minister sneered, "A woman kneeling and pleading for her life? What do you think this is, some kind of stage set up in front of someone's house? How can important state affairs be interfered with by a mere woman? It's utterly absurd!" The old minister with gray hair flicked his sleeve and shook his head in disdain.

Lin Xu simply knelt with his head bowed, silently enduring the gazes directed at him from all directions—some filled with incomprehension, some with shock, some with disdain, and some with worry.

Before dawn, only a sliver of snowlight shone through the window, falling to the ground like scattered silver candles, yet it felt exceptionally cold and chilling. Inside the hall, the few golden palace lanterns had not yet been relit, their flames flickering like breaths, casting inky shadows on the pillars. All around was utter silence; even the sound of a piece of broken incense ash falling to the ground could be heard.

Suddenly, a eunuch rushed in from outside the hall, breaking the silence. Knowing he had acted rudely, but given the suddenness of the situation, he had no choice but to lower his head and, before he could even get forward, hastily prostrated himself on the ground, stammering in apology:

"Your Majesty... outside the palace gates... for some reason, a large group of women are kneeling, seemingly to request a postponement of today's sacrificial ceremony for Princess Kunrou. Dozens of women have already responded, following behind. I heard these women claiming that they have received past favors from the Princess, and now they are all kneeling beneath the jade steps..."

Behind the curtain, two other eunuchs were respectfully helping the emperor change his clothes. Hearing this, they dared not even breathe loudly.

Emperor Su, the reigning emperor of Dayu, stood upright before the court couch. Nearly fifty years old, his face bore the marks of time, yet he remained vigorous. His plain silk court robes were half-draped, the wide sleeves not yet bound, and in his hand he half-held a fragrant wooden belt hook.

Emperor Su lowered his eyes as the eunuch respectfully straightened his court robes, his expression remaining calm. He simply spoke:

"Was it the Crown Prince who allowed them to enter the palace?"

The eunuch felt several beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, but dared not move. He simply closed his eyes, bowed, and said:

"...This servant has heard that His Highness the Crown Prince summoned this woman this morning and ordered the palace gates not to drive her away, and to suspend the music and drums for a moment... Seeing this situation, the officials have not yet entered the palace..."

Emperor Su remained silent for a moment, slowly tying his sash and casually brushing away imaginary dust from his body. He lowered his head and glanced at the kneeling eunuch on the ground.

"Zhao Fu, you're getting better and better at your job these days."

The eunuch named Zhao Fu was the head eunuch serving Emperor Su in the Golden Palace, in charge of all the emperor's internal affairs. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly replied that he dared not.

Emperor Su frowned, interrupting his incessant pleas, and waved his hand, "Summon the Crown Prince."

Finally, he asked, "Who is that woman who is leading the group?"

…………

Lin Xu knelt in the snow, her knees quickly going numb. Even though she was prepared and knew today would be a long battle, and Zhu Ling had specially sewed several layers of cashmere knee pads for her, she still couldn't help but tremble as the cold snow kept hitting her all around.

Behind her, the group of women kneeling silently, though slender, all had solemn expressions. If it weren't for Jiang Heng's suggestion last night to temporarily search for people in Mujing who had previously received favors from the princess, especially women, then Princess Kunrou's leadership and appeal among the women would not have been so evident.

Even so, when Lin Xu saw the growing number of frail women gathering before him this morning before he set off, he couldn't help but be deeply moved. Liao Yan... I'm not the only one in the world who refuses to believe you're dead...

When she saw a very familiar face in the crowd, Lin Xu couldn't help but be surprised.

She hadn't expected that Song Jiaoling, somehow having gotten wind of the situation, would also be among those women before dawn. Dressed in plain clothes and without makeup, she, who always presented herself with a delicate and charming appearance, showed an unusually resolute expression for the first time.

Song Jiaoling glanced at Lin Xu's astonished gaze and simply uttered a few words, "I came here for the Princess."

Lin Xu smiled upon hearing this. Time had passed, and the grudge they had formed in school over the competition for companionship seemed to have vanished in an instant. They knelt silently before the hall, their bodies quickly growing cold. Lin Xu closed her eyes, hoping only that the child in her womb wouldn't blame her too much. She had no other choice… this was the only option she could have…

She saw her father, his face filled with grief, Dou Yanxun, his gaze heavy with pity, even Duan Jinru, clad in armor, leading a group of guards under the eaves with an inscrutable expression, and Dou Huaisheng, short and stout, whose official robes were thicker than others, shivering in the snow...

More and more officials gathered around, initially looking at her with indifference, but gradually being moved by her resilience and showing some reluctance.

After an unknown amount of time, a figure suddenly emerged from the magnificent Golden Palace.

It was a eunuch dressed in a crimson palace robe, holding a whisk, with a high-pitched voice and half-closed eyes:

"You all pleaded your case at the foot of the Golden Palace, and His Majesty has already understood your intentions. Now, His Majesty is lenient and, in consideration of the Princess's past kindness and your sincerity, has postponed the Princess's sacrificial ceremony, originally scheduled for Chenshi (7-9 AM), for a few days. You have all knelt in the cold dew, your intentions are deep and your feelings are profound. However, the weather is cold and the journey is long. His Majesty has said that the matter will be decided fairly from now on, and you need not worry about it."

"Everyone is hereby ordered to leave immediately and rest outside the palace. Now, summon all officials to the hall. The rest of you are not to interfere with court affairs, nor are you required to kneel any longer—"

The eunuch's long, drawn-out voice echoed through the sky.

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, while some court officials who had previously harbored resentment towards these people and were waiting to see the show were quite disappointed.

When has Emperor Su, who is known for his ruthless methods and strict rule, ever been so patient and magnanimous?

Footsteps sounded all around, and Lin Xu slowly stood up with the women behind him.

A weight was finally lifted from her heart. Although the matter was not yet settled, thankfully, with the Emperor's word, the funeral was postponed today, which would buy her more time to find Liao Yan and Liang Zhengyuan. It couldn't be better!

She suppressed her excitement and knelt for a long time until her knees were numb. Even when she stood up, it was very slow. She glanced at her father and Dou Yanxun through the crowd. They both seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Her father's eyes were red and his face was pale, as if he was about to faint at any moment.

Lin Xu suppressed her guilt and was about to be pushed down with the crowd when two palace servants silently approached her and whispered in her ear, "His Majesty has ordered that Lady Dou wait in the side hall."

Without giving her a chance to explain, the two men pulled her forward from under their robes. The palace robes were wide, so no outsiders could see anything amiss, but Lin Xu was unable to struggle and could only follow along, walking towards the Golden Palace that stood in the snow, shining with an incredibly dazzling light.