Shocking mutation

More than a month passed quietly in the increasingly cold wind. The autumn colors in the imperial garden became deeper, and even the last few remaining chrysanthemums lost their color.

Ning Lingyi seemed to have really accepted her fate. She would quietly appear beside Concubine Yu every day and cooperate with the complicated rituals of the Ministry of Rites. The most noticeable change was that there were several more volumes of books written in Beishuo script on her desk.

An interpreter was explaining the pronunciation.

Ning Lingyi sat upright, her eyes fixed on the distorted characters. Her lips moved slightly as she uttered a few awkward syllables: "Hatun..."

Concubine Yu watched from the side and noticed that every time her daughter turned the page, her fingertips would pause almost imperceptibly. She felt as if a piece of water-soaked cotton was pressing on her heart. Her daughter's excessive calmness was more suffocating than crying.

Very light footsteps were heard outside the hall.

Luqiao approached quietly, avoiding the sight of others, and placed a slightly cool wax ball into Ning Lingyi's palm. She lowered her voice very low and said, "Your Highness, this was handed in from outside the palace. It's specifically for you."

Ning Lingyi paused her fingertips slightly, then calmly gathered her sleeves, and the wax ball shattered in her palm.

Unfolding the plain paper, he saw a few words in unfamiliar handwriting: "Shili Pavilion outside the city, come quickly. This matter involves the Southern Dynasty and the Northern Shuo, so don't alarm others. Tuoba Hong."

Her heart suddenly tightened.

The wedding delegation was still at the post station. If he had come in person, why would he have been so secretive? The invitation itself was tinged with intrigue. However, the words "matter involving the Southern Dynasty and Northern Shuo" stirred a ripple in her heart.

She stood up, her face as usual: "Mother, I am a little tired and want to go back and rest for a while."

Concubine Yu thought she was exhausted and said with concern: "Go and have a good rest."

Return to the bedroom and send everyone away.

Ning Lingyi quickly changed into dark riding clothes, tied up her long hair, put on a veil hat, and took only Luqiao and a few reliable secret guards with her. Relying on her familiarity with the secret paths of the palace, she quietly sneaked out of the palace.

*

The cold wind blew the dust from the outskirts of Beijing into my face.

Riding at a faster speed, the Ten-Li Lone Pavilion came into sight. The pavilion looked like an abandoned skeleton, standing alone beside the official road, but there was no one there.

Tuoba Hong is not here at all.

All around was the bare wilderness after the harvest, and a few clumps of withered trees stabbed their branches fiercely against the gray sky. The wind whistled through them, making a shrill sound like sobbing.

"Your Highness, the situation is unusual." A secret guard warned in a low voice, his hand already on the hilt of the knife.

Before he finished speaking, dozens of black shadows suddenly rose from behind the dead forest and the earthen slope. Their movements were swift and brutal. The sword lights drew cold arcs under the gray sky and rushed straight towards Ning Lingyi!

Ning Lingyi glanced at the deep eye sockets of the person closest to her and the scimitar with a strange arc. These people did not say a word from beginning to end, and were as silent as killing machines.

"Protect the emperor!" the secret guard shouted and drew his sword.

Luqiao took out the short blade from her sleeve and blocked Ning Lingyi in front of her.

The sound of metal clashing and muffled groans could be heard. The attackers cooperated with each other tacitly and their moves were deadly. Although Ning Lingyi's guards fought hard, they were outnumbered.

In the chaos, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and her vision went black.

The last thing he saw was the attacker's profound silhouette, which was very different from that of the Central Plains.

Tuoba Hong? No, not you. Who then?

*

At the same time, at Xizhimen Tower in Beijing.

Cavalry Captain Pan Hao stood on the battlement with his sword in hand. The cold wind blew the flags and hit his armor. His eyes swept across the rows of houses and finally stopped in the direction of Xuehan Palace.

The sound of hurried hooves approached from afar. A scout dismounted, his face pale. "Officer Pan Lang, urgent report! Our patrol officers outside the city have discovered that Princess Mingzhu has been ambushed at Shili Pavilion! Her companions have been killed or wounded. Princess Mingzhu has been abducted by unidentified foreigners and her whereabouts are unknown!"

What? What happened? How did His Highness get ambushed?

"Prepare your horses! My personal guards, follow me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed down the city wall like an arrow.

The heavy city gate opened a crack, and Pan Hao took the lead, leading a dozen elite guards, and rushed into the wilderness outside the capital.

The cold wind was like a knife, but it was far less severe than the anxiety in his heart. He followed the direction indicated by the scout, searching frantically for clues.

After an unknown amount of time, an almost forgotten remote village appeared at the end of the sight.

At the end of the village, there was a dilapidated courtyard with its gate ajar. It was dead silent, but the air was filled with the familiar scent of palace incense - only Xuehan Palace had this smell.

Pan Hao's heart sank! He waved his hand to signal for a siege, then slipped into the courtyard like a cat. A secret door in the corner, covered by loose soil, was revealed under the torchlight.

He lifted the heavy cover, and a musty smell mixed with the smell of blood hit him in the face.

"Your Highness!" He could no longer restrain himself and rushed down.

The cellar was cold and damp. In the light of the torch, a figure was curled up in the corner. His dark riding uniform was stained, his veil was long gone, his hair was disheveled, his hands were tied behind his back, and his mouth was tightened with a cloth strip.

Hearing the noise, she raised her head with difficulty. Her eyes, which were always calm, were now filled with fear, but the moment she saw Pan Hao's face clearly, they suddenly lit up.

"Your Highness!" Pan Hao's heart was broken. She knelt on one knee and carefully untied the cloth strip. The rough edge of the cloth left a glaring red mark on the corner of her lips.

He quickly took off his cloak, which still had body temperature, and wrapped her tightly.

"Pan Hao?" Ning Lingyi's voice was hoarse and dry. "How did you..."

"Don't say anything yet," Pan Hao said in a low, tense voice. "I'm late. Are you hurt? Where's the thief?"

Ning Lingyi stood up and stretched her stiff wrists. "I received a letter signed by Tuoba Hong, and was about to meet at Shili Pavilion. I was attacked right after I arrived. Those people were indeed foreigners, and they didn't say a word from beginning to end..."

Her brows furrowed, and her confusion deepened.

Pan Hao listened. A silent foreign killer? Robbing without killing? This was definitely not ordinary.

Ning Lingyi's eyes inadvertently swept across the unique emblem of Xizhimen on Pan Hao's shoulder armor, and her body suddenly straightened!

"Pan Hao!" Her voice suddenly changed, and she grabbed his arm. "Where are you on duty today?"

"Xizhimen Defense, Your Highness, what's wrong?"

"Who told you I was in trouble? Why didn't he report the princess's misfortune to his superiors? Why did he report it to you alone? After you found out, you came to find me alone?"

Pan Hao instantly understood her hint and his expression changed suddenly.

Ning Lingyi's face instantly lost all color, and a flash of fear flashed in her eyes: "Quick! Return to the capital! Immediately!"

She didn't even have time to explain. She broke free from Pan Hao's support and stumbled towards the exit: "Get on the horse, return to the city! Quick!"

Pan Hao was completely shocked by the terror in her eyes. Without hesitation, he rushed out of the cellar, protecting her and barking a stern order: "Everyone, mount your horses! Protect His Highness back to the capital! Full speed!"

*

Dozens of war horses rushed into the dark night like angry dragons breaking free from their restraints, galloping wildly towards the capital.

I don’t know how long I ran, but in the distance, the outline of the capital city gradually appeared on the inky horizon.

From the direction of the supposedly dormant city, a crimson flame shot up into the sky! The flames converged in the direction of the imperial city, illuminating the sky in an ominous dark crimson! Thick smoke billowed upward, and even from a great distance, the faint sound of weapons clashing could be heard.

The capital city still exists, but the imperial palace, which symbolizes supreme power, has fallen into chaos and flames!

Pan Hao pulled the reins hard, his horse neighing and standing still. He stared at the terrifying scene that painted the sky red, and the veins on his hand holding the reins bulged.

Ning Lingyi looked at the red light that engulfed the palace, her body trembling uncontrollably.

The target has never been Ning Lingyi.

The target is the palace.

Something big happened in the palace.

The night wind howled, bringing with it the smell of burning in the distance, and also swept away Ning Lingyi's last bit of luck.