Suddenly, everything around her seemed to have drifted away, and she was all alone from beginning to end.

Never before had such cold and merciless raindrops pelted her petite body. At first, she felt pain with every drop, but later she slowly became numb. A gust of wind blew across her body, stirring up shivers of cold.

In the increasingly gloomy world, it seemed that she was the only one left besides the wind and rain. She was the only one facing the raging fury of heaven and earth, enduring its thunderous wrath, which seemed to be an extremely severe punishment for her.

She closed her eyes tightly, letting the countless raindrops pelt down mercilessly without flinching. She knew that even if heaven wanted her dead right now, she would have no complaints.

The rain was endless, the sky was so gloomy that it was hard to tell the time, and I was shivering incessantly. Time seemed to stand still, as if the rain would continue to fall forever.

I don't know how much time had passed, but I felt so cold that I couldn't feel cold anymore. My body was stiff, and I felt like I couldn't even shiver anymore.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

In a country or space that was unknown yet strangely familiar, the exact same scene as this moment appeared.

In that country or space, her teeth chattered as she weakly and helplessly asked, "Wei Mingxuan, where are you? Where are you? Why is all this happening...?"

Her mind was a complete mess, as if she had lost all hope and no longer wanted to live. As she spoke, she closed her eyes, and her body began to sway precariously...

Just as she was about to fall to the ground, a pair of strong, firm hands suddenly appeared, grabbing her shoulders and gently pulling her into his broad, warm chest.

Then, a concerned and anxious voice drifted into her ears: "Girl, girl..."

Not far from the heart of Beilie.

The Western Qin army, personally led by Xuanyuan Han, is marching with all its might toward final victory in this war.

Wherever they went, wherever there were people, they welcomed the Western Qin soldiers with singing and dancing, as if they had been silently anticipating it for a long time.

Each kneeling citizen held aloft what they considered the most precious gift from their already meager family, a gift they wanted to offer to their wise army, which had saved countless lives and had been abandoned by the Northern Lie royal family.

They all bowed and knelt before the King of Qin, shouting in unison, "Long live Your Majesty the King of Qin! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

This sentiment of the people, rising and falling in waves, a continuous stream of heartfelt voices, resounds throughout heaven and earth…

"De de de"

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from ahead, interrupting the lively scene.

As the sound grew clearer, a Western Qin soldier hurriedly reined in his horse, rushed forward, clasped his hands, and knelt before Xuan Yuanhan's horse, respectfully saying, "Your subordinate greets Your Highness, the King of Qin!"

Xuanyuan Han's expression darkened upon seeing this, as if he were somewhat puzzled. He frowned as he looked at the nervous and timid guard in front of him.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Liang, who was standing beside him, shouted sternly, "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

The guard, seemingly terrified, could only take a deep breath and lower his head further to report, "Your Highness, General. When we followed General Yi to find the Second Prince of Beilie, the Second Prince of Beilie Kingdom..."

Unexpectedly, after finally mustering up the courage, when the words reached his lips, he still didn't know how to say them.

Seeing this, Cheng Liang seemed to have a premonition that something bad was about to happen. He quickly glanced at his equally puzzled master beside him, then turned back and shouted loudly at the guard, "What exactly happened to the Second Prince of Bei Lie? Speak up now!"

The guard, perhaps startled, blurted out, "That second prince of Beilie probably foresaw the impending fall of his kingdom, and in his utter rebellion, he set himself on fire in front of the coffin of the old king of Beilie in the latter half of last night..."

"What?" Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Liang exclaimed in shock.

The guard, terrified, lowered his head and continued, "Not only that, but the tents of dozens of Northern Lie nobles nearby were also burned to ashes. None of the clansmen survived."

Cheng Liang listened blankly, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Xuan Yuanhan felt a jolt in his heart and asked impatiently, "Has General Yi found any news about Yun'er?"

The guard remained kneeling with his fists clasped, swallowed hard, bit his lip, lowered his head even further, and said in a trembling voice, "General Yi ordered his men to search all the surrounding areas overnight to find a survivor in order to find Miss Yi. In the end, they only found a dying Northern Lie soldier in the grass by a small river."

Hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan seemed to finally see a glimmer of hope, and his eyes suddenly lit up as he asked, "How is it?"

The guard said with disappointment, "According to the soldier, the Second Prince did bring back a woman named Wule when he returned from the battlefield, saying that she might be the murderer of the old king of Beilie..."

"Wu Le," Xuan Yuanhan nodded slightly, repeating it to himself.

At this point, he could no longer concentrate on listening to the report from the guard below. He paused for a moment, then quickly interrupted him again, secretly delighted, and asked, "Where is the Wule person?"

The guard was startled and timidly said, "There are two skeletons in front of the old king's coffin, one male and one female..."

The glimmer of hope that had just ignited in his heart was instantly shattered by reality: "What?"

Xuan Yuanhan was truly stunned, and then muttered to himself, "Impossible, this is impossible, Yun'er couldn't possibly..."

Suddenly, the gentle wind turned strong, and the branches rustled and crackled. The strong wind blew yellow leaves off the trees and stirred up fallen leaves on the ground.

Amidst the fluttering autumn leaves, the rumble of thunder grew louder as dark clouds pressed down, and the sky quickly darkened.

The people kneeling on the ground didn't bother to shield their eyes from the dust; they just tried to keep their gaze fixed on the tall, imposing figure on the horse's back, his fury uncontrollable...

Several streaks of lightning, like golden snakes dancing wildly, tore through the dark, cloud-covered sky. Amidst the rumble of thunder, large raindrops began to fall from the sky. A moment later, another deafening clap of thunder followed.

In an instant, the raindrops formed a line.

With a "whoosh," the rain poured down as if the sky had collapsed.

The imposing figure suddenly tilted slightly, and the people around him hurriedly got up and rushed towards him, plunging the area into chaos.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

"His Royal Highness the King of Qin, His Highness the King of Qin..."

Time flies and stars shift.

In the blink of an eye, it's already late autumn.

Since the King of Qin of Western Qin personally led his troops to defeat the barbarian state of Beilie, the entire Central Plains of the Lingkong Continent, as well as the vast Northwest region, have become the territory of Western Qin.

The Lingkong Continent was originally divided into four kingdoms, each controlling one another. However, this changed to a tripartite balance of power.

However, while the three kingdoms appeared to be on friendly terms, they were actually secretly plotting and preparing for an unprecedented ultimate battle for supremacy.

That night.

In the imperial palace of the wealthy Dongning Kingdom on the Lingkong Continent, a grand and festive banquet had just concluded.

Tonight is the full moon celebration for the newborn grandson of the old king of Dongning Kingdom, the son of Mei Zhixuan and Xuanyuan Yue.

At this moment, in the magnificent palace, the Empress Dowager, dressed in a phoenix robe, was playing with the little imperial grandson who was being carefully held in the arms of an old nanny.

"Look at this little face, it's really adorable. It's rare to see your royal grandfather so happy today, it's been a long time."

As she was talking, she seemed to remember something, paused for a moment, and her smile gradually faded. She then stopped talking, turned around, and moved to sit down on the edge of the couch. Only then did she casually say to Xuan Yuan Yue, who had been standing in the hall, "You can sit down too."

"Thank you for the seat, Your Majesty." Xuan Yuan Yue smiled and bowed in thanks before gracefully taking her seat.

The palace maid beside the Empress gave a subtle wink, and then another palace maid entered carrying in a variety of fragrant and exquisite tea snacks.

The Empress Dowager spoke up, "They say that childbirth is like a woman walking through the gates of hell. Yue'er, you are a great contributor to the Dongning royal family. The palace hasn't been this lively in a long time."

She paused, then pointed to a bright red tea soup placed in front of Xuan Yuan Yue and said, "This soup was specially prepared for you by someone I ordered, based on the style of your Western Qin Kingdom. Your body is still weak, so you should drink more of it and take good care of yourself."

Due to Xuan Yuan Yue's special status, although Empress Dongning was unwilling, she had no choice but to do the bare minimum for her beloved Mei Xi Yuan, who was still far from achieving her ambitions and living under someone else's roof.

Xuanyuan Yue rose and respectfully said, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your concern."

Then, with a smile, she waved her hand, gesturing for her to sit down, and then took a sip of the tea in her hand.

She glanced sideways at Xuan Yuan Yue sitting below, and one could sense the deep hatred emanating from her eyes, a hatred that seemed to emanate from the very marrow of her bones.

She put down her teacup, then raised a smile and tentatively asked, "By the way, what has the Third Prince been busy with lately? I haven't seen him in a long time, and he didn't even attend such an important banquet tonight?"

After a slight pause, Xuanyuan Yue smiled and said, "I suppose it's just some trivial matters that Father Emperor usually asks Your Highness to handle. Since Your Highness hasn't mentioned it, I naturally wouldn't dare to ask further. Please forgive my ignorance, Mother Empress."

The Empress Dowager thought to herself, "This girl is indeed meticulous and keeps her mouth shut."

She smiled and said, "The women of the inner palace are not allowed to interfere in politics. You did the right thing, so how could the Empress Dowager blame you? In that case, I was the one who misspoke!"

Xuanyuan Yue had a sudden inspiration and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is concerned about His Highness. Your son thanks Your Majesty on behalf of His Highness."

Seeing this, the Empress had no choice but to nod and praise, "What a clever and quick-witted girl! I have long heard that the Princess of Western Qin is intelligent and knows the big picture, and she truly lives up to her reputation."

"Your Majesty, I am flattered. You flatter me too much, Your Majesty," Xuan Yuan Yue replied calmly and slowly.

She looked up at the sky outside the window, then glanced at the young child in the old nanny's arms, and slowly rose up, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for all the trouble and arrangements you have made today. Your Majesty has worked hard, and your subject is deeply grateful. It is late tonight, so your subject will take the young prince to take his leave."

The Empress Dowager glanced out at the night sky and said in a feignedly amiable tone, "Look how happy I am today! I didn't realize how late it is. Quickly take the little prince back to the palace. He's had a long day. If you need anything, just send someone to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. Thank you for your concern, Mother." After rising and respectfully thanking her, Xuan Yuan Yue took her leave with everyone.

Afterwards, she stared at Xuan Yuan Yue's gradually disappearing figure from afar, her heart filled with hatred that made her teeth itch.