shocking change

Three days before the new emperor's coronation ceremony, a long-planned coup broke out in the darkest moment before dawn.

Well-trained Beiliang assassins and unidentified black-clad assassins acted simultaneously, seizing control of several palace gates, parts of the Jingji Camp, and several major streets connecting the imperial city with lightning speed. Almost simultaneously, several court officials were attacked in their homes, either apprehended or forced to express their opinions.

In the chaos, rumors spread: Prince Ning Baili Hongyuan was dissatisfied with the new emperor and wanted to unite with Beiliang and his old subordinates in Xizhu to purge the court and restore order!

Princess Linglong stood atop the high pavilion of the Princess Mansion, gazing towards the Imperial City, her face expressionless. She didn't need to appear in person; everything was well-planned. She would force her son to make a choice: either follow the tide or... face ruin.

Prince Ning’s mansion was immediately “protected” by heavy troops, but in reality it was house arrest.

"Your Highness! The people outside are using your name!" Xin Chen came quickly with a dark face.

Baili Hongyuan's face was as gloomy as water. He looked at Qin Yousi beside him. Although Qin Yousi's face was pale, his eyes were still calm.

"We can start our previous arrangements now." She said calmly to Tianying and Wu Jun who hurried over.

"Yes, young lady (Princess)!"

The Prince's Mansion instantly transformed into a fortress. Wu Jun led the craftsmen of the Siding Construction Workshop to quickly activate the pre-set mechanisms, lower the heavy gates, occupy the commanding heights, and defend the palace like an impregnable fortress.

The information network operated efficiently. Gu Wu and his fellow Oujiang boat gang members used the underground tunnels and waterways they had already mastered to convey the true situation to the remaining resisting generals, such as Zhou You and Wei Chong, and to try to rescue the trapped officials' families.

Resistance broke out in the streets and alleys. Tianying, relying on his familiarity with the topography of the capital, led some of Duan Zheng's loyal and brave former subordinates to conduct guerrilla warfare in the streets and alleys with the Princess's private soldiers, delaying their offensive.

However, Princess Linglong's strategy was far-reaching, powerful, and unexpected. Despite Prince Bao's preparedness, he was caught off guard, his core forces fragmented, and the situation became critical. Baili Hongyuan was deliberately isolated by his mother's army, unable to effectively communicate with the outside world, let alone personally lead the suppression of the rebellion.

The fierce confrontation lasted for a whole day, with the capital filled with the sound of killing and flashes of fire.

Qin Yousi rushed throughout the mansion, coordinating defenses and treating the wounded, straining her mental and physical strength to the limit. As night fell, she finally gave up. A fishy-sweet taste surged up her throat, her vision went black, and she violently coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

"Sisi!" Baili Hongyuan rushed to her side and hugged her tightly, her touch cold. Looking at her pale face and the glaring black and red on her clothes, he felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and panic washed over him like a tide.

"Medicine...my medicine..." Qin Yousi's breath was weak. Under the tremendous pressure and fatigue, the blood-depleting poison broke out with unprecedented ferocity.

The imperial physician was urgently summoned, but after taking the princess's pulse, he shook his head repeatedly: "The poison has penetrated deeply into her lungs, and ordinary medicine is powerless to save her... Unless, unless we can find the legendary 'Red Flame Vermilion Fruit' to dissolve the blood, otherwise... I'm afraid she won't survive this night..."

Baili Hongyuan felt as if struck by lightning. Holding the increasingly faint figure in his arms, his hands, usually as steady as a mountain, began to tremble uncontrollably. He roared to the outside, "Go find it! Search the entire capital to find the Red Flame Vermillion Fruit for me!"

However, everyone knew how slim this hope was. The Nine Sects were far away in Nanhua, so where in the capital could one find such a sacred antidote?

The news soon reached Princess Linglong. She had just heard the news of another victory at the front line, and her lips curled slightly, determined to win.

When Nanny Cao carefully reported the news that Qin Yousi was dying of poison and Baili Hongyuan was on the verge of collapse, the smile on the eldest princess's face froze instantly.

She dismissed everyone and sat alone in the empty, magnificent hall. Her son's desperate roar seemed to echo in her ears. Her eyes flashed with the image of him as a toddler, leaping towards her as a child. She remembered his soft, tender voice the first time he called her "Mother." She remembered the glint in his eyes when he mentioned Qin Yousi, a glint she had never experienced before.

Power was within her grasp, and the cold throne seemed to be beckoning her. But at the same time, the eternal hatred and despair that her son might bring with him also opened up before her like an abyss.

She has been fighting and struggling all her life, trying to control her own destiny and her son's life. But if the price of this struggle is to completely lose her son...

Outside the palace, the sound of fighting could be heard faintly, while within, candlelight flickered. Princess Linglong closed her eyes, tears silently streaming down her face. In this gamble for power, she suddenly realized that her most important bargaining chip had never been her army or her conspiracy, but the heart of the son she had always sought to control.

Inside Prince Ning's mansion, a gloomy atmosphere reigned. Qin Yousi lay in bed, his breath weak, his pulse intermittent, like a candle in the wind.

Baili Hongyuan held her hand tightly, repeatedly wiping the sweat from her forehead with warm water. The bloodshot and despair in his eyes were heartbreaking. All his wisdom and strength seemed so pale and powerless in the face of life and death.

"Mother...is this what you want?" he murmured hoarsely, his voice full of pain and confusion.

At this moment, there was a commotion outside the mansion, followed by the sound of weapons falling to the ground. Then, the study door was pushed open, and Princess Linglong appeared at the door, accompanied only by Madam Cao.

She was still wearing luxurious palace clothes, her hair was neatly combed, but her face showed a kind of fatigue and relief that was almost gray.

Baili Hongyuan raised his head suddenly, his eyes instantly bursting with vigilance and anger. He protected Qin Yousi behind him, like a trapped beast guarding a treasure: "What are you doing here?!"

The princess ignored her son's hostility. Her gaze passed him and fell on the dying woman on the bed. She walked over slowly, her steps somewhat staggering.

Under Baili Hongyuan's wary gaze, she took a chilling jade box from Madam Cao's hands. Opening the lid, a fiery, strange aroma instantly filled the air. In the center of the jade box, a fiery, crystal-clear fruit lay quietly—the Scarlet Flame Vermilion Fruit.

Everyone was stunned.

The eldest princess placed the jade box beside the bed and looked at her son's bloodshot eyes, filled with shock and confusion. Her voice was hoarse and tired like never before:

"She can't die."

“My son wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

She pulled the corners of her mouth, trying to reveal her usual, calculating smile, but in the end it just turned into bitterness.

"I've been scheming and fighting my entire life. From Xizhu to Beiliang, and then back to this cannibalistic capital... I thought that only by holding the highest power in my hands could I protect myself, and only then... could I make you never leave me."

Her eyes traced her son's angular face as if she was looking at a lost treasure.

"I've been preparing for a long time. I've gathered Beiliang's loyal soldiers, Xizhu's former subordinates, bribed officials... I even prepared this red fruit that could save her life, thinking that one day, I might be able to use it to make you obey..."

She took a deep breath, a glimmer of tears flashed in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let it fall.

"But Hong Yuan, when I heard that you might lose her, that you might hate me for the rest of your life... I found that I couldn't fight anymore."

She pushed the red fruit forward, and at the same time, gently placed a black iron token representing the command of private soldiers on the table.

"Take it, save her."

"I lost." She looked at her son with a sad yet relieved smile. "I didn't lose to Prince Bao, nor did I lose to your scheme. Hong Yuan, I lost to you... I lost to my son."

"Take her with you, leave this place of trouble, and live a good life." Her voice was as soft as a sigh. "This cold power... Mother will not fight for it anymore."

After saying this, she gave her son one last, deep look, as if to etch his current appearance into her heart. Then, she resolutely turned around, straightened her back, and like a queen who had been defeated but refused to surrender, she stepped out of the room and into the night outside.

No looking back.

Baili Hongyuan stared blankly at his mother's disappearing figure, then looked at his beloved, whose life was hanging by a thread, and then at the Red Flame Fruit, which radiated vitality and hope. The overwhelming emotional impact made him unable to think for a moment. He suddenly grabbed the fruit and, without hesitation, followed the instructions given by the imperial physician, carefully fed it to Qin Yousi.