Chapter 126

"Yun'er!" Zhou Junsong's eyes widened, panic appearing in them for the first time. His eyes instantly reddened as he reached out to catch Si Yunyun's falling body.

Si Yanmo rushed over, picked up the longsword beside her, and plunged it into the man's throat. She then turned around and squatted down, calling out, "Sister!"

She remembered that the fate she had seen for her sister was not—indecisiveness leading to her death.

Could it be because of this?

Seeing that all three were present, the Southern Emperor's men ordered the archers to fire again, but this time there was no rain of arrows as expected.

The leader was puzzled and looked back at the top of the palace wall. Before he could see what was going on, a dart came flying and pierced his throat.

Before he fell, he seemed to see a dark gold skirt.

In no time, everyone else had been cleared out, leaving only Si Yanmo and her group.

Si Yanmo stood up and bowed to the person who came, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness."

Nanhou smiled and said, "I was wondering when you would come to me."

That day, Si Yanmo told Zhou Yanqing that she was going to the Southern Empress's palace as a precaution.

She knew that the Empress had always longed for children, but while other concubines had given birth to one child after another over the years, she had not had any reaction at all.

Si Yanmo revealed the truth to her: "His Majesty has been poisoning you all along. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to inspect your food, spices, and even your bedding..."

The Southern Emperor was always wary of his children because of the prophecy, but if we were to say who he was most wary of, it would be the Southern Queen.

The two married because his power base was unstable, and the Queen was the sister of the King of Qi, making it an ideal union.

Despite the interests involved, the Empress Dowager in his heart was not someone like Qi Tingyun who constantly overshadowed him.

As a princess, Qi Tingyun was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting from a young age. More importantly, she liked to read military books and was good at strategy. It can be said that she was more suitable to sit in this position than the Southern Emperor.

The more this happened, the more afraid he became. If this woman were to give birth to a prince, he feared he would be the first to rebel.

He was also reluctant to give up the other party's help.

So he ordered his men to manipulate the Queen's daily life, rendering her infertile for life.

When Qi Tingyun first heard the news, she didn't believe it. But after she had a doctor she trusted examine what Si Yanmo had said, she realized that it was all true.

You really can't guard against anything, not even your spouse.

Qi Tingyun knew that they didn't have much affection for each other when they got married, but they did get along well for a while, just like Si Yanmo and Zhou Yanqing did at the beginning.

She thought that even if there was no love between them, it was still a kind of alliance, but she never expected that he would plot against her like this behind her back.

Back then, she pressured the concubines in the palace because he wanted her to give birth to a prince first. He even gave her a bottle of medicine to administer to Consort Shu.

Unexpectedly, I was just doing all the work for someone else.

"What do you want?" Qi Tingyun wasn't stupid; no one would tell her these things for no reason.

Si Yanmo also enjoyed chatting with intelligent people. “Your Majesty is always wary of your children. What I want is for Your Highness to stand on the side of Prince Qin if something really happens one day.”

Qi Tingyun scoffed at the time, "Why do you think I would help you?"

“You won’t help me, but you will help yourself.” Si Yanmo remained calm and composed, adopting the same demeanor she used when negotiating with others.

"The death of the Ninth Prince was not accidental; it was also part of the Southern Emperor's scheme. He will not allow you to have children, much less raise any of the princes. If Your Majesty wishes to compete for the position of Crown Prince, it will be extremely difficult. But if you change your approach, it might be simpler."

Qi Tingyun understood her meaning, "Even if the King of Qin really wins, how can you guarantee that he will respect me instead of his mother?"

“Because His Highness the Prince of Qin needs a legitimate identity,” she stared intently at the Empress, her eyes filled with unwavering determination. “He needs Your Majesty’s help more than anyone else. Similarly, by choosing the Prince of Qin, His Majesty will have no way to interfere.”

Conversations between intelligent people are that simple. Qi Tingyun only thought about it for a moment before agreeing to her suggestion, giving her a packet of powder, telling her that if it was mixed with gunpowder and ignited, it would bloom into blue fireworks, and that she would come to her aid in a critical moment.

She has indeed kept her promise, but...

Si Yanmo knelt down to check her sister's injuries. Her sister's pale yellow dress was now stained red with blood, but she smiled and tried to comfort Zhou Junsong: "Why... are you crying? I... am fine... it doesn't hurt."

The man held her hand tightly against his cheek, tears streaming down his face. "Fool, why did you shield me?"

"You are...my...husband!" After saying that, she seemed to lose all her strength and fainted.

She was terrified and looked to the Empress Dowager, pleading, "Please, Your Majesty, help me."

The Queen turned to her maid and said, "Xi'er, go and call Physician Lin."

Seeing that she was willing to help, Si Yanmo breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to stay and see her sister safe and sound, but then she heard the Empress say, "You must come with me now. His Majesty has already decided to kill you. If you don't leave now, another group of people will come, and then you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

"Then what will you do?"

With the situation already clear, even though the Empress has people under her command, she may not be able to withstand the Emperor's forces. If she leaves like this, what will they do?

"I have my own way." With that, Qi Tingyun made her look behind her, where Zhao Wan was standing. "You'd better make sure the King of Qin wins."

Seeing this, Si Yanmo stopped making excuses, glanced at her sister again, and then turned and walked with Zhao Wan toward the study.

"Wait!" Zhou Junsong called out to her, "Help me take Yun'er away, she shouldn't be here."

A rare plea appeared in his voice.

Yun'er was the nickname he gave to his child with Si Yunyun.

Si Yanmo nodded, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

After saying that, she slipped into the study. She seemed to hear another series of footsteps behind her. This time she knew she couldn't go out and waste any more time. She took Yun'er out of the cabinet and left with Zhao Wan through the secret passage.

At the end of the secret passage led to a horse farm, indicating that Zhou Junsong had been preparing for this all along.

When the horse handlers at the horse farm saw her come out, they didn't ask any questions, but instead handed her a wooden plaque: "This is for leaving the city."

He then had her lead two horses away, saying, "From here, head west. There are fewer checkpoints over there, and you can just go around the city from outside."

Si Yanmo thanked the other party, changed her clothes, and together with Zhao Wan, leaped onto their horses.

She used to be afraid of riding horses, and she hadn't ridden many since the martial arts test. Even when she did ride, it was with Zhou Yanqing, who would hug her from behind to reassure her.

Now... now she doesn't even know how he is doing.

With worries about Zhou Yanqing in their hearts, Si Yanmo and Zhao Wan headed west, successfully passing through the checkpoint, and then circled around to the north from outside the city.

So much has happened these past few days. She doesn't know if her sister can pull through, if anything will happen to them, or if Zhou Yanqing has been poisoned.

She could only hold her breath and keep moving towards Wufeng Pass, trying to find milk for Yun'er along the way, while she herself didn't eat anything at all.

They kept rushing and rushing, but it still took them seven days to finally see that familiar checkpoint.

Once you get past this checkpoint, it's only a dozen or so miles to Wufeng Pass.

But this is also the most difficult level, and there's no way to take a detour.

She was already unconsciously being led by the horse, but she still had to force herself to stay awake, dismount, and blend into the procession leaving the city.

Logically speaking, since this place is far from Jinwu City, the checkpoints shouldn't be so strict, but the guards here are checking each pedestrian's backpack and wooden sign one by one.

Si Yanmo secretly asked the old woman beside her, "Auntie, what's going on? It's always been difficult to get into the city, but why are they checking so carefully to get out?"

The old woman complained, "You don't live here, do you? There's a war going on here, and it's not easy to get in and out now."

War? It seems Zhou Yanqing has already begun his operation.

Si Yanmo couldn't help but worry. Perhaps she and Zhou Yanqing were only separated by a city wall, and it might be a problem if she couldn't cross it.

She took a piece of coarse cloth out of the package and wrapped it around her head, hoping to fool everyone.

Soon, she arrived at the city gate. She asked Zhao Wan to carry Yun'er ahead first.

After all, even if the Southern Emperor wanted to arrest someone, he wouldn't arrest Zhao Wan; he would at least ensure Yun'er's safety.

As she expected, Zhao Wan passed the test smoothly.

The guard who had been looking at the wooden sign came up to her, looked at the sign, and then asked her to open the package.

Fortunately, the package contained only ordinary clothes, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Let's go.

Si Yanmo breathed a sigh of relief and was about to walk forward when she was stopped by another person. "Take off your headscarf, let me see."

As he spoke, he picked up a portrait, which clearly depicted Si Yanmo.

She had a bad feeling in her heart. Her eyes darted around and she quickly coughed twice, lowering her voice: "Sir, I have caught a cold these past few days. I don't want to give it to you."

The man persisted, saying, "I told you to pick them, so pick them!"

Seeing that there was no other way, she could only slowly untie her headscarf, praying that the other person wouldn't notice her...

Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from the city wall: "Close the city gates! Fire arrows!"

Immediately afterwards, everyone seemed to feel the ground beneath their feet shaking, and even the sand on the ground was trembling.

The sound of hooves and neighing came from outside the city gate, growing louder as it approached.

Si Yanmo suddenly raised her head and saw the Qin army's banners through the city gate.

Disregarding everything, and seeing that the guards were about to close the city gate, she seized the opportunity when they weren't paying attention, leaped onto her horse, and shouted, "Zhao Wan, let's go!"

The guards then realized they had been tricked, but it was too late to give chase. The two men rode off and escaped through the gap in the closing city gate, carrying the child away...

Qin soldiers rode in from afar, stirring up sand and dust. Before the guards at the pass could react, the archers in the front ranks had already fired arrows upwards.

This was a real hardship for Si Yanmo and Zhao Wan, as they had to evade attacks from the city walls while also avoiding the indiscriminate swords and spears of the Qin army.

Si Yanmo searched through the package, looking for something to prove her identity.

Before she could find it, an arrow flew towards her. Just as she was about to dodge, the horse beneath her reared up, trying to throw her off.

At the critical moment, a strong hand caught her and lifted her onto his horse.

With a sway, the bell at her waist jingled, and her headscarf was blown to the ground.

She opened her eyes and saw the face she had longed for day and night, "Zhou Yanqing!"