Dark clouds loomed over the city, rolling incessantly.
The rainstorm was getting worse.
As thunder rumbled across the night sky, streaks of lightning instantly turned the darkness into daylight, as if determined to tear the sky above them to shreds.
The rain poured down all over the world, continuing to fall relentlessly.
The people were terrified. Faced with the sudden arrival of this natural disaster, they were helpless and hid in their own little world, trembling with fear.
But there was nothing they could do but silently pray for God's mercy so that this disaster would pass quickly.
The once bustling streets of the imperial city are now severely flooded.
It seems that in just a few hours, the shops lining the streets will be flooded and submerged.
Despite the terrible weather, amidst the deafening sounds of wind, rain, and thunder, came the urgent clatter of horses' hooves.
Soon, at a street corner, a carriage appeared, along with a man in black riding a horse, whipping it and hurrying along.
They must each have something extremely urgent to do, which is why they chose to go out even in this kind of weather.
Because they were both moving too fast, and the heavy rain that night severely obscured their vision, neither of them had time to avoid the other, and they collided head-on.
As the horses all let out startled neighs, a loud crash was heard as the carriage crashed into the guardrail on the riverbank.
At this moment, a woman dressed in a white gauze dress and with a white veil covering her face slowly stepped out of the carriage, holding an oil-paper umbrella with her slender hand.
She rubbed her head, which was still groggy from being shaken and bumped.
As soon as he got off the carriage, he went straight to the old coachman who had fallen to the ground and was wearing a straw raincoat.
He knelt down to check on him, asking anxiously, "Sir, how are you? Are you injured anywhere? Are you alright?"
The driver shook his head and said, "It's just a scratch, nothing serious! I've been through thick and thin all my life, so don't worry, young lady."
Then, with a rather apologetic expression, he said, "I'm so sorry to have startled you, young lady! I told you that you shouldn't be in such a hurry in this weather. Look, you've only just stepped out the door and you've already bumped into someone!"
The woman turned to look at a black bundle she had placed on the car seat, then said with a worried expression, "I'm so sorry to trouble you! But I'm really in a hurry about this, and I can't wait a moment longer!"
"Leaving aside the long journey from the capital to the grasslands, the road is fraught with difficulties and dangers, one after another. It's something no ordinary person could endure! Young lady, you'll suffer greatly traveling alone! Besides..."
As the old driver spoke, he glanced down at the woman's abdomen and asked weakly, "Besides, young lady, your body..."
The woman then realized that her pregnancy had been discovered, so she quickly tugged at her dress, but said with unwavering determination, "Don't worry, I can do it!"
I wonder what this woman has been through.
Judging from her appearance alone, even with a veil covering her face, it was hard to hide her fresh and refined demeanor and extraordinary temperament; one could tell at a glance that she was not from a humble family.
Even for ordinary families, once a new bride discovers she is pregnant, the whole household will treat her like a precious treasure.
But there was no one by her side.
In this kind of weather, he still wants to go to such a dangerous place alone.
The more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became. So, he examined her attire more closely for a while. She was dressed in a plain dress, and in that black bundle, could it be...?
Upon realizing this, the old driver was suddenly startled by his own conjecture and asked, "Young lady's husband, could it be that he has already...?"
"Husband?" Following the old coachman's gaze, Yi Shangyun realized the meaning behind his words and hurriedly explained, "Uncle, you misunderstand. I am all alone and have no husband. That's not it..."
Upon hearing this, the old driver could only sigh helplessly and say nothing more.
After all, the men and women in this world are all different, and it is beyond the comprehension and understanding of a rough man like him.
Seeing that the driver was unharmed, the woman gave him a quick first aid before getting up to check on the other man in black who was lying on the ground.
But that person didn't seem to be as lucky as the two of them.
He lay motionless in the rain, seemingly unconscious.
With the old coachman's help, Yi Shangyun carefully took his pulse and said, "He has been traveling day and night, through wind and rain. This is a coma caused by excessive fatigue from traveling for a long time."
He quickly took out his silver needle pouch and performed acupuncture on the man, after which the man in black slowly opened his eyes.
He immediately apologized, saying, "Are you alright, young ladies? I'm so sorry. I was in such a hurry that I didn't see your carriage coming out from around the corner, which startled you!"
Yi Shangyun shook his head and said, "You don't need to apologize to us. I know that if you hadn't stopped your horse in time, we wouldn't have just crashed into the guardrail. We would probably have fallen into the water along with the carriage, and you wouldn't have fallen off your horse and been seriously injured!"
Seeing that the two people in front of him were not injured because of him, the man in black quickly took out a sealed letter in a bamboo tube with sealing wax from his body.
He said to Yi Shangyun with great seriousness, "I would like to trouble you to go to the Prince of Qin's residence and personally deliver this letter to His Highness the Prince of Qin!"
"The Prince of Qin's Mansion..."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun seemed to understand immediately: "So this is one of King Xuanyuan Han's men."
Then it occurred to him, what if he went to the Prince of Qin's mansion and was recognized by the people there?
Considering the time, Yi Shangkun should have already informed the Prince of Qin's residence of her passing according to plan.
In addition, Emperor Jing, who was inherently suspicious, seemed to have given her six months of complete freedom on the surface.
But behind the scenes, they must have secretly sent many more people to monitor them.
Of course, she couldn't let all her painstaking plans go to waste.
This also includes the sacrifice of Tuoba Hong.
So he refused the man in black, saying, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but the Qin Prince's Mansion is in the east of the city, while I'm heading northwest! Why don't you get in my carriage, and I'll take you to the Qin Prince's Mansion first?"
The man in black weakly turned his head to glance at the cramped space of the carriage not far away.
He said, "Young lady, your carriage is simply too small for the two of us. With this heavy rain, we have no chance of finding another carriage. This is truly urgent; please, young lady, you must help me!"
Yi Shangyun is that kind of person; she can never bear to refuse what others ask of her.
After struggling internally for a while, I finally agreed: "Okay, I'll make the trip for you! But I need a set of men's clothing."
Although the man in black didn't know why Yi Shangyun was doing this, he told her, "In my bundle, there's still a set of new clothes that I haven't worn yet. If you don't mind, young lady..."
"Sure, sure, anything is fine, as long as it's men's clothing."
As Yi Shangyun spoke, without the slightest hesitation, he hurriedly got up, took off the bundle from the horse's back, and then walked back to the carriage to change into the bundle.
Time flies.
Yi Shangyun, dressed in a black outfit, arrived at the gate of the Qin Prince's mansion.
At this time, tall white curtains had been hung everywhere inside and outside the Prince's Mansion.
Yi Shangyun stood outside the door, muttering to himself, "It seems Father has successfully delivered the message to the Prince's residence, and the Prince of Qin believes it. In that case, the Yi family and the Prince of Qin's residence should no longer be implicated by me!"
Just then, she suddenly heard people whispering among the crowds coming in and out of the palace.
"If this rain continues tonight, I'm afraid the entire imperial city will be flooded."
"Is Heaven truly determined to destroy Western Qin?"
"Ever since the Guardian was lost, the Western Qin Kingdom has been plagued by disasters, and now even the imperial city is on the verge of collapse."
"It seems that the rumors are true. Only when the guardians are together with our true emperor, sharing the same heart and working hand in hand, can we ensure that our Western Qin Kingdom enjoys good weather, peace, and prosperity!"
...
Just as she stood at the doorway, looking melancholy and lost in thought, hesitating to move forward.
Suddenly, a guard from the Prince's Palace came out from inside and stood on the steps, urging him, "What are you doing standing outside all by yourself? Hurry up and go in to help!"
"I..." Yi Shangyun pointed to his nose, hesitated for a moment, and was then led into the palace.
Seeing the people coming and going around him, Yi Shangyun realized that the so-called new clothes the man in black had given him were actually the uniforms of the guards in the Qin Prince's mansion. Indeed, he didn't even need a waist tag.
Following the guard's footsteps, Yi Shangyun compared the familiar place to her memories, silently thinking, "This is what the Prince Qin's mansion looks like in my memory?! I've actually returned here again..."
As they walked, the guard slowly stopped and solemnly instructed Yi Shangyun, "Go and help Lin Yuexuan!"
"No...you've misunderstood. Actually, I'm not..."
Yi Shangyun was about to explain when the guard's next words cut her off.
"The passing of the Princess has deeply affected Your Highness; you must stay by her side and serve her with utmost care!"
After saying that, the guard hurriedly left like a wisp of smoke.
"But I haven't finished speaking yet..." In the end, Yi Shangyun could only mutter to herself, though unwillingly and helplessly, as she walked into Lin Yuexuan.
For some unknown reason, Yi Shangyun found herself at Yunshui Pavilion by relying on her memories.
When I looked up, I was surprised to see a familiar figure outside the window.
"That's... Wei Mingxuan?"
"No... he is not Wei Mingxuan."
"He is...King Qin...Xuanyuan Han..."
Taking a closer look and comparing it with her memories from both worlds, she was even more astonished: "Look at those features, they are exactly the same as Wei Mingxuan's!"
Xuanyuan Han was looking at something he was holding in his hand, seemingly recalling something.
He seemed to be drowning his sorrows in alcohol while talking to himself.
"As far as I remember, Xuanyuan Han never drank heavily. Could it be because..."
In this situation, Yi Shangyun felt a strange pang of heartache.
But in the end, she suppressed the resistance in her heart and the feelings she didn't want to delve into, telling herself: "What am I thinking? My heart only belongs to Wei Mingxuan, there can be no one else!"
Just then, she suddenly noticed what Xuan Yuanhan was holding in his hand, and her eyes widened in shock...
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