Upon hearing Yi Shangyun's sudden remark, it was as if a bolt from the blue; Yi Shangkun was instantly stunned.
After a long while, she finally came to her senses, but still couldn't believe her ears, so she asked again to confirm, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Before Yi Shangyun could speak, Yi Shangkun seemed to suddenly realize something, so he quickly helped her up and anxiously began to look her over.
He asked with concern, "Are you sick? Or injured? Where are you hurt? Tell your father quickly!"
“No, Father, I am not sick or injured. I am fine, so please don’t worry.”
Yi Shangyun was feeling conflicted, but she didn't have much time to explain to him.
She knew that every second she stayed outside increased the danger she faced.
Moreover, this time, in addition to herself and Tuoba Hong, there was also Dingxiang, so she naturally couldn't implicate either of them.
In addition, for some reason, she felt extremely uneasy tonight, as if something terrible was about to happen.
So she decided to get straight to the point: "Father, please forgive your unfilial daughter. I know it sounds absurd that I am still alive, yet you are making me hold a funeral. However, I really have no other choice. If you don't do this, disaster will soon befall the entire household, and it may even affect the Prince of Qin's mansion."
Yi Shangkun could clearly sense the anxiety in Yi Shangyun's eyes, but he couldn't understand it, and therefore found it even harder to accept.
He kept pressing me, asking, "Can you tell your father what happened? Where did this trouble come from?"
For a moment, Yi Shangkun found himself lost in thought and daydreaming.
"Did you offend someone? Who exactly did you offend? Yun'er, don't be afraid. With your father here, even if it costs me my old bones, I can protect you. Besides, isn't there His Highness Prince Qin? Over the years, I've seen how much His Highness cares for you, and I'm sure he can protect you too."
Seeing that Yi Shangyun was still stammering, Yi Shangkun was already extremely anxious, so he raised his voice and urged, "Who is it? Speak up..."
Finally, Yi Shangyun shook his head and slowly spoke again: "It's no use. This time, no one can protect me!"
Yi Shangkun shouted sternly, "Who on earth dares to threaten even the Queen Consort of the King of Western Qin?"
Seeing that Yi Shangkun was determined to get to the bottom of things, Yi Shangyun quietly whispered, "It's the Emperor!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun stared at her in astonishment, and said incredulously, "What? The Emperor?"
It's not the right time to tell him everything, at least not now.
After thinking for a moment, Yi Shangyun advised him, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, Father, but there are some things that you should know as little as possible."
"What is there in this life that I, as a father, cannot accept?!" Clearly, he ultimately failed to live the life he wanted, and thus seemed to have nothing to fear.
Seeing that Yi Shangkun was determined to get an answer from her and wouldn't give up until he got it.
After a moment's thought, Yi Shangyun decided to downplay the issue and said, "Actually, it was the Emperor who sent people to Lu County to bring my daughter back to the palace."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun exclaimed in surprise, "You mean... the Emperor sent someone to bring you back?"
Yi Shangyun nodded and slowly said, "His Majesty already knows that the person who led the people of Lu County to resist the sandstorm was my daughter. Although no one knows yet that my daughter is the Princess Consort of Qin, His Majesty is sending people to investigate, and I believe that everything will be found out soon. If His Majesty finds out my daughter's identity, I believe he will not let her off easily!"
Yi Shangkun had heard about Emperor Jing's firm opposition to desertification control, but he didn't quite understand it.
"Sand control is a good thing that will benefit the people for generations to come. Why can't Your Majesty accept it? Lu County is a large place, not a small area. The Gobi Desert is only a small part of it. In the past, the court officials who opposed sand control all thought it was a waste of manpower and money. A lot of manpower and money were invested, but no results were ever seen."
He paused, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart: "But I've heard that since the last sandstorm, Lu County has enjoyed favorable weather. It's clear that you've governed well, so I believe the Emperor won't pursue the matter any further?"
However, Yi Shangyun said, "Father, don't you understand? The key point of this matter is not whether the desertification control is successful or not, but that the Emperor and His Highness have always been at odds. If he finds out that I am the one leading the people in desertification control, then he can easily find a pretext to accuse me."
Yi Shangkun thought about it carefully, and what Yi Shangyun said seemed to make sense. Emperor Jing has always been suspicious. Could it be that this time a great disaster is really about to befall us?
Upon further thought, he added, "Even if I agree, it will be useless! His Highness Prince Qin cares so much about you. I heard that as soon as he woke up, he ordered that we must see you alive or dead, even if it means digging up the entire Lingkong Continent and turning it upside down, to find you! He will definitely not believe that you have passed away based on just a few words from me."
"Yes! How easy is it to make Xuanyuan Han believe all this!" Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun let out a deep breath.
After a moment of contemplation, his gaze suddenly fell on the colorful jade bracelet with gold threads on his wrist.
So she quickly took it off and handed it to Yi Shangkun, saying, "This bracelet has never left my body. With it, I believe His Highness Prince Qin will believe everything Father said."
Yi Shangkun slowly took it, stared at it for a long time, and finally wanted to try one more time, hoping that Yi Shangyun would change his mind: "Does it really have to come to this?"
Yi Shangyun nodded seriously.
Looking back on all of this, Yi Shangkun sighed heavily.
He said with deep regret, "If I had known this would happen, I should never have brought you to the capital. I should never have let you get close to the royal family, and you even married that Prince Qin. I should have listened to my benefactor and let you live with an ordinary family, but that Young Master Lu from the Western Qin Academy... Alas... Now it's all too late!"
At this moment, Yi Shangyun suddenly stood up again and knelt down in front of Yi Shangkun, leaning close to the ground and kowtowing to him very earnestly: "Father, please accept my bow!"
Upon bowing, Yi Shangkun felt tears welling up in his eyes, and said with immense heartache, "In this life, I have truly wronged you!"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky.
As the wind howled and thunder roared, a torrential downpour suddenly descended from the sky in the pitch-black night.
It was as if it was washing away everything in the world, and in an instant, fallen petals covered the ground.
The rain pattered on the banana leaves outside the window, as if the whole world was boiling over.
At this moment, Tuoba Hong lay quietly on the couch in Changning Palace, his face as white as paper, already on the verge of death.
But his eyes remained fixed on the pot of peonies that he had just spat out a mouthful of blood, staining it red.
She seemed to have no strength left to speak, and could only pray in her heart over and over again: "Yun'er, don't turn back, please don't turn back."
Dingxiang stayed by his bedside without leaving for a moment, already crying her eyes out, terrified: "Second Prince, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me!"
Tuoba Hong used almost all of his remaining strength to comfort her, saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm fine. I'm just... just too tired. Let me rest for a while."
Just by looking at his face, Dingxiang could tell that he must be very ill: "Second Prince, don't lie to me. You're already like this, and you still say you're fine."
Clearly, that one sentence had exhausted all his strength, so Tuoba Hong stopped speaking.
Dingxiang looked back at the torrential rain outside and listened to the rolling thunder in her ears, and instantly felt even more anxious.
Extremely anxious, she muttered to herself, "Your Highness, why haven't you returned yet? Why haven't you returned yet? The Second Prince seems... seems..."
Clearly, she didn't dare to think any further.
Anxious, Dingxiang gritted her teeth and stood up abruptly, saying, "No, my medical skills are still limited, and there are no medicinal herbs in Changning Palace. The Second Prince's condition looks like poisoning. If he isn't treated in time, something terrible will definitely happen. I have to find someone to help him!"
After saying that, he strode towards the door and ran quickly.
Upon seeing this, Tuoba Hong hurriedly tried again, struggling to sit up on the couch to stop her, and made a soft sound: "No...no...Dingxiang...come back...come back..."
Unexpectedly, Dingxiang completely disregarded the extremely faint sound he had made and left on her own.
Dingxiang stopped walking only after hearing a heavy thud behind her.
Looking back, he saw that it was the weak Tuoba Hong who had fallen off the bed.
He then shouted at him, "Second Prince..."
Helpless, he turned and ran back to the bedside once more.
She knelt down and helped Tuoba Hong up, explaining to him, "Second Prince, what are you doing? Do you know you've been poisoned? If I don't go find someone soon, you'll die!"
"No……"
"I can't go..."
"You absolutely mustn't go..."
"Otherwise, Wule will be in danger..."
"We must try to buy her as much time as possible..."
As Tuoba Hong was helped up, he was panting heavily and extremely weak, speaking in fits and starts.
Dingxiang advised him, "Your Highness, she just wants to see her father one last time. It's not like she's never coming back. Why are you so afraid?"
Tuoba Hong still felt extremely guilty: "She won't come back, and she can't come back... It's all my fault. If it weren't for my entanglement, she would have left this cage long ago."
However, Dingxiang told him with unwavering conviction, "Second Prince, don't overthink it. Just rest for a while! I've known the Princess Consort for many years. She's not that kind of person. She would never leave you here alone and go on her own."
Just as the two were talking, a series of hurried footsteps approached from the long corridor outside the hall...
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