The Nangong family promptly buried Nangong Yin and then hastily left the royal capital.
On the day of leaving the royal capital, Lady Hou learned that the entire family was departing, with the exception of Nangong Xin. It was her idea to leave, but she had no plans of leaving the royal capital herself.
Completely baffled, Lady Hou asked Nangong Xin, "Young sister, aren’t you coming with us? Why stay?"
Nangong Xin looked at her, "Sister-in-law, I won’t be leaving. I am Chu Rong’s queen. As long as he doesn’t depose me, I remain the Queen of Nanchu. I won’t go to Dawei."
Lady Hou responded, "He may not recognize you in his heart."
"So what? I was married into the royal palace with a proper ceremony." Nangong Xin responded, "Even if I’m to die, I want to die in the royal palace."
Lady Hou tried to convince her again, "Young sister..."
"Sister-in-law, just let it be and leave. The ancestral tombs of the Nangong family are all in Nanchu. Someone needs to stay behind to take care of them." Nangong Xin said, "I am the right person for this. I won’t leave even if it leads to my death."
Lady Hou’s eyes welled up with tears, "Then...we will be going."
Nangong Xin nodded, "I’ve already sent a message to my older brother Zheng. He is a smart boy. He knows that this is the best course of action to take. He will send people to meet up with you."
Lady Hou nodded, "Alright."
She stepped forward and clasped Nangong Xin’s cold hand, "Young sister, stay safe."
"Sister-in-law, you too." Nangong Xin grip tightened in return.
The Nangong Clan, with its great family and flourishing business, left the royal capital in a massive procession of dozens of carriages and hundreds of people.
The departure of the Nangong family from the royal capital this day sent shockwaves throughout the court and country. Many officials were alarmed. After the subdued departure of the Ye Xiang residence, and the Nangong family’s decision to leave after Nangong Yin’s burial, they were left questioning their next move.
The families that had good relations with the Nangong family had already received messages. Some had swiftly packed and followed the Nangong family’s convoy out, while others struggled with the decision to stay behind.
Those who left were also unsure about their future, anxious about what lay ahead. Those who stayed were just as worried, fearing reprisals from the king when he returned to the capital.
Officials loyal to the Ye Xiang Residence, who had been suppressed by the Nangong family for so long, felt a weight lifted from their shoulders. They saw a promising future ahead. The neutral faction remained calm, knowing that the fall or rise of either of the two major families would have no impact on them.
After sending off her maternal family, Nangong Xin returned to the empty royal palace. She sat on the steps of the sleeping hall, which she had occupied since Chu Rong left, for the good part of an hour.
It wasn’t until her personal palace maid, Cuihe, had urged her three times that she finally allowed herself to be helped up, her body cold.
Cuihe shook her head, "Your majesty, I will stay with you."
"How many years have you been with me? Aren’t the remaining years of your life meant to be lived for yourself?" Nangong Xin said.
Cuihe refused, tears welling in her eyes, "I will spend my entire life with you, until death."
Nangong Xin sighed, "This life of mine has been a joke. Tying your life to mine is wasting your own." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"I am willing to." Cuihe shook her head. "I will not go anywhere else. I will stay by your side. After this life, I will follow you into the next. Please don’t send me away."
Nangong Xin smiles sincerely, "Well then. After my death, Chu Rong certainly won’t have me buried with him. If you’re there with me, at least I won’t be alone."
Cuihe tried to hold back her sorrow, "Your majesty..."
"Don’t cry. What is there to cry about? I’ve seen this day coming for a long time now." Nangong Xin cut her off.
Cuihe swallowed her tears, "You’ve been in the cold wind for a long time now. Let me have someone prepare the water so you can take a bath to get rid of the cold."
"That sounds good. I cannot afford to die too soon. I need to wait for Chu Rong to return, even if he doesn’t, his daughter will." Nangong Xin agreed.
Immediately, Cuihe ordered it to be done.
The news that Nangong Yin was killed, and the entire Nangong family had left the royal palace soon spread throughout the royal capital.
The Nangong family members scattered around Nanchu were both heartbroken and alarmed. The three princes of the Nangong family, Nangong Le, Nangong Zhuo, and Nangong Xi, had taken over two months to travel from the royal capital to the border of Dawei and then to Daliang, intercepting Nanchu King and Zhou Gu multiple times, but without success.
In alliance with Liu’an Prince, they cornered their prey in Death Valley at Wanren Mountain. It was a sure victory, but they were ultimately thwarted by Su Rong.
Feeling humiliated and retreating from the lost cause, they returned to the royal capital with half their dark guards to answer to Nangong Yin, only to learn that Nangong Yin had been killed.
Panic ensued. The three princes gathered to discuss their next move. Unable to arrive at a decision, they went to Fengming Ridge to aid Nangong Yun, seeking his counsel simultaneously.
Nangong Yun’s troops had engaged in battle with Ye Guixue’s troops. Both sides had equal forces, and as Nangong Yun had arrived earlier, he had seized a strategic advantage. At this time, there was no clear victor.
Being preoccupied with the battle, Nangong Yun was unaware of Nangong Yin’s death until the three princes arrived at Fengming Ridge and conveyed the news. Stunned, Nangong Yun nearly collapsed.
What the murder of Nangong Yin signified for the Nangong clan was clear to all. Even a three-year-old child in the Nangong family might understand.
"How can this be possible?" was Nangong Yun’s first reaction. He could not believe that if his elder brother was so easily killed, Ye Xiang could have had him assassinated years ago.
"It’s true." Nangong Le confirmed sorrowfully, "We didn’t believe it when we first heard the news. But we received several messages from the royal capital, which we couldn’t disregard."
Nangong Le passed a few letters to Nangong Yun, "Uncle, please read these."
Nangong Yun opened the letters with trembling hands. One letter, two letters, three letters... a total of five letters, all concerning the same topic. His face went pale as he mumbled, "How can this be..."
Xie Yuan had infiltrated Nanchu long ago, likely a time before Zhou Gu of Duke Residence came to Nanchu. He was specifically targeting the Marquis. Nanchu XI said, "Uncle, we were incompetent. We failed to kill the king and Zhou Gu. Who would have thought that right when Su Rong came with fifty thousand soldiers to the rescue in Death Valley, bringing a large group of dark guards, she managed to climb down the cliff and save them - even capturing Liu’an Prince and having his troops surrender. Upon realising that the situation was getting out of hand, we had no choice but to retreat."
Nangong Yun’s face paled even more "So Liu’an Prince is done for?"
"Yes, he was captured by Su Rong, and both the king and Zhou Gu were rescued." Nangong Zhuo confirmed, "Uncle, we came here to discuss a countermeasure."
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