The other kings were terrified by this scene.
Seeing that the troops outside were slow to arrive, they looked at Prince Pingxi with eyes that seemed to want to kill him.
The King of Qi, the King of Lingnan, the King of An, and others were not present.
Only the Prince of Ding's group wanted to kill Yan Beimo and had taken Chu Changning hostage. Therefore, they began to suspect that the Prince of Lingnan and others had done the trick, and a chill began to run down their spines.
They shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess with Prince Ding.
"The northern lands have been plagued by war for many years, and the kings have colluded with the Western Regions. I wanted to let you go, but you just had to court death."
Yan Beimo's voice was calm and indifferent, his expression cold and unchanging.
The agonizing screams of tearing flesh from above terrified the kings, turning their faces deathly pale. After hearing his words, some of them, assessing the situation, began to consider fleeing.
Seeing his son die with his eyes wide open in anger, the Prince of Ding, in a fit of rage, drew his knife and struck him.
The sounds of fighting were deafening both inside and outside the main hall, and guards, covered in blood, rushed in from outside.
Blood flowed like a river throughout the entire palace.
Yan Beimo looked coldly at the chaotic hall, his knife mercilessly piercing the heart of the Prince Ding, his expression unchanged.
After being led out of the city by Shuangyue and the others, Chu Changning rode his horse all the way to the military camp outside the pass.
Along the way, the entire Northwest was filled with war and fighting.
She sat inside the tent, drinking hot tea, lost in thought.
In such times of war, human life is as worthless as an ant's.
She couldn't help but think of the refugees she had encountered on the road, and Shen Yan's face flashed through her mind.
If Shen Yan hadn't died and had remained on the throne longer, would the world have been in such a terrible state?
"Madam, the water is ready. Please go and take a bath."
Chu Changning snapped out of his reverie and put down his teacup.
"Oh, right, go and call the army doctor to take my pulse."
Shuangyue was slightly taken aback, then overjoyed, "Madam is pregnant?"
"---"
Chu Changning explained, "I was given poison."
Before Yan Beimo arrived at the Prince's mansion, a guard broke in and forcibly fed her poison.
Shuangyue was startled and quickly said, "This servant will go right away."
Chu Changning nodded and went to the back washroom to wash up.
After she finished bathing, a military doctor was brought over.
"They fed him a poison, supposedly a slow-acting poison. Can you find out what kind of poison it is?"
The military doctor took the pulse, his brow furrowed.
Seeing this, Chu Changning shut his mouth and remained silent.
After an unknown amount of time, the military doctor finally stood up and sighed repeatedly.
"It seems that the lady has been poisoned with Jiuyuye. This poison comes from the Western Regions and will emit a strange fragrance. The stronger the fragrance, the deeper the poison. If an antidote is not available in time, her life will be in danger."
Before Chu Changning could speak, Shuangyue hurriedly asked, "Is there an antidote?"
"No, I really don't know how to cure this poison. Moreover, it is said that the antidote needed for this poison is extremely difficult to find. One of the ingredients is far away in the Tianshan Mountains and is called Gelsemium elegans."
Shuangyue's face turned cold.
Chu Changning said calmly, "I don't feel any discomfort right now. When will it flare up?"
"This is a slow-acting poison. At first, there are no abnormalities, but gradually, the lady will emit a strange fragrance. This is a sign that the poison is about to take effect."
Upon hearing this, Chu Changning lowered his eyes and said, "Thank you, doctor. You may leave now."
The doctor respectfully withdrew.
"Don't be afraid, Madam. When His Majesty returns, he will surely find a good doctor to treat you."
Hearing Shuangyue's words of comfort, Chu Changning remained expressionless.
"It's alright, you can go down now."
Seeing this, Shuangyue said nothing more and bowed as she withdrew.
Chu Changning didn't think about anything. He took off his clothes, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep immediately, sleeping soundly for days.
With the Northwest in chaos, they could not remain in the North for long.
The next day, when Chu Changning woke up, she saw Shuangyue had packed her bags and was escorting her back to Libei.
Because it was close to Yujing Pass, which was near Beichaoge, they arrived at Xin Palace in less than two days.
So many days have passed, and the lady has never asked about His Majesty's whereabouts. Shuangyue thought to herself for a moment and then took the initiative to bring up the matter of the Northwest.
But Chu Changning had no interest in listening and changed the subject, asking Ayu.
"Don't worry, Madam. His Highness is in the palace and there are people taking care of him."
Chu Changning paused for a moment, then said, "How about we go back to Jiankang now? I miss Ayu."
Frosty Moon was in a difficult position, so she knelt down and spoke frankly.
"His Majesty ordered me to take the lady to Libei, and I dare not disobey."
Chu Changning, "---"
She didn't say anything more, closed her eyes in disappointment, and lay silently on the small couch.
After arriving in Libei, Shuangyue found several doctors to examine her. One of the imperial physicians had done research in this area and came to examine her every day.
Chu Changning stayed in Libei for several days.
That night, she heard the sound of armored soldiers clashing outside. Slightly startled, she lifted the curtain.
But just as she got off the bed, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a person wearing a black cloak walked in, looking travel-worn.
Chu Changning paused, his hand holding the robe still, and glanced to the side.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
Yan Beimo's lower body immediately reacted upon seeing her appearance.
Under the moonlight, she wore only a thin white dress, her figure curvaceous and shapely. Her slender white hands reached for the robes on the rack. Perhaps hearing the noise, she turned her face to look at him, her white skin like jade beads, her eyes both alluring and seductive.
He glanced at her a few times, then looked away, took off his cloak, and walked towards her.
"Why are you up?"
When Chu Changning saw it was him, his expression returned to its usual calm.
She pulled her robes tighter and asked in a calm voice, "Where is the child?"
The moment we met, I asked that brat.
Yan Beimo walked to the table and poured tea. "Didn't you say the child didn't survive? What kind of person are you asking me for?"
"---"
Chu Changning rolled her eyes inwardly. "You took Ayu away, didn't you?"
"Ayu?" Yan Beimo looked at her and asked with a smile, "Is that his name?"
What kind of look is that?
Chu Changning was displeased. What was wrong with her name?
She didn't speak. Yan Beimo held the teacup in one hand and drank, his eyes, hidden beneath the hazy steam, carefully observing her.
There were no candles lit in the room. In the darkness, Chu Changning couldn't see his eyes, but he still felt uncomfortable being stared at.
She turned to leave, but he suddenly grabbed her extremely soft and slender waist from behind and pinned her against the carved frame by the bed.
He leaned down and enveloped her completely in his arms.
Chu Changning's fingers, gripping the patterned design, curled up as he muttered a curse.
"open."
Yan Beimo held her waist with one hand, his lips close to her ear, whispering tenderly.
"I went through all that trouble to rescue you in the Northwest, and this is how you treat your savior?"
Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and the faint smell of blood emanating from him reached their nostrils.
Chu Changning struggled to twist her waist and retorted sarcastically.
"They are all your enemies. I suffered this misfortune because of you."
The hand around his waist tightened suddenly.
His icy hands slipped inside her thin bodice to caress her, his lips lingering on her neck, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.
In the darkness, the sensation of touch was amplified, and the two breaths intertwined.
He chuckled softly in her ear.
"You're right, after all, you're my wife. Ah Ning, husband and wife should share life and death."
----
Thank you to Wanzi Kaka for the character summon, and thank you everyone for the inspiration capsules, update reminder tokens, and gifts you've given me over the past few days. Here's an extra chapter.
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