Why are you only telling me now?
After a while, she heard her own voice trembling.
"Tell you?" Shangguan Qingchen sneered, "So you'd drag your half-crippled body to the Northern Border to die?" The fan suddenly pointed at her heart, "Xie Zhaoran, is there any room in your heart for anything else right now?"
A pear blossom fell on her shoulder.
Xie Zhaoran suddenly reached out and grabbed the folding fan: "Where is he?"
"Youzhou." Shangguan Qingchen let her hold the fan, his voice suddenly lowered, "The Northern Di have assembled an army of 100,000 to press on the border, and the Crown Prince has withheld the urgent military report delivered by the Eight Hundred Li Express."
He leaned down and whispered a place name in her ear, "Pei Xuan has been trapped here for seven days with his last three thousand soldiers."
Xie Zhaoran loosened his folding fan and took half a step back.
The night wind suddenly turned cold. She recalled the refugees she had seen and the bandits she had heard about in Qingzhou these past few days; it turned out it was all because of…
"The world is about to descend into chaos." Shangguan Qingchen seemed to read her mind. "Three days from now, at the Qingzhou post station. I'll be waiting for you. If you don't come—"
“I will go,” she interrupted him, her clothes fluttering as she turned away. “But before that, I have something else to do.”
As dawn broke on the horizon, two fine horses galloped out of the city.
Gu Zhixing looked at Xie Zhaoran's straight back in front of him, her black cloak fluttering behind her.
She hadn't uttered a word since returning last night, only saying "Go to Kyoto," her eyes burning with a hidden fire he had never seen before.
"Who is Pei Xuan?" he finally asked as they changed horses at the post station.
Xie Zhaoran paused as he was pouring medicine into the water pouch: "My sworn brother."
The aroma of medicine mingled with the morning mist and spread throughout the air. "When I was a child, I was naughty and always caused him to be beaten by my father."
Gu Zhixing frowned, waiting for Xie Zhaoran to continue.
“He died protecting me from an arrow three years ago.” Xie Zhaoran suddenly looked up, his eyes reflecting the rising sun. “Now Shangguan tells me that he is still alive, waiting to die in Youzhou.”
The horse trotted its hooves restlessly.
Gu Zhixing took the water pouch from her hand, and when their fingertips touched, he noticed that her palms were covered in cold sweat: "So you're in a hurry to return to the capital?"
"The Crown Prince has intercepted the military report about the Northern Barbarian invasion." She mounted her horse, her voice carried on the wind, "I want to see the Emperor."
Gu Zhixing suddenly grabbed her reins: "Do you know what this means?"
Xie Zhaoran looked down at him and suddenly smiled: "It means I have to personally tear off the Crown Prince's fig leaf."
She leaned down and patted his face. "I've waited three years and made all the necessary preparations."
Gu Zhixing looked at the beauty mark at the corner of her eye and, for some reason, felt a strange sense of trust.
"Okay," he said with a smile.
Before the laughter had even faded, the whip had already pierced the air. "Follow me!"
Two horses charged into the morning mist, one after the other.
——
As dusk deepened, the gates of Kyoto came into view.
As Xie Zhaoran and Gu Zhixing rode into the city, an invisible tension seemed to be taut in the air.
In the teahouses and taverns on both sides of the long street, several pairs of eyes were fixed on them like shadows—some were murderous, some were scrutinizing, and some were secretly waiting for them.
Gu Zhixing's hand remained on the sword hilt, his knuckles turning slightly white.
He could sense that at least five or six groups were secretly vying for power.
Fortunately, they finally arrived at the palace gates without any major incidents.
The emperor also learned of the news and sent a eunuch to bring the two of them into the palace.
The vermilion palace gates slowly closed behind us, making a dull sound.
The eunuch leading the way was hunched over, and the lantern swayed in the twilight, casting a dim yellow glow.
"Lord Gu, please wait here for a moment," the old eunuch said with a forced smile, his wrinkles around his eyes hinting at scrutiny.
Gu Zhixing did not answer, but instead silently surveyed his surroundings.
The guards in front of the palace were positioned much more densely than usual, and shadowy figures could be vaguely seen moving about in the shadows.
He tapped his fingertips lightly on the scabbard, silently counting the number and location of the guards in his mind.
"What is it that you, Uncle, need to hide from me?"
Gu Zhixing pretended not to hear the eunuch's words and wanted to follow Shen Jintang inside.
"Gu Zhixing." Xie Zhaoran suddenly turned around, her voice soft but clear: "Wait for me here."
Gu Zhixing suddenly grabbed her wrist: "I'll go in with you."
“No.” Xie Zhaoran shook his head, a complex look flashing in his eyes. “I have to do this myself.”
Their eyes met, and Gu Zhixing saw the resolute look in her eyes.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally released his grip slowly. "One hour," he said, his voice so low it was almost inaudible. "If you don't come out..."
Xie Zhaoran smiled slightly: "That won't happen."
The old eunuch coughed lightly, and Xie Zhaoran turned and left, her robes fluttering and carrying a faint fragrance.
Gu Zhixing stood there, watching her figure disappear behind the many palace gates, his fingers unconsciously tracing the familiar patterns on the sword hilt.
As dusk settled, the palace lanterns lit up one by one.
Gu Zhixing strolled to the foot of an ancient cypress tree and, under the cover of its shadow, took out a bronze whistle from his sleeve.
"Sir, should we gather the men now?" came a very soft question from the shadows.
Gu Zhixing put the whistle back into his sleeve: "Wait a little longer."
He looked up at the brightly lit palace, a cold glint in his eyes. "Get your men ready and wait for my signal."
A night breeze carried the sound of a distant drumbeat.
Gu Zhixing leaned against the tree trunk, seemingly relaxed, but in reality, his muscles were tense all over.
He was calculating time in his mind, each moment feeling as if it were stretched into eternity.
The faint sounds of arguing could be heard from inside the hall, but they quickly subsided into silence.
Gu Zhixing's fingers tightened unconsciously, his nails digging into his palm.
If the emperor insists on protecting the crown prince, he also has to protect Xie Zhaoran!
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