Recapture of Hecheng
When the first snow fell in the capital, a report of Sun Yi's victory in capturing Hecheng reached the palace.
The emperor read the report of victory and was overjoyed. "Good, good, good!"
Just then, a young eunuch hurriedly arrived outside the Mingzheng Hall where the emperor was reviewing memorials.
The chief eunuch, who was waiting behind the emperor, quietly left the hall and approached the junior eunuch, asking, "What happened?"
The young eunuch replied quickly, "Reporting to Eunuch Wu, Consort Xuan is having a difficult childbirth. Please go in and inform the imperial physician to save her."
Eunuch Wu glanced back at the emperor, who was in a good mood, and waved to the young eunuch, saying, "I understand. You may go back now."
The young eunuch wanted to say something, but when he looked up and met Eunuch Wu's cold eyes, he immediately fell silent.
After the eunuchs, including Eunuch Wu, had gone some distance, they bowed and returned to wait behind the emperor.
After a long while, the emperor finished dealing with the memorials at hand and casually asked, "Who was that who just came?"
Eunuch Wu dared not conceal the truth and carefully replied, "It was a little eunuch who delivered the message, saying that Consort Xuan of Fanghua Palace is having a difficult childbirth."
Upon hearing this, the emperor's smile widened rather than diminished. He tapped his fingers and muttered to himself, "I was just wondering what to give to appease the Consort. This gift has come at just the right time."
Having served the emperor for many years, Eunuch Wu understood the emperor's unspoken meaning: the emperor intended to entrust Consort Xuan's child to Consort Sun for upbringing. It seemed the emperor's favorite was still Consort Sun; had his previous displays of affection for Consort Xuan been merely an act? Thinking this, Eunuch Wu felt a chill creep into his body with the emperor's words, and he lowered his head even further.
After a short while, the emperor slowly spoke, "Send the chief physician over there and make sure to protect the prince."
"yes."
Upon receiving the order, Eunuch Wu waited a moment, and only when the Emperor gave no further instructions did he silently leave the palace.
After leaving the main hall, Eunuch Wu straightened up and headed towards the Imperial Hospital.
As they passed a secluded path, a thin figure suddenly darted out from behind them, nimbly circled around to Wu Gonggong's front, and knelt directly in front of him.
"Please, sir, save the Empress."
Recognizing the kneeling figure as the young eunuch who had brought the message earlier, Eunuch Wu said irritably, "You scared me half to death! Get out of here!" Seeing him kneeling motionless on the snow, kowtowing repeatedly, Eunuch Wu sighed inwardly but said with displeasure, "Get out of here! If you delay my journey to the Imperial Hospital, you'll regret it!"
Upon hearing the words "Imperial Hospital," the little eunuch realized what was happening and quickly scrambled to the side, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir..."
Seeing him step aside, Eunuch Wu gave him a deep look before continuing on his way. But the Emperor's order echoed in his mind once more—protect the prince at all costs. The Emperor's order only mentioned protecting the prince; it made no mention of Consort Xuan or the princess. Alas, the harem is likely to be short of women again.
With that thought in mind, Eunuch Wu quickened his pace.
In Fanghua Palace, Wan Niang, who had been tormented by pain for a long time, weakly looked towards the door.
"Ah! Has the imperial physician arrived?"
The maid wiped the sweat from her forehead, pursed her lips upon hearing this, and said softly, "Xiao Shengzi has already gone to the Mingzheng Hall to plead with His Majesty. Your Highness, please be patient a little longer; the imperial physician will be here soon."
Wan Niang murmured, "Little Shengzi..." The increasingly intense pain interrupted her thoughts. Wan Niang felt as if a knife was churning inside her stomach, and the pain was so intense that she even thought it would be better to die.
Just as she was thinking this, Xiaoshengzi's voice rang out from outside the window.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty. Eunuch Wu has gone to fetch the imperial physician on the Emperor's orders. Please be patient a little longer; the physician will be here soon."
Upon hearing this, Wan Niang's eyes regained their clarity, and she abandoned her suicidal thoughts.
"Xiaoshengzi, thank you."
Standing outside the window, Xiao Shengzi smiled and said憨憨地, "No, this is what a servant should do."
The room fell silent. He waited for a long time but didn't hear his master's voice again. A sense of panic welled up in his heart, and Xiao Shengzi whispered towards the window, "Your Majesty?"
Wan Niang suddenly felt her eyelids become incredibly heavy. Xiao Shengzi's voice sounded distant and indistinct. Her body felt light and airy, as if everything in the world was drifting away from her. This feeling terrified her. She reached out to grab something, but grasped nothing.
"Your Majesty!!"
Seeing her master lying motionless on the bed, the maid dropped the handkerchief in her hand and knelt on the ground in terror.
As soon as Eunuch Wu led the head of the courtyard into Fanghua Palace, they saw a crowd of people kneeling in the courtyard.
The head eunuch walked past the kneeling eunuchs and palace maids, and entered the delivery room without changing his expression. He glanced at the midwife waiting to the side, and then reached out to take Consort Xuan's pulse.
After confirming that Consort Xuan had passed away, he summoned the midwife and whispered to her, "The Empress's baby is breech. Carefully remove the princess, and His Majesty will not blame you."
After giving his instructions, he gave the midwife one last deep look before leaving the room.
The midwife understood the chief physician's unspoken meaning: for the empress to survive, the child in her womb could only be a princess.
After a moment, the midwife, her face full of grief, carried a child with a bluish-purple complexion out of the room.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
The abbot looked at the lifeless child with pity, shook his head, and left Fanghua Palace.
Just then, Xiao Shengzi suddenly rammed into the wall. Everyone heard a muffled thud, and then saw that Xiao Shengzi was lifeless.
The atmosphere in Fanghua Palace grew increasingly somber and oppressive.
Eunuch Wu glanced at Xiao Shengzi, waved his hand, and said, "Drag him away and bury him."
--
Jin Xiaoxiao received the news of Wan Niang's death in childbirth the next day.
At that moment, snowflakes were falling heavily from the sky. Jin Xiaoxiao stood on the corridor for a long time, looking at the white world, and murmured to herself:
"People say that a timely snowfall promises a good harvest, so next year's harvest will surely be good?"
Ji Jun, now healthy, silently stayed by her side. He didn't understand the emotions in Jin Xiaoxiao's eyes; he only knew that Xiaoxiao was sad, and the source of her sadness was in the palace. So he said, "I will kill the emperor."
Hearing Ji Yun utter such rebellious words out of the blue, Jin Xiaoxiao's sorrowful mood was immediately disrupted.
Seeing that Jin Xiaoxiao's mood had improved, Ji Jun assured her, "I will definitely kill the emperor."
Sensing the firmness in Ji Jun's words, Jin Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head, "No, no need." Being an assassin is not a good profession, and she tried her best to persuade him, "Ji Jun, forget about such a dangerous idea."
Ji Jun was very satisfied to see that she only had eyes for him.
"Don't worry, I won't go to my death." But I will definitely kill the person who hurt you.
Jin Xiaoxiao, still uneasy, advised again, "The emperor has many skilled bodyguards, making it difficult for outsiders to get close to him. Besides, do you even know the emperor?"
Ji Jun shook her head. "I don't know him."
Jin Xiaoxiao felt slightly relieved. After Ji Yun's interruption, she suppressed her grief and turned her thoughts to another matter: the victory report the emperor had seen yesterday—Hecheng had been recaptured.
Jin Xiaoxiao's first thought upon hearing the news was, "Impossible."
Who is Yue Xiao? He's the absolute male lead of this world. She couldn't believe Yue Xiao would lose to Sun Yi, who wasn't even a supporting character. There was definitely something fishy about this. However, she knew too little and could only speculate.
Crane City.
Sun Yi, wearing a snow-white cloak, looked solemnly at the soldiers who had accompanied him on the expedition.
"We have won this battle, and all of you have made invaluable contributions. I have already submitted a memorial to His Majesty requesting commendations based on your performance. The details of your rewards will be announced soon. However, the traitor Yue Xiao has escaped." At this point, Sun Yi's expression suddenly changed, and his sharp gaze swept over the crowd. "According to reliable sources, he is leading his remaining troops towards the capital. The capital is His Majesty's residence; how can we allow a traitor like Yue Xiao to invade it! Gentlemen, follow me to the capital to defend the Emperor!"
The soldiers raised their weapons and shouted in unison, "Serve the Emperor! Serve the Emperor!"
Seeing this, Sun Yi's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. He immediately mounted his horse and called out, "Let's go!"
The grand procession followed behind him, stepping out of the city riddled with hidden flaws, heading towards the capital.
As Sun Yi stepped out of the city gate, he suddenly turned around, his gaze locking precisely onto the figure standing on the city wall. The figure was completely covered up, with only a patch of fair skin showing on his chin.
Even so, Sun Yi's gaze was extremely aggressive as he looked at her, his eyes lingering on her for a moment before he finally opened his mouth and silently uttered two words, "Wait until I marry you." After saying that, he turned and left.
The figure understood his lip movements, and her hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched tightly. After a long while, until Sun Yi's figure disappeared from sight, she finally asked in a dry voice, "Did Yue Xiao really escape to the capital?"
The person standing next to her replied emotionlessly, "That's what they all say."
The figure tilted her head back, and her hood slid down with her movement, revealing her exquisite and flawless face.
She turned to look at the person beside her and asked softly, "Xi Yan, Yue Xiao is gone, why are you still following me?"
Xi Yan's gaze swept subtly over Jin Yuanyuan's neck, which was covered in red marks, before she lowered her eyes and said, "I promise he will protect you."
Jin Yuanyuan said self-deprecatingly, "If he knew what happened yesterday, do you think he would still need you to protect me?"
Upon hearing this, a complex emotion flashed in Xi Yan's eyes, and she said with a hint of guilt in her voice, "I'm sorry, I failed to protect you."
Jin Yuanyuan pulled her clothes tighter and stopped talking.
The Jin family.
Ever since learning that Hecheng had been recaptured, Jin Xiaoxiao had had a bad feeling.
In the past two days, she has used all her connections to gather intelligence about Yue Xiao and He Cheng.
But all the intelligence we received was that Hecheng had been conquered and Yue Xiao had fled far away.
Seeing Jin Xiaoxiao's brows furrowing deeper and deeper, Ji Jun felt an urge to draw his sword and kill her. But in front of Jin Xiaoxiao, he restrained himself and asked calmly, "Xiaoxiao, what's the problem?"
Hearing Ji Yun's voice, Jin Xiaoxiao sighed and said, "No problem." After saying that, she realized that her words could be misunderstood, so she added, "Sun Yi's subjugation of Hecheng was too easy and too smooth, which is the biggest problem in itself. Also, all the intelligence I have is surprisingly consistent. This is also very strange. I feel that something big is about to happen in the capital."
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