Chapter 16
Let her come at me.
Qi Nian'an knew that Li Xiaoran would be very worried if he said this, so he thought to himself, "As for saying it out loud, forget it."
"It's terrible, Your Majesty!"
Just as she was inwardly complaining, she suddenly saw a palace maid running over in a panic, saying in a trembling voice, "Xingchun, the head palace maid of Consort Su, has detained Sister Nanzhi. She says, she says Sister Nanzhi has a secret letter!"
Qi Nian'an laughed in exasperation.
She stood up very nimbly and ordered someone to keep an eye on Yixing.
She then ventured into the enemy camp alone.
Gao Sen's vermilion courtyard wall had just been renovated, and tender branches and leaves were faintly extending from the courtyard, their bright green color particularly striking.
A scream pierced the air, and Qi Nian'an was suddenly horrified. She could no longer appreciate the spring scenery and hurriedly grabbed a stick and rushed into Consort Su's palace.
The palace servants around were about to shout in surprise when they suddenly realized that the person who came was the infamous Mad Dog Consort An. They were not surprised at all and looked hesitantly at the woman on the main seat in the hall.
Qi Nian'an followed everyone's gaze and immediately saw Nan Zhi, who was on the verge of death, covered in blood, yet desperately clenching her teeth, with crimson blood dripping from her fingertips, trembling in a particularly pitiful state.
Her hand holding the stick paused, and she looked incredulously at the exceptionally fierce noblewoman leaning against the steps.
Su Fei looked like a wolf, her eyes unfathomable at first glance. No matter how vehement the question, it would sink into the abyss of scheming. She twitched the corner of her mouth, but showed no emotion. She stared intently at Nan Zhi's still-flowing blood, without any pity or even the desire to feign compassion.
"You've arrived."
She let out a deep laugh, the silver ornaments on her head gleaming coldly trembling slightly. There were no other accessories, and the blue jade tiger was embroidered on the side of her collar. She waved her hand dismissively.
In an instant, several burly men pinned Qi Nian'an to the ground without giving him a chance to argue.
This time, however, she was unable to break free from the shackles of the professional thugs.
The screams continued, and as she looked around at her surroundings, for the first time, she felt a chill of fear.
"Consort Ling has left the palace. Guess if your little palace maid will be saved before she returns?"
She bent down and asked in a deliberately coquettish voice, but there was no gentleness in her tone. It was as if a venomous tongue was slowly coiling around her neck, making her feel disgusted but hard to shake off.
Damn it, I thought it was just some young women arguing and bickering, but who would have thought a real lunatic showed up.
I should have brought more people.
But how could so many thugs have just entered the palace? Where did they come from? Wasn't the harem supposed to be much more organized now?
Qi Nian'an looked up and said coldly, "What does Consort Su mean by this? Even if the charge of treason is not serious, it should be questioned by the Emperor himself and presented in court. What right do you have to kill someone at will?"
Consort Su seemed to have heard a joke, tilted her head back and laughed as she sat back in her seat, continuing to watch the person being tortured struggle helplessly.
Nan Zhi was in great pain. She couldn't breathe and even wanted to end it all as soon as possible. Bloody foam gradually appeared in her mouth, making her look extremely pitiful.
Qi Nian'an's eyes reddened as she watched, and she didn't know where the strength came from. She turned forward and countered, using her stick to knock down the burly man. A sob of bitterness and heartache welled up from her nose and became more and more intense. Then it transformed into a tirade of a fighting woman, and her anger burned even more fiercely.
In an instant, the hall was filled with people lying in various positions.
Qi Nian'an slowly rose from the crowd, her shoulders throbbing with pain, and her lower abdomen aching as if being torn apart with each breath. She raised her head, her gaze slowly moving upwards, fixing with hatred on Consort Su, who sat high above her in the main seat.
Those wolf eyes grew increasingly smug and excited, greedily watching her struggle.
A growing sense of disgust arose.
She was about to help Nan Zhi leave.
Unexpectedly, the next second, a series of thunderous footsteps followed, and shadows surrounded the palace gate. Palace servants, bowing and hunched over, stared at her menacingly, filling the entire area, so dense that not even a mosquito could get in.
All of this was directed at her.
Qi Nian'an gave a wry smile, only then realizing how slow she had been.
Now that Xiao Ran has left the palace in grand style, and Shao Sizhi is holding a closed-door meeting at the Military Affairs Office, even if Consort Su goes mad and kills her here, Li Xiao Ran will be helpless and will have to give up her one and only precious chance to reload the game.
Now is not the time.
Consort Su sat at the head of the table, watching all this with great excitement. Her long, red nails were curled high, and wine cups and goblets were clinking together. She even grabbed the head maidservant serving her and toasted with her.
"Congratulations on the elimination of the mad dog in the palace! His Majesty's great worry has been relieved. Why aren't you laughing!"
She raised her voice in celebration and toasted loudly, raising her wine cup high.
Nan Zhi struggled to lift her head upon hearing the sound. Her lips were exceptionally pale as she trembled and glared angrily. Qi Nian'an was even more furious upon seeing this, her vision blurred as she looked at this absurd scene.
Now, she is at the mercy of the enemy, with the knife hanging over her head.
She was at a loss.
The familiar warm liquid and the nauseating, fishy smell filled her hands. Nan Zhi gradually leaned her head against her chest, her breathing weakening.
She was truly at a loss.
Why!
Overwhelming grief bound her tightly, rendering her unable to move. Was this deadly predicament, like being trapped in a locked room, truly something she could only wait for someone to come to her rescue?
Who knew that a madman actually lived inside the palace gates!
The person in her arms gripped her clothes tightly, and the once smiling eyes gradually dimmed, becoming more and more desperate and sorrowful.
Consort Su smiled even more brightly, and she raised her hand to signal everyone not to go up and disturb them.
"You bunch of lunatics and good-for-nothings who huddle together for warmth, why don't you take a closer look? Those of you with your heads down, raise your heads and see what happens to this mad dog, see how she drags those around her to their deaths!"
She smiled.
Qi Nian'an's abdominal pain intensified.
A trembling hand, cold yet gentle, reached out to touch her. Nan Zhi smiled apologetically, tears slowly welling up in her eyes and sliding down, wetting the wrinkled hem of her long dress.
"Your Highness Consort An, now that I am dead, you shall kneel before the palace and recount Consort Su's deeds."
“Your Majesty, before I came, I had someone burn the communication token. There is no longer any evidence in the palace that can prove you are a spy.”
“Go and compete for favor, Your Highness. I know you have no intention or willingness, but look at the current situation. If you don’t compete, how can Consort Ling protect you in time? In this way, Nanzhi will also be extremely uneasy.”
Her voice gradually weakened, and her life force faded away with each word. She closed her eyes, but forced them open.
She smiled at Qi Nian'an.
"Hang in there, just hang in there. Before you get up, let Xiao Anzi know that if things really get too bad, I'll fight my way out with you—"
"You must not...you must not kill him."
Nan Zhi frowned almost imperceptibly upon hearing this. Before she could say anything more, her hands gradually loosened and slid down, her fingertips twitching slightly.
Qi Nian'an picked her up in one swift motion, his murderous aura almost engulfing the entire hall.
She staggered, unable to hold on any longer.
A sharp pain suddenly shot through her from behind, and her knees buckled, causing her to kneel down uncontrollably.
Another blow to the head.
She felt blood flowing from her head, and the person in her arms gradually grew cold.
"Nan Zhi, can you stay with me a little longer?"
Hearing the faint sound, she gasped in pain and held her tightly.
Please, I need to get a response.
Unfortunately, apart from the dull thud of the stick hitting his body and the sharp sound of it cutting through the air, there were no other sounds.
The world gradually went dark.
The sharp pain in her back was almost unbearable. She trembled involuntarily and curled up on the ground. She had never been so disheveled. The overwhelming sound of the sticks hitting her grew stronger.
I could only vaguely see a pair of feet moving away.
The palace servants' reports sounded as if they came from hell.
"Your Majesty, if you hit me any further, I'll really die..."
"What are you afraid of?" Su Fei was extremely arrogant, so arrogant that even on the verge of death, Qi Nian'an could clearly feel her fearlessness, her arrogance, and her chilling aura that seemed to descend into hell.
"After the eunuch cleaned it up, she tied a stone to it and threw it down along with the Li family's sachet."
Qi Nian'an opened her eyes with hatred.
The surroundings were as cold as an ice cellar, lifeless. Everyone watched coldly, no one offered a helping hand. All the genuine emotions in the world melted away within these palace walls.
She will disappear from this place, like the people of the past, disappearing from this world that does not belong to her.
They didn't even have the energy to reload the save file.
She propped herself up, then collapsed again.
Thump—
The silence on the brick floor was profound. The sound of her knees hitting the ground shattered everything she had built up in self-deception, leaving only an empty, lifeless heart that would never beat again.
She couldn't let herself implicate Li Xiaoran; she wanted that supreme power, she wanted that person's favor, she needed—
"You were practically planning to kill me as a spy, so asking me these questions now is pointless. In my heart, we've already broken ties."
"If I had to say, I hate people's hypocrisy and backstabbing, I find those pretentious people annoying, I want unconditional love, a lasting relationship with my best friend, and I want her to be happy, and myself to be happy too. Can you grant me this wish?"
Fight for it yourself!!
This ditch is like a gladiatorial arena!
Qi Nian'an gasped and hissed with laughter.
"Consort Su, you're not stupid. Then I want to ask you, how dare you go against the Li family? Did you even think of your relatives and friends?"
"Do you think the Empress Dowager knows nothing? She may not know about your crazy and unexpected actions today."
"But she must understand the countless lives you've taken."
Consort Su's expression froze, and she raised her hand as if to signal something.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to be a mad dog, to hand over everything I have to you, and to tell you everything I know—"
The person next to her suddenly covered her mouth tightly, their knuckles turning white from the force.
But it was too late.
The imperial robe was without a single wrinkle, and there was not a trace of a smile on the man's face.
Wearing a crown adorned with nine dragon pearls, Shao Sizhi moved unhurriedly, his face as deep and expressionless as an abyss. He stood there fiercely, yet his imposing presence slammed down on the absurd farce unfolding within the hall.
He stood with his hands behind his back, giving a deep look to Su Fei, who was standing there stunned.
"Your Majesty... I will obey."
Qi Nian'an's tears fell heavily onto the bricks and stones, and she leaned her head to the side, extremely weak.
Shao Sizhi slowly lowered his gaze, his expression complex.
On the ground lay two weakened bodies, one lifeless, the other with bloodstains on its white clothes and deep wounds and red fluid on its back.
Her face was deathly pale, and her lips were bitten so deeply that they were stained, yet she still clung to her maid.
In the past, she would never have said these words herself.
He lifted his foot to walk in that direction, but then he stopped.
No, this person is suspicious and should be eliminated.
Those repeated glances from my dreams reappear before my eyes.
She was dressed in red, with a cheerful and spirited demeanor, and was both innocent and adorable.
But right now—
Her white clothes were stained with blood, and she was curled up like a trapped young animal, covered in wounds. Yet, in her final moments, she was the only one who bowed her head to him.
This is a heartwarming gift, and he will achieve his goal no matter what.
What's wrong with leaving her alone?
"Consort Su, I had no idea you possessed such an iron-fisted approach. Wouldn't you be a good candidate to take charge of the household affairs?"
Shao Sizhi's voice crashed down on the Su family.
He bent down and picked up the person on the ground. In an instant, Liu Neng understood and shouted for the imperial physician. The long-silent hall gradually became lively.
The thunderous roar sent shivers down everyone's spines.
The emperor's long, narrow back intimidated all the kneeling murderers awaiting their punishment.
Nan Zhi was wrapped in a white cloth and hurriedly carried out.
The fingertips bounced with the palace servants carrying the palanquin, truly lifeless.
"Your Majesty, are you going to kill me as an atonement?"
Su Fei caught up with him barefoot and gently wrapped her arms around him.
Silence enveloped the two of them. Gradually, the hands seemed to sense something, released their grip, and the person knelt heavily on the ground.
Shao Sizhi left directly.
The doors to the emperor's sleeping quarters slowly closed, and the imperial physician emerged from within, wiping away sweat before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"How is it?"
Shao Sizhi sat under a tree in the courtyard, holding a teacup.
"Although it was a close call, the Empress is in good health and is now out of danger, but she needs to rest."
The old voice of the imperial physician rang out from outside the hall. Qi Nian'an opened her eyes with difficulty, feeling pain all over her body, as if she had fallen apart and then been put back together. Her whole body was involuntarily dislocated.
Nanzhi! Li Xiaoran!
She struggled to sit up, but was firmly pressed back down by a pair of hands.
"What are you making such a fuss about, Consort An?"
Consort Ming smoothed out the corner of the quilt and spoke in a gentle tone with a hint of reproach.
Why isn't it Xiao Ran?!
How could Xiao Ran not be here? Something must have happened to her!
She grabbed Consort Ming's hand tightly, stammering and unable to speak. For some reason, her mouth tasted bitter, and her jaw felt as if it were stuck.
Qi Nian'an was eager to find out what was going on, and she tried to rush under the bed again, but Consort Ming quickly stopped her.
"The Dowager Consort was injured, but it's nothing serious. She's recuperating at Zhengyang Palace. It's quite a coincidence that she wanted to see you as soon as she woke up. His Majesty just went to visit her. Once you're fit to see people, we'll arrange for you to go back to your residence. Don't worry."
Consort Ming brought over the medicine cup, her expression as gentle and kind as if she were looking at a younger member of her family.
“My sister has the same personality as you, so lively it’s a headache. If you two ever have the chance to meet, you’ll surely become close friends.”
No, she already has Li Xiaoran.
Qi Nian'an tilted her head to look at her, subconsciously wanting to shake her head.
But Mingfei's eyes were faintly moist. She smiled, reached out and wrung out the water from the handkerchief, and gently wiped her eyes.
It is as gentle as the awakening spring breeze, making people linger and unconsciously attracting them.
"Nan...Zhi——"
She asked the question haltingly and laboriously, gesturing excitedly and showing great concern.
She was afraid to know the answer.
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