The End
Inside the hall, it was initially silent. Everyone’s eyes were on Ye Youqing, then they turned to look at Duke Liang, whose face was ashen, whispering continuously: “Isn’t this the legitimate daughter of the Ye family who was kidnapped years ago and rumored to be dead?”
“Then this is…”
Ye Youqing had already walked up to the Emperor, with the shadow guards still fighting the dark figures nearby. She moved almost unhindered. When someone lunged at her, Ye Youqing flicked her wrist, and the tip of her sword sliced through the person’s abdomen faster than the eye could see.
Blood splattered on her cloth boots, adding a few more red blossoms to the corners of her white robe.
The Emperor’s eyes widened in shock, his breathing rapid and intense. He watched helplessly as Ye Youqing approached, and aside from astonishment, his eyes also showed a hint of fear.
“You…”
Ye Youqing extended her hand and pressed the long sword against his throat, her face cold and resolute, yet still smiling: “It seems Your Majesty remembers me. I thought you, with your busy life, would have forgotten all the people you had killed.”
The cold sword touched his skin, and the Emperor couldn’t help but lean back, glaring at Ye Youqing who looked down on him: “You’re not dead?”
“No.” Ye Youqing raised her voice, making sure everyone in the hall could hear clearly, “Back then, when Weizhou was attacked, I could have escaped, but I stayed to defend the city for the sake of the people, holding on with my grandfather’s Iron Cavalry for two days and nights. We barely held out until reinforcements arrived, only to find an order for our execution.”
“Our mighty Qi, spanning thousands of miles, can tolerate treacherous villains but not loyal heroes. King Si Rong and General Zhou, who had a lifetime of military achievements, were loved by the people and held military power, only to be eradicated by you one by one. You ignore the bloodshed at the borders, the refugees displaced from their homes, and only care about the few inches of throne beneath you…”
“How dare you! Shut up!” The Emperor’s face turned red with anger as he roared.
“Now, with all the civil and military officials present, let them carefully recall whether what I said is false. How many loyal ministers of the previous dynasty were harmed to death by you, exiled to barren lands? How many common people were left homeless, suffering from hunger and cold? You cannot tolerate loyal ministers; this court cannot tolerate a foolish emperor!”
Hearing this, the Emperor furiously stood up, but Ye Youqing pressed down with her wrist, rendering him immobile.
“The army is already at the city gates. In less than an hour, they will flood into Bianjing, while your border troops will take several days to return to the capital. Your life is now in my hands. Order them to stop, or I will let you taste the punishment of having your bones scraped.” As Ye Youqing moved her arm, fresh blood began to flow from the Emperor’s neck.
There were continuous whispers below the hall, but no one dared to step forward or speak, only curling to the sides, trembling in fear.
“You treacherous rebel, how dare you speak so grandly!” The Emperor was already weak and powerless, his hands shaking as he tried to support himself.
“How can I be a rebel?” Ye Youqing squinted and smiled. “I even lent you over a thousand pieces of refined iron to help you conquer Western Xia. You could say I’m a meritorious official.”
The Emperor was shocked, sweat gluing his beard into a clump. “That iron merchant was you?”
Ye Youqing shrugged ambiguously, then glanced back at the gleam of swords and sabers outside. Inside the hall, all the shadow guards had been cleared out, and several iron-clad soldiers stood at the door, blocking the imperial guards.
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“The chaos outside is also your doing?” The Emperor’s eyes finally showed despair. “You treacherous scoundrel, you…”
Ye Youqing suddenly let out a mocking laugh. “A treacherous scoundrel? If they could live peacefully, who would risk their life to rebel? Look at those so-called chaotic soldiers; they’re just ordinary civilians who usually work in the fields.”
“It was you who step by step forced them into a situation where they had no grain to cook and no home to return to. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Treat people like they’re not human, and you’ll eventually face their backlash.”
“Don’t push people too hard,” Ye Youqing said, her voice soft and ethereal, yet it sounded almost ghostly.
The Emperor looked at her, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, legs splayed as he laughed hysterically, like someone gone mad.
“Kill me then. Even if all the imperial guards die, I won’t surrender. Since death is inevitable, I’ll make sure those rebellious bastards accompany me to the grave!”
Ye Youqing put away her smile, looking down at him with an air of superiority, her dark eyebrows slightly raised. “Tsk tsk, how can someone who’s been an emperor for over a decade still be so naive?”
Before the Emperor could react, she raised her sword and brought it down, cutting off his hair along with the imperial crown, and tossed it to Ding Cheng, who stood behind her. “Go tell them, the Emperor is dead. Those who surrender will live; those who resist will die.”
Ding Cheng responded affirmatively and then quickly ran out of the main hall. The others swarmed in, tying up the now isolated and ashen-faced Emperor.
Outside, the sound of horns and shouting erupted. When the imperial guards heard that the Emperor was gone and saw the jade crown that only the Emperor could wear, they immediately fell apart and scattered in all directions.
Ye Youqing saw that the Emperor had been subdued, so she quickly turned and walked through the main hall. As she passed by Duke Liang and the others, she heard Qin Xin shout. It turned out that Zhao Qingrou had fainted.
She paused her steps, turned around, and looked at Duke Liang, whose face was ashen and who looked like he was about to faint, and at Qin Xin, whose face was streaked with tears, not knowing whether she was happy or sad.
Without saying much to them, she scanned the surroundings with a stern tone. “The same goes for all you ministers. If you stay here quietly and don’t cause trouble, this matter has nothing to do with you. Otherwise, your fate will be no different from his.”
Ye Youqing pointed to the Emperor, who was tightly bound.
After she finished speaking, the hall fell silent. Ye Youqing lowered her hand, said no more, and stepped over the threshold, running out into the already reddening daylight.
It was nearly dusk, the setting sun casting golden hues on the mountain tops, and the blood-red clouds were dazzling and brilliant.
Everywhere, palace servants were fleeing with their heads in their hands, occasionally bumping into each other. Ye Youqing dodged them repeatedly, moving in the opposite direction. She had already sent someone to Funing Palace to rescue Shi Li and the others, but she didn’t know what the situation was.
The billowing black smoke of Funing Palace appeared before her eyes. The fire in the rear hall had gradually subsided, the imperial guards had fled without a trace, and the main gate was wide open. Ye Youqing leapt in and saw from afar two people sitting and lying on the ground outside the hall. The one sitting was Shi Li, and the one lying on the ground was Zhou Ziqiu.
Zhou Ziqiu looked utterly disheveled, her hair messy and unkempt, her clothes torn in many places, and her face was especially pale, devoid of any color.
Ye Youqing hurriedly grabbed the person next to her and urgently said, “Quick, go get an imperial physician!”
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After that person hurried away, she quickly squatted down, placing one hand on Shi Li’s shoulder and the other to feel Zhou Ziqiu’s breath. Her heart instantly felt like it had been doused with cold water, a chill running through her.
Shi Li’s gaze was a bit vacant as she kept pressing Zhou Ziqiu’s chest and then giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. This was a lifesaving method Ye Youqing had once taught her, and now it was coming in handy again.
The Sixth Prince returned from the main gate. When she saw Ye Youqing, she rushed over and grabbed her hands, half happy and half worried, “Sister, you finally came!”
Seeing Ye Youqing looking at Zhou Ziqiu, her expression became more serious, “The Noble Consort was forced to swallow some pills made from green calyx fruit. It must have caused poisoning, but fortunately, she vomited it out in time. I’m not sure if she can be saved.”
Ye Youqing looked down and felt a pang of pain in her heart. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked with a frown, “Where is Ci Ke?”
“I was just looking for her. I searched inside and outside the hall and asked the palace servants, but there’s no sign of her!” The Sixth Prince became even more anxious after being reminded, “We didn’t see Ci Ke when we arrived, and the Noble Consort is unconscious…”
Ye Youqing’s vision went dark for a moment, but she forced herself to stay calm. She turned around and looked at her surroundings, spotting some still-smoldering embers in the distance.
The Sixth Prince also looked towards the back hall and whispered, “I haven’t searched the back hall yet. Did you set that fire?”
Ye Youqing murmured, “Oh my God,” and without another word, her body turned into a blur as she dashed towards the back hall.
Ci Ke absolutely cannot be in trouble. She had finally gotten rid of her enemies, and they could finally be together. If something happened to Ci Ke now, how could she go on living?
Ye Youqing kicked open the charred door, and ash and debris rained down on her head, revealing an interior with some lingering embers.
Inside, everything had been burned clean, leaving only remnants of bricks and wood. The roof beams were long gone, revealing a bright, clear sky above.
The air was still very choking, so Ye Youqing covered her nose with her sleeve and first rushed into the room on the left, which was less burned but completely empty.
The Sixth Prince caught up and joined her in searching, but the ground was too cluttered. Everything was charred beyond recognition, making Ye Youqing even more careful with her every move, fearing she might find something belonging to Ci Ke.
Finally, they found the smallest room. This room had a window, but the side with the window had already collapsed. Ye Youqing’s sharp eyes caught sight of something covered in soot—it looked like a deformed hairpin.
She quickly stepped forward and picked up the scalding silver hairpin. Suddenly, she felt the world spinning and nearly lost her balance, but fortunately, the Sixth Prince behind her caught and steadied her.
“This is Ci Ke’s…” the Sixth Prince said with a trembling voice, taking the hairpin from her hand. She then looked around, trying to find any other traces belonging to Ci Ke.
“Big sister, calm down. Ci Ke is smart, she will definitely protect herself.” The Sixth Prince’s voice was already choked with sobs. She grabbed Ye Youqing’s shoulder forcefully, trying to keep the woman—who was crying unconsciously—calm.
The Sixth Prince had never seen Ye Youqing like this. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if Ye Youqing really saw Ci Ke.
In the corner was a large pile of collapsed debris. The Sixth Prince stepped forward and carefully uncovered it, revealing the hidden corner.
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There was no one.
The Sixth Prince finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, when she turned around, she found that Ye Youqing’s figure had disappeared. She called out a few times and hurriedly chased outside.
There was another area behind the back hall, but it was very hidden, designed as a garden landscape for viewing purposes. Usually, no one came here. Ye Youqing saw water stains on the ground from afar, and her heart pounded more fiercely. She bowed her head, searching in various corners.
When she reached the most remote spot by a rockery, she finally saw something and slowly stopped. In the crowded rockery cave, a corner of a hem was exposed, dirty and soaking wet.
Ye Youqing clutched her chest and slowly approached, grabbing that corner of the hem with her hand. The person inside was startled at first and then began to struggle, but Ye Youqing grabbed their leg and forcefully pulled them out.
The moment she saw the person’s face, Ye Youqing seemed to lose all strength and half-knelt, sitting down.
Ci Ke was covered in dirt and mud, with a few smudges on her cheeks. She squinted in the sunlight to see Ye Youqing’s face clearly, then stopped struggling and reached out to touch Ye Youqing’s face, feeling a stream of tears.
Ci Ke was stunned, leaned forward to embrace her neck and placed her head on her chest, gently patting her on the back of the head, and softly said, “Why are you crying?”