1. Departed the palace in anger

Huo Qingsang led the chestnut horse through the small alley on the west side of Tongzhou Prefecture, her mind occupied with the thought of meeting Huo Tingdong at the camp at the foot of Yanshan Mountain that evening, and mentioning her father's imprisonment, so that the two could find a way to ensure the safety of the Huo family

Huo Qingsang also looked up at him, for the first time being forced to admit that over the years she had never truly seen him clearly. She had been immersed in a love-hate scenario of her own making, yet she had never realized that he had always remained an outsider. The love she offered was something he had never desired.

Nangong Yao looked down at him from a high position and coldly snorted, "Get out!"

Huo Tingdong's army arrived in Tongzhou three days earlier than Huo Qingsang. The next day, Huo Tingdong ordered his men to challenge the enemy and planned to launch a second attack on Yanshan within three days. Although Yanshan is located in a region with little oversight, its steep terrain makes it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Huo Tingdong had mostly engaged in large-scale conventional battles with the enemy at the border, and he had no advantage in this kind of siege and anti-bandit warfare. On the contrary, after two strong assaults, he suffered significant casualties.

Nangong Yao rubbed his brow and gently sighed: "Tomorrow, we will spread the news that the Empress has fallen ill with a chronic disease and has contracted smallpox. Shulan Palace will be temporarily isolated, and no one is allowed to enter. I will have the Imperial Medical Academy's scholar, Lu Fang, go to Shulan Palace to treat the Empress until she recovers from her illness"

Nangong Yao stopped a medical woman who was coming in and out, confirming that Consort Shu had fallen into a deep sleep from exhaustion, before turning around and leaving the Jiaofang Hall. It was only then that he realized it was already time for the lamps to be lit.

Huo Qingsang felt a chill in her heart, looking at him with an uneasy sense of foreboding. Could it be that he ...? She dared not think further; if Huo Tingdong could not return safely, what leverage would she have left? It turned out, it turned out he had never considered giving the Huo family a way out

It is unclear how long she has been running, as the eastern sky gradually reveals a hint of dawn. The woman continues to ride her horse tirelessly, and from the cloth bag hanging on the saddle, a glimmer of gold and red emerges. Upon closer inspection, it turns out to be a finely crafted heart-protecting mirror.

Huo Qingsang watched as the young man was about to reach the street corner when suddenly a wild dog rushed out from somewhere and bit him fiercely on the backside

Help, help! The young man was already so frightened that he was at a loss, his handsome face twisted, rolling on the ground with the dog as if he had gone mad

Nangong Yao suddenly felt a pang of anxiety, and the hand gripping her collar instinctively tightened. After a long pause, he coldly dropped a remark: "How do you know that Huo Tingdong can return safely?"

Nangong Yao sat in the outer chamber with a sullen expression, occasionally glancing at the busy female physician in the inner hall, interspersed with the hysterical screams of women.

Over the years, her once proudly held head eventually bowed down, humbly calling out to him, performing the rites of a sovereign and his subject, yet this made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

At this moment, on the plank road outside the city of Bianjing leading to the Yanshan Mountains, a chestnut horse was galloping swiftly towards the Yanshan Mountains. On the horse's back, a young woman dressed in a bright red outfit was wearing a gleaming golden whip at her waist and carrying a deep blue package on her back

A basin of blood was brought out one after another, and his heart seemed to be immersed in ice

Huo Qingsang always kept her head lowered and her demeanor submissive. She quietly gazed into his crimson eyes, and suddenly smiled with pursed lips, resembling a fleeting bloom of a night-blooming cereus, stunningly beautiful yet ephemeral. She said: "Your Majesty, if you release my father, from now on, the Huo family will no longer exist in the Great Yan, nor will Huo Qingsang. Everything you despise will vanish, and no one will obstruct your view. Su Wan will return safely, whether as a consort or as a queen, it is up to you"

Bang

In order to avoid the state and county capitals along the way, Huo Qingsang took many detours through the mountains and finally arrived at a small town thirty miles from the foot of Yanshan Mountain on the morning of the eighteenth day

Huo Qingsang forced a smile and said, "As long as the Emperor spares my father, I will persuade Huo Tingdong to relinquish his military power, and from then on, the Huo family will no longer enter the capital. If the Emperor remembers the loyalty my Huo family showed in assisting him in the past and spares my life, I will quietly leave the harem without a sound, never to be seen again in this life; if not, granting me a cup of poison would suffice." Her voice was very low, devoid of any fluctuations, as if she were merely stating a fact. If the Emperor remembers the loyalty my Huo family showed in assisting him in the past and spares my life, I will quietly leave the harem without a sound, never to be seen again in this life; if not, granting me a cup of poison would suffice." Her voice was very low, devoid of any fluctuations, as if she were merely stating a fact.

Liu Quan received the order and went down. Nangong Yao, standing behind the screen, cleared his throat lightly. The dark guard, Chasing Cloud, who had been hidden behind the screen, stepped out, his pale complexion appearing even more sickly under the candlelight

What was he feeling at that time? Despair, indifference, or helplessness

The grand hall behind her remained in a constant uproar, yet she seemed oblivious to the noise and the chaos, feeling only a chilling sensation throughout her body. A wave of cold surged up her spine to the crown of her head, causing her to involuntarily shiver.

The servant deserves to die, the servant deserves to die

The person cast a sidelong glance at Huo Qingsang and rode past.

Upon considering this, I lost my appetite for food, hastily ate a few buns, and headed straight to the local government office in Tongzhou to inquire about the situation

He calculated that Huo Tingdong would return to Beijing, but he did not foresee that the Concubine Shu's child would be lost, nor could he anticipate that Huo Qingsang would go to Yanshan for Huo Tingdong

"Your Majesty." Liu Quan entered with a pale face, hesitating to speak as he looked at Nangong Yao.

"The servant deserves to die." Liu Quan was so frightened that his face turned pale, cold sweat rolling down his cheeks, plopping onto the carpet.

She does not look at his expression, fearing that she cannot control the surging emotions within her. For all these years, in her eyes, he has merely been her lover, unrelated to power and influence. Yet, until this moment, she must admit that he is the sovereign and she is the subject; she cannot warm his heart, and he cannot accommodate the Huo family in his eyes

Although Tongzhou Prefecture received a salary from the Great Yan, it was not officially part of the Great Yan's administrative structure. At this sensitive moment, she did not dare to take risks and only inquired slightly at a few shops outside the government office. It was then that she learned that Huo Tingdong was facing great difficulties in attacking Yanshan, having lost over 3,000 troops in just a few days.

She even thought of Ye Er; had he not died so early, he too would not have received the favor of the Emperor, simply because he was the child of Huo Qingsang. And in the royal family, how could a child who does not receive the Emperor's favor live safely to adulthood

Years ago, the King of Xiliang fell gravely ill, leading to a chaotic domestic situation where the struggle for the throne reached a near boiling point. The former crown prince was defeated in the power struggle and subsequently led his remaining troops to capture Yanshan, taking control of Tongzhou in preparation for a comeback. The forces welcoming Su and Wan were captured by the subordinates of the deposed crown prince Murong Wufeng while passing through Yanshan

The young man only felt a gust of wind sweep past his ears, and when he looked down again, he saw that the large black dog he had pinned beneath him had a feathered arrow embedded in its back, its body covered in blood.

The clenched fist slammed heavily on the desk: "Kill all those on duty at Xuan De Gate today. If they cannot even keep watch over a single person, what use are they?"

In the Qianqing Palace's study, the candlelight on the desk was somewhat dim. Nangong Yao used scissors to trim the wick, and the candlelight became a bit brighter. Liu Quan stood anxiously in the hall, cold sweat dripping down his forehead in drops.

Your Majesty, Huo Qingsang was wrong

The Jiao Fang Hall is brightly lit, with the female physicians of the Imperial Medical Institute coming in and out, their complexions a mix of pale and ashen.

The sultry wind blew in through the open window, and he wanted to dispel the agitation in his heart, but it only made his thoughts more chaotic. His original intention was to have Huo Tingdong and the remnants of the deposed Crown Prince of Xiliang fight to their mutual destruction, and then take the opportunity to kill Huo Tingdong and reclaim military power. But now that Huo Qingsang had gone to Yanshan, could he still proceed according to plan

The cup in hand fell to the ground, and the woman in plain clothes stared in astonishment at the empty wall. The three meridian nails were still there, but the set of golden armor and the golden whip bestowed by the late emperor were gone

The plain-clothed maid of Shulan Hall is kneeling outside the hall. The duty leader at Xuande Gate is also present, stating that the Empress is holding the late Emperor's bestowed golden whip, and they do not dare to stop her. Liu Quan, trembling with fear, thought to himself that at least the girl knows to be afraid. After discovering that the Empress had left the palace, she quietly came to Qianqing Palace. If a scene were to break out, the Huo family would be completely without a chance of recovery, of course, this also depends on the Emperor's intentions

Liu Quan hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "The Empress has been waiting outside the hall for two hours."

Liu Quan stumbled out of the Jiaofang Hall, dragging his long robe that kept tripping him up

Su Yi felt a chill in her heart and hurriedly rushed into the inner chamber. Indeed, the bed was empty, with the bedding folded neatly, showing no signs that anyone had slept there.

At this moment, she suddenly felt as if she had been dreaming; now that the dream had ended, she was still herself, but he was no longer the handsome and refined young man he once was. It was she who had gradually pushed him to that high position, step by step leading the Huo family to the slaughter knife in his hands

In a daze, it seems as if I have returned to the day when Ye Er passed away; he was also sitting helplessly outside the hall, while Huo Qingsang tightly embraced Ye Er's cold, pale corpse, not eating or drinking for three whole days and nights

The pharmacy manager did not care about him and directly entered the pharmacy, the main door closed with a "bang".

Under the dim yellow light, Huo Qingsang stood there wearing only a plain white summer robe. Occasionally, the summer breeze would blow, lifting the hem of her simple white garment, which made her slender figure appear even more delicate, and a hint of anger was evident on her fair and refined face

Hmm? Nangong Yao replied softly, his mind wandering as he gazed at the inner chamber

Huo Qingsang let out a faint sigh in her heart, pressed her lips into a smile. The person before her was dressed in unfamiliar attire, with a sword at his waist adorned with seven gemstones. The intricate carvings of the taotie pattern on the sword sheath were exquisite, unlike ordinary items. Moreover, in that fleeting moment when he turned his gaze, although his brows held a restrained elegance, there was also a hint of dominance, a quality that only those who have experienced the battlefield possess.

Liu Quan looked at Nangong Yao in surprise, and understood in his heart that the Emperor still held some affection for the Empress

Where is the person?" Nangong Yao put down the scissors in his hand

He gazed at her quietly, separated by several steps, yet it felt as if they were separated by thousands of rivers and mountains

Nangong Yao glared at him fiercely, raised his foot, and kicked him in the chest, causing Liu Quan to choke out a sound and be thrown far away.

Nangong Yao felt a tightness in his heart, as if a heavy hammer had struck hard against his chest. He looked at her in surprise as she slowly bent her knees and knelt straight on the steps below.

It is already July, and the summer in Dayan is particularly sultry. The supply of ice to Shulan Hall has long been halted by those eunuchs from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. At night, Suyi was awakened by the heat.

Nangong Yao felt a tightness in his chest, unable to suppress a cold laugh as he looked down at Huo Qingsang. "Huo Qingsang, this is your first time being so obsequious, it truly amuses me. Can you also make mistakes? Are you also afraid?" The thrill of revenge surged in his heart, and as he laughed, he suddenly felt as if he had been stabbed sharply in the chest, quickly turning away to press down on his chest.

The young boy's face was as pale as a piece of paper, sitting at the entrance of the pharmacy and crying loudly, refusing to get up no matter what.

Please let my father go, Your Majesty! Her forehead struck heavily against the cold bluestone slab, the protruding stone grains breaking the fair skin of her forehead, blood seeping out, yet she seemed oblivious to it. With each thud, a muffled sound reached Nangong Yao's ears, as if a dull knife was cutting into his heart, stroke by stroke.

The young man was finally saved and turned around to look for the person who had come to his rescue, but Huo Qingsang had already vanished without a trace

"Notify the people over there to keep an eye on the queen; they must not make any mistakes." He spoke softly, with a look of exhaustion in his eyes. The situation has reached this point, which can be said to be both within his expectations and beyond them.

Nangong Yao suddenly stood up from the soft couch, grabbed the teacup from the small table, and threw it out fiercely: "Does she still have the face to see me?"

He suddenly turned around, grabbing Huo Qingsang by the collar and lifting her off the ground, his gaze fiercely fixed on her blood-stained face: "Huo Qingsang, where is your arrogance? Where is your pride? Why do you look like a stray dog now? Why should I let him go? When you forced me to send Su Wan away back then, did you ever consider my feelings?" He didn't even use 'I' anymore, feeling a surge of anger pressing painfully against his chest, wishing he could swallow her whole. When you forced me to send Su Wan away back then, did you ever consider my feelings?" He didn't even use 'I' anymore, feeling a surge of anger pressing painfully against his chest, wishing he could swallow her whole.

Draped in an outer robe, she quietly approached the table in her plain clothes and poured a cup of cool tea. Taking advantage of the faint moonlight filtering in through the window, her gaze inadvertently swept across the western wall.

As the sun sets in the west, the dim yellow light casts a long shadow behind me, evoking a sense of desolation reminiscent of the ancient road's west wind and a thin horse. The number of pedestrians on the street gradually decreases. Upon exiting a narrow alley and passing by a pharmacy, I witnessed a boy of about thirteen or fourteen being pushed out by the shopkeeper, who scolded him while shoving him, saying: "What are you seeking medical help for without any money? Your young master is suffering from hysteria, which is fatal and cannot be cured, cannot be cured."

A surge of blood rushed to her chest, and she let out a bitter laugh, forcing herself to suppress the anger within. She looked straight at him and, for the first time, called out humbly: "Your Majesty"

The region of Tongzhou is remote and does not resemble the prosperity of Bianjing; such a handsome and refined individual does not seem to be a local. Could he be a soldier under the former crown prince of Xiliang?

Nangong Yao looked at her panicked expression with satisfaction, suddenly releasing his grip and casually remarking, "If Huo Tingdong truly manages to bring Su Wan back safely, I might consider letting your father off the hook." After saying this, he turned and left the Jiaofang Hall

Zhui Yun's heart sank, and a trace of surprise flashed across his usually expressionless face: "This subordinate is aware."

The young man awkwardly got up from the ground, brushed off his backside, and walked back, muttering curses as he went, which did not sound like the language of the Great Yan.

The chestnut horse was already exhausted. Huo Qingsang found a small shop by the roadside and handed the horse over to a young attendant to be taken to the backyard for some feed. Turning back, he saw a pure white horse galloping past him, with a person seated elegantly atop it. The individual was wrapped in a long white robe that enveloped his slightly slender figure, and his long black hair fluttered slightly, revealing a handsome face as pale as jade.

The ground was covered in blood, and Huo Qingsang cursed under his breath. He quickly removed the Wangyue bow from the saddle, nocked an arrow, and performed the actions skillfully and seamlessly.

The noble Consort has just had a miscarriage, and the Emperor has not yet sought retribution; yet the Empress, bold as she is, has actually left the palace without permission

From the very day that Huo Tingdong returned to Beijing, he knew that he and she had reached a dead end.

Yanshan is under the jurisdiction of Tongzhou, located on the border between Dayan and Xiliang. It is adjacent to the western region of Moguo, and the troops from Su and Wan must pass through Yanshan to successfully enter the local states and counties.

The entangled love and hatred that has lasted for so many years is finally coming to an end today

The incident occurred rapidly, as the wild dog bit the boy, seemingly intent on tearing him apart.

Nangong Yao stiffened, looking at her in disbelief: "What do you mean?"