The sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn.
Wei Pingxi stepped into the 'Questioning the Heavens' overnight.
A pigeon cooed by the window. She got up and got out of bed. The stained-glass window opened, and the newly grown pigeon affectionately nuzzled her palm with its head.
The fourth young lady smiled, and her smile added to her breathtaking beauty.
After feeding the white doves, she watched them fly away, returning to the vast world of rivers and lakes, and suddenly felt a sense of certainty in her heart.
In this life, she is not fighting alone.
I have family in front of me and friends behind me.
Wei Pingxi closed the window.
The words in black and white are slowly unfurled on the white paper.
"Forget your worries."
She gave a bitter smile as the secret letter turned to dust.
Two days later, it was broad daylight.
The servants in the Jingzhe Courtyard were busy with their tasks in an orderly manner.
The food was placed on the table, but Wei Pingxi sat at the table lost in thought, seemingly having no appetite.
Jade and Agate knew she was thinking about Aunt Yu again, so they coaxed her to eat a few bites. But seeing her sullen expression, they didn't know how to cheer her up.
"Miss, what's wrong?"
Is he lovesick?
Wei Pingxi glanced at them and thought to herself that being simple-minded is a blessing. She composed herself and contemplated the meaning of 'compassion' while looking at the table full of food.
The more you progress in the practice of the Compassionate Spell, the more difficult it becomes.
Her mother was about to make a move against her; soon she would be facing the world's greatest martial arts master, Gu Chenzi.
It's a pity that she has only reached the fifth level of the third realm, and is still a very, very long way from "asking the heavens with compassion".
The Compassionate Master truly lives up to his reputation for extraordinary talent. How terrifying must the Xuan Yin Ancestor, who inherited his martial arts, be?
She calmed herself down and tried to stop thinking about those things.
The footsteps grew closer.
Madam Wei entered the Jingzhe Courtyard with a smile.
The servants respectfully greeted her as "Madam".
Wei Pingxi suppressed his desolation and raised an eyebrow slightly: Here they come.
Chapter 70 I Don't Want to Die
Two days earlier, newly matured homing pigeons flew through the clouds and mist to land high in the imperial city. After catching their breath, they continued to flap their wings and fly.
Before dawn, the patrolling imperial guards saw the pigeon and, remembering their orders, pretended to be blind.
The pigeon landed safely on a latticed window in the Gan Ning Palace.
A cooing sound came from inside.
Ji Ying glanced at the Empress, who was dozing lightly, and Yan Xiu was indeed woken up.
In fact, Yan Xiu hadn't slept well for half a month. Whenever she fell asleep, she would either dream of her daughter lying in a pool of blood or of her daughter repeatedly calling out, "Mother, save me!"
Unable to eat or sleep peacefully, the Empress lost some of her weight and looked increasingly frail.
"Sleep a little longer, I'll go check on things."
Yan Xiu shook her head slightly, then sat up, wrapped in the blanket: "I'll go with you."
She insisted on not sleeping, and Ji Ying had no choice but to carefully dress her.
His slender white fingers ran through her jet-black hair, and his heart softened: "Ah Xiu, she is also my child. With me here, no one can hurt her."
"His Majesty……"
The empress nestled in his arms.
Young pigeons don't understand adult love and affection, and they keep cooing impatiently.
Ji Ying smiled and stepped off the large bed, her bare feet landing on the thick wool blanket on the floor.
The window opened, and a pigeon circled once toward the most handsome emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty, proudly displaying its graceful adult form.
His Majesty the Emperor was amused and casually took the small strip of paper, about two fingers wide, tied to the pigeon's leg.
“Ah Xiu, look.”
Yan Xiu lowered her eyes and suddenly recalled the scene of Xi Xi lying in a pool of blood in her nightmare. Her legs went weak and she almost couldn't stand up: "How dare she..."
Yes, how could she dare?
Who gave her the audacity to harm my own flesh and blood!
Ji Ying embraced her beloved woman, a deep and sinister aura emanating from her beautiful eyes.
He was born in the cold palace and grew up on thin ice. His path to becoming emperor was fraught with thorns. Before him was Empress Dowager Yan, the murderer of his mother, and behind him were his brothers who fought tooth and nail for him. Fortunately, he gained the favor of Ah Xiu, which gave him the support of the Grand Tutor's mansion.
If I had to say what my only two sources of joy in this life are having a wife and a daughter, my daughter has been living away from home for eighteen years, and the thieves still haven't stopped.
"Someone come here!"
Upon hearing the commotion, the chief eunuch Yang Ruo came over. Not daring to offend the Empress, he waited respectfully outside the door.
"Issue my decree: I wish to conduct a spring hunt. Send men to carry it out immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Ji Ying gazed out the window toward the direction of Fushou Palace, then chuckled softly after a long pause: "Hold your ground. What if I give you the chance to take revenge? Will you act or not? Your third brother's spirit is watching over you, his mother, from heaven..."
...
Among the late emperor's sons, the one with the best chance of winning the crown prince position was the third son of Empress Dowager Yan.
Unfortunately, the third prince angered the emperor for some reason. The emperor changed his mind and finally realized which of his seven sons was his best son.
The late emperor was seriously ill and favored his fourth son as his heir.
The third prince was dissatisfied and attempted to assassinate Ji Ying, but was instead killed by the exceptionally clever Ji Ying.
Yan Huisheng had a son and a daughter, whom she loved more than her own life. Ji Chuan died too late to die again. After the late emperor passed away, the throne was passed to the eleven-year-old fourth prince, Ji Ying.
On the surface, Ji Ying respects Yan Hui as her mother and honors her as Empress Dowager, but behind the scenes, the two people with a blood feud wish that the other would die a horrible death.
Does Yan Hui hate Ji Ying?
Of course I hate it!
He hated that he could eat his flesh and drink his blood, and felt ashamed of his young son in the dead of night.
Does Ji Ying hate Yan Hui?
I hate it even more.
It is no exaggeration to say that Yan Hui was the beginning of Ji Ying's childhood tragedy.
Yan Hui entered the palace as a concubine at the age of fifteen. At that time, the empress was Yin Yun, a virtuous empress. Unfortunately, she was framed by Yan Hui and demoted to a concubine and banished to the cold palace by the late emperor.
Ji Ying was born in the Hehuan Palace. He still remembers the feeling of his teeth chattering from the cold in the palace during the dead of winter when they couldn't burn charcoal.
He remembered even more how Yan Hui poisoned his mother!
At the age of eleven, Ji Ying defeated all his brothers and ascended the throne. He endured and bided his time for twenty years before becoming a wise and sagacious emperor recognized by all.
He himself is a legend.
The hatred for killing one's mother is irreconcilable, and the resentment for taking one's daughter cannot be quelled without bloodshed.
The spring day was slightly chilly, and the morning breeze carried news of the emperor's spring hunt to the Fushou Palace like a tidal wave.
This is an opportunity.
An opportunity to kill Ji Ying and avenge the emperor's son.
Empress Dowager Yan sat heavily in the large, carved chair. Ji Qingyao was filled with anxiety, and there was a faint bluish tinge in her eyes, clearly indicating that she had not slept well.
"Royal Grandmother..."
"What did the Marquis of Yiyang say?"
She was taken aback: "Wei Hanqing wanted to protect his 'daughter,' but Old Master Wei couldn't stop his son. He was afraid that what Yan Qing had done would implicate his family, so he couldn't make up his mind."
"However, he doesn't have much time left. He has to make a decision: whether to take a gamble for a stable future or wait for the Emperor and Empress to settle scores later. As long as the old man doesn't want to be childless, he will choose the former."
"Furthermore, the Marquis of Yiyang harbors resentment towards His Majesty."
What is there to hate?
Ji Qingyao laughed and said, "The hatred of having my wife stolen."
The emperor, ranked first on the list of beauties, was the dream man of countless women in their secluded chambers.
It's not hard to understand why Yan Qing is fond of Ji Ying, after all, Ji Ying's personal charm is even more outstanding than his appearance.
"Last night I dreamt of my son..."
Ji Qingyao couldn't get a word in edgewise, nor did she dare to answer rashly.
"Never mind."
Yan Hui made a decision: "Take my warrant and secretly leave the palace."
With the important matter imminent, Ji Qingyao answered decisively: "Yes!"
Now, only if the emperor and empress die and the empress dowager takes power will she have a chance to survive.
"Every man for himself," Princess Jiaorong thought, and left Fushou Palace without looking back.
The sky was filled with swirling clouds and rising winds.
In spring hunting, what kind of people are the prey?