In the howling cold wind, he heard her call: "Brother Yan, hurry up and take good care of Xun'er and Heng'er!"
Death was imminent, and her concern wasn't for her own life or death, but for him and their child.
Tears blurred his vision. He, the Holy King of Azure Flame, could command thousands of troops with a wave of his hand and crush enemy camps one after another. But at this moment, he couldn't even protect the woman he loved. He watched helplessly as she died in front of him, and he couldn't think of any way to save her.
Dongfang Heng had imagined many possible truths about his mother's death, including the possibility that she had been pushed off a cliff, but he never expected her to die so tragically. His jade-like hands clenched into fists, and a cold glint flashed in his sharp eyes: "Who is it? Who killed you?"
"I don't know either." The Holy Prince's eyes were misty as he gently shook his head. "After your mother fell off the cliff, I activated the black-clad man's power and jumped down after her. There were vines in the mountains, and my martial arts hadn't completely disappeared. I used the vines to reach the bottom of the cliff. I was seriously injured, and I searched for your mother as fast as I could. That's when I saw the black-clad man who had ambushed us..."
Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Yan, who looked dejected. A weak woman falling from such a high cliff would surely be smashed to pieces. The Holy Prince, despite his illness, kept searching for her, showing his deep affection for the Holy Princess.
"There were four or five men in black. They gathered together and said several things. I vaguely heard one sentence: 'The woman is dead. Mission accomplished. Return to Xiliang!'" Upon hearing this, the last glimmer of hope in the Holy King's heart was completely shattered. Despair overwhelmed his entire body, and the surging blood in his chest could no longer be contained. He coughed up blood and fainted.
Shen Lixue was startled: "The man in black came to kill my mother?"
"Meng'er is gentle and kind, and has never offended anyone. Whether before or after her marriage, she has always lived in the inner quarters and has never left Qingyan Capital. How could she have offended the people of Xiliang?" The Holy King's calm words carried a hint of bitterness. He was the Prince of Qingyan, decisive in killing, and had offended many people. Meng'er was heartlessly pushed off the cliff, and it must have been because of him.
Having fallen from such a high cliff, how could his dream possibly survive? He clung to that faint hope and kept searching, hoping for a miracle. Unfortunately, life has no miracles.
"Father, if you are alive, why don't you return to the Holy King's Mansion?" Five years ago, Dongfang Heng was only thirteen years old. Years of military life had made him more mature than other children. But at such a young age, he was still a child. When the news of his parents' deaths came, he felt as if the sky had collapsed in that instant, and he became unusually silent.
The Holy Prince smiled bitterly: "I fainted at the bottom of the cliff. When I woke up, I was in a hunter's house. Half a month had passed since the day of the accident. The whole of Qingyan was spreading the word that the Holy Prince and the Holy Princess had passed away together and were buried in the imperial mausoleum."
“Father, we didn’t know you were still alive, that’s why…”
The Holy King waved his hand to interrupt Dongfang Heng, his sharp eyes flashing with relief: "You have done very well. With Meng'er's passing, my heart died with her. You were right to bury us together!" His body could not be with Liu Rumeng, but his heart was always with her.
"Did Father come to Xiliang to avenge Mother?" Shen Lixue's eyes flickered as she changed the subject. Liu Rumeng's death was too tragic, too heartbreaking, and too heavy. Both father and son felt bad when they mentioned it.
Dongfang Yan nodded, his voice grave: "I fell off a cliff and injured my meridians. My martial arts will never recover to their peak. When I was almost fully recovered, I came to Xiliang to investigate the murderer of Meng'er. For the past five years, I have meticulously investigated all suspicious persons in Xiliang and finally locked onto the Duke Mu's mansion..."
"Father, one person's strength is insignificant. Why didn't you inform me and my elder brother?" There are a large number of secret guards and attendants in the Holy King's Palace. It would be much faster to mobilize everyone to investigate together than for the Holy King to investigate alone.
“The noble families of Xiliang are all old foxes. If we send secret guards to follow or investigate, they will find out very quickly. I am alone, so my actions are fast and convenient, and I will not attract attention.” The Holy King paused, his gaze deep: “There is also a more important reason. I suspect that Qingyan has spies who are secretly colluding with Xiliang!”
The year the Holy King and the Holy Queen Consort had their accident, no envoys from Xiliang came to Qingyan. Those people who secretly sneaked into Xiangguo Temple must have come in secret. The Holy King's spies are all over the capital. If the people from Xiliang have been here for too long, he will definitely find out.
Those people from Xiliang would never stay at Xiangguo Temple for more than three days. If it weren't for the secret communication from the Qingyan people, they would never have known when the Holy King and Holy Queen would go to Xiangguo Temple to offer incense, let alone have had the opportunity to burn poisonous smoke in the main hall to plot against them.
"Father, do you know who the spy is?" In Qingyan, the arrow that ambushed Ye Qianlong was shot by Dongfang Zhan. Could he be the spy? Five years ago, Dongfang Zhan was only thirteen or fourteen years old. How could he have devised such a shocking and vicious plan?
“Last time, the Duke of Mu’s mansion and the Qingyan spy sent a message by carrier pigeon. My men followed them halfway but were discovered. They didn’t see who the person was. If we can eliminate the Duke of Mu’s mansion, the spy’s true identity will be revealed!”
Dongfang Yan spoke softly, raising his eyes to look at Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue: "Why did you come to Xiliang and become enemies with the Duke of Mu's mansion?"
Dongfang Heng had heard the news of Shen Lixue's wedding. The newlyweds should be enjoying their sweet love in Qingyan. Their departure from their hometown for Xiliang must be for something important.
Shen Lixue glanced at Dongfang Heng and said softly, "When Ye Qianmei came to Qingyan for the marriage alliance, she wore the Huasheng headdress that you gave to my mother. Heng recognized it, so we came to Xiliang to investigate the truth of the matter!"
Dongfang Yan's gaze sharpened, his face darkening: "Is this really true?" The Huasheng he gave to Meng'er ended up in Ye Qianmei's hands.
“I’ve examined that Huasheng jewelry closely, and it’s a set with the jewelry you gave to Mother!” Dongfang Heng said slowly and deliberately, his voice low. “Mother’s death is inextricably linked to the Duke of Mu’s mansion.”
The Holy Prince clenched his long, slender fingers tightly. He killed someone, and then took the Hua Sheng hair ornament as a souvenir? How despicable!
"Father, how did you become the Prince of Yan in Xiliang?" Shen Lixue was curious about this. The Prince of Yan was the half-brother of the Emperor of Xiliang, and his status was noble. The Holy King came to Xiliang as an ordinary person, so how did he get involved with the noble Prince of Yan?
The Holy King slowly loosened his clenched fist, picked up the tea on the table, and took a sip: "About seven or eight years ago, I met the Prince of Yan of Xiliang once. Half a year ago, by chance, I met the Prince of Yan. He was ambushed by his own bodyguard and was poisoned to the point of death. We made a deal: I would help him find the antidote, and in return, I could travel around Xiliang under his identity for five years!"
"Is the antidote so hard to find?" The Prince of Yan of Xiliang is of noble status and has everything he could want. He could easily summon countless divine physicians to treat his illness with just a few words. Yet he did nothing and exchanged terms with the Holy King for the antidote. There must be something hidden in the matter. Could it be that he is afraid of the person who poisoned him?
The Holy King raised an eyebrow: "The antidote is indeed hard to find. The Prince of Yan didn't want to make a fuss, and I didn't ask for the specific reason. I'll just quietly help him find the antidote!" Their exchange was based on mutual benefit, and neither of them delved into the other's motives.
As the Holy King of Azure Flame and also the Prince of Yan, Dongfang Yan could search for medicine in both Azure Flame and Western Liang, greatly increasing the chances of the Prince of Yan being cured of his poison. He did not suffer any loss by cooperating with the Holy King.
Shen Lixue looked at the Holy King: "Father, did you sneak into the Duke of Mu's mansion to find the antidote?"
"The Duke of Mu's mansion has several rare medicinal herbs that can alleviate the Prince of Yan's poisoning. However, my trip to the Duke of Mu's mansion is not solely for the medicinal herbs..."
The Holy King looked at Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue, frowned and pondered for a moment, then decided not to hide it from them: "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but a month ago, I saw Meng'er's figure at the Duke of Mu's mansion..."
"How is that possible?" Dongfang Heng was taken aback: "Mother has already been buried. My elder brother and I buried her ourselves."
"I also think it's impossible!" A hint of disappointment lingered in the Holy King's voice. Five years ago, he witnessed Meng'er being pushed off a cliff, shattered to pieces. How could she possibly come back to life? Even if she were reincarnated, she would only be five years old. The figure he saw was clearly an adult woman; she wasn't his Meng'er…
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened: "Father, did you see clearly whether that woman was a young lady, a maid, or a nanny?"
The Holy King frowned as he recalled, "I only saw a small glimpse of his profile and back; I couldn't make out his features. His clothes were very simple, unlike the elaborate attire of noble ladies, the plain clothes of maids, or the experienced clothes of a matron..."
Shen Lixue: "..." You're really observing carefully. The Holy King is truly deeply in love with his Holy Queen.
"The entire Mu family is moving. Around noon, the women should gather together and take carriages to the suburban villa. Father can secretly observe carefully to see if that woman is indeed Mother!"
The Holy Princess Qingyan, who should have fallen off a cliff and died, came to the Duke of Mu's mansion in Xiliang to be a lady, a young lady, a maid, and a nanny. It's all a bit unrealistic. Perhaps that woman just looks similar to the Holy Princess. If the Holy King looks carefully, he won't have any more wild thoughts.
"Hmm!" the Holy King responded, his gaze slightly unfocused, as if his mind was elsewhere.
Shen Lixue's eyes flickered: "Father, you've been impersonating the Prince of Yan for half a year. Have you had any contact with Consort Shu?"
“I’ve seen her a few times!” When the Holy King impersonated the Prince of Yan and entered the palace, he had seen Consort Shu enjoying flowers with other concubines in the Imperial Garden.
"What do you think of Consort Shu?" Shen Lixue had little contact with Consort Shu and knew very little about her. The death of the Holy Princess pointed directly to the Duke Mu's Mansion and Consort Shu. A struggle between them and Consort Shu was inevitable. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." Shen Lixue wanted to learn more about her enemy in order to make a plan.
"Ruthless and merciless, she will stop at nothing to achieve her goals!" Dongfang Yan had personally witnessed and heard many stories about Consort Shu when she plotted to punish people. She absolutely deserved the title of ruthless and merciless.
Shen Lixue nodded knowingly. The Holy King's evaluation of Consort Shu was almost identical to her understanding of Consort Shu.
"Father, you are seriously injured and have not slept all night. Please rest first, and we will have lunch together!" The Holy Prince was seriously injured and had lost too much blood. He had just spoken so much, and his face was pale and his eyes were very tired. Shen Lixue pulled Dongfang Heng and tactfully took her leave.