Chapter 37
When Li Yaoying woke up, she heard the sound of sorrowful cries rising and falling in succession.
The ground in front of the couch was full of kneeling maids, all of them panicking and wiping their nonstop tears. In front of the door, outside the window, and in the corridor, were filled with people’s shadows. A few sobs rang out from time to time over the sound of deliberately low conversation.
Yaoying was confused for a moment, sat up, and found the crumpled battle report in her hand.
Elder brother was dead.
She no longer had a brother.
The person who treated her best in this world was gone.
The elder brother who always stood before her and protected her, who cupped her in the palms of his hands and loved her, would never be seen again.
From now on, in this chaotic world of frost and winds and pointed swords, she was left all alone.
Elder brother, don’t abandon me. I am afraid.
Yaoying sat blankly, motionless.
She knew from the beginning that this would be how things ended, and should not have overestimated herself by trying to change Li Zhongqian’s fate. Knowing clearly that Li Xuanzhen would be the winner when all was said and done, why hadn’t she been sensible and chosen to join Li Xuanzhen?
In that case, she didn’t have to be so careful, didn’t have to always watch her back and be cautious of everything.
But Li Zhongqian was her elder brother who had been with her through everything!
He was her elder brother who carried her to see the apricot blossoms in front of the garden when she couldn’t walk. Her elder brother who fed her medicine patiently day after day. Her elder brother who held her hand and taught her how to write and read. Her elder brother, who, regardless of his life or death, crossed the battlefield alone, who rescued her from a pile of dead soldiers, who carried her seriously ill body on a journey full of hardships, who walked a thousand miles on foot.
Yaoying bowed her head and brought out the bright moon pearl Li Zhongqian had given her from her pillow side, closing her eyes.
Even though she knew that they were merely expendable victims on Li Xuanzhen’s heroic path, even if the price of protecting her brother was vomiting blood and becoming enemies with the destined son, she did not hesitate to do so.
But that day had still arrived.
They had agreed to go to Dongdu together to watch the dragon boat race, and she even prepared her clothes.
Yaoying clutched the bright moon pearl as tears streamed down.
Brother, you liar.
You promised you would come back safely.
The maids cried out, “Your Highness, you must take good care of yourself…… the prince doted on you the most when he was alive……”
These cries were like water pouring into a boiling deep fryer. The servants, maids, and concubines guarding in front of the courtyard outside the room all followed in bawling.
In the midst of the continuous weeping, a tall figure crossed the long corridor, pushed aside the dense crowd and strode into the inner room, then walked to Yaoying and knelt down on one knee.
“Xie mou will be rude. Please forgive me, Princess.”
Finished speaking, the figure stood up, grabbed Yaoying’s hand, supported her out of bed, and pulled a cloak to wrap her from head to toe.
The maids cried out in alarm and scrambled to their feet to stop the figure, “Impudent!”
Xie Qing ignored the maids and held Yaoying’s arm to help her stand firm.
Yaoying’s face was pale and seemed to be in a trance. Her legs were weak, and just after she got on the ground, her whole body fell downward.
Xie Qing hesitated for a moment, picked her up horizontally, and went out of the inner room.
Xu Biao and a group of guards in narrow-sleeved robes were already waiting outside the long corridor. The group followed Xie Qing and surrounded him, escorting Yaoying out of the residence and sending her into a carriage.
The wheels of the carriage rolled across the limestone brick floor.
Yaoying leaned against the carriage wall, her eyes clouded over.
The bright moon pearl tumbled out of her palm and fell onto the carriage with a thud.
Yaoying stared at the pearl blankly for a while, lost in thought.
It was as if Li Zhongqian’s low laughter rang in her ears, carrying an unconcealed smugness: “Like it?”
“The luminous night pearl of the Fulin nation, also called the bright moon pearl. Elder brother immediately thought of my little seventh when I saw it.”
“Little seventh, don’t be afraid. Elder brother is here to pick you up.”
Yaoying pursed her lips, leaned down and picked up the bright moon pearl, held it in her palm and held it tightly.
She could not collapse.
Without seeing Li Zhongqian’s corpse with her own eyes, she didn’t believe he was dead!
Yaoying raised her hand to brush away the tears at the corner of her eyes and lifted the carriage curtain: “Where are we going?”
Xie Qing rode beside the carriage and replied, “Princess, Qin wang has instructed that if anything happened to him, he would send you out of the city immediately.”
Yaoying’s eyes were burning. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to settle down.
“Who spread the news?”
Xie Qing replied, “Princess, the Ministry of War has also received the war report. At present, everyone knows that Qin wang was killed in an ambush. You must leave the city as soon as possible.”
Yaoying shook her head, “No, I can’t go.”
Her lips trembled slightly. Not wanting to shed any more tears, she tilted her face up to look into the distance.
“The battle report may not be true, and elder brother may still be alive. Maybe he is only seriously injured…. I have to stay.”
Xie Qing lowered his eyes and looked at Yaoying’s face that was like a pearl radiating a faint cool luster under the sunset’s glow.
“Princess, what if the information is true? You are just a girl with no power.”
“Right. I’m just a girl from the boudoir. I can’t wield a blade, I can’t lift a sword, but I can’t abandon my elder brother either.”
Yaoying’s eyes were lifted up, her expression calm, “If the information is false, I will find out the truth and wait for my elder brother to return to the capital. If he is only wounded or ambushed, I will find a way to persuade His Majesty to send troops to help. If…. if he really died in battle, I will personally go to the battlefield to collect elder brother’s body and help bury his coffin.”
In this life, she couldn’t let Li Zhongqian become a corpse without a resting place again.
She wanted to bring him home.
Xie Qing was silent for a while and looked grave: “Princess, His Majesty values the Crown Prince, and there are many people in the capital who want to find a way to please the Eastern Palace. Since Princess Fukang regretted getting married and Chief Yelu asked for your hand in marriage, they have been trying to force you to marry instead. To get on the Eastern Palace’s good side, they would use whatever means to achieve their goals. When Qin wang was still alive, no one dared to come to the door, but now that Qin wang is in danger, Xu Biao and the others cannot protect you.”
When the nest is disturbed, no egg is left intact1.
Li Zhongqian was ruthless, and those with ill intentions did not dare to attack Li Yaoying in fear of his retaliation. Now that they had no more scruples, Li Yaoying was in danger.
There was no need for Li Xuanzhen and Zhu Luyun to step in. There would be people who would run around for them.
It was impossible to guard against.
After all, Duke Pei could only protect her for a period of time.
Yaoying held the bright moon pearl: “Different situations call for different measures.”
Xie Qing couldn’t help but feel distressed at heart: “Princess, every situation you have mentioned, Qin wang has actually thought of them all. Qin wang said that as long as you haven’t seen his corpse, you definitely wouldn’t leave the capital.”
Yaoying smiled, “In that case, why did you send me out of the city?”
Xie Qing pulled on the reins.
“Because Qin wang also said that nothing was as important as your safety. As long as something happened to him, no matter if he was dead or alive, Xu Biao and I only need to remember one thing and do one thing only.”
He looked at Yaoying, “Make sure you are safe.”
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1 When a nest is overturned/disturbed, no egg is left unharmed/undamaged. An idiom meaning that when a person meets misfortune, those connected to them are not unscathed.