Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 34 A Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix! My Son's Cry Caused a Celestial Phenomenon

"Your Majesty—you mustn't!"

Lu Zheng's roar was drowned out by the sound of the flames exploding.

Nangong Ye could no longer hear anything.

In his eyes, there was only the crumbling safe zone in the middle of the inferno, only the desperate figure of the woman holding the baby, only that wrinkled little face that looked so much like his own.

What imperial majesty?

What do you mean by the safety of the emperor?

At this moment, it all became utter nonsense!

"Get out of the way!" He chopped Lu Zheng, who was trying to stop him, with one hand, grabbed a bucket of water and poured it over his head, then plunged into the sea of ​​fire like a madman!

"His Majesty--!"

Behind him, there were gasps of astonishment from countless people.

But Nangong Ye had already rushed in.

The heatwave felt like knives cutting into his face and body, and the thick smoke made him cough violently.

The burned beams and tiles collapsed underfoot, making a terrible cracking sound.

But he didn't care.

His eyes were fixed intently on what was ahead.

Three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

One zhang (approximately 3.3 meters)

He finally reached the edge of the internal energy shield!

At this moment, Eunuch Li was covered in blood.

Blood was flowing from his seven orifices, and his whole body was trembling. His tattered eunuch robes were already soaked with sweat and blood.

But he remained standing, pushing forward with both palms. Although his inner force shield was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, it miraculously did not completely shatter.

The old man glanced at Nangong Ye with his cloudy eyes, his gaze extremely complex—containing hatred and indignation, but ultimately turning into resolute determination.

With his last ounce of strength, he roared hoarsely, "Protect...the Empress...and the young master..."

The words fell.

He fell forward.

The internal energy shield—finally shattered!

But the moment the protective shield shattered, Nangong Ye had already rushed in front of Shen Qingci.

Flames rushed in from all directions, and the heat almost melted people.

Without a second thought, Nangong Ye took off his soaking wet cloak and draped it over Shen Qingci and the baby, then bent down—

He picked them up in one swift motion.

My first impression upon handling it was: it's light.

It's too light.

Shen Qingci was so thin she was just skin and bones, and the baby in her arms was pitifully small.

The two people were in his arms, light and airy, like porcelain that might shatter at any moment.

My second feeling was: cold.

Despite being surrounded by flames and his skin burning hot, Shen Qingci's body remained ice-cold.

The chill seeped through his soaked clothes and into his heart.

She lost too much blood.

The ground beneath him was already soaked in blood, turning it a dark red.

"Qingci..." Nangong Ye's voice trembled, "I...I'm here..."

Shen Qingci's consciousness was already blurred.

Excessive blood loss, coupled with the exhaustion from childbirth, caused her vision to blur.

She could only feel someone pick her up; the embrace was warm and steady, carrying a familiar yet unfamiliar ambergris scent.

She barely managed to open her eyes.

In the firelight, Nangong Ye's face was very close.

That face, which the original owner once adored and then hated to the core, was now filled with panic and...fear that she had never seen before?

What is he afraid of?

Are you afraid she'll die?

Oh.

late.

"child……"

With her last ounce of strength, she gripped his shirt tightly, her nails digging into the fabric.

"If you harm him..."

Every word was like blood and foam squeezed out of his throat.

"To become a ghost..."

Her eyes were fixed on him, her gaze like a poisoned knife.

"I won't let you off either..."

After saying these last words, her head lolled to the side, and she completely lost consciousness.

"Qingci—!" Nangong Ye shouted hoarsely.

But the person in his arms was no longer responding.

Only the tiny baby, seemingly sensing its mother's peril, suddenly burst into a heart-wrenching cry—

"Wow--!!!"

The crying was so loud.

It was so loud that it pierced through the roar of flames, the rumble of thunder and rain, and even the clamor of the entire palace, soaring straight into the sky!

And at the very moment that cry rang out—

A miracle happened.

Rumble...

The thunder, which had lasted all night, suddenly stopped.

Splash...

The torrential rain actually started to subside.

It doesn't gradually shrink; it weakens rapidly and visibly.

The raindrops started as small as soybeans, then grew into fine threads, then into a misty rain, and then—

Stopped.

In the night sky, dark clouds dispersed at an alarming speed.

A crescent moon peeked out, its cold light spilling onto the still-burning ruins of the Cold Palace.

Immediately afterwards, the eastern sky began to lighten with the pale light of dawn.

Is it...dawn breaking?

No, it's just past midnight, there are still at least three hours until dawn!

But then it got light.

Not only did it brighten, but a streak appeared on the pale eastern sky—

rainbow?!

Rainbows after rain are not uncommon.

But it's the middle of the night! It's the dead of night right after the thunderstorm stopped!

A seven-colored rainbow spanned the entire night sky, radiating a dreamlike and magnificent light under the interplay of the waning moon and the dawn.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—each color is so pure it seems otherworldly.

"Heavens...heavens are showing strange phenomena..." An old eunuch knelt down with a thud.

Then, the second, the third...

All the eunuchs, guards, and palace maids present knelt down and kowtowed to the rainbow.

But that's not all.

Shortly after the rainbow appeared, birdsong suddenly came from afar.

At first, there were only a few scattered sounds.

Then there were more and more.

Getting closer.

Finally, hundreds and thousands, even tens of thousands of birds flew in from every corner of the palace.

They flew in from all directions of the capital, and even from distant mountains and fields!

Sparrows, swallows, magpies, thrushes, orioles...

Even migratory birds that should have spent the winter in the south have gathered above the Cold Palace!

They didn't fly around randomly, but hovered, circling the ruins of the Cold Palace again and again.

The sounds of birdsong blended into a vast ocean.

The sound wasn't noisy; instead, it had a strange, sacred rhythm.

It's like they're celebrating something.

It's like...worshiping something.

"A hundred birds... paying homage to the phoenix..." Lu Zheng murmured to himself, looking up.

This word, which I had only seen in ancient books, is now happening right before my eyes.

All the kneeling people stared blankly at the sky.

Looking at the rainbow.

Watching the flock of birds circling overhead.

Looking at the woman who had fainted in the Emperor's arms, and the baby crying loudly in her arms.

Nangong Ye was also stunned.

He stood in the middle of the ruins, holding Shen Qingci and the baby, his body soaked, his face smeared with cigarette ash and blood.

But his eyes were fixed on the little face in his arms.

Bao'er has stopped crying.

Perhaps she was tired from crying, for she was now looking at him with wide, wet eyes.

Those eyes were as pure as a mountain spring, reflecting the rainbow in the sky.

The shadows of the circling birds reflected his own disheveled face.

Like.

so similar.

Every part is like that.

Nangong Ye's hands began to tremble.

It wasn't from being tired, it was from panic.

Throughout his life, he experienced the bloody struggle for the throne, sat firmly on the throne amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and faced countless conspiracies, intrigues, and open and covert attacks.

He was never afraid.

But at this moment, holding this light and fragile baby, he felt an unprecedented sense of panic.

This is his son.

This is evidence that he wronged Shen Qingci, causing her to become pregnant and give birth alone in the cold palace, and almost die in a fire.

What if... what if he doesn't come tonight?

What if he hadn't suddenly felt like asking that question?

What if he had arrived even a quarter of an hour late?

This child, this child who looks just like him, will be burned to ashes along with his mother.

The thought of that scene made Nangong Ye's heart feel like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, causing him so much pain that he could barely breathe.

"Your Majesty..." Lu Zheng approached cautiously, "The Empress and the young prince... need the imperial physician..."

A single sentence jolted Nangong Ye awake.

He abruptly looked up: "Imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician! Bring everyone from the Imperial Medical Academy to me! Now! Immediately!"

His voice was hoarse like a broken gong, yet it carried an undeniable rage.

"besides,"

He looked around, his gaze settling on the kneeling eunuchs and palace maids.

His gaze gradually turned cold, as cold as ice.

"Seal off the Cold Palace. No one is allowed to leave. Investigate—"

He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth:

"How did this fire start?!"

"Who visited the Cold Palace tonight?"

"All relevant people,"

He paused, his voice brimming with murderous intent.

"Throw them all into the imperial prison! I want to interrogate them myself!"

"Yes!" Lu Zheng responded sternly and immediately led his men to arrest the people.

In an instant, cries, pleas for mercy, and shouts filled the air around the Cold Palace.

But Nangong Ye couldn't care less about any of that.

He carried Shen Qingci and Bao'er and quickly walked out of the ruins.

He walked steadily with every step, as if afraid of jolting the person in his arms.

Bao'er started crying again, this time a soft, aggrieved sob.

Nangong Ye awkwardly adjusted his position, trying to make the child more comfortable. But he had never held a baby before, and his movements were ridiculously stiff.

In the end, he could only gently press the baby against his chest and wrap it tightly in his cloak.

Strangely enough, Bao'er stopped crying as soon as she pressed her face against his chest.

The little head rubbed against his chest, found a comfortable position, closed its eyes, and actually fell asleep.

Tears still clung to that little face that resembled his, yet it slept peacefully.

Looking at that sleeping face, a crack appeared in a hard part of Nangong Ye's heart.

Something sour and scalding hot rushed in.

He held the mother and child tightly in his arms and strode toward the nearest palace—Tangli Palace.

That was the palace closest to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and it was the palace that she originally intended for Shen Qingci to live in after she was made empress.

Behind them, the fire in the Cold Palace was still burning, but people had already begun to put it out.

The rainbow in the sky gradually faded away.

The flock of birds gradually dispersed.

But the seven-colored bridge of light that spanned the night sky and the spectacular sight of thousands of birds paying homage have been deeply imprinted in the hearts of every witness.

It was also imprinted in the eyes of Consort Rou, Liu Ruyan, who rushed to the palace gate.

She stood in the shadows outside the palace gates, watching Nangong Ye carry Shen Qingci away.

Looking at the vaguely visible outline of the baby in his arms, looking at the flock of birds that had not yet completely dispersed in the sky...

The fingernails dug deeply into the palm, drawing blood.

"Shen Qingci..." her voice was as low as a viper's hiss, "You're incredibly lucky to be alive..."

"But it's okay."

She slowly turned around and disappeared into the shadows.

"The game... has only just begun."

At this moment, Tangli Palace was in complete chaos.

The emperor suddenly arrived, carrying a deposed empress covered in blood and a baby, leaving all the palace servants terrified.

"Prepare hot water! A clean cloth! And...and..." Nangong Ye stopped mid-sentence.

What do I need to prepare?

He didn't know what a woman needed after giving birth, let alone what a newborn baby needed.

He had never felt so helpless in his entire life.

"Your Majesty," an older nanny cautiously stepped forward.

"Let me do it. Her Majesty is suffering from postpartum hemorrhage and needs immediate treatment. The little prince also needs to be cleaned and wrapped up..."

Nangong Ye grasped at a straw: "Quick! Do it now!"

He gently placed Shen Qingci on the bed, but dared not let go of the baby.

Bao'er was sleeping soundly in his arms, her little mouth slightly pouting, occasionally smacking her lips.

Nangong Ye looked down at it for a long time.

This is my son.

I almost... burned my son to death with my own hands.

If I hadn't come tonight—

The thought gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake, causing him so much pain that he could barely stand.

Then he reached out and touched the child's face very, very lightly with his fingertips.

Soft.

Warm.

Live.

His son.

"Bao'er..." he called out in a hoarse voice.

Bao'er's lips suddenly curved into a smile while she was asleep.

It looks like a smile.

At this moment, Nangong Ye's heart completely melted.

But just then—

"Your Majesty!" the imperial physician's panicked voice rang out, "Her Highness...Her Highness's pulse is too weak! She has lost too much blood and inhaled too much smoke, I'm afraid...I'm afraid..."

Nangong Ye suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot:

"If you can't save her, then your Imperial Hospital—"

"They'll all be buried with them!"

[End of Chapter]

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Next chapter preview: Life or death hangs in the balance! The Imperial Hospital holds a collective consultation to save Shen Qingci, while Consort Rou secretly attempts to poison him but is caught red-handed! Nangong Ye thoroughly investigates the arson case, and Eunuch Liu confesses to a shocking secret—the mastermind is actually… Meanwhile, Bao'er's spiritual awakening begins, and the extraordinary phenomenon of hundreds of birds flocking to pay homage shocks the court and the public! The climax of Volume One continues!