Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

Pei Yaojun was left alone in the water dungeon, along with that sumptuous last meal before his execution.

The moonlight slanted in through the small window, falling on the water's surface, shimmering and swaying, making Pei Yaojun feel somewhat dazed.

He suddenly remembered the first time he met her many years ago.

In the garden of the Duke of Yu's mansion, behind the artificial rockery, he had gone to catch the bold maid, but instead found her with her back to him, frantically trying to clean the wet stains on her clothes.

The sunlight shone on her flushed ear tips and her slightly trembling shoulders.

He should have immediately turned away, but somehow, he ended up seeing the whole thing.

Her eyes were wide open, like a startled fawn.

At that time, he didn't know who she was; he only knew that she was extremely disheveled, and also... extremely cute.

Ripples on the water shattered the moonlight.

On the Lantern Festival, the city is filled with lanterns, making it as bright as day, and the river lanterns illuminate the river surface with dazzling colors.

She squatted down beside him, holding a newly lit river lantern in her hands, and closed her eyes to make a wish.

He looked at her profile, reddened by the lamplight, and felt something quietly sprouting in his heart.

When asked what she wished for, she refused to say, and instead asked herself what she wished for.

He had no time to make a wish; he was always secretly watching her, so he followed her example and said: "If you say it out loud, it won't come true."

If he could do it all over again, he thought, his wish would be to be with her year after year, never to be separated.

Later, he left without saying goodbye and went to the North.

During our time at Tiemaguan, we were always ready for battle and fought fiercely.

At that time, he was filled with longing, thinking about earning military merits as soon as possible and returning to her side.

But when he returned, everything had changed.

She had other people in her life, but he never regretted it.

He had no regrets. He didn't regret meeting her behind the rockery, he didn't regret accepting her lantern on the Lantern Festival, he didn't regret going to the northern border to earn a future for her, and he didn't regret giving her his whole heart.

He only regretted that he could no longer spend time with her in the days to come.

Tomorrow at noon, the knife will fall, and this life will end.

Will she cry? Probably.

She may appear strong, but she's actually very soft-hearted.

Even a slightly forceful kiss makes my eyes red for ages; how heartbreaking it must be to watch him die now.

He suddenly wanted to pat her head and comfort her, telling her not to cry.

But it's impossible now.

Pei Yaojun raised his head and looked at the small window.

The moonlight, like water, poured down and flowed across his face.

He spoke softly, his voice broken, "Yingying, you must take good care of yourself..."

Pei Yaojun pressed the bracelet on his wrist to his lips and closed his eyes.

My body felt like it had been torn apart and then haphazardly pieced back together, with every part screaming in pain.

The part submerged in water was already numb, and the warmth in my chest was like a lamp that had burned out, the flame growing smaller and dimmer.

Ripples spread across the water, the moonlight shatters and then waxes again, like a final elegy.

Just as consciousness was about to sink into boundless darkness, the sound of hurried, chaotic footsteps shattered the silence of the water prison.

Not just one person, but many, many people, running and shouting, the sounds of clashing weapons and breaking chains...

Things have gotten chaotic.

Pei Yaojun tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as if they were weighed down by a thousand pounds of stone.

Was it a hallucination? A dying auditory hallucination?

"Third Master—!"

A shout pierced through all the noise and went straight into his ears.

That voice...that voice...it's Yingying!

Pei Yaojun suddenly opened his eyes.

The door to the water dungeon was violently flung open, and the light from the torches rushed in, making him squint.

In the flickering light and shadow, he saw a figure rush to the water's edge, with an anxious face, red eyes, and disheveled hair clinging to sweaty cheeks.

It's Yingying, it really is her.

Pei Yaojun stared at her blankly, "I dreamt of you again... This time it felt more real."

Liu Wenying's tears fell immediately.

She plunged into the water, the filthy, foul-smelling water instantly soaking her clothes, but she didn't care and reached out to touch his face.

Liu Wenying choked up and cupped his face in her hands.

"It's not a dream, Third Master. Look closely, it's me, it's really me."

Her palms were warm, carrying the scent of a living person; the warmth seeped through his skin and into his cold body.

Pei Yaojun blinked, his vision gradually clearing.

The tear tracks on her face were real, the anxiety in her eyes was real, and the way she held his hand was real.

Pei Yaojun used the last of his strength to pull her into his arms.

He didn't care; he held her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"Yingying, is it really you?"

Liu Wenying hugged him back, gently patting his back, avoiding his gruesome wounds.

"It's me, I've come, I've come to take you away."

She looked up, her eyes red, at his wounds, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"You've suffered so much, how dare they, how dare they hurt you like this..."

Pei Yaojun suddenly regained consciousness.

He released her, his expression changing drastically. "What are you doing here? This is a prison! Get out of here!"

"Xiao Yiheng has raised an army," Liu Wenying said quickly, while using a key to unlock the chains on his body.

"The whole city is in chaos now. The garrison has all gone to the city gates. We came in through the secret passage of the palace."

Xue Bi arrived at the prison cell door, dressed in a smart and capable outfit, with a short knife at his waist, completely unlike the schoolteacher who usually wore a blue robe and held an account book.

"Hurry up, Lu Ye and the others have taken control of the prison guards outside, but they won't be able to hold out for long. The Imperial Guards will react soon."

He glanced at Pei Yaojun's numerous injuries, frowned, and then, together with Liu Wenying, lifted him up from either side.

Pei Yaojun could barely stand; every movement of his wound caused him excruciating pain that made his vision blur.

He gritted his teeth and, with the help of the two men, slowly made his way out of the water prison.

The torchlight flickered in the passageway, reflecting the mottled bloodstains.

Behind him lay the hell that had imprisoned him for months, while in front of him lay her path to survival.

Midnight, at the city gates of the capital.

The soldiers guarding the city yawned and switched their spears to their other hands.

It was pitch black outside the city, and nothing could be seen. The wind swept in, carrying sand and withered leaves.

Every few steps along the city wall, a torch was lit, its flames flickering in the wind, casting the shadows of the soldiers guarding the city onto the bricks, sometimes long, sometimes short.

In the darkness below the city, countless black shadows are silently approaching.

The city gate captain stood on the city tower, his hand on the crenellations, gazing at the deep night outside the city, when suddenly he felt that something was wrong.

What's that sound in the wind? No, that's not the sound of the wind, it's the sound of hundreds and thousands of footsteps.

"Summon them quickly—"

His pupils contracted sharply, and as soon as he opened his mouth, his throat was slashed open by a dagger thrust from behind.

Blood splattered on the city bricks, and the Yanzhou army below began their assault on the city.

Instantly, shouts of battle shook the heavens and the earth, arrows rained down from the sky, and the sounds of clashing swords and spears filled the air.

Finally, the city gate was breached, and Xiao Yiheng charged ahead, his cloak billowing in the night wind, his silver armor splattered with dark red blood.

He held a long sword, and blood from the blade trickled down the spine of the sword.

Behind them, the iron cavalry of the Yanzhou army surged in, their hooves shattering the tranquil night.

The palace gates of the imperial city were more difficult to attack than the city gates. The road from the palace gates to the Taiji Hall was soaked in blood.

Xiao Yiheng didn't know how many people he had killed; he only knew that the sword in his hand was getting heavier and heavier, and his arm was getting more and more sore.

Finally, the Taiji Hall came into view.

Xiao Yiheng dismounted and walked to the palace gate.

The palace doors were tightly closed, but the inside was brightly lit.

Xiao Yiheng placed his blood-stained hand on the vermilion gate and pushed it open forcefully.

Inside the Taiji Hall, Xiao Chenlin sat on the dragon throne, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown, quietly watching him.

There was no one else in the hall, only the two of them.

A figure stood at the entrance of the palace, covered in blood, his long sword dripping with blood.

He sat high on a dragon throne, dressed impeccably, with a calm expression.

"Brother, you've arrived."

"I've come to take your life."

…………