The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The next moment, the person had already stepped out of the palace gate.

However, just as Emperor Tang Xiye stepped out of the palace gate, she saw Yan Ci hurrying towards her, his expression solemn, a dark cloud hanging between his brows.

"His Majesty."

Yan Ci didn't have time to bow before speaking, his voice low and urgent.

"The Crimson Dust Gu has fully erupted."

"Although we posted notices telling people not to drink water from outside sources, people can't go without water."

"Everyone who drank from outside water sources... collapsed."

Tang Xiye's steps suddenly stopped.

The moonlight fell on his shoulders, like a silent snowfall.

"Now, the Nine Provinces are in great chaos."

Yan Ci's voice deepened, as deep as a stone falling into an abyss.

"A great calamity has arrived."

Tang Xi stood outside the palace gate at night, the night wind whipping his cloak, making it flutter loudly.

He gazed at the city lights in the distance, at the myriad lights he had promised to protect, and remained silent for a long time.

"Strategies and advice."

He finally spoke, his voice regaining the composure and decisiveness of an emperor.

"Immediately order the Imperial Medical Academy and the Wenhua Hall to find a cure."

"Is General Feng Yi, the General Who Guards the North, to immediately guard the northern frontier."

"The princes of each prefecture held fast to their respective cities and suppressed all unrest."

He paused, then looked in the direction of Yun Chuan.

In that one glance, a thousand words were unspoken, yet they were reduced to a very soft sigh.

"Only when the world is at peace can she have a place to live."

He withdrew his gaze, turned around, and walked back towards Chengtian Hall.

He was her lover, and also her king.

Protect her, and protect all the people of the world.

While she was still alive, he remained the Holy Emperor who cared for the world.

His silhouette appeared exceptionally solitary in the moonlight, like a drawn sword, sharp and piercing, yet concealing all its softness within its sheath.

"Yes."

Yan Ci bowed and accepted the order. When he raised his eyes, he looked at the departing figure in black and felt a deep sense of admiration.

Their emperor was a wise ruler, a sage.

He Lichen and Tang Xiye both thought of each other and were by Tang Xixue's side.

To everyone's surprise, not a single one was there.

Fortunately, Tang Xixue did not compromise herself, for she had Pei Yanchuan by her side, a man underestimated by everyone.

That young man's luck was in no way weak; he just needed someone to ignite it.

At this moment, standing beside Tang Xixue, the radiance of his destiny shone brighter than when he was with anyone else.

"Mother... Sister..."

He called out in his dream, tears silently streaming down his face.

Guixu Palace, dungeon.

The cold, damp air was filled with the smell of rust and decay.

Several dim oil lamps hung on the stone wall, their flames trembling in the draft, casting long and short shadows.

"Mother, Ranran is scared."

Pei Ningran nestled in Mei Ruohuan's arms, her small hands tightly clutching Mei's clothes, her voice soft, like a baby sparrow drenched by the rain.

Mei Ruohuan hugged her daughter tighter, lowered her head, and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"Ranran is not afraid."

Her voice was gentle yet firm, like an invisible wall that kept all the chill out.

"Mother's here, everything's alright."

She looked around at the cold iron bars, the damp stone walls, and the dim lights.

This place doesn't feel like the human world; it's more like a living tomb.

She gently pressed her daughter's face against her shoulder, preventing her from looking at it for too long.

Just then, a weak, hoarse voice, trembling with disbelief, came from the cell next door.

"Yaoyao? Is...is that you?"

Mei Ruohuan was startled.

She turned her head sharply, searching everywhere. Through two cold iron bars, she saw a cell in the far corner.

A person chained up was struggling to lift his head and look at her.

The man's face was haggard and thin.

But those eyes.

She thought she would never see those eyes again in her life.

It remains gentle and upright, with a tender, scholarly air.

"Brother Pei!"

Mei Ruohuan's tears welled up instantly, and her voice was almost choked.

"You're alive...you're alive!"

She rushed to the iron bars and reached out her hand.

Her hand couldn't reach out; it could only tremble in mid-air, opening and closing in vain.

Pei Zhao looked at her, his eyes also reddening.

"Brother Pei, how did you end up locked up here?"

Mei Ruohuan asked, her voice choked with emotion.

Pei Zhao closed his eyes, then opened them again. Those eyes, once filled with poetry and literature, now held only endless weariness and bitterness.

"It's Qi Zhan..."

His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

"He colluded with the Guixu Palace... to imprison me here."

The disciple he personally trained imprisoned him.

That person will only come to him when they encounter a problem they can't solve.

"He clearly promised that as long as I was willing to solve those problems for him and offer him advice... he would spare your lives. He lied to me!"

Upon hearing this...

Mei Ruohuan's tears fell even harder.

"Graceful".

Pei Zhao looked at her, his eyes filled with heartache.

"So you...didn't escape after all? Did Qi Zhan also make a move on you?"

Mei Ruohuan shook her head, then nodded, sobbing uncontrollably.

Pei Ningran peeked her little face out from her shoulder, looking timidly at the unfamiliar uncle opposite her.

"Mother...who is he?"

Mei Ruohuan took a deep breath and tried to calm her voice.

"Ranran, he is... he is your father."

Pei Ningran blinked and stared at Pei Zhao for a long time.

Then, she called out softly and timidly, "Father..."

Pei Zhao's tears finally fell.

He leaned against the cold stone wall, the iron chains rattling dully with his movements.

He looked at Mei Ruohuan, and those eyes that were once filled with poetry and literature now held only tenderness and longing.

"Lin'er...is he alright?"

He asked softly.

Mei Ruohuan's tears welled up again.

She struggled to force a smile.

"Lin'er is doing well... He's a lot like you."

Like his gentle and refined manner, he possessed an unyielding and incorruptible spirit.

"Don't be afraid, Yaoyao."

Pei Zhao looked at her, his eyes slightly red, his voice as gentle as the wind.

"Ranran, don't be afraid. I'm with you."

He himself was imprisoned, living in darkness, and barely able to stand, yet he was still comforting them.

"I'll find a way to get you out of here."

Mei Ruohuan's tears rolled down silently, one by one.

Just then, a cold, mocking voice came from outside the cell.

"A prisoner trying to escape his cage? How laughable!"

Sang Tingke walked slowly, his black robe gleaming coldly in the dim light.

His gaze swept over the three people in the cell, finally landing on Pei Ningran, a twisted smile appearing in his eyes.

"The higher-ups said the older one should stay." He paused, his gaze lingering on the little girl. "As for the younger one... she's quite cute."

He reached out, through the gap in the iron bars, and grabbed at Pei Ningran.