After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

At dawn, a layer of bluish-white sunlight rose over the Gobi Desert.

The main force of the Northern Barbarians bypassed Wild Wolf Slope and headed straight for the royal court. When they reached the open Gobi Desert thirty miles in front of the royal court, they saw the Northern Shuo army formation.

There were only a few thousand people, lined up in a wedge formation, standing quietly in the morning light.

The Northern Di general was stunned for a moment, then chuckled.

With such a small force, they dare to block his 20,000 iron cavalry head-on?

He raised his whip, roared in the Northern Di language, and gave the order to charge.

The bugle sounded mournfully, and the Northern Barbarian cavalry began to accelerate. Their hooves pounded the earth, and twenty thousand riders surged forward like a black wave, threatening to crush the few Northern Barbarian soldiers before them.

Xiao Jingyuan stood at the front of the formation, his black iron sword pointing diagonally at the ground.

He watched the approaching Northern Di cavalry, their ferocious faces and waving scimitars, but his eyes showed no fear; instead, a burning fighting spirit ignited within him.

Blood boils in the veins, and even the bones scream with the urge to fight.

"The whole army—" He raised his sword, its blade reflecting the morning light, chilling to the bone.

"Follow me to break through the formation!"

At his command, he charged out first.

The warhorse, like a black lightning bolt, crashed into the vanguard of the Northern Di. Xiao Jingyuan swung his sword down from mid-air, cleaving the two foremost Northern Di cavalrymen and their horses in two, spraying blood mist that drenched him.

The black iron blade danced in his hand, turning into a ball of black light, and wherever it passed, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Seeing His Majesty charging at the forefront, the Northern Shuo soldiers were greatly encouraged and roared as they followed. Their arrow-shaped formation, like a blood-quenched dagger, pierced the heart of the Northern Di's great formation.

The Northern Di vanguard thought they could crush the remnants of the Northern Shuo army by charging forward, but they didn't expect the enemy to not defend at all and just run straight into them.

Even more unexpectedly, the opposing commander was so fierce—he and his horse tore a bloody gash through their ranks.

Enraged by the carnage, Xiao Jingyuan simply abandoned the reins, stood up with his feet on the stirrups, gripped his sword with both hands, and slashed left and right. The surrounding Northern Di soldiers died instantly upon touching him; no one could withstand a single blow from him.

His face and body were covered in blood, indistinguishable between that of his enemies and his own. Blood seeped from the gaps in his armor, and sweat mixed with blood streamed down, blurring his vision. He raised his hand to wipe it, his eyes growing even more ferocious.

On the right flank, Shen Hanzhou's three thousand light cavalry had already moved.

They took a long detour, using the sand dunes as cover, and reached the left flank of the Northern Barbarians. Shen Hanzhou, holding his ring-pommel sword, glanced back at Wanyan Lie: "Ready?"

Wanyan Lie nodded, drew his curved sword, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and uttered only one word: "Charge."

Three thousand cavalrymen roared out and charged straight at the left flank of the Northern Barbarians.

The Northern Barbarians' left flank was indeed weakly defended, and the charge immediately threw them into disarray.

Shen Hanzhou took the lead, his sword flashing, and the Northern Di soldiers scattered and fled.

Wanyan Lie followed closely behind, targeting the horses' legs. With a flash of his scimitar, a chorus of neighing warhorses filled the air.

"Go to the left! Stop following me!" Shen Hanzhou cleaved an enemy soldier in two with a single blow and yelled back at him.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a Northern Di cavalryman suddenly appeared from the side, raising his sword to slash at his lower back. Shen Hanzhou was already locked in combat with the man in front of him, with no way to dodge. His heart tightened, and he thought to himself, "It's over."

The expected pain did not come.

With a crisp clang, Wanyan Lie parried the blow with his sword. The impact caused Wanyan Lie to stagger, and a gash appeared on his left arm, from which blood gushed out instantly.

"Are you fucking stupid?!" Shen Hanzhou's eyes were red-rimmed. He swung his sword and killed the enemy soldier, then turned to grab his arm, his voice trembling, "Are you hurt? How serious is it?"

"It's nothing." Wanyan Lie shook his head, his face a little pale, but he still managed a slight smile. "I said... I would protect you."

"Who needs your protection!" Shen Hanzhou retorted stubbornly, but then he reached out and tore off his own clothes, roughly wrapping them around Shen Hanzhou's arm with very light touch, afraid of hurting him. "After the war, I'll settle accounts with you."

Wanyan Lie let him linger, his light golden eyes shimmering with gentle light as they fell on Wanyan Lie's tense profile, without moving an inch.

They tore open a gap on the left flank, joined forces, and charged straight at the center.

The horns of the Northern Barbarian central army were still blaring, directing the various units to adjust their formations. The buglers stood atop high chariots, holding their horns aloft, their faces flushed red.

"That's it!" Shen Hanzhou's eyes lit up.

Wanyan Lie drew his bow and nocked an arrow, the bowstring taut like a full moon. His left arm was injured, but his right hand was as steady as a rock. With a flick of his fingers, the arrow soared through the air.

The arrow was extremely accurate, hitting the trumpeter squarely in the throat.

The trumpeter grunted and fell straight off the chariot. The horn rolled a few times on the ground before its sound abruptly stopped.

The Northern Di tribes, having lost their command, were thrown into chaos. Unsure whether to advance or retreat, their formations began to crumble and collapse.

Xiao Jingyuan had been waiting for this moment.

He roared fiercely, "Kill!"

The Northern Shuo army's morale soared, charging towards the central army like tigers descending a mountain. The Northern Di soldiers began to rout, their defeat as swift as a landslide.

Xiao Jingyuan immediately spotted the wolf-head banner of the Northern Di general, which stood out conspicuously amidst the chaos of the army and was retreating.

"Trying to run away?" He sneered and spurred his horse to give chase.

The Northern Di guards along the way tried their best to stop him, but they couldn't stop him at all. Xiao Jingyuan hacked and slashed through the horses, carving a bloody path and chasing all the way to the commander's chariot.

The Northern Di general, seeing him pursue him, was terrified and drew his sword to stab him. Xiao Jingyuan dodged to the side, reached out and grabbed the man's armor, forcefully lifting him off the chariot.

He could wield a 52-pound black iron sword with great skill, and lift a strong man weighing over 100 pounds as easily as lifting a chick.

When the Northern Di soldiers saw their commander captured, they immediately lost their spirit and fled in disarray, throwing down their weapons.

As the sun rose high in the sky, the sounds of battle on the Gobi Desert gradually subsided. The wind, carrying the stench of blood, swept across the land, where corpses and fallen warhorses lay scattered, and the groans of wounded soldiers rose and fell.

The Northern Shuo have won. With fewer than 10,000 troops, they decisively defeated the Northern Di's 20,000 iron cavalry and captured their commander alive.

Shen Hanzhou stood in the sand, leaning on his sword, covered in blood, with a large gash on his right arm. He gasped for breath and looked back at Wanyan Lie. Wanyan Lie's left leg was injured, and he could barely stand, yet he was still forcing himself to continue.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Shen Hanzhou walked over, complaining, but he reached out and put his hand on his waist. "I told you not to rush so fast, but you wouldn't listen."

"You rushed over even faster." Wanyan Lie leaned on his shoulder, his breathing a little rapid, but he smiled. "It's good that you're alright."

Shen Hanzhou's ears turned bright red, and he turned his face away, muttering, "Nonsense, what could possibly happen to me?"

The two supported each other as they walked towards the camp, limping, their shadows stretched long in the sunlight.

Xiao Zhaoyue also arrived from the pass, her spear still dripping with blood. She glanced at the battlefield, walked to Xiao Jingyuan's side, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "I thought it would take a whole day to fight, but it's over in half a day."

Xiao Jingyuan sheathed his sword, drops of blood falling onto the sand. His arrow wound in his ribs bled again, causing him to wince in pain, but the pain quickly subsided. "Clean up the battlefield, guard the prisoners. Take the Northern Barbarian general back to the royal court and keep him under good care."

"Yes."

He turned around, preparing to return to camp: "Back to the royal court, take the fastest route."

A guard led over a warhorse and whispered, "Your Majesty, it's closer to the royal court via Broken Eagle Gorge, saving us two hours."

Xiao Jingyuan nodded and led several hundred personal guards through Broken Eagle Gorge. He wanted to return as soon as possible, write down the report of victory, and send it back to the capital by fast horse.

He wanted Xie Qinglan to be the first to know that he had won.

Broken Eagle Gorge is a canyon with sheer cliffs on both sides and a narrow path winding through the middle. It is a well-known dangerous place in the Gobi Desert.

Without much thought, Xiao Jingyuan led dozens of his personal guards, escorting the Northern Di general, who was bound hand and foot, into the canyon.

The wind in the canyon was cool, carrying the dampness of the mountain rocks.

After walking about half a mile, a sharp cracking sound of a mechanism suddenly came from above.

"Ambush! Raise your shields!" the captain of the guard roared.

The guards raised their shields and stood in front of Xiao Jingyuan, forming an iron wall. Crossbow bolts rained down from the cliffs on both sides, striking the shields with a clang and sparks.

The first volley of crossbow bolts had barely passed when the second volley began.

This time, the target is not Xiao Jingyuan.

Several crossbow bolts bypassed the shield and accurately struck the Northern Di general who was being held captive in the middle.

With a few muffled thuds, crossbow bolts pierced through the chest. The Northern Di general's eyes widened, but without uttering a sound, he fell straight down, dead on the spot.

Xiao Jingyuan's pupils contracted.

It doesn't make sense that these people would deliberately lie in ambush just to kill a captured Northern Di general.

"Charge! Capture them alive!" he shouted the order.

The guards split into two teams and began climbing up the mountainside. However, the cliff was steep and difficult to climb, and the ambushing men looked down from above, causing guards to be hit by arrows and fall one after another.

The third volley of crossbow bolts was aimed directly at Xiao Jingyuan.

The rain of arrows was as dense as a net.

His guards fought desperately to protect him, falling one after another. Xiao Jingyuan drew his sword to parry, deflecting several crossbow bolts, but he was still struck by an arrow in his left arm, and an old wound under his ribs reopened, causing him to faint from the pain.

"Your Majesty! Hurry! There will be backup once we get out of the valley!" the captain of the personal guard roared, pushing him forward at breakneck speed.

Xiao Jingyuan gritted his teeth and ran forward, his eyes scanning the sheer cliffs on both sides. There weren't many people lying in ambush, but their positions were extremely cunning, clearly indicating that it was premeditated.

My legs suddenly went weak.

It wasn't the sand and gravel that made it slippery; the soil layer had been dug out beforehand.

The soil layer on this cliff edge had been dug out in advance, and the surface was covered with loose soil and weeds, making it look no different from other places. However, it would collapse if you stepped on it.

Below wasn't a pitfall, but a true abyss. The deep valley of Broken Eagle Gorge was full of jagged rocks; falling in meant certain death.

Xiao Jingyuan suddenly lost his balance and fell off the cliff.

"Your Majesty!" The captain of the personal guard reached out to grab it, but only managed to grasp a piece of cloak fabric.

Just then, a black-clad assassin leaped down from the cliff, brandishing a knife and charging straight at Xiao Jingyuan, intending to die together with him.

Xiao Jingyuan drew his sword mid-air and killed the assassin with a single strike, but the recoil made him fall even faster.

He pulled a dagger from his waist and plunged it into the mountainside. The dagger made a piercing sound as it scraped against the rock, sending sparks flying. His descent slowed slightly, but he couldn't stop it at all.

My body tumbled down the steep rock face, with loose rocks falling down in a flurry.

His head slammed hard against a protruding rock ridge.

A sharp pain exploded forth.

Consciousness was swallowed up by the tide, and I was instantly plunged into darkness.

The wind howled in his ears as he plummeted down. Xiao Jingyuan's last thought was the four words Xie Qinglan had written on the letter.

—A complete victory means returning home.

It seems he's... going to break his promise.

His body plunged into deeper darkness, and he completely lost consciousness.

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Mini-drama (not part of the main text; skip if you're not interested)

Qinglan's Notes - About That Silly Dog

The storyteller slammed his gavel, and the tea drinkers in the room craned their necks. I was just passing by, but I was captivated by the phrase "the prince of the cold palace in Beishuo."

I was thirteen years old that year, and had just arrived in the capital. I didn't know where to begin my journey to clear my father's name.

I only had a few copper coins, not even enough to stay in the inn's stable. I huddled alone under the eaves of a house on a street corner, feeling like the most pitiful person in the world.

But after listening for a while, I completely forgot about my self-pity.

The storyteller recounted the tale of a down-on-his-luck prince from the Northern Kingdom. His mother was forcibly taken to the palace by the emperor and imprisoned in the Cold Palace. He was born and raised in the Cold Palace, and at the age of fifteen, he was thrown to the battlefield—ostensibly to lead troops, but in reality, to be sent to his death.

A thousand men can defeat ten thousand.

Everyone thought he was doomed.

But he won.

They won a brilliant victory, beheading the enemy chieftain amidst a vast army, and their thousand-mile raid routed the Western Rong forces.

I listened intently. When the storyteller recounted how he impaled the enemy general's head on the tip of his sword and rode back to camp, I gripped the old bundle on my lap tightly, my heart pounding like a drum, thinking how incredibly skilled this man was.

If only I could be that good.

Later, after overcoming numerous difficulties, I gathered all the evidence and beat the drum to appeal.

The drums thundered, and I knelt on the golden throne, reciting my enemies' crimes one by one. By the end, my voice was hoarse, but I felt a sense of satisfaction.

I avenged the entire Xie family, and then I managed to get close to the late emperor, becoming a useful sword in his hands.

For those two years, I was constantly inquiring about Xiao Jingyuan.

I heard that he fought that unprecedented and extraordinary battle, but he was not given an important position. The current emperor of Beishuo probably really disliked this prince and actually exiled the meritorious official to the iron mine in the northern border to look after the mine.

I felt indignant for him, but then I thought, even if such a person is trapped in shallow waters, he will eventually rise to the top.

really.

When he was sixteen, news came from Beishuo that Xiao Jingyuan had quelled the Rebellion of the Ten Kings, killed his father and brothers, and ascended the throne as emperor.

When I heard it, I was in the Imperial Study drafting an edict for the late Emperor. My pen paused, and the cinnabar bleed into the edict, leaving a red dot.

That person certainly didn't disappoint me.

Coincidentally, the late emperor also passed away in that year.

Before he died, he held my hand and asked me to choose the most suitable prince from among all the princes to help him onto the dragon throne.

I chose Pei Nanchi.

There was no other reason; it was simply that among a group of corrupt princes, only this six-year-old child, who had grown up in the cold palace, was the cleanest.

I devoted myself wholeheartedly to governing the country, and step by step, I made Nanyue stronger. Finally, the people were able to eat their fill, and the borders were finally at peace.

Occasionally, when I'm working late into the night reviewing memorials until my wrists ache, I'll put down my pen and rub them. Suddenly, I'll remember that person is probably in the Imperial Study, thousands of miles away, frowning and cursing at the mountains of memorials.

How fortunate it would be to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

At the age of twenty-six, the borders of the five kingdoms began to show signs of unrest. The young emperor proposed a marriage alliance with the Northern Shuo, hoping to stabilize the border through kinship and buy time to strengthen himself.

I don't quite agree with this proposal. Marriage alliance is merely a stopgap measure, treating the symptoms but not the root cause. Moreover, sending one's own princess to a foreign land, leaving her to fend for herself, is hardly a glorious thing.

But Pei Yuning agreed.

She said she was willing to go. She said she wanted to leave Nanyue and see the outside world.

Looking into her bright, sparkling eyes, I suddenly felt a pang of tenderness.

She's my sister. The sister I've watched grow up. She said she wanted to go, what could I say?

But to my surprise, the young emperor Pei Nanchi came to me, saying that he was worried about his sister, that the princess relied on me the most, and that he would only feel at ease if I went to escort her to the wedding.

I had some doubts. The situation in the court was so tense. What if something happened to me if I left Nanyue?

But looking into his trusting eyes, I agreed anyway.

Perhaps this is the opportunity I've been waiting for for many years—a legitimate opportunity to go to Beishuo and see that person.

On the day I first met him at the Golden Palace, I entered the Northern Shuo Palace with the delegation. The palace was filled with armored soldiers, their swords and spears menacing. I stood at the foot of the steps, looked up, and saw a black dragon robe on the Nine Dragon Jade Steps.

With sword-like eyebrows that reached his temples, cold eyes, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he sat upright on the dragon throne, exuding an imperial aura as deep and imposing as a mountain.

Indeed, he was very imposing.

I forced myself to maintain a detached expression, bowed, lowered my eyes, and dared not look any further.

After that glance, I hardly looked up again at the wedding banquet.

After the banquet, a eunuch announced that I should remain in the palace. I was somewhat surprised, yet couldn't help but feel a faint sense of anticipation—was it him who wanted to see me?

I had imagined he would discuss politics with me, invite me to play chess, and take me to the city tower to see the night view of Beishuo. But I never imagined he would climb in through the window, acupuncture my pressure points without a word, and then press me down on the bed and kiss me.

His kisses were haphazard and reckless, like a starving wolf. I was immobilized, unable to move, and could only stare at him with my eyes open, feeling his burning hands arbitrarily setting my body ablaze.

My mind went completely blank.

How could he do this? The emperor I've admired for so many years is actually a lewd scoundrel?

He took me that very night.

It hurt me a lot.

I gritted my teeth and refused to make a sound, so he grabbed my chin and forced me to let go. His hot breath hit my earlobe, and his voice was so low and hoarse that he said, "Let me hear it."

I'm not.

The next day he brought me a bowl of porridge. The porridge was mushy and stewed until it was very soft. I hadn't eaten anything so hard to swallow in a long time.

He wouldn't let me refuse, insisting on shoving spoonfuls into my mouth. I endured a few bites, but I couldn't take it anymore, so I snatched the bowl and smashed it on the ground.

Enraged, she grabbed a shard of broken porcelain and held it against his throat.

But my hands are shaking.

It wasn't fear, but for some reason, even though the blade was pressed against his vital point, I instinctively shifted the edge slightly in that instant.

What a spineless person, Xie Qinglan.

He laughed instead and said I wouldn't do anything.

I panicked a little—had he seen through me?

The next second he changed his expression, his tone as cold as ice, threatening me with Pei Yuning's life and the fate of the Nanyue Kingdom.

I understood; he was telling me that I couldn't escape.

I feel humiliated.

He clearly sees me as his personal possession.

After that, Xiao Jingyuan was actually quite good to me.

They watched me eat every day, and in various ways sent rare and precious items to my palace. Before the weather even got cold, they would secretly slip hand warmers into my bedding.

But the more he did that, the more I felt like a bird kept in a cage.

I, Xie Qinglan, have controlled the court for ten years, turning the world upside down with a flick of my wrist. Why should I be a captive to a man?

Even if it's Xiao Jingyuan, it won't work.

I took Pei Yuning on a trip once. As we rode out of the city, I even thought about how to respond if the two countries went to war.

But I hadn't run far before he intercepted me. In front of all the imperial guards in the street, he picked me up and carried me back to the palace. That night, he was ruthless, and I was tortured under him until I lost consciousness.

He's a lecherous scoundrel, a brute, and all he does is force.

When I woke up again, the eunuch announced in a high-pitched voice that I was being granted the title of Consort Xie.

These two words were like a bucket of ice water, chilling me to the bone.

He's humiliating me; he really treats me like his own personal possession.

I grabbed the teacup from beside the bed and smashed it on the floor, cursing him as a bastard.

He threatened me again, saying he would break my legs. I glared at him, but then I heard the second half of his sentence—he said he would break Pei Yuning's legs.

I was stunned for a moment, and then unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that they didn't break my legs.

But in the end, I was imprisoned in this harem.

I don't want to like him anymore.

I regret coming to Beishuo.

I, Xie Qinglan, have fallen to this state.

Overwhelmed by depression, I fell ill and had a fever for countless days. My consciousness was erratic, as if I were drowning.

In a daze, I heard someone chattering incessantly in my ear, their voice hoarse and fragmented, disturbing my sleep.

I wanted to yell at him to stop arguing, so I struggled to open my eyelids, only to be met with a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Xiao Jingyuan cried.

He knelt before the bed, gripping my hand tightly, his tears falling onto the back of my hand, scalding hot.

He begged me to get better, said he was wrong, and said he would never force me again.

Looking at his tear-streaked face and messy stubble, my heart suddenly softened.

But I don't want to forgive him.

For a long time afterward, he really didn't bother me anymore.

My palace is getting fuller every day—first the old books on the bookshelves, then the brush washer on the desk, and even the crabapple tree that I planted in the mansion when I was sixteen was dug up and transported here.

Thief.

Which emperor or scholar stole something?

When the tree was first brought in, it was half dead, with withered and curled leaves. I got angry just looking at it; he was going to ruin a perfectly good tree.

He kept running to my courtyard, inviting the imperial physician to treat the tree, finding the old gardener from the Imperial Garden to add soil to the tree, and wrapping the trunk with a thick layer of straw rope to prevent frost damage.

The tree actually came back to life.

On that morning when the withered tree came back to life and tender green buds sprouted from its branches, I stood by the window for a long time.

With all this effort, does he have some genuine feelings for me too? Is it not just about sleeping with me?

I decided to give him a nicer look.

But that person, who had been squatting on the wall and spying on me for half an hour, hesitated to come down.

How annoying, you coward.

I deliberately smiled at the crabapple tree.

Sure enough, he came running over to me that night.

He started clinging to me every day again.

But that's far from enough; I'm not that easy to coax.

He still wants to sleep with me. Ha, if I give in to him easily, wouldn't that be the same as willingly becoming his plaything?

On my birthday, there were two bowls of longevity noodles on the table.

One bowl was a gift from Pei Yuning; it was finely pulled and the soup was clear and green. The other bowl was a mushy mess, with a fried egg that was burnt black.

Of course I chose Pei Yuning's.

I don't know how that bowl of noodles, which looked terrible, got in here. I assumed it was a mistake by the imperial chef and didn't pay any attention.

Unexpectedly, that person turned on me with a cold look, speaking in a fierce and aggrieved tone, questioning why I was being biased.

That's when I realized that the bowl of swill was made by him.

So what?

What gives him the right to be so aggressive towards me?

I only picked up my chopsticks after he stormed out and slammed the door.

Since you've put in the effort, you might as well try a bite.

Just one bite. Just one bite.

I swallowed it expressionlessly, then picked up the teacup and gulped down half of it.

This man is utterly wasting food. If I didn't know how humble and subservient he was in front of me, I would have suspected he was trying to poison me.

He must have really eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard that day.

While I was asleep, he rubbed against my back, his breathing becoming heavier and heavier. I had actually been awake for a while, and I was going to let him be, since his arms were warm and I felt safe leaning against him.

But he became increasingly bold, touching my inner thigh, and I had no choice but to "wake up" and chase him away.

He shamelessly clung to me. As if he was determined to take advantage of me, his burning hands gripped my waist, and he called my name repeatedly in my ear in a low, husky voice.

For a moment, I wavered.

He said he only had me.

So I let him do it.

He seemed to be getting more and more outrageous, and I became more and more lenient with his outrageousness.

I feel like I willingly became that sparrow.

He was like a clingy yet domineering wolfhound, keeping me in his territory, rubbing against me and licking me every day.

When I came to my senses, I realized that my heart had already wavered.

Long ago, on the day when spring flowers were in full bloom, he gave me a crabapple branch.

During the Flower Festival in Beishuo, flowers are meant to be given to one's beloved. I accepted his flowers and tucked them away in the deepest part of my drawer, lined with Chengxintang paper.

But he won't get a single word out of me.

If he knew I was already wavering, he would probably be incredibly arrogant, pushing his luck to the skies.

Since then, he has become increasingly clingy, wanting to have sex with me every few days. His skills have improved considerably, and his methods have become more and more varied.

I have to admit that I did feel comfortable.

How did he learn so quickly? He even figured out how to touch that soft spot on my lower back that's most vulnerable.

Every time he grabbed my waist and thrust into me, I would bite my lip tightly to keep quiet, but the more I endured, the deeper he would go, until he forced me to make a sound.

I tried to use legitimate methods to persuade him not to treat me as just a captive imprisoned in the palace, and I offered him many strategies for governing the country.

But every time this person took the folded book, he wouldn't even look at it. He would hug me and kiss me again and again, pouring out sweet words as if they were free.

As they were talking, he pressed her down onto the couch and took advantage of her again.

What I presented was a serious matter concerning the livelihood of people on the border; couldn't he have read it first before getting aroused?

How annoying, so incredibly annoying.

But as time went on, I got used to it.

Some even enjoyed his domineering nature.

The emperor I once admired is now acting like a puppy in front of me; there's a subtle sense of blasphemy about it, which is quite amusing.

His obsession, his loss of control, his hoarse voice burying his face in my neck saying he couldn't live without me—that was a side of the emperor who sat high in the golden palace, a side that could never be seen by anyone.

Only I can see it.

I would occasionally be nice to him and started to tacitly allow him to hold me while sleeping every day.

His embrace was so warm. Unlike when I was alone in Nanyue, sleeping soundly through the night, I slept much more peacefully in his arms.

Perhaps living like this isn't so bad.

But I never imagined that these days would come to an end.

I was poisoned.

It is Pei Yuning.

It turns out that the brother and sister I had been so loyal to from beginning to end never cared about me at all, and even wanted me dead.

Only Xiao Jingyuan. Only he has always been good to me, only he has been truly sincere to me.

But I'm going to die.

He would be very upset if he found out.

The puppy will cry, won't it?

Before my consciousness sank into darkness, I felt a pang of regret—regret for not responding to him properly when I was awake, regret for closing the window when he waved to me from the rooftop that snowy night, and regret for not telling him that I actually really liked that crabapple blossom.

I wish I could see him one more time.