The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

Shen Qingruo stood on the high palace wall, her plain dress clinging tightly to her body, outlining her full figure.

Beneath the palace walls, a vast, dark mass of desert soldiers stood solemnly.

The leader, clad in silver-white armor, exuded a cool and radiant glow even under the gloomy sky.

That was Shen Wangxi.

He sat upright on his horse, his posture tall and straight, his face stunningly beautiful, his eyes sweeping indifferently over the city wall.

Beside him stood Shen Jingyan, dressed in a fiery red riding outfit, her beauty striking and vibrant.

Holding a riding crop, her beautiful face radiating victorious pride, she shouted towards the city wall, "Release my sister! I'll spare your lives!"

General Wei Zheng, who was holding Shen Qingruo hostage, held a sharp blade and made a bloody cut on her delicate neck.

"Release His Majesty! Otherwise, let her die on the spot!" General Wei's voice was filled with desperation.

Shen Qingruo's gaze passed over everyone and landed directly on Shen Wangxi.

He remains the same, unattainable.

It was as if this confrontation, which concerned her life and death, was nothing more than ordinary military affairs to him.

His daughter had never caught his eye.

Shen Qingruo then heard Shen Jingyan beside him speak with dissatisfaction, "Father, since they don't know what's good for them, why not just..."

"Enough." A clear, deep voice rang out, not loud, but instantly suppressing all the noise.

Shen Wangxi finally spoke, raising his eyes to gaze at the striking red mark on Shen Qingruo's neck.

"Release her." He looked at General Wei, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority. "I will ensure the safety of your Emperor."

"Father!" Shen Jingyan urged her horse forward two steps, speaking urgently, "They're already trapped, why..."

Shen Wangxi glanced at her sideways, her tone softening: "Ayan, stop fooling around, that's your sister."

Shen Jingyan pouted, but ultimately didn't argue further, only muttering to herself, "Anyway, we captured the Emperor of Daliang, so the credit for this battle is mine."

Listening to the conversation between the father and daughter, and seeing Shen Wangxi's gentleness towards Shen Jingyan, Shen Qingruo felt a pang of sadness in her heart, so painful that she could hardly breathe.

She thought of herself; for the past sixteen years, her daughter, who was not born to his expectations, would never receive his favor.

Shen Wangxi, I hate you.

I don't care about your charity at all.

Shen Qingruo struggled for a moment, trying to break free from the knife's grip.

The movement came suddenly, and the soldiers next to her thought she was trying to break free, so they instinctively drew their knives and moved closer.

"Ugh!" The blade sliced ​​across the side of his neck, and a sharp pain shot through him instantly.

Shen Qingruo let out a painful groan, her face instantly turning ashen.

"Aruo." A voice called out from the sky.

It is Shen Wangxi.

In the end, he called her name again, Aruo...

Shen Qingruo's eyes stung with tears, overwhelmed with grievance.

If only he could have called her name more often when they were little, and visited her in her little tent more often.

Blood flowed down her neck, staining her plain clothes red; she could feel her life rapidly slipping away.

Yeah.

It's better that I died like this.

Since her mother was gone anyway, she didn't want to go back to that home where she was always ignored and always lonely, and to see her family all together happily.

If he dies like this, it might even upset them.

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Shen Qingruo used her last bit of strength to leap off the high city wall.

The wind whistled in her ears, and the feeling of weightlessness made her dizzy.

Are you free?

Through her blurred vision, she saw General Wei on the city wall, with an old sachet hanging from the corner of his armor.

Why is the embroidery pattern on that sachet exactly the same as the one her mother left her?

[Mine Clearance]

From the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

The bright moon hangs high, shining alone upon me.

In short: Aruo used her beauty to steal her sister's father, the emperor, and by the way, her sister's mother's husband, and then, by the way, her sister's throne.

Thunder, run!