Pei Qing was startled awake by a series of urgent knocks at the door.
She sat up and glanced outside—it was still dark. The knocking grew more insistent, so Pei Qing quickly put on an outer robe, then hesitated and added a cloak for good measure.
When she opened the door, she found Chu Li standing there, his face streaked with tears. Pei Qing was taken aback. "Commander Chu, what's wrong?"
Chu Li wiped the sweat and tears from his face. "Your Majesty, the Duke of Lu, who commands the outskirts of the capital, has secretly allied with Cao Ruiji of the Luan Army. Our scouts have discovered that their forces will converge today, and they plan to join with key city officials in fire control and water management to encircle the Nanchuan Army and seize the palace! If they manage to form a siege, everyone in the palace will be doomed. Last night, the prince made his plans in the Eastern Palace and ordered a preemptive strike at dawn today, dividing our forces to engage the Lu and Cao armies and capture key officials. But...but—"
Seeing the look on Chu Li's face, Pei Qing's heart sank. "But what?"
"Even with a split force, the entire Nanchuan Army is barely half the size of the Lu and Cao forces combined. And we still have to divert troops to attack the fire defenses! This isn't a typical outnumbered battle—it's a fight to the death against overwhelming odds! Last night, I swore I'd stay by the prince's side, live or die, but he drugged me and left me here in the palace!"
Chu Li, a towering man, choked up as he spoke, then shoved a note into Pei Qing's hands. "There's no time, Your Majesty—we must go!"
Pei Qing opened the note, her eyes scanning the bold, sweeping characters:
Chu Li, protect her and the child. I trust only you with this.
Tears fell onto the note, smudging the ink. That familiar, reckless face flashed before her eyes, and her heart ached. Pei Qing gripped the doorframe tightly, forcing herself to stand firm.
She took a deep breath and asked, "What about the Imperial Guards? They can at least help the Nanchuan Army!"
Chu Li shook his head. "The prince gave strict orders—the eight thousand Imperial Guards are to defend the palace gates and kill any rebels trying to storm the palace. Your Majesty, we've been digging a tunnel leading out of the palace these past few nights—it's the last escape route. The prince doesn't truly trust the Imperial Guards to hold off the rebels, so he decided that you and the prince should escape through the tunnel. But I must beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty—the Nanchuan Army only follows the prince's orders. We can't protect the emperor. Life and death are in the hands of fate."
Pei Qing understood everything. She asked, "When he made these plans...what were the chances of success?"
Chu Li choked up again. "If reinforcements arrive, there's a thirty percent chance."
"What..."
"Last night, we received word that the old prince's former subordinates were willing to send reinforcements, but by this morning, all communication had been cut off!" Chu Li said, his voice shaking. "Without reinforcements, the prince and the brothers outside won't last long, and yet he didn't take me with him!"
Hearing that they wouldn't last long made something inside Pei Qing snap. If reinforcements didn't arrive, the only thing Xiao Yuan could do was buy her and the child time.
With that thought, Pei Qing said, "Commander Chu, please take Zhi'er and leave."
Chu Li was shocked. "Your Majesty, you're not coming?"
Pei Qing didn't say much. She knelt and bowed deeply to Chu Li. "No matter what, the child is innocent. You're the one he trusts most—please take him and escape through the tunnel."
"Do you know what the prince will do when he finds out?" Chu Li asked, his voice trembling.
Pei Qing's voice quivered as well. "He'll have to survive first if he wants to be furious." Tears streamed down her face. "I didn't write that letter asking him to come and die."
Chu Li was silent for a moment before he bowed deeply. "If you have a way to save the prince, I will assist you in any way I can! Rest assured, Your Majesty, even if it costs my life, I will protect the young prince!"
After Chu Li left, Pei Qing wandered back into the hall in a daze. She wasn't sure how she managed to dress herself in the empress's robes and crown, how she arranged her hair, or how she walked out of Hanning Palace.
The overnight snow had turned the palace into a beautiful but desolate scene. Pei Qing walked through the snow, leaving a long trail of footprints behind her.
The thing she feared most was finally happening. Xiao Yuan had made his choice—how to die, and for whom to die.
The bitter cold wind could not match the chill in her heart. Pei Qing knew that, at this moment, they had reached the true end.
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