Kill you, and you'll never change your heart

Sun Da and Sun Er were both taken aback.

They had not expected Her Majesty to say such a thing.

Thinking their explanation had been unclear and failed to convey Ren Tianye's tyrannical and arrogant behavior in the court, they immediately added, "Your Majesty, you may have misunderstood."

"This Ren Tianye is no less a threat than Tuoba Xiangtai. According to our master, after Ren Tianye arrived in the capital, he first found a way to control Lu Qing and seize the military power of the imperial guards. Combined with the hundred thousand elite troops he brought with him, he now holds an army of three hundred thousand in his hands!"

"With this army of three hundred thousand, he has reached a point where no one in the court can stand against him. Not even Miss Gu Qingyue, who invited him into the city, can stop him."

"Ren Tianye calls a stag a horse and has appointed himself as the Grand Commandant. Now he dictates all matters, great and small, in the court, demanding that all memorials be reviewed by him first before they are sent to Your Majesty at the Yuchen Estate."

"His conduct is no different from that of a treacherous minister."

Sun Da and Sun Er had not received much education, so many of their expressions lacked clarity and sufficient indignation. However, they felt that as long as they explained the facts clearly, Her Majesty would surely understand.

After all, facts speak louder than words!

What they said was the truth!

An indisputable truth!

Yet, to their even greater surprise, Xiao Mingzhao's eyes grew brighter and brighter as she listened. By the end, a look of deep emotion even surfaced on her jade-like face.

"I never would have thought... I never would have thought..."

"Over the years, I have found so many stand-ins. Though I only ever looked at them from afar and never truly developed feelings for them, and though I looked down on Ren Tianye the most, it turns out..."

"The one who loves me the deepest is actually Ren Tianye!"

Xiao Mingzhao was so agitated that she almost stood up. "I truly cannot imagine how much he must have suffered in the Northern Frontier all these days to accomplish so much for me..."

"I really misjudged him in the past."

"I mistook gravel for gold!"

"And ignored the true gold right by my side!"

Sun Da and Sun Er grew even more bewildered.

However, given their lowly status—they were only in their current positions because Pei Jingzhi had valued them; otherwise, they would have just been refugees starving in the wilderness—they knew their vision was limited and felt they simply could not comprehend Her Majesty's grand ambitions.

Still, they couldn't help but speak up.

"Your Majesty, could you be mistaken?"

"Ren Tianye is a traitor to the state!"

"What traitor!" Xiao Mingzhao's expression suddenly changed. Having long held a position of supreme authority, her sudden outburst unleashed an overwhelming aura that terrified Sun Da and Sun Er into quickly prostrating themselves on the ground.

Only then did she say slowly, "Tianye is doing this out of love for me!"

"Everything he has done is just to catch my attention!"

"He is unwilling to accept his fate!"

"Unwilling to just be a stand-in!"

"He raised an army in the Northern Frontier, took control of the capital, called a stag a horse, and appointed himself Grand Commandant, all just to make me look at him a little more."

"I..."

"Though I knew early on that his devotion to me was no less than Zhan Shubai's, I never expected he could go to such lengths!"

"My heart is deeply comforted!"

Sun Da and Sun Er were even more confused.

But they did not dare say more, let alone advise her. They just stared helplessly at Xiao Mingzhao, who had paused, hoping she would quickly finish writing the blood letter so they could take it out.

After all, Her Majesty's thoughts were extraordinary and otherworldly; only someone like Lord Pei could understand them. They were merely errand runners passing on messages, so they shouldn't vainly attempt to fathom Her Majesty's mind.

"I..."

Xiao Mingzhao was still immersed in her emotions, unable to extricate herself for the moment. Her phoenix eyes grew misty as she looked out the window, as if trying to see Ren Tianye's figure through the heavy veil of the night.

She murmured, "Tianye, I am not a harsh person! Even less would I mistreat someone who loves me with true sincerity. I will give you an answer for all your painstaking efforts over these years!"

"I will give you a chance!"

After murmuring these words, Xiao Mingzhao finally seemed to snap back to reality and hurriedly resumed writing the blood letter. After all, this was the key to whether she could leave the Yuchen Estate.

These past few days, she had increasingly felt how outrageous and even perverted Tuoba Xiangtai was. She often sighed inwardly that she had entrusted herself to the wrong person. Her heart had collapsed and rebuilt itself several times, and now she only longed to leave the Yuchen Estate and get as far away from Tuoba Xiangtai as possible.

However, she had originally intended to write two blood letters.

One was naturally for Pei Jingzhi, so he could devise a way to rescue her. In the letter, she needed to grant him full authority, as only then could he mobilize the army to break her out.

The other was to be passed by Pei Jingzhi to her aunt, the Eldest Princess Xiao Ruyi.

Xiao Ruyi had been entrusted by her late father, the Emperor, with the heavy responsibility of overseeing the state. Now that she was imprisoned, a member of the royal family needed to step forward to eradicate Tuoba Xiangtai and let her see the light of day again.

Xiao Mingzhao wrote these two letters extremely quickly.

After all, she had been pondering these matters for days, even wondering if she could bribe a barbarian maid to deliver the messages for her.

She already had it all planned out in her mind.

But after finishing the two letters and handing them to Sun Da and Sun Er, Xiao Mingzhao suddenly said, "Wait a moment. I must write one more blood letter!"

Sun Er had already gone to the door to keep watch. Looking around nervously, he was startled upon hearing this and said, "Your Majesty, time is of the essence..."

"I know..." Xiao Mingzhao interrupted. "But this third blood letter must be written."

"My two beloved subjects, please wait a moment."

"I will write it swiftly!"

Sun Er had no choice. Since Her Majesty had spoken, he could only continue to crouch by the door and keep watch, while Sun Da knelt before Xiao Mingzhao, waiting.

But right now, it was clearly visible that Xiao Mingzhao's index finger had turned slightly pale, drained of blood, leaving only a nearly transparent whiteness.

Immediately, Sun Da pulled out a dagger, cut his own finger, and let the blood drip. "Your Majesty, use my blood!"

"No!" Xiao Mingzhao rejected it at once. "For such an important matter, how could I use your blood? Wouldn't that make me appear insincere?"

"In this world, power and status can be faked, but a person's true heart must never be easily betrayed!"

Saying so, she picked up the dagger, cut another one of her fingers, and began to write earnestly on a torn piece of her skirt.

She wrote extremely slowly, almost to the point of deliberating over every single word.

The expression on her face was also very strange.

At times she frowned slightly, at times she looked full of remorse, and at times she revealed the tender demeanor of a young maiden.

She wrote for a full hour.

Sun Er crouched by the door until his back nearly broke before Xiao Mingzhao finally finished the letter. She blew softly with her red lips to dry the blood quickly, then folded it with utmost care and solemnity.

She handed it to Sun Da.

"This letter is the most important."

"After you two get out, you must deliver it into Ren Tianye's hands."

"Tell him that I understand his painstaking efforts. I misjudged him in the past, but this time, I will not make that mistake again. I will give him a chance!"

"I hope he grasps it well!"

Sun Da hurriedly kowtowed and received it. He held it in his hands as if holding a massive mountain, feeling a weight so heavy that he could barely breathe.

Because he truly had no idea how to explain this to Ren Tianye once they got out. Should he just repeat Her Majesty's exact words?

He felt he wouldn't be able to bring himself to say them.

However, now was not the time to fuss over such things. After heavily kowtowing three times to Xiao Mingzhao, he got up and was about to leave with Sun Er.

Sun Er's expression, however, had drastically changed.

"Not good, Tuoba Xiangtai is coming."

"We are going to be discovered."

Sun Da's expression also changed. Peering through the door and window, he saw Tuoba Xiangtai walking swiftly toward them, looking displeased and seemingly filled with boundless anger.

This instantly put the two of them in an awkward position.

If they took a step forward, they would run right into Tuoba Xiangtai.

If they retreated, should they hide in the room?

But this was Her Majesty's room. The two of them were merely lowly slaves; how could they dare share a room with the Emperor?

The two were decisive. Or rather, from the moment they received Pei Jingzhi's order to step into the Yuchen Mansion, they had already put their lives on the line.

Exchanging a glance, Sun Er immediately burst through the door, lunging straight at Tuoba Xiangtai. The sharp edge of his blade flashed with cold killing intent in the dark night.

Tuoba Xiangtai was startled, but his own martial arts skills were quite good. He quickly dodged. The next moment, the two barbarian maids following behind Tuoba Xiangtai rushed forward from the left and right.

In an instant, they surrounded Sun Da in the middle.

In just a few moves, a sharp blade was pressed against Sun Er's chest. The scolding of the barbarian maid and Tuoba Xiangtai's furious roars echoed in his ears.

But Sun Er did not care in the slightest.

Even as the blade pierced through his chest, his face showed no fear. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he desperately shouted, "Protect the edict!"

After shouting, he forced his flesh and blood body further onto the blade, causing it to get stuck in his ribs so it could not move. Mustering his final ounce of strength, he tightly grabbed the clothes of Tuoba Xiangtai and the two maids.

Bloody foam bubbled from his lips, yet a bright, hearty laugh appeared on his face. "Boss, go! The Great Yu will not fall!"

The blade rose again, its gleam blindingly bright.

It was seemingly so bright that the heaven and earth dimmed for a moment.

After the flash of the blade fell, blood spilled from Sun Er's throat, and his corpse collapsed. Yet, his eyes remained open, staring fixedly in the direction of Sun Da's escape.

His back remained perfectly straight!

Tuoba Xiangtai's anger reached its peak at this moment. Looking in the direction Sun Da had fled, he let out an unprecedented roar, "Chase him! Kill him!"

Unfortunately, after Tuoba Xiangtai shouted, there was no one available besides the two maids beside him. He then remembered that there were absolutely no guards in the inner courtyard of the Yuchen Mansion.

Not only were there no guards, but the guards' gates were also kept at a long distance from this inner courtyard.

Shouting like this now, let alone the guards not being able to hear it, even if they could, they would absolutely not dare to rush in and pursue the assassin.

Therefore...

He could only watch helplessly as Sun Da quickly disappeared into the dark night. The fury in his heart surged like ocean waves, one higher than the other, as he suddenly turned around.

He took large strides toward Xiao Mingzhao's room.

Arriving at the door, his face no longer held its usual gentle elegance. Instead, it was replaced by a visage twisted with rage. He raised his foot and violently kicked the door.

The door was not locked to begin with. Under Tuoba Xiangtai's kick, the main door shattered into pieces in an instant.

The shock made Xiao Mingzhao, who was inside the room, suddenly jump up.

Her phoenix eyes were filled with panic. "You, you, what kind of fit are you throwing now?"

Xiao Mingzhao demanded, but she subconsciously took a step back. She was truly somewhat afraid of this Tuoba Xiangtai. When he was normal, he was too normal, like an elegant young master who instantly inspired affection.

But lately, Tuoba Xiangtai had been throwing fits from time to time.

This kind of person who randomly lost his mind was the most terrifying, because you never knew which word or action would trigger a sensitive spot in his heart.

As a result, Tuoba Xiangtai's mood was like the rain in June.

One moment it was a clear sky with a gentle breeze.

The next moment it was lightning, thunder, and a torrential downpour.

Xiao Mingzhao was already mentally and physically exhausted.

"Xiao Mingzhao..." Tuoba Xiangtai did not even call Xiao Mingzhao by her nickname, Luan'er, but shouted directly, "Do you want to leave me that badly?"

"Hmm?"

"Answer me!"

"Do you really want to leave me that much?"

"Am I that disgusting to you?"

Xiao Mingzhao quickly said, "No, no, Xiangtai, you're overthinking..."

Tuoba Xiangtai directly interrupted her, "The person who came to tip you off has already been caught by me, and you're still making excuses?"

"Why are you lying to me?"

"Do you know that just now, I received news that the Ministry of Revenue has cut off all supplies to my barbarian army? The supplies for my army outside the city are gone."

"The supplies for the ten thousand troops of my Yuchen Mansion are gone!"

"Aren't you obviously forcing my hand?"

"Forcing me to let you go!"

"Now they are even contacting you in private. Have you, or have you not, listened to a word I said?"

"Must you absolutely leave me?"

Xiao Mingzhao genuinely did not know about this matter.

She had personally given the order to supply the barbarian army. She hadn't told the Ministry of Revenue to stop the supplies, so how could they?

Just as she was puzzled, Tuoba Xiangtai's handsome face once again surged with a volcanic rage.

Tuoba Xiangtai pulled a memorial from his robes and threw it directly in front of Xiao Mingzhao, angrily saying, "Look for yourself! This is the memorial your ministers submitted to you!"

"Saying they want to save you from this sea of suffering!"

"To rescue you from the fire and water!"

"I treat you with such sincerity, I wish I could rip my heart out and give it to you. How is being with me like being in fire and water?"

"Furthermore..."

Jealousy boiled on Tuoba Xiangtai's face. "I specifically sent someone to investigate, only to find out that the one who wrote this memorial to you is Ren Tianye!"

"That body double of yours!"

"Xiao Mingzhao, and you said you wouldn't develop feelings for a body double!"

"If you didn't, why would he be so willing to save you?"

Xiao Mingzhao, however, stood frozen in place.

Ren Tianye?

She quickly picked up the letter to look. Having not seen him for many years, she could no longer remember Ren Tianye's handwriting. However, the characters written on the memorial, although not elegant, penetrated the back of the paper and were extremely vigorous. If not written by a military general, who else could it be?

So, Ren Tianye had really come to save her?

"As expected, as expected..." Seeing Xiao Mingzhao's expression, Tuoba Xiangtai completely lost control. "You really do have someone else in your heart. You really do want to leave me!"

"Luan'er..."

Tuoba Xiangtai's expression suddenly changed, shifting from his previous anger to unbearable agony. "You, why do you want to leave me?"

"You said you only loved me!"

"Why do you want to go?"

"If you want to leave, I will die right here!"

"Die right in front of you!"

"Before I die, I'll kill you too. That way, your heart will never change!"

With that said, Tuoba Xiangtai pulled a knife from his robes!

...