Chapter 255: Chapter 254 PremonitionThat smile was profound and inscrutable.


    For a moment, Han Mo couldn’t understand it.


    "No rush. Just wait."


    Qi Wuya said that, so Han Mo waited patiently.


    That wait lasted three days.


    Three days later, at night,


    Beiqi Crown Prince Qi Guanglie was caught in a storm and died upon two maidservants.


    He was only twenty-four years old.


    After his death, Qi Wuya was "extremely grieved," took time off from court for three days, and gave him a grand burial with imperial honors.


    He later chose an auspicious day to ascend the throne and declare himself Emperor.


    When the news reached Rong Ye, he was in the midst of hosting a messenger from Quanzhou.


    The messenger hailed from the Dark Guard Team.


    His name was Yuan Tang, a young man slender as a crane.


    This time he brought a portrait of a woman.


    "This woman named He Hongzhao is unparalleled in both medicine and poison, but alas, her medical heart is corrupt and she is used by Ninth Prince Qi Wuya. She once poisoned the Emperor, nearly harming the Emperor’s lineage, and then poisoned Quanzhou, causing the death of nearly a thousand citizens—her crimes are enormous and heinous. The Emperor detests her and has tried to kill her several times unsuccessfully; she may now be in Beiqi. Marshal Rong, please send someone to eliminate her."


    Yuan Tang spoke earnestly as he explained the situation.


    Rong Ye looked at the portrait and listened to Yuan Tang’s words then called over Yang Che and another five people.


    Yang Che and the others had previously been to Beiqi to spread rumors and were fairly familiar with the situation there.


    Thus, Rong Ye assigned this task to them, "This is a Da He traitor, loyal to Beiqi, wielding her poison technique to commit crimes. You are to infiltrate Beiqi and secretly seek and eliminate her."


    Yang Che and the five responded in unison, "Understood."


    After taking the portrait, they left the main tent.


    Rong Ye then wrote the recent news of the political situation in Beiqi into a secret letter and handed it to Yuan Tang, "There has been a major change in the Beiqi political situation; this letter must be delivered to the Emperor as quickly as possible."


    Yuan Tang bowed his head in response, "Marshal Rong, rest assured, I understand."


    He bowed and was about to leave.


    "Hold on—"


    Rong Ye stopped him, calculating the timing and analyzing, "The recent messages from Quanzhou have all encountered dangers, small or large, on the way, delaying them considerably. It indicates that the postal station routes are being watched by Beiqi’s men. Traveling back alone, you are certainly in danger. Here’s what we’ll do: I will send a team of soldiers to secretly protect you. We’ll also take the opportunity to clear out Beiqi’s enemies and ensure the postal routes are safe for future use."


    "Thank you, Marshal Rong."


    Yuan Tang rested for a night in the camp, and the next day, he rode back homeward.


    On the way, he learned of the news that the Emperor had left Quanzhou and thus changed routes, following the Emperor’s trail.


    *


    Emperor Da He’s convoy kept moving towards the Capital City.


    More than ten days passed in a blink of an eye.


    Sang Yan had been sitting in the carriage for so many days that her bottom could barely take it.


    Out of pity for her condition, He Ying stopped and spent two days modifying the carriage, greatly enlarging its space.


    In short, he turned the carriage into a massive, mobile bed.


    He even laid several layers of soft woolen carpets inside the carriage.


    The shock absorption was excellent.


    She could even sleep on it.


    The afternoon sun was warm and gentle.


    It indeed was a perfect time for a nap.


    Sang Yan fell asleep.


    But she had a nightmare.


    In the dream, it was Qi Wuya, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.


    His eyes, full of malice and obsession, were firmly fixed on her.


    "You can’t escape."


    "Sang Yan, I have told you before, He Ying can’t beat me."


    He gripped the collar of her dress, his sinister voice spraying at her ear.


    It penetrated everywhere.


    "No... no!"


    "Qi Wuya, get away..."


    He Ying was sleeping beside Sang Yan.


    He had heard her voice and thought she had awoken.


    But as soon as he opened his eyes, he heard those three words he detested immensely.


    "Ah Yan—"


    He watched the person talking in her sleep—she lay beside him, her delicate eyebrows tightly furrowed, her forehead covered in fine sweat, as if trapped in some painful, unbearable nightmare.


    Disregarding his jealousy, he gently pushed her shoulder with a heart full of pity, "Ah Yan, wake up."


    His warm voice seemed like sunshine piercing through dark clouds, instantly dispelling the darkness.


    Sang Yan suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for air.


    "Xinyuan, I had a nightmare."


    She sat up and threw herself into his arms, clinging tightly to his waist.


    Such a terrifying nightmare.


    In her dream, Jiang Ke died a tragic death.


    In her dream, Qi Wuya plunged his sword into He Ying’s body.


    In her dream, Qi Wuya pinned her down, coercing her to plead for mercy.


    "That dream was so frightening."


    Everything she feared the most within her heart.


    Her tears rolled down uncontrollably.


    She was sobbing, her shoulders shaking.


    She rarely showed such vulnerability.


    Towards Qi Wuya, it seemed she had developed an instinctual sense of fear.


    How could she not be afraid? Sёarch* The ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had almost taken everything away from her.


    "Don’t be afraid. Ah Yan, I’m here."


    He Ying listened to her, his heart filled with both pity and hatred—


    Pity for her miseries and harm endured, hatred for the deep shadow Qi Wuya had left on her.


    He wished he could tear Qi Wuya to pieces right then and there.


    "Ah Yan, we are about to enter the Capital City. Don’t be afraid, once we’re back in the palace, everything will be alright."


    He reached out to caress her soft face, bending down to kiss away the tears on her cheek one by one.


    He tenderly promised, "I swear, I won’t let you face Qi Wuya alone again. I’ll be there for everything."


    No.


    He wouldn’t let Qi Wuya see her again.


    That beast didn’t deserve to lay eyes on his Ah Yan.


    "I’m just very worried."


    Sang Yan, soothed by his reassurance, gradually calmed her anxious heart.


    "And I have a bad feeling."


    Her red lips pouted, her eyebrows knitting together once more.


    Seeing this, He Ying smoothed her furrowed brows playfully, "Ah Yan, don’t you trust your own husband?"


    Sang Yan glared at him, a teasing smile on her lips, "Of course not. If I don’t trust you, whom can I trust? We are the closest people in this world. I will always stand by your side."


    No matter win or lose.


    She would advance and retreat with him.


    He Ying looked into her tender and affectionate eyes, his heart melting into a pool of water.


    He couldn’t help but kiss her eyes, whispering, "Ah Yan, if one day I come face to face with Qi Wuya, you must trust me like this, understand?"


    Such a confrontation.


    These words were what Sang Yan truly did not want to hear.


    During her time in Puluo Country, she had seen him suffer too many injuries.


    If she could, she wished for him to be safe and sound.


    She held him tightly, burying her face in his chest, "Xinyuan, you must be well. I believe in you, and you must believe in me. No matter what I encounter, no matter where I am, my heart is always with you."


    He Ying listened at first, feeling completely at ease, but then frowned at her words, "Where else do you want to go, apart from being by my side?"


    He firmly believed he would protect her well, not allowing her to leave his sight.


    Little did he know that everything was predestined.


    Life goes in circles, fortunes come and go, and strong desires cannot be forced.


    "Ah Yan, rather than fretting over nothing, think about—"


    He said tenderly, with a smile, pinching her ear gently, his warm breath teasing into her ear, "how to reward your husband once we return to the palace? Hm?"