Chapter 10 Midnight Scare

Qingyuan reached out and considerately draped a bathrobe over her.

Qingyuan glanced at her and asked, "What's your name?"

She remembered this little palace maid. When several other palace maids showed disrespect, she was the only one who lowered her head and knelt properly.

"I am called Taoxiang, a humble servant," the little palace maid said eagerly.

Qingyuan nodded and said, "Tao, with its delicate and beautiful flowers. A good name."

Taoxiang's face lit up, and she followed behind Qingyuan, wiping her wet hair.

"Princess, you are so beautiful. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen," Taoxiang exclaimed as she wiped.

Qingyuan absentmindedly played with the hairpins and ornaments on the dressing table. The whole box of jewelry was exquisitely crafted and not ordinary.

She played with a cloisonné hairpin. The blue-green feathers delicately adhered to the golden surface, feeling heavy in her hand. She looked at her pale self in the bronze mirror and couldn't help but laugh.

The gaudy colors, paired with her pale complexion, made her look strangely like a puppet. What kind of twisted taste did the person who sent these jewels have?

She suddenly thought of Su Yutian. That dazzling golden mask in the mist, so ostentatious yet making people feel that he should be like that. Only he could carry off such gaudy colors.

She lowered her eyes and smiled, "Who do those two maids belong to in the palace?"

Taoxiang's hand stiffened, showing a look of fear on her face.

Seeing her reaction, Qingyuan didn't say much. With a gentle flip of her hand, a golden bracelet was already on Taoxiang's slender wrist. Taoxiang looked at her in surprise.

"Speak," Qingyuan's eyes were cold, "If you don't speak, I will find out eventually."

"It's... it's Lady Zhang's people," Taoxiang plucked up the courage and said in a low voice, "In the palace, Lady Zhang and Lady Chen are the Emperor's favored ones."

Qingyuan remained composed and continued, "I heard that the Emperor is sixty years old this year. How is his health?"

Taoxiang hesitated for a moment and stammered, "His Majesty is naturally in good health."

Qingyuan smiled sardonically. Good health? When she was in the women's quarters, she heard people talk about Emperor Liang, saying that he was debauched, believed in witchcraft and alchemy, and at sixty, he was like an old man, unable to carry himself properly. Such an old Emperor insisted on marrying her as his Empress. Perhaps this absurd idea was just a man's unwillingness to face his declining years.

"Alright. I understand. Everyone except you can leave. I want to rest," Qingyuan said, dismissing the palace maids.

Taoxiang was very attentive, acting as if she were the first palace maid by Qingyuan's side. Everything was arranged properly.

The palace maid lit a good-quality incense and set up the canopy. Qingyuan lay down but couldn't sleep.

It had been over half a month since the Tang Dynasty was destroyed. During this half month, she had been traveling, not daring to look back, afraid that she would be trapped in that sea of corpses and blood forever if she did.

The heads of her father and mother were still on the city wall, watching the smoke rising from the ruins of their homeland. The blood shed by her sister was still fresh in her memory...

Each and every one of these memories was like a stab to her heart.

In extreme exhaustion, she finally fell into a deep sleep. She didn't know how long it had been when a faint "click" sound woke her up. Qingyuan was startled.

"Taoxiang!" she called out.

But there was no response. She lifted the canopy and saw Taoxiang's feet sticking out from the curtains. Her heart skipped a beat, and before she could shout, a pair of hands firmly covered her mouth.

"Qingyuan, it's me!" the familiar voice made her feel frightened.

She almost instinctively bit down hard on the hand.

"Ouch!" the person let go of her. Seizing the opportunity, Qingyuan quickly jumped out of bed and staggered towards the door.

"Help..." before she could shout, the person suddenly appeared in front of her. It was her fiancé, Xie Yuming.

He had managed to sneak into her residence in the middle of the night. Seeing her so guarded, Xie Yuming's eyes dimmed. He let go of her and said dejectedly, "Qingyuan, listen to me..."

Qingyuan's eyes scanned the area outside. Apart from Taoxiang, not a single guard had been alerted. Feeling a chill in her heart, her eyes gradually became more intense.

"Xie Yuming, you and I have severed all ties. What are you doing here to see me?" Qingyuan stepped back, her hand already grasping a sharp candlestick hidden in her sleeve.

The surroundings were dim, and Xie Yuming's handsome face was hidden in the shadows, like a ghost lurking in the darkness. His gaze swept over her slender figure, and his expression was complex.

Qingyuan instinctively tightened her collar. People's hearts were too fickle. Xie Yuming might have sought rewards and favors by using her, even betraying his country, but that didn't mean he could tolerate other men touching her.

If Xie Yuming had come to kill her today, she wouldn't be surprised at all.

Thinking this, she tightly gripped the candlestick. If he dared to lay a hand on her, she didn't mind going down with him.

The atmosphere between the two became increasingly tense, and in the darkness, only their heavy breathing could be heard. Suddenly, Xie Yuming knelt down with a thud. Qingyuan, who was still on guard, was taken aback.

"Qingyuan, kill me! I have wronged you and wronged the Tang Dynasty!" Xie Yuming's voice was low, filled with sorrow.

Qingyuan was stunned.

Before she could react, Xie Yuming knelt down and grabbed her cold hand, looking up with sorrow and anger. "Qingyuan, before you kill me, I must tell you a shocking secret. Do you know what happened to me at Qingyu Pass?"

Qingyuan was stunned.

Qingyu Pass? The Battle of Qingyu Pass!

It was a crucial battle for the Tang Dynasty. The elite troops of the Tang Dynasty were all stationed there. However, the so-called most dangerous pass of the Tang Dynasty was breached by the iron cavalry of Su Yu Tian in less than a month.

In that battle, General Pang Yong and Commander Zhang Deyun died in battle and suicide, respectively. More than 30,000 Tang soldiers were killed, over 40,000 were injured, and the rest either fled or died. In the end, less than 10,000 people managed to escape to the capital.

It was this battle that left the Tang Dynasty in a state of despair and disarray. It was also in this battle that Xie Yuming, a young general, went missing.

She had once thought that he had sacrificed himself for the country, just like General Pang and Commander Zhang. She never expected that he didn't die in the battle by chance, but rather he had betrayed the country. If she had known earlier, she would have prayed day and night for him to die on the battlefield.

Thinking of this, Qingyuan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. She coldly pushed away his hand and looked at him sharply, "What do you want to say?"

"Qingyuan, believe me! I didn't betray the Tang Dynasty! I did all this for you!" Xie Yuming spoke quickly and urgently, "After the defeat at Qingyu Pass, I was chased into a valley by Su Yu Tian's troops. There were spies from Liang Kingdom among my troops. They instigated my men to betray me. I was seriously injured and captured in Chenzhou. In the prison in Chenzhou, I met someone."

"Who?" Qingyuan asked coldly.