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“Master, will you follow me?”

Chu Qiao shook her head and lightly smiled. “I will stay here.”

He Xiao nodded as he bowed. “Take care, Master.”

There were some dew drops on the outside of the window, as the moon hung brightly in the night sky. Chu Qiao looked at the white moon hanging in the sky as she murmured, “A storm is brewing.”

Zhuge family sent three different servants to take care of Chu Qiao before her wedding but all had been sent back. The Jing family had also sent a few people, but Chu Qiao had ignored their offers. At the end of the day, it was Meixiang who accompanied Chu Qiao on the night before the wedding.

Meixiang, who was usually strong and steady, was trembling for once as she donned Chu Qiao with the red silk dress that was covered almost entirely with embroideries. The mandarin ducks embroidered symbolized eternal fidelity; peony flowers flourished in the background. Illuminated by the flood of lights, the entire scene seemed as if it were flourishing.

Tears began to overflow from the corner of Meixiang’s eyes as the corners of her mouth curled upwards. Chu Qiao stretched out her hand to wipe away the tears on Meixiang’s face before embracing this woman who had followed her for so many years. Right now, Chu Qiao seemed more beautiful than ever with the freshly applied makeup on her face.

“Missy.” Meixiang returned the embrace as she sobbed. “Missy... Missy...” She could no longer formulate proper sentences as she remained in that position and kept calling Chu Qiao as she freely let her tears flow.

The next day, Chu Qiao finally welcomed her marriage.

With the ceremonial officials from the Tang Empire guarding her side, the ceremony followed the precise procedure of a noble marriage. The carriage set off from Zhuge residence before reaching the Tang’s Embassy. First, the decree from the late Tang Emperor, Li Ce, was read aloud, before the words of gratitude from the current Tang Emperor, Li Shuyi, were announced, after which, she headed out, welcomed by a symphony of instruments with fanfare following her wherever she went. It was such a spectacle.

Civilians crowded like a sea of bobbing heads. 80 bridesmaids sat in a series of smaller carriages following behind her, and at the end of the convoy, there was a group of Zhuge Family’s relatives along with other nobility. Chu Qiao’s palm was sweating, as the bright crimson veil covered her vision, and she could only hear the sound of the fanfare.

At this juncture, Chu Qiao started to feel nervous as the convoy approached the Grand Marshal residence. Chu Qiao already knew the routes and procedure by heart, and she understood that if all went according to plan, the Tang officials would hand her carriage over to the ceremonial officials of the Xia Empire at the Peacock Bridge up ahead. Zhuge Yue would be there to welcome her.

Yet, although they were still far from the destination, her carriage suddenly came to a halt. Chu Qiao’s heart skipped a beat, as she heard a chime that from Sheng Jin Palace.

14 desolated chimes rung out in the heavens. There were five long chimes with nine short ones, starkly different from the usual nine long, five short chimes that symbolized the authority of the Emperor. At this moment, the sound seemed ever so forlorn and serious, as the wind carried the sound along, spreading the mood all over the prosperous lands.

All those who were walking, standing, watching, scurrying around, all stopped dead in their tracks as even the heavens faded into silence. Even the birds in the skies seemed to halt. Someone reacted first. Others followed suit as the masses of people suddenly prostrated in the direction of Sheng Jin Palace. Wailing sounds could be heard all over the city, particularly from Zi Wei Square where crowds had gathered.

Chu Qiao pulled off her veil and lifted the curtains to the carriage. The winds caressed her, causing her hair to sway in the wind. Only at this moment did she finally understand what had happened.

The Xia Emperor had finally passed on....

The ceremonial officials of the Xia Empire all prostrated themselves on the ground as they cried out loud. The accompanying officials of the Tang Empire were all caught off guard as they were stunned, their mouths agape, not knowing what to do in this sudden situation.

Zhuge Huai rode over on his horse. With an exceedingly serious expression, he started to give orders for the convoy to head back.

With the breeze blowing on the curtains of the carriage, Chu Qiao gazed at the Peacock Bridge, which was already visible from where she was. Her feelings seemed so convoluted, and the mix of emotions assaulted her wave after wave. As the convoy returned, the Peacock Bridge seemed like a part of a distant dream, as it was gradually covered by layers and layers of flowers and leaves.

Chu Qiao suddenly felt anxious, as though she was completely lost. She seemed to have been transported to that snowy day again. As the hand of fate kept pushing them apart, they were ultimately separated by huge swathes of tundras, unable to meet. Lifting her dress, she pushed open the door to the carriage.

“Your Highness!” A pair of lanky hands suddenly held her. Yu Xiaohe stared in disbelief at Chu Qiao who seemed like she wanted to jump off the carriage. Yu Xiaohe cried out, “Your Highness, where are you going?”

At this moment, there was someone turning around at the front of the entourage. His eyes were long and thin, somewhat similar to Zhuge Yue. He was Zhuge Yue’s brother, Zhuge Huai.

Chu Qiao froze as she saw thousands of soldiers before her. She gradually closed the carriage doors as she sat back down on the seat, sinking into silence.

She was brought back to the Tang Embassy. For the entire day, she sat in the room without taking even a single step outside. At dusk, Pingan returned with news that there was active mobilization beyond the city walls, and that the Sheng Jin Palace still had not disclosed the cause of death for the Emperor. Civilians hid in their houses, cowering in fear.

After the darkness had completely fallen, the Tang Embassy had been completely surrounded. Even Pingan was unable to exit to find out further information.

In the silvery moonlight, there was suddenly a flurry of footsteps. Crowds surrounded the entire embassy, and as Pingan stepped forth to negotiate, a tall lanky man appeared. Zhuge Huai stood before the door, still smiling like he always was. The only difference being that the aura that he emitted was greatly different from before.

“The city is a mess. I beseech the Xiuli King to stay in here to wait and not move around.”

Chu Qiao nodded and gently replied, “I understand. Brother, you can rest.”

Zhuge Huai lightly smiled. Without replying, he walked out.

Midnight came as a cacophony of fighting noises erupted in the direction of Sheng Jin Palace. Sounds of fighting, arrows flying, moaning from various casualties, along with the rolling of the war drums could be heard everywhere, blending into a deafening requiem.

Pingan anxiously rushed in and loudly informed, “Sister! We have been surrounded!”

Chu Qiao was still wearing her wedding dress as she sat holding a cup of tea. Hearing that, she did not even flinch, and her only reaction was to slightly frown at that news.

“Sister, we will make sure you get to leave!”

Jingjing already had on her warrior attire as she carried a small crossbow. A few elderly Tang officials stood at a corner as they watched on, their faces completely pale.

Chu Qiao shook her head as she stared at the door with her fist clenched, her auspicious dress looking as though it had been drenched in blood under the flickering candlelight.

“Missy, that Zhuge Huai must not be a good man. He is trying to place us under house arrest.” Meixiang stepped up as well.

By 1 am in the morning, the sounds of fighting had mostly died down. Zhuge Huai walked up, this time without any further pretense, and directly instructed, “Please follow me.”

“What happened to Rong’er?”

“You can rest. I have no prior problems with Li Ce. As long as you cooperate with us, that kid will be safe.”

Chu Qiao stood up and casually informed him, “Sure. I will follow you.”

Zhuge Huai looked at her with respect and praised her, “Seems like my fourth brother does have a good eye for people.”

“Are you not afraid of betraying your family?”

Zhuge Huai chuckled. All these years of suffering had finally come to an end on this night. He lightly laughed. “Betraying the family? How are you sure that we did not abandon him?”

Chu Qiao’s gaze drew back, and after thinking about the incident for a short while, she finally nodded and said, “I understand.”

“As expected of such an intelligent person.”

Chu Qiao asked, “What could Zhao Yang give the Zhuge Family that made it worth it to take such a huge risk?”

“There was nothing much.” Zhuge Huai lightly responded, “The only concern is that should Zhao Yang ascend to the throne, the Xia Empire will still be the Xia Empire, as with the noble families. Yet, should Zhao Che be crowned, the Xia Empire will turn into Qinghai or East Hu. In that case, it would be difficult to tell what would happen to the noble families.”

As expected. Chu Qiao nodded and did not reply.

“The fourth brother has already been surrounded at Zi Wei square. He only has 3,000 men at his disposal. The other soldiers are all beyond the city. The Jingji Army, the Cavalry Army, and the Green Army are all on our side. As of now, Zhao Che’s Eastern Hu army is routing out of the capital to the East, and he can no longer influence the situation anymore. Continuing to fight will merely be delaying the inevitable defeat. If you could help to convince him to surrender, I can still let him off alive.”

Chu Qiao flicked an eyebrow as she stared at him and asked, “Are you for real?”

Zhuge Huai smiled, “I promise.”

“Alright, the winner sets the rules, and I have nothing to say. Please lead the way.”

Zhuge Huai continued, “Please bear with us for a while.”

Chu Qiao stretched out her hands and said, “Sure. Come on.”

Two armed servants walked up holding ropes, as they were prepared to tie Chu Qiao up.

The room was well lit, and the sounds of killing outside had subsided. Chu Qiao wore the auspicious clothes as she looked perfectly collected and confident as two huge soldiers stood beside her, each person holding onto one of her arms. Zhuge Huai stood before her with four other guards standing behind him.

In the crackling of the candles, the winds howled. At that moment Chu Qiao seemed to hear the teachings of her instructor back in the army again: Strike fast, aim accurately, remain calm, and be forceful.

At that very moment when the knot was about to be tied over her hands, Chu Qiao’s figure flashed. She squatted down and slid out between the two guard’s hands. With movements like lightning, she pulled out the weapons of the two burly soldiers, and with a swift slash, blood splattered out in the room!

Before the two cries of death could ring out, the two blades had already left her hands and embedded themselves into the chests of two other guards who had dashed up. Chu Qiao charged forth, and grabbing one other guard by the wrist, she strangled his neck. With a quick throw over her shoulder, one could hear a distinct crack as that man lay dead on the ground in a strange position.

Seeing how Zhuge Huai was about to run to the last guard, Chu Qiao pulled out her hairpin and threw it. While doing that, she jumped up and pulled on the guard’s hair. With a quick twist, she pulled off a large patch of skin, and with a quick twist of his neck, that man fell and stopped moving after convulsing for a short while.

Everything seemed to have happened in an instant. After settling that last guard, Chu Qiao slowly walked over to Zhuge Huai who had the hairpin embedded in his neck. Pulling out a dagger that was hidden in her shoes, she calmly said, “Winners set the rules. Do you have anything more to say?”

Zhuge Huai’s eyes opened wide as he attempted to struggle. With a forceful strike, a streak of blood flew.

The door was kicked open, as the wind accompanied the ruckus and blew up a wave of fallen leaves. The soldiers in the courtyard all raised their heads only to see a lady wearing a crimson dress holding onto the head of Zhuge Huai. With absolute calmness in her eyes, she casually threw the head onto the ground.

With the horses galloping over, large patches of torches appeared. The guards all turned in surprise. The war flag with red clouds stitched onto a white background fluttered in the sky, with the words Xiuli stitched below. He Xiao walked into the gate holding onto a kid that was merely one-year-old as he loudly proclaimed, “Master, at your service!”

Chu Qiao fearlessly walked into the crowd. Only then did the courtyard of guards respond, as an officer in blue yelled, “Brothers! Take revenge for Master Huai! Kill this...” Before he could finish his sentence, an arrow had accurately pierced his throat. In the darkness, a crimson flower bloomed.

He Xiao expressionlessly stood there with the countless soldiers in black armor behind him. Each and every one of them held crossbows and seemed like a swarm of terracotta warriors looking upon the mortal soldiers.

The heavy atmosphere lingered as Chu Qiao continued walking in her auspicious crimson dress. Casually picking up a blade, she flipped onto the horse that He Xiao had brought. With her cold gaze, she swept through the crowd. Everywhere she looked the temperature seemed to drop, as though her eyes could turn the surroundings into a sea of ice.