The Dragon City has fallen.
The news reached Long Xinghe while she and Feng Wuya had not yet entered Tengbei territory.
Long Xinghe had been traveling slowly for Feng Wuya.
And even slower to evade pursuers who were eager to kill her to prove their loyalty to Chu Qianli.
Fortunately, Feng Wuya woke up two days after leaving Long Teng, and his condition improved daily.
Today, he was finally able to leave the emergency pod and move around.
This development had initially lifted Long Xinghe's spirits.
But by evening, she received the news of Long City's fall.
After nightfall, in a secluded corner of the backyard, Jiang Tao lit candles for her.
Long Xinghe knelt on the ground, bowed three times to the night sky, and then placed the incense in her hand onto the altar prepared by Jiang Tao.
Jiang Tao knelt beside her, silently burning spirit money.
After offering the incense, Long Xinghe simply gazed at the night sky, saying nothing.
Empress Long Tianliu was not her mother, but she was her mother.
The bond of blood, whether acknowledged or not, was there and could not be severed.
Her Majesty the Empress, a formidable figure, had thus vanished.
She had long anticipated such a day, yet the moment the news arrived, her heart felt heavy.
Even though she was accustomed to the Empress's authority, and even though the Empress did not wholeheartedly care for her, she had at least considered passing on the imperial throne to Long Xinghe in the future.
The royal family never had much affection, but there was always a little.
With Long Tianliu's capabilities, she should have known that Chu Qianli and Feng Yexuan's blatant escape from the Princess's mansion was intended to allow Long Xinghe to leave.
Long Tianliu had paid no mind to it and had not dispatched pursuers to hunt down Long Xinghe and her companions.
This was because Long Xinghe was her daughter, and as long as Long Xinghe did not raise her sword against her, Long Tianliu was unwilling to harm her.
"Princess, you have been kneeling for a long time," Jiang Tao said, her eyes growing moist.
"Princess, perhaps you should go inside and rest."
The night dew was heavy, and after kneeling for so long, the princess's clothes were soaked with dew.
Jiang Tao was deeply concerned, fearing that the princess might harm herself from excessive grief.
"I'm fine," Long Xinghe finally stood up.
Her legs were still a bit weak as she stood, perhaps from kneeling for too long.
She had received the news in the evening and had been kneeling for at least two hours until now.
Now, the night was very deep.
Jiang Tao had just finished tidying up and stood up. "Princess, we must set off early tomorrow."
"With Wei Xian's reappearance, everyone will surely pledge their loyalty to Chu Qianli, and killing the Eldest Princess is the best and most direct way to express that loyalty."
At this point, Jiang Tao no longer pondered whether the Eldest Princess's decisions and actions for Feng Wuya were worth it.
With matters having reached this stage, there was no longer any question of worth, only of willingness.
As long as the Eldest Princess had no regrets, Jiang Tao would never regret it.
But for now, her own safety must be ensured.
"Princess, from here to Tengbei, it will take at least three more days of travel, but if we have to accommodate the Prince, it will likely take at least ten days..."
They were traveling too slowly, and given the current situation, this pace was extremely dangerous.
At any moment, they could be recognized, and they might be killed on sight before being apprehended.
Chu Qianli would not actively harm them, but she would not issue orders to protect them either, as too many matters were involved.
"Princess..."
"We will proceed at our original pace," Long Xinghe turned and walked away.
Jiang Tao sighed silently.
The Eldest Princess prioritized the Prince of Xiaoyao in everything she did.
For the Prince, she disregarded her own safety.
Unfortunately, the Prince of Xiaoyao held no place for the Eldest Princess in his heart.
"Princess..." Jiang Tao followed her.
Long Xinghe, however, said lightly, "From now on, do not call me Princess."
The court that belonged to Long Tianliu had fallen. Since her mother was no longer Her Majesty the Empress, she was no longer the Eldest Princess.
"Prin..." Jiang Tao paused before saying, "Mistress, I see that Prince of Xiaoyao's spirit has also improved a lot. How about..."
Long Xinghe turned and glanced at her.
Jiang Tao could only close her mouth helplessly and remain silent.
The two returned to the front courtyard and saw Tie Xin carrying something out from a distance.
Upon seeing them, Tie Xin immediately walked over. "Eldest Princess..."
"From now on, just call me by my name," Long Xinghe said.
Tie Xin thought for a moment and understood her meaning.
He nodded. "Miss Long."
"What are you doing?" Long Xinghe looked at the basin he was carrying.
Tie Xin quickly replied, "The Prince has a cough. I prepared some hot water to wipe him down, fearing he might catch a chill."
"Wu Ya has a cough?" Long Xinghe's heart tightened, and she immediately walked towards the door.
Tie Xin did not stop her.
During this time, he had clearly seen how good Long Xinghe was to the Prince.
Although the Prince still disliked being close to the girl, he had grown accustomed to Long Xinghe's presence in recent days.
"Wu Ya, may I come in?" Long Xinghe knocked on the door.
A faint voice came from inside. "Please enter."
Long Xinghe then pushed the door open and entered.
Jiang Tao did not follow, merely standing guard nearby.
Tie Xin felt somewhat uncomfortable, knowing that the two of them and their servants had caused them too much trouble.
"Miss Jiang, that..."
"I care about the people my Mistress cares about. Guard Tie, there's no need to be concerned. Just take good care of the Prince."
Jiang Tao understood his concerns. She spoke first, "We all have the same goal, which is to help the Prince recover as quickly as possible."
Tie Xin felt a warmth spread through his heart.
After a while, he nodded. "Then... I'll go handle some matters. Miss Jiang, farewell!"
Jiang Tao nodded, watching him leave, and continued to stand guard.
Inside the room, Long Xinghe looked at Feng Wuya's face for a long time.
It was only when he coughed lightly that she came back to her senses and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I lost myself for a moment and was staring a bit too intently."
It had been a long time since she had quietly observed his face like this.
Mainly, he was simply too handsome. Desire is natural, and she never hid her affection for him.
Feng Wuya remained silent.
In the past, if any girl stared at him like this, he would be repulsed by everyone except A'Li.
However, someone like Long Xinghe, who openly admitted to being captivated by his appearance, was different from other women.
There was no pretense or affectation, which made things less awkward.
Still, he was not accustomed to being too close to her.
"Princess, please sit," Feng Wuya gestured towards a chair in the distance.
He was not asking her to sit beside him.
Long Xinghe smiled faintly, not minding. Just as she reached the chair he indicated and sat down, hurried footsteps were suddenly heard from outside.
"Prince, outside... outside..."
Long Xinghe's heart tightened, and she abruptly stood up.
Could it be the pursuers?
In Wu Ya's current condition, he was absolutely not fit for exertion!
Traveling would cost him his life!