It was finally her turn. She looked at the bowl being handed to her in the mist and took it. Inside the bowl was a dark liquid, and she didn't know what it was.
Holding the bowl, she walked onto the bridge. Seeing the person in front of her drink the liquid from their bowl, she also raised hers, "A Ning..."
A voice suddenly came from behind. She paused, why did this voice sound so familiar? Yet, she couldn't recall.
"Drink it!" The voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
She lifted the bowl to her lips. As that voice of A Ning echoed again, she felt it was so familiar that she would never forget it.
"A Ning..."
She slowly turned around and saw a white light in the distance.
"Drink it!" The voice echoed in her ear again.
Should she drink it or not?
"A Ning, I am Yan Zhao..."
Her whole body trembled. Yan Zhao? Who was that?
"A Ning..."
"After crossing this Naihe Bridge, all past memories will be forgotten. Young lady, after drinking this, you will forget and won't have to worry."
The voice surfaced in the mist.
"A Ning, don't drink..."
She heard the voice growing closer. Suddenly, her hand was grabbed. She looked back and saw eyes like stars.
"Yan Zhao..." she called out, filled with confusion.
The ethereal shadow in front of her solidified, and her memories slowly became clear.
"Yan Zhao, why are you here? You should be in Beijiang!"
"A Ning..."
She was held tightly in his embrace.
"Yan Zhao, what's wrong?" She noticed his body trembling as he held her.
"A Ning, promise me, persevere..."
"Yan Zhao, where are you going?" She clutched at his slowly dissipating form.
He looked at her, his expression as gentle as flowing water, "A Ning, wait for me to come back..."
"Yan Zhao..."
She chased after the light, and as it was about to fade, she rushed into it.
With a jolt, she opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar environment.
"Your Majesty, you are awake?"
Xue Zi Ning looked at the person who appeared outside and said, "Miss Li."
Li Yao Qin breathed a sigh of relief, "You're finally awake. I'll quickly go inform Lord Qing Yi."
Xue Zi Ning nodded. Seeing Li Yao Qin leave, she tried to get up but found her stomach aching terribly. She touched it and discovered her thighs were sticky. She brought her hand forward and saw it was covered in blood.
Suddenly, a voice from outside rang out, "King Hua, you are merely a feudal lord. You have no right to interfere in matters of the capital."
"Li Si Nian, you are actually attempting a coup while His Majesty is about to give birth. What are your intentions?" Hua Yun Jin said angrily.
Li Si Nian sneered, "King Hua, I am not attempting a coup. It's just that this realm cannot be ruled by a woman. I am merely asking His Majesty to abdicate and pass the throne to His Majesty Yun Huang, that's all."
"Li Si Nian, His Majesty Yun Huang is not here right now. You are rebelling."
"King Hua, regarding matters in the capital, I hope you will not interfere. Otherwise, I might not be able to refrain from acting." Li Si Nian said coldly.
"Lord Li, Lord Feng has already led troops to surround this place from top to bottom. Not a single person can leave," said Lord Lin.
Li Si Nian nodded, "Good. King Hua, have His Majesty come out! As long as His Majesty is willing to write an edict of abdication, I will not trouble His Majesty."
"You are dreaming. Do you think these people can trap us?" Xue Yan was furious.
Li Yao Qin walked out, about to deliver the happy news to Hua Yun Jin, when she saw her father, who was supposed to be unconscious, standing opposite them with soldiers.
"Father, what is this..."
"Yao'er, come here," Li Si Nian said.
Xue Yan suddenly grabbed Li Yao Qin and held a sword to her throat, angrily saying, "Li Si Nian, order your men to retreat, or I cannot guarantee Miss Li's life."
Li Si Nian was slightly taken aback. Lin Feng, standing beside him, said, "Lord Li, having come this far, we cannot let our efforts be in vain."
Li Si Nian closed his eyes, then opened them, a look of unfamiliarity in them. "Yao'er, I am sorry. It's not that Father doesn't want to save you, but Father's great undertaking cannot be ruined because of you."
Li Yao Qin shook her head, looking at Li Si Nian, "Great undertaking? What great undertaking?"
"Yao'er, your father doesn't want to abandon you, but at this moment, you must be abandoned," Lin Feng said with a sigh.
Li Yao Qin looked bewildered, "What is going on?"
Xue Yan said coldly, "Your father, along with the Minister of Rites, Lord Lin, the Minister of Revenue, and the Minister of Works, are attempting a coup to force His Majesty to abdicate."
"Father, have you gone mad? Do you know that doing this will lead to the extermination of your entire clan?" Li Yao Qin felt her father had lost his mind.
Li Si Nian heard this and turned his face away, "This country should never have been ruled by a woman."
Li Yao Qin trembled, staring blankly at Li Si Nian. After a long while, she said, "So, no matter how capable I was before, even if my poetry was more outstanding than any scholar in the capital, you never praised me. It wasn't that Mother said you were just embarrassed, but that you fundamentally looked down on women like us, didn't you?"
Li Si Nian remained silent.
Li Yao Qin laughed, a great, booming laugh, tears finally streaming down her face. "I was truly ridiculous before. I always thought that as long as I defeated everyone and excelled in all arts – poetry, chess, calligraphy, and painting – you would look at me with admiration and think that women are no less than men. Turns out it was all my mistake, I was too laughable."
Seeing this, Xue Yan lowered the sword threatening Li Yao Qin. At this point, it held no meaning.
"Lord Li, don't hesitate," Lord Lin urged from the side.
Li Si Nian turned around and said, "Release the arrows."
Just as Lin Feng was about to speak, a clear, cold voice cut through the air, "Wait..."
Everyone turned towards the sound. What greeted their eyes was a long skirt the color of sky and water, speckled with blood, blooming into blood-red flowers.
"Your Majesty..."
Xue Zi Ning walked forward, step by step. Her pale face held eyes filled with icy coldness, and an aura of sharp chill emanated from her entire being. She looked down at Li Si Nian and the others, "You wish to force Me to abdicate?"
A powerful aura filled the air, making it suddenly thin, causing Li Si Nian and the others to feel breathless.
Li Si Nian, mustering his courage, raised his head and said, "This subject hopes Your Majesty will abdicate and pass the throne to His Majesty Yun Huang."
"Why?" Xue Zi Ning asked indifferently.
Li Si Nian said, "You are a woman. Your duty is to remain quietly in the inner palace. The court is the domain of men."
"Lord Li, you say women should remain in the inner palace. Then I ask you, Xue Wen Jie was killed by me, the rebellion was quelled by me leading the troops, and only the unification of this realm was not done by me. But besides these, in which aspect have I not done my part?"
Li Si Nian was stunned, but Xue Zi Ning did not give him a chance to speak. She continued, "Moreover, have I committed any acts of moral failing? Have I favored corrupt officials? Have I unjustly killed loyal ministers? Li Si Nian, Lin Feng, Feng Yu, you tell me, based on all the aforementioned, where have I gone wrong?"