Qing Yi withdrew her hand and said softly, "It's no use."
Someone rushed in from outside the door. Upon seeing that the Empress on the bed had turned into an ethereal form, he stumbled back several steps.
He grabbed Qing Yi's arm and demanded, "What in the world is going on?"
Qing Yi turned her face away and replied, "Hua Yun Jin, I can do nothing."
Hua Yun Jin threw a punch, roaring, "If you knew it was impossible, why didn't you stop it earlier?"
Qing Yi didn't wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth. She raised her eyes and said, "This was His Majesty's wish."
Hua Yun Jin froze. He walked towards the bed, looked at the ethereal body, closed his eyes, knelt on the ground, and choked out word by word, "Your Majesty..."
Everyone else also knelt. Xue Yan cried out, "Your Majesty won't leave, won't leave..."
She held the Empress's hand and wept, "You promised Xue Yan you would never let what happened last time happen again. How could you go back on your word? Why? As the ruler of a nation, you cannot lie..."
"Xue Yan..." Yun Wei Shu pulled Xue Yan.
Xue Yan shoved Yun Wei Shu away and cried, "You're all lying, lying..."
She refused to believe it.
"Look! What is that?" Li Yao Qin pointed as a stream of blue power seemed to pierce through the void, surrounding the Empress's body.
Everyone was shocked. Qing Yi scrambled to his feet and staggered forward. He tried to feel the Empress's pulse, and although it was weak, it was beating.
He turned his head, his lips moving, and after a long moment, he finally said, "Your Ma... Your Majesty can be saved..."
The blue light enveloped the Empress's body. After a stick of incense, it entered her body. The previously ethereal form gradually solidified.
Xue Zi Ning awoke half a month later.
"Your Majesty, you're finally awake..." Seeing Xue Yan's red eyes, Xue Zi Ning said, "You've worked hard..."
Xue Yan shed tears, shaking her head. "It wasn't hard, as long as you woke up..."
A month later, she listened as Yun Wei Shu recounted the dangers of her childbirth. At the critical moment, a stream of blue power had saved her.
"Your Majesty, you haven't held your prince and little princess yet." Li Yao Qin and Xue Yan each brought a baby over.
Seeing the two exquisitely crafted infants, she felt a surge of joy.
Yun Wei Shu said, "Your Majesty, you still need to rest."
Xue Yan said, "Yes, Your Majesty, you should hold them after you've completely recovered!"
Yun Wei Shu watched as she gazed dotingly at the prince and princess held by Xue Yan and Li Yao Qin, smiling. "These two hog the prince and princess every day, not letting anyone else touch them."
"Is there any news from Yun Huang?"
She asked Yun Wei Shu.
She could clearly sense Yun Wei Shu's expression change slightly. Yun Wei Shu smiled and said, "Not yet."
She didn't say anything further and commanded, "Call Shen Yun Xuan in."
Yun Wei Shu nodded and went to fetch Shen Yun Xuan.
Soon, Shen Yun Xuan entered. While she had been unconscious, he had handled all the court affairs alone, and the exhaustion was visible on him.
"Yun Xuan, you've lost weight..."
Shen Yun Xuan paused, then cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, please recuperate. Only when you are well can I rest."
"Yun Xuan, is there any news from the Northern Frontier..."
Shen Yun Xuan faltered. "No..."
"I am tired, you may leave."
Shen Yun Xuan departed. Xue Zi Ning stood up and gazed out the window. She knew Yan Zhao must have encountered danger. Did they think she wouldn't know if they didn't tell her?
In the evening, Yun Wei Shu arrived at the door. She heard from a young palace maid in Changning Palace that His Majesty had locked herself in her room all afternoon. An uneasy feeling settled upon her.
She arrived at the door and knocked. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
There was no response from within. She then said, "This servant will enter."
She pushed the door open; it opened easily. Entering the dimly lit room, she said, "Light the lamps."
As the room was illuminated, she saw no one on the bed.
She hurried out and instructed a nearby palace maid, "Quickly find Minister Shen."
Meanwhile, about fifty li outside the capital, a handsome young man sat at a tea stall, drinking cool tea.
The server, noticing the handsome young man, couldn't help but ask, "Where is this young master headed?"
"The Northern Frontier," the young man replied without reservation.
The server, upon hearing this, kindly said, "It's not very safe there now. Why are you going there?"
"My family is there," the young man said.
After finishing his tea, the young man paid a few copper coins, then took his horse, mounted it, and set off.
"Did you find out?" a burly man drinking tea nearby asked.
The server nodded. "I found out, the young master is going to the Northern Frontier."
The burly man waved his hand. "Follow him."
Watching the burly man and his men ride away, the server shook his head, pitying the young master, but he could do nothing. He still had to make a living, and it was better not to get involved.
"Hey, why are you following me? Robbery?"
A voice called out. The burly men saw the young master ahead lying lazily on his horse, looking at them.
"Since you know, I don't need to waste words. Hand over the money, and I won't kill you." The burly man said.
"What if I don't?" the young man asked.
The burly man sneered, "Then you choose the path of death over the path of life. Don't blame me for being impolite."
The burly man waved his hand, and the men behind him charged at the young man.
The young man's gaze turned cold. He stood up from his horse, leaped down, took out a folding fan, and opened it, fanning himself. "Then come!"
After a few exchanges, the young man stepped on the burly man and asked, "Robbery?"
The burly man was on the verge of tears. "Young master, you misheard. We've come to give you money."
"Hand it over," the young man demanded.
The burly man could only hand over the loot they had plundered that day. The young man picked it up, weighed it, and said, "It seems today's harvest was quite fruitful."
The burly man was speechless. "Young master, can you let us go this time?"
The young man took a few steps back, and the burly man quickly fled back the way they came.
The young man leaped onto his horse and continued on his way.
The burly man kept looking back as he ran, and only when he saw that the young man was not pursuing them did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Boss, we lost all our earnings for the day. It's truly losing the wife and also the soldiers."
The burly man looked regretful. "How was I to know that such a delicate-looking young master would know martial arts? If I had known, I wouldn't have tried to rob him. It wasn't worth it."
"Hey, have you seen a woman riding a horse, about my height..."
"Yes," the burly man said, quickly agreeing as he looked at the beautiful woman in front of him.
"Where did she go?" Xue Yan asked.
The burly man said, "Follow me, I'll tell you..."