The golden nanmu coffin of Princess Qingrong rested within Baohua Hall of the Imperial Palace, surrounded by over a dozen high-ranking monks sitting cross-legged, chanting sutras for her deliverance.
Emperor Qingyuan also knelt before the spirit altar, his eyes brimming with sorrow. For these past few days, he had kept vigil here without sleep or rest, refusing to leave despite anyone's attempts to persuade him; his entire frame had grown noticeably thin and haggard.
To Li Yuanzhao, Li Fuyin was not merely his imperial sister; she was his only close kin and his entire foundation of support. Over these years, no one knew better than he how much Li Fuyin had done for the Sheng State. Thus, regardless of how poor her reputation might be, he demanded that the entire Sheng State join him in mourning, requiring all princes and court officials to stand vigil with him.
At this time, court officials and their families arrived in succession, kneeling respectively on the east and west sides of Baohua Hall. The families of the officials were situated on the west side, where soft cushions had been laid out on the floor, shaded by canopies overhead, with palace maids in attendance and several imperial physicians stationed nearby.
Li Fuyin followed Lady Bai inside. No sooner had she knelt than her gaze began to wander. She had not entered the palace this time, of course, to stand vigil. On this day in her previous life, Li Yuanzhao had encountered no shortage of trouble while sending her off to her funeral.
Rong Qi, the Crown Prince of Western Zhou—who had once been a hostage in the Sheng State and had been tormented by Li Fuyin for a full six years—had suddenly appeared and blocked the funeral procession. He insisted that she owed him 108 lashes, and that even if she were dead, he would break open the coffin to collect his due before he would let the matter rest.
The Grand Preceptor, Lin Xun, appeared to be obstructing Rong Qi, but in reality, he intended to steal her corpse and flee. Zhao Yunchi, the General of Pingyang, who had been campaigning abroad, had also returned with his troops without imperial permission, refusing to believe that Li Fuyin was dead and insisting he must see the body with his own eyes before he would accept it.
The result was that in the chaotic skirmish between the various factions, Emperor Li Yuanzhao was assassinated, suffering a critical, life-threatening injury from a poisoned arrow. Fortunately, Bai Xiyue possessed superb medical skills and happened to have the antidote on her. She saved Li Yuanzhao by removing the arrow and neutralizing the poison, not only making a grand entrance before the world but also causing Li Yuanzhao to fall for her at first sight, unable ever after to extract himself from his infatuation.
Li Fuyin remembered clearly that, in the end, her corpse had still been snatched away by that little wolf pup, Rong Qi. She had no idea how that fellow intended to dispose of it; she feared that even a thousand cuts and grinding her bones to dust would not have been enough for him. After all, when Rong Qi was sent to the Sheng State as a hostage, he was barely fifteen, the age of greatest defiance. To Li Fuyin, then in her twenties and already beginning to show her brilliance, such a wolf cub had been the very thing to pique her interest. She had certainly been ruthless in "disciplining" him; those 108 lashes he spoke of were likely far from enough.
Yet, while this little wolf cub had appeared obedient and docile under her tutelage, he had actually learned every one of her political maneuvers and schemes. Within three years of being sent back to Western Zhou, he had become the powerful and firmly entrenched Crown Prince of Western Zhou. No sooner had his wings grown strong than he had returned to the Sheng State without delay to seek his revenge—he wouldn't even let her go after she was dead.
Now, since she had returned to life in this borrowed body, she would naturally not allow herself to be slaughtered like livestock—not even her corpse!
"Ahem..."
After pondering for a while, Li Fuyin let out a soft cough and whispered to the girl beside her, "Yuer, my stomach hurts a little. Would you mind accompanying me to the latrine?"
Kneeling was always tedious, and Bai Xiyue, wanting to move around as well, agreed without hesitation.
After walking out of Baohua Hall, Li Fuyin quickly shook off Bai Xiyue and the palace maid who was guiding them. She found a hidden passage and snuck into Chonghua Palace, where she had once lived. Since Li Fuyin's death, Chonghua Palace had been completely sealed; the Emperor allowed no one to enter or leave at will, so there were no idlers within the hall, making it the perfect place for her to retrieve some things.
Everything in the bedchamber remained as it was. Once inside, Li Fuyin began searching with practiced familiarity. Hidden weapons, tokens, the tiger tally, and a map containing classified intelligence... None of these had been touched yet, but she had to take them all; otherwise, the person who had assassinated her would surely come to take them the moment they found an opportunity!
Just as Li Fuyin was hastily stuffing the items into her clothes, a "click" sounded from behind her. Her body stiffened; she sensed danger before she even turned around. It was the sound of the secret chamber's lock sliding into place!
Subconsciously, she tensed her body and grabbed a poison-tipped hairpin. A cold, murderous intent surged from behind her. The pressure was as powerful as a tsunami, swallowing her whole in an instant. At that moment, she was nothing more than a pathetic little ant, lacking even the slightest chance to resist.
"Bang—"
Li Fuyin was slammed heavily against the wall by a hand around her throat, and the hairpin flew from her hand. Dizzied and disoriented, a figure began to take shape before her eyes.
She saw a man in white robes with long, disheveled hair, his handsome face haggard beyond measure. In his bloodshot eyes burned an almost delirious murderous intent.
"Speak! Who sent you here?"
The man's voice was cold and hoarse. The murderous intent in his eyes threatened to pierce right through her. Had he not been desperate to find the mastermind and settle the score, he would never have given her the chance to speak.
Li Fuyin did not doubt for a second that the man before her could crush her with ease, but as her eyes focused on his face, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Lin Xun, it's me."
That simple sentence caused the person before her to freeze abruptly. The man stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes, unable to utter a word for a long time, his breathing becoming ragged. The hand clamped around her throat bulged with veins, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
"A dignified Grand Preceptor, actually sneaking into my bedchamber... sleeping in my bed... and even wearing my sleeping robe?"
Li Fuyin curled her lips, her eyes darting downward with a playful glint. Her sleeping robe, worn by Lin Xun, was admittedly a little bit tight...
The familiar tone, the familiar gaze, the familiar smile... There was no one else in this world who could be like her!
The man's originally pale face, after a moment of stiff twitching, gradually flushed crimson. He released his grip with trembling hands, only to lunge forward and pull her into a tight embrace the very next moment, holding her as if he feared she might vanish at any second, as if he longed to embed her into his very own body.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I was only joking..."
Li Fuyin had never expected such a reaction from Lin Xun. It was only when a scalding wetness fell upon her shoulder that she finally realized what was happening.
Lin Xun was the eldest disciple of the Wuji Sect, proficient in divination and star-gazing, skilled in the art of war, and possessed a brilliance that bordered on the supernatural. Yet, while still young, he had chosen to renounce the world and study Buddhism. When Li Fuyin had gone to the Wuji Sect to apprentice, she had heard of his reputation and sought him out, doing everything in her power to convince him to leave the mountain.
In the end, Lin Xun had indeed become the Grand Preceptor of the Sheng State for her sake, helping her stabilize the imperial power. But Lin Xun was cold, aloof, and taciturn, and he was far too clever; ordinary people could never fathom his thoughts. As he was five years her senior, he was technically her Eldest Senior Brother, and because of this, Li Fuyin had always held him in the highest respect and trust, never daring to harbor any improper thoughts toward him.
The joke she had just made was, clearly, a transgression.