A Shocking Dream

Kou Jing's conjecture came about during the birthday party. It was then that the Saint left the table due to illness, and Qin Rongchen left again under the pretense of being drunk, and then the Saint suddenly disappeared. Something must have happened between the two. Then the Yun Kingdom Saint said, "You can't have your cake and eat it too." Everyone knew that Lin Bingshuang used to be hideous and frightening, and it was impossible for her to reveal her true face. Qin Rongchen's recent actions further confirmed her suspicions. How could someone so heartbroken over someone who had been dead for five years fall in love with another woman? Even if the Yun Kingdom Saint used some kind of illusion, with her understanding of Qin Rongchen's determination, he wouldn't fall for it. Unless, Yun Shuang, the Yun Kingdom Saint, was the former Snow Kingdom General Lin Bingshuang. To further confirm this, she released Xue Tianqiao, the Snow Kingdom's eldest princess who had been imprisoned for many years. Everything was about to be revealed.

"So you sent me here just to verify her identity?" Xue Tianqiao hit the nail on the head. She was indeed a vicious woman. No, she couldn't let her succeed. But what should she do?

"That's right, my lover's daughter, I believe you must have a photographic memory." Kou Jing said, throwing a dagger on the ground.

"What do you mean?" Xue Tianqiao was puzzled. Was he asking her to kill her?

"Take it. If she is really Lin Bingshuang, she will definitely not be on guard against you, and you will naturally not be willing to attack her. If she is not, take this dagger and stab her. After this is done, I will let you go. Don't try to escape, or you will both die."

"You... are truly the most vicious woman. You used to be that delicate white lotus, but now you've become so vicious and your true colors are revealed when you're old. It must have been very uncomfortable for you to pretend to be so delicate and weak before?" Xue Tianqiao spoke without mercy, and at the same time, she was thinking quickly about how to deal with the situation. What should she do to prevent Kou Jing from succeeding?

"Who are you saying is old? You are old! Look at yourself. The once noble and beautiful Princess of the Snow Country is now just an old woman with wrinkles all over her face. I feel shabby just looking at you." Kou Jing glanced at Xue Tianqiao with disdain.

"You know that the Holy Maiden of the Cloud Nation is a powerful martial artist. If I kill her, won't I have no way to survive?"

"You're not that stupid, but you're not qualified to negotiate."

"You said you'd let me go as long as I finished this task, but it turns out you never intended to let me go from the beginning."

"Xue Tianqiao, you should have died five years ago. During these five years, you have been looking for opportunities to commit suicide many times but failed. Now, as long as you help me accomplish this, you can die as you wish and see your lover. Of course, I also know that you will definitely not be willing to do it. Think about it carefully, that is your lover's daughter." Xue Tianqiao looked at the vicious woman in front of him, and thought to himself: Kou Jing, even if I die, I will not let you succeed.

At this time, a palace maid came to report that the person had been brought in. Kou Jing immediately asked the people around her to hide, while she hid in the dark, ready to check the situation.

Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. Xue Tianqiao picked up the dagger on the ground and hid it in her sleeve. Is that person in the painting really her? If not, why those eyes... If it's her, wouldn't I be harming her if I exposed her identity? Kou Jing's men are everywhere around me. It looks like I'm going to die here today. Lin Yucheng, it's worth it for me, Xue Tianqiao, to die at the hands of your daughter.

"Where is this? Why did you bring me to this place?" Yun Shuang walked over and asked the man from behind.

On the Queen Mother's side, Xue Tianqiao quickly grabbed Yun Shuang's shoulder and, taking advantage of her unpreparedness, stabbed her in the stomach with a dagger. Yun Shuang's mouth bled, and with a single palm, she sent Xue Tianqiao flying. She fell to the ground, spitting blood and letting out a scream. She gazed at the azure sky and slowly closed her eyes.

Yun Shuang also gradually became weak due to the pain and excessive blood loss, and fell unconscious to the ground. The whole process happened in a moment, and Xue Tianqiao was so quick and decisive. Could it be that her guess was wrong?

Xue Tianqiao's dying scream attracted the patrol commander Yang. The Queen Mother had no choice but to order the scene to be cleaned up quickly, and Xue Tianqiao taken away to hide elsewhere.

The Queen Mother knew that Commander Yang would send for the imperial physician to treat Yunshuang, so she specifically ordered the palace maids to wait on the road and let the Saint Maiden temporarily go to her bedroom to recuperate. As she sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the unconscious Yunshuang, her hand involuntarily reached over and pulled back her veil.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the Wise King." The sound of palace servants paying their respects was heard outside the palace.

Rong Chen? Why did he come so soon? Kou Jing glanced at Yun Shuang, withdrew his hand, and walked out of the palace.

"Mother... since it has been confirmed that she is not Lin Bingshuang, I don't think it's necessary to send anyone to investigate her. Besides, the Holy Maiden of Yun Kingdom is not allowed to marry in her lifetime. Even if the Sage King has any thoughts about her, they would not dare to break the rules of Yun Kingdom." Kou Lanzhi said, thinking of the gentle smile in Qin Rongchen's eyes when he looked at Yun Shuang that day. It didn't seem like he was pretending under the influence of an illusion.

"We don't know Rong Chen well, and we don't know what he'll do next. Xue Tianqiao is a very cunning person. Even if she stabbed Yunshuang in front of me, it still can't eliminate my suspicion of Yunshuang. The people sent to investigate need to be quick and decisive, so as not to reveal their true intentions and alert the enemy."

"Yes."

"I've heard that the emperor has been staying at Concubine Yu's palace every night lately, and hasn't even stayed at yours for months. Lanzhi, I'm not criticizing you, but the emperor is in his prime, and as his wife, you can't even keep your husband in your own room, letting him run off to another woman's room. I don't know what to say to you."

"Aunt...I..." Kou Lanzhi hesitated to speak.

Her relationship with the Emperor had always been one of mutual respect. However, she found it difficult to speak of their sexual lives. She had been married to the Emperor for over a decade, and as Empress, she had only one child, Qin Ruoyu. The other concubines in the harem either had a son and a daughter, or only one. Kou Jing's description of her was not without reason.

"If it weren't for me, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to sit on the throne of Queen." Seeing Kou Lanzhi's embarrassed expression and her pale face full of guilt, Kou Jing knew that she was also blaming herself. She didn't want to interfere in the affairs between the couple, but Qin Ruoyu was already in her prime, and the children of other concubines were almost catching up with Qin Ruoyu in age. Kou Lanzhi had only one child in the past ten years. It would be good if there were no disputes in the future. If there were disputes, Kou Lanzhi and Qin Ruoyu would be isolated and helpless. Thinking of this, she said, "Raising children is a woman's duty. More people will take care of them. Don't stand here, go back and think about it yourself."

"Yes, I'll take my leave." Kou Lanzhi was so lost in thought that she even walked along the street in a daze. Marrying into the royal family, marrying Qin Ronghuan, was not what she wanted...

Jinyuyuan

Yunshuang sat upright on the bed, closed her eyes and meditated, regulating her breathing and calming her mind, but the scene of today kept replaying in her mind.

She was walking through the palace when she got lost. Then, a palace maid claimed to be from the Sage King's palace and said she would take her somewhere. Yunshuang initially didn't believe her, but when the maid produced the Sage King's jade pendant, she finally believed him and followed him. Unexpectedly, halfway through their journey, the maid claimed the Sage King was ahead, told Yunshuang to walk there on her own, and then ran off.

Yun Shuang immediately sensed something was amiss. Something must be waiting for her ahead. If she turned and left, wouldn't it seem she was afraid and guilty? Better to walk over with confidence. As expected, when she arrived, she sensed a murderous aura all around her. Hidden among the weeds were numerous figures. And waiting for her was a woman. So, she approached her, feigning ignorance, and was about to speak.

"I……"

Xue Tianqiao turned to look at her, and their eyes met. Although they seemed calm and unperturbed on the surface, they were actually shocked inside.

It really was her! The moment Xue Tianqiao laid eyes on Yunshuang, her heart was filled with a turbulent sea. Those eyes were seared into her memory, unforgettable no matter how time passed. At that moment, her heart was a tangle of shock, confusion, and complex emotions. Shocked that this supposedly dead person had appeared before her alive; puzzled as to why she was there; and the complex emotions, encompassing a tangle of past memories and emotions.

Why is she here? Wasn't she dead? The moment Yun Shuang's eyes met Xue Tianqiao's, she felt a strong shock in her heart. No, now is not the time to ask more questions. She appeared here, she must have been waiting for me. Yun Shuang quickly calmed down and began to think about the situation and Xue Tianqiao's purpose. She was full of vigilance and alertness.

But seeing the violent emotion in her eyes and the anxious look on her face, Yun Shuang knew she had something to say, but couldn't. Looking around, seeing those hidden people, Yun Shuang realized she was being threatened. Could the person threatening her be using her to prove their identity?

At this moment, Xue Tianqiao suddenly grabbed Yun Shuang's shoulders and turned her around, blocking the Queen Mother's view with her back. She moved her mouth slightly, uttered a few words, and while Yun Shuang was dazed, she quickly pulled out a dagger and stabbed her in the abdomen.

"Kill me now!" Xue Tianqiao said this in an anxious tone.

Yun Shuang ignored the pain in her stomach and used her palm power to slap Xue Tianqiao away. She watched Xue Tianqiao spit out blood and fall to the ground, while Yun Shuang herself also fell to the ground due to pain and excessive blood loss.