After being reborn with my scumbag ex-husband, I became his sister-in-law.

The people at the very front of the road were still unaware of what was happening.

A deafening explosion echoed through the sky, abruptly halting the solemn music played by string and wind instruments. The emperor abruptly stopped in his tracks.

The lurking guards instantly became alert and surrounded the emperor from all sides.

Everyone's face showed confusion and wariness.

Emperor Guangqi focused his mind, and his face darkened instantly. He ordered the guards beside him in a deep voice, "Send four or five people to see what's going on up ahead. The rest of you stay put."

The guard obeyed the order and used his light-footed skill to disappear without a trace in an instant.

Just then, everyone heard a woman's anxious voice coming from afar: "Those loud noises just now caused the mountain to split open, and the collapse of the mountain also triggered a flash flood."

"The mountain is still showing signs of continuous collapse. If there is any mishap, the consequences will be unimaginable. I urge Your Majesty to suspend the Fengshan ceremony and take everyone to the high peak on the west side for refuge."

Song Xizhi spoke very quickly, his voice carrying a sense of crisis, and what he said shocked everyone present.

Emperor Guangqi's usually calm and composed face now showed shock: "What? Are you telling the truth?"

There has never been a time in history when an emperor interrupted the Fengshan ceremony, and if a landslide were to occur, it would be an extremely ominous sign.

Everyone present realized this, and their expressions instantly darkened.

Prince Yu frowned as he looked at Song Xizhi, clearly unaware of the gravity of the situation.

“Father, the guards you sent out have not returned yet. None of us know what happened, and we did not see any landslides or flash floods, so we cannot judge the situation.”

"The sudden interruption of the Fengshan ceremony is unprecedented. Such an ominous sign could cause chaos throughout the land and instability in the court. It would be better to wait for the guards to return from their investigation before making a decision."

After a moment's hesitation, the ministers also felt that Prince Yu's composure in the face of danger made sense.

Zhao Qingshu also said, "The matter of interrupting the Fengshan ceremony should not be decided solely by a woman's opinion; it is too hasty."

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi almost laughed in anger. Without wasting any words, she continued, following Prince Yu's lead:

"Since His Highness Prince Yu has said so, then to be on the safe side, His Highness Prince Yu will temporarily preside over the Fengshan ceremony on behalf of His Majesty, and Lord Zhao will also stay here to stabilize the morale of the troops."

"His Majesty will take those who are willing to leave first and head west. With guards protecting him, nothing will happen to him."

As soon as Song Xizhi said this, Su Shaoyuan spoke up without hesitation: "Your Majesty, the matter is urgent. The three loud noises just now were very clear, as if they happened in the vicinity of this place."

"To be on the safe side, you should leave with your men first. As for His Highness Prince Yu, he remains calm and composed in the face of danger, so he can stay here to continue the Fengshan ceremony and oversee the overall situation."

"The Fengshan ceremony was not interrupted. If nothing happened, there will be no rumors in the future."

Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression changed again, and he looked Prince Yu up and down with his eyes.

The emperor is still alive and well, yet this prince wants to temporarily preside over the Fengshan ceremony in place of the emperor?

Prince Yu choked abruptly, opening his mouth as if to say something.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Prince Su understood Consort Li's gaze and spoke at that moment: "Your Majesty, I think the officials are right. Right now, the most important thing is your bodyguards. I will protect you."

Prince Yu's face turned even paler in an instant: "Your subject is not capable enough to temporarily perform the Fengshan ceremony. Your subject is willing to protect you."

Time passed second by second, and the guards who had gone out earlier had not returned yet, presumably they had met with misfortune.

Ignoring Prince Yu's words, Emperor Guangqi immediately ordered the crowd in a deep voice: "All soldiers, disperse the crowd as Song Xizhi said, and lead the crowd to the western mountain. Half of the guards will go to scout the situation ahead, while the other half will escort me to the western mountain."

At this moment, Prince Xiu stepped forward and said, "Your subject is willing to stay here to evacuate the crowd for Your Majesty and ensure that no one is injured."

They were both left behind, but the wording was different, which made Prince Yu's face turn pale again.

The emperor glanced at him and nodded again. The guards beside him then used their light-footed skills to escort the emperor hurriedly up the mountain to the west.

The guards escorted the emperor and his entourage to hastily evacuate the area. After walking only a few steps, the spot where they had just been standing collapsed.

A deafening roar filled the air, and the tall trees that had lined both sides of the road vanished instantly into the floodwaters.

Suddenly, the view in front of me brightened, and my field of vision became incredibly wide.

As everyone turned their heads, they saw the raging floodwaters swallowing the valleys on both sides, and the hillsides were constantly collapsing, with the edge gradually encroaching on the people.

The scene before us is beyond description; it can hardly be simply described as breathtaking.

The mountain is really starting to collapse!

The crowd panicked for a moment. Someone suddenly shouted, and people jostled and pushed each other, rushing forward in a frantic rush.

The situation unfolded quickly and urgently, catching Song Xizhi off guard.

She anxiously looked up, wanting to see how her maternal grandfather and uncle were doing, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a little girl being pushed to the ground by the jostling crowd.

The crowd was so focused on escaping that they didn't notice the little girl at their feet.

She couldn't get up no matter how hard she tried, and frantic footprints stepped on her body, hands, and face, causing her to cry out in pain, but her voice gradually weakened.

Song Xizhi's heart tightened, and he hurriedly squeezed through the crowd towards the little girl.

There were just too many people. Song Xizhi tried to squeeze her way through for ages, but she couldn't get close to the little girl. She could only grit her teeth and speak to Siqin beside her:

"Siqin, go save her, go save her."

Siqin originally wanted to refuse, but looking at the little girl's appearance, she couldn't bear it, so she used all her strength to squeeze towards the girl.

She knew kung fu and was much faster than Song Xizhi.

Only when he saw her pick up the little girl and hold her in her arms did Song Xizhi finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But at that moment, from somewhere in the crowded throng, a hand reached out and shoved Song Xizhi hard in the side.

The palm strike, imbued with internal force, propelled Song Xizhi more than ten meters away.

When everyone came to their senses, they found that she had fallen off the collapsed cliff and was completely submerged in the surging flash flood.