My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

In an instant, the boulders tumbled and sand filled the air, accompanied by mournful roars.

Even though they were quite far apart, Wei Nanxun could hear the faint sounds coming from them. Her blood seemed to freeze, and she felt dizzy for a moment.

She was already exhausted and was only holding on by sheer willpower. Now that her strength had given out, she almost swayed and collapsed.

Fortunately, Ji Yun was right behind her and caught her with his palm, preventing her from falling off the horse again.

The two didn't even have time to talk. Everyone understood how critical the situation was. He only left the words "hold on" and then led his soldiers to charge into the valley without hesitation.

Wei Nanxun quickly rallied, thinking there might still be a glimmer of hope, or perhaps with the help of Ji Yun's reinforcements, their entire army wouldn't have been wiped out and so many of their comrades wouldn't have died.

Perhaps, he hasn't had an accident yet...

Wei Nanxun gritted her teeth, knowing that her past actions were of no use and would only become a burden.

But whether he is dead or alive, she must see him with her own eyes.

Wei Nanxun spurred his horse and followed without hesitation.

When she was only a hundred paces away, she could clearly hear the sound of weapons clashing, and blood stained the sand and stones in the air. She saw countless figures falling.

She used to be unable to bear the sight of blood, especially after losing her child; the glaring red kept her awake all night.

But now she felt no fear. She numbly watched as people stood up and fell down. All she could see were the people of Great Yan, and she couldn't tell friend from foe.

She could only make out the figure that appeared in her dream with great difficulty.

Pei Ji, where are you?

She tried to get closer, but someone stopped her.

"Sir, since the commander has ordered us to protect you, please do not go any further."

Apart from Ji Yun and the military doctor, no one knew that she was a woman. She was dressed in a disheveled manner as a boy, and they did not know how to address her, so they respectfully called her "Sir".

Wei Nanxun knew that this was not only Ji Yun's instruction, but also Pei Ji's order.

She had no doubt that once the fighting between the two sides in the valley stopped, the two people beside her, regardless of who won or lost, would take her away and protect her.

All she could do was wait.

As evening approached, a cold wind howled through the valley, bringing with it a strong smell of blood, and the roars that had echoed through the sky gradually subsided.

Wei Nanxun maintained this posture for as long as the battle lasted, until the sound of horses' hooves came from not far away.

The sounds seemed somewhat chaotic, suggesting there were quite a few people. Before she could react, the two people beside her had already positioned themselves to protect her.

"You protect the gentleman as he goes, I'll cover the rear."

The so-called rearguard action was actually a way to buy time with their lives; they knew this, and Wei Nanxun understood it too.

"If we're going to leave, we'll leave together."

There's no reason to sacrifice another person for her.

Ignoring her opinion, the two men exchanged a glance, one drew his sword to fight, while the other grabbed Lieyang's reins and led her away.

Before Wei Nanxun could speak, Lieyang had already raised his head high, broken free from the man's restraints, and carried her towards the direction of the newcomer.

This unexpected turn of events left not only the two individuals bewildered, but also Wei Nanxun.

But soon, it dawned on her—could it be…?

Did something happen to him? That's why Lieyang reacted so violently.

Since leaving the capital, she has fallen off her horse, scraped her skin, and is still covered in bruises, but she has never shed a tear.

But now, thinking of that possibility, her eyes involuntarily stung, and tears instantly blurred her vision.

If he really died, she would collect his body.

The sky had been overcast all day, and finally a strong wind picked up, bringing raindrops that stung Wei Nanxun's face. The rain quickly soaked her clothes and blurred her vision.

Finally, the blazing sun brought her to a stop at the edge of the valley.

The fighting seemed to have stopped, and what she saw was the horrific scene of corpses strewn across the field and rivers of blood she had imagined.

Dreaming and seeing with your own eyes are different. She thought she would feel nauseous and want to vomit, but in reality, she felt cold all over, only awe and helplessness towards life.

At this point, no one cared which side's soldiers died; they were all subjects of the Great Yan, and they had paid with their young lives simply because of the ambition and greed of those in power.

Those in high positions don't even remember the names of the soldiers who died for them.

How ironic.

She was already weak and had been caught in the rain, so her body was stiff and she slowly dismounted and walked forward step by step.

A flag was planted high up, embroidered with the character "肃" (sù).

It seems that with Ji Yun's reinforcements, Pei Yuyan's goal of annihilating their entire army was not achieved, and it appears that Pei Ji won.

After walking a few more steps, she saw Ji Yun, covered in blood, being helped out. His forehead seemed to have a large gash, with blood flowing down continuously, almost covering half of his face.

Even so, Wei Nanxun had no interest in whether he lived or died; her eyes were only on that person.

"where is he?"

Ji Yun dared not look at her, and lowered her head without saying a word.

This was like a silent reply. Wei Nanxun trembled all over and pushed them away in disbelief.

"No, it's impossible. He told me to wait for him. It's impossible for him to be in trouble... I don't believe it, I don't believe it."

"Stop her, we can't let anything happen to her."

Seeing that she was out of control, Ji Yun was afraid that something might happen to her, so she mustered her strength and asked the people around her to stop her.

But at this moment, no one could stop Wei Nanxun. She didn't know where she got the strength from, but she was able to push away soldiers who were several times taller and more imposing than her.

She went straight ahead, searching and identifying each person one by one, determined to see him alive or dead; she had to see him to believe it.

"The boulder rolled down too suddenly, and since you were at the very front, you couldn't possibly avoid it... In the chaos, no one noticed his whereabouts; he might have been crushed by the boulder. You won't be able to find him like this..."

Ji Yun covered half of her face and followed behind her, quietly trying to persuade her.

She seemed not to hear him, shoving his shoulder aside, her whole being like a soulless doll, continuing to rummage through the objects.

Her fingers were covered in blood, but she seemed oblivious to the pain, constantly scratching at them.

Hearing that it might be under a boulder, she went to move the stone. When she couldn't move it, she dug up the soil, painstakingly digging it out bit by bit with her fingers.

Until a section of the belt was revealed, which she had personally tied for him the day before. It was embroidered with a four-clawed dragon pattern, a design that no one but royalty could use.

She didn't believe it, so she continued digging down from that spot and found a blood-stained jade pendant.

The character "越" is written on it.

His jade pendant remained in the box and was given to her by a palace maid. When the two became engaged, she returned the jade pendant engraved with the character "Yue" to him, as if it were a token of their love.

He said he would never lose the jade pendant.

But now the jade pendant remains, while he is gone.

"Liar, big liar, I will never forgive you again, and I never want to see you again."

The tears that had been held back for so many days finally fell with the rain.

-

In the study of the East Palace, Pei Yuyan stood by the window, watching the rain drip from between the tiles, splashing water droplets on the bluestone bricks.

"Your Highness, it's done."

Pei Yuyan remained calm and composed, revealing no trace of his composure.

"explain."

"The five thousand elite troops led by Pei Ji were all ambushed by the Second Young Master's forces. It's just a pity that their reinforcements arrived too quickly and almost wiped them out."

Where is Pei Ji?

“He’s dead. Our men saw it clearly. He was dug out from under the boulder by a thin young boy. Although his face was smashed and bloody, his clothes and body shape were still intact.”

Pei Yuyan's expression finally softened, and he forced a smile: "Is that all the skill he has? You've been too arrogant."