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

Pei Ji coldly watched as Pei Yuyan was taken away, and Zhou Fuhai and others arrived, escorting Empress Dowager Jiang away.

He unfastened his blood-stained cloak, stepped out of the Golden Palace, and stood in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, looking back.

The midday sun shone through the gaps in the glazed tiles, landing perfectly on the golden dragon throne, making it gleam with golden light.

People say that the imperial court is heartless, and this is the cold, indifferent chair.

It makes the father no longer like a father, the son no longer like a son, with no blood ties whatsoever, only power and the desire to stand at the highest point.

The emperor is still unconscious, and the crown prince is openly plotting rebellion. He only needs to raise his arm and call for everyone to submit to him.

He could get that position without lifting a finger.

Even his close advisors and confidants felt that he was more suitable to be the ruler of the world than Pei Yuyan and his son.

But this thing that everyone was fighting tooth and nail for had no appeal to him whatsoever. It was like an invisible cage; once you sat in it, you lost the sky and your freedom.

It's not that he can't have it, but that he disdains it.

As Ji Feng stood at the foot of the white jade steps, looking up at Pei Ji, he truly had the illusion of looking up at a supreme god.

He gripped his sword tightly, strode forward, and knelt faithfully before him.

"Your Highness, we have taken control of the Imperial Guards in the palace, and the Five Cities Garrison has captured the rebels in the city without causing too many casualties."

"As for the civil and military officials, they have all been detained in their own rooms, and the Dali Temple will interrogate them one by one to see if any of them have conspired with the rebels."

Pei Ji said, "Wait, we don't need the Dali Temple. Let Xu Yanxiu handle the trial."

"But he's from the Hanlin Academy."

"Let him go."

"Yes!" Ji Feng knelt down and was about to step back.

But then his voice softened, and he asked, "Where is she?"

Ji Feng paused for a moment before realizing who the prince was asking about. "Lady Wei, along with the army doctor and others, arrived at the camp outside the city this morning."

Upon hearing the news, Pei Ji's fierce aura dissipated. He looked at the crowds coming and going in the Taihe Hall Square and recalled the scene of their meeting that day.

-

Wei Nanxun held the blood-stained silver helmet, his eyes vacant.

Without uttering a word, neither crying nor speaking, she clutched the helmet and jade pendant and walked away step by step, seemingly deaf to anyone who called her name.

The ground was littered with corpses, but she kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, and even when she fell, she seemed not to feel the pain, getting up and continuing forward.

She had fallen countless times, her body covered in filth, completely unrecognizable as the refined young lady she once was.

She stumbled and staggered her way to Lieyang's side.

It seemed to sense her sadness, sticking out its tongue to lick the back of her injured hand, silently comforting her in this way.

Wei Nanxun forced open her sore and swollen eyes, trying not to let the tears fall.

Crying would be an admission that he was truly dead, but she didn't believe it, so she couldn't cry.

Wei Nanxun's hands were covered in wounds. The bloodstain on her palm had been treated with medicine and had formed a scab, but it had now cracked open again, and blood blurred her entire palm.

But she felt no pain and numbly mounted the horse, gripping the reins.

“Let’s go back. I’ll listen to him and wait for him patiently.”

As if nothing had happened, she would return to the beginning and wait patiently for his return, just as he wished.

The wind was like a knife, blowing against her face, and even though she didn't want to cry, her eyes were still reddened.

She tried to tilt her head back, trying to stop the tears from falling.

But she wasn't brave or strong enough to accept life without him.

They had just confirmed their relationship and imagined all the wonderful things that would happen, so why did they give her a chance to be reborn, only to send her back to hell?

Wei Nanxun's eyes were already brimming with tears, her vision obscured by the curtain of tears, making it impossible for her to see the road ahead.

She was barely hanging on by a thread, and now that she had seen reality, it was as if her life force had been suddenly drained away, and she couldn't even sit still on the horse.

Another gust of wind came, and she fell from the horse like a kite with a broken string.

The last time he was brought down, it was in the dead of night when he couldn't see anything and felt no fear.

Now she was fully conscious and could see everything clearly. The galloping horses and the desolate wilderness, devoid of any vegetation, intensified the sense of terror.

But she felt no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, she thought that dying from such a fall might not be such a bad outcome.

There's no need to confront Pei Yuyan, nor to think about the consequences.

Most importantly, I don't have to face the rest of my life without him.

Wei Nanxun did not close her eyes, waiting for the dizziness and pain to come.

But just then, through her tear-filled eyes, she saw a blurry figure. He was riding a crimson horse, his armor stained dark brown with blood. He rode his horse through the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Wei Nanxun was completely stunned. It was him.

Is it really him? Or is she hallucinating?

Before the dizzying sensation could even register, the moment the two horses met, he released the reins, stepped onto their backs, and leaped into the air.

Before she could react, she felt a weight behind her as the person sat steadily behind her, scooping her up from the moment she was about to fall.

The overwhelming smell of blood and the arms tightly wrapped around her waist made her realize that this was not a hallucination or a dream.

He is not dead; he is still alive.

Joy surged to the top of my head, my nose tingled, and tears welled up instantly.

He's not dead! He's not dead! That's wonderful! That's really wonderful!

"Why don't you listen?"

Hot, moist breath brushed against Wei Nanxun's ear, his low, husky voice carrying deep emotions.

The joy was so overwhelming that it almost made her faint; she didn't immediately understand what he meant.

Pei Ji had already wrapped his arms around her waist, his large hands taking the reins, and with a spur of the horse, he led her deeper into the mountains and forests.

"Why did you come if I didn't tell you to wait for me patiently?"

His voice was low and hoarse, with a slight tremor; it was a voice of fear and repression she had never heard before.

So he can be afraid too?

She thought that someone as fearless as him, who could brave mountains of corpses and seas of blood, had long been accustomed to life and death and had taken everything lightly. She never expected that he would also have moments of fear.

At the same time, she finally understood.

She couldn't help but think there was something wrong with this man. She had suffered so much to save him, and the pain she had endured was more than two lifetimes combined. Instead of saying a few sweet words to comfort her, he was still saying that she was disobedient!

If she had truly obeyed and hadn't been able to see him, she would have lived in regret for the rest of her life.

Wei Nanxun was a little annoyed and deliberately said in a huff, "Of course I'm here to collect your corpse."

Pei Ji was stunned for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.

He would laugh occasionally, and there were times when he was in a good mood, but his laughter was mostly a smile in his eyes, with very little variation in intensity; he rarely opened up his emotions like that.

Even when she was pressed against his chest, she would tremble along with his laughter.

"All I need is someone to collect my body."

She could curse him to collect corpses, but hearing him actually say things like "death" or "life" from his mouth felt like bad luck.

She thrust her elbow forcefully into his chest, forgetting that he was wearing armor. He didn't feel a thing when she used her strength, but she herself hissed in pain.

But she still pretended not to be in pain, and scolded him with a stern face: "Who told you to talk nonsense? Don't you know that some things can't be said carelessly!"

Pei Ji looked at the little girl, who no longer had her usual pretty and delicate appearance. She was dressed in mismatched men's clothing, her hair was messy, and her face was covered in scars and dust, but she was more beautiful than ever before.

"Does it hurt?"

No one knew that just moments ago she was sitting on horseback, with dark clouds looming behind her, and she was galloping towards him.

The feeling of being moved in that instant is indescribable.

Pei Ji could no longer suppress his longing for her. He held her tightly in his arms, feeling the real presence of the girl beside him. He rested his chin on her shoulder and for the first time felt that being alive was not so bad.

Before this, he had never been afraid of death. Life was very boring. Family and friends made him feel indifferent. Only the thrill and excitement of killing enemies occasionally made him feel alive.

Just as the boulder rolled down, in that instant, he suddenly thought of Wei Nanxun.

If the little girl knew he was dead, would she cry? Now that he's gone, who will comfort her and stop her from crying?

With that thought, he no longer wanted to die.

When Yun said she had arrived, he was momentarily dazed, feeling it was impossible, yet a longing arose from the bottom of his heart; he had never wanted to see anyone so much.

Whether in his past life or this one, Wei Nanxun is a person who is very good at enduring.

She could endure it in front of her family, she could endure it in front of Pei Yuyan, but only now, in front of Pei Ji, did she no longer want to endure or pretend.

She nodded slightly.

"It hurts, it hurts so much."

"Then why are we still coming? I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"But I want to see you..."

Pei Ji turned her body around, leaned down and kissed her, swallowing all her longing and worries.

Wei Nanxun turned around at some point, facing Pei Ji, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

After all, it wasn't indoors, and there were so many people behind me. Even from a distance, I still felt uncomfortable being watched.

But she had forgotten her shame, tilting her head back and no longer hiding or shrinking away, actively meeting his lips.

This kiss was more passionate and purer than any before, free from any other desires.

A man and a woman, touching each other with the most primal instincts.

He held her with such force that it felt as if he wanted to crush her and knead her into his own body.

After an unknown amount of time, Pei Ji finally released the person, panting.

Before meeting Wei Nanxun, he never believed in romantic love between men and women. He couldn't even trust blood relatives, let alone ordinary men and women.

Not to mention true love, that's just a pipe dream.

But now, their eyes met, and they seemed to be drawn to each other, unable to look away.

Seeing that the girl looked haggard and disheveled, but her eyes were bright and sparkling, he couldn't resist leaning in again and gently touching her lips to his.

Even without going any deeper, just applying it like this is enough to send shivers down your spine and make your heart flutter.

The two rode on horseback, embracing each other tightly, feeling the wind whistling in their ears and listening to each other's heartbeats. They didn't feel cold at all; on the contrary, they felt warm all over.

This perfectly reflects the poem: "Silence speaks louder than words."

The young lovers had a brief respite from their longing for each other, and finally had time to find out what had happened to each other during the days they had been apart.

What Wei Nanxun was most curious about was, of course, how dangerous the valley had been. Judging from the situation, huge rocks had clearly rolled down from the mountaintops on both sides, so how did he manage to escape unscathed?

Besides, she saw it with her own eyes; his armor and jade pendant were still there, and the entire valley was littered with corpses. She really couldn't imagine how he had done it.

Based on her understanding of Pei Ji, he seemed cold, and she could hardly hear a kind word from his mouth.

In fact, you can see from his treatment of the two brothers, Ji Feng and Ji Feng, that he cared a lot about the people and his subordinates.

When faced with a critical moment, he would rather die himself than let his soldiers who followed him be harmed.

If there hadn't been so few casualties, he wouldn't have been in the mood for such romantic moments with her.

When she first saw him, she was overwhelmed with joy. Now, thinking about it carefully, she realized that he must have used some kind of trick, a kind of substitution, to make people mistakenly believe that he was dead, and all five thousand soldiers perished.

"How did you do that? And when did you realize something was wrong?"

Pei Ji noticed a bloodstain on the little girl's nose from who-knows-where, and several cuts on her face, but her eyes were shining as she looked at him.

Touched and amused at the same time, I lowered my head and leaned in, nuzzling my nose against yours affectionately.

I was going to keep her in suspense a little longer, but seeing how curious and eager she was, I decided not to hide it from her anymore.

"Upon arriving here, we discovered it."

As he spoke, he gently bit her lip again and said, "This is all thanks to you."

The sky had darkened. It was still dark, but unlike the night before, it wasn't raining. The dark clouds had dispersed, revealing a sky full of stars.

They galloped across the vast plains, with no tall trees or houses to shelter them, as if they could reach out and touch the stars.

With him by her side, she didn't feel cold, nor was she afraid of being alone.

Wei Nanxun exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? How is this related to her again? Didn't she miss it?"

Along the way, what she regretted most was that she had wasted too much time. If she had realized something was wrong earlier and set off a day earlier, perhaps many losses could have been avoided.

So many soldiers' lives could be saved.

As the starry sky filled the air, Pei Ji's voice seemed to soften as well.

"Your dream."

Pei Ji was the least convinced of ghosts, gods, and nightmares. He would forget such talk as soon as he heard it. If it weren't for the fact that the person having the dream was Wei Nanxun, he would have scoffed at it.

Besides, it had been a while since she mentioned dreaming, so he quickly forgot about it after agreeing.

He hadn't realized there was a problem before setting off, and given that it concerned the safety of Man Xinghe and his elder sister, he made a decisive decision and immediately gathered his men to leave the capital.

The journey went smoothly, and they quickly found Man Ziyou's trail.

Once the camp was set up ahead, and the scouts returned to report on the enemy's whereabouts and had examined the geomantic map, he realized something was amiss.

At that time, he didn't even remember the dream. He just felt that the valley was somewhat dangerous and was the perfect place to set up an ambush. How could there be no ambushes nearby?

He stared at the geomantic map for a full half hour, and even went to see it in person under the cover of night. Suddenly, he thought of the valley that Wei Nanxun had mentioned.

And the fact that none of the five thousand soldiers survived.

Why was he so accurate? He did indeed select five thousand elite soldiers, which is the most suitable number for a raid, as it won't attract too much attention and will allow for the best coordination.

Not only the number of people, but she also accurately predicted everything from the turmoil in the Northwest to the valley. Moreover, the strangeness of this valley coincided with his intuition.

The worst thing a leader can do in battle is to hesitate and be indecisive. He immediately ordered a team to search the area within a hundred miles.

As expected, the spy who came was caught, and under severe torture, Man Ziyou's exact location was found.

As expected of the second son of the Northwest King, he was so bold as to personally lead troops to fight him. He didn't know that Man Ziyou came in person to cut off his head and present it to Pei Yuyan.

Having determined the location, Pei Ji, alone on horseback, infiltrated the enemy camp and captured them.

"So that corpse belonged to the second young master?! And those corpses in the valley were also his men? The ones who were actually moving the boulders on the mountain were your people!"

Pei Ji nodded slowly, and unusually praised, "Smart."

"Then what happened to Ji Yun's injuries just now?"

"When fishing, you have to catch a big one."

What's the point of killing Man Ziyou? The real big fish is Pei Yuyan behind him. If it were just about rescuing Man Xinghe, there would be no need to go to such lengths.

He did this so as not to alert Pei Yuyan, allowing him to lower his guard and strike decisively.

Fortunately, everything was under his control. The only thing he hadn't anticipated was that Wei Nanxun would disregard her own safety and come looking for him alone out of concern for him.

Pei Ji gently lifted the tip of her nose: "And you, my little koi fish."