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

Consort Chun originally wanted the emperor to live a few more years, at least until the seventh prince could establish himself.

These children are very fragile before they are vaccinated against smallpox; even a slight cold can kill them. If the Seventh Prince were gone, she would be no different from the concubines in the Cold Palace.

She came from a small county town and knew better than anyone what it felt like to be looked down upon. When she first entered the palace, she also suffered a lot of bullying.

Washing clothes for others with cold water in the dead of winter, serving others clothes and meals—these are the most ordinary things.

Later, they accidentally bumped into an Imperial Guard, and the two exchanged glances and secretly developed feelings for each other.

However, within the palace, guards and palace maids were not allowed to have private affairs.

By chance, the emperor stumbled upon their secret rendezvous from afar. In a panic, the man hid, while she pretended to have sprained her ankle and squatted down in the snow.

The emperor approached and, by the light of the courtyard lamp, saw her face clearly. Just then, a gust of wind blew by, scattering the snow from the branches. Amidst the falling snowflakes, she saw the infatuation on the emperor's face.

That night, she served him in bed.

She became the emperor's concubine and enjoyed a life of unprecedented luxury.

During her time with the emperor, she saw countless women like herself who were favored by the emperor but were quickly discarded.

It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Now that she has lived such a life, she will never allow herself to return to the life of a palace maid.

She went to find the man from before and learned that he had been discovered by the commander and had confessed to his relationship with her.

The commander did not expose their affair; instead, he used it as an opportunity to advise her on how to win the emperor's heart.

She relied on this alluring incense and the child in her womb.

The emperor had long lost the ability to impregnate women, so the child was naturally the son of that commander.

She climbed the ranks step by step, from a Noble Lady to a Pure Consort, and now to an Imperial Consort, where she gained favor and a son.

If the emperor lives a few more years, and if he writes an edict to make her son the crown prince, she will no longer have to be mindful of anyone's feelings; she can trample everyone under her feet.

But it wouldn't work; the emperor's body was already severely overdrawn, and she had to increase the dosage of the sleeping potion to prolong his life.

And that day finally came. Looking at the imperial edict written in her own hand, she dropped her pretense and fantasized that her son would become the crown prince and then the emperor, and she would be the most honorable woman in the world.

But she was surrounded by people on the way out of the mountain village while holding her infant son.

Even at night in June, the heat is so intense that you'll be sweating all over.

"Who are you? Do you know who I am? How dare you block my way?"

"That's exactly what I'm doing here."

"How dare you! I am Consort Chun, and the prince in my arms is the Crown Prince appointed by His Majesty. You dare not kneel before the Crown Prince?"

A mocking laugh rang out from behind her. She turned around and saw a man dressed in a bright yellow auspicious robe walking out step by step, carrying a blood-stained longsword in his hand.

"Is that so? How come I didn't know that the Great Yan had another crown prince?"

"You...you weren't locked in a cell, how did you get out? Traitor, you patricide and regicide traitor! Arrest this deposed crown prince at once!"

"Just you?"

Pei Yuyan gave her a cold look, his tone filled with disdain and arrogance.

Seeing that the Imperial Guards around her were out of her control and surrounded her, Consort Chun finally lost control.

"Don't come any closer! I have an imperial decree! The Seventh Prince is the Crown Prince. You've followed the wrong person. Seize him, and I can grant you wealth and honor..."

The deafening tolling of the funeral bells struck the heart of the imperial concubine like a hammer blow.

The emperor is dead, and the whereabouts of her son's father are unknown. None of the men who claimed they would protect her have appeared.

Her dream of becoming Empress Dowager was ultimately just a beautiful dream. If she hadn't entered the palace, would she have avoided this path of no return...?

-

Pei Ji was worried about Wei Nanxun, who was staying at home, so he hardly stopped or rested on his way to the capital.

As darkness was approaching, and with the capital only half a day's journey away, the army found an open space to set up camp and start a fire.

To save time and effort, most people eat dry food with cold water and then quickly lie down to rest.

Ji Feng came out of the cook's tent with a bowl of hot soup containing shredded dry rations.

"Sir, you haven't eaten all day, please make do with this."

Pei Ji never sought special treatment; he ate whatever his soldiers ate. These past few days, he simply couldn't eat.

Strangely enough, before he lived in the camp, the two would occasionally be separated for a long time before seeing each other again, but since she became pregnant, he has been returning home day and night and has not been separated for so long since.

He had only been gone for three to five days, but he was already feeling uneasy.

"Is there any news about the Princess?"

"No letters have arrived yet, so don't worry. With Ji Yun and General Xu in the city, the Princess is definitely safer than us."

These words were not meant to comfort them; bloodshed was inevitable on their journey to the capital, and it was certainly fraught with danger.

Pei Ji didn't say much; he only felt a vague unease.

I had just taken a sip of soup when I heard the deep sound of a bell.

The sound originated in the capital and spread like wildfire to towns and cities surrounding the city.

The bell tolled one after another, as if there were no end in sight, as if it would ring until the end of time.

Ji Yun slightly widened his eyes, silently counting in his mind. When the resounding bell finally stopped, he impatiently said, "Master, forty-five..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present already understood.

The use of bronze bells must be for national mourning. However, the Empress of the Great Yan Dynasty had been vacant for many years. Only when the emperor, who symbolized the supreme status of the emperor, passed away would the bells be struck forty-five times.

Pei Ji narrowed his eyes slightly. The emperor had just issued an imperial edict summoning him to the capital. How could he have died so soon after?

Things are changing in the capital.

Regardless of who killed the emperor, the first step was to immediately seize the imperial city. The nine gates would be sealed off immediately, and the common people would suffer the most during the siege.

He threw down the soup bowl in his hand and suddenly stood up: "All generals, listen to my command, prepare yourselves and mount your horses."

As he watched the last rays of the setting sun fade away, he calmly and decisively said, "Follow me to the capital to quell the rebellion."

-

Meanwhile, at the Prince Su's residence.

As night fell, Wei Nanxun held her chopsticks and watched the food on the table gradually lose its heat.

This was the third day since I met General Xu and his men. Not only the Prince's Mansion, but the entire city had been placed under martial law, with officials patrolling the streets from morning till night. Dozens of suspicious individuals had already been arrested.

However, after reviewing them one by one, no traces of tampering were found.

The scouts sent out from the camp also failed to detect any unusual enemy activity.

Perhaps she was overthinking things, and that the town had only been attacked by a tribe by accident?

Wei Nanxun always felt that things weren't that simple, but that was the reality. She couldn't just close the city gates and prevent people from entering or leaving because of her own unfounded worries.

Since Yun has been gone for three days, he should be back soon. If he borrows troops but has no enemy at all, wouldn't that be a laughing stock?

"Xun'er, I know you're worried, but you can't not eat. Look at you, you haven't been eating or sleeping well these past few days, your cheeks are practically sunken in. You're not alone anymore."

Princess Li placed a piece of fish in his bowl and whispered a word of advice to him.

Wei Nanxun understood the reasoning, but she still couldn't help worrying: "Godmother, am I making a big fuss over nothing? If there are no foreign invaders at all, haven't I just wasted so many days of the city's residents' lives?"

“Silly girl, you are responsible for everyone’s safety. If you hadn’t come, it would have only delayed them for three to five days at most. But if the enemy really attacked, you could have saved countless lives.”

These words still did not reassure her. She decided that if nothing unusual happened by the end of the night, she would notify General Xu to lift the curfew in the city.

That night, the night watchman struck the clapper for the third time. Just as he was about to shout, his mouth and nose were covered before he could speak. He struggled for a few moments and then slowly collapsed.

A group of tall, strong young men, dressed in night clothes, led a group of officers who immediately raised their hands when they saw the patrolling officers pass by.

He said something that was hard to understand, and the others looked at him and nodded in unison.

Then people kept darting out from all the alleys, one group rushing towards the city gate, and another group heading towards the most prominent mansion in the city...

-

Since her pregnancy progressed, Wei Nanxun has been getting up more often at night, which has made her sleep very lightly and restless.

In addition, having grown accustomed to Pei Ji's presence by her side every night, the emptiness beside her pillow and the unrest from the foreign tribes made it even harder for her to fall asleep.

She heard the night watchman's gong sound three times outside; it was midnight.

She knew that not sleeping well was bad for herself and the baby in her womb, but she just couldn't fall asleep. She just hoped that she was overthinking things and that everything would be back to normal when she woke up tomorrow.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, she sensed something was wrong. The night watchman would not only strike his gong but also make a sound to alert the watchman. At midnight, he would say that everything was fine, but just now she only heard the sound of the gong and not the voice of the night watchman...

Just then, the sound of a flowerpot breaking echoed in the courtyard, the crisp sound of shattering porcelain tiles amplified infinitely in the quiet night.

"Go away, go out!"

Wei Nanxun suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. Green Lotus, who was on night watch outside, immediately pushed open the door and came in. Instantly, the candles in the courtyard were lit.

She had just put on her outer robe when Princess Li, who lived next door, was also awakened and came over with the help of her maid.

"Don't panic, be careful of your stomach first. The people down below are already fetching water to put out the fire..."

Before Princess Li could finish speaking, a commotion erupted outside, and even the ground trembled.

Wei Nanxun's uneasy heart suddenly jumped. She was almost certain that the fire in the mansion was no accident, and her premonition had come true.

Sure enough, a guard quickly arrived at the gate: "Greetings, Your Highness. Just now, several groups of men suddenly attacked the guards at the city gate. Tens of thousands of troops have surrounded the city and are now attacking it."

Her body swayed slightly, but fortunately Green Lotus was always by her side protecting her, so she didn't lose her composure.

They deliberately chose midnight, when everyone was asleep and the guards were at their most relaxed.

Moreover, how could hundreds or thousands of troops suddenly appear outside the city gates? They must have been planning for a long time and were determined to take the border city tonight.

Has the General's Office received the news?

"Thanks to your order to impose martial law in the city, there were patrols even at night. Just as the shifts ended at midnight, we discovered that someone was trying to open the city gates from the inside. The group inside the city has been captured. General Xu has also arrived at the city gate to take command, and we will definitely not let the thieves break through the city gates so easily."

Wei Nanxun did not relax because of this; her expression remained serious: "What about the fire?"

"It was another group of people who shot arrows with sparks into the mansion, which caused the fire. But the fire is under control now. Please stay inside and do not step out of the room."

Sure enough, she knew it couldn't have been a servant in the manor who accidentally started the fire; those people knew Pei Ji wasn't in the city.

They came for her.