Repeatedly broken branches

Do you remember that avalanche?

Yu Yanjing broke the long silence. Everyone was silent, but he suddenly spoke softly to Xiao Mu, who was standing to the side looking worried.

“During that avalanche, I was swept into a small village near the southern border. Rou Rou and Cheng Feng saved me. If I could survive under those circumstances, Shuang Ru could too.” Yu Yanjing’s eyes were very gentle, but even after hearing him say this, Xiao Mu still couldn’t completely put her mind at ease.

Shuangru and You Tongxiao are both very important to her. They are her friends and family. Shuangru is very caring and never competes for anything. If anything were to happen to her, she really wouldn't know what to do.

Zhou Tingxi and Wei Hao led a group of people to the edge of the cliff. He had several agile guards tie ropes around their waists, with the other end tied to a thick tree. Several people would pull on the ropes and lower one person down to climb up the cliff to search for the missing person.

But since it was a dangerous task, Zhou Tingxi couldn't leave it to others to do. He picked up a rope, pulled on it to test its strength, and then wrapped it around his waist after confirming that it was secure.

"General, are you going down there yourself?" Wei Hao looked at Zhou Tingxi in astonishment.

She's just a maidservant of the Empress, and the general cares so much about her. If it were the Empress herself, wouldn't the general be risking his life here?

Zhou Tingxi nodded, handed the rope to Wei Hao, and smiled as he said, "You know my skills, so don't worry about me."

“But General, we don’t know what the situation is down there. You should let an experienced guard do it.” Wei Hao hesitated and did not take the rope from Zhou Tingxi.

"That's precisely because I know nothing that I'm going down to take a look. What's so dangerous about this? I've been to far more dangerous places. You've been with me for so long, when have you ever seen me afraid of this?"

Wei Hao's hands trembled as he took the rope. He hurriedly called out to Zhou Tingxi's retreating figure, "If the general is not able to continue, please call me immediately, and I will pull you up right away!"

Zhou Tingxi didn't turn around. He stared at the bottomless abyss below without even frowning. He simply gripped the rope in his hand and took out the sachet hidden in his inner garment again to examine it.

Those are two little rabbits, one is you, and the other is me.

One is Xia Yunzhi, and the other is Zhou Tingxi.

Seeing how nervous and worried you were, I knew this person must be very important to you. Don't worry, I will definitely bring her back.

Zhou Tingxi spotted a flat spot on the cliff face, and with a light leap, landed steadily on it. There was nothing there except a protruding rock.

The surrounding trees and vines were numerous and dazzling, making the search quite difficult. He had once spent five days in a cave on a cliff. At that time, he was probably guarding the desert and had gone out as a scout with an elderly general. They were discovered by the enemy and chased all the way to the edge of a cliff. Below was a river. At that time, Zhou Tingxi could not swim, but the old general pulled him down with him. Just when he thought he was going to fall and drown, the old general quickly grabbed the vines in front of him and grabbed Zhou Tingxi's hand. They climbed over the protruding rocks on the cliff and found that there was a cave hidden by vines.

They survived by collecting dew from the vines and wild fruits from the surrounding trees.

At that time, he was sustained by his longing for Xia Yunzhi; otherwise, he would have liked to jump into the turbulent river below and drown.

He kept going because he had promised the crybaby princess that he would go back and marry her.

Zhou Tingxi drew his longsword and cut the vines, but gained nothing.

After falling several meters further without making any new discoveries, Zhou Tingxi became increasingly worried.

The guard holding the rope looked at Zhou Tingxi and couldn't help but say, "General, let's go back. The bottom is unfathomable, and we don't know if there's anywhere to stay. Let's not look anymore."

It was clear that the guard was somewhat frightened. After all, no one knew what was going on down there, and if the rope couldn't hold, they might end up like Shuangru.

Zhou Tingxi pursed his lips and said, "You guys go back first, I'll go down and take a look myself."

The guard asked worriedly, "General, are you sure you can manage on your own?"

He nodded. "Don't worry about me, go back quickly. It's getting dark, you should go back and report the situation."

All the guards retreated, but Wei Hao gripped the rope tightly, not daring to relax for a moment.

Zhou Tingxi descended several more meters, but still couldn't see the bottom. He had no idea how deep the cliff was or how much further he had to go.

She could just hear Wei Hao's shouts, but now they're all drowned out by the wind. She'll be disappointed if she returns empty-handed.

"General...General, please come up quickly!" Wei Hao stood still, holding onto the rope, and shouted down the cliff.

It was completely dark, making the search extremely difficult. To make matters worse, Zhou Tingxi hadn't arrived yet, so Wei Hao began to panic.

He couldn't give Wei Hao any response.

"Wei Hao".

You appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of him.

Her lips moved slightly. "Wei Hao, have you thought it through?"

Wei Hao had no time to worry about anything else. Zhou Tingxi still hadn't come up, and he was extremely anxious. But then You appeared like a death warrant, making him even more flustered.

"You, let's not talk about this for now, okay? The general hasn't come up yet, and we don't know how he is doing."

"Does this matter?" You's voice was indifferent, as if none of this mattered.

Wei Hao shrank back, and said fearfully, "Of course it's important. Besides, Shuangru hasn't been found yet. Can you really put your mind at ease?"

With a trembling voice, she said, "Of course I'm worried, but she's certain to die if she falls. Why grieve over this?"

Wei Hao was completely stunned. In his memory, You had always been a quiet but kind-hearted woman, as pure as moonlight. But now, why did she seem so unfamiliar?

……

"Where's Zhou Tingxi? Has he come back?"

Xiao Mu was both angry and anxious. She was worried that Shuangru wasn't enough, so why did Zhou Tingxi have to go looking for her at this crucial moment, despite all the obstacles? There were so many guards around, why did he have to risk his life?

Does he really want me to owe him something?

Yu Yanjing pursed his lips and silently looked at Xiao Mu. He suddenly began to doubt whether Xie Huai's words were true or false.

Is what You said true or false?

Isn't all of this related to You? First, Xie Huai testified about her relationship with Bai Jiaoyu, and then Shuangru accidentally fell off a cliff.

At that time, there were only the two of them, and no one else was around. Right and wrong were determined entirely by You's words.

Even if what she said was flawless, it still made people suspicious. Why would she want to harm Shuangru?

Why did Xie Huai frame You? What was his purpose? You was just a palace maid, of no use to him, let alone what he could gain from framing her.

……

"Wei Hao, I'll ask you one more time, are you coming with me or not?"

"You, I'm sorry." Wei Hao looked at her helplessly. "In this situation, we really can't do this. Shuangru hasn't been found yet, and the general hasn't responded. How can you expect me to be so heartless?"

"Alright, I won't force you. You wait here for your general. I'll head back now."

You was very disappointed. Wei Hao didn't even give her a chance to take advantage of him. So how was she supposed to take Bai Jiaoyu away from Chaoyang?

She had thought that her position in Wei Hao's heart was enough for him to help her break Bai Jiaoyu out of prison, but she had overestimated it.

Even if he loved her deeply, Wei Hao would never do such a thing.

It's just a pity that Shuangru, this abandoned pawn, has had her life wasted.

What's wrong with her? This isn't the first time she's killed someone, so why does she feel a little regretful? Is it because when she pushed Shuangru off the cliff, those innocent eyes looked at her with such disbelief?

She softened, but still pushed Shuangru down.

Shuangru is a very gentle and caring girl. She always thinks of others and forgets about herself.

Unlike herself, she was exhausted from pretending. She even believed herself to be a good person, but if a drop of clear water falls into ink, can it still be seen as clean as before? Doesn't it all turn black and fall into hell together?

What saddened her was that Wei Hao wasn't on her side. If Wei Hao had said he would take her away without hesitation...

She probably wouldn't kill Shuangru.

Could it be because of Jiang Qi? Has Wei Hao really fallen for Jiang Qi?

For some reason, You can't control her emotions now. She had been pretending very well before, but now she can't keep up the act anymore and wants to tear off the mask.

Now that Shuangru is definitely dead, let them go look for her. What they'll find is just her cold corpse.

"Wei Hao!"

Just as Wei Hao was feeling disheartened, the rope he was holding suddenly moved. He immediately pulled back with all his might, not daring to stop for a moment.

Zhou Tingxi held Shuangru in one arm and pulled on the rope with the other to climb up. Even though it was very difficult, he dared not let go.

He searched downwards without success, then went to the dense foliage on the left, cut off a branch with his sword, and found Shuangru. However, she was already dead. He examined her and found no excessive bleeding, so her internal organs must have been severely damaged.

Wei Hao was a little worried. Would You be very sad if she knew that Shuangru was gone?

Zhou Tingxi and Wei Hao brought Shuangru's body back to the camp, but did not tell anyone else. Instead, they placed it in a hidden place.

"Zhou Tingxi, have you found Shuangru?" Xiao Mu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally relieved when Zhou Tingxi returned to the camp.

She thought that with Zhou Tingxi's skills, he should be able to find Shuangru, but to her surprise, he also returned empty-handed.

"Don't worry, we'll continue sending people to search tomorrow. We'll definitely find it," Yu Yanjing quickly reassured him.

Shen Ruoxuan said, "Why don't Your Majesty and the Empress return to the palace to rest first? I will lead men to guard this place and send more people to search at dawn. The Empress is pregnant, so this camp is not suitable for anyone to stay in."

Yu Yanjing said in a low voice, "Alright." He turned to look at Zhou Tingxi beside him, his eyes flickered as if he had something to say to him, and then walked straight to his side and said calmly, "Tingxi, you tell me the details of how you found the person just now."

With that, he walked out of the tent.

Zhou Tingxi and Wei Hao followed closely behind.

Now that only Xiao Mu and the imperial physician were in the tent, she became increasingly uneasy.

Yu Yanjing stopped and turned to look at Zhou Tingxi and Wei Hao, asking, "Is there anything you want to say?"

Zhou Tingxi paused, then sighed and said, "Shuangru is dead."

"I've considered what the chances of surviving a fall off a cliff are."

"Your Majesty, I dare not tell Her Majesty the Empress, for I fear she will find it difficult to accept. Therefore, I inform Your Majesty first, and ask Your Majesty to decide how to proceed with this matter."

Yu Yanjing smiled and said, "You did a good job. First, have someone take Shuangru back to the palace and let the coroner examine her body properly."

Zhou Tingxi frowned and asked doubtfully, "Didn't Shuangru die from falling off a cliff?"

Yu Yanjing paused for a moment, then said meaningfully, "I haven't verified it yet, so I won't say it for now, lest I wrongly accuse someone."

"Yes." Zhou Tingxi bowed and accepted the order.

When did Yu Yanjing become so considerate of other people's feelings?

I remember the first time I met him was when we were fighting our first battle together. The Snow Kingdom had defeated the Chen Kingdom, and the Snow Kingdom's ruler, who was also Yu Yanjing's maternal grandfather, presented him with a military tally that allowed him to command all the troops in the Snow Kingdom.

Yu Yanjing went to Zhou Tingxi's residence alone, pointed a long sword at his throat, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and coldly told himself, "Return the military tally to my maternal grandfather."

He was probably sixteen or seventeen years old at the time, still with a touch of childishness, with a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes, wearing a crescent-colored round-necked robe. Zhou Tingxi did not recognize him at first, but when he drew the Silver Serpent Dance sword, he was convinced that this was the young prince of Chaoyang Kingdom, Yu Yanjing.

Rumor has it that he was the most beloved prince of the Chaoyang Emperor and the future crown prince. The Silver Snake Dance was a gift from his father, and there was only one of its kind in the world.

In the days that followed, Yu Yanjing would often appear in places in Chen Kingdom where Zhou Tingxi was, and would occasionally shoot arrows at him from the shadows. His archery skills were excellent, and if Zhou Tingxi had not had keen insight, he would not have been able to dodge them.

Until one day, he kidnapped Xia Yunzhi, which was the one time he truly angered himself.

Perhaps it was fate playing tricks on him that led him to return his military tally in such a humiliating way, and now he was bowing down to him in submission.

……

A day passed, and Xiao Mu walked back and forth in Zi Ning Palace, but still did not hear a single word about Shuang Ru's situation.

Yu Yanjing was busy, so she sent Xiao Shao to the palace to keep her company. So, in the middle of last night, Ruan Cifeng sent Xiao Shao to the palace.

Xiao Shao originally intended to enter the palace at dawn the next day, but she was really worried about the Empress, so she asked Ruan Cifeng to ride a horse to take her to the palace overnight.

"Where is You? After what happened, why isn't she serving the Empress anymore? She's become increasingly lazy. I haven't seen her in the palace several times. It's always Shuangru by her side. The Empress has spoiled her rotten." Xiao Shao said to her with dissatisfaction.

Xiao Mu said weakly, "She was also frightened yesterday, so... I let her go and rest."

Xiao Shao frowned and said unhappily, "You're the one who's been frightened. Look at your face, it's really pale. Your Majesty, Shuangru will be alright, so don't worry anymore. Didn't Lord Shen send people to look for her?"

"Okay, I'm not worried. I believe that good people are always protected by heaven, and Shuangru will be fine."

She knew that worrying was useless. Even though she had no appetite, she forced herself to drink a bowl of porridge. She didn't want to eat, but the baby in her belly did.

Little Spoon was very pleased. The princess was no longer as willful as before. Now she could control her emotions and wouldn't make a fuss like before.

Zhou Tingxi told Yu Yanjing that the coroner reported that Shuangru had indeed died from falling off a cliff, with her internal organs ruptured. However, there were slight finger marks on her wrists and neck, which had turned purple, as if she had been choked before falling off the cliff.

Yu Yanjing's suspicions were confirmed.

Shuangru wouldn't have fallen off the cliff for no reason. If no one had pushed her, she probably wouldn't have fallen.

You was very secretive. At first, everyone believed her side of the story because Shuangru was not around, so they listened to whatever You made up.

So even now, she's still pretending to be heartbroken, trying to mislead people and make them think she's the innocent person who lost her best friend.