Amid the harsh explosions of fireworks, the Empress and her companions raced straight toward the palace gates. Just then, a group of riders charged toward them at full speed.
“Your Majesty!”
The eunuchs clustered tightly around the Empress cried out shrilly as they supported her.
They had fought their way here with hearts steeled for death – yet who could truly resign themselves to it? Even in seeking death, what they truly sought was a sliver of hope.
Just when escape seemed within reach, new predators lay waiting in silence.
Their voices trembled, and their bodies shook uncontrollably.
The approaching riders clattered forward, their armor gleaming, crossbows glinting coldly in their hands. Their horses galloped onward without pause.
“Seize the Empress!”
“Loose the arrows!”
Shouts closed in from behind.
“Loose the arrows!”
The same order came from the riders ahead.
Eunuchs and palace maids screamed as they formed a protective circle around the Empress.
Amid the whistling of arrows, projectiles shot past them, and agonized cries rose from behind.
Suddenly, the Empress’s spirits lifted. She raised her head and straightened her posture – the riders had already swept past them, forming a barrier against the pursuers from within the palace.
Were these the allies Duke Jin’an had mentioned, stationed at the palace gates?
Before she could ponder further, more figures approached from the direction of the imperial avenue.
“Your Majesty.”
A man’s voice rang out.
The Empress looked over – it was none other than Zhang Chun.
And not just Zhang Chun. More officials were hurrying toward her as well.
Finally… finally, it was over.
The Empress felt her legs go weak. Glancing around, she saw that out of the dozen or so eunuchs and palace maids who had been with her, only four remained – all wounded, utterly exhausted, and slumped on the ground, gasping for breath.
“You… how did you…” the Empress began, her teeth still clenched from the frantic rush. Now, in the sudden release of tension, they chattered slightly.
“Your Majesty, we saw the fireworks and suspected something was amiss, so we came at once to investigate,” Zhang Chun replied, stepping forward to answer.
The Empress froze for a moment, as did those behind her.
Fireworks?
Hadn’t the fireworks just gone off?
Even if they rushed over as soon as they saw them, they couldn’t have arrived so quickly.
Still, if they explained it that way, everything would make sense – otherwise, someone might question why they were gathered at the palace gates in the middle of the night.
Truly worthy of Zhang Jiangzhou – lying and deflecting blame came as naturally to him as breathing.
“Yes, indeed,” the others quickly chimed in, nodding earnestly. “Your Majesty, what on earth has happened?”
The Empress drew a deep breath and pointed toward the palace behind her.
“Gao Lingjun and Chen Shao plotted to harm the Crown Prince! They sealed the palace gates and are holding the Empress Dowager hostage! Hurry and protect Her Majesty!”
She cried out loudly.
“Protect Her Majesty!”
…
The door slammed with a loud clang, startling Lady Huang awake. She reached instinctively for the space beside her on the pillow – Fang Jianglin was indeed gone.
“Da-lang!”
She called out, throwing off the covers and rushing outside. The door to the house stood open, and she saw Fang Jianglin standing in the courtyard, his head tilted up toward the night sky.
What now?
Even after moving into the Imperial Armory, was there still someone causing trouble?
Huang Shi instinctively followed his gaze upward – just in time to see a firework bloom against the distant night sky.
“Heavens, who’s setting off fireworks so late at night?”
Finally, it’s happening.
Fang Jianglin stared at the night sky, his expression tense and uneasy. The hands hanging by his sides clenched into tight fists.
At the same moment, in the Li family residence, Li Mao was also gazing up at the sky.
“Master…”
A woman’s trembling voice called out from behind him.
Li Mao turned around to see his wife, her face pale with fear.
“Didn’t I tell you to take the children and hide in the cellar?” he said softly. “Go now.”
“Will… will it really be alright? Please, come with us,” his wife pleaded, her voice choked with tears.
“It should be fine,” Li Mao reassured her in a low voice, forcing a faint smile. “It’s just a precaution. The fireworks from our Li family are renowned for their power. Even if they’re discovered, we can always claim it was an accident.”
As he spoke, he gently placed an arm around her shoulders.
“Hurry now. I’m worried there might be chaos in the city.”
His wife nodded and turned to leave.
Li Mao raised his eyes once more to the night sky.
It was as if he could hear the conversation he once had with Cheng Jiao-niang echoing in his ears again.
“Master, the first time I saw your fireworks, I couldn’t help but think – if they were launched horizontally instead of upward, could they achieve the same effect as a stone catapult?”
“Like your family’s ‘Earth Rats’?”
Yes, Earth Rats were precisely the type of fireworks that exploded brilliantly along the ground.
That one remark had illuminated everything.
“Is there really such a thing?”
“Of course there is. Add some sulfur and lime – but then it wouldn’t be called an Earth Rat anymore.”
“What would it be called?” Li Mao asked, brimming with curiosity and excitement.
The girl before him smiled slightly and raised her hand, miming a throwing motion.
“It would be called a Shaking Heaven Thunder,” she replied, pausing to smile again. “Would you like to see its effect?”
Li Mao gazed at the fading fireworks in the night sky.
“It can launch fireworks high into the air,” he murmured to himself. “But how it would explode on level ground – I may never know. What a pity.”
…
The fireworks at the palace gates were naturally seen by those within the inner court as well. Illuminated by the flickering bursts of light, Gao Lingjun’s face turned deathly pale.
“…Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”
Several Imperial Guards stumbled over, looking disheveled.
“Where is the Empress?” Gao Lingjun demanded sharply.
“My Lord, the Empress used fireworks to blow open the gates. She… she escaped,” one guard reported, his voice trembling. “She alerted the Imperial Guard outside the city walls, and many officials have gathered. We had no choice but to close the palace gates and retreat.”
Fireworks?
“Since when can fireworks blow open gates?” Gao Lingjun roared in fury.
“We don’t know either,” the guard replied, his face still marked by panic. “But they were incredibly powerful – they shot everywhere across the ground, bursting with flames and explosions.”
Fireworks…
Gao Lingjun’s expression darkened as well.
He recalled the weapons mentioned by those who had carried out the ambush earlier.
This girl – she clearly had plans in place long ago.
The thought made his heart pound uneasily.
How could she have prepared so far in advance?
And as for “alerting the Imperial Guard and many officials”…
Those officials were all cunning foxes. At the first sign of trouble, they would have scrambled to stay out of it. How could they have just happened to swarm to the palace gates at this exact moment?
He abruptly turned his head and stared into the palace hall.
“With the gates closed, they can’t enter. The City Watch has over a thousand loyalists guarding the gates in five layers of defense. Even if the Imperial Guards arrive, they can’t just barge in – and besides, mobilizing the Imperial Guard isn’t so simple. Ignore those outside for now. What matters most right now is…” He gritted his teeth and pointed a sharp finger. “To seize this girl who plotted against the Crown Prince!”
As he pointed, Chen Shao, who had been standing silently before the hall, turned to look at him.
“The Empress and those officials will surely accuse us of harming the Crown Prince,” Gao Lingjun said coldly, “but our reasons for harming the Crown Prince are far less convincing than those of Princess Consort Jin’an, who returned to the capital without imperial decree. This girl is still here – her sudden, unauthorized return alone proves her ill intentions. So now, all we need to do is capture her, kill her, and then we can shift all the blame onto her.”
“Kill her.”
Gao Lingjun turned his gaze toward the hall and slowly uttered two words.
The guards stationed around the hall entrance responded in unison.
Men surged into the room as the screams of eunuchs and palace maids erupted, but moments later, several guards were flung back outside.
Under the protection of the guards, Gao Lingjun took a step back and watched as Cheng Jiao-niang walked out.
“Master Gao, your son, Gao Shi’si, is dead,” she said.
Guards clad in golden armor, wielding battle axes and halberds, surrounded Cheng Jiao-niang from all sides. Perhaps they hesitated due to her formidable display moments earlier, or perhaps they awaited Gao Lingjun’s next command.
So, it was her doing after all. Gao Lingjun’s expression darkened.
“There’s no need for you to remind me. I am well aware,” he replied coldly.
“I am not reminding you of that,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “I am telling you that I killed your son – I alone killed him.”
She raised a single finger.
“By myself, I killed Gao Shi’si and his eighteen followers.”
“Eighteen weapons, one for each of them.”
“He died by a flying dart – one dart through the throat.”
As she spoke, Gao Lingjun seemed to see his son’s death scene all over again. His body trembled uncontrollably.
“Lady Cheng, you shouldn’t have done this. It should not have come to this between us,” he said.
“Yes, Master Gao. It should not have come to this between us. You should not have done this,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
The same words, spoken back to him, carried a subtly different meaning.
“Kill her,” Gao Lingjun said, waving his hand dismissively.
As soon as his words fell, the guards lunged forward.
Cheng Jiao-niang did not retreat – instead, she charged straight toward Gao Lingjun.
“Master Gao, I told you – I alone killed your son and his eighteen men. If you think killing me will be easy, you are mistaken,” she shouted, raising her voice.
Her hands clamped around the axes thrust toward her. With astonishing strength, she seized the weapons wielded by two burly guards – each over seven feet tall – holding one in each hand as she surged toward Gao Lingjun.
Gao Lingjun’s face changed.
This girl was not boasting. Her ferocity had already been proven.
Instinctively, he stepped back. The guards shielding him followed, creating an opening in their formation.
Seizing the gap, Cheng Jiao-niang twisted sideways, broke free from the encirclement, and dashed away in long strides.
She ran…
The shameless coward!
Fury surged through Gao Lingjun.
“Archers, crossbowmen!” he roared. “Kill her!”
The third ring of guards stationed farther outside the hall raised their bows and crossbows.
But in the darkness, visibility was poor. Arrows flew like rain, yet the girl leaped and sprinted, vanishing in moments among the layers of palace buildings.
“Even if she grows wings, she won’t escape the palace. After her!”
“Search every hall of the consorts and princesses – leave no place unchecked!”
Only by killing her, only by killing her, would there still be room to maneuver.
They should have killed her long ago.
Gao Lingjun’s body trembled, his hands clenched into tight fists. His usually calm face twisted into a ferocious grimace.
They should have killed her long ago! Then today’s disaster would never have happened!
…
When the fireworks soared into the night sky, Qin Hu stood atop the city gate, looking down at the group led by Duke Jin’an, who still lingered below without dispersing.
“Your Highness, perhaps you should retire to the Qiliting Post Station for now,” he said. “Submit your petition tomorrow and enter the capital openly and honorably.”
Duke Jin’an did not respond.
“Qin Hu,” Zhou Fu urged, his horse circling restlessly beneath him, a note of frustration in his voice. “What exactly is happening in the palace?”
Qin Hu lowered his gaze to meet his and smiled faintly.
“It’s precisely the kind of situation that requires you to guard the city gates night after night, ready to open them at any moment,” he replied.
“If that’s the case, then why did you let her enter the city alone?” Zhou Fu demanded angrily.
“Because she will be safe,” Qin Hu answered calmly, his eyes shifting to rest on Duke Jin’an. “However, if others were to enter the city as well, that might not be the case.”
Zhou Fu gritted his teeth and raised his head to speak again, but suddenly his expression changed.
“My lord, look!”
A soldier on the city wall shouted, pointing toward the night sky behind them.
Qin Hu turned to look.
In the distant night sky, fireworks blossomed one after another.
“Your Highness!” Master Gu and Eunuch Jing exclaimed in unison, also pointing toward the display.
Duke Jin’an pushed back his hood and raised his head to gaze at the night sky.
“What beautiful fireworks.”
As he spoke, a faint smile touched his somewhat pale face, illuminated by the torchlight.
“Liu Ge’er, look – these fireworks were prepared especially for you.”
But Duke Jin’an was not the only one smiling at the sight of the fireworks.
A smile also appeared on Qin Hu’s face.
“See? I told you there was no need to worry. She is safe,” he said to Zhou Fu below the city gate, his tone warm and light. “You simply wouldn’t trust her.”
With the burst of these fireworks, the anomaly within the palace was laid bare before the people. The officials already waiting at the palace gates now had a reason to enter.
The turmoil inside the palace could no longer be concealed. Everything would soon be brought to light, the traitors would face justice – what danger could possibly remain for her?
How could any of you have doubted her?
Zhou Fu had already erupted into furious rage.
“Qin Hu, open the city gates!” he roared. “If you still remember that she once saved your life, open the city gates!”
As he spoke, he snatched the crossbow from his saddle and aimed it directly at Qin Hu.
In response, the soldiers on the city wall immediately raised their crossbows, pointing them back at him.
“Zhou Fu.” Qin Hu’s smile vanished. “It is precisely for the sake of her life that I absolutely must not allow those who should not enter the city to pass through. If they did, she would face charges from which there is no pardon.”
As he spoke, he took up a bow from behind him and drew it taut.
“Zhou Fu, don’t let others deceive you into obstinacy.”
“Qin Hu, your damn leg may have healed, but your mind has gone rotten!” Zhou Fu ground out through clenched teeth, then abruptly released the arrow in his bow.
The arrow shot straight toward the city wall.
“Young Master!”
One of Qin Hu’s personal attendants yanked him aside.
The long arrow cleared the battlements and struck the ground with a sharp spark, skidding across the stone.
In reaction, the soldiers on the wall unleashed a volley of arrows in unison.
“Fall back!” they shouted.
A cloud of dust rose. A row of feathered arrows thudded into the ground just ahead of the group’s horses, their shafts swaying in the torchlight like blossoming flowers.
Zhou Fu, Duke Jin’an, and the others all took several steps back.
“Zhou Fu, I know you’re acting this way for her sake, so I won’t take offense. But others might not understand,” Qin Hu said, his words directed at Zhou Fu, yet his gaze rested squarely on Duke Jin’an. “Do not let others misunderstand – it would not do for people to think His Highness Duke Jin’an is attempting to storm the city and force his way into the capital.”
Just as Zhou Fu was about to retort, Duke Jin’an – who had remained silent and still until now – suddenly let out a soft laugh.
“In that case, how can I not live up to the accusation?” he said, drawing an object from the pouch at his waist.
At the same moment, he extended a hand, and Eunuch Jing beside him swiftly struck and lit a fire-starter.
With a sharp hiss, the item in Duke Jin’an’s hand shot skyward and exploded into a brilliant blossom against the night sky.
“Liu Ge’er.”
Duke Jin’an gazed at the firework blooming in the darkness, a faint smile once again touching his lips.
“This… was something your elder brother prepared especially for you. I just never thought it would be used so soon.”
I would have preferred it never needed to be used, not in a lifetime.
He lowered his gaze, drew his hood up, and let it shadow his face.
“Begin,” he said.
