Chapter 23: Things Go Against One’s Wishes, Emperor Liang

Jiang Qingqing handed the crutches she had brought over to Jiang Yu and pushed two painkillers into his mouth.

“Hurry! Take these painkillers and use the crutches to walk,” she urged.

Jiang Yu looked at Jiang Qingqing, who had appeared so suddenly and then vanished just as quickly. Coupled with everything that had happened before, he was now convinced—Jiang Qingqing must possess some kind of divine power.

His previous doubts had turned into absolute trust.

“Alright.”

Jiang Yu quickly swallowed the pills and, under Jiang Qingqing’s verbal guidance, began using the crutches. His arms trembled slightly from the strain.

The guards who had tortured him earlier had shown no mercy.

Had it been anyone else, they would have collapsed long ago. But he was Jiang Yu, a young general who had been born in Yingzhou and had followed his father to the battlefield at the age of thirteen.

Both his physical endurance and mental willpower far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

“Let’s go, Princess.”

Jiang Yu’s voice was hoarse as he spoke, gripping the crutches tightly. Veins bulged on his arms, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Standing up had been difficult, but once he used the crutches, he realized just how miraculous they were. These two oddly shaped objects actually allowed a man whose legs were nearly paralyzed to walk independently.

Amazing!

As Jiang Yu walked, he lowered his gaze, carefully studying the crutches.

Suddenly, he called out to Jiang Qingqing, who was leading the way ahead.

“Princess, this thing… Can I show it to the craftsmen later?”

Jiang Qingqing turned back, puzzled. “Why do you want to give it to the craftsmen?”

Seeing that there was no resistance in her expression, Jiang Yu felt reassured and explained, “On the battlefield, many soldiers lose their legs in combat. Once that happens, they become nothing more than crippled men, confined to their beds for the rest of their lives.”

“But with this miraculous tool, they could at least live better lives.”

Hearing his words, Jiang Qingqing’s initial confusion turned into guilt.

She nodded.

“Alright. I will ask my father to summon the best craftsmen in Liang to use this crutch as a model and produce thousands—no, tens of thousands—so that any soldier in need can receive one for free.”

These were men who had sacrificed for Liang. As long as it was within her ability, she wanted them to live better lives.

Jiang Yu hadn’t expected Jiang Qingqing to agree so readily.

The words of gratitude he had planned to say stopped in his throat.

Perhaps… it was too soon to be discussing these things.

They weren’t even sure if they could make it out alive.

But this time, Jiang Yu no longer wanted to give up. The string of strange events had rekindled his hope.

“Princess, this time we will make it into the palace and see His Majesty!”

Jiang Qingqing was equally confident.

She would find that secret passage!

---

Outside the Courtyard

Fu Zhengnan’s newly purchased carriage had been waiting there for some time.

It was entirely jet black, pulled by a fine Western Region steed.

Low-profile, yet extremely capable.

Jiang Qingqing was stunned at first sight.

She ran over excitedly and leapt into the carriage. The moment her hands touched the reins, a sense of uncertainty in her heart finally settled.

Jiang Qingqing’s hands trembled slightly as she clutched the small crossbody bag.

It was real.

A real, functioning carriage…

Just as the divine presence had said—whatever she wished for, it would grant her.

Did that mean… she was really going back to the palace this time?

Standing on the carriage, Jiang Qingqing waved excitedly at Jiang Yu. “Jiang Yu, hurry! Let’s set off quickly!”

Not far away, Jiang Yu suddenly quickened his pace, maneuvering the crutches as fast as he could.

For the first time in a long while, hope surged within him.

So this is what people mean when they say ‘Heaven always leaves a way out’…

---

Half a moment later, a low-profile black carriage sped through the wild countryside.

Its wheels crushed the overgrown grass, sending bits of it flying.

Even the strands of autumn wind seemed to carry a hint of warmth.

Sitting inside the carriage, Jiang Qingqing lifted the curtain and gazed outside.

The wind scattered her long black hair, but her peach blossom-shaped eyes gleamed with joy—joy at finally being free.

So this is the remote village where the Empress Dowager tried to imprison me?

But…

She, Jiang Qingqing, had walked out of it!

They would never be able to trap her again.

The Jiang family—she would save them.

The imperial palace—she would storm it.

As for the enemy forces in Yingzhou, and those traitors who had colluded with them—she would make sure they all understood that Liang was no weakling to be trampled on.

“Jiang Yu, head north of the city wall. There’s a hill there, connected to a vast orchard.”

Jiang Qingqing gave Jiang Yu a rough location for the secret passage.

There were no guards stationed there. If they could find the passage, they could go straight to see her father.

But often…

Just when hope is within reach, things take a cruel turn.

Jiang Qingqing found the secret passage.

However, what lay before her was no longer the narrow, hidden stone door she remembered.

The stone wall, once filled with intricate mechanisms, had been blasted apart with explosives. Rubble was strewn everywhere, stained black with dried blood. The scattered stones had completely sealed off the entrance.

Even the ground on the surface felt loose underfoot.

Perhaps… the entire passage had collapsed.

Jiang Qingqing’s steps faltered as she got out of the carriage, walking unsteadily toward the ruins of the passage.

With trembling hands, she touched the dried blood on the scattered stones.

The blood had long since lost its warmth.

She didn’t even know how long ago this had happened.

“Father…”

Jiang Qingqing’s legs gave out, and she fell to her knees.

This secret passage was known to only three people. With her mother missing and herself exiled to the mountain village by the Empress Dowager, there was only one possible explanation for the passage being destroyed.

That meant… her father—the emperor—was in trouble.

Jiang Yu had not expected such a thing to happen.

Staggering out of the carriage, he began inspecting the scene, his brows furrowed in deep concern.

The imperial secret passage was only used by an emperor in times of palace upheaval.

Judging by the sheer amount of explosives embedded within the mechanisms, His Majesty had likely detonated them himself—to block the pursuers behind him.

“Princess, let’s keep looking. His Majesty… may still be alive.”

Jiang Yu lowered his gaze to Jiang Qingqing, who was kneeling on the ground, utterly lost in despair. He tried to comfort her.

Jiang Qingqing did not respond.

Her expression was eerily calm, but her hands, which clutched at the scattered stones, were trembling with intensity. Her head hung low as silent tears fell freely, unrestrained.

Jiang Yu’s heart ached at the sight.

Supporting himself on his crutches, he searched the area, but there was no trace of Emperor Liang.

Looking up, he noticed the sun had already shifted from its peak to the mountainside.

Just as he was about to urge Jiang Qingqing that they should leave, he saw her suddenly bow deeply in the direction of the imperial palace, knocking her forehead against the ground three times.

“Father, it is my incompetence. But today, I swear upon my life that Liang will never fall into the hands of traitors. May there come a day when I can sit with you again in the imperial garden, brewing tea amidst the winter snow.”

No one understood the meaning behind the destroyed passage better than she did.

Her father had once told her:

If, one day, the passage is destroyed, it means that something has happened within the palace—something even he cannot undo. He had instructed her to flee south immediately and seek out the Jiang family army, taking command as the Crown Princess of Liang.

Jiang Qingqing pressed her hands against the ground and slowly stood up.

Lifting her gaze, her eyes were blank and distant as she spoke to the worried Jiang Yu beside her.

“Jiang Yu, let’s go to Yingzhou.”

Jiang Yu hesitated. “Are you alright? Should we enter the city first?”

Jiang Qingqing shook her head.

“No, we go straight to Yingzhou. If the Prime Minister’s men catch up to us, we won’t get another chance to escape.”

---

Inside the Dark Imperial Hall

Emperor Liang, Jiang Yanting, sat upon the high throne, clad in a jet-black embroidered robe.

His sharp, finely chiseled features were cast in shifting shadows under the flickering candlelight. The moment his eyes opened, a suffocating aura of authority filled the hall—cold, ruthless, and bloodthirsty.

Before him stood the twelve elite royal shadow guards.

Dark One, the leader, bowed with his sword in hand and reported the latest news.

“Your Majesty, the princess has just found the entrance to the secret passage. Should we… bring her back to the palace?”