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Amidst the battle at the front, Shen Ning and Consort Ying met face to face.
The delicate face before her was too young and too unfamiliar. Thus, when Consort Ying heard her words and rode through the crowd to see Shen Ning for the first time, she instinctively paused, then scrutinized Shen Ning from head to toe with inquisitive eyes, hiding her anticipation and extravagant hopes, and asked indifferently, “Who are you?”
Shen Ning sat upright on her horse, her expression calm and composed, her demeanor steady and cool, unlike what one would expect from a girl her age.
“Who do you think could shoot three Cloud-Piercing Arrows?” she raised an eyebrow.
Consort Ying was shaken, disbelief flashing in her eyes.
The sounds of slaughter, shouting, and the sharp, grating noise of weapons clashing were a chaotic symphony in their ears, yet Consort Ying only stared fixedly at Shen Ning, as if examining whether she was truly that person or just pretending to be mysterious.
“You opened the city gates, which proves you believe in me, doesn’t it?” Shen Ning rode forward and sighed softly, “A’Ying, I’m back.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Consort Ying’s eyes suddenly turned red: “How… how can this be? You… how could you…”
“Perhaps it’s because I died too unjustly, and the King of Hell allowed me to return for revenge.” Shen Ning smiled with relief, “So here I am.”
Consort Ying could no longer hold back, nimbly dismounting from her horse.
Shen Ning followed suit, and the two embraced tightly.
“Nearly three years have passed, it must have been hard for you.” Shen Ning closed her eyes gently, suppressing the intense emotions churning in her heart, her voice controlled and restrained, “How are the other three?”
Consort Ying stiffened, her face turning pale: “They’re all dead.”
Shen Ning paused, looking down: “Why?”
“Ruoshui and her husband were killed by the Emperor on charges of treason.” Consort Ying’s voice was dull, filled with bone-chilling hatred, “Yu died during childbirth, both mother and child perished.”
Ruoshui and Yu were two women who had been arranged in marriages.
Shen Ning’s lips tightened. Despite being prepared, she still couldn’t control the urge to tear Yan Yunshuo to pieces.
Shen Ning responded with a sound of acknowledgment: “What about Yunyue?”
Consort Ying lowered her gaze, silent, a mocking curve briefly passing over her lips: “She fell in love with the Emperor and gave birth to a prince. She died at the hands of the Empress last year in the twelfth lunar month.”
She paused, “I am the only one among the four who survived. Once in the imperial harem, there is no choice but to compete for favor. However, once favored and pregnant, one becomes a thorn in the Empress’s side, so I secretly took medicine. I will never be able to have children in this life.”
The struggle for favor among the women of the deep palace has always been a fight to the death, with the losers facing either a loss of favor or even their lives, while the winners enjoy glory and riches.
She couldn’t bear the Emperor’s child because the Empress would not spare her.
In the Emperor’s harem, martial prowess alone was not enough to protect oneself well. A powerful family was a woman’s backing, and as a consort of the harem, the Empress could easily eliminate a concubine.
Unless she posed no threat to the Empress and would not give birth to a prince to challenge the status of the Empress’s son, there was a possibility of living without worry.
Yet, she couldn’t avoid competing for favor, because as a former associate of the Princess, showing no desires or ambitions would not put the Emperor at ease.
Therefore, she had to compete for favor, engaging in a cat-and-mouse game with the Emperor, and becoming infertile was the only way. Moreover, she couldn’t voluntarily take medicine to become infertile, it had to be an “accident”, so that the Empress would never have to worry about her again.
“I have a lot to say to you, but with the imminent attack on the city, now is not the time for talking.” Shen Ning looked at the familiar face before her, her eyes filled with sorrow and relief, “We’ll talk in detail after we capture Yan Yunshuo alive.”
“Alright.”
“All of Yan Yunshuo’s sins will be settled tonight!” After saying this, Shen Ning turned and mounted her horse.
Consort Ying followed suit, her gaze still fixed on Shen Ning’s profile, lost in a daze as if in a dream.
So, after death, one could really be resurrected?
She wondered if Ruoshui, Yu, and Yunyue had any chance of being resurrected.
She was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice Ji Yucang, who had been standing behind Shen Ning the whole time, until the sound of “Hyah!” broke her reverie. She saw Shen Ning flick her horsewhip and gallop towards the city gate, and Consort Ying snapped back to reality, urging her horse to follow.
The officials and soldiers who had come out of the imperial city were almost slaughtered to the last man. The army surged towards the city gate like a tide, and under the city walls, several generals had clearly seen through Consort Ying’s intentions. In a panic, they hastily ordered, “Close the gates! Quickly close the gates!”
But how could they possibly make it in time?
The cavalry thundered, cold and deadly.
With a force that seemed capable of destroying the sun, moon, and stars, they poured into the imperial city, trampling over Nan Dynasty’s last line of defense.
Wherever the cavalry passed, Nan Dynasty soldiers fell one by one. The army advanced like a sharp blade, straight towards the imperial palace!