"Open the door. Open the door!"

A rapid knock on the door broke the silence of the night. The assistant of the inn rubbed his sleepy eyes and headed to the outer residence. The moment he opened the door, he was awakened by the crowd of torches.

"Sir, what's going on?"

An officer rushed in with his subordinates, pushing and shoving at the assistant.

"Who are the people living in your inn? I was ordered to apprehend the criminals of the imperial court. Call out all the guests quickly and let me check them one by one!"

The officer pointed his thumb at the bridge of his nose with an arrogant attitude.

The assistant smiled flatteringly, bowed, and scraped.

"Okay. Okay. Sir, I will lead you the way."

Soon, the guests in the front residence were awakened from their sleep. After careful inspection, they were found not to be the young man and woman the soldiers wanted.

The officer frowned coldly with his arms akimbo, saying to the assistant,

"Are there any other rooms in this inn?"

"There is a loft in the back residence. It is a superior room. It was reserved by a guest before sunset."

"..."

The officer stared at him and then kicked him suddenly, yelling,

"Take me there right now!"

"Okay. Okay. Okay."

The assistant looked pale and frightened, leading the way in panic.

Passing the neck-bottle door and the wall, people could see the storm lanterns hanging high in the lush yard.

There was a two-story loft facing south. On the east and west sides of the wooden ladder leading to the outside on the first floor, there were ten men on each side standing with their arms crossed. They were dressed in suits, looking so cold.

The officer stopped immediately, and his sharp eyes swept over the twenty men with strong physiques quietly.

Everyone could tell at a glance that all of them were good at kung fu.

It can be seen that he didn't chase all the way in vain! He finally caught a big bug!

The officer was ecstatic, walking to the loft. Before he reached half an inch of the stairs, the men in suits on the left and right flocked to block the stairs.

The officer retreated two steps with a fierce look and waved to the rear.

The sharp sound of the unsheathed weapons rent the sky. The assistant fell on the ground with a soft calf and covered his head with his hands in panic.

Nearly a hundred soldiers of the Capital Army rushed to the loft with erected and cold weapons in their hands. The turbulent crowd instantly occupied the yard, and the bloody fight was on the verge of breaking out.

"Stop!"

A clear and cold voice sounded overhead with dignity.

The officer raised his eyes in amazement, and saw a woman dressed up as a foreigner walking slowly down the wooden ladders. Both her dandy embroidered dress and the glittering golden crown on her head showed her high status.

The woman didn't change her expression. She coughed slightly and sharply, and then the guards in suits on both sides separated to the sides quickly, lowering their heads respectfully.

"Who are you?"

The officer paused, and he couldn't help sizing up the woman.

The woman smiled leisurely, turning her head and saying,

"Tell him who I am."

A man walked to the east side of the loft, flew over to the top of the building with a string of orange and red lanterns on it, and tied the flag to it.

The long flag appeared in front of everyone.

The embroidered eagle-head rose in the middle of the red-bottomed and gold-rimmed flag made the officer completely dumbfounded.

He backed up a few steps, and withdrew his right hand in panic which was holding the handle of the sword.

Eagles and Roses were the national treasures of Udan in the western tribes, and the eagle-head rose pattern was a symbol of the Royal Family of Udan.

The officer bowed his head in annoyance, blaming himself for acting too recklessly.

Princess Anhe lifted her dress and walked down the last stairway. She looked at the uneasy face of the officer in silence, and then smiled contemptuously,

"I am the side imperial concubine of King Suoluo of Udan and the eldest daughter of Emperor Chengxi in Da Yi. How dare you come to capture me?"

The officer kept sweating. He licked his lips, knelt down on one knee, and lowered his head to admit his error and ask for punishment.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry to disturb you in the middle of the night. Please forgive me."

Princess Anhe raised her eyelashes and sighed.

"I travel incognito this time. Only when I arrived at the border between the two countries, I heard that His Majesty in Da Yi passed away. He is my younger brother. Since you are here, why don't you take me into the Palace to see him for the last time?"

Her requirement was not excessive.

The officer thought for a while in silence. He was just a small lieutenant in the Capital Army and was ordered to capture the criminals all the way. But he had offended Princess Anhe at this time.

Anyway, she could be considered to be a member of the Royal Family in Da Yi. If he irritated her, she would complain about him in front of the new emperor, and then he would be killed.

So he'd better promise her to avoid trouble.

"I'd like to lead the way for you, Your Highness. Please."

...

The moonlight was like silver, illuminating the lonely Jingyang Palace.

Gu Yunyao was in a white soft dress, walking step by step past the dappled and shaking shadows of light and standing in the night breeze in the courtyard.

A contest for imperial power and the assassination killed the emperor and empress of Da Yi. The people who were still alive in the Palace witnessed the bloody and evil night. But no one dared to talk at this time.

It was true that Gu Yunyao did not love the emperor. However, as long as he was alive, he could be her backer so that she and the Seventh Prince could live a smooth and steady life in the Palace.

At this time, they would no longer live a smooth and steady life...

The night breeze was rustling, making the woman's long hair and dress flutter. She was standing still in darkness like a perfect statue.

Zhao An stood in front of the porch. Staring at the helpless figure in the courtyard, he felt depressed and pain. His heart seemed to be held tightly by someone, who twisted it arbitrarily.

"Master, the wind is strong. Let's go back to the room."

Turning his eyes to look at the sky, Zhao An suppressed the heaviness in his chest and reminded softly,

"It's late. You should sleep now."

"Zhao An, will the new emperor let us go?"

Gu Yunyao raised her slender hand slightly to hold the fallen leaves in the wind in her palm, asking in a pitiful voice.

Zhao An tried to pretend to be okay, and comforted her gently,

"When His Majesty was just a prince, you were very kind to him. Although he is on the throne now, he will remember the past."

Gu Yunyao smiled sadly, raised her pale face slowly, and said in a daze

"Emperors are always the most ruthless men. He has pretended to be stupid for more than ten years and fooled everyone, so it can be seen that he is more scheming than Leng Qingtang."

"Just when Leng Qingtang went to the front line, he instigated the palace change. I'm afraid that when the war in Southern Jiang is over, he will handle Leng Qingtang then."

Although Gu Yunyao was a woman, she was good at analysis and recognition skills, which made Zhao An admire her very much.

He could only sigh deeply,

"I'm sorry to have disappointed you, master. Right now, the Palace is strictly guarded by the Honour Guards and the Capital Army. Even the guards in the Eastern Depot can't take action freely anymore. I really couldn't think of a good way to deliver news to the outside world before..."

Gu Yunyao shook her head and choked out,

"I don't blame you. It's all gonna happen. I'm not afraid of death, but the Seventh Prince has not grown up yet. If I died, I would feel sorry for Sister Xu after death..."

Zhao An wiped his sour eyes with his wide sleeves, and then put on a smile,

"Master, don't be too pessimistic. We can make plans after observing the situation in Funeral Palace tomorrow. Most of the concubines in the imperial harem have no children, but you have the Seventh Prince and an honorable natal family. I think, no matter what, it won't be your turn to be buried with the deceased emperor."

That night, so many people in the imperial harem tossed and turned, failing to fall asleep all night.

The sky was gray and the dark clouds were low. The summer sun was not visible, as if a rainstorm was brewing.

Emperor Jingxiao and Empress Qian in the Eastern Palace died overnight, so the colorful ribbons and palace lanterns were all replaced with white silk ones, and the knell of the turret sounded for a long time. The whole country mourned.

In the Funeral Palace, the smoke spread in all directions along with the whirlwind that pounced through the window.

During the funeral, the red candles were replaced with white ones, and the lanterns were wrapped in white yarn. The white color everywhere pierced people's eyes, and the surrounding was blurred, seeming to be unrealistic.

At the end of the boundless white were the superb coffins made of golden Nanmu, and above it, there were memorial tablets.

Gu Yunyao knelt among the concubines, her figure in mourning clothes looking so thin.

After a round of crying, she was lifted up by the servants along with other concubines and moved to a temporary open-air shed outside the palace to rest for a while.

The Seventh Prince was still a kid, but he was also brought to worship the emperor. Kneeling for nearly an hour, he became tired and unsteady.

Gu Yunyao supported him gently. As soon as she raised her eyes, she saw Imperial Mother Xiao in the front turn back and raise her hand to touch her wet red nose. Her delicate and charming eyes swept over the concubines' faces coldly, and a gleam of light flashed past her eyes.

Imperial Mother Xiao pressed her red lips lightly and covered her nose, ordering,

"Ronghou, read the edict."

The tall eunuch in mourning apparel opened the imperial edict with a rigid face, reading in a shrill and cold voice,

"Since His Majesty is dead, all the concubines in the imperial harem should be buried with him except those with children..."

Before he finished reading, cries rent the sky. After the weak women received the edict, they burst into sorrowful tears and sprawled on the ground.

It happened as expected, but fortunately, those with heirs could escape being buried alive.

Even though Gu Yunyao breathed a sigh of relief secretly, she was shocked by the stunning cries of her surroundings, so her hands and feet turned cold. Her mind was at a loss, and then she was knocked down by the concubines who fainted out of crying behind her suddenly.

The Seventh Prince staggered to her, calling her in a daze,

"Your Grace, get up. Get up quickly."

Gu Yunyao's limbs trembled. Before she got up, she heard Imperial Mother Xiao's cold and frosty voice resounding above her head,

"Come on. Since the Seventh Prince's biological mother has been dead, send the Seventh Prince to Duanben Hall quickly. Concubine Yu have to be buried."