Chapter 289: Can’t Kill, So Why Seek Aggravation?

The entire assault on Qinzhou took less than an hour.

The cavalry charged from east to west, sweeping past the Governor Mansion and cutting a bloody path straight through the city.

Seeing how the tide had turned, the soldiers left behind by Yue Country and Beicang fled immediately.

King Xian’s soldiers, however, were powerless to resist.

Soldiers of the Silver Armor Guards raised the Emperor’s Dragon Banner, their horses thundering down the main street as they bellowed, "The Empress Dragon Flag is here! Kneel and become subjects of Longsheng! Those who refuse will be killed without mercy!"

"All who see it, kneel! Those who refuse will be killed without mercy!"

"Those who refuse will be killed without mercy!"

Following the cavalry were footsoldiers armed with long spears and bows, marching in their wake to enforce the command.

All who refused to kneel died.

King Xian’s advisors, unable to escape the city in time, blended into the crowds of commoners. They had devised a thousand schemes for King Xian to defeat the Empress and claim the throne, and had uttered countless seditious words against her. But now, to save their own lives, they had no choice but to kneel and grovel.

Xu Nianqing hid in a teahouse upstairs. He had closed the doors and windows, plunging the room into darkness. He poured himself a cup of tea.

Bright sunlight from outside slipped through the cracks in the curtains, casting slivers of light that reflected the deep-seated resentment in his eyes.

He still wanted to see the Empress.

His father had said his mother was well-read, reasonable, gentle, and virtuous. Empress Liu had said she was gentle, kind, and beautiful. But Nanny Hu had called her a shameless madwoman who made his father’s life a misery.

Later, he uncovered the truth. Empress Liu and his father had been having an affair all along. They were the ones who had driven his mother mad and murdered her. He wasn’t even Lu Yanzhi’s son—he was a bastard born after his mother had been violated.

His birth father was unknown. His only blood relative was his mother, yet he had never met her. All he had was a cold, lonely grave.

He longed to see his mother, to know what kind of person she was.

He had imagined her as an arrogant, domineering princess, a madwoman tormented by love, or perhaps, a truly gentle and kind mother.

But when he unexpectedly arrived in the very year he should have been born, he discovered that he no longer existed.

His mother hadn’t given birth to him. Instead, she had killed his father, slaughtered the Lu family, crushed Empress Liu, and even upended the entire Royal Family to become a female tyrant.

The course of events was all wrong, but the people he knew were still the same. Prince Wei, for example, was the exact same person he’d always known, only younger.

The only difference was that his mother, Princess Xuanyang, was alive, while he... had vanished.

’So Mother had a miraculous opportunity, just like me, and returned to before everything happened. I want to see her... but she... she wants me to have never been born?’

CRACK!

He crushed the teacup in his hand. The hot tea scalded his skin and shards of porcelain bit into his palm, drawing blood instantly, but Xu Nianqing seemed to feel none of it.

Nothing could compare to the pain piercing his heart.

He had lost his mother when he was young. His father was cold and severe, while Empress Liu doted on him, showering him with sweet words. But as he grew older, he came to clearly understand the hypocrisy behind her affection.

His father looked at the Crown Prince with more affection than he ever showed him. And though Empress Liu seemed to dote on him endlessly, she would never side with him, not even in the slightest, if it had anything to do with the Crown Prince.

It was Nanny Hu, taking pity on him, who finally told him the truth.

It turned out he wasn’t Lu Yanzhi’s son at all. Empress Liu didn’t love him; she was merely acting out of guilt and pity.

After that, whenever he felt wronged or suffered a setback, he would go to his mother’s grave and linger, as if she were right there beside him.

The path to the throne was arduous. He endured in silence for many years, suffering countless hardships before finally seizing power. But when he looked out from his new height, he was utterly alone.

His only close blood relative was Prince Wei.

But Prince Wei couldn’t say much about his mother, either. His memories were so faint that not even Xu Nianqing, with all his skill in painting, could sketch the barest outline of her face from them.

At the pinnacle of power, he was consumed by an absolute loneliness. He became cold and merciless, with no interest in women. His life’s sole obsession was his mother.

Perhaps the heavens, moved by his obsession, had granted him a dream and brought him here.

’Mother was reborn, just like me. She chose to change the source of her pain, and that meant not giving birth to me. That’s fine.’

’She wouldn’t have to suffer, which means she could live long enough for me to find her.’

’It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t want to give birth to me. As long as she remembers I exist, I can go to her as Xu Nianqing and stay by her side.’

’It’s just... our ages are all wrong now. I might even be two years older than her. I’m afraid I’ll never be able to call her ’Mother’.’

’I suppose there’s no perfect solution in this world...’

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

Hearing the shouts from outside, Xu Nianqing shot to his feet. ’The Empress is here?’

But when he looked, he saw no sign of the Empress. Instead, the Silver Armor Guards spotted him. An arrow flew his way. He dodged quickly, but it still grazed his ear.

The Silver Armor Guards were rushing up. He didn’t dare linger and fled to the backyard, disappearing down a secret passage.

Only after escaping Qinzhou did he learn that the Empress had never even entered the city gates.

The moment Qinzhou’s fall was confirmed, she had led her forces straight back to Taiping City.

’I know that accursed spawn is there, so why would I go? It wouldn’t be easy to kill him right now. And if I fail? I’d just be asking for trouble.’

’A waste of energy.’

’Right, where’s Cen An?’

Two soldiers carried Cen An over. "Your Majesty, Doctor Cen has arrived."

Xiao Li stared at the scruffy, bearded man, barely recognizing him as Cen An. Her eyes fell to his bandaged leg, and she asked in disbelief, "Wait, what happened to your leg?"

Lying on a stretcher, Cen An saw the Empress, alive and well, and was so overcome with emotion that tears instantly streamed down his face. He completely forgot about his own broken leg.

"Your Majesty! Oh, Your Majesty! I’ve finally, finally seen you alive and in the flesh!"

Xiao Li looked at him with disdain. "You’re a grown man. Have you no shame?"

’When Wang Wanqing cries, it’s delicate and endearing, making you want to protect her. This guy’s crying is just an eyesore.’

Cen An paid her no mind, resolutely holding out his hand. "Your Majesty, let me take your pulse. Quickly."

When Xiao Li didn’t move, he urged the Silver Armor Guards, "Quick, carry me over there! Hurry!"

The Silver Armor Guards could only look to Her Majesty for orders.

In the end, Xiao Li deigned to walk over. A Silver Armor Guard immediately offered a stool, and she sat down to take Cen An’s pulse.

After checking one wrist, Cen An switched to the other, his eyes wide with amazement as he stared at Xiao Li. "Incredible. Truly incredible! Your Majesty, how did you wake up?"

Xiao Li said plainly, "I just opened my eyes and woke up."

Cen An pressed on, "Did anything else happen while Your Majesty was unconscious?"

"I think I had a very long dream, but I can’t remember it."

Cen An continued to probe, "Then what made you open your eyes? What was the trigger?"

Xiao Li looked like she wanted to hit him. "Are you here to interrogate me?"

Cen An snapped out of it and quickly shook his head. "I wouldn’t dare."

Xiao Li pointed at his leg. "You still haven’t told me what happened to this."

Cen An’s anger flared instantly. "That moronic son of King Xian! The man has rocks for brains! King Xian was already dead, but he insisted it was just a deep sleep. He kept saying that since Your Majesty could be saved and wait to awaken even in your grave condition, I had to save King Xian too."

"I’m a doctor, not an Immortal! I told him he couldn’t be saved, and he threatened to kill me! The body was already starting to stink, how was I supposed to save him?"