Cui Yi dismissed all the attendants and addressed the princess, "Now that there's no one else, you don't need to pretend anymore, Miss Sang Duo."
The veiled princess's eyes widened instantly.
"When I heard from Guo Ziyang that you were coming to the capital, I didn't believe it. You and your brother have helped us so much, but now you're on a path of enmity with Chu Ying and me."
Seeing her disguise exposed, Sang Duo dropped the pretense, pulling off her veil and scarf, revealing her true appearance. "So you knew all along."
Cui Yi played with his snuff bottle, unperturbed, "Not only did I know, but this selection was set up just for you. You wanted to sneak into the palace for revenge, but I thought it would be better to confront you openly rather than risk you causing trouble and hurting Chu Ying."
Sang Duo looked extremely ill, almost as if she was seriously ill. Her previous weakness wasn't an act.
She said angrily, "So you set a trap for me? Was it Chu Ying's idea?"
"No, she doesn't know about this," Cui Yi said, "I didn't want her to know. She was saved and protected by you and your brother when she was in trouble. If she knew she had killed your beloved man on White Dragon Ridge, she would never find peace."
Sang Duo fell silent, then slowly spoke, "Chu Ying... is truly fortunate."
Cui Yi nodded, "She is, and so am I. We owe our current lives to you and your brother. Bo Muer risked his life to save me in the desert. Do you know about that?"
Sang Duo looked surprised, "My brother..."
Cui Yi said solemnly, "On the surface, he saved me, but in reality, he did it for you. He despised me, but he accepted because he knew you were on a path to death. He hoped I would spare you."
Sang Duo trembled uncontrollably, "Brother..."
Cui Yi slowly drew a knife from his sleeve—the gem-studded saber Bo Muer left behind on Xian'er's first birthday. Holding the scabbard, he extended the hilt towards her.
Sang Duo was visibly moved, her fingers clutching the veil, refusing to take it.
Cui Yi pressed the hilt closer, "Do it. Stab me in the heart, and your revenge will be complete. As for Chu Ying, Xian'er, and Hao'er, they have nothing to do with you. Please spare them."
Tears streamed down Sang Duo's face, "Why... why are you... able to do this..."
Cui Yi smiled bitterly, "Did you ever hate him for abandoning your sister and choosing you, then later abandoning you for the Hulumtuo princess?"
Sang Duo sobbed loudly, burying her face in the veil.
"I don't mean to insult the man you loved, but deep down, you know the truth. That's why you appeared as Princess Hulumtuo," Cui Yi maintained his stance, "If you think it's worth it, go ahead. Don't worry, I've arranged for Gong Qi to ensure your safe departure after killing me."
Sang Duo cried uncontrollably, tears soaking through the veil, dripping onto her knees.
Cui Yi pushed the hilt out slightly, "I am the emperor, and my word is law. I promised not to harm you, and I will keep my promise."
Sang Duo looked up at him, tear-streaked.
Cui Yi remained calm, as if he had long accepted his fate.
Finally, Sang Duo let out a piercing scream and pulled out the saber—
Meanwhile, in the teahouse outside the palace, Xu Cheng, under pressure from the three women, revealed the whole story.
When Chu Ying heard that Cui Yi was willing to trade his life for Sang Duo's forgiveness, her face turned pale. She rushed out of the teahouse, leaving her children behind.
Xu Cheng tried to explain, "Your Highness, I haven't finished telling the story..."
But Chu Ying had already jumped into the carriage and sped away.
Nian Jiaojiao kicked him, "You messed up! Go after her!"
They hurried after her, but Chu Ying's carriage had already disappeared into the distance.
She thought she had foreseen the future and avoided disaster, but now she realized Cui Yi had chosen to sacrifice himself to appease Sang Duo's anger!
Chu Ying regretted deeply, blaming herself for not foreseeing this outcome.
He had no wings of his own, nor could he fly back to the palace. Cui Yi only knew to trade one life for another, ensuring their mother and son would live in peace for the rest of their lives without disturbance. But did he ever think about how an orphaned mother and child could live peacefully and happily if he were gone? Was he too foolish or simply too infatuated?
After much effort, the carriage finally returned to the palace, where Wan Sheng Palace was in complete chaos. The maids and eunuchs were all crying, and Chi Ying almost fell to her knees. She grabbed the nearest maid and asked, "Where is the Emperor?" The maid sobbed and couldn't answer. Chi Ying's heart instantly turned cold.
At that moment, Du Zhongquan came out and saw Chi Ying swaying unsteadily. He hurriedly approached and said, "Your Majesty, don't be alarmed. The Emperor is fine now!"
Chi Ying: "..."
Du Zhongquan continued, "The imperial physician has already examined him. It's just a minor flesh wound. There's nothing serious. The assassin has been captured by Captain Yang and executed on the spot. The Emperor is resting inside. Would you like to go in and see him?"
Chi Ying took a deep breath and shouted with the loudest voice she had ever used, "The Emperor isn't dead yet! Why are you all crying? !"
All the maids and eunuchs in the courtyard were startled into silence.
Chi Ying angrily pushed through the crowd and strode into the hall. The maids inside knelt down when they saw her, but Chi Ying ignored them and rushed straight to the bed.
"Eh? Why are you back?" Cui Yi was wearing a single layer of clothing and leaning against the dragon bed. He was startled by Chi Ying's sudden arrival.
Chi Ying stared at him for a while, then without saying a word, went up and pulled off his blanket.
There was a patch of red blood on the white inner garment over his abdomen. Chi Ying's eyes immediately reddened. Cui Yi quickly reached out to pull her close. "Don't cry, don't cry—You all leave." The maids left in turn, and Cui Yi then whispered hoarsely, "It's fake! Don't cry!"
Chi Ying felt a surge of grief, but his words made her pause. "What did you say?"
Cui Yi took her hand and sat her down beside the bed, then whispered, "I'm fine. This is just a show for those people outside. Stop crying. I specifically sent you away so you wouldn't know. Why did you come back early?"
Chi Ying didn't want to say that Xu Cheng had betrayed him, otherwise Xu Cheng would surely be fined ten years' salary. So she only said, "I... had a premonition that something bad was going to happen..."
Cui Yi wiped the corners of her eyes with his hand, feeling both heartache and admiration. "Your premonitions are always so accurate. But this time it really was just a false alarm."
Then he told her everything he had planned over the past six months.
As early as mid-April, Guo Mao, who had stayed behind in Liangzhou to clean up the mess, had sent news that Sang Duo intended to sneak into the capital to avenge Cui Jie. At first, Cui Yi didn't believe it. Sang Duo and his elder brother had nothing to do with each other. What kind of revenge could there be? But after reading Guo Mao's detailed account, he discovered that during the time he was recuperating, Cui Jie hadn't been idle either. Using his long-cultivated skills of deceiving women, he had seduced both Sang Duo and Princess Humutuo—the true Danalia—to fall in love with him and even had physical relationships with these two innocent girls.
Hearing this, Chi Ying felt more than speechless. Cui Jie had truly stopped at nothing to restore his power. In her previous life, she had also been one of the deceived. Thinking about it made her feel ashamed.
"According to Guo Ziyang himself, after escaping from Qin Prefecture with my elder brother, they headed north and met Bo Muer and Sang Duo near Chaoyan Mountain. Due to circumstances, they concealed their identities and claimed to be fleeing from enemies. These siblings were always willing to help others and took them in. When my elder brother learned that Bo Muer was the chief of the Buxia tribe, he wanted to recruit him and set his sights on Sang Duo."
Cui Yi sighed here, "Sang Duo is also a pitiful girl, deeply deceived by my elder brother. Later, when my elder brother revealed his identity and hoped that the Buxia tribe would help him, Bo Muer refused. Over this matter, Sang Duo quarreled several times with Bo Muer. Women, once they have a man, will do anything—even scold their own brothers."
Chi Ying's face remained expressionless. "Oh, Your Majesty is implying something about me?"
Cui Yi laughed awkwardly and tried to appease her, "No, no, I misspoke. Do you want to hit me twice as punishment?"
Chi Ying rolled her eyes at him and urged, "Continue, what happened next?"
"Well..."
Like countless women who fell in love, Sang Duo was willing to sacrifice everything for a man. But Cui Jie wanted the support of the entire Buxia tribe, not just one woman. After realizing he couldn't persuade Bo Muer, he secretly left with his men. Only later did Sang Duo discover she was pregnant, leading to another argument with her brother. To avoid tragedy, Bo Muer accompanied her to see Humutuo to find Cui Jie.
By then, however, Cui Jie had become Princess Danalia's consort. Upon learning this, Sang Duo fell seriously ill, and her pregnancy nearly ended in miscarriage.
The subsequent events were mostly known to them. With Guo Mao's help, Cui Jie incited the Western Regions to form an allied army, intending to fight back to the Central Plains. However, he fell into Chi Ying's trap at Bai Longgang and was killed by Cui Yi with an arrow through his chest. The allied army naturally scattered, and Princess Danalia committed suicide out of loyalty. Sang Duo, being seven months pregnant at the time, decided to seek revenge for her lover.
"She looked very pale. After my elder brother died, she probably had no heart to properly recover. I hope she didn't develop any health issues," Cui Yi sighed.
Chi Ying also sighed. Who would have thought that Sang Duo, who had once been like a sister to her, would be deceived and abandoned by Cui Jie, and still risk her life to avenge him? Fortunately, she encountered someone as humane as Cui Yi; otherwise, both mother and child would certainly have faced death.