Chapter 401: Chapter 401: Lianhe, I Remember

’It’s a good thing… you didn’t fall in love.’

That way, he won’t be heartbroken when I die.

That kind of heart-wrenching pain is truly unbearable. I never want to experience it again in this lifetime.

So, it’s better this way.

Years from now, when he thinks of Song Lianhe, he’ll sigh for a moment at most.

In his leisure, he might tell his descendants a story:

Once, a woman appeared before me out of nowhere…

And then, the children will yawn and say what a boring story it is.

Heh…

Song Lianhe wanted to laugh, but the mere impulse sent waves of pain through her, as if her body had been dismantled, every bone screaming in agony.

She couldn’t hold on any longer. She buried her face in his embrace, her brow tightly furrowed.

“It hurts… It really hurts…”

In that moment, she felt as if she were back in that familiar hospital room, lying quietly in bed, forced to endure the pain in her body and the slow ebb of her life.

Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes. Her hand fell limp, only to be gripped tightly by another.

“I’m here… I’m here…”

The voice in her ear sounded so distant.

It was like a gust of wind blowing through a valley—hollow, lonely, and liable to vanish at any moment.

She wanted to open her eyes for one last look, but the pain was too intense. All she could do was curl up.

’But I can’t just die like this,’ she thought.

“The antidote… the antidote…” she murmured, using the last of her strength to raise a hand toward her waist.

Then, someone retrieved the object from her.

“Bar… bargaining chip… This is… the bargaining chip…” Her lips moved with great difficulty, unable to form a complete sentence.

’Yan Jiayu’s life was worth the lives of everyone in this city.’

’This was the only gamble I was sure to win.’

That was why she had been measured with the poison, never intending to actually take his life.

Now, this antidote had become her Life-saving Talisman.

With that taken care of, she was finally at ease.

In a daze, the world around her erupted into chaos.

Yet she was held tightly in someone’s arms.

“You can’t die! I forbid you to die!”

Hearing the panic in the man’s voice, Song Lianhe seemed to regain a sliver of strength. She slowly opened her eyes.

Zhou Cangyan’s face appeared in her line of sight. He had grown thinner since they last parted. His eyes were bloodshot, his chin was covered in stubble, and his face was stained with blood.

’He looks so wretched.’

But she was still overjoyed.

’How wonderful… to see him again…’

Song Lianhe smiled, her lips pursed, and a faint light returned to her once-listless eyes.

Her smile was beautiful, but the man’s hands trembled as his grip tightened around her.

He ignored the raging battle around them, the screams and the shouts. The city, revenge—even if the world were to crumble before his very eyes, it felt as if none of it had anything to do with him anymore.

“Zhou Cangyan,” she said, her voice suddenly gentle. “Just pretend I was never here… pretend… you never met me.”

Song Lianhe closed her eyes with a smile.

Zhou Cangyan froze.

SNAP—

A crisp sound echoed in his ears.

Like a pine branch snapping in the snow, like a single pebble tossed into a lake.

It was a soft, crisp sound, but it brought his entire world crashing down.

Holding the woman in his arms, the man let out a soft chuckle.

“How could I pretend you were never here? How could I pretend I never met you?”

Tell me, how?

Zhou Cangyan lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers. The muscles in the arms holding her were strained to the breaking point.

He desperately wanted to hold her tighter, yet he was afraid of hurting her.

“Lianhe… I remember now.”

After a long moment, Zhou Cangyan slowly lifted the woman in his arms.

“SCREECH—”

It was the mournful cry of Chun Hua from high above.

“Sister!”

“Princess Consort!!”

Ah Jun’s cries were heart-wrenching. The woman he called “Sister” had been the only light in his miserable world.

Her eyes rimmed with red, Xuan Mei fought back her tears, all her sorrow transforming into rage. If her lord gave the order, she would sacrifice her own life to avenge the Princess Consort!

“Princess Consort… Princess Consort…”

Gradually, sounds of sobbing arose.

“The Princess Consort did it all to save us…”

More and more people began to weep.

Zhou Cangyan carried Song Lianhe, walking slowly toward the city gate. The tall man had an injury on his leg, and blood trickled down from the wound, making his steps slow and heavy.

Across from them, the soldiers of Nanchen had their bows and crossbows drawn, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

But he no longer cared. He even wished some reckless fool would send an arrow his way.

“Protect the Prince!”

It is not known who shouted it, but the commoners who had been hiding now rushed out, forming a circle around Zhou Cangyan, ready to shield him with their own bodies.

“General, should we…”

The adjutant was uncertain, and he looked back to the man on horseback for instructions.

Yan Jiayu’s gaze fell upon the woman in his arms. She rested quietly in his embrace, her hand hanging limply down. He could see the fair skin of her neck, so slender and fragile.

He lowered his gaze.

“Let them go.”

The adjutant grew anxious. “But the antidote…”

“A woman who would gamble with her own life is not one to go back on her word.”

“…Yes, sir.”

The adjutant raised his hand, signaling to let them pass.

Escorted by the people of the city, Zhou Cangyan carried his Princess Consort’s body until he was outside the city gates.

The Nanchen Army only allowed Zhou Cangyan and Song Lianhe to leave; no one else was permitted to follow.

Zhou Cangyan reached the city gate and suddenly stopped.

“Chun Hua.”

“KEE—”

The goshawk, struggling to circle overhead, dipped its head.

Without needing to be told, Chun Hua knew what to do. It produced the vial of antidote, cast one final glance at Song Lianhe, and then took to the air with unsteady wingbeats.

As Chun Hua opened its beak and dropped the antidote precisely into Yan Jiayu’s palm, the adjutant nocked an arrow and took aim. But Chun Hua, seemingly fearless, did not even glance back as it flew into the black night sky.

Just as the adjutant was about to let the arrow fly, Yan Jiayu raised a hand to stop him.

“It’s a loyal creature. Let it live.”

“Yes, sir.”

The adjutant lowered his bow. “General, what if the medicine is fake? Allow me to test it for you…”

Before he could finish, Yan Jiayu had already placed one of the antidote pills in his mouth.

In moments, color returned to his face.

Yan Jiayu was silent for a moment, then said slowly, “…She wouldn’t stoop to something like that.”

He turned and asked, “What is the situation outside the city?”

“Outside the city…”

Just as the adjutant was about to reply, a messenger ran up.

“Report! Da Cheng reinforcements have appeared to the west of the city!”

The adjutant’s expression grew tense. “How many men?”

“Approximately twenty thousand.”

The adjutant said urgently, “To the west… that’s…”

“West of Sishui City lies Sui Bei,” Yan Jiayu said slowly. “For Luo Fubang to deploy troops without a decree is tantamount to treason.”

Just then, another messenger arrived.

“General! Da Cheng reinforcements have appeared to the east of the city!”

The adjutant’s eyes widened. “To the east? That’s the direction of Chuzhou! It’s King Li Xiang!” he exclaimed, his voice laced with hatred. “That old scoundrel! He clearly promised he wouldn’t send troops!”

Yan Jiayu scoffed, unsurprised. “The weight of his promises is only determined by the size of the wager.”

The adjutant stepped forward and lowered his voice. “General, we still have the city’s population.”

Yan Jiayu didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked down at the small porcelain vial in his hand, the pad of his thumb slowly caressing a single drop of bloodstain on its surface…

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