Yu Zixi closed his eyes slightly and said with difficulty into Wei Dongling's ear, "Dongling, I still want to see my mother one more time..."
"Okay!" Wei Dongling felt extremely sad, and two streams of hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She clumsily took off her black coat and tightly tied it around Yu Zixi's chest. Wiping away her tears messily with the back of her hand, she nodded and replied, "You wait here! I'll go and fetch Lady He right away for you to see! Wait for me!"
Yu Zixi was extremely weak at the moment and simply couldn't withstand the journey. Without a second thought, Wei Dongling let go of him, stuffed the ghost - face mask into her bosom, and rushed like the wind towards the Forbidden Palace.
Li Mingyang, the prince of Xiliang, saw the Fifth Princess being rescued by the Flying General wearing the ghost - face mask. Without hesitation, he leaped onto the eaves and chased after them in a hurry. But after a long while, he couldn't find the figure of Murong Wanlin. All he saw were two people he didn't recognize fighting fiercely on the roof, punching and kicking each other.
Li Mingyang looked around, then casually picked a direction and groped his way away.
Murong Xuan was beaten pitifully. When he saw Prince Mingyang coming, he wanted to cry for help loudly. However, He Jingyao's punches and kicks didn't give him a chance to speak. With a bruised and swollen face, he could only watch Li Mingyang rush over and then rush away with his swollen eyes.
Fortunately, not long after, Uncle Li also leaped onto the eaves.
When Murong Xuan saw someone coming, he was overjoyed. Regardless of who it was, he made a series of indistinct whimpering sounds.
Uncle Li heard the commotion here. He stepped forward and grabbed He Jingyao and Murong Xuan. Taking a closer look in the moonlight and recognizing that it was them, Uncle Li grabbed He Jingyao by the neck without hesitation and asked, "Why is it you? Where's my Miss Wei?"
Hearing him ask about Wei Dongling, the enraged He Jingyao got even angrier. He punched Uncle Li in the face and roared, "Li Lang! Don't think I'm afraid of you!"
Uncle Li grabbed He Jingyao's arm and twisted it backward, almost dislocating his arm. He Jingyao immediately cried out in pain and cowered.
The stars all over the sky corresponded to the tiny sparks in the Taiji Palace, standing out especially in the dim night. Wei Dongling was in a state of panic. She used all her speed to step on the eaves, skim over the treetops, and rushed in the dark towards the Forbidden Palace, stepping on the overlapping eaves and tiles of the palaces.
She skillfully climbed in through the window into Lady He's room. Nanny Sun was so frightened that she asked in surprise, "Who is it?" Then, she tremblingly lit a candle in the dark.
When Nanny Sun saw Wei Dongling, pale - faced and covered in blood, her legs went weak with fright. She asked in shock, "Miss Wei? What happened to you?"
Wei Dongling's tears rained down as she urgently called out, "I'm fine. I'd like to ask Lady He to come with me!"
Lady He, lying on the couch with a pale face, agreed. While putting on her clothes, she asked Wei Dongling, "Miss Wei, I heard that the emperor has passed away. Is it true?"
"Yes!" Wei Dongling nodded. She stepped forward to help Lady He get dressed, then quickly gave a few instructions to Nanny Sun, and then dragged Lady He out of the door in a hurry.
Wei Dongling walked as fast as the wind, quickly shuttling among the eaves of the palaces. Seeing that the night wind made Lady He cough continuously, Wei Dongling's eyes were blood - red as she choked with sobs, "Please bear with it a little longer, Lady He. I'll take you to see Yu Zixi right away. He's seriously injured. He just told me that he wanted to see you..."
Lady He's body trembled, and her long eyelashes fluttered slightly. She asked anxiously, "Zixi is injured? What's going on?"
Wei Dongling sobbed uncontrollably, "I'll explain it to you later..."
A sense of foreboding gradually rose in Lady He's heart. Seeing Wei Dongling in a state of panic, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Wei Dongling carried Lady He and quickly returned to the quiet courtyard just now. Her feet landed steadily on the rocks of the rockery.
As soon as Lady He stood still, she heard Wei Dongling cry out in panic, "Where is he? Zixi! Zixi! Yu Zixi!"
Lady He supported herself on the rock and followed to take a look. She saw Wei Dongling looking around in a hurry. But apart from the two of them, there was no sign of anyone else nearby.
Where had Yu Zixi gone? He was so badly injured that it was difficult for him to even walk. How could he have run around? Could it be that he had been taken away by someone?
Lady He squatted down to take a look. By the faint moonlight, she saw a dark liquid on the rock. She tremblingly reached out her hand to touch it, rubbed her fingers, and brought it close to her nose to smell. Immediately, she slumped down and sobbed softly.
Wei Dongling searched the entire courtyard and even searched all the surrounding rooms one by one, but she couldn't find Yu Zixi's figure. A sense of despair gradually rose in her heart. The scene of Shangguan Yun leaving her kept replaying in her mind. Thinking that the same thing was happening now, Wei Dongling sat down on the ground and howled.
Wei Dongling was in floods of tears, hugging her knees and crying her eyes red. Lady He came over and gently hugged her, saying in a low voice, "Thank you, Miss Wei."
Wei Dongling stopped crying and looked at Lady He while still sobbing. She didn't even dare to mention that Yu Zixi's serious injury was accidentally caused by Lady He's younger brother, He Jingyao.
"Miss Wei," Lady He murmured with tears in her eyes, "Although I'm worried about Zixi's uncertain fate, I'm very comforted to see a woman like you who has him in your heart accompanying him. Don't be sad. I believe that he'll be blessed." If not, what could she do since it was the will of heaven?
Wei Dongling felt extremely bitter and at the same time blamed herself secretly. She hadn't always stood firmly by Yu Zixi's side. After hearing the news that he was going to marry Qi Jinxuan, she had forcibly suppressed all her yearning for him.
At this moment, Lady He was Yu Zixi's biological mother. She should be more grief - stricken! How could it be that an elder like her was coming to comfort her instead?
Wei Dongling choked with sobs, "Lady He is absolutely right! Zixi will surely be blessed!"
The two supported each other and stood up. They carefully searched the courtyard again. On the rocks, on the treetops, and even by the pool, Wei Dongling searched every corner carefully, but still didn't see Yu Zixi's figure. A reflection of the fire was on the pool. Wei Dongling quickly looked up and saw a raging fire in the direction of the Taiji Palace.
Wei Dongling was shocked. She quickly dragged Lady He towards the Taiji Palace.
The two stood on the eaves and looked into the distance. The glazed tiles of the main hall of the Taiji Palace were ablaze. The fire crackled, illuminating the surroundings like daytime.
The ground was full of corpses. The crossbowmen lying in ambush on the palace walls were almost out of ammunition. The soldiers from all sides on the open ground were still fighting bravely. The sounds of clashing weapons, cries, and screams were continuous.
Seeing the countless casualties, Wei Dongling felt extremely sad. If sitting on that throne required so many people to pay with their lives, she only felt it was extremely desolate.