Xiao Jingnan looked up at the sky. The setting sun was as red as blood, staining the clouds scarlet.
His slender fingers brushed through her temple hair. The tips of his fingers were slightly cold, as if carrying the chill of iron armor. "Lock the door tonight. No matter what happens, don't come out."
Li Wanming suddenly grabbed him, on the verge of crying in desperation. "No, no! I still have... the Li family, my elder sisters, and Yiyi..."
He looked at her deeply, his gaze gentle yet firm. "Don't worry. They're not royal relatives, so they'll be fine... We'll also take good care of them..."
The final gesture of patting her on the head was like soothing a frightened little beast.
By the time Li Wanming came to her senses, Xiao Jingnan's figure had melted into the twilight.
The last ray of the setting sun was swallowed by the night, and the sky darkened like spilt ink.
The courtyard was deathly silent. Only the night wind whirled the withered leaves, like the whispers of souls on the battlefield.
The candle flames in the ancestral hall flickered, casting distorted shadows on the floor tiles, as if criss - crossing sword lights and saber glints.
Xiao Jingnan was gone.
Li Wanming slumped to the ground in the ancestral hall and couldn't get up for a long time.
Why did he come back today?
Apart from repentance, it was also a show for Empress Dowager Kang!
When Kang entered the palace, he was already there.
With such a big incident happening in the family, it was only reasonable for him to come home and take a look. Only in this way could he dispel the empress dowager's doubts.
It was a pity that neither Kang nor the empress dowager could have imagined that Kang's entry into the palace had given them such a wonderful excuse.
The practice of black magic and witchcraft, which disrupted the inner palace, was deeply loathed in every dynasty.
Yet Kang dared to enter the palace openly, seeking the empress dowager's protection with the stigma of "using black magic to harm her own nephew"!
What did this indicate?
It indicated that the wind of witchcraft had already spread into the palace!
Kang's visit was not only a suicidal act but also handed them a perfect weapon.
The night wind suddenly turned cold, and the chill seeped in layer by layer.
"Qinglan!" Li Wanming slowly stood up, tightening the collar of her robe. She said in the calmest tone, "Let's go. It's time to set the dinner."
During dinner, she swallowed the food mouthful by mouthful. Although she couldn't taste a thing on her tongue, she still forced herself to eat. She couldn't panic, and even less could she let others detect anything amiss.
After that, she went to the Princess of Ning's room to pay her respects as usual.
The lamp was dim. The Princess of Ning still looked unwell. She leaned listlessly on the soft couch and seemed reluctant to talk.
Li Wanming sat there for a while and then got up to take her leave.
But as she turned around, she clearly felt a meaningful look stabbing into her back.
She looked back in horror, only to see that the Prince of Ning had already turned his face away. "Your mother is fine. The doctor said that with proper care, she'll recover."
His voice was calm.
Calm to the point of being eerie.
Li Wanming lowered her head meekly and responded. By the time she exited the room, a cold sweat had already broken out on her back.
Did he know?
She didn't dare to think, nor did she dare to ask. For a crime that could lead to the execution of nine generations of one's family, the less one knew, the longer one would live.
In fact, Xiao Jingnan had never fully confided in her. She could only guess everything.
Back in Shiyongzhai, Li Wanming immediately ordered Qinglan and Nanny Song to lead people to patrol the mansion. Every door and window must be tightly locked.
On the pretext of "the witchcraft disaster and the unrest in the capital", she also dispatched two more shifts of night - patrolling servants. She even went to the armory in person to check the weapons.
After arranging everything, she summoned Gao Yong and asked straightforwardly, "How many elite black - armored cavalry did the heir leave in the mansion?"
Gao Yong's face darkened. "Two hundred."
Li Wanming's heart sank. There were a total of three hundred black - armored cavalry, but Xiao Jingnan had left two hundred in the mansion. That meant he only had a hundred personal guards with him... Was he crazy?
She suppressed the surging fear and said coldly, "It won't be peaceful tonight. Tell everyone to stay alert, put on their helmets and armor, and never let go of their swords."
Gao Yong gave her a deep look, clasped his fists, and left to carry out the order.
The first half of the night was deathly quiet.
It was not until the first watch gong sounded that a scarlet blaze suddenly flared up in the western sky.
The fire soared into the sky, making half of the night sky look like blood. Immediately afterwards, in the distance came the clanging of swords, the howling of warhorses, and the faint shouts of killing, approaching like a tide.
"Qinglan!" Li Wanming suddenly pushed open the window. The cold wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder, rushed in, making her eyes redden from the choking.
Qinglan quickly stepped forward, draped a brocade robe over her, and whispered, "Everything in the mansion has been arranged properly. The front and back gates are locked, the side gates are guarded, and the weapons in the armory have been distributed."
Li Wanming tightly grasped the window lattice, her fingernails almost digging into the wooden seams. The distant fire reflected in her eyes like two dancing ghost fires.
It had begun.
It had finally begun!
...
A coup.
Throughout the dynasties, it was a crime that could lead to the execution of nine generations of one's family.
Although Xiao Jingnan's coup was a bit strange, as it was authorized by Zhao Yanke, which was like "rebelling against oneself", it was still a coup.
Once the sword was drawn and the blood was shed, there was no turning back.
The conflict between the empress dowager and the emperor had long been on the verge of breaking out, reaching a point of irreconcilability. If he hadn't been forced into a corner, why would Zhao Yanke have made a long - distance raid to the southern border, risking his life in a battle to gain a chance to catch his breath?
Li Wanming had not never thought about this day. She just always harbored a glimmer of hope, hoping that Empress Dowager Kang would be sensible and step down, hoping that the transfer of power would be more gentle...
But fate was never kind.
Less than a month after returning to the capital, the sword was already at her throat.
"Qinglan, Chuntao!" Li Wanming pushed open the door and rushed out. The night wind, carrying the shouts of killing in the distance, blew in. Her voice was extremely tense. "Follow me to Jujing Hall! Protect Father and Mother!"
There were no candles lit in Jujing Hall. Only a few torches stood there menacingly. As the firelight danced, the figure of the Prince of Ning stood like an iron tower.
He was clad in a black armor as hard as iron, and the long spear in his hand emitted a cold light. Seeing Li Wanming rushing in, he tossed a short knife to her.
"Take good care of your mother. The rest of you, follow me to defend the outer courtyard!"
Inside the main room, the Princess of Ning leaned against the head of the bed, her fingertips tightly wringing the handkerchief.
In the candlelight, her face was as pale as paper, but she forced a smile. "I'm useless. I'm not as capable as you. Go and do your work. Don't worry about me..."
"Mother." Li Wanming placed the knife at the door, stepped forward, and grabbed her hand. She softened her voice and said word by word, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay in this courtyard and guard you. If Jingnan were here, he would surely do the same."
The Princess of Ning suddenly broke down and burst into tears. "I'm sorry for Jingnan... It's all my fault..."
Li Wanming hugged her in her arms and gently stroked her back. "Mother, it's okay. It's all over... It will all pass..."
After finally soothing the Princess of Ning, she picked up the knife and stepped into the courtyard.
The night wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder, blew towards her. The distant fire had already dimmed, and the thick - ink - like night had once again enveloped the surroundings, making it even more terrifying.
The sounds of fighting outside the courtyard wall gradually weakened, with only the occasional sound of horse hooves. Every sound made Li Wanming's heart skip a beat, and the hand holding the knife couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Suddenly, the earth - shaking shouts of killing rose again, even more intense than before!
Li Wanming was startled, and the short knife in her hand almost slipped out.
"Princess Heir!" Gao Yong came to report. His armor glistened coldly in the moonlight. "It's the Imperial Guards!"