She raised her head, hugged Gu Zhi Xiao tightly, and the two of them looked at nothing but focused on the steps below. 

There, Gu Nan Yi leisurely passed by Ning Cheng, who was in the middle of a fierce fight, casually tore off a piece of Ning Cheng’s clothes, and walked towards them as he wiped his sword. 

The struggle for the royal lineage of Xiliang came suddenly and ended with equal lightning swiftness. 

Of course, this was also much thanks to Lu Rui’s long preparation. It has to be said that he had hidden himself extremely well— it is always easier for a brother to betray you than for an enemy to do so. 

Without the influence and power he had built over all the years, without the patience and pretence to gain Yin Zhi Shu’s trust, and without his control over a portion of the palace, on that fateful day, Feng Zhi Wei would not have been able to enter and leave the palace so easily, nor could Ning Cheng been able to smash a corpse down in front of the Grand Hall without being besieged by thousands of imperial troops. 

The key to capturing the bandits is always to capture their king. Once the Regent fell, most of his faction was eliminated right in the Grand Hall. The ten thousand soldiers of the Longlie Battalion, who had already reached Yongkang Gate, immediately turned right back. 

Since Lu Rui had thought of killing the Regent, he had naturally made thorough preparations for the aftermath. He busied himself with organizing court affairs, hunting down the Regent’s remaining followers, reclaiming military power, screening officials, purging factions…a whole mountain of work. Feng Zhi Wei didn’t concern herself with any of it, letting him busy himself to his heart’s content. All she needed to do was to protect Zhi Xiao. 

In her view, for Zhi Xiao to sit securely on the throne as Xiliang’s Empress, it would by no means be as simple as just sitting in the dragon seat. First, she is a girl. There are already some conservative old ministers who have raised objections, pointing out that Xiliang had no precedent of a woman inheriting the throne. Yet as the only surviving royal heir of Xiliang, if Zhi Xiao did not take the throne, no one else was qualified to sit on it either. That meant Xiliang’s royal family’s rites regarding royal succession must be amended—- As the Minister of Rites of Tiansheng, Feng Zhi Wei knew well that revising major statutes concerning royal succession was always the most time-consuming affair. A group of old men on the verge of becoming antiques would hold meetings, discuss, debate, and reach no conclusion. They would meet again, discuss, debate…it would take at least half a year before any conclusion could be reached. 

Before Zhi Xiao had officially ascended to the throne, there was no way she dared to simply leave her in the hands of Lu Rui and Consort Mi. 

After much deliberation, Feng Zhi Wei decided to just stay. She first sent word to Yao Yang Yu, Chun Yu Meng, and others who were waiting at the border, explaining that she had been kidnapped by assassins from Dayue and suffered minor injuries, making long travel inadvisable. She requested that the other envoys return home first while she remained behind to recuperate and to return after she had healed. She deliberately shifted the time of her “return” from being kidnapped to after the Regent’s death. When Yao Yang Yu sent back her letter to Tiansheng, the Emperor, as expected, agreed to her delayed return. And so, she then leisurely stayed. 

As for the matter of her adopted daughter ultimately becoming a royal heir of Xiliang, Feng Zhi Wei knew this matter could not be kept from the Emperor of Tiansheng. She therefore carefully considered her words, picked out the parts that could be shared, and explained how the whole thing came to pass. Not long after her confidential letter reached Tiansheng, the Emperor sent back his reply. His tone was very kind and showed no dissatisfaction, seemingly rather pleased with this dramatic outcome, and expressed that the two empires could forge a better relationship thanks to this connection with Feng Zhi Wei. The old emperor showered her with many words of praise and bestowed numerous precious medicine but he did not promote her rank. 

Feng Zhi Wei guessed that, on one hand, the emperor now harbored an extra layer of concern regarding her connection to Gu Zhi Xiao and did not wish to elevate her status any further. On the other hand, the emperor still wanted to use her— According to Tiansheng custom, once someone was promoted to the rank of Duke, they could no longer hold an active imperial court post and would have to retire home. 

This result actually made her sigh with relief. It seemed that the emperor still wished to keep making use of her. Who knew if perhaps Ning Yi did anything behind the scenes? 

Thus, she then temporarily became a guest minister at Xilaing. Taking advantage of the fact that the enthronement had not happened yet, she would often take the future empress out. They would go hunting and boating. King Helian personally made a small hunting bow and would often accompany his Living Buddha to hunt rabbits. According to the Wei household’s usual practice, the bow was, of course, poisoned as well. 

A month later, just as the revision of the rituals and law entered the final round of voting, Helian received a letter from the grand Consort Mudan, ordering “Ji Gou’er” (Helian’s nickname- lucky dog) to immediately, at once, without delay, scram back. The winter was fast approaching, and the grassland required its king’s return to arrange provisions and preparation. King Helian feared neither heaven nor earth, but two women. His mother and his consort. And so he was promptly dragged by his mother, kicked by his consort, and headed back to the grasslands in a tearful haste. 

The day he left, the weather was just turning cold. The post station was bleak and desolate. Young Master Gu came carrying Gu Zhi Xiao to see him off, followed by a long line of guards. Ignoring Gu Zhi Xiao’s resistance and Young Master Gu’s displeasure, Helian grabbed her and planted a fierce kiss on her cheek. Then, wiping his mouth, he let out a long sigh, “Better seize the chance. Every hug now is one less in the future.”

Gu Zhi Xiao kicked her little foot against his stomach and retreated back into her father’s arms. Helian let out a belly laugh before tugging Feng Zhi Wei, “See me off.” 

The two of them walked slowly in the woods that were devoid of people. Not only did the Seven Braves not follow after them, even Gu Nan Yi did not come. It seemed they all understood it was not easy for Helian to come all this way from the grassland, so they wanted to grant him this farewell with some peace and quiet. 

The forest floor was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves that made a rustling sound every time someone stepped on it. The setting sun slanted across the treetops, casting a fiery brightness over Helian’s brows and eyes. Feng Zhi Wei tiptoed and personally fastened the ties of his cloak, and said with a smile, “You came all this way just to go right back like this. Aren’t you afraid of how troublesome it is.” 

Helian looked at her, and the words “As long as I can see you, it’s no trouble at all” came to his lips but were immediately swallowed. Somehow, he had always felt it was all teasing. He would speak in jest, and she would reply in jest. But suddenly, he didn’t want to keep joking to the very end. Every word he said was from the heart, but because they were purposefully coated in laughter, they all ended as mocking jests. 

He suddenly reached out and gently enclosed her hand in his. 

For a brief instant, he felt the hand between his fingers stiffen slightly, then immediately softened again. Like a startled dove that had calmed back down, resting silently and gently in his palm. 

A gentle tenderness welled up in his heart as he looked into the woman’s misty eyes, he said softly, “Zhi Wei…”

Feng Zhi Wei didn’t move. She lifted her eyes to meet his. 

“Are you tired?” Helian had never hesitated when he truly wanted to say something, “I always feel that you are very tired…Come back to the grassland with me. Let me protect you for the rest of your life, would that be all right?” 

All at once, their surroundings seemed to fall silent. In the distance, one could hear the faint hooting of Gu Zhi Xiao’s little owl, Xiao Qi. 


　All text copyright @www.Ninja-Reflection.com  　

ps. I am crying. This will make sense later, but I seriously have not come across a more perfect secondary male lead than Helian in all my drama watching and novel reading.

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