Among the fallen was also her father, Li Sinian.
"Father..." Li Yaoqin moved to check on her father's condition, but her hands were held tightly. "Don't go into danger."
She froze and looked up, seeing those eyes, so pure they were almost translucent.
"Your Maj... Your Majesty..."
"Stay by my side," Xue Zining said, pulling Li Yaoqin behind her.
"Your Majesty, you..."
Before Li Yaoqin could finish, she saw a group of figures in black fly out from all directions, surrounding her and the Empress.
She was stunned, having never witnessed such a scene, her legs feeling weak.
"Your Majesty, this..." She felt her voice tremble. These figures in black were clearly killers, their presence alone instilled fear in her.
"Xue Yan, protect Miss Li." Xue Zining's voice fell, and Li Yaoqin saw the woman she had only met once before her.
"Your Majesty, I should be protecting you," Xue Yan said with displeasure.
Li Yaoqin felt it was the first time she was so disliked. She said, "Your Majesty, Lord Xue Yan should protect you!"
She felt Xue Yan's gaze could kill her; not dying by an assassin's hand but by someone's glare felt like a poor trade.
"This is an order," Xue Zining stated.
Xue Yan had no choice but to comply. She grabbed Li Yaoqin like a chick and deposited her in a corner, saying, "Don't run around, or if you get accidentally killed, I won't be responsible for rescuing you."
Li Yaoqin quickly nodded, "Lord Xue Yan, rest assured, I understand."
She heard Xue Yan let out a cold snort.
Amidst the clash of weapons, she saw the pregnant Empress moving with agility, engaging the figures in black.
It seemed the figures in black were all targeting the Empress, thus no one paid attention to her.
"Lord Xue Yan, hurry and help Your Majesty. I'm fine. See, they won't do anything to me." Li Yaoqin urged. If anything happened to the Empress, her own life would be forfeit.
She felt Xue Yan had been waiting for these words. The next moment, Xue Yan disappeared into the fray.
Li Yaoqin felt like crying but had no tears. Was she truly that detestable to everyone?
Looking at her father lying on the ground, she went to check his breathing. Fortunately, he had only fainted.
She scanned the surroundings and realized Hua Wang was not present. Where had he gone? Shouldn't he be here protecting the Empress?
Where was he?
However, Li Yaoqin couldn't think of these things at this moment. She saw that the Empress and Xue Yan seemed to be gaining the upper hand.
The long gown, the color of water and sky, fluttered in the whistling wind. Her refined face was composed and cold, her eyes as clear as water, yet as icy as stars.
Every movement she made exuded a sharp majesty.
This was a ruler.
At that moment, Li Yaoqin felt her own jealousy lessen considerably.
Suddenly, two figures, one in black and one in white, entered the scene. With their addition, the assassins were quickly subdued. Many imperial guards rushed in from outside, and in an instant, all the assassins were captured.
The pregnant Empress's robes were now stained crimson, lending her an almost spectral, wild aura.
"Aunt Liu, even now, are you still not going to show yourself?" she heard the Empress's voice, remarkably calm.
Nothing like her own trembling form.
She saw the charming and alluring Aunt Liu had changed into shorter attire and held twin swords. Li Yaoqin was shocked by Aunt Liu's appearance.
"Aunt Liu, you..."
Aunt Liu didn't even glance at her, only staring coldly at the Empress before her and saying, "Xue Zining, you never thought you'd see this day, did you?"
"Should I call you Aunt Liu, or Xue Yunmeng?"
Aunt Liu laughed heartily, tears seemingly streaming down her face. "I haven't heard that name in a long time."
Xue Zining nodded. "Indeed, I too heard it from Yunlan in the past. Hearing this name now evokes a sense of how things have changed."
Xue Yunmeng gritted her teeth at this and angrily retorted, "If it weren't for your father king's death back then, I wouldn't have been exiled. Do you know how much I suffered?"
"I don't know, nor do I wish to know. Xue Wenjie deserved his fate. Dare you say you were all innocent?" Xue Zining said coldly.
Xue Yunmeng sneered, "Since that is the case, there is no point in saying more."
Xue Yunmeng, holding her long sword, lunged forward.
Hua Yunjin stepped forward and said sternly, "Xue Yunmeng, your people have been apprehended by this king. Now, you had best lay down your weapons, or else..."
Xue Yunmeng sneered, "Lay down my weapons? Dream on. My Xue family only knows how to die on the battlefield, never to lay down their weapons."
"Is that so? Then I must offend." Hua Yunjin leaped forward, and within a few exchanges, knocked Xue Yunmeng's weapon to the ground.
Xue Yunmeng was pinned to the ground, yet she continued to laugh wildly. "Xue Zining, you think you've won? You're wrong. You haven't won at all. I imagine my dear younger brother has already beheaded your beloved by now?"
Xue Zining's gaze turned cold. "What do you mean?"
Xue Yunmeng laughed, then suddenly blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Xue Zining anxiously said, "Don't let her die."
Hua Yunjin stepped forward and clamped down on her chin, but it was too late. He shook his head at Xue Zining. "Your Majesty, it's too late. She has already taken poison."
Xue Zining walked forward step by step, looking down at Xue Yunmeng. "What happened to Xue Jingyun?"
Xue Yunmeng looked at her, a sinister smile on her face. "I... I won't tell you. I want you to live in pain forever..."
"Then you have no need to live either," Xue Zining said coldly. With a swift sword stroke, her head rolled to the ground.
"Your Majesty..."
Xue Zining shook her head. "She wouldn't have told me."
Hua Yunjin said, "I know, but Your Majesty..."
"I am fine. I will not fall." Yan Zhao had not returned, and this country still needed her to hold it up.
"Yo... Your Majesty... you..."
Xue Zining turned to look at Li Yaoqin, who was pointing at her feet and shouting urgently.
She slowly lowered her head, seeing blood flowing from beneath her feet. This was not Xue Yunmeng's blood; it was hers.
She looked at Hua Yunjin. "Quickly find Qingyi. I... I am going to give birth..."
Xue Zining felt her vision blacken, and she fell into a coma.
Hua Yunjin scooped Xue Zining up and rushed out. A person hurried towards them from the doorway. Seeing him, they anxiously called out,
"Don't move His Majesty, quickly put her down, quickly put her down."
Upon seeing the newcomer, Hua Yunjin breathed a sigh of relief, but his body showed no sign of relaxation. "Quickly save His Majesty, His Majesty is about to give birth."
"I know, I can feel His Majesty is about to give birth. Quickly find a place for His Majesty to give birth. I will handle the rest," Qingyi said calmly.
Hua Yunjin scanned the surroundings, his gaze landing on Miss Li. He strode over and said, "Miss Li, please prepare a room for His Majesty to give birth."