I was in shock, barely able to breathe. But this handkerchief was so familiar – embroidered by my mother and later given by me to An Jin. An Jin had always kept it close to his heart, and now it appeared before me, stained with blood…
Something’s not right! I must keep reminding myself to stay clear-headed. “Where is his body?”
Xia Zhiyuan was surprised for a moment, then shook his head apologetically. “We discovered it too late. An Jin’s body was so badly eaten by wild animals that only this handkerchief, tightly clutched in his hand, remained.”
In contrast, her empress was not only strategically and militarily talented but also possessed exceptional political acumen. The empress was loved by the female emperor, who relied on her in political affairs and disregarded the advice of elder ministers, insisting on not taking another imperial husband, with only the empress remaining in the inner palace.
However, the female emperor’s affection was misplaced, and the seeds of disaster were sown. The empress was ambitious and had been plotting to force a palace coup. When Xuan Di was pregnant with her first child, the empress seized the opportunity, colluding with several ministers to confine Xuan Di within the imperial palace and force her to abdicate.
Xuan Di had been weak for half her life, but this setback sparked the innate stubbornness and resilience of Nan Rui women. On the surface, she appeared to acquiesce, indicating willingness to abdicate, but in reality, she took advantage of the empress’s unpreparedness and escaped the palace with the help of a few loyal servants, heading to Wen Ze Yi in the northwest to seek help from her brother, the King of Yue.
Little did she know, the empress had already anticipated her plan and sent people to intercept her on the route to Wen Ze Yi. Xuan Di had no choice but to split up with her servants.
Two servants disguised themselves and went to Wen Ze Yi to inform others, while Xuan Di and two close nursemaids changed direction and fled north, eventually reaching a small town at the border between Nan Rui and Qi Kingdom.
Having undergone such dramatic changes and constantly evading pursuit, Xuan Di was physically and mentally exhausted. At this moment, she also faced the pain of childbirth. The result was predictable – Xuan Di died during a difficult delivery.
