Later, when the Fifth Princess escaped the marriage, I was accidentally placed in the Eastern Palace’s bridal chamber. Eventually, both the Qi Emperor and Eastern Palace learned my true identity.
The Qi Emperor was furious, believing the secret department had rebellious intentions, and bestowed a sterilization potion as a test. This event became the beginning of the final break between the imperial family and the secret department.
By then, An Jin had already calmly begun his final scheme.
Like he said, this time, he was going to thoroughly solve all threats. Sweat beaded on my forehead.
Without An Jin, I would have become a chess piece in the power struggle between Xi Liang and the royal family of Da Qi, and no matter who ultimately prevailed, I would only receive deception, false kindness, betrayal, and exploitation, forever losing my freedom. The Qi Emperor, the Crown Prince, Xia Zhichun, Yan Huo – each was deeply calculating and a master of intrigue. What they schemed for was power and dominion, just like my biological father, that ambitious imperial consort. And my husband An Jin, all his schemes were merely to protect those he loved. To have such a husband, what more could a wife ask for?
Chapter Fifty-Six: Fleeing to Nan Rui
When the Qi Emperor proposed that An Jin pretend to defect and go to Xi Liang to investigate Xia Zhichun’s whereabouts, An Jin had already prepared two contingency plans. If the Qi Emperor kept his word, he would investigate the Third Prince’s location, return and hand over the Secret Department peacefully, and then take his entire family to escape, with everyone satisfied. However, the Qi Emperor chose to plot against the An family and target An Jin. Fortunately, An Jin had a backup plan, having made arrangements for the Secret Department in advance and staging a performance for the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince to make them believe he had been killed by Tang Wei.
The Qi Emperor thought An Jin was dead and that imprisoning his mother-in-law would give him control of the entire Secret Department, unaware this was all deliberately arranged by An Jin. The reason for this arrangement was that An Jin and his mother-in-law needed to confirm what private forces the Qi Emperor still had and whether there were any dissenting hearts within the Secret Department. Originally, An Jin only planned to arrange everything and then send me and his family out of Yan Feng, planning to reunite with us later. But unexpected events occurred – the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince imprisoned my entire family, my father-in-law passed away, and I was forced to marry the Crown Prince. It was clear that even if he died and the Secret Department returned to the royal family, they had no intention of sparing me and my family.
An Jin finally made the ultimate decision to send me and his family to Nan Rui, seeking protection from the Nan Rui royal family. Meanwhile, he himself set out for Xi Liang, making his final move to completely break with the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince, vowing to make the royal family pay for their actions. I stood dazed, surrounded by silence. “He – went to Xi Liang?” I murmured. “What else does he want to do?”
“I can no longer control what Jin’er wants to do,” she pulled at the corners of her mouth, weary and helpless. “Although I knew the Secret Department and the royal family would eventually come to this, I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”
Could An Jin be planning to ally with Xi Liang against the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince? No wonder his mother would react this way. Would the Da Qi kingdom’s centuries of imperial foundation be destroyed by internal strife? Would An Jin truly bear the charge of treason?
His mother seemed to sense my shock and comforted me: “Don’t worry. The Da Qi kingdom’s throne will ultimately belong to the Xia family.”
The carriage jolted slightly and gradually stopped. Que’er looked outside and turned to me, saying, “Madam, they’ve arrived.”
“Go,” his mother extended her hand to straighten my hair, smiling softly with rare gentleness. “Take good care of yourself in Nan Rui. Although Hong Emperor is your maternal uncle and has been searching for you, he may not be as courteous as he appears. Be careful.” She hesitated before adding, “You and Jin will meet again. Don’t worry.”
I was stunned. “Mother-in-law, aren’t you coming with me?”
“No,” she smiled and shook her head. “I must stay in Qi country to do something for Jin’er. Your father-in-law is also here; I cannot leave him.”
My chest felt like it was being violently pulled in all directions.
The gentle and kind father-in-law, the mother-in-law who masked her tenderness with coldness, the affectionate husband – this good family was finally falling apart. Only in parting did one realize that each day spent dining together was a diminishing blessing.
“Go,” his mother sat upright and nodded at me.
I gave her a final look before following Que’er off the carriage, standing on a small forest path outside Yan Feng city. The driver turned his horse around, the copper bells softly ringing as he gradually disappeared into the misty night.
“Madam, they’re over there,” Que’er led me forward towards two soft, pale yellow light sources.
As we approached, two vermilion-doored carriages became visible, with several tall figures on horseback. Que’er strode forward, and one of the horsemen dismounted, greeted Que’er, and walked towards me.
“Madam, we must set off without delay,” he said.
This person was Tang Wei, whom I had met several times before.
It turned out the Tang family was An Jin’s final chess piece in Qi country. The Qi Emperor would never have imagined that the Tang faction he had carefully cultivated was a long-prepared backup plan by the Secret Department. Nothing could provide better cover than the Tang faction, who were in the jianghu yet trusted by the Qi Emperor.
Thus, An Jin arranged the Tang faction to take the final and most crucial step – escorting me and my family out of Qi country. Ultimately, strategy would always find a way. I suddenly understood why the founding emperor had entrusted the Secret Department to the An family. This meticulous and rigorous strategic approach was probably a divine gift to the An family. My parents, elder brother, Miao Yin, younger sister, Yuan Xiao, and even the previously escaped Xiao Huang – not a single one was left behind. We disguised ourselves, followed the Tang faction’s arrangements, traveled day and night, and after more than ten days, finally arrived at the border town between Da Qi and Nan Rui. Returning to their homeland, my parents were somewhat emotional, never expecting their rare return would be for escape. They now knew roughly about the An family’s identity, only sighing at the unpredictability of life and how it had troubled us two children.
But Miaoyin’s situation was far from good. She was only two months pregnant and had gone through such turbulence, making her body noticeably weaker. Although she had prepared medicinal soup for stabilizing the pregnancy, she was still vomiting severely, unable to eat anything, with extremely strong reactions.
If it weren’t for me, she and my elder brother would have surely opened a tavern in Yanfeng, living a comfortable life together, and would not have suffered such hardships.
However, Miaoyin comforted me instead, saying that as a family, they should share both good and bad times.
After staying in Yao Town for just one day, the Qi Emperor’s wanted notice was already posted throughout the town. The notice not only had portraits of me and my family but even included Yuan Xiao’s portrait, showing how furious the Qi Emperor and the Eastern Palace were. We had no choice but to continue moving, rushing towards the South Rui border. Once we reached South Rui territory, we would be considered safe.
