The Abused Novel Heroine Became a Clingy Sweetheart [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 56.1

Song Yaozi had read many books and heard many poems. But no single sentence could move her heart more than the words spoken at this moment.

Before meeting Her Highness, she had never imagined that one day she would be drowning in love.

Moreover, it was for another woman.

She had panicked, felt confused, and tried to resist.

But the erratic pounding of her heart could not be deceived.

When the courtesan Matangi devoted herself to Buddhism, she could forget the Venerable Ananda.

But Song Yaozi was merely a mortal.

She could not forget Her Highness.

She could discard all worldly customs and laws.

All for the sake of a single kiss from the person before her.

Having followed the rules all her life, in this matter alone, she yearned to be unrestrained.

She did not know what the outcome would be, but she was certain that if she missed the person in front of her, she would regret it forever.

Song Yaozi gazed into You Ting’s eyes. She suddenly leaned forward and, for the first time, proactively kissed You Ting’s lips.

Her voice was shy yet resolute as it rang out in You Ting’s ear:

“My remaining life, Song Yaozi’s life, will only be for Your Highness alone.”

…

…

The temperature in the North was much lower than in the capital.

When He Zhige returned here, white frost had already formed on the wild grass by the roadside.

He exhaled slightly, the breath turning into a plume of white mist in the air.

The advisor said, “Your Highness, the Qingming Guards are all ready and awaiting your command.”

The Qingming Guards were He Zhige’s private army.

From the first day he arrived on the battlefield, he had been planning for the future.

If he failed to secure the position of Crown Prince, these private soldiers would be his last resort.

He Zhige said, “Good, let’s go to the military camp.”

The group rode on horseback, turning towards the northern military camp.

The soldiers stationed there, upon seeing He Zhige, stood up straight and offered a military salute.

Most of the men here had been replaced with He Zhige’s loyal subordinates.

He dismounted, lifted the curtain, and walked into the tent.

A massive sandbox for battle simulations was placed in the center of the open space, and piles of documents were stacked on a nearby table.

He Zhige raised his voice and had his most trusted deputy general summoned.

“During the time I was away,” He Zhige asked, “did anything unusual happen?”

The deputy general shook his head. “No, Your Highness, everything is normal.”

Everyone near the tent was dismissed, leaving only the deputy general and the advisor.

The candlelight on the table illuminated the stern face.

He Zhige looked up, his brows sharp: “Have the guests from the Wujin Kingdom arrived?”

The deputy general’s expression became more serious. He carefully looked around before speaking: “Replying to Your Highness, the news has arrived. The guests from the North should arrive tomorrow.”

He Zhige scoffed: “Still making me wait? Quite the arrogance! Who is the person coming from the Wujin Kingdom?”

The deputy general slowly replied: “It is the Wujin Prince, Moro Aling.”

This name might be unfamiliar to people in the capital.

But to the soldiers who were constantly stationed in the North, it was an infamous name.

He Zhige had clashed with Moro Aling many times. He was usually victorious in all his battles, but the few times he suffered losses were all at the hands of Moro Aling.

“It’s actually him?” He Zhige raised his sword-like eyebrows, a hint of ferocity in his eyes. “He dares to come? Isn’t he afraid I will kill him directly?”

In the Wujin language, Moro Aling meant the Wolf God of the grassland.

No matter the place, there could only be one Wolf King.

The relationship between him and Moro Aling had always been one where either you died, or I died.

He had never expected a day would come when they could sit down and talk.

The advisor quickly urged: “Your Highness, the bigger picture is paramount! Please do not act impulsively!”

He Zhige glanced at him. “I understand the urgency and importance of the matter, I won’t easily act.”

His gaze landed on the sandbox, but what he was looking at was not the territory of the Wujin Kingdom.

It was the capital.

His fingers slowly clenched into a fist, and the ambition in He Zhige’s eyes was unrestrainedly revealed.

Imperial Sister, just watch.

He would still win this battle!

No matter the cost.

As dawn was breaking, a discreet contingent entered the border city.

The sound of horse hooves pounding on the ground was like a series of distant thunderclaps, shattering the tranquility of the night.

Someone was already waiting at the end of the road. Upon seeing the arrivals and confirming their identity, they led them away.

They chose secluded and desolate alleys, where people were scarce, which was beneficial for covering up their tracks.

Such a suspicious group of people appeared brazenly inside the border city, yet He Zhige’s Qingming Guards seemed to have not noticed them.

After a short while, the guide stopped in front of a dilapidated civilian house.

He stepped forward, knocked on the door, and respectfully said: “The guests have arrived.”

The door was opened from the inside, and a table was set up directly opposite the entrance.

On the table, a single candle emitted a faint, soft light.

A well-postured young man was seated beside it, his eyes sharp, his fingers rubbing the sword at his waist.

It was He Zhige.

The deputy general vigilantly looked around before making a gesture of invitation to the newcomers.

Only two people entered the room, the rest remained outside the house as guards.

The door closed, making the already cramped small room feel even more confined.

The person leading the group lowered his hood, allowing his voluminous curly hair to spread out.

The candlelight illuminated a handsome and wicked face.

He was very young, with deep, prominent bone structure and a tall, smooth nose bridge.

His long, dark eyelashes were lowered, casting faint shadows.

A few strands of long hair were braided into small plaits, the ends wrapped in circles by thin red string.

A silver snake earring hung from the exposed half of his ear.

The snake’s eyes were inlaid with emerald green gems, reflecting various shades of light.

The young man turned around, his aggressive gaze falling upon He Zhige.

He Zhige met his gaze without flinching, their eyes clashing like silent swords and shadows.

“Moro Aling?” he asked.

The man opposite him curved his lips into a smile and naturally sat down across from him.

He leaned back against the chair, seemingly boneless, his posture languid, his gaze looking over with a hint of condescension.

It wasn’t completely bright outside yet, the light in the room was dim, and the candlelight cast a soft glow on that androgynous face.

For a moment, He Zhige abruptly thought of his Imperial Sister.

Perhaps because You Ting’s features, like the man in front of him, carried a touch of unrestrained beauty.

But soon, He Zhige cleared his head.

The man in front of him was not the fragile princess in the palace, but the grassland wolf who could match him in strength.

Beneath the dazzling exterior lay icy white bones.

Moro Aling raised an eyebrow at him: “So, the legendary Third Prince is exactly how he looks.”

His tone carried a hint of disdain, as if he was not very satisfied.

He spoke fluent official language, not the Wujin language.

“The Prince of the Wujin Kingdom also hasn’t grown three heads and six arms,” He Zhige retorted coldly.

“Enough of the nonsense,” he stared at Moro Aling. “You should be clear about the purpose of this meeting.”

Moro Aling narrowed his eyes: “Clear, of course, I am clear.”

The corners of his mouth turned up in an intrigued smile: “The Third Prince wants the throne, and he has placed his hope in us, his years-long deadly enemies.”

He Zhige intended to collaborate with the Wujin Kingdom, borrowing their troops to constrain and distract other forces.

This way, his Qingming Guards could march straight in and seize the capital.

The price He Zhige had to pay was a few border cities.

This method was tantamount to making a deal with a tiger. If word got out, it would be the crime of colluding with the enemy and treason.

However, He Zhige did not care; for him, the outcome was all that mattered.

He let out a laugh: “On the battlefield, there are no eternal enemies. The Prince should understand this principle better than I do. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here today.”

Moro Aling laughed heartily, then suddenly asked: “Third Prince, to use your words, do you think the King and I are currently… colluding in evil?”

He Zhige’s hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightened. The advisor and deputy general beside him quickly cast soothing glances his way.

He suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a cold voice: “War is about to break out. If the Prince has leisure time, he should focus more on the subsequent plans.”

A rooster crowed outside, and as the morning light rose, He Zhige led his men away from the civilian house.

Moro Aling remained seated in his original spot, stretching out a finger and listlessly placing it above the candle flame.

The slight heat scorched his fingertip.

“Prince,” his accompanying deputy official said, “Can we trust He Zhige?”

He Zhige had promised them many conditions, stating he would fulfill them after ascending the throne.

But this was not something that could be openly acknowledged. If he reneged, wouldn’t they have to swallow the loss in silence?

Moro Aling applied pressure to his hand and calmly extinguished the candle flame with his fingertip, seemingly without feeling the pain.

The light suddenly dimmed.

He smiled: “He is untrustworthy, but am I any more trustworthy?”

He Zhige’s proposal was indeed tempting, but unfortunately, he had more important things to do.

…

…

The capital enjoyed a few more days of clear skies and gentle breezes, but no one felt joyful.

It felt more like the calm before a storm, a tranquility that was irritatingly unsettling.

As night fell, a fast horse galloped down Zhuque Street, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.

The horse stopped in front of the Princess Manor, and the messenger shouted urgently: “His Majesty wishes to see the Princess!”

You Ting was urgently summoned to the palace.

The imperial palace was still brightly lit at night, as bright as day.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she felt the palace was particularly solemn and strictly guarded today.

A palace maid lifted the bead curtain, and she stepped inside.

In the hall, the figure in imperial yellow lay in bed.

That formerly brave and mighty figure, corroded by medicine, seemed to have transformed into another person.

Emperor Ningjing had lost a lot of weight, his eye sockets were sunken, his expression weak, and he was skin and bones.

Seeing his current state, You Ting’s heart was as calm as still water, completely unmoved.

She found a chair and sat down on her own accord, asking, “Father Emperor summoned me late at night, is there something important?”

Her tone was cold and casual.

She knew the man in front of her was near death, but what did that have to do with her?

There was not even a sliver of weak kinship between them.

Emperor Ningjing turned his head with difficulty, gazing at her deeply, as if trying to see the shadow of an old friend on her face.

He could not explain why, at the end of his life, he wanted to summon this long-ignored eldest daughter.

Perhaps, he suddenly wanted to see that face again.

The poison from the elixir was eroding his body, and his memory was getting worse and worse.

Emperor Ningjing was afraid that in the end, he would forget what Yisong looked like. If that happened, how could he reunite with his moonlight in the Yellow Springs?

He slightly narrowed his cloudy eyes and asked You Ting: “Do you hate me?”

You Ting shook her head, watching him calmly: “What love or hate is there between strangers?”

Emperor Ningjing seemed to be stung and looked away.

Shortly after he ascended the throne, a fierce battle broke out on the border with the Wujin Kingdom.

To stabilize the army’s morale, he decided to personally lead the campaign.

It was on that bloody battlefield that he met Yisong.

The moonlight suddenly poured into his heart.

He was obsessed with wanting that woman, even though she was the wife of the enemy general.

And was already pregnant.

As the ruler of a nation, no one wanted a prolonged war.

Emperor Ningjing reached an agreement with the Wujin Kingdom’s marshal with extremely tempting conditions.

He would abandon the border cities.

And in return, the other party would abandon his wife.

At that time, the only people who knew about this matter were the old retainers who had followed Emperor Ningjing for many years.

To prevent the matter from being exposed, Emperor Ningjing had almost all of them killed.

He spoke in a low, dying voice: “What did your Imperial Mother say when she died?”

You Ting suddenly smiled.

She answered word by word: “She said the moon on the Wujin Kingdom’s grassland was very round, and she wanted to go home.”

Emperor Ningjing paused and slowly closed his eyes.

The light was dim, and You Ting couldn’t see his expression clearly.

Perhaps he regretted it, perhaps he didn’t.

Silence returned to the room. You Ting ignored the dying monarch, brushed her sleeves, and left.

A moment later, the mourning drum was struck in the imperial palace.

Twelve beats, the Emperor had passed away.

The Emperor’s death, though anticipated by all, still caught some people off guard when it actually came.

The court was in slight disarray, evidenced by the clear struggle for power between the factions represented by He Changsi and He Ting.

Emperor Ningjing left no final words before his death, suggesting that he likely didn’t have much affection for the country.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been willing to trade his territory and people for a forbidden relationship.

With the heir apparent undecided, he simply passed away, leaving behind a mess of chaos.

However, it did not take long for the situation to stabilize.

He Ting’s maternal family was suddenly charged with a long list of crimes, all systematically presented and well-substantiated.

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