——Qin Huailian never thought that her life would change drastically because of an imperial edict.
"The emperor wants to marry you."
One day after returning home, Qin Feng suddenly called her to the study and handed her a yellow imperial edict with flying dragons on it.
She had always been the apple of Qin Feng's eye. As the young lady of the Qin Mansion, she could go to the drill ground and the city wall to play without restraint, ride horses at the racecourse, gallop on the Gobi Desert, and even eat and drink freely in the shops in the Protectorate, waiting for the restaurant bills to be sent to her elder brother.
Qin Huailian always thought that her life would go on like this, free, unrestrained, without any constraints or oppression.
But as time went by, Qin Huailian felt that this kind of life was too familiar. She was a person with a strong sense of curiosity and hated a monotonous life. Moreover, because of Gu Hanfang's death, Qin Feng basically didn't allow her to lead troops into battle.
Whenever she saw Qin Huaiqiu go on expeditions with their father, her heart would always be in turmoil.
And this time.
The gilded imperial edict was placed in front of her, seemingly indicating that she could have a different life from now on.
She had grown up in the Protectorate for sixteen years. Although she had been carefree every day, she was finally tired.
"Lian'er, the emperor's edict of betrothal came suddenly. You'd better think it over carefully. If you don't think it's okay, father will find an excuse to decline it for you." Qin Feng sighed.
"No need, father." Qin Huailian smiled brightly and said, "I'll marry."
Just like that, she set off on the road to the capital.
Qin Huailian had never been out of the Protectorate in her life. The scenery along the way opened her eyes and made her look forward to her life after marrying into the palace even more.
Qin Huaiqiu accompanied her into the capital and kept persuading her along the way: "After entering the palace, you must not continue your wild and unruly personality. The palace is a complex place, and the emperor's harem is full of beautiful women. You must be careful and not make any big mistakes..."
Although Qin Huaiqiu had been nagging all the way, Qin Huailian only listened to half of it. Her personality didn't allow her to be submissive, nor did it allow her to believe that she would be bullied after entering the palace. Even if she did, she thought she would surely pay it back double.
Not long after entering the inn, someone from the palace came to take her into the palace for a virginity check. After going through the complicated procedures, when she was about to return to the inn, someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder.
It was a little eunuch who looked very kind. The little eunuch smiled at her and handed her a note.
"The death of General Gu Hanfang was caused by the current emperor, Sikong Ting."
Qin Huailian was completely shocked.
She slowly turned the note over and saw a number of the palace library.
"Nonsense!" Qin Huailian didn't believe this casually written note at all. "I think you don't want to live anymore, trying to sow discord between the court officials and the emperor!"
"Miss Qin, aren't you curious why the history books only briefly mentioned General Gu Hanfang's death on the battlefield that year?" The little eunuch smiled sinisterly. "That's because your mother didn't die in battle. She was murdered! So the details naturally won't be written out. After all, there are no details!"
Qin Huailian was struck like lightning.
"Miss Qin, if you're free now, come with me to have a look?"
As if possessed by a ghost, she followed the little eunuch and sneaked into the library. She discovered that secret and also learned about Sikong Ting's gynophobia.
Her mother had actually died because of her fiancé. Qin Huailian's heart immediately collapsed. Since she had never experienced such a thing before, she panicked and rushed into the imperial study to make a big scene. She blurted out Sikong Ting's fear of women without thinking, but unexpectedly, Sikong Ting wanted to kill her. Fortunately, the queen mother came in time to save her.
After that, Qin Huailian returned to the inn in a daze. Facing Qin Huaiqiu's inquiring and worried eyes, she just took a quick glance and then locked the door without saying a word.
She knew that she couldn't marry Sikong Ting. Sikong Ting was the murderer of her mother. Just when she didn't know what to do, the little eunuch appeared in front of her again.
This time, he wasn't dressed as a eunuch but in black night clothes. He came to find her specially under the dark moon and high wind.
Qin Huailian later learned that this person was a confidant of Huyelu at that time. But at that time, she didn't think so much. Her youth, ignorance, and the mentality of a young and impulsive person made her completely unable to resist his instigation. She left a letter and then simply walked away.
She regarded Sikong Ting as the murderer of her mother and began to contact the Xiongnu and the people of Loulan.
After being influenced time and time again or being brainwashed by their deliberately extreme words, Qin Huailian's goal was completely determined - she wanted to kill Sikong Ting and hoped that the Qin family would replace the Sikong family to create a perfect prosperous era.
The informant and Yazebu reported that Sikong Ting had fallen in love with Qin Huaiqiu. Qin Huailian was so angry that she smashed the porcelain bowl, and her hatred for the Sikong family deepened.
So she repeatedly lobbied among the Xiongnu and the people of Loulan. She didn't have an army. If she wanted to take revenge, she had to rely on Loulan and the Xiongnu. As an intermediary, she perfectly facilitated the alliance between the two. Based on her familiarity with the Protectorate area and the arrangement of manpower, she was soon favored by the King of Loulan, Sare, and was appointed as the Holy Maiden of Loulan.
"What the hell kind of Holy Maiden? Just an outsider! I'm not convinced!" At the conferment ceremony, Yazebu didn't give Qin Huailian any face in public. But he immediately voiced the thoughts of everyone, and the scene suddenly became noisy.
Qin Huailian immediately made a final decision on the spot: "Fine, then let Huyelu command first. I'd like to see what he can achieve."
Sure enough, Huyelu lost, losing to Qin Huaiqiu.
"What are you laughing at?" Yazebu sneered at her that night. "How great are you?"
"If you don't believe me, why did you provoke me?" Qin Huailian said. "I want Sikong Ting to die more than any of you."
Yazebu's eyes were obscure, with a meaning she couldn't understand.
Finally, Huyelu compromised. Qin Huailian began to take charge of the mobilization and arrangement of the allied forces. Everything was going according to Qin Huailian's original plan. As victory reports came one after another, without realizing it, Qin Huailian had become more and more crazy. Hatred had almost become the only reason to support her actions.
Yazebu's attitude towards her changed from resistance and disobedience at the beginning to always looking at her with a hesitant expression in the end.
"Do you want to drink?" Unprecedentedly, Yazebu came to drink with her. Looking at the wine jar in front of her, the depression and hatred in her heart poured out like a bursting dam.
After that, the hatred broke, and the only motivation suddenly disappeared, making Qin Huailian completely unable to accept it. After seeing the heart - broken looks of Qin Huaiqiu and Qin Feng, the first thing Qin Huailian thought of was to escape.
This was also the reason why she chose to go back to Loulan with Yazebu. When she was pierced through the chest by Sikong Ting's sword and leaned in Yazebu's arms, she realized that she seemed to have never understood this man.
"Why are you crying?"
"Damn it, who's crying."
A warm current faintly flowed through Qin Huailian's heart. This was a feeling she had never felt from anyone except Qin Huaiqiu.
At that moment, she even wanted to sink like this.
Until the wind blew away Yazebu's unfinished whispered words, and the cold - glinting arrows rushed straight towards her.
Qin Huailian felt a sharp pain in her chest again. Words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. She looked at Yazebu's gradually blurred face, opened her mouth, but in the end, couldn't say a word.
Before losing her final consciousness, her mind was filled with Yazebu's nearly collapsed expression and the shrill roar that erupted from his throat.
After that, the world faded, the snow cleared, and the images of her life flashed before her eyes one by one. Something hot slid from the corner of her eye, like the last drop of juice from a withered flower, and she passed away.