The procession traveled in haste, driving day and night. Before long, they arrived in the area around the Luo River. This region was mostly mountain roads and river shoals, requiring a detour. The road was difficult, and it happened to be the Double Ninth Festival. It was decided to find some flat ground today and make camp to rest.
Inside the carriage, although Luo Qionghua tried to mask her emotions, her eyes couldn’t hide her worry.
Fu Ping’an knew she was concerned about the Duchess of Ying and also knew that any comfort now would seem pale. After hesitating for a long moment, she picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and offered it to Luo Qionghua, saying, “This is made from freshly picked osmanthus. We left in such a hurry, we only had time to make cakes. Try it, see if it’s good.”
Luo Qionghua took it and bit into it. It tasted like chewing wax, but she still said, “It’s delicious.”
Fu Ping’an wanted to say something but hesitated, then asked, “It seems there’s still some osmanthus wine from last year. If you’d like to drink some, I could have someone bring it over during dinner.”
Luo Qionghua nodded again.
That evening, when they made camp, the osmanthus wine was indeed brought over. When opened, the fragrance of flowers and wine filled the air. Luo Qionghua smelled it, recalling the wine Fu Ping’an had previously given to Fu Li, and remarked, “It seems like the wine Your Majesty gave the Hermit Daoist last time, only even more fragrant.”
Fu Ping’an saw the danmaku saying—
【Loli Great Method Is Good: It’s all science; nothing as pure and healthy as yours】
【Time Map: Ah Hua, you’re just too sheltered】
She couldn’t help but smile and said, “This kind is better. That kind of wine damages the brain when drunk.”
Luo Qionghua was startled, staring at Fu Ping’an. Seeing the smile on her face, she didn’t believe it. She couldn’t help muttering, “That Daoist Hermit’s brain was already not right; wouldn’t it be even worse now?”
As soon as she said this, Luo Qionghua suddenly realized Qin He and other palace servants were present. She quickly shut her mouth. Fu Ping’an realized that with the palace servants there, Luo Qionghua was somewhat uneasy, so she said, “You all go and have your own meals too. It’s a festival today; relax a little.”
Qin He acknowledged the order and led the palace servants to withdraw. Fu Ping’an looked at Luo Qionghua and whispered, “You’re not wrong; his brain has indeed become even worse.”
After saying this, she couldn’t help but laugh herself.
Luo Qionghua looked at Fu Ping’an in surprise. It was the first time she had heard Fu Ping’an say something like that, as if they were gossiping about someone together.
Watching Fu Ping’an purse her lips and smile, Luo Qionghua’s initially tense heart slowly relaxed.
With Ping’an here, there was no need to worry about such things.
She sat cross-legged and first took a sip of the osmanthus wine. The alcohol was not strong; it was slightly sweet. Yet as it entered her mouth, the fragrance of osmanthus filled her mouth and nose, leaving a lingering scent on her lips and teeth. Luo Qionghua’s eyes lit up. “It’s so delicious.”
She thought for a moment and added, “It would be even better if it were a little sweeter.”
Fu Ping’an then handed her a piece of osmanthus cake. “Pairing the cake with the wine is just right.”
Luo Qionghua took a bite. This time, she savored the taste. “Is it made with osmanthus honey?”
Fu Ping’an nodded. “Yes, isn’t it tastier than the piece at noon?”
Luo Qionghua lowered her head, embarrassed.
Both were the same osmanthus cakes; how could there be any difference in taste? She understood Fu Ping’an’s meaning: the other had noticed her poor mood at noon and was asking if her mood was better now.
She thought for a moment and spoke, “Yes, it tastes sweeter.”
They looked up, sharing a smile.
Their worries were temporarily forgotten.
After eating half a piece, she set it aside for now and had some dinner. After the meal, Luo Qionghua leaned against the back of the chair, tilting her head up to gaze at the tent ceiling.
What was the scenery like outside? She wondered.
Beside her, Fu Ping’an spoke up, “Would you like to go out for a walk?”
It was as if she had read her mind. Luo Qionghua looked up in surprise, but then hesitated. “Forget it. The night is deep, the dew heavy, and it’s not safe.” The last reason was the main one.
The death of Linglong still replayed in her mind from time to time, reminding her that she and Ping’an could very well be in constant danger.
Fu Ping’an said, “Then just outside the tent, for a breath of fresh air.”
Luo Qionghua found this phrasing interesting. “Does Ping’an feel stuffy too?”
Fu Ping’an replied, “I am also human; naturally, I do.”
As she said this, she stood up and extended her hand towards Luo Qionghua.
Luo Qionghua’s ears felt warm. She reached out and took Fu Ping’an’s hand to stand up.
When she first interacted with Her Majesty, she found her mature and steady, as if constantly troubled by state affairs. But after spending more time with her, she gradually discovered another side to her. That other side would make her want to go up the mountain for a breath of cold night air just because she felt better, and it would make her crack harmless little jokes.
In the past, within the women’s quarters, she had also heard her sister and female elders talk about their wives and husbands. Compared to them, Luo Qionghua felt that Ping’an might even be more considerate.
Although Ping’an was the Child of Heaven.
She was considerate to many people.
Thinking this, the two of them, hand in hand, had already reached outside the tent.
The night curtain had already enveloped the land. A half-moon hung askew in the sky. A thin layer of clouds floated in the heavens, drifting slowly like a light gauze veil. Stars shimmered brightly, and the Milky Way stretched across the night sky.
【Chang’an Flower: If Wanwan were still here, today’s moonlight would be just as beautiful.】
Fu Ping’an murmured, “Yes…”
Luo Qionghua asked, puzzled, “What?”
Fu Ping’an shook her head and pulled Luo Qionghua along.
She had drunk a cup of wine and now felt an intense heat all over her body. She just wanted to feel the cold wind.
So the original plan of not going far turned into a walk towards the riverbank. Because it was sudden, Fu Ping’an didn’t have the full ceremonial escort set up. She only called for dozens of Imperial Guards to guard both sides. Walking down a slope, they arrived at the banks of the Luo River.
The night was as cool as water. The cold wind, carrying moisture, blew directly onto their faces. Luo Qionghua couldn’t help but shrink her neck, but Fu Ping’an seemed completely unaffected.
Luo Qionghua felt that Fu Ping’an’s palm was scorching hot. Puzzled, she turned her head and saw that even through the powder on her face, a reddish glow was showing through.
“Ping’an, you… are you very hot?”
“I am hot. Perhaps it’s because I rarely drink; it’s going to my head.”
Luo Qionghua believed this. “So that’s how it is.”
But soon, Fu Ping’an also realized something was wrong.
This wine wasn’t high in alcohol content at all, and she had only drunk one cup. Why was her body getting hotter and hotter?
The hotter she felt, the more she wanted to get closer to the riverbank. Before long, she was right at the water’s edge. Mist hung in the air, chill permeating everywhere, but it still wasn’t enough. It wasn’t until Luo Qionghua moved close to her, and a faint, elusive fragrance drifted from her nose, that Fu Ping’an suddenly realized what she needed.
She needed to hold Luo Qionghua tightly.
At this point, a sliver of clarity finally reached her already somewhat muddled brain. Fu Ping’an pressed down on Luo Qionghua’s shoulder, about to speak, when Luo Qionghua suddenly grabbed her arm tightly and said, “Ping’an, there’s someone in the river!”
Fu Ping’an: “…!”
What to do then? Her mind couldn’t make the turn.
Luo Qionghua stared at her. Seeing Fu Ping’an’s dazed eyes, she was also alarmed. Fortunately, she wasn’t completely without her own ideas. She directly pulled Fu Ping’an back, then shouted, “Protect Her Majesty! Protect Her Majesty! There are assassins in the river!”
She didn’t know if they were assassins, but it was better to be safe.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished shouting, over a dozen people dressed in black actually leaped out from the river, their movements agile, lunging towards them.
Luo Qionghua, pulling Fu Ping’an by the arm, stood in front of her, lifted her leg, and kicked directly at one assailant’s vital point.
Fortunately, she had practiced martial arts at home and had eaten her fill tonight. The kick made the assailant grunt in pain; his hand loosened, and he almost dropped his blade.
Seeing this, Luo Qionghua grabbed the assailant’s hair with one hand and wrested his blade away with the other. Once she had the blade, she let go and slashed forward. The assailant struggled violently and fell straight back into the river.
Water splashed everywhere.
In that brief moment, the Imperial Guards had also surrounded them. But unexpectedly, even more people emerged from the river. A sharp whistle sounded from somewhere unknown, and then someone in the crowd shouted, “Kill the false emperor—!!!”
Cries of slaughter rose from all sides. The entire riverbank became a clash of blades, cold light flashing everywhere.
Luo Qionghua had let go of Fu Ping’an to seize the blade. Now she turned around; in the thick night with figures densely packed, she couldn’t find Fu Ping’an for a moment.
She felt a sudden surge of panic. Just as she was searching, something warm grabbed her ankle.
Startled and furious, she was about to kick it away when an idea flashed. She lowered her head. The blade’s surface reflected the moonlight, shining right onto the other’s face. Fu Ping’an, her eyes dazed and confused, was sitting on the ground, looking up at her.
Luo Qionghua’s face scrunched up. “Drunk? Why is your reaction so slow?”
But on second thought, she felt sitting on the ground was indeed a good idea. The reeds on the bank were lush and dense. Standing up, one wasn’t tall enough to be hidden, but sitting down perfectly concealed one’s figure. Moreover, in the darkness, hiding in place like this was truly a very correct choice.
She immediately squatted down as well, holding the blade horizontally before her for protection, then turned to look at Fu Ping’an.
Under the faint moonlight, Luo Qionghua saw that Fu Ping’an’s face was flushed, her teeth tightly clenched.
At times her eyes were muddled, at other times they seemed to flash with burning fire. She didn’t look simply drunk.
A spark of realization suddenly flashed through Luo Qionghua’s mind. She asked, “Is it your heat?”
No, wait, Nanny Zhao had said Her Majesty hadn’t experienced that day yet.
Ah, could it be that today is Coming of Age?
Luo Qionghua stiffened. Unfortunately, just at that moment, Fu Ping’an leaned close to her, her scorching breath spraying onto the side of her neck.
Normally, she would have been shy, but now, with the clash of blades and shouts of slaughter filling the surroundings, she only felt panic.
Why now, of all times?
Instinctively, she reached out to hold Fu Ping’an’s hand but suddenly heard Fu Ping’an say, “Let go. Don’t touch me.”
Luo Qionghua quickly released her hand. She saw Fu Ping’an biting her lip tightly, blood seeping from between her teeth.
She was using this method to grant herself a moment of rationality.
“I have a bottle of medicine in my robes. Take it out and give me three pills.”
Luo Qionghua reached out to search. The night was too dark; she fumbled for a long time but couldn’t find it. Instead, her searching made both of them blush and their hearts race. Fu Ping’an caught her hand. “…I’ll do it myself.”
This medicine was a pill made from suppressants. Fu Ping’an had brought it precisely for emergencies. According to the instructions, it seemed to stimulate the brain to secrete enough hormones like adrenaline to keep a person calm during an estrous period.
Most of her rationality was currently spent controlling her brain from descending into chaos; her fingers and arms were trembling. After taking out the plastic medicine bottle, Fu Ping’an spent a long time just twisting off the cap. Just as she was about to take the pills, flames suddenly erupted all around them.
The enemy had poured oil and set the reeds ablaze. The fire lit up the night sky, smoke and dust soaring into the clouds.
Thus, in the firelight that turned night into day, both sides saw the ornately dressed Luo Qionghua and Fu Ping’an.
“The false emperor is there!”
“Her Majesty is there!”
Fu Ping’an had just managed to twist open the cap. Her mind blanked; where was the time to count out three pills? She simply tilted the whole bottle and poured half its contents into her mouth. She still had some sense left and spat out most of it, but she didn’t know how many remained in her mouth and swallowed them whole.
The medicine took effect quickly. Without needing the stimulus of pain, her brain finally regained clarity. That burning, anxious urgency, like her heart was being scorched, disappeared.
But the enemy’s actions were faster. Several arrows tore through the smoke and dust, flying straight towards her.
They even had archers?
A despair she hadn’t felt in a long time surged up in an instant.
Yet in the next second, metal clashed against metal, sparks flew, and Luo Qionghua raised her blade, knocking down two arrows flying straight at her.
She gripped the blade with both hands and murmured to herself, “Stay calm. As long as I’m calm, I can see.”
Just as she finished speaking, another stray arrow tore through the air. Luo Qionghua’s blade swung and missed.
She turned her head in panic, only to see Fu Ping’an reach out and very casually catch the arrow.
Luo Qionghua: “…?”
Fu Ping’an was also very surprised.
In her eyes, this arrow was very slow, very light, like a feather.
Amid the chaotic environment, Fu Ping’an didn’t notice that among the mass of panicked, incoherent danmaku, a few messages were discussing something—
【Slacking Off: Did you take too much of the medicine?】
【Mo Yi: Too much, but it’s also good; it can increase strength and reaction speed, perfect for now】
【Drenched in Rain: …But I remember there are side effects, right?】
【Red Baby: It’s over, I think I saw a corpse. The livestream room will probably be…】
…
【Harmonious Streaming, Let’s Work Together. The streamer has gone offline.】
