I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

Since the day she told the story of palace intrigue at Fengyi Palace, Consort De has never appeared again.

I heard that she fell ill after returning to the palace and did not leave the house for three consecutive days.

Ye An'an smiled without saying a word.

She was just telling a story; whether people took it personally is none of her business.

Although Consort De had calmed down, the atmosphere in the palace became increasingly tense.

Fifteen days have passed since the agreed-upon date for sending messages from the front lines.

fifteen days.

For fifteen whole days, there was not a single word.

Ye An'an stood in the courtyard of the East Palace, looking at the clouds on the horizon, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

"Your Highness, you should go inside and rest." Chenzhu came over carrying a bowl of bird's nest soup. "It's windy outside, be careful not to catch a cold."

"I'm not cold," Ye An'an shook her head.

How can she possibly sleep now?

Before the Crown Prince left, he promised to send someone back every ten days.

The agreed time has long passed, but there has been no news from him yet.

"Could they have been delayed on the way?" Chenzhu said cautiously. "The front line is so far away; perhaps the messenger encountered some trouble."

"I hope so." Ye An'an sighed.

She wasn't being overly pessimistic; people really do die in wars in this era.

Unlike in modern times, where people might at most watch the news or listen to broadcasts.

Here, it's real fighting with swords and spears.

"Your Highness, please don't overthink it," Chenzhu advised. "His Highness the Crown Prince is highly skilled in martial arts and has so many soldiers protecting him; he'll definitely be alright."

Ye An'an forced a smile.

She wasn't worried about the Crown Prince's martial arts skills; she was worried that swords and spears on the battlefield had no eyes, and what if some unsuspecting arrow flew by...

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.

The more I think about it, the more anxious I become.

"Your Majesty, please drink the bird's nest soup." Chenzhu handed over the bowl. "You're taking care of two people now, you need to eat properly."

Ye An'an took the bowl and mechanically drank a few mouthfuls.

When you put the bird's nest in your mouth, you can't taste any flavor at all.

At night, she lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

My mind is filled with all sorts of chaotic images.

The crown prince is injured, the crown prince is surrounded, the crown prince...

"No, I need to sleep." Ye An'an closed her eyes, forcing herself to clear her mind.

I finally drifted off to sleep, but then I had a nightmare.

In my dream, the battlefield was filled with smoke and the shouts of battle shook the heavens.

The prince, clad in silver armor and wielding a long sword, fought his way through the enemy ranks.

Just then, an arrow flew from the side and shot straight at the prince's back.

"careful!"

Ye An'an tried to shout, but no sound came out.

She watched helplessly as the arrow drew closer and closer...

"ah!"

Ye An'an sat up abruptly, her whole body covered in cold sweat.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Chunxing heard the commotion and quickly ran in.

"I...I had a nightmare." Ye An'an gasped for breath, her hands still trembling.

"It's nothing, it's just a dream." Chunxing quickly poured her a glass of warm water. "Have some water to calm your nerves."

Ye An'an took the water glass and drank it in big gulps.

But that dream felt so real.

It was so real that she can still feel that fear now.

"Your Majesty, should we call the imperial physician to take a look?" Chenzhu asked worriedly.

"No need," Ye An'an shook her head. "I'm fine, it's just... I'm just too worried about the Crown Prince."

No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps came from outside.

"Your Highness, the Empress summons you to the Phoenix Palace."

Ye An'an's heart skipped a beat.

The fact that the Empress summoned her at this hour was definitely not a good thing.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

She didn't bother with dressing up; she just threw on an outer garment and rushed to Fengyi Palace.

Her heart was pounding all the way.

Could something have happened at the front?

Could it be the Crown Prince...?

No, that's impossible.

She can't let her mind wander.

She dared not delay, forcibly suppressing the unease and nausea surging in her heart. With the help of Fuyun and Chenzhu, she boarded a sedan chair and rushed to Fengyi Palace as quickly as possible.

As soon as she stepped into the palace, she felt an unprecedented sense of oppression and heaviness.

The palace servants all bowed their heads, not daring to breathe, and the entire Fengyi Palace was eerily quiet.

Empress Wei sat in the main seat, her usually dignified and elegant face now covered with tears, her eyes red and swollen. When she saw her, the Empress's lips moved, but she could not make a sound, and tears rolled down her cheeks again.

Ye An'an's legs went weak, and she almost couldn't stand up.

"Mother..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably, "Is...is it His Highness...?"

She dared not think about it, nor dared she ask any further questions.

The Empress beckoned to her, her voice terribly hoarse: "Good child, come to your mother."

Ye An'an walked over step by step, each step feeling like she was stepping on a knife's edge.

The Queen held her hand tightly; that well-maintained hand was now as cold as iron.

"An'an, you must hold on." The Empress looked at her and said, word by word, "The military report just arrived... Jing Shi... he led the vanguard out of the city to launch a surprise attack on the barbarian supply lines, but they were ambushed..."

Ye An'an's mind went blank, everything in front of her started spinning, and she couldn't hear anything.

All she could see was the empress's mouth opening and closing.

"...The soldiers fought desperately, suffering heavy casualties...Jing Shi, in order to cover the retreat of the main force, personally covered the rear, and finally...finally fell off the cliff and was swept away by the turbulent river...To this day, his whereabouts are unknown."

The whereabouts are unknown.

These four words were like four of the sharpest knives, piercing Ye An'an's heart.

He was not killed in battle, nor was he captured; his whereabouts are unknown.

This means that he may still be alive.

But it also means that hope is slim.

That's a sheer cliff, with a roaring river rushing below.

"No……"

Ye An'an swayed, her vision went black, and all sounds and sights faded away.

She felt like a feather, drifting lightly into an endless, cold, dark abyss.

In the last moments before she lost consciousness, she seemed to hear the panicked screams of the Queen and the palace servants echoing in her ears.

"An'an!"

"Quickly summon the imperial physician! Hurry!"