Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

As the returning spirit boat passed through the sea of ​​clouds, the north wind still chased after its stern.

Gu Xiang held Su Qing's hand tightly, his palm never letting go. He was wearing that old scarlet robe, the cuffs worn, and the collar still bearing the stitches she had mended years ago.

Su Qing stared at the white hair at his temples for a moment, then reached out and smoothed it for him.

"She looks too old."

Gu Xiang lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on her waist.

The jade pendant with the character "青" (qing, meaning green) swayed gently with the spirit boat. Although there were cracks at the edges, she tied it back securely.

"After I get back, I'll have the Imperial Hospital come up with a solution."

Can gray hair be cured?

"Even if it's impossible, we must treat it."

Su Qing chuckled, her fingertips slipping from his temple. Gu Xiang gently grasped her hand, holding it lightly in his palm.

"This time when we return to Beijing, I won't let you face the eyes of the entire city alone."

Su Qing looked at the city wall that was gradually appearing at the end of the sea of ​​clouds.

"It's a deal. If you leave me in the auditorium again, I'll turn the Prime Minister's residence into a fox den."

"it is good."

The gates of the capital city were wide open.

The Imperial Guards lined both sides of the Vermilion Bird Avenue, while officials from the Ministry of Rites waited in the wind, holding ceremonial documents. Li Yu stood before the imperial carriage, but Li Qingge had already bypassed the entourage and strode quickly to where the spirit boat had landed.

As Su Qing stepped off the spirit boat, the city gate suddenly fell silent.

Some people recognized the face, while others saw the fleeting phantom of a fox tail behind her and instinctively took a half-step back.

A moment later, an old woman knelt on the side of the street and cried out in a trembling voice:

"The Empress..."

More people followed suit and knelt down. Among the crowd, some children clung tightly to their mothers' clothes, afraid to approach.

Li Qingge stopped in front of Su Qing, first reaching out to touch her wrist to confirm she had a pulse, then pinching her cheek.

Su Qing slapped her hand away.

"What are you doing?"

Li Qingge's eyes reddened, and she gritted her teeth as she scolded, "You still know how to come back? You're way too late!"

Su Qing raised her hand and tapped her on the forehead.

"No respect for elders."

Li Qingge covered her forehead, tears welling up in her eyes, but then she smiled. The tense atmosphere on Zhuque Avenue eased slightly.

But this relaxation only lasted for a moment.

Several former officials stepped out of the Ministry of Rites' procession, knelt down in the street, and held a list of names high above their heads.

"Your Majesty, the demonic tide in the Northern Frontier has not yet subsided, and the Forsaken Lands are now experiencing a leak of deadly energy. Demons are now flooding into the capital with the refugees; if not dealt with promptly, they will become a grave threat!"

"Your Majesty, I request that the northern border passage be sealed off and the demons outside the city driven away!"

The other person looked at Gu Xiang.

"Now that Prime Minister Gu has returned to court, he should rightfully regain his power and authority, restore the power to execute first and report later, and cleanse both internal and external affairs to reassure the people!"

Outside the city gates, newly arrived refugees from the northern border were stopped by the Imperial Guard in the snowstorm. Humans and demons mingled together, thinly dressed, carrying the sick, weak, old, and young in their arms.

Some people, incited by the crowd, shouted from across the city gates that the demons should get out. Several young demons huddled behind the grain carts, too afraid to look up.

Li Yu looked out of the city, then at the list of those to be eliminated that was handed to him, but hesitated to reach out.

Li Qingge pressed down on the hilt of the sword.

"Drag these people who are forcing the issue out of power away!"

The blade had barely extended half an inch when Gu Xiang raised his hand to press down on the scabbard.

Silence fell instantly inside and outside the city gate.

Everyone is waiting.

When that living Yama, who once wiped out all the traitors in the court with a single word, takes back the seal of power.

Gu Xiang walked to the temporary imperial desk and picked up the seal.

The former official's eyes had just lit up with joy when he put the seal back on the table.

"Gu did not answer."

The wind blew the old scarlet robe, revealing the worn stitches on the cuffs.

"The chaos in the Northern Frontier began when Li Changgeng reversed time and space, causing the death veins of the Forsaken Land to collapse. The people and demons outside the city are refugees, not the culprits."

He glanced at the list of those targeted for purge.

"To determine life and death based solely on the word 'demon' is no different from Li Changgeng's judgment of people based on their birth and destiny."

The former official turned pale.

Gu Xiang looked at Li Yu, his voice steady.

"If the Great Zhou cannot even tolerate the sufferers, then the so-called Holy Dynasty is nothing more than another cage disguised in the guise of righteousness."

Li Yu remained silent for a long time.

Li Qingge pushed the sword back into its sheath.

Su Qing walked past the crowd and went to the city gate alone.

She did not release the pressure of a quasi-emperor, but simply closed her eyes and transformed her celestial fox perception into countless fine threads, which swept across the crowd in the wind and snow.

The crying child, the woman with blackened wounds, the little demon with a broken horn, and a few wisps of evil energy hidden deep in the crowd, constantly stirring up resentment, all entered my consciousness one by one.

Su Qing raised her hand and pointed out several places.

"Those three were corrupted by the death vein, not by demonic poison."

"The children behind the grain cart on the east side were just frightened."

She flicked her finger, pointing to several men with their heads down.

"As for them, they carry the evil aura of Li Changgeng's legacy array. They infiltrated not to escape, but to incite the transvestites to fight each other first."

Several men turned to flee, but the imperial guards immediately pinned them down.

Su Qing walked up to the injured woman. Dark red foxfire rose from his palm, intertwined with phoenix true fire and the essence of the moon.

The flames penetrated the wound, peeling away the remaining gray and black breath bit by bit.

The child in the woman's arms was crying loudly in fright, but after the firelight dissipated, it was discovered that the bleeding from the wound on the mother's waist had stopped.

"Mother, the bleeding has stopped..."

A disciple of the Mountain Moving Sect, covered in dust, suddenly recognized Su Qing and knelt down in the snow.

"The old outer defenses of the Forsaken Land have indeed collapsed! It was the Death Vein that first surged forth from the earth, and we didn't have time to repair it. The demon settlement was also swallowed up. They didn't come south to cause trouble; they have nowhere to go!"

Discussions arose among the crowd.

Those who had previously shouted for the expulsion of the demons slowly fell silent. Several former officials, holding the list of those to be purged, broke out in a cold sweat.

Gu Xiang looked around at the traces of evil energy that Su Qing had pointed out, and then immediately turned around.

"The Censorate, together with the Imperial Observatory, shall investigate the traces of battle formations left by Li Changgeng, the false military orders, and those who profited from the chaos."

He paused.

"The investigation focuses on the perpetrators, not their backgrounds."

"Three other measures are proposed. First, open the national granaries and allocate grain to resettle the human refugees in the northern border; second, request the Mountain Moving Sect to repair the outer ley lines of the Forsaken Land; third, transfer the former subordinates of Tianpeng to the capital to jointly register the scattered demon race with the Great Zhou and designate temporary residences. Neither the humans nor the demons shall retaliate privately."

Li Yu finally raised his hand and placed the imperial seal on the memorial.

"Granted. The vacant camp outside the city shall be immediately converted into temporary shelters."

Li Qingge accepted the order and left the city, personally leading the Imperial Guards to remove the roadblocks.

Su Qing walked around the city, using her Celestial Fox Perception to mark the areas contaminated by the Death Vein. The disciples of the Moving Mountain Sect followed behind her, nailing array flags to the safe areas one by one.

The human refugees began carrying grain, while the lesser demons worked together to erect tent poles. The two groups, who had previously been wary of each other, now worked together to tighten the first tent in the wind and snow.

Gu Xiang stood on the city tower.

A righteous aura spread out from beneath his feet, not transforming into the character "诛" (zhu) for killing, but rather a layer of gentle golden light that enveloped the city gate and the resettlement area.

The news quickly spread throughout the city.

Gu Xiang did not chase away demons.

Su Qing does not kill people.

Shops that had been closed closed gradually opened. Zuixianju was the first to deliver a pot of hot chicken soup, followed by a porridge bucket, cotton clothes, and a charcoal stove. People pushed wooden carts out of the city, handing hot food to the frozen refugees and little demons.

Gu Xiang walked down the city wall, took off his old scarlet robe, and draped it over a shivering child.

He had been in charge of the court for many years, yet he appeared clumsy in a child's robe, unable to tie the sash properly even after wrapping it twice.

Su Qing couldn't bear to watch any longer and reached out to tighten his collar.

"Prime Minister Gu, your hands are only good for writing commemorative folding documents."

Gu Xiang looked down at her.

"I'll learn later."

"Let's learn how to make chicken soup first."

"Alright."

Su Qing straightened his collar, which had become disheveled after he took off his outer robe. As her fingertips brushed against the side of his neck, Gu Xiang gently grasped her hand; his palm was still cold, but his grip was firm.

Tents were set up one by one outside the city.

The aroma of congee and the steam from chicken soup wafted through the wind and snow, and the child's cries gradually subsided. The mess in the capital was not yet cleaned up, and the old accounts were only just beginning to be investigated.

But these people and demons, who had nowhere else to go, finally found a place where they could light lamps.

Standing amidst the lights, Gu Xiang no longer displayed the madness of his obsessive revenge.

He once again became the prime minister who was supposed to keep the light burning for humanity.