Murong Jin sat by the pond in Zhaoyang Palace. Xue Qi, now a toddler, ran unsteadily along the gravel path, his laughter ringing out.
"Don't go too far, Qi'er," she called out, leaning against a pavilion pillar.
"Tea, Your Majesty." A maid approached, placing a cup on the stone table.
Murong Jin nodded, her hand drifting to the bamboo whistle in her robe.
She hadn't seen Xue Liulan in a while. When he visited their son, she hid behind the screen, listening to him play with the boy. Even when he climbed the walls at night, she pretended not to notice.
If his deal with Guo Shangzhong kept their son safe, she wouldn't be a burden. Let him favor Guo Lingyu. Let him have peace.
"Oh! The little prince fell!" The maid cried out.
Murong Jin started, rushing to him as fast as her injured legs would allow.
Xue Qi was already sitting up, rubbing his knee and grinning at her.
"Are you hurt?" She crouched before him.
He shook his head and threw his arms around her neck. "Father."
She froze, then hugged him tight, burying her face in his shoulder. "Father is busy with the kingdom. I'll take you to see him soon, alright?"
He didn't understand the sadness in her eyes. He just stared at her, then suddenly looked past her shoulder.
She sensed it. She grabbed him and rolled, dodging the blade that slashed down from behind. Before she could stand, another sword swung at her.
She kicked the attacker's legs, sending him sprawling, and retreated to a tree, clutching her son. Her legs trembled.
"Who are you? Assassins in Zhaoyang Palace?" Her voice was ice.
"Your executioners."
They wore the uniforms of palace guards.
She sneered. "Guo Shangzhong underestimates me. Five men to take my life?"
The men stiffened. She had seen through them instantly.
"Finish it."
All five attacked at once.
She fought back, parrying with her soft sword. But her legs gave way. She fell to one knee. A blade thrust toward the child in her arms.
Without thinking, she turned her back to the blow, shielding him.
Pain ripped through her shoulder.
"Ah!" She cried out, spinning and slashing at the attacker's wrist.
He howled, dropping his sword. Before he could scream again, his comrade slit his throat. A useless man was a liability.
She retreated to the pavilion, her back against a pillar. Blood pooled at her feet. Her hand shook. Her arm was slashed to the bone.
"Mother." Xue Qi clung to her, terrified by the blood.
"It's okay, Qi'er." She fought to stay conscious. "Take the thing from Mother's robe."
He nodded, pulling out the bamboo whistle.
The four remaining assassins closed in, wary of her sword.
"Put it to Mother's lips."
He obeyed.
She took a deep breath and blew. A clear, piercing sound cut through the air, soaring to the heavens.
"Attack!" They knew she was calling for help.
Xue Liulan, just make it in time to save him.
She lunged, but a cold wind hit her from behind. Too late to dodge. Steel pierced her waist.
She collapsed. The attacker stepped over her and snatched Xue Qi from her arms.
Murong Jin looked up. It was A'Ru, the little maid who had warned her about Ning Bi. The girl she had trusted.
"You…"
"Useless fools," A'Ru spat at the men, her voice no longer childish, but cold and hard. She looked down at Murong Jin. "You have only yourself to blame for trusting the wrong person."
Xue Qi struggled in her arms, waving his small hands at his mother, his cries muffled by A'Ru's hand.
"Qi'er." Murong Jin tried to rise, but her strength was gone.
A'Ru smirked, carrying the child to the edge of the pond. She looked back at Murong Jin.
"No! Don't!" Murong Jin forced herself to her knees, swinging her sword in a desperate arc.
But before she could stand, a blade slashed her leg. Blood sprayed onto the stone.
At the same moment, A'Ru let go.
Xue Qi fell into the water.
The splash was deafening. Murong Jin screamed, a sound torn from her soul.
"Mother! Mother!" His cries grew fainter, broken by water, until they vanished beneath the ripples.
She stared, her fingers clawing at the stone until her nails broke and bled. She watched him sink, unable to reach him.
"Hahaha!" A'Ru laughed. "Kill her. Send her to join her son."
A blade raised. Murong Jin didn't blink. She just stared at the water.
"Murong Jin!"
A shout. A flash of steel. The man raising his sword froze, blood spurting from his neck. He fell dead.
Xue Liulan stood beside her, his eyes burning with murderous rage. Seeing her covered in blood, he lost all reason.
"Xue Liulan?" A'Ru gasped. The Emperor knew martial arts?
"Anyone who hurts my wife dies!" He moved, a blur of motion.
Before A'Ru could react, she felt a cold line across her throat. She stared at the demon before her as her vision faded, and she fell backward into the pond.
Xue Liulan's sword dripped blood. He glanced at the water. And froze.
His son. The boy who had clung to his neck just days ago, floating lifeless on the surface. His small face was pale, so cold.
"Qi'er." He sucked in a breath, then turned to Murong Jin.
She was still staring at the pond. No tears. No light.