I am invincible, that's why I lie down. You're using your entire clan to rebel?

Chapter 171 Xu Longxiang's Unrequited Love for Empress Liyang!

As dawn breaks, at the east gate of the imperial city.

Xu Longxiang, dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit, rode a fine, jet-black steed from the northern frontier.

His dark cloak fluttered in the morning breeze, making his already cold and stern face appear even more menacing.

Behind him followed more than thirty guards dressed in black, their horses snorting and hooves making a uniform sound, clearly well-trained.

Sikong Xuan, Fan Li, and Mo Ya followed closely behind on horseback.

Sikong Xuan's aged face looked particularly tired in the morning light; he had barely slept a wink the night before.

Fan Li was still habitually twirling a white jade chess piece in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were thinking about something.

Mo Ya was completely hidden in the shadow of the cloak, only revealing a pair of sharp eyes that warily scanned the surroundings.

Their luggage was already packed, and all unnecessary supplies had been transported out of the city in batches a few days ago. Now they were lightly equipped and ready to depart at any time.

"Your Highness, everything is ready," Sikong Xuance reported in a low voice as he stepped forward.

Xu Longxiang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd behind him.

These northern soldiers have followed him for many years, some even since the time of Xu Xiao.

They rode silently on their horses, their eyes resolute, ready to go through fire and water for the crown prince at any moment.

"Let's go." Xu Longxiang uttered two words briefly, his voice devoid of much emotion.

He took the lead and rode slowly toward the east gate.

The horses' hooves clattered on the cobblestone pavement, echoing through the quiet streets in the early morning.

A morning breeze blew by, lifting a few stray hairs from his temples.

Xu Longxiang squinted, gazing at the gradually brightening sky in the distance, but the scene from last night involuntarily flashed through his mind—

Qingxue stood in front of Qin Mu, blood blooming on her shoulder.

Qin Mu frantically called for his guards.

And then, at the very end, as Qin Mu held her tightly as they left, Qingxue looked back towards the artificial hill, her eyes empty yet complex...

Xu Longxiang's fingers suddenly gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He forced himself to suppress those images.

Fan Li is right, Qingxue did that to gain trust.

Last night's probing by Mo Ya proved that Qin Mu had no terrestrial immortals by his side at all; it was all just a bluff.

This is great news, fantastic news!

But why did the stone in his heart feel even heavier?

"Your Highness,"

Fan Li rode closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Everything is proceeding according to plan. Our men are already waiting for us thirty miles outside the city."

Xu Longxiang nodded slightly, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to another direction in the capital.

Before leaving, he met with everyone he was supposed to see.

He saw Jiang Qingxue, and he also saw his sister.

But there was one person he didn't see.

That was Empress Li Yang.

He recalled what he had seen that day at the palace where Empress Li Yang had stayed.

Zhao Qingxue sat in the center of the main hall, her moon-white robes fluttering in the wind. Her peerless face was half-lit and half-shadowed by the moonlight, ethereal and aloof, yet unattainable.

That was his first love.

Although this relationship was never publicly acknowledged, it may have been just wishful thinking on his part.

But she is still my beloved, how can I forget her so easily?

"Your Highness?" Sikong Xuan's voice pulled Xu Longxiang back from his memories.

He came to his senses and found that the convoy had already arrived at the East Gate.

The soldiers guarding the city checked the travel permit and then waved for them to pass.

The city gate slowly opened, and the morning light poured in through the cracks, illuminating the wide official road outside the city gate.

Just as Xu Longxiang was about to ride his horse out of the city—

A large convoy came from the side and met them.

The convoy was extremely luxurious, with thirty-six silver-armored cavalrymen leading the way, three gilded imperial carriages in the middle, and dozens of carriages loaded with luggage following behind.

The bright yellow banners hanging on the imperial carriage, embroidered with a pattern of nine phoenixes facing the sky, fluttered in the morning breeze.

This was the entourage of Empress Li Yang.

Xu Longxiang's heart skipped a beat!

He pulled on the reins, and the black horse neighed, raised its front hooves, and trotted a few steps in place.

Almost simultaneously, the imperial carriage in the very middle of the Liyang convoy also came to a stop.

A slender hand slowly lifted the gilded carriage curtain, revealing a stunningly beautiful face adorned with pearl and jade tassels.

Zhao Qingxue.

She wasn't wearing her formal imperial robes today, but only a moon-white everyday dress with a matching sheer cloak over it.

Her long hair was loosely tied up and secured with only a white jade hairpin, with the rest cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall.

The morning light shone on her face, outlining the contours of her stunning beauty. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like deep pools, her lips like a touch of rouge, and her skin as white as snow.

Compared to the innocent and carefree princess of a few years ago, she now possesses more of an imperial majesty and depth.

But its stunning beauty remains undiminished.

Eyes facing each other.

In that instant, Xu Longxiang felt his breath catch in his throat.

He never expected that he would meet the person he most wanted to see in this way.

Is it that even God is on his side?

Xu Longxiang couldn't help but recall many years ago when he met Zhao Qingxue, who was then just a princess.

She was playing in the Imperial Garden when the morning light shone on her, gilding her with a golden edge.

The wind ruffled the stray hairs at her temples, and her stunning beauty shone brightly in the sunlight.

When she turned her head and saw him, she was slightly taken aback, then smiled broadly.

That smile was like the first melting of ice and snow, and the blooming of spring flowers.

Xu Longxiang was stunned on the spot.

From that moment on, he never forgot that smile.

He knew this was just wishful thinking on his part.

Zhao Qingxue was Princess Liyang, and later Empress Liyang, while he was merely the heir apparent of the northern border of the Great Qin.

There are national borders, identities, and so much more between the two.

Moreover, Zhao Qingxue only had her empire, her people, and her grand ambitions in her eyes.

But he still couldn't control his heart.

Every time he heard news of Empress Li Yang, every time he saw a report about her, he couldn't help but think of the woman standing on the city wall with a bright smile.

Even now, she has become the Empress who commands respect throughout the Eastern Continent, purged the Eight Kings, and commands the awe of countless people.

Even if all that's left between them is calculation and self-interest.

The morning light shone on the two of them: on one side was the Northern Prince in a black python robe, and on the other was the Empress of Liyang in a black imperial robe.

The two men were both on horseback, no more than ten paces apart, separated by an official road covered with fallen leaves.

The autumn wind blew, swirling up the withered leaves on the ground between the two of them.

After a long while, Zhao Qingxue slowly spoke.

"Prince Xu".

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Qingxue's eyes, which then turned into a meaningful smile.

A slight smile played on her lips, and her voice, clear and cool like the clinking of jade stones, traveled clearly through the morning breeze:

"I never imagined that you and I would be so destined for each other."

Xu Longxiang's heart skipped a beat, and he finally came to his senses.

He forced himself to calm down, forced a polite smile onto his face, spurred his horse forward a few steps, stopped three zhang in front of the carriage, and bowed slightly.

"It truly is fate. I never imagined that Her Majesty the Empress would also depart on this day."

His posture was respectful and impeccable.

But a barely perceptible strangeness flashed deep within Zhao Qingxue's deep purple phoenix eyes.

She could feel the burning intensity in Xu Longxiang's gaze.

It was a gaze that mixed admiration, longing, and some deeper, more complex emotion.

She had vaguely sensed it when they last met at the Yingbin Inn, but at that time, Xu Longxiang's eyes were filled with more pain and determination, and that emotion was suppressed very deeply.

But today...

Zhao Qingxue's gaze lingered on Xu Longxiang's face for a moment before she said calmly:

"Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xu Longxiang got up and remounted his horse.

Zhao Qingxue asked slowly, her tone calm, "Is Prince Xu returning to the Northern Border?"

"Yes." Xu Longxiang nodded. "Military affairs in the Northern Frontier are pressing, and I cannot linger. But Your Majesty..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings:

"His Majesty departs today, and His Majesty of Great Qin... did not come to see him off in person?"

The question was somewhat presumptuous, but Xu Longxiang's tone was very natural, as if it were just a casual question.

Zhao Qingxue, however, understood the meaning behind it.

She smiled, a faint smile, almost invisible beneath the jeweled tassels of her hair.

"His Majesty the Qin Emperor is extremely busy with state affairs and naturally has no time to personally see me off. Besides, I am merely a guest who came to observe the ceremony. Now that the ceremony is over, I should depart naturally. Why trouble the host to see me off?"

Xu Longxiang's eyes turned cold the moment he heard the words "busy with countless affairs of state".

He remembered last night.

I remembered Qin Mu in my sister's palace, wondering what he was doing.

I remembered the glaring crimson stain on Qingxue's shoulder.

I remembered hiding on the artificial hill, watching helplessly as everything happened...

Busy with countless affairs?

He's probably too busy "managing countless affairs" with women!

A surge of hatred welled up in Xu Longxiang's heart, almost overwhelming his reason, but he forcibly suppressed it.

Xu Longxiang maintained his gentle smile.

"Your Majesty is right. Then... I wish Your Majesty a safe journey and a speedy return to Tianqi City."

Zhao Qingxue nodded slightly:

"Young Master Xu... please be careful."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xu Longxiang gave Zhao Qingxue a deep look, then turned his horse around. "Your subject takes his leave."

"Take care of yourself."

Zhao Qingxue lowered the carriage curtain.

The gilded imperial carriage restarted, with silver-armored cavalry guarding its side. The massive convoy slowly drove out of the city gate and headed towards the official road to the east.

Xu Longxiang stood there, watching the convoy drive away.

The autumn wind swept by, ruffling the stray hairs at his temples and stirring the frozen lake in his heart.

Zhao Qingxue...

He silently repeated the name in his heart.

The seed planted years ago has now grown into a towering tree.

But this tree was destined never to blossom or bear fruit, because it grew in the wrong soil and was bathed in the wrong sunlight.

Even so, he still couldn't uproot it completely.

Because it had long been integrated with his flesh and bones, becoming an inseparable part of his life.

At most, he could only suppress it in his heart and stop thinking about it for the time being.

At least until he has accomplished his major task, he will stop thinking about these things.

But once he has accomplished his great task, he can try to win her over.

Xu Longxiang's eyes flickered. Now he had another reason to overthrow Qin Mu!

"Your Highness," Sikong Xuan rode closer and whispered, "it's time to go."

Xu Longxiang slowly withdrew his gaze and nodded:

"Walk."

He turned his horse around and led the northern caravan toward the official road to the north.

One road to the east and one to the north, the two official roads fork outside the city gate, like two parallel lines that will never intersect.

In the autumn morning light, the two caravans gradually drove away and eventually disappeared into the thin mist at the end of the official road.

.......

Meanwhile, inside the imperial carriage of Liyang.

Zhao Qingxue sat upright on the soft couch, her deep purple phoenix eyes gazing silently at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, her gaze unfocused.

She was thinking about the look in Xu Longxiang's eyes just now.

That look in his eyes, a mixture of admiration, longing, and something deeper, more complex...

Zhao Qingxue frowned slightly.

It's not that she doesn't understand the feelings between men and women.

Although she has devoted all her energy to state affairs and never considered personal feelings during the five years since she ascended the throne, this does not mean that she is unaware of them.

Xu Longxiang had designs on her.

She could also sense the almost naked possessiveness in his gaze.

This made her very uncomfortable.

She had a vague feeling about it when they last met in the palace.

At the time, she thought it was just a man's instinctive reaction. After all, she was the Empress of Liyang, with a noble status and outstanding appearance, so it was not surprising that she would attract men's attention.

But this time, the feeling was even more pronounced.

The way Xu Longxiang looked at her wasn't just a man's appreciation for a woman; it was more like a possessive determination to have her.

It was as if she were prey he had long ago set his sights on, but simply couldn't obtain for the time being.

Zhao Qingxue's heart sank.

She didn't like this feeling.

dislike it very much.

As the Empress of Liyang, she was used to controlling everything, used to others respecting her, scheming against her, and even hating her.

But Xu Longxiang looked at her with eyes filled with complex emotions, as if she were an important yet unattainable presence in his life...

This gave her a sense of inexplicable danger, and a chill ran through her.