Chapter 353: That Snowy Year, I Finally Can Be Me

Jingren Palace.

Up and down, people's hearts are uneasy.

In the main hall, Guanren shuttle back and forth, a basin after another of blood being sent out.

Chu Yunzheng stands outside the gate, pacing back and forth, extremely anxious.

The Imperial Medical Institute staff are on standby, arguing over how to use medicine until they are flushed and shouting, a chaotic uproar.

In the delivery room, the midwives' faces turn bitter, drenched in sweat.

On the bed, Hui Guifei lies there, her breath like a wisp, unable to muster any strength.

Her gaze remains fixed on the tightly shut door, weakly murmuring, "Empress, Wan Tang…"

"Wan Tang…"

The midwife, anxious as fire, says: "Consort, I (serving woman) beg you, use force, quickly use force!"

"The child's head is about to emerge."

"Consort, you must not lose spirit!"

"Your old servant bows to you."

Hui Guifei only feels her whole body being repeatedly crushed by a carriage.

It turns out that when the pain reaches a certain point, she actually feels no pain.

Her body feels fragmented, as if her soul is gradually separating from her being.

Her vision is so blurry!

Her nasal cavity is filled with the scent of blood.

She repeatedly whispers two words in her mouth: "Wan Tang."

"Sister!"

Wan Tang just reaches the Gongmen, her heart suddenly tightens, and she involuntarily lets out a shout.

She sprints toward Jingren Palace.

"Empress, why did you suddenly return to the palace? Must report to the Emperor?"

"Empress, you…"

Behind her, the noisy voices and unrelated people, Wan Tang just wants to cast them from her mind.

The unease in her heart grows heavier.

She runs desperately.

But having lived in the inner palace for so long, she is no longer accustomed to such large movements.

She even accidentally sprains her ankle.

"Go!"

A clear sound.

Su Yanci, wearing night clothes, scoops up Wan Tang and runs desperately.

When they reach the Jingren Palace gate, he gently puts her down, silently hidden in the darkness.

"Waa waa waa…"

Wan Tang just arrives at the doorway, and a bright wail suddenly comes from inside.

Following it is an excited old woman's shout: "Congratulations, Emperor, congratulations, Emperor."

"The Noble Consort has given birth to a Little Prince."

"Hahaha, good, good, good!" Chu Yunzheng, ecstatic, shouts excitedly: "Reward…"

Before he can finish, another startled cry comes from inside: "It's bad, quick, someone!"

"The Noble Consort is hemorrhaging heavily, fear… perhaps…"

The Imperial Medical Institute doctor stumbles out, rolling and crawling, kneeling at Chu Yunzheng's feet.

The doctor kneels before Chu Yunzheng, trembling all over: "Emperor, the Noble Consort has lost too much blood; it is... beyond remedy..."

"Useless!" Chu Yunzheng kicks the doctor over, his eyes blood‑red, "If you can't save the Consort, I will have the entire Imperial Medical Institute buried with her!"

The doctor bows repeatedly, "Emperor, please calm your anger."

"The Consort was not yet full term, startled into premature birth, delayed too long, and after the onset she bleeds continuously yet cannot deliver."

"Now managing to risk death to seize the Prince is already a miracle!"

"At this moment… this moment hangs on a single breath, perhaps waiting for someone…"

Chu Yunzheng, upon hearing, is about to dash into the inner chamber.

The doctor, however, musters courage to block him, his face showing difficulty, and whispers: "Emperor, since the Consort began labor until now, the one she has been calling in her mouth has always been… the Empress."

Chu Yunzheng's figure suddenly freezes.

Wan Tang's body goes limp, her heart feels like being torn by a knife.

Chu Yunzheng, hearing this, lowers his face, his voice laced with murderous intent: "Do everything to save Hui Guifei. As for the Empress…"

"Let her, no need to wait!"

"Empress, she will not return."

Yes, indeed she should not return.

But Hui Jiejie is waiting for her.

Wan Tang trembles violently, blocks everything, and shouts loudly: "Hui Jiejie!"

Everyone turns their heads in unison.

Chu Yunzheng sees Wan Tang, his face full of shock, a blaze of anger instantly filling his eyes.

But in an instant, Chu Yunzheng's emotions settle down.

He stepped forward, grabbed and squeezed Wan Tang's hand, pulling her roughly inward: "Don't dawdle, she doesn't have much time."

Wan Tang's ankle throbbed with bone‑deep pain; she clenched her teeth, indeed wanting to meet quickly.

Chu Yunzheng asked no reason.

He almost threw Wan Tang into a room filled with the smell of blood.

Whether it was guilt amid happiness or the smell being too pungent, he turned away directly, stepping out of the doorway step by step.

"Sister!"

Wan Tang took three steps in two, rushing to Hui Guifei.

In the delivery room, blood‑laden vapors swirled; Hui Guifei, her ink‑black hair spread, lay among blood‑soaked brocade sheets, her complexion as white as fresh snow, her lip color so faint it was barely visible.

Only her ever‑bright phoenix eyes still clung to a faint glimmer.

Wan Tang staggered, lunged to the foot of the bed, her knees striking the footboard heavily.

She watched the blood beneath Hui Guifei spread, her nose tingling with sourness, tears uncontrollably streaming down.

"Sister…" she choked, gripping Hui Guifei's icy hand, her fingertips trembling.

Hui Guifei's hand moved weakly, grasping her back; her voice, as thin as a wisp of breath, seemed about to vanish: "You finally returned."

"Sister, I'm back." Wan Tang sniffed, "Hold on first, I'll save you, it will be fine."

But this Barrage no longer cooperated so well.

【Whimper, it's useless, returned too late.】

【Premature birth isn't fatal, but she stood in Changchun Palace with a sword for two hours, the amniotic fluid nearly dried up.】

【Since the birth began, massive bleeding persisted, her body emptied of blood, how can she be saved?】

【Wooo, no blood bank, no typing, it's basically waiting for death.】

"Ah!" Wan Tang collapsed like never before.

With a low growl, she knelt on the ground, tightly gripping Hui Guifei's hand, pressing her face against Hui Guifei's chest.

Only by hearing that faint heartbeat can she feel that sister is still alive.

"Fool, don't cry."

"Actually, death for me is no less a release, isn't it?"

Hui Guifei's voice was so light.

She suddenly grasped Wan Tang with her other hand, continuing, "It should be I call you sister, Mo Family, we have a queen now!"

Wan Tang's reaction was not intense.

She inhaled sharply, staring intently at Hui Guifei.

She lay on the bed, her eyes looking at the veil, but unfocused.

There was not a hint of fear of death on her face, only a smile of happiness.

"I never regret, leading troops to the Northern Border."

"Upon reaching the Northern Border, I finally felt reborn."

"Xiao Chuan and I fought side by side, sharing life and death."

"Snow swirled, I led troops into battle, surrounded by the enemy; he rushed into danger and led me to escape."

"Snow sealed the mountains, he and I were bound in an ice cave, thinking our lives ended there. That night, we shared our hearts, meeting too late."

"We broke the cosmic order, heaven and earth as witnesses, united in marriage, vowing to meet again in the next life."

She smiled so sweetly.

It was a smile Wan Tang had never seen before.

"Who would have thought we would be rescued. Xiao Chuan said, after pacifying the Northern Border, he would take me as his wife and retire to the mountains."

Hui Guifei's hand trembled even more fiercely.

With her other hand, she painstakingly reached under the pillow and retrieved a small box: "The fake‑death medicine Xiao Chuan obtained, but who could have imagined he would not return…"

That medicine was handed to Wan Tang.

Hui Guifei looked toward the doorway.

She suddenly shouted happily, "Xiao Chuan, look at you, why are you covered in snow?"

"Hmph!"

"Only now coming to fetch me, that's too much."

She smiled, like a little girl.

Faintly, Wan Tang felt her whole body turn icy, as if Fēng xuě swept over her.

But the gate was tightly shut, no one could come.

Only Hui Guifei's hand was so cold it lost any warmth, its corner of the mouth lifted, faintly showing the dimples on her face.

In her ears, it seemed to linger, "In the next life, without entering the Gongmen, you and I will be sisters again…"