Chapter 76: Survival Path

What does Tangtang want to do? She wouldn't think of using suicide to take revenge on Chu Yunzheng, would she?

It's over, just end the TV show, anyway Xu Luoyan's side is disgusting, I don't want to watch.

I feel something's off; her timing is spot on. Right now everyone is standing there watching the fireworks, which flare and fade in an instant, but the blaze fills the sky, hard to ignore. Wan Tang wants to attract Zha Long's attention.

Come on, if he still remembered Tangtang, he'd have come already.

Whether he remembers Wan Tang is irrelevant; as long as the pear tree in Cuivei Palace remains, he will never tolerate it being burned.

Wan Tang sneered.

Indeed!

As long as the pear tree stands, Chu Yunzheng will certainly come.

The night flames are truly bright. Even this vast Imperial harem is hard to overlook.

Bang! Bang!

The heavy Gongmen was battered and teetered, Li Defu's sharp voice cut through the flames: "Consort Wan! You think such a method can win the Emperor's pity? Dream on!"

Inside, Wan Tang stood calmly before the raging fire, the wind lifted by the tongues of flame ruffling her disheveled long hair.

A faint sneer curled at her mouth, her fingertips lightly brushed her slightly swollen abdomen, ignoring the clamor outside.

"Supervisor Li, what are you wasting words on that scoundrel?" Wang Jingyi's voice suddenly interjected, with condescending scorn, "The Emperor is currently enjoying plum blossoms and wine with my beloved daughter, how could he have time for the unlucky affairs of the Cold Palace?"

Wooden doors crackled as they burned, yet Wang Jingyi's voice was clear as a venomous snake spitting: "You think burning yourself will make the Emperor feel guilty?"

Heh... just a plaything grown boring; death would be cleaner.

To prevent the Emperor from getting angry when he recalls being deceived.

Li Ping'er clutched Wan Tang's sleeve tightly, her tears surfacing only to be evaporated by the heat.

Wan Tang gently shook her head, signaling her to be silent.

Outside, Wang Jingyi's voice suddenly rose: "Someone! Block this gate!"

She laughed, her blossoms trembling wildly, "Since she wants to die like this, we'll fulfill her obsession!"

The heavy timber's crash echoed, and the Imperial Guard actually began using beams and columns to brace the Gongmen.

Poisonous woman, really wants to kill Wan Tang.

Tangtang, don't be afraid, Zha Long is coming.

Look at him, he must be cherishing his pear tree!

As expected, no mistake.

He will come.

Regardless of the reason, as long as someone comes, that's enough.

Wan Tang's heart, hanging in her throat, finally settled down.

Arrogant, who dares to block the gate!

All of you, get out of my way!

A thunderous roar split the night sky; Chu Yunzheng's dark dragon robe billowed like black clouds, and he surged forward with a body of cold.

Wang Jingyi hadn't had time to retract her smug smile when the Emperor seized her wrist and flung her away harshly!

Your Majesty! The fire is too great, this place is dangerous; you shouldn't go.

"Shut up!" Chu Yunzheng's eyes flashed crimson, he lifted his foot to kick the beam blocking the gate, "Someone! Open the gate for me!"

Li Defu fell to his knees, his forehead pounding the snow: "I am wronged! I was about to open the gate, but Madam Xu kept blocking me."

The Emperor has arrived, and Li Defu also came to his senses.

If the Emperor doesn't come, some things in Cuivei Palace will be lost, and that would be Wan Tang's fault.

But now the Emperor has come, and it cannot be accounted for.

To save himself, he had to shout: "I brought people here to extinguish the fire; even if I am burned alive, I will protect the pear tree."

Chu Yunzheng didn't even glance at him, drew his side sword from his waist and slashed at the gate latch: "Li Defu, I think you're a foolish old man!"

The blade flashed, wood shavings flew.

Boom!

The Gongmen finally burst open, a scorching wave of heat slammed into the face.

Chu Yunzheng squinted his smoke‑irritated eyes.

Wan Tang's plain white dress was stained with ash, one hand still holding the digging posture.

Behind her, Li Ping'er and Xiao Shunzi were covered in black ash, desperately using both hands to dig at the collapsed wall foot.

The flames shot upward, thick smoke billowed.

Li Defu shouted hoarsely, "Protect the Emperor! Quickly protect the Emperor!"

"And that pear tree— even if you all are burned to death, the pear tree must not fall."

But Chu Yunzheng didn't even glance; his gaze was fixed on the slender figure deep within the sea of fire.

Tangtang!

He almost roared, ignoring the Imperial Guard's block, kicked aside the burning broken wood, and rushed in.

The heat wave hit his face, scorching his dragon robe to a searing heat, yet he didn't even furrow his brow; his eyes held only the woman lying in the thick smoke.

She lay on her side on the ground, her plain white dress torn by the flames, yet she still retained a final shred of dignity.

Ash fell on her pale cheek, highlighting her fragility, yet somehow giving her a tragic, beautiful allure.

She closed her eyes, her lashes casting tiny shadows in the firelight; the corner of her mouth still bore a trace of fresh blood, like a flower about to wither.

Wan Tang controlled everything carefully, even the black ash on her face.

Chu Yunzheng's heart tightened sharply, an unprecedented fear clutching his throat.

He bent down, snatched Wan Tang sideways into his arms; the instant his arms tightened, he realized she was frighteningly light.

It seemed the months of torment were about to wear her away completely.

His voice trembled, his fingertips unconsciously brushed her cheek, as if confirming she was still alive, "I have arrived, I will take you out…"

Wan Tang gave no reply, keeping her eyes closed, yet her eyelashes fluttered lightly, like the dying wings of a butterfly.

Chu Yunzheng's heart seemed to stop for a moment.

"Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician!" he roared, clutching her and sprinting out of the sea of fire, his dragon robe scorched with charred marks yet he felt nothing.

Li Defu was still outside directing the fire rescue; when he saw the Emperor emerge holding Wan Tang, his complexion changed abruptly: "Emperor, Nubi is truly wronged."

"Get out of the way!" Chu Yunzheng kicked aside the blocking eunuch, his eyes blazing crimson, "If she has any fault, I will have every one of you buried with her!"

The Wan Tang in his arms remained "unconscious," but her fingertips twitched slightly, unnoticed by anyone.

【Is the scumbag dragon really here for the pear tree?】

【It seems they never saw the pear tree at all during the whole time.】

【Perhaps even he cannot tell what is causing his nervousness.】

Chu Yunzheng carefully placed Wan Tang on the soft couch in Langxia, his fingers brushing the ash on her cheek with a tenderness like touching fragile crystal.

"Tangtang…" he called softly, his hoarse voice barely recognizable.

In that instant, those lies and deceptions seemed irrelevant.

As long as this woman is still alive.

Wan Tang's eyelashes fluttered, she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze scattered for a moment before focusing on Chu Yunzheng's face.

Suddenly, she smiled gently, a pure smile like a naïve maiden, yet tinged with a heartbreaking haziness.

"I dreamed again…"

She murmured, her fingertip tentatively touching his sleeve corner, then shyly withdrawing, "I won't touch you, or the dream will wake again."

Chu Yunzheng felt a sudden choke in his chest, as if someone had seized his heart.

Wang Jingyi sneered sharply, "What a pathetic act! It was you who set the fire to end your life just now!"

She pointed at Wan Tang, her fingernail nearly scraping her face, "Emperor, she was the one blocking the door, refusing us to rescue the fire."

"Silence!" Chu Yunzheng barked suddenly, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

Wang Jingyi shivered in fear yet persisted, "I only fear Your Majesty being deceived by her! If she truly didn't want to die, why lock the door and set the fire?"

Chu Yunzheng's body stiffened, he looked down at Wan Tang, only to see her still bearing that hazy smile, as if she hadn't heard Wang Jingyi's accusations.

She stared solely at him, her eyes reflecting the flickering flames, as if trying to engrave his image into her heart.

She wants to leave me?

The thought slithered up like a poisonous snake; Chu Yunzheng suddenly clenched her wrist with a force that nearly crushed her bones, "Answer me!"

His voice was hoarsely terrifying, "Do you truly… would rather die than stay by my side?"

Wan Tang's fingertips trembled lightly, a bitter smile curling at her lips.

"I have never thought of leaving. "Her voice was as light as a wisp of smoke, yet every word was clear," she said. Tonight, we only wanted to stand in the courtyard and watch the fireworks."

She lifted her gaze toward the direction of Jingren Palace, where the night sky still held the lingering embers of fireworks.

"Thinking… that the Emperor is there, we look up at the same sky, as if…" she paused, her throat choked, "as if you were still by my side."

Chu Yunzheng's pupils narrowed slightly.

"When the fireworks burst, somehow the fire ignited. "Wan Tang's fingertip unconsciously tightened the hem of her garment," we scrambled to douse the flames, but the blaze was too great, and no one heard our cries for help."

Her voice grew softer, ending in an almost inaudible sigh, "When we tried to escape, we found… the door was blocked solid."

Chu Yunzheng's breath halted abruptly, the scene he had seen when he first rushed into the blaze flashing in his mind.

Xiao Shunzi and Li Ping'er knelt in the corner, their fingers bloodied, still desperately clawing at bricks and stones, trying to dig a way out.

If they truly wanted to die, why struggle so hard to survive?

Wang Jingyi, seeing this, immediately cut in with a sharp voice, "Absurd! The fire is so massive, yet the three of you alive cannot get out? Clearly it was deliberate."

Shei heard your cries for help?

"I saw the fire, and you set it deliberately!"

Wan Tang sneered coldly in her heart, having to admit that Wang Jingyi was indeed very clever.

Her own methods had been completely seen through by her.

So what?

Wan Tang plainly told her everything; how could she struggle?

After suffering so many losses without any guarantee of victory, how could Wan Tang still act so lightly?

"Madam Xu!" Wan Tang suddenly lifted her gaze, tears flashing in her eyes, yet with a hint of sharpness, "Why are you so certain the door was blocked by us?"

"I am terrified, why are you not in Jingren Palace at this moment, but here?"

Xu Jingyi's eyes were frantic; she originally intended to show off, to continue tormenting Wan Tang on this auspicious day.

But how could these matters be spoken?

Wang Jingyi's complexion stiffened.

Chu Yunzheng's gaze suddenly turned cold.

Wan Tang no longer argued with her, merely gently grasped the Emperor's hand and slowly guided it to her abdomen.

Her palm was icy, yet carried an unmistakable resolve.

"Emperor…" she looked up at him, silent tears sliding down, "How could I, a subject, seek death?"

When Chu Yunzheng's fingertip touched that unusual curve, he felt as if struck by lightning.

"This is…" his voice suddenly hoarse.

Wan Tang gave no reply, only stared quietly at him, her eyes holding a thousand words.

"Imperial Physician!" Chu Yunzheng shouted suddenly, his arm snapping tight, clutching Wan Tang firmly in his arms, "Why haven't they arrived yet?"

"You, go quickly."

"If they are too slow, have them carried to me."

His voice carried an unprecedented panic, even a barely perceptible tremor.

Wang Jingyi's face turned deathly pale, her fingernails digging deep into her palm: "Your Majesty! She is full of scheming, you must never be deceived by her."

"Did you forget that she is a woman who would fake a pregnancy just to vie for favor?"

"Out." Chu Yunzheng didn't even lift his head, his voice cold as if tempered by ice, "If I hear another word from you, don't come back to this Imperial Palace."

Wang Jingyi staggered backward, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Wan Tang simply rested quietly in the emperor's embrace, her fingertips still lightly resting on her lower abdomen, the corner of her lips lifting in a barely visible curve.