From cute to empress

Chapter 345: Sacrificing Oneself to Save the Fire

"What happened to the general?!" My heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition came over me, as if an invisible hand was tightly grasping my heart.

"The general... he's back!" The meteorologist's words were intermittent, but they were like a beam of strong light, instantly dispelling the haze in my heart.

I sat up suddenly, not caring about my weakness, and grabbed the weather officer's hand, asking anxiously, "Where is he? Take me to see him!"

The meteorologist did not dare to delay and hurriedly supported me and stumbled out of the bedroom.

As soon as I reached the palace gate, I saw Zhen Youcai standing there, dusty and exhausted. He had lost a lot of weight, and his once handsome face was now full of fatigue, but his eyes were still firm and gentle.

"Mengmeng!" When he saw me, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He rushed to me in two steps and held my hand tightly.

"You're back, you're really back..." I looked at him, tears blurring my eyes. At this moment, thousands of words turned into this simple greeting.

Zhen Youcai gently wiped away my tears and said softly, "I promised you that I would come back." After that, he took out an exquisite wooden box from his arms. When he opened it, he saw various rare medicinal herbs neatly arranged inside, emitting a faint fragrance.

I couldn't hold back my tears any longer, as I knew he must have suffered a lot to find these herbs.

At this time, a white-haired old man walked out from behind Zhen Youcai. He bowed slightly to me and said, "I was entrusted by the general to come and treat your majesty."

I quickly ordered someone to invite him into the hall. The old man carefully examined my physical condition, and then used those precious medicinal herbs to prepare a magical potion.

After I drank the potion, I felt a warm current spread throughout my body. My originally weak body seemed to be injected with new vitality, and the pain that had been plaguing me for days was also alleviated a lot.

"Your Majesty is blessed by heaven. As long as you take the medicine on time, you will be cured in a few days." The old man stroked his beard and smiled.

Hearing this, my heart finally settled down. I turned to look at Zhen Youcai, who was looking at me with a look of relief, the bloodshot in his eyes clearly visible.

"Have a good rest, I'll be back soon." Zhen Youcai patted my hand gently, stood up and walked out of the hall.

I looked at his departing back, and suddenly felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen... "Where are you going?" I couldn't help but ask.

Zhen Youcai paused, looked back at me, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Go and solve some things that should have been solved long ago..."

Unease coiled around me like a vine, and Zhen Youcai's words only deepened my worry. What exactly was that "thing that should have been resolved long ago"? I fought back the discomfort and struggled to get up. "Wait, I..."

"Mengmeng!" Zhen Youcai walked quickly to the bedside and gently pressed my shoulders. "Just focus on your recovery and leave the rest to me." His eyes were firm and gentle, as if carrying some kind of magic, which gradually calmed my uneasy heart.

I held his hand tightly and said, "You have to promise me that you will come back safely." My voice was trembling. An inexplicable fear surged deep in my heart, as if I had a premonition that something was about to happen.

Zhen Youcai said nothing, but nodded vigorously, then turned and strode away. As I watched him leave, my uneasiness grew stronger.

Over the next few days, I forced myself to take medicine and rest, and my health gradually improved. I kept getting news from the meteorologists, and learned that Zhen Youcai had quelled the rebellion with lightning speed, annihilating all the traitors who had attempted to take advantage of the situation. I felt both proud of him and worried about him.

Finally, after taking the last dose of medicine, I felt completely restored to health. I immediately changed into court clothes and went to the meeting hall surrounded by palace maids.

The moment I pushed open the hall door, I saw a figure I hadn't seen in a long time. Zhen Youcai, dressed in military uniform, stood tall and straight in the center of the hall. His face wore a hint of fatigue, but his eyes remained firm and sharp. Seeing me, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a warm smile.

I walked quickly to his side, "You're okay, I'm so glad..." There was a hint of sob in my voice. The worry and longing that had been accumulating in my heart for these days all flooded into my heart at this moment.

"I'm fine." Zhen Youcai gently held my hand. "I promised you that I would return safely."

I looked at him, my heart filled with gratitude and love. "Those traitors..."

"They have all been killed." Zhen Youcai's tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable majesty.

I took a deep breath and scanned the empty hall. "There must be a hidden hand behind this turmoil that we're not aware of, right?"

Zhen Youcai nodded. "You're right. The mastermind behind this is that mysterious organization." A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "This time, we must completely eliminate them and restore peace and prosperity to the world!"

"We?" I noticed the change in Zhen Youcai's words.

He looked at me with a firm gaze, "Mengmeng, I need your help in this struggle." He paused, "And their..." As he said that, he turned to look at the entrance of the hall, and my gaze followed him.

The monk and the meteorologist walked in side by side, both of them wearing an unprecedented solemnity. "Your Majesty, General," the monk said, clasping his hands together and bowing slightly, his expression solemn. "I've been observing the celestial phenomena lately and have noticed anomalies in the star paths. This portends an impending catastrophe, but also a glimmer of hope."

My heart tightened, and I asked, "Master, what do you mean..."

"This catastrophe is the final madness of that mysterious organization," the meteorologist continued, his tone solemn. "They have reached their limit and will surely make a desperate move and launch a final attack."

Zhen Youcai frowned and said in a deep voice, "What do they want to do?"

"Their target is the Imperial Palace," the monk said gravely. "I observed the stars at night and discovered that the Purple Star has dimmed. The Emperor's aura is in jeopardy, and the source of all this lies within the Imperial Palace."

Inside the palace? My heart sank. Could it be...

"Your Majesty, there's no need to panic." The monk seemed to see through my thoughts. "This is all within our expectations. I, the weather officer, and I have already laid a tight net, waiting for them to fall into it."

Zhen Youcai's eyes flashed, and he said decisively: "Okay! In this case, let's take advantage of their tactics and wipe out this evil force in one fell swoop!"

For the next few days, a tense atmosphere permeated the palace. Zhen Youcai mobilized all his elite troops and surrounded the palace, while the monks and meteorologists secretly set up formations, awaiting the enemy's arrival. Although I felt uneasy, I knew now was not the time to panic. I had to remain calm, trust Zhen Youcai, and believe that we would overcome all difficulties.

At this tense moment, something unexpected happened...

"Your Majesty! Something bad has happened!" A guard ran into my bedroom in a panic. "The Imperial Study... The Imperial Study is on fire!"

My heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition came over me. "Let's go! To the imperial study!"

When I arrived at the imperial study, the fire had already spread, the raging flames engulfing everything, and thick smoke billowing into the sky. I looked around anxiously, trying to find Zhen Youcai, but he was not in the fire.

"Where is the general? Has anyone seen the general?" I grabbed a guard and asked anxiously.

"Your Majesty, the general... the general..." The guard hesitated, not daring to tell the truth.

"Tell me! What happened?" My tone became stern.

"General... the general rushed into the sea of ​​fire to put out the fire..."

My head buzzed, and everything went blank. No! This couldn't be happening! Zhen Youcai, nothing could happen to him. He promised me he'd return safely...

"Mengmeng!" A familiar voice suddenly rang out. I looked up suddenly and saw Zhen Youcai standing in the firelight, covered in blood. His eyes were filled with anxiety and worry... No, that wasn't worry, but a kind of determination, as if he had made some important decision...

"Take good care of her." Zhen Youcai pushed a bloody figure in front of me without any hesitation, then rushed into the raging fire without looking back.

"No! Don't!" I screamed heartbreakingly, but I couldn't stop it from happening. I stood there dumbfounded, watching the flames engulf his back, tears blurring my eyes... "You have talent—!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but all I got was the sound of the flames licking everything even more fiercely.

He rushed into the flames, leaving me with the hope of survival, and he… I didn't even have time to see who he was protecting before tears blurred my eyes. The guards scrambled to put out the flames. The imperial study was in shambles, the air thick with the smell of burning. I stumbled inside, searching in vain, hoping to find his familiar figure amidst the rubble.

"Your Majesty! Look!" exclaimed a guard.

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a charred corpse lying on the ground, and in his hand, he was tightly clutching a jade pendant... That was the token of love I gave to Zhen Youcai!

“No, this is not true…” I fell to my knees weakly, my mind going blank.

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences." The monk's voice rang out in his ears. "The general is a man of good fortune, and he will be fine."

"Good fortune always comes to those who are lucky..." I murmured to myself, a glimmer of hope igniting in my heart. Yes, Zhen Youcai would not die so easily, he must still be alive!

"Your Majesty, cheer up! Now is not the time to grieve," the meteorologist said anxiously. "The man the general risked his life to rescue is incredibly important. He holds the key to our complete dismantling of this mysterious organization!"

I took a deep breath, tried hard to suppress the grief in my heart, and looked at the person who was rescued by Zhen Youcai.

"who is he?"

"He is..." The meteorologist paused, his tone solemn, "The Imperial Master's trusted confidant, and also the secret agent planted in the palace by the mysterious organization."

My heart sank, a chill running through my chest. It turned out all of this was true... A mysterious organization had truly penetrated the palace, and I knew nothing about it!

"Your Majesty, now is not the time to assign blame," the monk said solemnly. "We must act swiftly, taking advantage of their tactics and completely wiping out the mysterious organization!"

"Yes, you're right." I clenched my fists, a look of determination flashing in my eyes. "Pass the order down, all troops assemble and prepare for battle!"

This battle will determine the fate of the country, and also the fate of Zhen Youcai and I! I looked up at the sky, where a red sun was rising, as if heralding the arrival of dawn.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The deafening sound of war drums rang out, breaking the pre-dawn tranquility...