Having said that, the eunuch carried a tray and presented it to Qi Heng.

"Second Prince, I am only acting under orders, please do not make things difficult for me."

Qi Heng closed his eyes in pain. Just moments ago, he had been thinking of running away with his beloved wife.

He refused to take the tray, but the eunuch forced it into his hand.

His hands trembled as he looked at the items on the tray.

"Yan'er, I don't want to die, I don't want to die. Father Emperor still misunderstands me, and I must explain it to him in person."

As he spoke, he had already stood up, but Shangguan Yan'er firmly grasped his wrist.

"it's useless."

Shangguan Yan'er's eyes were filled with tears, and she choked up a little.

If Qi Heng's words had any effect, he wouldn't have been deposed as crown prince by his father today.

The eunuch shook his head. "Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for this servant."

"Brother Qi Heng, I won't be lonely on the road to the Yellow Springs with you by my side." Shangguan Yan'er took the tray from Qi Heng's hands, pulled him along, and walked step by step towards the bedchamber.

Qi Heng followed, moving slowly with his steps.

Behind him, the eunuchs followed closely.

It was a very short distance, but the couple walked for a long time.

Qi Heng and Shangguan Yan'er slowly entered the sleeping quarters.

Just as the eunuch was about to follow, Qi Heng slammed the door shut.

Inside the bedchamber, Qi Heng embraced Shangguan Yan'er tightly.

"Yan'er, let's run away."

At the end of Qi Heng's despair, hope began to emerge.

He really didn't want to die.

Back in Dongjin, he was so desperate that he never even considered dying. Now that he's returned to Northern Qi, however…

He was heartbroken.

"There's no escaping it." Shangguan Yan'er knew that her father wanted them dead, and he must have already made thorough preparations.

Moreover, the eldest prince also hopes that the couple will become a pair of fugitives.

Qi Heng also knew that his eldest brother must have been the one instigating things behind the scenes.

Father Emperor just said he was going to put him under house arrest.

In the blink of an eye, the words changed.

He looked at the three items on the tray once more.

Everything about it filled her with dread.

He has no right to choose when he is born, nor does he have the right to choose when he will die.

"Second Prince, please hurry, this servant still has to report back." The eunuch's urging voice rang out from outside the palace gate.

Qi Heng was already in tears.

“I am guilty, I am a sinner.”

Shangguan Yan'er's eyes were blurred with tears.

She tiptoed and gently wiped away the tears from Qi Heng's eyes.

"Don't cry, I'm here with you."

She examined the cup of poisoned wine closely.

She paused, then glanced out the window.

Outside the window, the sky was a clear blue, and the fiery red sun hung high in the sky.

The slender branches swayed gently in the light breeze.

The birds on the branches chirped merrily, flapping their wings and flying to and fro.

“Brother Qi Heng, we were born at different times, but at least we can die together. In the afterlife, we can at least look after each other.”

She picked it up shakily from the tray and brought it to her lips.

"No, damn it, it's me!" Qi Heng snatched the poisoned wine.

“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have listened to Chu Tian that day and gone to the border to suffer. Now I’ve even caused you to die with me.”

"I don't blame you," Shangguan Yan'er said, shaking her head with a smile.

"Brother Qi Heng, please let me have my way this one last time. I'm afraid of pain and I can't bear the pain of suffocation."

She had a smile on her face; even in death, she wanted to leave with a smile.

However, her smile was even uglier than a cry.

She snatched the poisoned wine from Qi Heng's hand and quickly drank it all in one gulp.

"Yan'er!" Qi Heng cried out, tears streaming down his face.

He shook his head vigorously.