In the first year of the Tai Shi era of the Great Jin Dynasty, after the new emperor was established, the officials of the inner court carried the imperial edict, the ceremonial crown, and the colorful palanquin in the Phoenix Palace.

As the bells and drums resounded throughout the palace, the Empress's carriage arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Imperial Guards cracked their whips on the steps, and high-pitched music began. Princes, civil and military officials, and all others lined both sides of the Hall of Supreme Harmony's gates to welcome her.

Shen Yan, dressed in a royal robe and adorned with nine white pearl tassels, stood high on the palace steps.

The eunuchs stood on both sides and, seeing the phoenix-shaped carriage arrive at the West Palace, began to loudly proclaim the imperial edict.

All civil and military officials knelt down and performed the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, accompanied by music and the cracking of whips, marking the start of the investiture ceremony.

Chu Chang Le, dressed in a phoenix crown and court robes, stepped down from the phoenix carriage and was helped by palace maids to cross the palace gate.

As the whip cracked, the sharp voice of the official reading the imperial edict filled the entire Taihe Palace.

Standing high above the temple, Shen Yan looked down at the person walking towards him step by step, his deep and cold eyes carrying a hint of a smile that was hard to detect.

Chu Changle noticed his gaze, looked up, and gazed at the man towering high above.

The dim light shone on his face, and she couldn't see his eyes clearly.

Suddenly, a metallic taste rose in my throat, and my vision gradually blurred.

She seemed to see herself falling off a cliff into the water, surrounded by emptiness, then with a splash, someone jumped down and caught her around the waist.

The icy seawater swept over her entire body and mind, making her shiver with cold. She opened her eyes through a blur and saw the man's eyes clearly. His eyes were dark and deep, as if they held boundless anger. She was so frightened that she stepped back, but he pulled her into his arms and breathed on her.

She seemed to see him playing the zither in the peach blossom forest, the moon shining and the wind blowing, the petals swirling around. She secretly hid to the side to admire him, when the cold blade pressed against her neck. She turned around in fright and met his eyes.

My elder brother said that men with such cold and indifferent eyes are born heartless.

She didn't believe that her Shen Huailing was the best man in the world.

Later, she regretted it.

She saw him standing on the city wall in his wedding dress, below the Nine Nether Terrace. The wind howled, and the city was littered with corpses. She roared and confronted him, but he remained indifferent, his blade stained with blood, neither speaking nor arguing.

She was wrong; she shouldn't have fallen in love with him. This is God's punishment for her.

She was born and raised by the Southern Dynasty royal family, yet she turned her blade against the place that gave her birth and raised her. She has no right to live, much less to marry the enemy who wiped out her clan.

The light and shadows before my eyes flickered, a suffocating pain surged up, and black blood kept spilling from the corner of my mouth.

Chu Changle blinked, trying to see the man on the high platform clearly, but suddenly everything in front of her became blurry.

A flash of white light, and as she closed her eyes, she seemed to see herself in her wedding dress falling off the city wall, a white sash binding her waist, and him lying on the city wall, his eyes bloodshot.

"Chu Chang Le!"

With a bang, the music stopped, and the empress, dressed in a phoenix crown and auspicious robes, collapsed below the imperial platform.

The officials watched this scene in shock and disarray.

A silent wind blows, and the world is filled with desolation.

Shen Yan's expression changed drastically. He stumbled down from the platform and picked up the person on the ground.

Black blood stained his dragon robe.

He watched as black blood continued to spill from the corner of her mouth, tears streaming down his face, and roared hoarsely, "Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician at once—"

As the temperature in her limbs gradually disappeared, she felt cold tears falling on her face.

Chu Changle opened her eyes with difficulty and looked weakly at his face.

Shen Yan swiftly pressed her pressure points and pulled her back into his arms.

The wind whistled past my ears; the earth was vast and desolate, and all things were silent.

Warmth flowed down her cheeks, and she stretched out her slender fingers, trembling as she touched his outline, her voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"Shen Huailing, you save your people, and I will go to the underworld to atone for my sins to the Southern Dynasty royal family. In the next life, let's never meet again."

The land was in turmoil, with powerful enemies in the Western Regions. The Great Jin Dynasty was divided between the north and south, and the eight princes in the north were each harboring their own ambitions, fighting openly and secretly. The world was in deep trouble, and there was chaos and war everywhere.

After unifying the south, Shen Yan established the Great Jin Dynasty. During his reign, he suppressed powerful clans and allowed commoners to rise to prominence. He abolished harsh policies and reduced taxes for the people, earning their deep affection and respect.

However, not long after he took the throne, he ushered in an era of political division, the first since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty.

During the grand ceremony for the enthronement of the empress, the empress was poisoned and died, and the news spread throughout the entire land of Kyushu in an instant.

Some were happy while others were sad. The Empress was a princess of the former dynasty who had been favored by the Emperor and was exceptionally promoted to Empress, which had already aroused dissatisfaction among the court officials. Her death naturally brought them joy.

However, the new emperor did not believe that the person was dead, so he kept the death a secret, imprisoned the body in an ice coffin, and searched extensively for the so-called elixir of resurrection.

From then on, he was devastated and lost the will to fight.

With the former prime minister in complete control, decades of division and infighting in the north erupted in an instant. The eight princes of the Great Jin Dynasty rebelled under the pretext of purging corrupt officials from the court, an event known in history as the War of the Eight Princes.

When Chu Changning, who was far away in the east, heard this news, he was shocked and almost had a miscarriage.

Of the eight princes, the Prince of Huainan had always remained aloof, but now the Central Plains were in complete chaos.

The King of Huainan had always known that Yan Beimo harbored ambitions. When the Chaodong region was in turmoil, he also came to Chaodong, bringing with him his legitimate daughter, Princess Pingyang.

Using the excuse that Pingyang was unfamiliar with Chaodong, he sent the person to Yan Beimo's residence in Chaodong.

Yan Beimo is all talk and no action, but he has always maintained a superficial peace with the Eight Kings of the North. At this critical juncture, he naturally will not refuse.

When Chu Changning returned from the military camp, he saw the two people standing in the garden.

He stood to the side, with a woman in a peach-colored dress beside him, holding tea and snacks for him. From her angle, the two looked very intimate.

She was anxious to inquire about Kyoto, so she went straight there.

"My Lord".

Yan Beimo had already heard her approaching and turned his head to look.

"Didn't you enjoy being in the military? What are you doing back here?"

Chu Changning knew he was deliberately making sarcastic remarks about her, and remained calm.

"Could we speak in private for a moment?"

Princess Pingyang put down her tea and snacks and looked at them with a smile.

"Sister, what's the matter that's in such a hurry?"

She had been at this mansion for several days, and had finally found an opportunity to get close to the Marquis of Yan; she couldn't let him ruin it.

Now that the Eighth Prince has completely rebelled, she knows her father's intentions: this woman is her enemy in the rise to power and should be eliminated as soon as possible.

Chu Changning didn't want to get involved in palace intrigue, so she grabbed Yan Beimo's hand and led him into the study.

Princess Pingyang, "---"

She gripped the handkerchief tightly in anger, a murderous glint flashing in her eyes.

After entering the study, Chu Changning went straight to the point and asked about Chu Changle.

Yan Beimo glanced at his hand that had been released, concealed his emotions, calmly took off his outer robe, and walked to the desk to sit down.

"Is he really dead?"

Her voice was slightly hoarse, and the faint light flowed across her face, creating a hazy effect.

Yan Beimo leaned back lazily in his chair, glancing up at her.

"yes."

"How did he die?"

"He committed suicide by poison."

Chu Changning's body went limp, and he sat down on the chair next to him.

No wonder she left the secret guards to her; it turns out she had already planned to die.

Recalling those days together, a deep, piercing pain welled up inside her. She closed her eyes, lowered her head, and remained silent.

The room fell silent.

Yan Beimo played with two black beads in his hand, quietly watching her.