Kou Ning'an asked several questions in a row, each one loud, which quickly alerted the two maids standing outside.

The sound of two maids walking into the room jolted Li Quan out of his daze. His expression shifted from its fierceness, but the next moment, the dagger in his hand slashed directly across Kou Ning'an's neck.

"Ah!" Kou Ning'an screamed, immediately covered her neck and backed away, kicking her legs wildly as she crawled into the bed.

"Guards! Protect the Emperor! There's an assassin!" Kou Ning'an's voice was shrill. At this moment, the two maids also rushed over, and Li Quan had no way out.

He never intended to back down. The reason his expression was so ferocious just now was because he remembered Kou Ning'an's previous mistreatment of His Majesty.

Li Quan had imagined this scene countless times, and he had wanted to personally kill this vicious woman to avenge their emperor.

However, Li Quan never did so because he couldn't bear to part with his emperor. He still wanted to remain in the position of head eunuch and do his utmost to protect his emperor from harm.

However, the things a eunuch can do are far too limited, and the center of power in the previous dynasty is not something someone like him can access. In the eyes of the court officials, a eunuch, especially an old one, is not even as good as a dog.

Especially when power was in the hands of the regent and the empress dowager, all he, as the chief eunuch, could manage was Gan Lin's food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

Fortunately, Princess Duanrong suddenly realized her mistake and even went through great lengths to carve out a path to survival for both the Emperor and herself. Now they have escaped with their lives.

They were nearing the light, and Li Quan personally saw his emperor off.

He watched with his own eyes as his emperor joyfully crossed the high wall that had imprisoned him for years and ran toward his freedom.

But now the Empress Dowager has discovered that this wicked woman is about to go to His Majesty's side. Once she finds that His Majesty has disappeared, she will immediately send people to search for and investigate.

She will surely hinder His Majesty's progress and prevent him from soaring through the skies.

Whenever Li Quan thought of this, anger would rise in his heart and evil thoughts would arise in his mind.

He got up from the ground and walked up to the woman who sat high above, controlling everything from her throne as empress dowager, only to find that she was nothing more than an old and frail woman.

Therefore, Li Quan made up his mind in an instant: he would kill her!

He wanted to stop her from hindering His Majesty. No one could hold His Majesty back; His Majesty would surely fly far away!

Amidst the Empress Dowager's screams, Li Quan leaped onto the bed, grabbed a dagger, and stabbed fiercely at her. The stab was aimed at Kou Ning'an's stomach, but Kou Ning'an rolled away on the bed to dodge, so the knife landed on her thigh instead.

The screams pierced through the Yinian Hall, echoing through the vast palace like the deepest hell.

"Die!" Li Quan's face was so ferocious that he looked like a demon crawling out of hell. For the sake of his emperor, he was demanding the life of this wicked old woman!

"Protect the Emperor!"

At this moment, because the commotion inside the bedchamber was too loud, all the servants rushed in. The two maids who had come in first tried to pull away Eunuch Li, but Eunuch Li slashed one of their arms with a dagger, which frightened them and made them back away.

Then, Eunuch Li, still holding the dagger, grabbed the Empress Dowager who was trying to get off the bed. With a second stab, his raised arm came crashing down, piercing the Empress Dowager's back.

"Ah—" A ripping scream came from Kou Ning'an's throat.

At this moment, the servants' swords had already pierced through the hanging gauze curtain and were directly aimed at Li Quan.

"Thud! Thud!" The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh is actually very, very soft.

Li Quan felt a sharp chill in his chest, and then his strength rapidly drained from his body.

But he hadn't let go of the hand gripping the dagger. With the last bit of strength he had left, he spun the dagger halfway around Kou Ning'an's back.

"Die!" Eunuch Li's blood, accompanied by vicious curses, sprayed directly from his mouth onto Kou Ning'an's back.

Kou Ning'an's screams were no longer human, and because the space on the bed was too small, the two servants were unable to rush up and drag Li Quan off immediately.

Li Quan let out a hoarse and terrifying laugh, intermittent, a mournful cry as he struggled to breathe.

However, he clung tightly to the Empress Dowager's clothes and refused to let go, pressing his body down on Kou Ning'an even as he died.

The dagger that was inserted into Kou Ning'an's back was pushed in by her own body weight, penetrating more than two inches further.

For the first time in his life, Eunuch Li felt that not being able to control his mouth had its advantages; if he weren't so obese, he probably wouldn't have such a destructive power.

He died on Kou Ning'an's back, while Kou Ning'an had already fainted and her fate was unknown.

Before taking his last breath, Eunuch Li gave a relieved smile.

In the end, he did something truly earth-shattering.

Throughout his life, he endured humiliation and hardship, and was admired by all sides because he lacked that thing down there.

Only one little child, who became the crown prince but was not favored by the emperor, never showed him any contempt.

Despite relying on and trusting him, and feeling affection and pity for him, Li Quan did not dare to treat the current emperor as his own child.

But Gan Lin was indeed everything to him.

His Majesty.

His beloved child.

Meanwhile, far away across the palace walls and amidst the swirling snow, in the temple, Gan Lin, who had been sleeping soundly by the brazier beside Gan Qiongying, was suddenly awakened from his dream.

He reached out and pressed his hand to his chest, feeling a chill. The wind had changed direction, and snowflakes began to blow towards the inside of the hall, covering him and Gan Qiongying.

Gan Qiongying was already asleep, and the brazier behind them was still burning with glowing embers, but Gan Lin felt as if snow had pierced through his chest and back, making him feel icy cold.

He reached out to beckon Gan Qiongying to get up, but felt his own face was also ice-cold.

Gan Lin reached out and touched him, only to find that he was already in tears.

He remembered dreaming of Li Quan, who told him to run fast and not to look back, and wished him a long and prosperous life.

Gan Lin wiped away her tears, her heart heavy, her lungs cold with every breath.

He didn't know that it was the old man who had taken care of him since he was a child, and that this was the last time he would meet him in his dreams through his spirit.