Chapter 112 The City Tower I'm really bored living here, who cares what happens after I die…

Kyoto is blanketed in fresh snow, a dazzling expanse of white. At dusk, the evening glow envelops countless rooftops and houses, lending the entire city a profound sense of antiquity. Winter birds circle in the sky, and the rickety carts of departing travelers crunch and creak on the cobblestone path before the city walls.

"Sigh!" Jin An sighed again, listlessly glancing back. Suddenly, a figure emerged from behind the waist-high bricks of the city wall. He exclaimed, "Hey?" How come this person looks so much like Tan Ge'er?

Feng Tan stood on the city wall and shouted, "Jin'an!"

Jin An then came to his senses, happily raising his arm and waving, saying, "Tan Ge'er! I'm here! I'm here!"

He spurred his horse away from the caravan, returned to the foot of the city wall, and looked up at Feng Tan with sparkling eyes. He opened his arms and said joyfully, "Brother Tan, jump down quickly, I'll catch you, let's go back to Dahuang!"

Upon hearing this, the Rakshasa soldiers and the guards on the city wall, several feet behind Feng Tan, were on high alert. This girl had used many tricks along the way, but in the end, unable to outrun them, she held a knife to her own neck, threatening them not to approach her and demanding that the city gate be opened. The city gate absolutely could not be opened, so both sides compromised, and they had no choice but to let her onto the city wall. But if she were to jump off the city wall to escape, that would be a huge problem.

They were filled with apprehension. Feng Tan smiled bitterly to herself. She no longer possessed the skill of lightness and agility; jumping from such a high city tower would surely mean certain death. Moreover, the distance from the capital to the territory of Dahua was still far; she could leave the capital but not the Hua Dynasty's borders.

It's a pity that even though they came here to look for her, she didn't even have a chance to spend a moment with them.

Feng Tan looked at the slowly departing Dahuang convoy, wanting to speak but hesitating and unable to utter a word. Jin An knew what she wanted to ask and said, "Although His Majesty has not yet woken up, his pulse is stable, so there will be no major problems."

Feng Tan felt relieved, but then the image of the fire at Hongxiu Pavilion and the bloodied heads of the women flashed through her mind. The complex emotions clashed fiercely, with neither side willing to let the other off the hook.

She nodded to Jin An to indicate that she understood, looked at his face which had become much thinner, smiled, gave him an official salute, and said, "Jin An, take care on your journey."

The snow started falling again, the snowflakes lingering in the air like white feathers landing on Feng Tan on the city tower. Jin An finally remembered that Tan Ge'er was a girl.

Suddenly, he recalled the days when he was a young man in a simple blue robe, or a scholar in an official robe, as tall and graceful as a bamboo, and the days when he and his colleagues in the Six Departments Hall laughed, argued, and worked together.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears. He was such a bright and promising young official, a young man with flowers in his hair who dared to try to turn the tide of the corrupt country. She had never even participated in the imperial examinations. When he was selected to take the imperial examinations and pass the nine-volume examination, he would be awarded a degree and be listed on the golden list. He should have been unparalleled in his life.

The officialdom was her true domain. If, as a woman, she harbored lofty ambitions but couldn't realize them, that would be one thing, but instead, she was imprisoned in an enemy country...

Jin An clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, suppressing his resentment as he returned Feng Tan's official salute. Tears welled up uncontrollably, mingling with the fluttering snowflakes like frozen crystals. He said, "Brother Tan, I told you when we parted last time that I, Jin An, am waiting in the capital for you to return to the court!"

The two teenagers looked at each other, their eyes burning with the sorrow of parting. They didn't know when they would see each other again, or even if they would ever see each other again, but they deliberately avoided the cruelest possibility and optimistically left a glimmer of hope.

Feng Tan blinked to extinguish her tears, and smiled as she replied, "Alright, see you in the court!"

Jin An wiped away his tears and sang his favorite song at the top of his lungs: "When autumn comes on the ninth day of the ninth month, my flowers will bloom and all other flowers will wither. The fragrance will fill Chang'an, and the whole city will be adorned with golden armor!"

Just like the last time they parted, he was encouraging Feng Tan again. Jin'an had always been a gentle haven for Feng Tan to forge ahead.

The convoy, carrying the banner of Dahuang, gradually disappeared into the heavy snow. Feng Tan stood on the city wall, her fingers unconsciously gripping the bricks. Just as she couldn't save Feng Youming, she couldn't save herself either.

She hated this suffocating feeling.

But she had no other choice at the time. Xiao Yinshi never presented choices; he had used Menghe Naboul as a chess piece, and what he presented to Feng Tan was already a dead end. He had no intention of letting Feng Tan fight her way out of the game.

Every thought and intention is a cause, and the result is what we experience in the present moment. Feng Tan rose through the ranks with Xiao Yinshi's help, but ultimately became imprisoned in his hands.

The young man was already at the end of his life, and his relatives and friends tried everything to help him, but to no avail. It would be impossible not to feel a great sense of loss and despondency.

Feng Tan felt uneasy. Her figure on the city wall was thin and lonely. In the heavy snow, the figures of her old friends gradually blurred and disappeared. The dividing line under her feet was the one she could never cross.

This setback was far less severe than the devastating fire of Chongming seventeen years ago. While the sandalwood trees were not shattered, psychological reconstruction was essential; she needed to find a path to freedom within her predicament.

Skilled in struggle, courageous in struggle, she can defeat Gao Yu and return to her homeland from Xiao Yinshi. With two kicks, she can overturn the path of the world; a single spark can start a prairie fire!

Feng Tan's gaze hardened, and behind him came a flurry of footsteps, the soldiers' respectful voices echoing in unison, "Your Majesty!"

The new emperor ascended the throne in magnificent robes. The ink-splashed robes were embroidered with a pattern of dragons soaring over the sea, and the surging golden waves at the hem of the robes were fluttering in the wind as he walked. However, the twelve-stain crown must have been put on but not properly, as it swayed precariously as he moved forward at high speed, which looked rather comical.

Xiao Yinshi stopped three zhang away from Feng Tan, threw off the cumbersome imperial crown, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty ruthlessness, and his voice was deep and gloomy as he slowly threatened, "Feng Tan, if you dare to take another step forward, everyone will be buried with you."

Zhu Qi, following behind him, caught the carelessly tossed imperial crown, his heart filled with resentment: "Your Majesty, this is your coronation ceremony! Since ancient times, which emperor hasn't attached great importance to it? But you, for Lady Feng... oh, I misspoke, this Miss Feng, abandoned your ministers and rode off on a fine horse towards the city walls! Although heroes may find it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman, shouldn't a ruthless ruler like Your Majesty be more in line with his character by severing all ties of love and affection?"

Zhu Qi was filled with worry, while Feng Tan, seeing Xiao Yinshi's somewhat exasperated appearance, felt a sense of satisfaction and said sarcastically with a smirk, "Does Da Hua still have any of my men? Who do you want to be buried with me?"

Xiao Yinshi stared intently at Feng Tan and said, "The Dahuang caravan hasn't gone far yet."

There has been a rule since ancient times that envoys between two countries should not be killed. However, Xiao Yinshi always acted according to his own rules. Feng Tan knew clearly that he meant what he said.

However, she was only standing there to see off Jin An and his group, so how did it give Xiao Yinshi the illusion that she was going to jump off the building?

Suicide? Feng Tan would never do that.

Feng Tan looked at his strange expression, as if facing a formidable enemy. Xiao Yinshi was always as steady as a mountain, and rarely looked so disheveled and embarrassed. He had a vicious idea that came to mind on a whim. Having suffered so much at the hands of Xiao Yinshi, he would not hesitate to retaliate when he had the chance.

She turned around and took a slight step back. If her back tilted down even a little, she would fall off the city wall. Without her lightness skill to protect her, Feng Tan's heart was pounding. A barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips. "Xiao Yinshi, everyone looks out for themselves. I find life here meaningless. What do I care about what happens to others after I die?"

Xiao Yinshi looked at Feng Tan's expression. She had a half-smile on her lips, and snowflakes fell all over her head, making her look like a bird with wings, about to fly to the vast and boundless sky.

He knew Feng Tan's temperament. Even though he knew she was trying to fool him, his heart still tightened involuntarily for a moment, but only for a moment. He quickly regained his usual coldness and said in a deep voice, "Then what do you want for me to come down?"

Standing high in the sky, Feng Tan glanced back at the height of the city tower above the ground. Due to the great distance, everything on the ground appeared much smaller in her field of vision. She guessed that Xiao Yin's internal and external injuries must have worsened during his fight with Feng Tingxiao, and coupled with his indulgence that night, he wasn't entirely confident he could catch her.

Feng Tan looked down at Xiao Yinshi, then glanced at Xiao Liling who was rushing over behind him. She was wearing a light pink cloak from the Western Regions, with a long velvet dress underneath. Her hair was styled in a high bun, with a slender silver hairpin slanted into it. Her face was as white as cream, and she was as delicate as a spring flower.

Meeting her eyes, Feng Tan smiled slightly and said, "I want her position as Empress. Will you give it to me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, panic appeared in Xiao Liling's usually calm eyes, and she subconsciously looked at the tall figure standing in front of her.

A long, brown scab stood out prominently on Xiao Yinshi's handsome face. Upon closer inspection, it was easy to guess that it was a scratch made by a woman's fingernails. Xiao Liling felt a pang of pain in her heart and her heart clenched as she awaited Xiao Yinshi's answer.

Xiao Yinshi's deep eyes reflected Feng Tan's composed expression; she hadn't been this cunning in a long time. However, Feng Tan wasn't interested in the Empress's position at all; she clearly seemed to be looking for trouble.

After tossing and turning with her all night in the dimly lit bedchamber, he had imagined how he would deal with her if she woke up and acted like a chaste and virtuous woman, making a scene. But now her unruly nature saved him a lot of trouble. It was better for her to still have energy and be restless than to be like a stagnant pool. It was just a matter of dealing with whatever came his way.

Xiao Yinshi's dark eyes were still fixed on Feng Tan, and he spoke in a cold and indifferent tone, "This request is not acceptable. Find another one."

The man's answer was not unexpected. He had never cared about a woman's status or chastity, and Feng Tan had recently guessed the reason why he gave Xiao Liling the position of Empress. Apart from the eldest prince, Xiao Zhan, who was still alive, the rest of the Xiao royal family had been slaughtered.

He wanted to use Xiao Liling to find Xiao Zhan, and he wouldn't allow Xiao Zhan to make a comeback like he had. Xiao Liling, acting as his inside man, helped him infiltrate the capital, and her demand was probably for him to be given the title of his principal wife.

The snow fell heavily, blanketing the earth like goose feathers. Feng Tan's hair danced behind her in the winter wind, giving her an air of aloof solitude. She looked at the composed Xiao Liling, her hatred hidden in her eyes, and said to her, "Then she should bend down and help me down."

These words contained blatant humiliation. Xiao Liling was about to ascend to the position of Empress, yet she had to bow down and help Feng Tan down with the etiquette of a palace maid. Feng Tan was simply slapping her in the face and destroying her heart.

Feng Tan never paid any attention to the struggles between women. Her attitude made Xiao Liling think that Feng Tan was nothing special after all.

However, she was always able to endure humiliation, and said gently, "Alright."

Xiao Liling glanced at Xiao Yinshi, whose gaze was closely following Feng Tan, pursed her red lips into a straight line, stepped forward, bowed, and then extended her finger to Feng Tan.

A ruthless glint appeared beneath Feng Tan's lowered eyelashes. She touched Xiao Liling's fingers, smiled at her, and suddenly grabbed her hand, leaning back and pulling her down from the city wall.

"Ah!" Xiao Liling's scream echoed in front of the entire city tower, making Feng Tan, who was holding her arm, tremble in his ears.

Xiao Yinshi was always a master strategist, and Feng Tan's actions were completely unexpected.

How dare that wolf cub actually jump?!

Author's note: Where there is oppression, there is resistance. Xiao Yinshi will not always have the upper hand. After being subjected to such a cruel treatment, A-Tan's resistance will also be fatal!

But don't worry, she values ​​her own life and will only risk others' lives first.

Sorry for the long wait, here's a bag as compensation! Thank you for all the encouragement in the comments!