Chapter 134 Chapter 134 "Sacrifice."

"Zhao Niang, is this the robe you're going to wear at the Spring Banquet?

“It’s really beautiful.

"I just don't know why, but I always feel like I've seen this before."

Jiu Zhao stared at the dress hanging on the pure gold truss in a trance, and Zhu Yan's voice, as if an outsider, came from the side.

No wonder he only felt familiar but couldn't remember where this familiarity came from.

If the other protagonist, Lan Qi, were here, he would probably recognize it at a glance, as it looks very much like the wedding dress they wore at their wedding.

The words of the God Emperor yesterday are still ringing in my ears.

After revealing that the person to be killed was Lan Qi, he repeated the order "Only success is allowed, failure is not allowed".

As long as Jiu Zhao steeled himself and resolved this matter for Sanqingtian, he could retire with his achievements complete, smoothly abdicating the position of Divine Emperor. However, if he failed to kill Lan Qi, given their former fiancée relationship, the immortals would assume Jiu Zhao was deeply in love, or even colluding with the Burning Sea.

People's hearts are fickle and their love is cold and fickle.

After experiencing the bitter fruit of failed relationships twice, Jiu Zhao felt that only family members could be trusted wholeheartedly in the world.

But it turns out that in order to achieve his goal, God the Father also planned to take advantage of himself.

He tied her to a blazing fire rack.

She was not allowed to have any unplanned emotions.

Is this what one has to do to be a qualified monarch?

Even if it means hurting those close to you, coercing them, using them, until you become a lonely person——

It doesn't matter what.

Jiu Zhao couldn't understand.

It turned out that every time she was urged to make a decision, she was never given enough time to think it through.

She didn't think of shirking her duties.

But on the road to power, every time she felt she had given up enough, new problems would arise, forcing her to make more choices.

…

"Zhao Niang, Zhao Niang, did you hear what I said?"

Seeing that Jiu Zhao was just staring at a certain part of the dress without blinking and not participating in his conversation, Zhu Yan called her name again.

Jiu Zhao then turned her gaze away and smiled at him, "Does it seem familiar? I don't really feel anything. It's probably because I prefer red and I have too many clothes of the same color. This time, in order to win my favor, the Divine Embroidery Bureau sent me something that I can't go wrong with, so I feel this way."

Although she was smiling, there was a hint of solemnity and absent-mindedness in her eyes.

This was the expression Zhu Yan saw most often on her face since he recovered from the stone chamber.

And as the Spring Festival Banquet approaches, it becomes more and more obvious.

Ordinary attempts to please him were no longer enough to make Jiu Zhao smile.

Zhu Yan signaled the maid with his eyes to push the truss to the corner and put it aside, leaving them some space to be alone.

He took Jiuzhao's hand and led her to sit at the tea table by the window.

His bony hands fell to his shoulders. Noticing Jiu Zhao's body twitched in shock, he stretched out his hands, suppressing her unconscious defensive posture. Then he asked softly, "Zhao Niang, have you been too tired lately? Ever since I came out of seclusion, I often see you suddenly lose focus in the middle of a conversation."

"Hmm... The Spring Feast is approaching, and with the demons joining us this year, we must do our best."

Jiu Zhao lowered his eyelashes. "Because of this situation, I worry day and night. After all, this is the first major matter I have taken on since returning to Sanqing Heaven."

"Is there anything that is not satisfactory? I think the arrangement in every respect is perfect enough."

Perhaps it is because long-term illness makes one a good doctor, Zhu Yan’s massage force is just right.

When the body begins to relax, the heartstrings are no longer as tight as a bow.

The God Emperor's attitude was resolute. It was just an order and Jiu Zhao was not allowed to raise any objections.

At this moment, in front of her caring lover, she suddenly had a stronger desire to confide in him.

After carefully selecting the information that couldn't be revealed and replacing it with something else, Jiu Zhao stared at the teacup on the long table for a few breaths, hesitating, and said, "Yan Lang, there's a question I've been thinking about for a long time, but I can't figure it out. If you've already wronged someone once without realizing it, and now the overall situation requires you to do so again, and this wrongdoing is even more excessive and serious, what would you do?"

Zhu Yan didn't dwell on it for too long before getting to the heart of the matter. "How egregious is this more serious behavior? Is there room for compensation? Furthermore, even for the greater good, besides apologizing to that person, is there any other viable solution?"

Jiu Zhao smiled bitterly: "How excessive is it... Do you still remember the legends we read together? The protagonists in the stories often sacrificed themselves to save the world. That was excessive to that extent, using him first and then sacrificing him. As for other feasible methods——"

Should she give up Zhu Yan and marry Lan Qi?

Regardless of whether her heart was willing or not, even if she was willing, Father God was determined to kill Lan Qi and would never agree.

Seeing Jiu Zhao's words stopped midway and couldn't continue, Zhu Yan realized that there was no turning back.

He pursed his lips slightly, then continued, "Zhao Niang, don't you think the analogy you made is inconsistent with the actual situation?"

"I know it's different, but as long as you understand—"

"The hero chooses to sacrifice his own life to save the people because it is his own life.

“The moment of death is even sublime, a heroic act, without any psychological pressure.

“You can take the lives of others, and if the person making the decision has abandoned all conscience, then that’s fine.

“If she still has any conscience, then how difficult her state of mind must be.

"Those who profit from the grand scheme of things rest easy, while the families of the victims grow angry and resentful. Their emotions are as clear as black and white. Only those who made the decision will be trapped in the shackles of carrying human lives for the rest of their lives, tortured by their conscience day and night, and gradually driven to madness."

Other people's focus is almost always on whether it is right to sacrifice one person for the overall situation.

Before confiding, Jiu Zhao had also thought that according to Zhu Yan's personality of rarely hesitating in the face of major issues, he would most likely favor the overall situation.

As a result, he completely thought from her perspective.

"Zhao Niang, I don't know how important this so-called overall situation is, and what the consequences will be if I make a different decision—

"I know one thing for sure, and that's that I understand you very well. You have your own principles and bottom line. Perhaps at this point, others would sacrifice the individual for the benefit of the majority without hesitation, but your heart remains warm and soft. If you truly did that, I'm afraid you'd never feel at peace again in your life."

Worry that was so full that it almost burst out flowed from those emerald green eyes that were as gentle as the sea.

As his thin lips opened and closed, Zhu Yan's last words struck Jiu Zhao's heart like a hammer.

"However, this is just my humble opinion. I understand that you are the crown prince of Sanqingtian and have responsibilities to shoulder."

…

He spoke out her inner thoughts.

Jiu Zhao, however, did not feel the slightest bit of relief.

She reached out for the teapot and poured a full cup of tea into the celadon cup.

The clear tea fragrance slowly spreads, and the leaf buds stretch and float in the tea soup that has long been cooled.

She drank the cold tea in one gulp, then looked at the brownish-green tea leaves, now drained of moisture and clinging to the bottom of the cup in a damp, clump. A pale, cold smile appeared on her face. "Perhaps, when forced to sacrifice someone, I too have become, in a sense, a victim."