Chapter 39: He's gone mad for the eighteenth and nineteenth time!
Chapter 39
With Jiang You dead, no one will be able to see the Emperor and persuade him to issue an edict to kill Yan Danqing and agree to peace talks.
So, can this change the outcome?
Ye Xiren sat inside the Dali Temple, awaiting the outcome.
His fingers kept rubbing against the handrail, his eyes filled with unease, glancing towards the door every now and then. In the last cycle, Ye Pei brought back the imperial edict at this time, but time had passed and they still hadn't returned... Had killing Jiang You changed the outcome?
Ye Xiren's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
She desperately wanted a satisfactory answer, yet she feared the outcome that had already occurred. This anxiety made her restless, as if a mountain was pressing down on her heart, smothering the raging fire that had been burning within.
The heart pounded, and the raging fire surged against the mountain, as if it were about to burst forth and burn everything to ashes.
Beside him, Ye Changming muttered:
"My God, you're still so calm! Do you know what you did today? If this gets out, our whole family is doomed!"
That's Jiang You!
"Do you know how much His Majesty trusts him? Many officials in the court have already sided with Jiang You: two councilors, Minister of Rites Li Renyi, Minister of War Yu Youcao... He wields immense power and has so many cronies. He'll definitely find out about us very soon!"
"It's all over, the Ye family is truly doomed." Ye Changming muttered all day until his voice was hoarse, "How could I have followed you and made such a foolish mistake?!"
Oh no, oh no.
The Ye family is completely finished.
Ye Xiren turned to look at him, pursing her lips: "He deserved to die. I'm acting on behalf of Heaven. Besides, he was kidnapped outside the Northern Yan embassy, so it must have been done by the Northern Yan people. What does it have to do with us?"
Her eyes were wide open, she was righteous and confident, and there was not a trace of guilt or fear on her face.
Ye Changming: "???"
His pupils contracted, and he lowered his voice in shock: "You're really my sister? Are you possessed by some kind of ghost?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Changming seemed to have figured something out. He gasped, grabbed Ye Xiren's hand, shook it violently, and shouted, "Monster, give me back my sister!"
Ye Xiren remained silent.
Ye Changming gasped, shaking his head and muttering, "How could my sister dare to do something so audacious? And she killed one yesterday, and another today, and she's sitting here calmly without batting an eye..."
If this were his sister, it's unimaginable what she must have gone through to end up like this.
Ignoring Ye Changming, who was being impacted, Ye Xiren continued to stare anxiously at the door, picking up and putting down her hands, her legs unconsciously curling up, her heart pounding with panic.
After waiting a while, she suddenly stood up, all the composure on her face vanished, she twisted her handkerchief and took a few steps forward, her eyes tense and expectant, sparkling with excitement.
Ye Pei is back!
This time... can the outcome be changed?
Will she and Yan Danqing both survive and completely escape the cycle?
Ye Pei entered with the imperial edict. Both he and Bai Chengguang looked rather grim, their brows furrowed with gloom, and a deathly silence hung between them.
Ye Xiren paused as she stepped out the door, the expectation on her face gradually fading, the starlight dimming...
She swayed, pulled her foot back, her eyes hesitant, and managed to ask with difficulty, "Are we still going to kill General Yan? Who said we were going to kill him?"
Why?
Even though Jiang You is already dead, why can't the outcome be changed?!
Ye Pei lowered his eyes and sighed deeply:
"The peacemakers..."
After a day of arguing, the Emperor remained locked in his study, unable to make a decision. Two hours earlier, Liu Duoxi's men rushed in to report that they had failed to stop Chizhan Lance, and that the Northern Yan envoys were about to leave the capital, with their carriages already at the city gate.
Therefore, the pro-peace faction collectively kowtowed and begged the emperor to issue an edict. The radicals even banged their heads against a pillar to plead with the emperor to immediately execute Yan Danqing, exchanging one person for peace, and to keep Chizhan Lance to continue the peace talks.
Ye Xiren opened her mouth, but after a long while, she finally uttered a sound:
"Okay, okay!"
What a frank remonstrance! What a bold move! Ye Xiren was almost laughing in anger. Jiang You was dead, and no one went into the imperial study to persuade the emperor to produce the imperial edict, but there was still a group of peace advocates who insisted on seeking peace at all costs...
Yan Danqing only had one life, but it was the life of a loyal minister to protect his country. He would rather be wronged and die than not write a blood oath to save the Great Liang.
However, within the Great Liang court that he was protecting, countless people, knowing he was innocent and pure, still wanted him to die and sacrifice himself!
Can it bring peace?
Ye Xiren had already seen the ending. Chi Zhanlan Ce never had any real intention of negotiating peace. His purpose in coming here was only to kill Yan Danqing, capture Huai'an Canal, and crush Nandu!
Ye Pei was also in a bad mood. Seeing Ye Xiren trembling with anger, he only asked Ye Changming to keep an eye on things before hurriedly going with Bai Chengguang towards the prison to meet Yan Danqing.
“Xixi…” Ye Changming said cautiously.
His sister's reaction was truly frightening. Her eyes, which had been burning like fire in the morning, were now burning even more intensely. She was clenching her fingers into her palms, biting her lip, her face was pale, her cheeks had an unnatural flush, and her body was trembling and swaying precariously.
Ye Changming looked at her nervously, his face full of worry.
Ye Xiren did not fall down. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked at Ye Changming. Her expression suddenly became extremely calm, and a smile appeared on her lips. Her voice was soft: "Brother, do me another favor."
"What?" Ye Changming asked subconsciously.
"Help me find a list of those who advocated for peace and requested the execution of Yan Danqing at the court today."
"Huh?" Ye Changming scratched his head blankly. "What do you need the list for?"
Ye Xiren smiled but remained silent.
But for some reason, Ye Changming suddenly felt that the laugh was chilling, as if his hair stood on end, his back was cold, and he felt unwell!
-
The fourth day of the third lunar month, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).
Ye Xiren left the Ye family with Ye Changming. She took out a newly written directory, opened it, and found it filled with densely packed names.
Ye Changming asked in confusion, "A list? Where did it come from?"
What kind of directory is this? It looks familiar.
Ye Xiren looked at the list and smiled as she read out the first name: "Chancellor and Privy Councilor, Jiang You."
Outside the Northern Yan Embassy
Ma Shan plunged a knife into Jiang You's heart, taking advantage of the reduced number of guards to get close. In a single exchange, the cold blade flashed past, instantly reaping Jiang You's life without hesitation.
By the time the guards turned around, Ma Shan had already led his men away and escaped. Jiang You was dead.
Ye Xiren crossed out the name [Jiang You], then looked at the second name on the list and murmured:
"Zhang Yuanmou, Vice Chancellor."
When Jiang You was killed, the guards retreated in panic and rushed towards the carriage where Jiang You was.
Yan Shuang's eyes flashed, and she suddenly threw the knife in her hand, which grazed Zhang Yuanmou's neck, who was distracted by Jiang You. Blood splattered, and Zhang Yuanmou fell straight down with his eyes wide open, instantly ceasing to breathe.
Ye Xiren crossed out the name "Zhang Yuanmou" from the list, looked at the third name, and said calmly:
"Minister of Rites, Li Renyi."
The ground was covered in blood. No one could have imagined that as the fast horse galloped by, there was a thin fishing line on the road. It would be raised at some point and cut off people's heads as the horse passed.
The horse neighed, and Lord Li Renyi, who was anxious to see Jiang You's body, collapsed on the way to the Northern Yan embassy.
Ye Xiren gently crossed out his name and looked at the fourth one: "Minister of War, Zhao Chongjin".
Swords clashed, and the man in the red robe pushed aside the assassin in front of him, picked up his sword and ran away. However, something tripped him up, and Zhao Chongjin lost his balance and fell to the ground.
His forehead slammed heavily against the stone, killing him instantly. His eyes widened, his resentment and anger completely dissipated.
Ye Xiren crossed out another name.
"Miao Qin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel".
“The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was chosen by him.”
In the still dimly lit alley, the official hat fell to the ground, a rope was strangling his neck, and his legs kicked wildly. Miao Qin finally stopped breathing.
Yu Youcao was preoccupied with matters of state, munching on a flatbread. He stopped abruptly as soon as he stepped out of his house, his hand splattered with blood. He slowly lowered his head; an arrow had pierced his chest.
Ye Xiren added two more entries to the roster in her hand.
Is this kind of indiscriminate killing effective?
It doesn't matter, kill them first and see if they're useful!
...
Outside Dali Temple
Ye Xiren closed the roster she was holding, her eyes fixed on the direction of the Dali Temple prison. Blood was still splattered on her face, and blood dripped from the knife in her hand. She slowly smiled, her voice hoarse:
"Kill all these traitors who sold out their country for personal gain. I want to see what the outcome will be today!"
Ye Changming: "..."
He stood there stunned, speechless for a long time, his eyes fixed on the list in Ye Xiren's hand. So many names, but in the blink of an eye, only a few remained.
What roster?
This is clearly the Book of Life and Death of the King of Hell!
younger sister?
No, no, no, this isn't his sister, this is clearly the King of Hell walking among men!
Ye Changming's eyes were glazed over the entire time. His feet were out of his control, and his mind seemed completely blank, with nothing left but a daze, a daze, and more of a daze.
He must not be fully awake yet.
That's right.
You must be dreaming!
Inside the palace, few officials remained in the court, and even the quarrels had disappeared, replaced by an eerie silence and the fear and unease on the faces of the officials.
They're all dead, all of them are dead!
"Outrageous! This traitor has disregarded the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty, allowing the Yan family army to massacre most of the officials in the court! Guards, execute that traitor immediately!"
Yan Danqing's army ambushed and killed court officials; what else could he be but a traitor?!
The Emperor's furious voice echoed throughout the palace, gradually drifting away, as if it had reached the Dali Temple, and then carried the imperial edict to Ye Xiren's eyes...
-
The fourth day of the third lunar month, at the hour of Si (9-11 AM).
It was another new fourth day of the third month. Nothing happened that day. Jiang You went to court, and all the officials argued outside the Imperial Study. Ye Xiren went to the Dali Temple prison with bloodshot eyes.
Yan Danqing walked to the iron railing, sat down, and looked at her.
Others might not know, but he knew it all too well within the cycle. In the seventeenth cycle, Ye Xiren set a trap to kill Jiang You, but failed to stop the peace talks. In the eighteenth cycle, she directly killed most of the court officials... However, even with her bloodlust, it was still useless.
This is the nineteenth cycle.
She must have reached the point of despair and must be feeling very disheartened right now.
Yan Danqing's gaze softened, and he was about to offer words of comfort when he saw Ye Xiren raise her head to look at him, her dark eyes vacant, and she asked softly:
Is it difficult to kill the emperor?
Yan Danqing: "..."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Ye Xiren: I've completely gone mad, goodbye!
I don't know how many times this loop has started, so check the table of contents. It's there. The number of loops minus one is the number of deaths. Happy National Day everyone, and may you be happy every day!
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