The three sides had been locked in combat for some time when the Imperial Guards joined in. Wherever they went, swords fell and blood flowed like rivers.
Xie Lang, in particular, seemed to have lost his soul. His face was expressionless, but his movements were deadly. He didn't care about being stained with blood, only caring about killing one person after another. His eyes were full of bloodthirsty ruthlessness.
Only after dealing with the last person did Huo Ping and Fei Feng seem to have exhausted all their strength. They put down their swords and knelt on the ground.
Everyone else followed suit.
The entire official road was filled with a heavy stench of blood, and in the deathly silence, it seemed that only Xie Lang stood alone between heaven and earth.
Changzhu gritted his teeth, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, please send someone to find His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The cliff was extremely high; an ordinary person falling from it would have no chance of survival. As a result, Xie Lang was completely stunned when he saw Wen Hemian fall.
He dealt with the assassins and rebels in a daze, a chill running down his spine, as if he had suddenly fallen into an ice cave. It wasn't until he heard this voice that he came back to his senses, his voice hoarse: "Yes, find the Grand Tutor... I need to find the Grand Tutor!"
Xie Lang was about to walk towards the edge of the cliff when Huo Ping and Fei Feng reacted quickly and blocked his way.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider! Lord Wen would never want to see you put yourself in danger! We will lead men to search for him immediately!"
Huo Ping had been by Xie Lang's side from the very beginning. When the young emperor first ascended the throne, even though he was still young, he subtly exuded the aura of a ruler, proud and self-reliant. Unlike now, when he stands there, it's as if his soul has been emptied, and his spine has broken silently.
His face was deathly pale, like a numb shell.
He truly had a premonition that if he and Feifeng hadn't stopped him, His Majesty might have actually jumped off this spot!
At such a high place... a bead of cold sweat trickled down Huo Ping's forehead.
At this moment, he desperately hoped that his previous guess was not true, otherwise how heartbroken His Majesty would be.
"Go find it."
After a long pause, Xie Lang uttered these words in a hoarse voice.
He blinked, his eyes dry and bloodshot: "...I will go with you to find it."
Huo Ping and Fei Feng exchanged a glance, both feeling a chill run down their spines. They knew this was the best possible outcome and dared not refuse: "Yes!"
Only a small number of people were left to escort the imperial physician back to the capital; the rest of the people followed Xie Lang to the bottom of the cliff.
The bottom of the cliff was littered with boulders, and the path was difficult to traverse. Along the way, they found many corpses of rebels and assassins, all smashed to pieces, their flesh mangled beyond recognition.
The Imperial Guards and bodyguards searched frantically. The good news was that they hadn't found Lord Wen's body; the bad news was that His Majesty's expression was growing increasingly grim.
A breeze blew from the bottom of the cliff, and a light rain began to fall. A guard, trembling, approached the emperor with a stone and a piece of white clothing, and knelt down: "Your Majesty, this is what I found by the river... There's an underground river at the bottom of the cliff. It's possible that the spot where Lord Wen fell was where he landed in the water and was swept away..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Lang snatched the piece of clothing from his hand. The familiar dark pattern indicated that it was fabric he had personally bestowed upon him; it could not possibly be a coincidence.
In turn, it indirectly shattered the last glimmer of hope in his heart.
The underground river is complex. Even if you survive a fall from a cliff, what are your chances of survival if you are swept into the underground river?
It's negligible.
This is a truth that everyone understands.
Xie Lang understood.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Xie Lang stared intently at the fabric in his hand, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time. The sound of the wind mixed with the sound of the rain, and he felt like he couldn't hear anything. A piece of his heart felt completely empty, and a sharp pain tore at it.
"impossible……"
He trembled, uttering a groan-like murmur: "Impossible...absolutely impossible!"
They had clearly agreed on everything. Wen Hemian had personally said that she would come back to have New Year's Eve dinner with him.
We're almost at the capital!
If only he could be a little faster, just a little faster!
"His Majesty!"
Seeing the boy's swaying figure, Huo Ping had no choice but to bite the bullet and go forward: "The matter is already settled. This assassination is unusual. Someone must have informed the rebels in advance. Only if you are well can you find out the mastermind and avenge Lord Wen!"
"Besides, Your Majesty," Huo Ping swallowed hard to suppress the bitter taste in his throat, "as long as we haven't found them, there's still hope, isn't there!"
After so many years of ups and downs, Huo Ping greatly admired this young top scholar, especially after learning that she was a woman. His admiration for her was like a never-ending spring. He found it hard to believe that Wen Hemian had really died just because of this accident.
If Heaven is just, it should give her a chance to live.
The matter has come to this point and there is no way to change it. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Your Majesty must not suffer any mishap at this critical juncture.
"you're right."
Huo Ping received an answer, but the answer contained a strong murderous intent.
"I want to avenge the Grand Tutor."
"Therefore, I will not fall."
Huo Ping suddenly looked up and saw what the young emperor looked like.
He was still young and handsome, but it seemed as if he had lost all his radiance in an instant. His eyes were bloodshot, and he hadn't shed a single tear. His face was deathly pale, like a demon that had crawled out of hell.
Those people in the court are always thinking about how to get rid of Lord Wen, but they never seem to have considered whether His Majesty would still treat them with such a gentle attitude without Lord Wen.
Lady Wen was always composed and serene. She used her own standards to restrain His Majesty, and His Majesty was happy to be the wise ruler she expected.
When the calm is broken, we return to the most authentic appearance.
Their little emperor is actually a vicious wolf; without the chains binding him, none of them will have a good life anymore.
However, no one has the right to condemn it.
After that, everything was silent.
Everyone stayed here for dozens of days, and every nook and cranny, including the cliff face, was carefully searched, but not a single trace was found.
Xie Lang held on for a long time, but finally fainted one morning and was then helped up by the panicked crowd.
Even in my dreams, I see that vivid scene.
On the edge of the cliff, that figure in white became an eternal nightmare.
He didn't have much in his life.
He was humiliated in the cold palace, and then hastily pushed into the position of crown prince when the late emperor was critically ill. He was swept along by the political turmoil in the court, and every step he took was against his will.
Only one person was always by his side, teaching him when he was young and gently holding him in his arms.
But that will never happen again.
In the year Xie Lang gained power, he lost the most important person to him.
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