Answer
Xue Dingchu held Lin Huai'en's hand with his palm, and slowly and solemnly handed the broken red rope back to Lin Huai'en through their holding hands.
"Tonight, I will return this red string to you. I wish you a smooth marriage, no more pain in the rest of your life, and a happy life."
Xue Dingchu's eyes were bloodshot. He was reluctant to let go, but he had to. He raised his complicated eyes and looked at Lin Huai'en seriously.
Just one glance made Lin Huai'en feel as if a thousand pounds weighed on him.
Xue Dingchu's eyes were so contradictory and complex, with both the resolute heartache of "there is no hope for future generations", and the gentleness and peace of "I wish you happiness".
Lin Huai'en's lips moved hesitantly for a few times, but in the end he couldn't say anything.
After parting with Xue Dingchu, Lin Huai'en returned to the Prime Minister's Residence, with Xue Dingchu's look still in his mind.
Under the moonlight on the treetops, Zi Wuye lazily propped his head on his arms. He opened one eye and looked around at Lin Huai'en's face. The silver earrings reflected the moonlight. "Master Lin, at this point, are you still going to turn a blind eye to the haze suffered by the man beside you? Don't you want to break this curse? Or do you intend to let Xue Dingchu go to the border with unexplained pain and guard the territory for the rest of his life?"
Lin Huai'en twisted the broken red string and responded for the first time - "What should I do?"
Looking back on the past, there were some men who pursued Lin Huai'en. They were either dazzled by the luxurious "treasures" or confused by the beautiful "sirens". In the end, they were either swallowed up by the waves of desire or swallowed by the siren.
Lin Huai'en only held a mocking and disgusted attitude towards those men who could not keep their true heart. He was even a little fortunate that he had completely recognized their true colors before he fell in love with them.
But this time, Lin Huai'en couldn't stay out of it. He and Xue Dingchu were close friends who could share each other's pain and joy. Through Xue Dingchu's desolate eyes, Lin Huai'en finally understood the pain of being manipulated by fate.
He needed an answer for Schrödinger, no matter what form it took.
"When did Xue Dingchu leave the capital?"
"Three days later."
Zi Wuye lightly jumped down from the treetop and approached step by step. His eyes became more and more presumptuous and frivolous. He even raised his cold fingertips and touched Lin Huai'en's cheek. "In the next three days, you will do what I say, okay? I won't ask you to do anything illegal."
Lin Huai'en took a step back, his brows revealing a cold and distant look, "You just say it, it's up to me whether I do it or not."
Zi Wuye pursed his lips, withdrew his hand with some disappointment, and savored the delicate touch of his fingertips in his mind several times, and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips again.
Zi Wuye's request was a bit strange, that is, to make Lin Huai'en mention Xue Dingchu every three sentences in front of Di Shaoze. Lin Huai'en felt that was inappropriate, so he changed it to mention Xue Dingchu every five or six sentences, trying to keep the number of times within a normal range.
"Only you can bring out the other side of Di Shaoze."
Zi Wuye even gave a strange excuse for this. But after Lin Huai'en did this, he saw that Di Shaoze looked normal, as if he hadn't noticed anything. He couldn't help but feel that testing Di Shaoze in this way was not what a future wife should do.
The third day.
It's time to close the net.
Zi Wuye came to the Prime Minister's residence early and lay down on the big tree by the study window without saying hello. He looked so natural as if he was occupying his own territory.
After Lin Huai'en saw Xue Dingchu off, he was in no mood to pay attention to him. He just stayed in his study, planning to write a few farewell poems and then choose a good day to send them to Xue Dingchu.
Zi Wuye saw Lin Huai'en writing a farewell poem through an open window, sighing and wiping tears from the corners of his eyes from time to time. He couldn't help but laugh in his heart, and propped up his chin, watching Lin Huai'en's every move carefully as if he was looking at something new.
It was actually quite interesting to spend two hours like this.
Late at night, strong dark clouds began to gather, blocking the holy moonlight and leaving only pitch-black darkness.
A man from the Western Regions climbed over the wall and reported to Zi Wuye, "Young Master, the imperial guards have tightened their grip."
Upon hearing this, Zi Wuye's spirit suddenly became excited, and he rubbed his trembling hands eagerly. All the waiting was worth it.
Late night is indeed the perfect time for ferocity to flourish. That wolf cub finally bared its fangs...
"Master Lin, I have found the answer you want." After that, Zi Wuye threw a dagger to Lin Huai'en, and his tone suddenly became gentle, "This night is dangerous, protect yourself."
Following the Loulan army, Lin Huai'en entered the palace, but was surrounded by the imperial guards outside the inner palace gate. The imperial guards were only there to protect Emperor Shaoze, and no one else could give orders except him.
The three thousand knights guarding the gate pointed their sharp spears at the foreigners from the Western Regions and pointed them at their necks without any hesitation.
"The palace is closed at night, no one is allowed to enter or leave!"
Zi Wuye pulled the reins and backed away from the horse, revealing Lin Huai'en on the horse behind him - "Even Lord Lin is not allowed?"
"Sir Lin..." Upon seeing Lin Huai'en, the gatekeeper's eyes suddenly shrank, and his tone was no longer tough. "Sir, closing the palace late at night is a strict rule of the palace, and it is also for the safety of Your Majesty. I hope you can forgive me."
"Why? I've never been bound by palace rules. I've been in and out of the palace gates even at late hours. Why not tonight? Is there something I can't see?"
"Sir, please don't embarrass me."
Seeing the gatekeeper's dilemma, Lin Huai'en guessed the outline of the truth in his heart, and his heart began to beat violently. He lost his patience and took out a badge from his collar. He shouted in a voice that was intimidating without being angry: "Here is the commander's badge! If you dare to stop me, you will be punished according to the military regulations of the Imperial Guard! Get out of the way!!!"
The iron-clad imperial guards retreated layer by layer...
"drive!!"
After forcing the imperial guards to retreat with his waist badge, Lin Huai'en pulled the reins, urged the horse to go at an extremely fast speed, and rushed straight into the palace gate. He was very panicked and confused, and was very afraid that things would turn out as he imagined.
The dark clouds in the sky gathered together with great power, and they crackled with raindrops that made people feel cold to the heart.
After verifying that Di Shaoze was not in Chaoyang Palace, Lin Huai'en, braving the torrential rain, rode out of the palace again, anxiously waiting for the moment. "Gather three thousand cavalry from the east and west gates, and follow me to the border!"
"Yes, sir." The gatekeeper still listened to Lin Huai'en, especially after seeing the commander's badge.
Glancing at the weather, the gatekeeper moved and gave up his horse. "The roads are difficult to travel in the heavy rain, and the horseshoes are prone to slipping. Lord Lin, please take control of my fine horse."
Lin Huai'en said: "Okay."
Under the torrential rain, the commander of the Imperial Guards, along with two thousand Jingwei soldiers, held a forest with all their might. Before long, the clatter of horses began to resonate, a sound that, even in the rain, was still heart-pounding.
The commander recognized the Imperial Guard's distinctive armor through the rain and asked in confusion, "East Gate Cavalry? Why are they here?"
Because they were his own people, the commander was not on guard at all and was even waiting for them to get closer.
But when this new group of imperial guards arrived, they actually surrounded the original imperial guards. The commander's expression suddenly became unbelievable. He had never expected that his own troops would be surrounded by their own people. He shouted, "What's going on?"
"Commander, it was Lord Lin who ordered us here..." The gatekeeper was also in a dilemma. He didn't dare to attack the leader, but he didn't dare to let go either.
As the commander was restrained, Lin Huai'en dismounted and entered the bottomless woods as if he were in an empty place...
The forest wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. Perhaps thanks to some luck, Lin Huai'en actually ran into Xue Dingchu. But Lin Huai'en couldn't smile at all. Xue Dingchu, fleeing towards him, was covered in sword wounds, like a small animal with its wings cut off, staining the rainwater red.
Swish—a sharp sword edge pierced straight through Xue Dingchu's chest.
Most of Xue Dingchu's life force was cut off by this sword. He closed his eyes and fell down in front of Lin Huai'en, completely revealing the person behind him - the murderous Di Shaoze.
Lin Huai'en's pupils dilated violently.
He had never seen Di Shaoze like this before—his facial features were twisted like a bared wolf, his eyes gleaming with cruelty, a desire to devour everything. So terrifying, so twisted, so violent, it made his blood run cold...
Di Shaoze also discovered Lin Huai'en, but the pleasure of killing in his veins at the sight of blood could no longer be stopped. He took a step forward, raised the tip of his sword downward, and aimed directly at Xue Dingchu's heart.
After this sword strike, Xue Dingchu had no chance of survival.
"Stop!" Lin Huai'en was terrified. With a fierce look on his face, he pulled out the dagger that was flashing with cold light and pointed it at Di Shaoze's heart, threatening, "Your Majesty, do you really want Dingchu to die? If you strike him with this sword, he will really die! Put down the sword!"
Lin Huai'en tried to keep his eyes open, but the more he spoke, the more tears he shed. Fortunately, the continuous downpour hid his unstoppable tears of heartbreak and disguised his determination and resilience.
"Are you going to kill me for Xue Dingchu?" Di Shaoze finally hesitated, stepped forward slightly, and felt the real pain of the dagger piercing the flesh of his heart, as well as the pain of Lin Huai'en leaving him behind and choosing Xue Dingchu.
Lin Huai'en's arm went numb from Di Shaoze's dangerous move, which seemed to be testing the sharpness of the dagger. He was afraid that the dagger would really hurt Di Shaoze, but he was also afraid that without the dagger, Di Shaoze would stab Xue Dingchu without hesitation.
But at this moment, Di Shaoze was like a wild beast out of control, and Lin Huai'en could not control him at all except for the sharp tip of the knife.
Lin Huai'en's eyes flushed red as he spoke in despair, "Your Majesty... Over the years, all the men who pursued me have fallen into trouble one by one. It's all your fault, isn't it? You hid your true face from me. You drove away all the men who wanted to possess me, and trapped me in a cage with only you."
Even though the truth was now clear in his mind, Lin Huai'en still wanted to hear something from Di Shaoze from the bottom of his heart.
Hearing this, Di Shaoze's brows were filled with a trace of unbearable sadness and despair. He said, "If I hadn't exposed the true faces of those men first, would you have waited until I was old enough to marry? If I hadn't disguised my cruel and cold nature, would you have fallen in love with me? I know very well that you wouldn't."
Hearing this, Lin Huai'en felt a chill in his heart.
"But in the end, even though I spent countless efforts to secure your marriage with me, Xue Dingchu still managed to destroy it with ease. He doesn't covet power or wealth. No matter how I try to discredit him, he remains a pure white figure in your eyes! I can't let such a person live!"
Jealousy, like a wildly growing vine, climbed up Di Shaoze's handsome face, distorting his features. His murderous intent towards Xue Dingchu ultimately prevailed.
"Xue Dingchu must die!!!" A cruel and terrifying decisive word came out, and Di Shaoze immediately held the tip of the sword firmly and stabbed it towards Xue Dingchu's heart!
The moment the sword tip pierced Xue Dingchu's heart, it suddenly stopped... At the same time, the color quickly drained from Di Shaoze's face...
The dagger pierced the top of Di Shaoze's heart, only a fraction of a centimeter away from his heart...
Di Shaoze's body fell forward, his eyes filled with pain, fragility and disbelief.
Lin Huaien hugged him with both hands.
The tip of the knife pierced the upper part of Di Shaoze's heart. As it fell, the thick back of the knife happened to touch Lin Huai'en's chest, as if it had also pierced Lin Huai'en's heart, breaking his heart in the same bloody manner.
"Your Majesty..." Lin Huai'en could no longer suppress the despair in his heart and murmured, "It turns out that I just fell in love with your fake appearance..."
Even if it was a lie, Lin Huai'en could never take back the love he had already poured into Di Shaoze...
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