Finally, just as the Prince of Liang was about to receive the edict of succession from Emperor Wenyuan, a sudden change occurred!
The man in black robes betrayed them, and his men acted swiftly, quickly subduing the Liang King's personal guards. It turned out that the others were all the man in black robes' subordinates, who had been lying in wait for this moment.
In the chaos, King Liang escaped the capital with difficulty under the protection of his secret guards, but the man in black robes successfully reaped the rewards of victory.
Kyoto was instantly plunged into a bloody massacre, with countless lives lost in this sudden upheaval.
At the same time, Li Xi became the puppet of the man in black robes. She held the sharpest knife in her hand and mercilessly slaughtered the members of the Jingyuan royal family.
Those powerful and high-ranking officials who refused to turn against the regime were also not spared and were all slaughtered.
With this, the Jingyuan Dynasty officially came to an end.
After seizing power, the man in black robes, full of vigor, changed the name of the country to the Great Yuan Dynasty. This move was like a thunderbolt across the sky, shaking the entire continent and marking the beginning of a brand new era.
Meanwhile, poor Li Xi was imprisoned in the dark, gloomy, and terrifying Heavenly Prison.
After a period of being in a daze, she gradually regained her senses.
However, as memories flooded back into her mind, the faces of the innocent people who had died at her hands kept appearing before her eyes, causing her immense pain and pushing her to the brink of mental collapse.
Just as Li Xi was filled with despair and contemplated suicide to find relief, suddenly, a dark figure descended from the sky.
After that, Meng Zhelan immediately took Li Xi on a journey of escape.
They went through many hardships along the way and finally arrived at a place called Cloud Hidden City.
This city holds special significance for Meng Zhelan, as it was a place she had visited with her father.
Moreover, this place is in a state of no man, because the city lord has refused to submit to any country for many years and has maintained a relatively independent status.
The city lord turned out to be an old acquaintance of Meng Zhelan, so he took in the few people who had fled for their lives.
Having fled all the way, Li Xi felt like she had lost her soul, her mind constantly in a daze.
Her heart was filled with despair and helplessness, and she thought about how to end this painful life all the time.
Therefore, she often took advantage of Meng Zhelan's inattention to secretly look for opportunities to commit suicide.
However, Meng Zhelan kept a close watch on her, not daring to relax for a moment, so that Li Xi's attempts to commit suicide all ended in failure.
And so, they, along with Ling'er and Meng Zhong, arrived in Yunyin City and stayed there for two years.
In the past two years, Meng Zhelan has worked tirelessly to assist the city lord in carrying out various construction projects in order to repay the city lord's kindness in taking her in.
She used her knowledge and skills to help the city lord rebuild the city destroyed by war. Furthermore, she personally participated in the fortification of the city walls, greatly enhancing the city's defensive capabilities.
At the same time, she also tried to bring in groundwater for the daily use of the city's residents, solving their water shortage problem, and built a fountain square on this basis.
The sun shone brightly that day, and a gentle breeze blew. Li Xi sat quietly in the courtyard, watching Meng Zhelan busily drying medicinal herbs, and suddenly asked, "Lan'er, do you hate Prince Liang?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhelan paused slightly, as if she had been stunned for a moment.
After a long while, she slowly came to her senses, shook her head with a bitter smile, and said softly, "I hate myself for being blind and heartless! As someone who has received a modern education, I actually developed what is called 'love brain.' The sincerity and youth I gave over those years were simply like feeding a vicious dog, utterly worthless."
After saying that, she let out a long sigh.
Immediately afterward, Meng Zhelan turned to look at the dazed Li Xi and continued earnestly, "Xiao Xi, even without you, Jiang Yunchao would definitely have used others for his own purposes. After all, these people from the previous dynasty have been secretly plotting for decades, single-mindedly wanting to restore their kingdom. So, this matter doesn't have much to do with you, so don't blame yourself too much..."
However, this good fortune did not last long.
The King of Liang came looking for her and knelt before Meng Zhelan, begging for her forgiveness.
At that time, they were picking medicinal herbs near the cliff.
Meng Zhelan clearly hadn't expected the Prince of Liang to find this place. Her face darkened, and she angrily shouted, "Get out of here!"
Li Xi was standing on a steep and precipitous cliff, carefully picking the Zhi Ruo grass.
Suddenly, a loud argument reached her ears, the sound seemingly coming from the cliff above.
Worried about the people on the cliff, she decided to go up and see for herself.
However, when she climbed to the top of the cliff, she was shocked by what she saw – Meng Zhelan had fallen off the cliff!
This sudden turn of events made Li Xi's heart sink. She stared wide-eyed at Meng Zhelan as she plummeted to the ground in disbelief.
At the same time, the angelica in her hand also fell to the ground in shock.
Without a second thought, she leaped without hesitation in the direction where Meng Zhelan had fallen.
Just as Meng Zhelan was about to hit the ground, Li Xi finally caught up and reached out to grab her tightly.
Using the momentum of their fall, Li Xi struggled to throw herself and Meng Zhelan to the side, eventually crashing hard into a leaning pine tree.
The powerful impact caused both of them to fall to the ground, feeling dizzy and breathless.
"Lan'er! How are you? Are you hurt?" Li Xi asked anxiously.
However, when she saw Meng Zhelan's condition, she was so shocked that she turned pale.
Meng Zhelan was covered in blood, her breath as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.
"Xiao...Xiao Xi...I...I'm afraid I can't make it..." Meng Zhelan gasped for breath, each word seeming to have exhausted all her strength.
Her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes revealed despair and resentment.
"No! Lan'er, don't talk nonsense! We'll be alright!" Li Xi held Meng Zhelan's hand tightly, trying to give her some warmth and strength.
However, she felt Meng Zhelan's hands gradually getting cold.
"Xiao...Xiao Xi...killed Qi Shen...he stole my city entry token...I'm sorry...I can't be with you until the end." Meng Zhelan said with her last strength.
After saying this, her body gradually lost its vitality, her eyes slowly closed, and she never moved again.
"Lan'er! Lan'er!" Li Xi cried out Meng Zhelan's name in grief, tears streaming down her face.
She never imagined that in just a moment, her once lively and energetic friend would become a lifeless corpse.
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