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Zhou Yuanrong lowered her eyes, silently gripped the longsword that was piercing two-tenths of the way into her shoulder, and pulled the sword out, ignoring the red threads dripping from her hands.
"Chen Hejun, you should calm down."
"What, killing Zhou Chengyu isn't enough? Are you planning to slaughter my entire Zhou clan?"
Chen Hejun chuckled upon hearing this, his eyes bloodshot: "How could I not know you were so cunning?"
"That letter from Qu Rong, was it intentional? Was it to lure me back to fight the Second Prince so you could reap the benefits?"
Zhou Yuanrong took out a handkerchief, covered his palm, and frowned, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about."
She slightly raised her head to look at the disheveled and somewhat deranged man, her brow furrowing even more.
The refined and scholarly general Chen Hejun of the past, the gentleman as swift as the wind, seemed to have vanished forever after witnessing the scene on the city wall. Only the man before him, with a somewhat ferocious face and an aura of resentment, remained.
Zhou Chengyu's head is still hanging on the city wall; it's said he died a gruesome death. No one could have imagined that this beloved Marquis of Wu'an would suddenly go mad.
Now Luoyang is surrounded like an iron barrel, the Second Prince's entire household has been massacred, and the whole of Luoyang has once again fallen into a state of tight security and fear for its people.
At this moment, the reason why Marquis Wu'an questioned Zhou Yuanrong was only one: he had received her confirmation that Zhou Zihe had been rescued and was out of danger.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so determined to attack the city, nor would he have gone almost blank when he saw the person on the city gate.
"I know why you wanted to kill me. You hate me for lying to you, you hate me for not saving Fourth Sister..."
Zhou Yuanrong gave a sarcastic smile: "But you claimed to love her, yet even until her death... you didn't realize that she wasn't her."
"So, my lord, your love is really worthless."
Chen Hejun: "What do you mean?"
"It means..." Zhou Yuanrong's eyes held an inscrutable expression: "My imperial sister is not dead."
"I am currently at my residence."
"Take me to see her!" Chen Hejun roared, accompanied by the sword energy.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yuanrong was not afraid at all: "If you want to see people, please show some respect, Lord Marquis."
Chen Hejun paused, then dejectedly sheathed his sword.
"Furthermore, Lord Marquis should not have forgotten our agreement." Zhou Yuanrong smiled: "She has a kind of toxin in her body, which is said to have been developed by Zhou Chengyu's people. And coincidentally, only I have the antidote."
Chen Hejun: "You have such a cruel heart."
"You flatter me, Your Excellency. Growing up in the royal family, if one isn't ruthless, who knows if they'll even survive?" Zhou Yuanrong tossed him a porcelain bottle: "She'll only wake up after taking the medicine three times."
"The day the Marquis helped me ascend the throne was the day my fourth sister... woke up."
As he turned around, Zhou Yuanrong's lips curled up, and the ambition in his eyes could no longer be suppressed.
The throne doesn't matter who sits on it. When her father was on the throne, he only thought of her as a woman and gave her power, but he forgot the principle of raising a tiger to cause trouble.
The royal family is ruthless, and what she said was certainly true. Every opportunity that arises during a period of dormancy must be firmly grasped… even if it means poisoning one's own sister.
As long as she could restrain Marquis Wu'an, or even make the Marquis Wu'an, who was destined by Heaven, submit to her... she would stop at nothing.
As long as it works, that's fine.
After all, that position is truly alluring.
The strange commotion in Luoyang resounded for several days, causing not only ordinary people to feel insecure, but also powerful families to tremble with fear.
Surprisingly, the rebel army was unusually well-behaved after the siege. They did not engage in arson, murder, looting, or mass demonstrations. They seemed to have blended into the city.
Apart from the city gates, which were sealed off, Luoyang seemed as peaceful and tranquil as ever.
The rebellion and siege seemed like nothing more than a dream.
If we ignore the Second Prince's residence, where blood flowed like a river, and the head hanging on the city wall as a show of defiance.
Luoyang fell, changing hands silently. For the entire court, this was a momentous event, signifying the end of the Zhou Dynasty…
If Marquis Wu'an could rebel and capture the capital, why couldn't others? Why couldn't they?
As a result, all sides reacted to the news, the people rose up in rebellion, and the border regions were restless... If they were not careful, this dynasty would face annihilation.
At this moment, Marquis Wu'an did something that was completely incomprehensible.
They pushed a woman into a position of power.
Even if that woman was a descendant of the Zhou imperial family, even if that person was the eldest princess praised by the late emperor, even if she might be the last hope of the Zhou dynasty...
No powerful official was willing to accept a woman as their ruler. Not only was the realm in chaos, but Luoyang also crumbled. The entire dynasty teetered on the brink of collapse…
"Still haven't found it?" Su Wenqian's back hunched over. "Not even the slightest trace..."
Su Qiming stood at the lower end, his eyes red-rimmed, "No, they were all sent... When my younger sister's bedchamber caught fire that day, the people I sent didn't find a single trace..."
"That means Ruo'er might still be alive, right!" The woman beside her choked back tears, clinging to her son's arm, her eyes pleading, "She might not be dead... right..."
Su Wenqian moved his lips: "The situation is getting increasingly tense. Let's call back all the people we sent out. We're not going to look anymore."
"The Marquis of Wu'an hates the Second Prince right now, and we can't let Ruo'er implicate the entire Su family."
Su Qiming silently agreed, leaving only the woman sobbing in grievance, yet she knew that family was paramount. Compared to that, her daughter's body was truly insignificant…
"master!"
Suddenly, a servant came to report from outside: "A man has brought a letter for the master."
"explain………"
Su Qiming frowned: "What did you say?"
"It's said to be a letter from...Miss!"
The woman's eyes widened for a moment: "Quickly, invite him in!"
He was a tall, slender man. His eyes were somewhat numb as he looked at them, and he had dark circles under his eyes. His clothes were thin and rough, but there was no hint of obsequiousness in them. He simply gave a polite bow and handed over the letter.
"This is a letter from Her Majesty."
Su Qiming: "Why is Ruo'er's letter in your hands?"
“I have received Your Majesty’s favor,” He Tingfang suppressed the pain in his heart, “and for this Your Majesty entrusted me to deliver the message, which is to fulfill Your Majesty’s kindness.”
He couldn't say anything else, otherwise Su Yunruo's reputation would definitely be affected. He couldn't let her leave and suffer some undeserved misfortune.
Su Qiming was skeptical: "Do you know Ruo'er's whereabouts?"
He Tingfang moved his lips slightly: "I don't know."
It was while wiping her face that he discovered the two letters she had hidden...
One letter was for the Su family, and the other... was for him. Yunruo said she wanted to ride a horse; she had hoped to go to the Northwest since she was a child... and she wanted him to take her there.
With her keen understanding, how could she not guess that everyone was avoiding the Second Prince's residence like the plague... even the Su family, even her own family.
Will the Su family bury her? Will the Su family bury her in the Su family cemetery? In this world... a woman follows her husband after marriage. When she said she couldn't leave, wasn't that what she meant?
The woman noticed He Tingfang's hesitation.
Her face contorted with rage as she pleaded, "You know where Ruo'er is, don't you? You know, don't you!"
"Please tell me where she is... Give me back my daughter..."
"You can have anything you want, silver, gold... I'll give you anything..."
After opening and reading the letter, Su Wenqian's back hunched even more. He looked directly at the young man for the first time, his voice hoarse: "She wants to leave?"
He Tingfang looked back at her. "She wants to leave."
“If you keep her here, you can keep her too.” Su Wenqian said earnestly, “High-ranking official positions and generous salaries are all I can offer you. You can also realize your own ambitions.”
He Tingfang hadn't read the letter, nor did he know what Su Yunruo had said in it, nor why Lord Su had suddenly changed his attitude. But he didn't care.
"Or, whatever else you want, just name it."
Su Qiming: "Father, you—"
Su Wenqian raised his hand to interrupt his son, waiting patiently for He Tingfang's response.
He Tingfang asked, trembling, "Does your household possess a chestnut horse?"
"The one that the Empress rode when she was a child."
Su Wenqian couldn't listen any longer and turned around to order, "Bring that horse to him and send him out of the mansion."
-
The woman didn't understand, and only felt a chill in her heart, "Master..."
"This is what Yunruo wrote to us. Take a look." Su Wenqian handed her the letter: "Her last letter."
"If she wants to leave, let her go... What else can we do?"
Su Qiming, his eyes red, looked away: "I'll go and smooth things over at the city gate, see if we can make an exception..."
...
While Luoyang was in turmoil, the southern border was unusually peaceful, which was inextricably linked to the deterrent power of the Southwest Army and the strong leadership of the three prefectures.
The room was warm, and Yu Baizhou sat opposite the woman, the two remaining locked in a stalemate for a long time.
"General, do you trust him, or me?"
Yu Baizhou, unusually, did not agree. He clenched his fists and tried not to look at her. "I want to hear A-Ling say it herself."
"What do you mean by giving me up..."
“The literal meaning.” Song Ling paused. “My…master, his skills are beyond my reach even after half a lifetime of effort. If he were to assist you, you would achieve twice the results with half the effort.”
"It won't take more than two years for the general to take that position."
"And what about you!" Yu Baizhou's eyes were dark, as if he was suppressing something: "What you said to me before... doesn't count anymore?"
"You know perfectly well that your body is because of him, so why did you still make a deal with him?"
Song Ling blurted out, "I might not live to see that day. But he can."
Her master has no moral bottom line; he'll get his comeuppance sooner or later. But that's a matter for the future.
If being pricked in the bamboo forest was just a test, then waking up to see such a living person... she was now certain of her guess.
Her own frail health, her shorter lifespan than any previous sect leader, and the unusual behavior of Qi Ying and Shi Yu... were all caused by her "good" master.
King Qi was incompetent, and his entourage consisted mostly of incompetent officials. His soldiers, while numerous, were largely ineffective. At that time, Song Ling couldn't understand why, despite their seemingly foolproof strategies, they repeatedly faced near defeat.
She understood the moment she saw Shi Yu again.
The lessons learned from the two devastating battles against the King of Qi served as a warning from her master.
The same applies to Chu Yan's death.
She could certainly continue fighting with her master. But the people of the world were not their playthings.
She has come this far, having poured too much effort into the Southwest Army, Yu Baizhou, Wang Zhiyan, Lin Qing, and others. She is reluctant to retreat, but there is nowhere left to retreat.
It's as if she has meticulously built an exquisite mansion; if the mansion were to be destroyed, she would be crushed to death. Everyone in the mansion would be crushed to death. Even if they were lucky enough to escape, they would have nowhere to hide.
Only when she stops will her master stop.
“If I don’t agree, I’d rather not rebel at all.” Yu Baizhou stood up, his eyes filled with disappointment: “A Ling, you just pushed me out with a casual remark, did you even ask me if I was willing?”
"You casually say you're fearless of death, but have you ever considered whether I might be afraid?"
Did she know that he was afraid she would die...?
"You promised me we'd go to Luoyang together, that we'd live to be a hundred years old together, but does that mean it all is meaningless now?"
"Or is it that from beginning to end, I was just a tool to be manipulated in your heart?" Yu Baizhou's eyes welled up with tears. "You only ever schemed against me, without a shred of affection whatsoever..."
Song Ling slightly clenched her fingers, but remained silent.
But in his eyes, it was tacit agreement. Yu Baizhou felt like a joke, his heart cold and aching.
After a while.
He forced back his tears, his eyes darkening, as if saying to her, or perhaps to himself, "I won't let you die."
"It's too late to push me out."
He was trembling with anger, but he never yelled at her.
Even when closing the door, the movements were as gentle as ever.
Song Ling stared blankly at his back, muttering something to herself.
"I hope you won't disappoint me..."
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