Chapter 74 The Seventy-Fourth Soft-Heartedness
The sword pierced flesh, and blood slowly dripped from the tip of the sword onto the ground.
Zuo Qinghou still had that smile on his face, a triumphant, relieved smile.
Fan Qi was right. Zhu Huantang was still too soft-hearted. The sword hadn't pierced his heart, so he had lied a little, which was why he thought Zuo Qinghou was missing.
At that moment, Zhu Huantang collapsed onto Zuo Qinghou, his tears streaming into Zuo Qinghou's hair. He longed to ask, "Don't you have even a little bit of affection for me?"
But he couldn't bring himself to ask; asking would make it seem like he was the one who cared and couldn't let go. They were constantly pulling and testing each other, neither wanting to lose.
At this moment, all the unease returned. Zuo Qinghou had said many times that as long as Zhu Huantang didn't lie to her, she would give her life for him. After she "disappeared," there were traces of her everywhere, but she never showed up. It was as if she had deliberately left traces of herself.
Even Zhu Huantang didn't know how snuff bottles were made, but Qi Lingjun, who had long been driven away, knew...
Zhu Huantang struggled to walk those few steps. He slowly squatted down in front of Zuo Qinghou and lifted her lowered head.
The familiar coolness on his fingers was so intense that it chilled Zhu Huantang's heart as well.
"Hahahahahaha..." Fan Qi's unrestrained laughter came from behind, "You don't really think she's still alive, do you? How ridiculous..."
Zhu Huantang had no interest in caring about Fan Qi anymore. No matter how gently he moved, what he saw was a face with exposed bones. Half of the face was stunningly beautiful, the other half was decaying.
It's unclear what method Fan Qi used, but Zuo Qinghou's body hadn't stiffened yet. All her doubts seemed to have been resolved; she only wanted death, only wanted Zhu Huantang to cleanse her of the sins she had committed.
She never helped him ascend to the throne; she was merely doing what was necessary to free her from this path.
Zhu Huantang tried to pick her up, but found that Youli was pulling Zuo Qinghou, causing him to stumble and almost lose his balance.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that several nails were driven into her knees, piercing through her leg bones and firmly pinning her down.
The nails were very tight; if not handled properly, they could injure Zuo Qinghou's leg. Zhu Huantang fiercely tried to chop at the black iron floor tiles, but the tiles didn't budge, only showing slight scratches.
Seeing his futile efforts, Fan Qi said indifferently, "The person is already dead, just cut off their leg, isn't that enough?"
"You killed her, didn't you?"
“Yes, you’re a soft-hearted kid. I’ll finish you off to prevent future trouble.” Fan Qi said proudly, even looking at Zhu Huantang with a hint of kindness.
When Zuo Qinghou woke up that day, she suddenly remembered that once she died, the spell that had bound Fan Qi would be lifted, and she had forgotten to deal with Fan Qi.
But when she returned to the secret room, Fan Qi, who was hiding behind the door, pulled out the sword from Zuo Qinghou's chest and stabbed her from behind.
This time, they didn't hold back; it hit right in the heart.
Zuo Qinghou, already at his last gasp, stiffly turned around. His face showed no fear or regret that Fan Qi had hoped to see, only a sudden realization.
The sword was withdrawn, and Zuo Qinghou staggered around, leaning against the wall before saying, "So it was you... But it's alright... Your disciple won't escape either."
At this moment, Fan Qi looked at his apprentice walking towards him. They were like two crickets in a jar, determined to fight to the death.
But Fan Qi had already lost. The poison had begun to take effect, tearing at his internal organs. Perhaps it was because he was about to die, but he endured the pain and said, "As soon as I came in, I activated the self-destruct mechanism of the underground palace. The fire will start soon. You should leave quickly."
Zhu Huantang had lost his mind. He roared, "Why did you kill her? Because she imprisoned you and killed your wife?"
"Why? I've been a slave in Sui for over twenty years, all thanks to those two! They should have just beheaded me back then. Do you think my wife is any good? She's disgusting. If she hadn't instigated Zuo Qinghou, none of this would have happened!" The poison had already eroded Fan Qi's mind. Fan Qi disregarded all decorum and image, his expression ferocious, appearing as if he had gone mad.
Knowing that even his master was powerless to do anything, and that if he had truly wanted to die back then, no one would have stopped him, Zhu Huantang no longer wanted to listen to what he had to say. He released Fan Qi from his acupoints, pulled him in front of Zuo Qinghou, and ordered, "Remove the nails."
"I can't get it off, the nail is stuck to the floor tile. If you're strong enough, you could take her out along with the floor tile... But why bother... She's dead... She's already dead..."
The fire had spread in, its scorching heat burning Zhu Huantang's nerves, forcing him to make a choice. Zhu Huantang returned to Zuo Qinghou's kneeling side and carefully wiped the dust from her face with his sleeve.
With the slightest movement, skin peeled off like plaster from a wall. Zhu Huantang's tears still fell, and he whispered, "I'm sorry."
When Zhu Huantang came out of the fire, his mind was blank.
In a situation he knew was a trap, the result of his painstaking search was devoid of any emotion.
Outside the underground palace, Qi Lingjun had already dealt with the royal family members. He stood there quietly, dressed in a white robe.
Seeing Zhu Huantang come out, he only asked softly, "Is she inside?"
Zhu Huantang nodded, but before he could fully explain the situation to Qi Lingjun, Qi Lingjun straightened his clothes and walked into the fire.
Zhu Huantang quickly grabbed him and scolded him in a low voice, puzzled, "Are you crazy? If you go in now, you won't be able to come out."
Yet Qi Lingjun's eyes still held the same detached brilliance. The aloofness and haughtiness that Zhu Huantang had previously despised were now ingrained in Qi Lingjun's very being, making him feel ashamed of himself.
Qi Lingjun simply doesn't plan to come out.
Qi Lingjun pulled his hand away from Zhu Huantang's, smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes, and said with a calm that could not be calmer, "I have lived a chaotic life, for the country and for the Qi family, and I have no regrets. Only towards her, I..."
The rest is self-evident; Zhu Huantang already understands. He had never truly understood Qi Lingjun before. At first glance, he thought he was one of his many male favorites, then he perceived him as a shrewd and capable civil official, but now he seemed like a complete stranger.
Strategic planning and humble demeanor seem to be merely a facade for Qi Lingjun, concealing his simple and pure inner self.
Zhu Huantang's eyes suddenly reddened, and he turned his back sharply: "She is in the very center of the underground palace. Go down and you will see her."
As casually as if he were looking for a document, Qi Lingjun said, "Thank you, Brother Zhu. Farewell."
Even as that snow-white garment disappeared into the orange-yellow flames, Zhu Huantang still dared not look back. He looked down at the necklace lying quietly in his palm. He had just taken it off; he had thought that if he couldn't take Zuo Qinghou with him, taking a memento would be fine too.
But now he finally understands that what he holds is just one of Zuo Qinghou's millions of pieces of jewelry, just like his own.
Historical records describe that battle as extremely fierce, tragic for the imperial family and the soldiers. Yet, not a single civilian in the capital was injured or killed.
After years of war, the emperor of Sui confiscated the property of the Wu Kingdom and exempted the people from taxes for five years. The turbulent continent finally ushered in a unified peace.
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