Chapter 75 Divine Martial Arts.
If she has fallen for him, how can she feel regret and pain now?
Fortunately, she didn't; she simply used this opportunity to see her past foolishness once again.
And he warned himself not to make the same mistake again.
But her face must look terrible. Song Pingkou looked at her with concern, standing behind her as if afraid she might collapse at any moment.
She looked up at him weakly and asked, "How can I get revenge? Should I wait for him to come back and kill him?"
Song Pingkou said, "How could I let you take such a risk?" After a pause, he said, "Lingyi, I—no, the Crown Prince—the Crown Prince needs a list, a list of personnel that Qin Lie has placed in the Imperial Guard."
Lingyi suddenly realized: "No wonder you were able to get in; it turns out the Crown Prince was helping you."
Song Pingkou said, "Now the Qin family rules the world, and I can only rely on his power. Only with his help can I successfully take you and Lin'er away."
Lingyi asked, "Since the Crown Prince wants that list, he must have reached the point of revealing his true intentions. What about Huan'er?"
Song Pingkou said, “We will try our best to take him with us. Even if we can’t, he is, after all, the son of a princess from the previous dynasty. Even if Qin Lie succeeds to the throne, he has no chance of inheriting the throne. Therefore, the Crown Prince will never make things difficult for him. But if you don’t leave, and Qin Lie wins, will he make you empress? You will only waste your time silently in the deep palace. And if he loses, you will be doomed.”
He spoke with utmost sincerity, and Lingyi, her face pale, said, "This is a matter of great importance; please allow me to think it over carefully."
Song Pingkou pulled her into his arms with tenderness, saying, "I'll wait for you."
Lingyi didn't keep him waiting too long. There was no place in the Prince's mansion that she couldn't go. Qin Lie's study was a forbidden place for outsiders, but it wasn't for her.
Go inside, pick out a few books to read, and no one dares to say a word.
The list was kept in a hidden compartment in the secret room.
The secret chamber is extremely well hidden, and even those skilled in geomancy and feng shui would find it very difficult to locate.
Even the secret room was led into by Qin Lie himself before he left.
Perhaps sensing the impending storm outside, he led her through the secret passages and hidden chambers of the palace. “If something happens in the capital after I leave, the food and water here can last for at least six months. If I haven’t returned by then, Princess…” He gently stroked her cheek with affection, “then die with me. I’ll wait for you down there, and we’ll be husband and wife again in our next life.”
She only spent some time searching for the hidden compartment, and met Song Pingkou the next day.
This time, his role was that of a coachman for the Prince's mansion.
Lingyi sighed, "I never imagined that the prestigious Prince Duan's mansion would be so thoroughly infiltrated."
Song Pingkou was overjoyed: "The Crown Prince is a man of great vision and has made plans early on. With this list, we are now absolutely certain of success!"
Lingyi asked, "When do you plan to make your move?"
Song Pingkou said, "I made an agreement with the Crown Prince that Qin Lie will enter the palace first on the day he returns. You only need to leave in advance, and I will be able to take you and Lin'er away to a distant place."
The Crown Prince made this agreement because, after that day, Qin Lie would have no power and might even lose his life.
A look of sorrow involuntarily appeared on Lingyi's face.
Song Pingkou asked her in a deep voice, "You can't bear to part with it?"
Before Lingyi could speak, he forcefully lifted her chin and kissed her hard.
At this moment in Chenzhou, the stars and moon were shining brightly, and Qin Lie was still seeing the secret letter about the princess entering the study to steal the list.
He knew from the beginning that the Crown Prince was bribing his people, but he deliberately let it go, thinking he had victory in his grasp. Little did he know that the Crown Prince's target was the princess from the very beginning.
His face was frosty, and he ordered his men to prepare the horses.
His trusted aide quickly advised, "Your Highness, a small act of impatience could ruin a great plan!"
He ignored the warnings and insisted on leaving. Some people tried to stop him in their haste, but they were no match for him.
It was Xie Yu who finally spoke up and calmed him down.
"Even if Your Highness goes back now, what's done is done. What's the use except for a complete defeat, being buried deep in the yellow earth, and letting them go free? Only if Your Highness wins this round will you have any chance of getting what you want."
Xie Yu is currently working in the Ministry of Rites, still holding the fifth rank, but this time he was sent here by the Emperor.
The purpose was naturally to monitor Qin Lie. The emperor always relied heavily on his son while keeping a watchful eye on him.
He was deeply wary of the Crown Prince, who seemed like a near-perfect successor.
Although Prince Duan was criticized, he was equally uneasy about him.
After Qin Lie dismissed everyone else, he kept only Xie Yu.
Xie Yu immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "I truly knew nothing about Song Pingkou's survival!"
If he had known, he would never have allowed Song Pingkou to live. However, he never expected that San Niang had helped the princess keep it from him back then.
Qin Lie's eyes were bloodshot and his gaze was icy as he asked, word by word, "Tell me, what kind of person is the princess?"
Is she even human? If she is human, she should have a heart, so why can't he warm her up no matter how hard he tries?
He gave up the throne that was within his grasp for her, endured the humiliation of being ridiculed by the world for her, raised Song Pingkou's illegitimate child and the bloodline of the previous dynasty for her, and even though people laughed at him, he let her see General Song off on his final journey.
In his eyes, women should only be good wives and mothers, but he helped her with everything she wanted to do, from distributing porridge to setting up a girls' school.
No matter what she was going to do, he never frowned. He cherished her like a precious gem, and even if she frowned slightly, he felt it was his fault.
Why would she still choose Song Pingkou, even at the cost of his life?
Xie Yu remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Forgive my bluntness, but Your Highness and the Princess are not suitable for each other from beginning to end."
"The prince is as fiery as fire, while the princess is as gentle as water. If you treat her even five parts well, the water will warm up and she will want to repay you seven or eight parts in return. But if you treat her even three parts badly, the water will turn to ice and may never melt away."
Qin Lie sneered: "So, it's still my fault. But back then, it was Emperor Chengtai who arranged the marriage, not me. How can I face the daughter of my enemy? Forget the blood feud of tens of thousands of men from Jizhou, my elder brother and third uncle, and only focus my heart on her? Xie Yu, if someone killed your grandfather, could you love his daughter?"
Xie Yu said frankly, "I know I can't. Even if I can't kill her with my own hands, I can only let her die on her own, let her die silently in this chaotic world. When I said it's inappropriate, I wasn't referring to the enmity between you. Your Highness might as well ask yourself, even if there is no enmity between you, just the fact that the princess once had feelings for me, can Your Highness tolerate that? You are actually the most arrogant person. The more you care, the more demanding you are; the more you value, the more you want perfection. The more you like the princess, the less you can tolerate any flaws, yet you refuse to speak frankly, relying on hurting her to gain momentary pleasure, hoping to make her bow down first."
He sighed, “The princess seems quiet and gentle, but she is actually sensitive and thoughtful, easily disappointed, and the more wronged she is, the more she endures it. Others often don’t notice, and by the time they do, it’s too late. If she had been betrothed to Song Pingkou, he, though arrogant, would have been a perfect couple with her. But she ended up with you. The more you care, the more you hurt her, and the more she is hurt, the more disappointed she becomes. If this continues, even without any enmity, the princess will probably be half-dead from your torment. So I’m not criticizing Your Highness, but perhaps you two were never meant to be together. If that’s the case, why not let her live?”
"Xie Yu, do you really think I won't kill you now?!" Qin Lie slammed his hand on the table, shattering it.
Xie Yu knelt on the ground, "I have changed my ways several times, and my reputation is already ruined. All I seek is a wise ruler in this world. Your Highness can kill me, but you cannot deceive your own heart. Your Highness can no longer even deceive yourself. How can you delay important matters for a woman? A mere woman, restless and unruly, just kill her! Your Highness, with such great talent and ambition, why can't you see through this little thing called romantic love?!"
.
Qin Lie returned to the capital just before the Lantern Festival.
Since receiving the secret message, they traveled day and night, exhausting several horses, and finally returned ahead of schedule.
They even entered the city at night, making their way to the palace silently.
The group breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the Shenwu Gate.
Outside the Shenwu Gate lies the capital city, under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guards. Inside the Shenwu Gate is the Imperial Palace, guarded by the Feathered Forest Army.
Although the commander of the Imperial Guards was only a fourth-rank official, he was the emperor's confidant and most trusted person.
No one dared to cause trouble within the Shenwu Gate, otherwise it would be considered a rebellion.
At this time, the Shenwu Gate was tightly closed, and several soldiers upstairs shouted to ask who the visitor was.
Xie Yu took out a token from his sleeve. "The Prince of Duan has returned from his ancestral worship ceremony. Return to the palace to report back!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a man stepped out from behind the soldier and asked in a warm tone, "Why didn't you give us a heads-up before returning to the palace, Third Brother? Otherwise, how could you have been stopped at the gate by these blind fools?"
Upon seeing the Crown Prince, the expressions of the people behind Qin Lie immediately changed drastically.
Qin Lie, on the other hand, appeared quite relaxed. "It's good that Your Highness is here. Please open the door for me quickly. I've been traveling a long way and am quite tired. I've already gone back to report to my father and need to go back to my residence to rest."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "I thought it was Prince Duan returning, but thinking about it, my third brother clearly wrote a memorial saying that he would not return to the capital for seven days. Why would he risk the crime of deceiving the emperor to return early? It must be a traitor in disguise, trying to sneak into the palace and harm the emperor. Guards!"
At his command, all the soldiers hidden upstairs appeared, each dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard, bows drawn and arrows nocked, all pointing at Qin Lie and his group. The list originally contained the generals and officers of the Imperial Guard, but now, none of them were on it.
Qin Lie's face darkened. "Second brother, are you determined to do this?"
The Crown Prince sighed softly: "There are three of us brothers. The eldest brother died young. I once gave you a chance, but you kept pushing me, forcing me to do this."
Qin Lie said unwillingly, "Now that things have come to this, I only want to ask one question: who betrayed me?"
The Crown Prince said, “You’ve always been clear about your likes and dislikes. How could I let you leave with regrets? You thought that by preventing the people of the Prince’s Palace from interacting with outsiders, you would be impregnable. But Sun Yuebin has sided with me. He already has connections with those people, and with his testimony, bribing him will naturally be much easier. You already know about that list; it was taken out by your princess herself. As for your whereabouts…” He looked at Xie Yu, “Now that things have come to this, why bother pretending with him?”
Xie Yu spurred his horse to the side.
Qin Lie laughed loudly: "So that's how it is. I thought my second brother was a gentleman and wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics. As expected, my brother is indeed my brother. I was one step behind."
The Crown Prince said, "Third brother, rest assured. When you set off, I will make sure the princess dies with you. I will not let you travel alone."
He took a step back and said coldly, "Quickly shoot and kill the thieves, leave no one alive!"
.
At this very moment, in a pavilion on the outskirts of Beijing.
Lingyi finally saw Lin'er, who was over four years old and sleeping soundly in Song Pingkou's arms.
Even without Third Sister pointing him out, one could immediately recognize him as her child simply by looking at his face, which was so similar to Song Pingkou's.
Lingyi held Lin'er in her arms, showering him with affection repeatedly.
Song Pingkou sat to the side, quietly watching the mother and son.
Lingyi finally let go of Lin'er and asked, "Time is of the essence, why aren't we leaving yet?"
Qin Lie returned seven days after writing the letter, but Song Pingkou told her to leave that day. She knew that Qin Lie had already discovered something was wrong and was now extremely anxious, wanting only to leave as soon as possible.
Song Pingkou said, "No rush. The palace is over there. In half an hour at most, if the Crown Prince wins, there will be a signal." He pointed to the palace and said, "If the Crown Prince loses, we will leave immediately. If he wins..." He looked at Lingyi and sighed, "I'm afraid you won't be able to leave."
Lingyi's expression changed, and she asked, "What do you mean by this?"
He lovingly stroked her cheek: "If he loses, we will return overseas together. But if he wins, how can the Crown Prince bear the infamy of killing his brother? It is because the Princess Consort of Duan, as a princess of the previous dynasty, harbored resentment towards the Emperor, bewitched the Emperor, and sowed discord, causing the Prince of Duan to rebel. In order to protect the country, the Crown Prince had no choice but to put righteousness before family."
Lingyi asked with a wry smile, "What did he promise you?"
Song Pingkou paused for a moment, then said, "Zhuozhou."
Ling Yi said, "How can I allow others to sleep peacefully beside my bed? They went through so much trouble to recapture Zhuozhou, how could they let you take it for nothing?"
Song Pingkou said, "If it were Qin Lie, it would naturally not work, but the Crown Prince doesn't have many generals under his command. If Qin Lie dies, his subordinates will definitely rebel. The Crown Prince will be too busy to even suppress these people. Give me Zhuozhou, and I will just be a general. I can both guard Zhuozhou and quell the rebels. He would be more than happy to accept that."
Lingyi laughed self-deprecatingly: "So from the very beginning, you wanted me to die. All those words about taking me away were lies."
Song Pingkou shook his head: "Those words are of course true. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you here tonight. If you had stayed in the Prince Duan's residence, the Crown Prince would have sent someone to kill you. Even now, I feel a pang of pity and even hope that there will be no signal. But the Crown Prince has been planning for so long, he will not fail. Lingyi..." He looked at her tenderly: "The white juice of that fruit is really sweet and delicious. I really wish I could let you taste it."
Lingyi calmed down and looked at him with the same gentleness. "You used to be too proud, self-centered, stubborn, and unwilling to listen to advice. Now you have really changed a lot. You are calm, composed, and quite patient." Her expression turned compassionate. "If you were the same person you were back then, we would probably still be in Zhuozhou. Why did things have to come to this?"
Song Pingkou took the baby from her and sighed softly, "Over the past few years, I have reflected on my past many times and realized that I was wrong in many ways, but time cannot be turned back. Don't worry, I will raise the baby well, and he will only recognize you as his mother."
Lingyi was finally relieved and said softly, "I think so too. After you die, I will raise Lin'er well, and he will only recognize you as his father."
She stood up and stepped back, and the hidden guards who had appeared immediately blocked Song Pingkou's way.
Beside the pavilion, two women in their fifties who had been hiding appeared, one of whom was even wearing armor.
Song Pingkou was only surprised for a moment, then looked at Lingyi, "You think the three of them can stop me?"
Lingyi said, "I know your skills. Even if three or five more people came, they probably wouldn't be able to stop you. But if you want to protect Lin'er, you definitely won't be able to escape."
Song Pingkou's face darkened. "You are his mother, and now you want to use your own son as a target?!"
Lingyi deliberately said, "He is your only son, but I still have Huan'er, so you are definitely not as ruthless as I am. Besides, there are guards from various mansions nearby, so you definitely can't escape. The reason I didn't let them come is just to save face."
Not knowing who in the Prince's mansion could be trusted, she could only seek help from the two female tutors. She also asked the noble ladies to find guards from various families and block the intersections under other pretexts.
Song Pingkou stared at her for a long time, then suddenly smiled. "You've changed a lot. You're no longer the same person you were in Zhuozhou. Actually, you're more captivating than your delicate and submissive self. So this is the true princess of the imperial family. I underestimated you before. Please tell me, Princess, when did you begin to suspect me?"
"From the very beginning, when you said you would take me away, I knew it was impossible." Lingyi's voice was soft and slow, yet it seemed to carry the sorrow of countless dynasties rising and falling. "Power will never die, no matter how long it lasts. No one who has tasted power can easily give it up, let alone someone who has been an emperor?"
Song Pingkou asked, "Since you knew from the beginning, you could have simply ignored it. Why did you pretend to be a snake with me? Was it to find out the truth for Qin Lie?"
Ling Yi said, "I'm just afraid you'll take Lin'er away. As for Qin Lie, I don't need to investigate; he definitely won't lose."
A bitter look flashed across Song Pingkou's face. "You trust him that much?"
Lingyi said, "That list is fake."
Song Pingkou's expression finally changed: "The list you gave me is fake? No, you don't even know those people, how could you have created that fake list?"
Ling Yi said, "I don't need to forge it; that list was fake to begin with."
That secret room was originally intended to deceive people; there was another layer underneath. When Lingyi found the list in this secret room, she already understood.
“Suppress the bandits.” She called his name softly. “The Crown Prince can’t defeat him, and neither can you. Why waste your energy and risk Lin’er’s life? Only if you die, die by my hand, will he allow Lin’er to be raised by my side. I will use my life to ensure Lin’er’s life is safe and smooth.”
He remained silent for a long time, then let out a long sigh. "I can't beat him, and I can't beat you either. Lingyi, I'm about to die. Can you tell me, have you ever, even for a moment, had a single ounce of sincerity towards me?"
Lingyi looked at him tenderly, "Back then, I truly considered you my destiny, thinking that the three of us would live together and die together. Later, if we hadn't been stopped, Lin'er and I would have gone to find you."
He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's good."
He handed Lin'er to Third Sister, took a dagger from his boot, placed it in Lingyi's hand, closed his eyes, and said with a sigh, "Let's do it."
After a long silence, he opened his eyes and saw her holding a dagger, staring blankly at him, with two tear streaks clearly visible on her face.
At that moment, he finally believed that what she said was true. He couldn't help but pull her into his arms and lower his head to kiss her lips, only to find his mouth full of tears. He just kept kissing her, and the taste of bitterness filled both of their mouths.
Lingyi came with the determination to kill him, but his eagerness to be executed made her extremely sad.
His kiss was as forceful and domineering as ever, but all she could do was cry. Then, he suddenly grabbed her hand and, before she could react, thrust it forward. It turned out that even the sharpest blade becomes dull when it pierces flesh. She stood there, stunned, until Song Pingkou collapsed. Only then did she finally let out a soft cry and kneel down, pressing her hand against his bleeding chest.
He was still smiling at her, saying, "Cry for me a little longer. You look so beautiful when you cry for me. It's a pity I'll never see you again..."
His knife struck squarely into the heart, and he quickly stopped breathing.
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