Tang Ning died, closing her eyes quietly and obediently before him...
Seeing her like this, Situ Yin, whose eyes had never left her, even had the illusion that she was just asleep. After all, when Tang Ning slept peacefully in his arms before, she was just as quiet and never made a sound.
As he watched, Situ Yin's repeated "ah" sounds gradually, gradually stopped.
Tang Ning is asleep; he should be quiet.
These days, in order to take care of him who was unable to sleep due to a headache, she hadn't had a good night's sleep either. The little bit of weight she had gained in the palace had long since disappeared.
It was then that Situ Yin noticed how thin Tang Ning had suddenly become. Her chin was so thin it was almost pointed, and even her exposed wrists were slender. How could she have gotten so thin? Hmm?
Situ Yin tried desperately to open his eyes wide, but he still couldn't stop his vision from blurring, and even Tang Ning's appearance became unclear in his eyes.
It wasn't until a warm tear fell from his aching eyes that Tang Ning's image became clear again.
Throughout the entire process, Situ Yin did not utter a single sound.
Just like every night before when he suffered from a splitting headache due to the poison, he slept next to Tang Ning.
But back then, he still had expectations—expectations of Tang Ning's concern after she woke up, her bright smile, the warmth of her fingers…
But now, everything is gone.
Everything is gone!
Situ Yin kept thinking this to himself, and his body trembled slightly.
If Fang Yuanling, the third person in the room, felt heartbroken and distressed upon hearing Situ Yin's constant moans earlier, now he was left only with grief.
He had never seen His Majesty so heartbroken, as if the Empress's death had taken away all his soul.
For a moment, Fang Yuanling even felt a faint sense of regret. Had he really done the right thing?
After that slight regret faded, Fang Yuanling closed his eyes briefly. He hadn't done anything wrong. Dalin and its people needed His Majesty, and His Majesty had to live.
As long as he can survive, we'd gladly cut him into a thousand pieces.
But just as he and Tang Ning had almost exchanged blood, and Situ Yin's strength and senses were beginning to recover, the Imperial Physician Fang, who was kneeling motionless on the ground, did not live to see His Majesty's execution.
He simply watched as His Majesty silently climbed down from the bed to one side, stumbled slightly, and came to the Empress's bedside. He then gently stroked her cheek, picked her up, and slowly walked out.
"His Majesty……"
The court official, who was kneeling behind them, took two steps on his knees and called out softly in a hoarse voice, but it did not elicit a turn of Situ Yin's head.
He carried Tang Ning back to her Weiyang Palace step by step. After dismissing everyone in the palace, he carefully placed Tang Ning on the bed where they had slept for countless days and nights. Although the fragrance on Tang Ning's body had disappeared, he was surprised to find that the bed still retained the light fragrance that he used to know so well.
The scent, when it entered his nostrils, felt like... like Tang Ning was still beside him...
As soon as he placed Tang Ning on the bed, Situ Yin immediately and habitually pulled her into his arms.
It's so cool.
Why couldn't he warm Tang Ning's icy fingers no matter how hard he tried?
Situ Yin was lost in thought.
Since he was poisoned, all he has thought about day and night is how to completely get rid of the poison and live a truly carefree life. But why is it that even though he has been cured, he still can't feel carefree?
Why?
Situ Yin hugged Tang Ning even tighter in his arms.
Even though his body was already exhausted to the extreme, he held Tang Ning's icy body in his arms until dawn.
Secrets cannot be kept in the palace. By the next day, news of Tang Ning's death had spread throughout the entire capital.
Almost simultaneously, in the General's Mansion, Madam Qin accidentally dropped the thin porcelain cup in her hand, and her face instantly turned pale.
She looked up in disbelief at her second son, who had come to deliver the message, then, completely disregarding etiquette, rushed to the young man, grabbed his arm with tremendous force, and asked in a trembling voice, "What did you say? What nonsense are you spouting? That's your sister! What nonsense are you talking about! Ah!"
Madam Qin was nearly driven mad, and Princess Qingping was no better off. The moment she heard the news, tears streamed down her face, and her eyes even subconsciously turned towards the northwest.
Unexpectedly, the last time Aruo saw Tang Ning before leaving was the last time.
She couldn't even imagine how Aruo would react if he heard the news.
As for the others in the capital, their reactions varied, some were surprised, some sighed, some were moved, and some were secretly pleased.
After all, losing a wicked empress who could shake the emperor's heart is a good thing for both them and for Da Lin.
Most importantly, wouldn't that naturally leave the position of Empress vacant?
In an instant, some cunning individuals began to make their own plans.
Little did they know that before they could even put their thoughts into action, another piece of news swept through the entire capital.
His Majesty has issued a decree that the original wedding date is no longer valid, and that the wedding with Qin Jiatang Ning will be held in three days, with Qin Jiatang Ning being named Empress.
Upon receiving this imperial decree, almost everyone in the capital began to doubt whether Qin Tangning was actually alive and whether the so-called news of her death was just a rumor. However, a group of people soon received the news that Qin Tangning was indeed dead.
For a time, everyone in the capital couldn't help but wonder if their emperor had been driven mad by the news of Qin Tangning's death. Otherwise, why would the emperor think of marrying a dead person?
Immediately, some cunning individuals began to offer their direct advice without a second thought.
Then……
His head was chopped off.
Seeing Situ Yin's methods, which were even more bloody and ruthless than before, the officials in the entire capital fell silent in an instant, and even dared not utter the name Qin Tangning.
Everyone could only watch helplessly as Situ Yin went mad.
The three-day period passed in the blink of an eye.
As expected, the wedding proceeded smoothly.
The ministers who were invited to the ceremony felt a chill creep down their spines at the mere thought that Qin Tangning, who was being led by a red silk ribbon and supported by two palace maids in red, was a dead man.
But just then, a gust of wind blew by.
The veil covering the other person's head floated lightly to the ground, revealing a stunningly beautiful face beneath it.
In an instant, almost everyone present widened their eyes in disbelief.
Wasn't it said that Qin Tangning had been dead for three days? Shouldn't a person who has been dead for three days start to decompose? Why does Qin Tangning still look no different from someone who is alive?
Is she... really dead?
This bizarre scene made the chill run down the spines of everyone attending the ceremony even more intense.
No one knew that the main reason why Tang Ning's body remained exactly the same as when she was alive, even after being dead for so long, was because the poisonous blood of Situ Yin flowing in her body had preserved her appearance.
For some time, she should not rot, and the poisonous blood should no longer have any effect on her.
After the wedding, the others didn't react much, but the two maids, Chunmian and Chuntan, cried so hard they were almost breathless.
It was their performance that convinced the others present, who had just been doubting Tang Ning's death, that Qin Tang Ning was indeed dead.
They simply couldn't imagine why Situ Yin would do something like marrying a dead person.
Could his feelings for Qin Tangning really be that deep?
With these questions in mind, the officials quietly attended the strangely atmosphere-filled imperial wedding.
No one dared to speak, no one dared to ask, and no one dared to utter a sound. After all, there were still lessons to be learned from the past. Who would want to die when they were living a good life?
After the wedding ceremony, Situ Yin placed Tang Ning on their wedding bed and then kissed her forehead. "Wait for me a moment, I have some things to take care of, I'll be right back, okay?"
After uttering these words and ordering his guards to surround Weiyang Palace, he left.
Looking up, I saw Chunmian and Chuntan standing outside the hall, holding hands, their eyes swollen like peach pits, yet still shedding tears.
Upon seeing them, Situ Yin paused slightly, then spoke in a hoarse voice, "Tang Ning has always cared about the two of you, and even petitioned me long ago to grant you permission to leave the palace whenever you wish, and to marry whenever you wish..."
Upon hearing Situ Yin's words, Chunmian and Chuntan shed even more tears.
"I will not marry anyone. I will stay with the Empress for the rest of my life. I will not go anywhere else."
Immediately, Chunmian cried out in a sob.
Although Chun Tan didn't speak, seeing how she shielded Chun Mian with half her body, it was clear that her determination was no less than Chun Mian's.
"Yeah?"
Upon hearing this, Situ Yin closed his eyes slightly and said softly.
He then fell silent, walked past the two palace maids who were holding each other's hands, and headed out of Weiyang Palace.
After leaving the palace and the capital, he went up to a Taoist temple and saw a young man, about the same age as Helan Ruo, wearing a Taoist robe.
After many years apart, and having spent so much time in the Taoist temple, the young man had become gentle and mild-mannered, a far cry from the fierce and unruly wolf cub he had first met in the Cold Palace.
Yes, this boy was none other than the posthumous child of the late emperor, who was left in the cold palace after his death.
The Imperial Concubine was ruthless and domineering. Since she became the sole favorite, no other woman in the palace could easily cross the Emperor's path. Otherwise, they would either lose their lives or have their entire families executed.
Even though she was so arrogant, the late emperor didn't care at all and continued to pamper and indulge her, letting her do whatever she wanted.
Although he loved the imperial concubine, he occasionally wanted to try something new. At that time, palace maids and concubines often died because of the late emperor's desire for novelty, and this young man's mother was one of them.
However, she was smarter than the others. As soon as she realized she was pregnant, she immediately tried to get into the Cold Palace and, with the help of the women there, gave birth to the boy.
Unfortunately, the environment in the Cold Palace was too harsh. She was hungry and cold, and coupled with her daily fear, her body was already too depleted. She died shortly after giving birth.
At that time, the late emperor and others had already lost their lives at the hands of Situ Yin. Fearing that he would kill the boy in a fit of rage, the people in the Cold Palace ultimately kept the child's existence a secret.
Unfortunately, despite all the secrecy, Situ Yin still discovered the child's existence. He immediately and without hesitation swung his knife at the three-year-old boy, who was thin and small and looked like a cat.
But under his fierce, beast-like gaze, he unexpectedly lowered the long knife in his hand.
The deadly poison in his body meant he was destined to die young.
He didn't know what he was thinking at the time. Not only did he spare the child, but he even sent people to bring him out of the cold palace and dump him in this Taoist temple. He would also send people over to teach him every now and then.
He wasn't sure what kind of result he wanted. Who would have thought that the wolf cub he had casually raised would one day be of use?
No one knows what Situ Yin and the young man in the Taoist robe talked about when Situ Yin appeared in the nameless Taoist temple. In just two days, Situ Yin and Tang Ning disappeared completely from the capital.
The young man also took off his Taoist robe and put on a black dragon robe.
With the help of the dog guards, the boy, who possessed his own identity documents, ascended the throne with unbelievable ease.
Meanwhile, the two maids, Chunmian and Chuntan, also received Situ Yin's final imperial edict. The edict stated that as long as they wished, they could continue to live in Weiyang Palace. If one day they decided they no longer wanted to live there and had the idea of getting married, they could leave the palace at any time.
Upon receiving the imperial edict, Chunmian and Chuntan hugged each other and wept uncontrollably.
Why, why did His Majesty and His Majesty, both such good people, not get a good outcome?
After Situ Yin and Tang Ning left, the journey to the northern frontier was long, and Helan Ruo, who hadn't even had time to treat her injuries, had killed more than a dozen horses, injured a leg, and even had a deep, bone-revealing scar on her face, suddenly appeared at the city gate of the capital.
Unfortunately, by the time he returned, Situ Yin had already disappeared with Tang Ning.
Upon learning this news, Helan Ruo immediately knelt on the ground. She then spent the entire night in the puppet house of the already sealed-off Duke Guo's mansion. The next day, after burning down the entire house, Helan Ruo returned to the frontier amidst the weeping of Princess Qingping.
In the latter half of his life, he never remarried or returned to the capital. Instead, he took Princess Qingping and her husband to the frontier and served them until their old age. Not long after, he also died in battle.
It is said that when he died, his blood-stained hand tightly clutched a wooden puppet girl in red. However, due to his years of caressing, even the puppet's eyebrows and eyes had been worn smooth, and no one could recognize what the puppet girl originally looked like...
——
Unknown to everyone, after Situ Yin took Tang Ning away from the capital, he began to fulfill the promise he had made to her, spending a whole year accompanying her to see sunrises and sunsets across the country.
A year has passed. It's not that he doesn't want to take Tang Ning around anymore, but his poisonous blood has begun to have no effect on Tang Ning's body, and Tang Ning's body is showing signs of decay.
Upon seeing this change, Situ Yin immediately took Tang Ning to the famous Qingxue Mountain, where he showed her the snow lotus quietly blooming atop the snow-covered peak.
He even took her on a bamboo raft, and they drifted on the snow-covered lake in the mountains.
Only when they reached the center of the snow lake did he release his arms from Tang Ning, take out the snail-shell ink he had prepared at some point, and begin to carefully and meticulously draw Tang Ning's eyebrows.
"I never imagined that after we've been together for so long, I've never once drawn your eyebrows. It's all my fault..."
"I saw the snow lotus just now. Isn't it beautiful? Before, when you saw something you liked, your eyes would light up like the stars in the sky."
At this point, Situ Yin chuckled, closed his eyes, and lowered his head to place a reverent kiss on Tang Ning's forehead. Even as he kissed her, the corners of his mouth remained upturned.
"I miss you so much, I want to see you so much..."
After saying this almost with a sigh, Situ Yin suddenly wrapped one arm around Tang Ning's waist, supported the back of her head with the other, relaxed slightly, and slowly fell into the icy lake water behind him.
With a loud bang, splashes of snow-white water erupted.
A suffocating, cold feeling instantly enveloped Situ Yin, but he never let go of Tang Ning.
He had heard that Qingxue Lake was also known as Sansheng Lake, and that it was said that if lovers who truly loved each other died together here, they would be destined to be together for three lifetimes.
Throughout his life, Situ Yin did not believe in the afterlife, nor did he respect the gods; he relied solely on himself.
But never before had he believed in the existence of the gods more devoutly than at this moment. How he longed for all the gods and Buddhas in the sky, whoever they were, to hear his most sincere plea as a believer who had come halfway through his journey, and to ask them to grant him and his wife a chance to meet again in the next life.
Yes, he didn't dare to ask for three lifetimes, just one lifetime would be enough.
Even if it comes at a great cost, he is willing to pay it.
Just as his consciousness was fading, he struggled to open his eyes, looked at Tang Ning's face so close to his, and a satisfied smile once again appeared on his lips...
Wait for me, okay?
At roughly the same time, in the system space, Tang Ning stared at the scene before her, which was frozen on Situ Yin's last slightly upturned lips, and remained silent for a long while.
Meanwhile, the little system 54088 beside him was already crying so hard it was almost suffocating.
The sound was so piercing that Tang Ning had no choice but to turn her gaze to it.
Sensing Tang Ning's gaze, the little system hurriedly flew to Tang Ning's side and asked in a nasal tone, "Tang Bao, aren't you feeling unwell?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning paused subconsciously, then slightly curled the corners of her lips, "Feeling unwell? A little..."
But it's only a little bit.
Tang Ning was momentarily lost in thought, but quickly came back to her senses. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and gently patted the little system on the head. "Alright, let's start the next world."
"good."
The small system nodded vigorously.
But the very next second after the system shut down the previous world's view, the previously dark and silent depths of the lake...
drop--
A spiritual entity meeting the company's standards has been detected. Soul capture is in progress... Capture successful.
Author's Note: First of all, let me make it clear that the mad emperor is not the male lead, and he will not appear again later in the story. Furthermore, his company may not even be the same as Tang Ning's company. Consider this just a momentary act of pity on my part, giving him a vague and uncertain idea.
To emphasize, Tang Ning is free; she won't stop for anyone. She might be moved, but that's all. Her goal remains the same: the vast universe.
Next World: Ex-Girlfriend Strikes Back [This is the fifth story in the synopsis]
Three scumbags: 1. A charming but cunning young man who can handle both social graces and domestic skills; 2. A gentle and refined man who would steal an electric bike to support a blind but ultimately ruthless boss; 3. A boyfriend of ten years who shared his joys and sorrows, helped him build his fortune, and was then sent to prison by him.
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