Chapter 107 Perfect Ending — End of Text —
In the courtyard, Shen Fangru finally managed to calm down the agitated Xiangna and watched her sob and fall asleep before dragging her exhausted body back to the temporary room.
As soon as she closed the door, her gaze froze.
In the shadows under the table, a folded piece of paper lay quietly.
Her heart skipped a beat. This method of delivering messages silently was exactly the same as what happened in Camel Lane before; it must have been the work of Qi Yuan's elusive "Sand Fox" squad.
She practically lunged forward to pick up the note, her hands trembling as she unfolded it. It bore Xi Yuan's familiar handwriting, but it was more disheveled and weaker than before, as if he had used up all his strength:
Mother, take Xiangna to the withered locust tree west of the mass grave in the west of the city. If you don't arrive before midnight, your child will be beheaded.
There was no signature, but the despair conveyed in those strokes pierced her heart more than any threat.
Here we go again! They're using Xi Yuan's life to coerce her again!
Last time in Camel Lane, she had no choice but to let Qi Yuan go, which had already aroused Zhou Ling's raging anger.
This time, if she obeys orders and takes Xiangna away again, it will be tantamount to confirming her crime as a traitor, and Zhou Ling will never tolerate her again. At that time, let alone saving Xiyuan, her own life will be in danger.
A tremendous sense of powerlessness gripped her.
Perhaps... perhaps she should tell Zhou Ling the truth? Tell him that Xi Yuan is his son, and that their flesh and blood are on the verge of death? The thought had barely crossed her mind when she forcibly suppressed it.
No! Qi Yuan's "Sand Fox" is omnipresent; she has no idea if anyone is secretly watching her right now. If she reveals the truth and the news leaks out, Xi Yuan will be dead instantly! She dares not gamble.
Just as she was in a state of confusion and caught between a rock and a hard place, there was a rapid but deliberately low knocking at the door.
"Lord He Ruo, it is I, Li Zuo."
Fangru took a deep breath, crumpled the note into a ball and stuffed it into her sleeve, then opened the door, trying to appear calm.
Li Zuo slipped in, quickly closed the door, his face unusually grave and urgent: "To make a long story short! The magistrate has already concluded that your release of Qi Yuan in Camel Lane was a deliberate act of betrayal, and he is furious! Just now... just now he directly ordered Peng Shen to deal with you!"
He stared intently at Fangru, his voice even lower: "You've probably heard about Peng Shen's methods. If he comes, there will be no turning back!"
As Li Zuo spoke, he took out a token from his pocket and stuffed it into Fang Ru's hand: "I have prepared the carriage in a secluded spot at the back gate. You must leave immediately while the news has not yet spread completely and the guards have not yet received clear instructions. There may still be a glimmer of hope!"
He was completely unaware that just moments before, the man who had ordered Fangru's execution, upon learning of that shocking secret, had dispatched his fastest bodyguards to urgently rescind the fatal order.
Fangru was deeply shaken. Although she had a premonition, hearing the death sentence with her own ears still sent a chill down her spine. Looking at the anxiety and unwavering resolve in Li Zuo's eyes, she knew this was her only chance.
She can't die here. If she dies, Xi Yuan will truly be beyond saving.
Unable to explain the real reason, she could only go along with Li Zuo's words and whisper, "Lord Li... I won't thank you enough for such a great kindness. This matter has nothing to do with you, so please leave quickly and don't get involved with me."
Seeing how "sensible" she was, Li Zuo felt even more sorry for her. He urged her a few more times before leaving in a hurry to avoid arousing suspicion.
After confirming Li Zuo's departure, Fangru's eyes instantly hardened. She had to leave, and she had to take Xiangna with her! They were Xi Yuan's only hope for survival!
She strode to the door of the room where Xiangna was being held, showed her token to the guards, and said, "Lord Zhou wants to interrogate Xiangna personally and has ordered me to take her there. He instructed that this woman is emotionally unstable and may cause trouble on the way, so I can take her alone; you do not need to come with me."
The guards, seeing that it was "He Ruo" who had just calmed Xiang Na down, and hearing that it was Zhou Ling's order and that he really didn't want to deal with Xiang Na's crying anymore, didn't suspect anything and let him pass.
Fangru pulled up the bewildered and somewhat frightened Xiangna and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'll take you somewhere." Xiangna still relied on her, and although she didn't understand what was going on, she followed her.
The two quickly arrived at the back gate, where the carriage Li Zuo had prepared was indeed parked. Fangru helped Xiangna into the carriage, then jumped onto the carriage shaft herself, flicked the reins, and the carriage sped off towards the mass grave in the west of the city.
Unbeknownst to her, almost at the same moment her carriage started moving, a dark shadow swept towards Zhou Ling's direction like a wisp of smoke.
...
Having just experienced an emotional tsunami and feeling utterly exhausted, Zhou Ling was leaning back in her chair, trying to calm herself down from the shocking news that Shen Fangru might still be alive.
Gao Xuan had already issued the order to withdraw, but the turmoil in his heart was far from over.
Just then, Peng Shen returned, kneeling on one knee with a grim expression: "Your Majesty! I was ordered to monitor He Ruo, and just now I saw her taking that Northern Di female prisoner and hurriedly leaving through the back gate in a carriage of unknown origin, heading towards the west of the city!"
Zhou Ling suddenly stood up. The faint hope and confusion that had just arisen because "Shen Fangru might be alive" was instantly shattered by this "irrefutable evidence" of betrayal!
Anger, mixed with the shame of being deceived and fooled, as well as a profound disappointment and sting that even he himself was unwilling to admit, erupted like a volcano!
Shen Fangru! You really are Qi Yuan's woman! To get back to his side, you didn't hesitate to betray me again, and even tried to take his daughter away!
"Prepare the horses! Chase!" Zhou Ling's voice was hoarse, yet filled with thunderous killing intent. He wanted to see for himself how this woman would manage to escape to her "husband's" side right in front of him!
He personally selected a team of elite soldiers, including Peng Shen and Gao Xuan, and the group rode off at full speed towards the west of the city.
The night was deep, and the sound of horses' hooves shattered the silence. Finally, at the edge of a secluded woodland near the mass grave, they saw the carriage parked there.
Zhou Ling took the lead, reining in his horse, which reared up. He leaped off and walked step by step toward the carriage, his voice as cold as ice: "Shen Fangru! Get out here!"
The carriage curtain swayed, and a figure dressed in He Ruo's clothes stepped down timidly with her head down, seemingly wanting to beg for mercy.
The moment she got close to Zhou Ling, something unexpected happened!
He Ruo suddenly looked up, revealing a completely unfamiliar, muscular face, his eyes flashing with ferocity! A cold light flashed in his hand, and a poisoned short blade pierced straight into Zhou Ling's abdomen with lightning speed!
Too close, too fast! Although Zhou Ling instinctively dodged, the sharp blade still pierced deep into his abdomen with a "thud"! A sharp pain shot through him, and he groaned, staring incredulously at the person in front of him.
Almost simultaneously, "Xiangna" darted out of the carriage, her figure like a ghost, her curved blade flashing a cold light as she aimed straight for Peng Shen's throat! Peng Shen's attention was entirely focused on Zhou Ling's assassination attempt, and caught off guard, he was killed with a single blow!
"Protect His Majesty!" Gao Xuan shouted sharply, drawing his sword to meet the enemy.
However, from the surrounding shadows, a dozen ghostly figures suddenly emerged—the "Sand Foxes"! Their martial arts style was unpredictable, their teamwork seamless, and their attacks ruthless. Although Zhou Ling's guards were also elite, they were quickly overwhelmed by the enemy's calculated attack and their leader's serious injury, and men began to fall one after another.
Blood gushed from Zhou Ling's abdominal wound, and the excruciating pain and blood loss blurred his vision. He looked at the "Sand Fox" member impersonating He Ruo, and saw the cold mockery in his eyes. He finally understood: this wasn't an escape; it was a meticulously planned trap aimed at him!
Fangru...did she know about this? Or was she just another link in this trap?
Before the thought could even form, he was struck hard on the back of the neck, his vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.
Gao Xuan fought desperately, but could only watch helplessly as the "sand foxes" carried the unconscious Zhou Ling and disappeared into the darkness of the deep forest, just as they had come.
In fact, when Shen Fangru received the first threatening note, she knew that this situation of mutual hostage-taking and mutual obstruction with Qi Yuan could not continue. Taking advantage of the opportunity when "Sand Fox" passed on the message again, she sent a secret letter in return: "Holding each other's children only increases losses. It would be better to join forces and take down Zhou Ling together. This man is the lifeline of the northern border of Xia Kingdom, and his value far exceeds that of a child."
These words precisely struck at Qi Yuan's ambition. Compared to using a child to blackmail a woman, capturing or controlling this key figure of the Xia Kingdom would undoubtedly yield greater benefits. The two sides quickly reached an agreement and meticulously planned this trap. "Sand Fox" disguised himself as Shen Fangru and Xiangna, using Zhou Ling's complex feelings for Fangru and the inevitable pursuit to lure him into the pre-arranged ambush.
...
Li Zuo rushed to the scene with reinforcements, only to find the place in complete disarray. The bodies of Peng Shen and several guards were already cold, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.
In the bushes not far away, they found Shen Fangru and Xiangna shivering. Their clothes were torn by tree branches, and their faces still showed signs of shock.
"Lord Li!" Fangru saw him as if she had seen a savior. Before she could speak, tears streamed down her face, her voice trembling genuinely—half from shock, half from lingering fear. "We...we hadn't gone far from the camp when we encountered a group of masked men. They...they stole the carriage and abandoned us in this desolate wilderness...Where is Lord Zhou? Lord Zhou, he..." She revealed her anxiety and fear at the right moment, her gaze sweeping over the corpses on the ground, her face growing even paler.
Li Zuo frowned, his mind filled with doubt.
What a coincidence! He Ruo was attacked right after leaving? Zhou Ling was ambushed as soon as he gave chase? This was clearly aimed at His Majesty! He looked at Fang Ru, who was tearful and seemed weak and helpless, and then at Xiang Na, who was terrified beside him. A bellyful of questions was stuck in his chest: How were they able to escape unharmed? Why did the villains only kidnap His Majesty? But at this moment, no interrogation was as important as finding His Majesty's whereabouts.
He suppressed his doubts and said in a deep voice, "This place is not safe to stay for long. I will send someone to take you back to a safe place first. Searching for His Majesty is the priority!"
He settled Fangru and Xiangna in a fortified camp nearby, increasing the number of guards, ostensibly for protection, but in reality for surveillance. He then led a large force to conduct a thorough search centered on the ambush point, but found nothing. "Sand Fox" seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving not a single clue.
The next day, just when the search had reached a stalemate and the atmosphere in the camp was extremely tense, an astonishing piece of news arrived: He Xiyuan had returned on his own!
Li Zuo immediately interrogated the suspect himself.
Although the young man was dressed in rags and looked haggard, his peach blossom eyes, which were very similar to His Majesty's, revealed a composure that came from surviving a calamity.
His account of the experience was truly bizarre: "...That treacherous Qi Yuan, in order to intimidate me, deliberately showed me several patients he had brought who were afflicted with malaria. Those people were bleeding from their noses incessantly and were in excruciating pain. After I was locked back in my cell, I devised a plan. I slammed my nose hard, causing my face to bleed profusely, and curled up on the ground convulsing. When the guards came in to check, seeing my terrifying appearance, they assumed I had also contracted the deadly malaria and were terrified, not daring to approach. Taking advantage of their panic and calls for help, I pried open a weak spot in the cell window and escaped by sheer luck..."
This explanation sounds reasonable, especially since it takes advantage of people's fear of the plague at the time. It does seem like a solution that a young person came up with in a moment of inspiration.
But Li Zuo's doubts remained, and he felt that everything was too coincidental.
Just then, Fangru, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, burst into the tent and hugged Xiyuan tightly, tears streaming down her face: "My son! You're finally back! Heaven has eyes! It's a pity... it's a pity His Majesty... he's missing, otherwise our family of three could be reunited!" Her words, though seemingly heartfelt, struck Li Zuo and the officials present like a thunderclap.
"A family of three"?
All eyes immediately focused on Xi Yuan's face.
Previously, his face was always covered in dirt or deliberately concealed, but now that his face was clean, his eyebrows, nose, and lips... were almost identical to those of the missing emperor in his youth! Considering the emperor's unusual attitude towards "He Ruo" and "He Ruo's" words just now... an astonishing fact was about to emerge!
Li Zuo swallowed back the question that was on the tip of his tongue. Faced with this face that bore such a striking resemblance to the emperor, any harsh interrogation would seem inappropriate, even disrespectful.
An eerie silence fell over the tent, and the people exchanged knowing glances.
When the Xia court learned that His Majesty had been captured, the entire nation was shocked. They dispatched even more people to frantically search for Zhou Ling while simultaneously pressuring the Northern Di to hand over Qi Yuan. However, both Zhou Ling and Qi Yuan vanished without a trace, as if thrown into the sea.
A month later, a major piece of news came from the capital: Grand Secretary Li brought an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager. In the edict, the Empress Dowager ordered Li Zuo to stop the search and immediately escort He Ruo and He Xiyuan back to the capital, citing the reasons that "a country cannot be without a ruler for a day" and "His Majesty may have met with misfortune" and "the foundation of the country must be established as soon as possible".
This imperial decree came swiftly and decisively, clearly concealing complex court politics and the Empress Dowager's own considerations.
Upon returning to the capital, Zhou Ling was already considered dead. When the civil and military officials saw the young Xi Yuan standing before the palace, all their controversies and doubts vanished before that face that was almost identical to the late emperor's.
The power of bloodline was on full display at this moment. Under the guidance of the Empress Dowager and high-ranking officials such as Grand Secretary Li, Xi Yuan ascended the throne as emperor in due course and changed the era name to Xinzheng. Shen Fangru, the former "He Ruo", was honored as Empress Dowager as the new emperor's birth mother and moved to Cining Palace.
Power shifted, and the dust settled.
With each new emperor comes a new court, and Fangru also began to settle old scores. While organizing the secret files left by Zhou Ling and cleaning up the inner court, she unexpectedly discovered a prisoner's record: Gu Zhou, her former fiancé, was still alive!
Records show that although Zhou Ling was furious at the time, he always kept his promise to Fang Ru from many years ago and did not execute Gu Zhou, but instead secretly imprisoned him deep in the prison for a long time.
Holding the yellowed file, Fangru stood in the empty halls of Cining Palace, her expression complex and unreadable.
Fifteen years have passed, and everything has changed. The fiancé for whom she once betrayed Zhou Ling is now nothing more than a symbol of the past that needs to be erased. His existence is a testament to her past, and he may even become a potential threat to her son's future as emperor.
After a long silence, she slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with icy resolve. To the newly appointed chief eunuch beside her, who was also her confidant, she calmly instructed: "Issue my imperial decree. The traitor Gu Zhou has colluded with foreign powers; the evidence is irrefutable. He is hereby executed immediately, and his death shall be kept secret."
Her voice was calm and even, as if she had ordered the removal of nothing more than a wisp of insignificant dust.
The night was deep, and the palace lanterns swayed in the breeze.
Empress Dowager Shen Fangru was engrossed in a game of chess when Emperor Xiyuan appeared silently at the palace gate.
He waved his hand to dismiss the attendants, leaving only the mother and son facing each other in the hall.
"Mother," the young emperor began, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable sharpness, "where have you...locked Father away?"
Fangru's hand, holding the chess piece, paused almost imperceptibly before steadily placing the piece. She didn't look up, her tone indifferent and detached: "He's safe. The emperor should be concerned with the stability of the empire now, not these old matters. Knowing this is enough."
Xi Yuan gazed at her silently, his peach blossom eyes, so similar to Zhou Ling's, swirling with complex and indescribable emotions. Silence spread between mother and son, like a silent contest.
After a long silence, Xi Yuan sighed softly, a sigh that carried a heaviness beyond his years, and a hint of disappointment: "Mother, I know that there are many grievances between you and Father. But which child in this world doesn't hope that their parents are loving and harmonious? Even if they can't be, they always hope that they are both well."
After speaking, without waiting for Fangru's response, he bowed and said, "Your subject takes his leave." His departing figure, illuminated by the palace lanterns, appeared somewhat lonely.
Fangru gazed in the direction her son had left, remaining motionless for a long time.
The hall was empty, save for the soft crackling of the lamp wick. Her hands, resting on her knees, tightened unconsciously.
Loving and harmonious? Are they both doing well? She sneered inwardly. This morning, she had just received a secret letter from Qi Yuan through clandestine channels. The letter said that Zhou Ling was imprisoned by him in a secret place in the southern border, and was being tortured day and night.
How could she tell her son what kind of torture his biological father was enduring? And all of this was done with her tacit approval, or even her encouragement.
Meanwhile, in the remote southern borderlands, deep within a humid and sweltering dense forest, in a secluded outpost.
Qi Yuan, shirtless and covered in sweat, grinned as he looked at Zhou Ling, who was bound to the rack.
At this moment, Zhou Ling had long lost his former imperial majesty. His clothes were tattered, his body was covered in wounds, old and new, and his face was as pale as paper.
"Tsk tsk, Emperor Xia's bones are harder than I imagined." Qi Yuan picked up a red-hot branding iron and slowly approached. "I wonder if I'll still hear your screams this time?"
"Sizzle!" The sound of burning flesh accompanied by a plume of white smoke rose up.
Zhou Ling's body convulsed violently, a muffled groan escaped his throat, veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat poured down his face. Finally, his head lolled to the side, and he fainted again.
"Splash him awake!" Qi Yuan waved his hand impatiently.
A bucket of icy, dirty water was poured over Zhou Ling's head and body. He trembled, but did not wake up as expected; his head remained drooping, and his breath was weak.
"Playing dead?" Qi Yuan frowned, grumbling as he stepped forward, extending two fingers to check Zhou Ling's pulse to confirm his condition.
Just as the fingertips were about to touch the skin, a strange thing happened!
Zhou Ling, who seemed to have already lost consciousness, suddenly raised his head!
His deep-set eyes flashed with the ferocity and determination of a dying beast! With incredible speed, he opened his cracked and bleeding lips, revealing his gleaming white teeth, like a venomous snake locking onto its prey. With perfect precision and using the last of his strength, he bit down hard on Qi Yuan's unsuspecting throat!
"Uh, heh heh..." Qi Yuan's sinister smile froze on his face, his eyes widening instantly, filled with extreme terror and disbelief. He tried to struggle, tried to call for help, but his trachea and blood vessels were instantly severed, and he could only let out broken, desperate heh heh sounds. Blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering all over Zhou Ling's face.
Within a few breaths, Qi Yuan's struggles gradually weakened, his body convulsed and he collapsed to the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.
Zhou Lingsong opened his mouth, coughing violently and spitting out foul blood. In his bloodshot eyes was an extreme hatred, and a hint of madness from surviving a catastrophe.
Hearing the commotion, the "Sand Fox" members guarding outside rushed in.
However, all that came into view was the leader Qi Yuan lying in a pool of blood, his throat bitten open, and the man on the rack who, though in a sorry state, looked like a demon returned from hell. His face was covered in blood, and his eyes were like icy blades, sweeping over everyone who rushed in.
For a moment, these elite "Sand Fox" soldiers, their hands stained with blood, were stunned by the gruesome and bizarre scene and stood frozen in place.
Time flies, and four years have passed in the blink of an eye.
With the new emperor on the throne, a group of capable ministers and officials, such as Grand Secretary Li and Grand Secretary Zhang, loyally assisting him, and with Empress Dowager Shen Fangru stabilizing the situation behind the scenes, although there were occasional frictions in the northern border, the Great Xia Dynasty was stable, the national strength was gradually recovering, and the people were able to live and work in peace and contentment.
Inside the Cining Palace, the powerful Empress Dowager was not entirely content.
Some imperial concubines, as well as Empress Wang and Consort Xian, who had grudges against "Chen Cai Nu" in previous lives and were now eager to curry favor with her, tried various ways to send people into her palace. These were not ordinary eunuchs or palace maids, but carefully selected young men with handsome appearances and different temperaments. They were ostensibly there to "relieve the Empress Dowager's boredom," but in reality, they were being presented as male concubines.
"Your Majesty, you enjoy boundless honor now, but the deep palace is lonely. It is only natural that you have a few worthy people serving you by your side," a concubine said with a smile.
Fangru looked at the several handsome young men kneeling before His Highness with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, her eyes showing no emotion, only a hint of barely perceptible annoyance.
She waved her hand, her tone cold and resolute: "I have no shortage of servants around me. Take all these people away and send them away. From now on, if anyone dares to send these things to Cining Palace again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
She rejected all attempts to get close, shutting out all those fawning or probing glances from the Cining Palace. Her heart, as if along with the bloody news from the southern forests, sank into a cold abyss, never to be stirred again.
No one knows whether, in countless late nights, she thinks of the man she tacitly allowed to torment, whose fate remains unknown, or of her son's words, "I hope my parents love each other." Does a trace of regret or pain cross her mind?
Shortly after Fangru once again sternly rejected the proposals of several imperial concubines to "present male concubines," news came from the Northern Di.
Xiangna, who had become a princess of the Northern Di, sent a letter of state, stating that she would soon accompany the Northern Di Khan Arsleng to visit the Great Xia, to see her former classmate, now the Great Xia Emperor Xiyuan, and to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
Xi Yuan was overjoyed to learn of this. In his youth, he had studied in Caluer City and developed a close friendship with the rebellious yet innocent Xiangna. Given Xiangna's difficult past, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for her. He personally went to the Cining Palace and earnestly requested that Fangru accompany him in receiving the guests.
"Mother, Xiangna... though she's stubborn, she listened to you the most back in Caluer City. With you here, the occasion will be even more solemn." The young emperor's eyes held expectation, and a hint of something subtle—a desire to ease the invisible barrier between him and his mother.
Looking into the expectant eyes of her son, Fangru felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and the heavy thoughts about Zhou Ling and past grievances were temporarily suppressed. She nodded and agreed, "I understand. I will go with you to see her then."
The venue for receiving the Northern Barbarian delegation was chosen to be a newly completed royal garden on the outskirts of the capital. This garden was personally designed and approved by Zhou Ling during his reign, blending the essence of both northern and southern gardens with exquisite craftsmanship. It was only completed this year and was perfectly suited to showcase the nation's power.
On this day, the garden was heavily guarded, and flags were flying everywhere.
Xi Yuan, dressed in a dragon robe, led his civil and military officials and waited in front of the main hall. The Northern Barbarian delegation arrived as scheduled, with a magnificent procession.
However, Empress Dowager Shen Fangru, who was supposed to attend with the Emperor, was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is the Empress Dowager?" Xi Yuan turned his head slightly and asked the eunuch in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager arrived at the garden half an hour ago, saying she would rest for a while in the waterside pavilion first..." the eunuch reported in a flustered manner.
A hint of doubt crossed Xi Yuan's mind, but the Northern Khan had already arrived, so he had no time to think about it and could only put on a smile and go forward to greet him.
The Khan of the Northern Barbarians was tall and imposing, dressed in the magnificent fur robes of the Northern Barbarian nobles. He wore a half-exquisite wolf-head mask that covered the upper half of his face, revealing only his sharply defined jawline and thin lips. He exuded an aura of authority that came from long-standing power and... a faint sense of familiarity.
After exchanging pleasantries, the Khan expressed his wish to tour the renowned garden alone, and Xi Yuan readily agreed, sending a guide to accompany him. Thinking of his mother, he strolled towards the waterside pavilion. He circled several artificial hills and winding streams, but Fangru was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was wondering, he caught a glimpse of the Khan's back as he turned into a secluded hall.
The way he walked... Xi Yuan felt an increasing sense of familiarity with him, and almost unconsciously, he dismissed his attendants and quietly followed him.
The hall was quiet, seemingly empty. Xi Yuan gently pushed open the door to the inner chamber, but the scene before him struck him like a thunderbolt, and he froze instantly at the doorway.
His incomparably noble mother, Empress Dowager Shen Fangru, was bound to a magnificent canopy bed with silk ribbons, her hair disheveled, her phoenix robe slightly open, and her face flushed with anger and humiliation.
The Northern Khan was facing away from the door, leaning closer to the bed.
"You bastard! Let me go!" Fangru's angry voice trembled.
At this moment, the "Great Khan of the Northern Barbarians" heard the noise at the door and slowly turned around. Beneath the wolf-head mask, his deep, cold eyes, filled with displeasure at being disturbed and a chilling warning, shot straight at Xi Yuan.
Despite the mask, despite the passage of four years, and despite the fact that his temperament had become colder and more profound, Xi Yuan would never mistake his eyes and his features!
It's...it's his father! Zhou Ling!
Zhou Ling looked at his dumbfounded son, his brows furrowed slightly, and his voice was low and commanding, carrying an unquestionable tone: "Get out."
Xi Yuan's mind went blank, his ears were ringing, and before his eyes was the shocking scene of his mother being bound. He could almost smell the ambiguous and conflicting atmosphere in the air. He could even hear his mother's suppressed breathing and the slight shaking of the bed as she struggled.
The immense shock, the sense of absurdity, and an indescribable embarrassment and shame overwhelmed him like a tsunami.
His face flushed red instantly, then turned deathly pale. He staggered back a few steps, turned abruptly, and rushed out of the palace as if fleeing.
Inside, Fangru trembled with rage, glaring at Zhou Ling: "Zhou Ling! You madman! You actually came back as the Khan of the Northern Barbarians! You even let our son... let our son see us like this! Do you know how much trauma this will cause him?!"
Zhou Ling raised his hand and slowly and methodically untied the silk binding her. His fingertips traced the faint red marks on her wrist, his eyes dark and unreadable, yet his tone carried a hint of mockery: "Shadow? I think he's not young anymore, he should know better. But you, Shen Fangru, have you been content as Empress Dowager for the past four years? Have those male concubines sent to your palace suited your taste?"
"You shameless!" Fangru abruptly pulled her hand back, her chest heaving violently.
Zhou Ling licked his lips, his eyes dark and filled with a vengeful and obsessive satisfaction: "Shameless? How can it be shameless for me to be intimate with my own empress? On the contrary, Shen Fangru, you've been quite comfortable being the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace for the past four years, haven't you? Have you ever thought about what kind of life I've been living in the Southern Frontier?"
"You bastard!"
"I'm a scoundrel? Compared to your tacit approval of Qi Yuan's torment of me and your order to execute Gu Zhou, what does my 'scoundrelship' amount to?"
Like trapped beasts, the two tore at each other's past wounds and resentments.
After an unknown amount of time, the doors of the palace opened again.
Zhou Ling had already straightened his robes and removed the wolf-head mask from his face, revealing a handsome face that, despite the hardships he had endured, was still strikingly similar to Xi Yuan's.
He found Xi Yuan alone in a secluded pavilion in the garden, his back stiff.
Zhou Ling walked behind him, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke. His voice was much gentler than before, but it still carried his characteristic coldness: "Just now... it was my oversight. I'm sorry that our first formal meeting was... like this."
Xi Yuan whirled around, his young face filled with suppressed anger and barely concealed embarrassment. He practically roared, his voice tinged with barely perceptible grievance and fury: "Inconsiderate? You did it on purpose! You're disgusting! Did you have to... did you have to make me see... that?! What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Zhou Ling looked at his son, who had grown into a tall and handsome young man, with a deep gaze, as if he could see many past events through him.
He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a calmness born of experience, yet containing an undeniable power: "Xi Yuan, you are truly lucky. You are eighteen years old, and your parents... at least, your father and mother, they love each other and can still make love every day. In this world, some people lose their parents at a young age and are left without support; others, though their parents are alive, are like strangers, arguing endlessly."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the swaying palace lanterns in the distance, as if narrating a story unrelated to himself, yet each word struck Xi Yuan's heart: "Do you know? Xiangna's father, that Prince Arslen of the Northern Di, killed her with his own hands after discovering that her mother, Princess Sude, was having an affair." His voice was devoid of emotion, only a cold statement, "And I, will not do that."
He finally turned his gaze back to Xi Yuan's face. In those eyes that once looked down on the world, there was now an unmistakable promise: "I will make sure you always have a mother to rely on, and I will also... always be your father, protecting you and the land of Great Xia."
Xi Yuan was deeply shocked.
He recalled the delicate situation over the past four years, in which the Northern Barbarians had almost submitted to the Great Xia, and the various rumors circulating in the court about the "Prince Arslen" with his iron-fisted methods yet unusually "submissive" to the Great Xia... It turned out that since that bloody night in the Southern Frontier four years ago, his father had already taken over that identity, clearing obstacles for him and protecting him and his mother in another way.
A surge of emotion, a mixture of understanding, guilt, and deep dependence, welled up inside me.
He didn't say anything, but stepped forward and hugged his father tightly, the man he had lost and found again, who had protected him in such a tragic way.
Not far away, Fangru stood in the shadow of the pillar and happened to witness the father and son embracing.
That scene stung her eyes.
For nine lifetimes, she had hated him, hated his forceful taking, hated his obsession and madness, hated the fate she could not escape in each reincarnation.
But seeing him standing with his son at this moment, and hearing him say, "So that you will always have a mother to rely on," my heart felt like it was being pricked by fine needles, and a dense, persistent pain arose in it.
The love that had been suppressed by hatred for nine lifetimes, like an undercurrent frozen beneath the ice, was now quietly surging, almost bursting through the dam.
She suddenly felt that her status as Empress Dowager, which she had upheld with hatred and power, was so pale and even laughable at this moment. The urge to escape gripped her again, not to escape him, but to escape this quagmire of love and hate that left her helpless.
Night had fallen, but the garden was still bustling with the celebration.
Fangru was in a state of utter confusion, and all she wanted was to return to the Shen residence as soon as possible and secure the protection her father could provide.
But as she passed through a moon gate and stepped into the meticulously arranged garden, her steps faltered abruptly, and her blood seemed to instantly reverse.
Everything before my eyes was so familiar it sent shivers down my spine: hanging glass lanterns, long tables laden with exquisite pastries, noble ladies and ministers chatting and laughing in hushed tones, a scene of talented scholars and beautiful ladies reciting poetry and enjoying the moon by the pond, and a stage with a red carpet laid out by the pond... This was the Xuanji Banquet!
Why would the starting point that had entangled her for nine lifetimes, causing her to experience love, hate, anger, and infatuation each time, ultimately leading to tragedy, reappear here? Was it his deliberate arrangement?
My heart was pounding wildly, not out of fear, but because I was instantly awakened to a deep love and hate that spanned nine lifetimes.
The dance battle had already begun on stage, with dancers in Northern Di attire and Xia Kingdom palace costumes displaying their charm to the music, and the cheers of the crowd rippled through the night sky.
Fangru forced herself to look away; the music and dance were like keys to unlock her memories, trying to drag her back into the nightmare of reincarnation.
She has to leave!
But in the instant she turned around, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a figure in the audience. Zhou Ling, dressed in the attire of a nobleman from the Northern Di, sat to the side of the main seat, looking at the stage. His profile, the half-lit and half-dark silhouette under the glass lamp, perfectly overlapped with the image of him looking at her among thousands of people at the Xuanji Banquet in their first life!
At that moment, it wasn't hatred or resentment, but a poignant throbbing that pierced through the long passage of time and the joys and sorrows of life, striking her heart so hard that she could barely breathe.
"Are you leaving?" Xiangna's clear voice rang out beside her.
Fangru snapped back to reality and hastily replied as if her secret had been exposed, "Yes... I'm feeling a little unwell, excuse me." She just wanted to escape this chaotic place immediately.
But the crowd erupted in even more enthusiastic cheers at the spectacular dance performance on stage, and they surged forward involuntarily.
Fangru was pushed forward by the crowd. When she regained her balance, she was surprised to find herself next to Zhou Ling, who was dressed as the Great Khan of the Northern Di. She was so close that she could smell his familiar, cool and sharp scent.
He seemed completely oblivious to her, his gaze still fixed on the stage, as if immersed in the dance.
Fangru gazed at his profile, so close to hers, which bore the marks of time and the scars she had inflicted on him on the bed earlier.
Hatred surged, and love burned in his heart. The grievances, anger, and resentment of nine lifetimes, as well as the lingering affection that had never truly died out, surged in his chest like magma.
Why did she run away? Where in the world is there no trace of their love-hate relationship?
When his heart was surging with emotion, almost to the point of being torn apart, he suddenly spoke, his deep voice carrying an all-knowing calm: "Are you leaving?"
Fangru froze.
He slowly turned his head, his gaze no longer unfocused but like the deepest night sky, churning with complex emotions she both understood and didn't. He looked at her, each word like a vow or an ultimatum: "I will hold onto you. No matter how many times."
This is not a threat, but a statement of a fact that they both know perfectly well: they have long been locked in a life-or-death struggle.
Looking at the unwavering determination in his eyes, and the humble stubbornness behind it that even he himself was unaware of, Fangru suddenly remembered Xiyuan's words, his promise to his son, and the clumsy affection he had deliberately ignored in the nine lifetimes.
Hating for nine lifetimes is exhausting. Loving for nine lifetimes is painful. Perhaps the end of reincarnation is not escape, but facing reality.
Amidst the clamor of voices and the timeless music of the Xuanji Banquet, Fangru took a deep breath, no longer struggling to resist the surging emotions within her.
She looked at him, her eyes filled with lingering resentment, deep-seated hatred, and even more so with a sense of relief after weathering many storms.
She slowly reached out and gently grasped the back of his hand, which was covered in scars.
“Zhou Ling,” she called his name, her voice soft but carrying a resolute determination to sever all ties with the past, “I have hated you for nine lifetimes.”
She paused, meeting his suddenly deep gaze, her voice tinged with a sob and relief that she herself didn't even realize: "And...I've loved you for nine lifetimes."
"It's been too long..." She gently closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes were as clear as the sky after the rain. "This time, I won't run away."
She gripped his hand tightly, as if pouring all the love and hate of nine lifetimes into their clasped palms: "You... hold on tight to me."
Zhou Ling's pupils contracted sharply, and it looked as if stars were exploding in his eyes, shining brightly.
He suddenly tightened his grip on her fingers, so forcefully that he almost crushed her finger bones, but then, sensing her pain, he relaxed slightly and instead wrapped his arms around her more tightly.
He held her hand firmly in his palm, as if he had grasped the answer that he absolutely needed, even after nine lifetimes and across life and death.
This time, neither of them let go.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The main story is complete. What follows are the epilogues. They will likely depict Zhou Ling falling in love with Shen Fangru. If you have any plot suggestions, please leave them in the comments. Thank you.
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