Chapter 85 Replacement
The charcoal fire in the room was sufficient, and Cui Junji took off his gloves. Shen Laixi saw Cui Junji's miserable hands at a glance. He looked away and said softly with concern: "Master, you drank a lot today. If you are not in a hurry, we can talk about it tomorrow."
"I'm not drunk. I'm very happy that you're back today." Cui Junji looked at Shen Laixi carefully, as if he was looking at a work that made him proud.
Shen Laixi's appearance was almost nothing like Wen Youqing's, except for her eyes, which were as cold and clear as Wen Youqing's: "It's all thanks to Master's promotion."
"No," Cui Junji waved his hand and pushed Shen Laixi to sit down. "My two sons have also been promoted. They are not motivated and they are not motivated. They are different from you." Cui Junji turned around to look for something. When he sat down again, there was a pair of kingfisher bracelets in front of Shen Laixi.
"Your mother likes jewelry, and this is her favorite. You keep it and give it to the girl you like." Cui Junji looked at the bracelet greedily with watery eyes.
“Master…” Shen Laixi couldn’t bear it and pushed the table back.
"Let me finish," Cui Junji stroked the jade bracelet of excellent quality, but the beautiful jade and his broken hand were really incompatible. "I feel sorry for your mother and for you, so you must know that as long as you ask, Master can give you everything he can."
"Yeah." Apart from this sentence, the two were silent for a long time.
"You can't come back for your father's memorial this year, so go and pay your respects before the palace's New Year's Festival." Cui Junji really didn't know what to say. He just looked at that face, trying to find some trace of Wen Youqing.
After leaving the study, Shen Lai Xi held the bracelet and looked at it in the moonlight. The quality of the bracelet was indeed good. Such good material must have been presented directly to the palace before being sent to Cui Junji to please his mother.
Where can you find such good things in the palace?
But he really doesn't need it.
New Year's Eve soon arrived. Inside and outside the imperial city, flags were waving and the ceremonial guards were solemn. Today was the grand ceremony for the emperor to worship his ancestors.
The young emperor, wearing a dragon robe and imperial robes, sat upright in the imperial carriage, his face pale and his eyes empty, like an exquisite and lifeless puppet.
This emperor was a prince of Cui family blood, specially selected by Cui Junji. The one who controlled the silk thread was, of course, the powerful Shangshu Ling and Protector of the Country Cui Junji.
He rode a fine horse and accompanied the emperor. He was wearing black armor and a black robe, and his eyes were as sharp as torches. Wherever he passed, all officials bowed their heads and the imperial guards were in awe. His majesty was even greater than that of the emperor on the imperial carriage.
The procession for the offering of sacrifices to heaven marched out of the palace gates, bound for the Circular Mound in the southern suburbs. Along the road, civilians knelt in a utter silence, the only sounds being the clatter of horses' hooves and wheels on the snow and the rustling of flags in the wind.
Among the civil and military officials accompanying the emperor, Shen Laixi, newly promoted to General of the Imperial Guards, was clad in Mingguang armor, his hand resting on his sword. His face was as calm as water, his lips tightly pursed, and a cold glint occasionally flickered in his eyes. His gaze sometimes swept across the upright figure in front of him—his "mentor," Cui Junji—and sometimes subtly glanced at the puppet emperor on the imperial carriage.
Today's celebration is the first big event since he took office, and he can't make any mistakes.
The ancestral worship ceremony proceeded step by step amidst the solemn and dignified sounds of ritual music. The emperor, like a clay sculpture or wooden carving, completed each rigid movement to the chanting of the ritual officials.
Cui Junji followed closely behind, scanning the entire audience with sharp eyes, and everything seemed to be under his control.
However, just when the emperor was about to ascend to the top of the Circular Mound and light the ancestral fire, at the most critical moment...
Something strange happened suddenly!
Cui Yao, the leader of the Northern Army, who had been silently following the ranks of officials, suddenly drew the sword from his waist. The sword flashed like a streak of light, pointing not at Cui Junji, but directly at the sky. He let out a fierce roar that shook the sky: "Purge the emperor's side! Execute the treacherous minister Cui Junji! Protect the emperor!"
With this command, it seemed as if the earth cracked and the sky collapsed!
Around the Circular Mound, more than half of the "Imperial Guards" and "Honour Guards" that had been standing in awe suddenly leaped to their feet! They tore off their disguises, revealing their black armor beneath, their swords drawn, and rushed towards Cui Junji and his trusted guards like a tide!
At the same time, outside the altar, the archers who had been lying in ambush for a long time fired thousands of arrows, accurately covering the area where Cui Junji's personal guards were most densely populated, and screams were heard everywhere!
This is not a simple military coup, it is a carefully planned palace overthrow with internal and external support!
It seems that Cui Yao, a member of the side branch, can no longer stay here. He has already secretly united with many forces in the court that are dissatisfied with Cui Junji's monopoly of power, even... including the seemingly numb puppet emperor on the imperial carriage.
Even if he succeeds, Cui Yao will just be another Cui Junji.
As chaos erupted, the emperor, who had been slumped on the dragon chariot, suddenly burst into a long-suppressed, almost insane hatred and determination in his eyes! He suddenly pulled a short blade from his sleeve and, with all his strength, stabbed Cui Junji, who was close at hand and had lost consciousness due to the sudden change!
"Thief Cui! Go to hell!" The young emperor roared with tears in his eyes, but it was full of tragedy that was inconsistent with his age.
This sudden change was beyond everyone's expectations! Who could have imagined that this emperor, who had always been treated as a decoration, would have such courage?
After all, Cui Junji was a hero who had experienced many battles. Although he was shocked, he remained calm and dodged sideways, but the sleeve of his robe was cut by the sharp blade.
He slapped back with his palm, containing his internal strength, and shook the mad emperor away. The emperor staggered back, spitting blood, and was supported by several eunuchs who suddenly turned against him.
"You brat!" Cui Junji's eyes were like lightning, sweeping across the emperor, and instantly locked onto the center of the chaos, Shen Laixi, who was holding a sword and commanding with composure, standing in front of him.
"Be careful, the palace soldiers are coming from the south, they are nothing to be afraid of."
"Okay." Shen Laixi swung his sword and pushed away a charging assassin. His voice was clearly heard amid the shouts and screams.
The two men fought back to back, and soon a thick layer of corpses piled up under their feet.
Cui Junji had already heard about the assassination attempt. He wiped the blood from his face. In the distance, the imperial guards were almost on their way. Cui Junji sneered at the dying emperor: "I was the one who helped your worthless father ascend the throne, and I was the one who dragged him down with my own hands. Do you think you're better than him?"
"You should end your life on your own. The Tian family doesn't need you, and the Cui family doesn't need you either."
In a short moment, only a few dozen of the emperor's guards were left, and this coup, which seemed like a joke, was trapped in the power of the Cui family.
Seeing that the emperor was about to die, many soldiers defected. Cui Yao panicked and turned around, abandoning his soldiers and running down the mountain.
Suddenly, there was a "hiss" sound.
Cui Junji looked at the dagger sticking out of his abdomen in disbelief. He recognized it as Wen Youqing's dagger.
Then came one knife, two knifes... five knifes.
Cui Junji turned around and swung his sword, and saw Shen Laixi's indifferent expression and the dagger in his hand.
"Ahem...why?" Cui Junji couldn't believe it, his eyes full of pain and disbelief.
The voice was steady, yet filled with deep hatred. "Cui Junji, assassinated the emperor and manipulated government affairs. He should be executed according to the law."
He no longer addressed him as Master, but addressed him by name, enumerating his crimes.
Cui Junji's heart trembled violently. In an instant, Wen Youqing's pale, resolute face flashed through his mind. Yes... only her... only her...
Didn't he know all along? Wen Youqing's fake pregnancy pills, the murder weapon left behind, and the dagger that nearly pierced his chest.
He should have known it earlier, but he just didn't want to believe it.
At the moment when Cui Junji was distracted, Shen Laixi had already rushed forward like a cheetah, with sharp sword light and deadly moves, heading straight for Cui Junji's vital points!
"Your mother...what did she say to you?" Cui Junji subconsciously swung his sword to block, and the guards quickly surrounded them, separating the two.
"She told me everything!" Shen Laixi attacked even more fiercely, her sword wielding like a storm as she battled with the guards. "How did you kill my biological father, Shen Zijie? How did you kidnap my mother? How did you humiliate her for years? How did you make me recognize a thief as my father? Cui Junji, look at me, look at my face! Have you ever felt a trace of guilt?!"
The revenge for his father's murder, the humiliation of his mother's abduction, the hatred for deception, and that beloved "sister" Cui Wucuo, who Cui Junji picked up from somewhere after his mother's death to cover up his tracks!
Which, is not his crime!
Every word was like a hammer hitting Cui Junji's heart. He looked at Shen Laixi's eyes and eyebrows, which were very similar to Wen Youqing's, but the rest of her eyes were all his own shadow...
Unspeakable, irreparable pain and guilt spread from the abdomen to the chest, but...especially at this moment, I can't admit it to Shen Laixi who harbors such deep hatred!
"Chen Zijie colluded with the rebels and deserved the punishment. It has been set in stone! Your mother... made her own choice..." Cui Junji's words were cold and difficult. He had to maintain the mask of a cold and powerful official.
"Choice?!" Shen Laixi roared wildly, and his swordsmanship suddenly became strange and cruel. It was actually a desperate fighting method of exchanging injury for life. With a swish, it pierced through the body of a guard and left a blood mark deep enough to see the bone at the connection of Cui Junji's shoulder armor!
"She chose to endure humiliation! She chose to die to tell the truth! She chose me to avenge her, my Shen family, and the people of Xunyang!" Thinking of the last letter his mother wrote to him, Shen Laixi roared.
Blood gushed out, staining Cui Junji's black armor and robes red. The excruciating pain made him more awake, and the sadness in his heart spread like an icy abyss.
He couldn't deceive himself anymore. For today, she had endured him until her death and told everything to an innocent child.
The fighting around them was already intense. The royal rebels, whom Shen Laixi had let go, began to counterattack again. People from both sides kept falling, but his Yulin Guards remained almost unscathed.
The Circular Mound Altar, which was supposed to be a sacred place for communicating with heaven, has now become a Shura slaughterhouse. Blood has dyed the white marble steps red, and solidified snowflakes are mixed with warm internal organs, which is a shocking sight.
Cui Junji fought and retreated, suffering several more wounds. Even with the advantage in numbers, he couldn't fight back against Shen Laixi. He could only kill the emperor's men.
In the chaotic crowd, he looked at Shen Laixi's eyes that were completely ignited by hatred. The unspeakable secret in his heart was like a huge rock, dragging his heart and body down.
"And that Cui Wucuo!" Shen Laixi attacked fiercely, using words to tear down Cui Junji's defenses. "That bastard you picked up from who knows where! You hold her in the palm of your hand and treat her like a treasure! Do you know how I feel when I see her calling you daddy?! Isn't your insult to my mother enough? You even use a fake one to deepen the insult!"
“Shut up!” Cui Junji finally roared, and with the momentum of his sword, he temporarily forced Shen Laixi back. “She has nothing to do with this!”
"Nothing?" Shen Laixi gasped, her face splattered with blood from who knows who, making her look hideous and terrifying. "She is proof of your hypocrisy! Proof of you robbing my mother! After I kill you, I will naturally 'take good care of her'!"
This sentence was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, crushing the persistence in Cui Junji's heart. He could die, he could die with Shen Laixi's hatred on his shoulders, but... that innocent child...
Just as his mind was agitated and he was about to reveal a huge flaw, Shen Laixi's eyes flashed, and he seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! His body approached like a ghost, and the long sword in his hand turned into a poisonous snake, avoiding Cui Junji's block and piercing his chest!
“Puff—”
The sharp blade penetrated the soft armor inside the court robe, and the sound of it piercing into the flesh was dull and clear.
Cui Junji's body suddenly stiffened, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground with a clang. He looked down at the sword that had pierced his chest, and blood quickly dyed the front of his clothes red.
Shen Laixi gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. They were so close, he could even clearly see the light flickering in Cui Junji's eyes. And a complex emotion... one he couldn't comprehend. It wasn't anger, it wasn't fear, but a bottomless sadness, relief, and... pity?
"You..." Cui Junji opened his mouth, blood oozing from the corner of his lips. He looked at Shen Laixi, who was so close to him, his real son, the son he had poured so much love into, yet whom he would never be able to recognize. He wanted to raise his hand and touch his cheek one last time, as he had imagined countless times in private.
How he wanted to tell him: I am your father...
However, the words turned into an even more violent foam on his lips. Telling the truth would only plunge this child, who had just "killed his enemy" and was about to take control of the situation, into irretrievable chaos and pain.
He originally wanted him to replace him. How wonderful it would be, without the ties of the family and the emotional involvement, let him create his own era with hatred for his "enemy".
This may be the last thing that his failed father can give him.
Cui Junji's hands finally dropped weakly.
All his strength seemed to be rapidly draining away along with the bloody hole in his chest. He looked at Shen Laixi, and with his last bit of strength, he uttered a few words extremely softly, almost inaudibly, his breath so weak as a sigh:
"Please bury me... beside her..."
As he uttered the last word, the light in his eyes slowly dimmed, and his tall body fell backward, landing heavily on the cold, blood-stained ground.
Shen Laixi stood there, holding the long sword that was still dripping with blood, staring at Cui Junji: "Don't even think about it!"
Cui Junji just looked at him calmly and sadly for a long time. He used up all his strength and whispered softly: "Please..." After that, his eyes became dull and he gasped heavily.
"Don't even think about it." This was the only sentence waiting for him.
After knowing the final answer, Cui Junji took off his gloves tremblingly, put his right hand to his mouth and kissed it gently, as if he was right next to her, and finally fell into complete silence.
The fighting around the altar gradually subsided with the deaths of Cui Junji and the emperor.
With a wave of his sword, Shen Lai Xi picked up Cui Junji's head. This head, which had oppressed him for half his life and the entire dynasty for decades, now hung quietly in his hands.
Cui Junji's palace soldiers and guards were the first to kneel down in unison to Shen Laixi, followed by the puppet emperor's surviving rebels, and finally the neutral ministers...
Shen Laixi slowly looked at the eyes around her that were either filled with awe, flattery, or fear.
He succeeded, he overthrew the arrogant Cui family and avenged his parents!
The pleasure of revenge was like a raging fire, burning every limb of Shen Laixi's body.
But when he recalled the complicated look in Cui Junji's eyes when he fell to the ground, and saw his last morbid obsession, an inexplicable sense of emptiness quietly grew from the bottom of his heart, extinguishing his joy.
Why... did he have that look in his eyes before he died? Why... was his last thought still about his mother?
The exhilarating feeling he had imagined did not fully appear. Instead, something even heavier weighed on his heart.
But why is it that the wasteland in my heart, burned by hatred, can't feel any warmth, but only the biting cold wind whistling past?
He lowered his head and looked at Cui Junji's gradually cooling body at his feet. The man he once admired and later hated was now lying there quietly, taking away all the answers and leaving behind an eternal mystery that he might never know.
Blood dyed the Circular Mound red, and also dyed the new chapter of this dynasty red. Shen Laixi was pushed onto the ruins of power and the wasteland of emotions, taking over Cui Junji's centralized power: "The Cui family conspired to treason and kill the king, and the entire family was beheaded in public."
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