Chapter 56 Opposition [VIP]
Chapter Summary: The Last Glance.
Wei Jingshan's patience exceeded the limits of ordinary people.
Liu Shiyu watched as Wei Jingshan slowly stood up and silently walked out of the hall. At that moment, she felt as if he were a vicious demon.
The iron locks on Shiguang Hall were once again locked.
Liu Shiyu sat on the floor beside the bed, recalling Wei Jingshan's words, and suddenly burst into tears. She couldn't read the truth in Wei Jingshan's eyes, yet she still couldn't control her tears. She missed Xu Luchuan.
Outside the hall, Wei Jingshan walked down the long steps and just happened to brush past Liu Zhizhou, who had come to visit.
Wei Jingshan stood arrogantly in place, but Liu Zhizhou walked away without even glancing back.
Lu Cheng followed closely behind him, his eyes filled with contempt, piercing his body fiercely.
Since the upheaval in Jinling, Wei Jingshan had placed Liu Shiyu under house arrest. But how could Liu Zhizhou, as the emperor, be easily swayed by him? The heavy troops that Xu Luchuan saw in Fenghua Hall that day were actually his personal guards.
Liu Zhizhou continued to come and go freely within the Wanshe Palace.
Wei Jingshan turned around and looked at Liu Zhizhou, who was climbing the steps. Shang Youhu, who was beside him, suddenly asked, "My lord, what brings His Majesty here at this hour?"
"Go, send someone to listen to what they're saying."
Wei Jingshan ignored Shang Youhu, who then waved his hand, signaling his men to follow.
Turning back, Wei Jingshan left Shiguang Hall. He walked one after the other with Shang Youhu. Shang Youhu, seeing through Wei Jingshan's thoughts, said, "My lord, do you really believe that the second son of the Xu family died so unexpectedly? Isn't that a bit too much of a coincidence?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Jingshan narrowed his eyes and replied, "The truth would be best. If it's a lie, then let it be the truth. But what's most important to me is that Liu Shiyu believes he's really dead."
Shang Youhu said no more, and they continued along the palace road into the distance.
...
Outside Shiguang Hall, Liu Zhizhou tried to enter the hall but was stopped by Wei Jingshan's men.
Lu Cheng drew his sword once more for the Emperor. He placed the sword against the guard's shoulder and roared, "Insolence! You dare disobey His Majesty's will? Open the palace gates immediately, or you will all be executed for disobeying the imperial decree!"
The Northern Army obeyed Wei Jingshan's every command, and no one yielded to Lu Cheng's rebuke. On the contrary, they were so audacious as to draw their swords before the emperor. The Northern Army had become extremely arrogant.
Liu Zhizhou silently pressed down the sword in Lu Cheng's hand and said, "Put the sword away."
His purpose in coming here was not to provoke the Northern Army. He had more important matters to attend to. Lu Cheng angrily sheathed his longsword, and Liu Zhizhou glanced back, no longer bothering the guards who were pointing their swords at him.
Liu Zhizhou turned around and stood in front of the palace gate, gently calling out, "Sister."
Hearing the sound, Liu Shiyu looked up towards the dimly lit palace door. She thought she had misheard. Seeing no movement from inside, Liu Zhizhou spoke again: "Sister."
Upon recognizing Liu Zhizhou's voice, Liu Shiyu immediately stood up and walked towards the palace gate.
"His Majesty?"
Standing in front of the door, Liu Shiyu revealed her scarlet eyes through the narrow crack in the door.
Looking up and meeting her gaze, Liu Zhizhou excitedly placed his hand on the doorframe. But seeing Liu Shiyu's haggard face, the words Liu Zhizhou had prepared on the way here were now completely unspeakable.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
Liu Shiyu looked at Liu Zhizhou, perhaps not wanting him to worry. She forced a smile from the corner of her mouth.
Liu Zhizhou lowered his eyes. He knew countless eyes were watching him from behind, and he couldn't show any unease. He gripped the palace door tightly, trying to calm himself down.
Looking up again, Liu Zhizhou slowly lowered his hand.
He calmly said, "It's nothing. I just had a dream last night. After waking up, for some reason, I wanted to come and see my elder sister."
Having lived with Liu Zhizhou for over a decade, Liu Shiyu could tell at a glance that something was wrong with him. He was always a reserved person, never showing his emotions. No matter what happened, he would just keep it to himself. But since Liu Zhizhou had spoken like this, Liu Shiyu tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, what dream did you have?"
"I dreamt of the game of chess I lost to my elder sister when I was a child. I wonder if my elder sister still remembers it?" Liu Zhizhou said, looking at Liu Shiyu meaningfully. "I really miss that time. If only I could play another game with my elder sister."
Liu Zhizhou's words had a hidden meaning, and Liu Shiyu was stunned after hearing them.
A resurrection...? She remembered that this was the solution to that game of chess. But what did Liu Zhizhou mean by this? Could it be? Xu Luchuan had really met with misfortune? But what did this resurrection mean?
Countless questions flooded Liu Shiyu's mind, leaving her feeling utterly confused.
But Liu Zhizhou believed she would understand his meaning; he had come here to relieve Liu Shiyu's worries about Xu Luchuan.
For a long while, Liu Shiyu remained silent. Seeing this, Liu Zhizhou looked away and said in a deep voice, "Seeing that my elder sister has no interest in chatting with me, I will return first. Take care, elder sister."
After Liu Zhizhou finished speaking and turned around, Liu Shiyu's voice suddenly came from inside the door.
“I won that game by sheer luck. If I have another chance, I will definitely play a good game with Your Majesty.” Liu Shiyu took half a step back, her tone filled with a sense of relief. “The weather is getting colder, so please take good care of yourself, Your Majesty.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhizhou responded with a half-smile, "Okay."
They remained tight-lipped, and the men sent by Wei Jingshan left hastily without noticing anything amiss.
Liu Zhizhou turned his gaze and noticed the man's figure, but said nothing. He then waved his hand and said, "Lu Cheng, return to the palace."
...
The fire at the Xu family's place had already been extinguished.
The air was filled with the sounds of wailing and crying. White silk was tied to the high pavilion, and sheets of joss paper fell into the fire and turned to dust. But the Second Young Master, who had only returned a year ago, was dead. How could anyone truly grieve? Most of it was just feigned sorrow.
Inside the ancestral hall, only Xu Luwei's genuine emotions as he wept for Xu Jiaojiao were truly moving.
Xu Qinguo, who knew everything, stood before the coffin, gazing silently at Xu Luchuan's "corpse." He never imagined that one day he would send Xu Luchuan away from him in such a way. He gently touched the coffin lid and said, "We will set off tomorrow to bury Erlang in Liyang."
Upon hearing this, everyone stopped crying for a moment. They all looked at Xu Qinguo in shock.
"Bury Liyang?" Xu Luwei was the first to speak. "Father means to bury Erlang in the ancestral grave? But Erlang is not married, so how can he be buried? Even if he can be buried, how will we leave Jinling City?"
"I urge Father to reconsider."
Xu Qinguo turned his head to look at the memorial tablet in the shrine and replied in a deep voice, "Erlang lost his life to save his father, which is a testament to loyalty and filial piety. He can naturally be buried in this ancestral grave. As for Jinling City, whether he leaves or not, he has his own plans. You should go and make the preparations."
Xu Lu was always cautious and timid, and although he was afraid of this situation, he had no choice but to accept it.
"Son, I obey." He bowed and withdrew.
The remaining people stopped crying and fell silent. Everyone became anxious, unsure of Xu Qinguo's actions the next day, yet no one dared to offer any advice. They could only silently pray that he wouldn't bring trouble upon themselves.
Huo Ting stood outside the ancestral hall, taking in the expressions of everyone present.
He knew that no one was destined to sleep tonight.
...
Time flies and stars shift.
Another day has passed; this is the third day since the birthday banquet.
The deathly silence of Jinling City remained unchanged. Apart from the night watchman, even a raccoon dog was hard to find on the long street at dawn.
Inside the Shiguang Palace, Liu Shiyu was still guarding the bedside when suddenly a gentle hand touched the top of her head. She slowly raised her head. When she opened her hazy eyes, she saw Lian Yue awake. Liu Shiyu immediately and excitedly grasped her palm, saying, "You're finally awake."
"I'm sorry to have worried Your Highness," Lian Yue replied with a smile.
Liu Shiyu even smiled back at her. This must be the first good news she'd received in so many days. But this warm atmosphere didn't last long.
The sound of the iron locks outside the palace being opened broke everything.
This time, Wei Jingshan didn't enter slowly, but strode in. Lian Yue subconsciously propped herself up and put her arm around Liu Shiyu. But Wei Jingshan didn't pay any attention to her. He stepped forward, grabbed Liu Shiyu's wrist, and said in a sinister voice, "Come with me."
"Let go." Liu Shiyu was forcibly pulled to her feet and led out of the hall. "What are you doing!"
Lian Yue, clutching her wound behind her, called out, "Your Highness."
Wei Jingshan remained silent, only leading Liu Shiyu out of Shiguang Hall. Liu Shiyu stumbled as he was pulled down the long steps, heading towards the outside of Wanshe Palace.
Along the way, the palace maids passing by saw this scene. They dared not speak, and each of them respectfully knelt down beside the palace road.
Liu Shiyu, unable to contain herself any longer, roared, "Traitor, where are you taking me?"
The word "traitor" seemed to strike Wei Jingshan's face, and he instantly turned around to glare fiercely at Liu Shiyu. Liu Shiyu returned the glare with equal anger, and the two remained locked in a stalemate on the palace path.
He suddenly flung Liu Shiyu's wrist away and turned around, saying, "Your Highness, if you obediently come with me now, you might be able to see him one last time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Jingshan left Liu Shiyu behind and walked forward on his own. He was already certain that Liu Shiyu would follow. The result was predictable; Liu Shiyu silently chased after him after hearing Xu Luchuan's name.
After leaving Wanshe Palace, Wei Jingshan rode in front on horseback, while Liu Shiyu rode behind in a carriage, and the two headed towards the city gate.
...
Upon reaching the city gate, Wei Jingshan reined in his horse and stopped, while Liu Shiyu immediately lifted the curtain to look out.
But that one glance was enough to haunt her for the rest of her life. Beneath the majestic city gates, white banners fluttered. Among the scattered blue robes, only one figure in purple stood proudly upright. Then, the sounds of swords being drawn rang out, yet they remained fearless.
Unexpectedly, they chose this method to oppose Wei Jingshan.
The dawn mist was dispelled by their unwavering resolve.
Tears welled in Liu Shiyu's eyes; they fell for them. She believed that Shaoyuan would not perish, that Shaoyuan would continue to shine because of their existence.
Liu Shiyu got off the carriage without a word, but was not stopped by Wei Jingshan.
He seemed to be plotting something. But Liu Shiyu didn't pay any attention.
She slowly approached the funeral procession. But before she could even speak, someone noticed her arrival. The crowd was initially surprised, but then they all bowed and paid their respects.
Xu Qinguo turned around upon hearing the sound and stared intently at Liu Shiyu.
After a long while, he finally spoke, "Your Highness."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com