Chapter 1166 Father and Son Kill Each Other, Brothers Fight Each Other
Even though Liang Shide had fought many battles and was used to life and death, the impact of watching a living person fall to their death in front of him, especially a close friend and confidant who had followed him for many years, was still unparalleled.
He froze on the golden carriage, unable to breathe or feel a heartbeat for a long time.
"you--"
He wanted to say something, but his throat felt like it was blocked. Liu Fuyan, who was lying on the ground and completely engulfed in blood, used his last bit of strength to lift his head. His desperate, blood-stained eyes stared straight at him. When he opened his mouth, blood gushed out. He didn't even have time to form a single word before he breathed his last.
His old friend, who had fought alongside him through countless battles and emerged from the most difficult places, died right before his eyes.
Fresh blood slowly flowed down Liu Fuyan's body, soon staining the wheels of the golden carriage red. The strong stench of blood enveloped the entire carriage, as if a sea of blood had suddenly surged with towering waves, threatening to engulf the entire city of Luoyang in an instant.
In his panic, Liang Shide suddenly felt a surge of anger.
"it turns out,"
He gripped the armrests of the car seat tightly, his knuckles cracking and his teeth grinding: "How dare he—"
Hearing his words, though they were spoken very softly, Wei Yu, who was standing beside the golden carriage and equally stunned by the scene, immediately understood and hurriedly said, "What bad luck! How dare they do such a thing on the Xia King's auspicious day!"
His cold and sharp voice was like a gust of cold wind blowing in his face, instantly sweeping away Liang Shide's remaining panic and helplessness.
The anger in his heart suddenly swelled up infinitely. He glared fiercely at the corpse on the ground. All the days and nights spent together and sharing joys and sorrows turned into resentment at this moment. He was only one step away from the highest power, but Liu Fuyan refused to accompany him. Not only did he refuse to accompany him, but he also added a touch of blood to his last step. What else could it be but a curse?
Thinking it over, he felt no more sympathy or pity for the man and coldly said, "Drag him away!"
Wei Yu hurriedly gave the order, and the soldiers around him could only step forward immediately to drag away Liu Fuyan's body, whose eyes were not yet closed. The pitiful body, which was still warm, left only a glaring, blood-red trail on the road.
Soon, the golden carriage continued its journey, running over the pool of blood.
The wheels rolled forward, followed closely by guards and officials. One by one, they stepped over the pool of blood, leaving trails of bright red. Only Guan Chiying, as he passed by, subconsciously avoided it and let out a long sigh.
He said, "Can power really make people so...blind and insane?"
Guan Ao, standing beside him, frowned slightly. Hearing this amidst his tension, he glanced down at the glaring blood on the ground and said, "Power is the most seductive thing in this world. For power, fathers and sons kill each other, brothers fight each other—haven't we seen countless examples throughout history?"
"Fathers and sons kill each other, brothers fight amongst themselves..."
Upon hearing these two sentences, for some reason, Guan Chiying felt as if a heavy stone had been pressed on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Guan Ao's mind didn't seem to be on that. As they got closer to the altar, his breathing became more and more tense. His eyes swept around again, but there was still no sign of anyone in the wasteland. If Yuwen Ye... or even Yuwen Cheng really wanted to attack Luoyang, there would be no way there wouldn't be any trace of him.
It seems they're not coming.
But the jade pendant Guan Chiying brought back wasn't fake, and the story of Shang Ruyi being trapped in the enemy camp probably wasn't fabricated by him either. It's likely that the battle at Hulao Pass wasn't over yet, and Yuwen Ye couldn't return in such a short time, or perhaps—
Was Yuwen Cheng deliberately obstructing this?
Thinking of this, Guan Ao felt a chill run down his spine. After his aunt Guan Yunmu passed away, the Guan family and the Yuwen family's inner quarters gradually had less contact. Moreover, Yuwen Cheng was not very close to their family to begin with. On the contrary, because he was raised by Aunt Hui, he was closer to Yuwen Qian and the Dong family behind him.
In addition, this kid has always been all talk and no action, and he doesn't get along with Yuwen Ye. If they really clash, wouldn't the important matter in Luoyang fall through?
If that's really the case—
Guan Ao glanced back at the Luoyang city tower, which shone brightly under the rising sun and was made even more magnificent by the fiery red silk. According to the information Guan Chiying had gathered, Liang Shide had already decided to destroy this place after today.
In other words, he succeeded today, but for them, there is no future.
Guan Ao's face gradually darkened. Even as he walked forward with the large group of people, the sunlight was so bright that everyone around him could hardly open their eyes, but there was no light in his eyes, only a solemn and profound look that even the sunlight could not penetrate.
Finally, the golden chariot arrived at the altar, and the entire procession stopped.
These people immediately lined up in two ranks, civil and military, on the open ground below the altar. As the first to submit a congratulatory memorial, and the one that Liang Shide valued most, Guan Ao, a prominent family in Luoyang, stood at the forefront of the civil officials' procession with Guan Chiying. Closely following behind them were officials from several other families. After leaving the city, these people anxiously patrolled the surroundings. It was almost time for the auspicious hour, but the promised arrival of Yuwen Ye with his army was nowhere to be seen, not even Yuwen Cheng.
One of them couldn't help but quietly sidle up to Guan'ao and ask, "Zhiyan, what's going on?"
"..."
"You guys aren't playing us, are you?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Chiying panicked and hurriedly said, "I didn't. Before I came back, I definitely—"
He was interrupted before he could finish speaking. The other officials who had submitted their congratulatory memorials, now filled with remorse, whispered, "We only submitted our memorials because your family made a promise. Otherwise, who would do such a thing? It's a disgrace to our families!"
"That's right, if things don't go well today, it'll all be your fault!"
"Zhiyan, you are the head of the family and the leader this time. You should at least show some attitude!"
As they grew increasingly agitated, even neglecting to conceal their true feelings, the guards standing in formation around them gradually noticed something amiss and turned to look. However, due to their distance, they couldn't hear what they were saying, except for one person shouting, "Don't speak!"
Seeing the gleaming swords in the hands of the guards, no one dared to make a move.
But Guan'ao remained silent.
Guan Chiying knew that his elder brother had always been the pillar of the family, not only because he had inherited the official position, but also because of his exceptionally steadfast and unyielding character. Even when Liang Shide captured Luoyang and wreaked havoc, he remained fearless and refused to surrender. This time, it was only because he had brought back Guan Yunmu's jade token and the promise from the Princess of Qin that his brother reluctantly believed him.
For him, surrendering to Liang Shide and submitting a congratulatory memorial to him was an utter disgrace for a civil official, and he should be the one who regrets it the most now.
Why is there not a sound at all?
Guan Chiying was covered in cold sweat, but seeing Guan Ao's pale face, devoid of color and seemingly devoid of warmth, he felt increasingly uneasy. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he cautiously said, "Brother, you—"
Guan Ao said calmly, "No need to say anything."
"...?"
Guan Chiying looked at him in surprise. Guan Ao stood there calmly, his hands clasped together. His right hand slowly moved up along the web of his left hand, touching his arm. Guan Chiying then noticed that although his robes were loose, his arm seemed much thicker than usual. Especially when his right hand clenched it tightly, it didn't feel like he was clenching his own arm, but rather like he was clenching a... sharp blade.
Guan Chiying suddenly seemed to understand something, and her eyes widened abruptly: "Brother!?"
Guan Ao said coldly, "I was prepared for this a long time ago."
"..."
"Whether the news you bring back is true or false, whether Yuwen Ye can come today or not, if things fail, I will use my blood to wash away this shame!"
"...!"
At that moment, Guan Chiying couldn't breathe.
Just as his mind went blank, unable to think of any words to stop Guan Ao, or perhaps—knowing that no one could stop Guan Ao now—a drumbeat suddenly sounded from ahead.
Everyone looked up and saw Liang Shide slowly step down from the golden carriage. A straight passageway led through the ranks of civil and military officials on both sides, leading directly to the three-tiered altar. Each tier of the altar was guarded by a dozen or so guards, with strict discipline and perfect order.
At this moment, flames were already burning in the bronze cauldron at the very top of the altar, and three cups of sake were placed on the altar.
Seeing this, Liang Shide nodded in satisfaction, then stepped on the thick, soft carpet spread on the ground and walked towards the altar.
In an instant, he had reached the very front of these civil and military officials, the closest place to Guan'ao and the others.
The next step is to ascend the altar.
At the same time, Guan'ao's right hand had already quietly slipped into the sleeve of his left hand. A sharp dagger was strapped to his arm, and it had been lurking in his sleeve all morning, as if it wanted to drink blood.
At this very moment, at this very instant—
Just as Guan'ao was about to draw his sword, Liang Shide suddenly stopped in front of him and said, "Sacrifice, are you ready?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback and realized that on the altar at the top, there were only three sake cups, but no sacrifices were visible.
But Wei Yu immediately stepped forward and said with a fawning smile, "It's been prepared for a long time."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Guan Chiying and the others, seemingly unintentionally.
At that moment, Guan Chiying suddenly felt a little uneasy, but before this unease could even form a thought, she heard Liang Shide say, "Then offer it up!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the guards around them suddenly swarmed forward and seized Guan Ao and Guan Chiying!
Before they could even struggle, they were pinned to the ground, and the other officials standing with them had their necks held by drawn swords, none of them daring to move!
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