Chapter 1174 Acting in Accordance with Heaven
At this moment, whether they had already seen him on the altar, or only heard his name but never met him, or were the completely bewildered masses below the altar, everyone subconsciously held their breath and widened their eyes to look at this person whose bright armor shone brilliantly, as if it were solidified sunlight.
That magnificent figure seemed even more dazzling than the sunlight!
He is—
Before the name could even take shape in everyone's minds, another thunderous sound of hooves shattered their thoughts. Amidst the dust billowing up behind the galloping man, a troop of heavily armored cavalry and a large contingent of infantry surged out of the East Gate!
The thousands of people rushed in, and the earth trembled once again, throwing the people on this land into panic once more.
However, they had long since lost the courage to resist, and had even discarded their swords. So what room was there for resistance? They could only watch in terror as the thousands of fierce soldiers pounced on them, like a huddled rabbit watching a tiger with sharp teeth and claws pounce on it.
Fortunately, the tiger did not harm them.
After approaching, this large group of people, like the people brought by Shang Ruyi, split into two groups once again, forming an even larger encirclement that completely surrounded the altar. Now, even if they had wings, they couldn't fly out.
The heavily armored cavalry then broke through the middle and sped all the way to the foot of the altar.
The general, clad in gleaming armor and exuding confidence, held the reins in one hand and rode his horse to the foot of the altar before stopping. He then nimbly dismounted, followed closely by several personal guards who dismounted in unison and then stepped onto the altar step by step.
When he finally stepped onto the top of the altar, Pei Xingyuan, whose heart was already pounding and whose face was flushed with excitement, rushed up impatiently, almost bumping into him. But the next moment, he stopped abruptly and said excitedly, "Feng—" Before he could finish speaking, he stopped and took a deep breath, finally calming himself down. Then he took a step back, straightened his clothes, and bowed to him.
"Greetings, Your Highness, the King of Qin!"
In an instant, a chorus of gasps of astonishment rose around the altar.
At this moment, everyone was finally certain that the man in the gleaming armor, who looked like a god descending to earth, was none other than the husband of the majestic Princess Qin, the invincible General of the Great Sheng Dynasty—Prince Qin, Yuwen Ye!
Yuwen Ye walked to his side, reached out and touched his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.
"You've worked hard."
These few words cannot fully express the longing in their hearts during these days apart, nor all the thrilling and difficult things Pei Xingyuan had experienced. But he still looked up, his smile shining brightly in the sunlight: "It's my duty."
Yuwen Ye then reached out and grabbed his shoulder: "Get up."
Pei Xingyuan immediately stood up and quietly retreated behind him, his gaze following him as he looked ahead.
However, the first person he looked at was Liang Youying, whose expression was somewhat complicated, yet who never let go of the sharp blade in his hand. Moreover, his gaze was gentle with a hint of reassurance. After their eyes met, Liang Youying did not immediately express his opinion, but no reaction was the best response.
The first thing Yuwen Ye looked at was Shang Ruyi.
Moreover, his brows were furrowed and his gaze was stern.
Meeting his sharp, razor-sharp gaze, Shang Ruyi seemed to understand his meaning, but instead of feeling guilty or backing down, she curled her lips into a smile that had a rather shameless air about it.
Yuwen Ye glared at her: You wait, I'll settle the score with you!
Then, his gaze finally fell on the goal that had been achieved at the end of this journey.
He said, "Lord Liang."
Liang Shide had been holding his breath, not because he was focused, but because he had been unable to breathe the moment he saw Yuwen Ye's figure appear. By then, his cheeks were red and his eyes were bloodshot. It wasn't until he heard Yuwen Ye's deep and resonant voice that his heart started beating again and he could breathe again, as if an invisible heavy punch had struck his chest.
Yuwen Ye said, "I have long heard of Lord Liang's great name, but I have never been able to meet him. Today I am finally able to meet him."
"..."
Liang Shide opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but facing this person who had already cut off all his escape routes and now appeared before him with a nonchalant air, he spoke, but said something he would regret for the rest of his life.
"Luoyang..."
Upon hearing those two words, everyone looked at him, their wariness and vigilance turning into pity and sorrow.
Everyone could see his obsession. In the years since he acquired Luoyang, he had never left the city. His entire mind, even his life, seemed to be firmly connected with this prosperous and wealthy capital. Now, even as he was about to die, he still wanted Luoyang to be buried with him.
Looking at him like this, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but recall a story her father, a well-traveled and knowledgeable man, had told her when she was a child—a story from the distant Western Regions. Legend has it that there was a monster in the world that liked to attack cities and kill people, all for the sake of collecting gold and silver treasures. After obtaining the treasures, it would put them in its lair and guard them for hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years, unwilling to leave. A brave warrior went through countless hardships to find the monster's lair and killed this scourge that plagued humanity. However, when the warrior saw the treasures in the monster's lair, he became greedy and forgot his roots, lingering there and gradually losing his reason and self. Fangs and scales grew from his flesh, and he transformed into another monster, lingering in the same posture on that lair, guarding the treasures and waiting for the next warrior.
Liang Shide is like both a monster and a hero.
In Yuwen Ye's eyes, there was a hint of pity and nine parts indifference. He calmly said, "The explosives you had placed at those city gates have all been—"
As he spoke, he turned and glanced to the side. A tall figure followed behind him, and only then did it take a step forward to reveal itself.
Liang Youying immediately widened her eyes.
The person who arrived was none other than Jiang Xing, who had been traveling with her and Pei Xingyuan!
Upon seeing him, Liang Youying's previously hesitant heart immediately calmed down. She then realized that Yuwen Ye must have encountered Jiang Xing, one of Liang Shide's men, after entering Luoyang City. They had the same goal, so they came together. Jiang Xing also nodded slightly to her.
Upon seeing this, Liang Shide immediately realized: "You are—Jiang Yan?"
Jiang Yan said, "That's right."
Yuwen Ye said, "He stopped your men."
These words, spoken casually, struck Liang Shide like a knife to the heart. Though already riddled with wounds, he gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and said again, "Then Huian Gate—"
Yuwen Ye said, "Naturally, we broke through it."
Another seemingly casual remark, another bloody stab.
Shang Ruyi, who had been silent all along, glanced at Yuwen Ye at this moment—she had of course realized that when he said "we," he was intentionally omitting Yuwen Cheng, who was with him. She couldn't help but mutter to herself: It's true that only officials are allowed to set fires, while ordinary people are not allowed to light lamps.
Yuwen Ye, who said this, seemed to realize something and subconsciously looked at Shang Ruyi. Seeing her eyes darting around, he glared at her again.
Shang Ruyi turned her face to one side.
Yuwen Ye then continued, "You no longer need to pin your hopes on the people you left in the Ziwei Palace. The 20,000 troops I left behind have now occupied the entire city of Luoyang. Not only the Ziwei Palace, nor just a few city gates, but all the key passes and routes are already in my hands."
"..."
"Your soldiers are so hungry they can't even lift their swords."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Lord Liang, let us follow the will of Heaven."
Liang Shide's breath caught in his throat once again.
Just now, the Queen Consort of Qin spoke to him, telling him to "go with the flow," but now the King of Qin is speaking to him, telling him to "go with the will of Heaven." This single word change is like a cruel fate turning into a boulder, pressing down hard on his head, making him unable to lift his head at this moment.
Yes, Luoyang had been suffering from famine for months. In preparation for today's sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, he distributed the remaining food to the soldiers who had come out of the city with him, so that he could have a majestic and solemn ceremony. The others had long since run out of food.
He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled: "Do I have a choice?"
Yuwen Ye replied, "Of course."
"..."
"You made another wrong choice."
"..."
"But this mistake won't have a big impact on us."
This statement is undoubtedly a scathing critique.
Indeed, Liang Shide could still choose to put up a stubborn resistance, but in the current situation, whether inside or outside the city, he no longer had the ability to command a large following. Even his own life was in the control of his biological daughter. Even if he fought back, it would only add another case of patricide to the world's news.
This time, he fell into an even longer silence, and everyone subconsciously held their breath.
They naturally understood that Liang Shide had no other choice, but they were still worried that he might do something surprising at the last moment.
But no, it didn't.
All anyone heard was Liang Shide let out a long sigh, then raised his hand and grasped Liang Youying's hand. Just as she was about to struggle, they heard Liang Shide's hoarse voice say, "There's no need for this. I won't—even if you hate me, it's better to have someone else kill me than to kill me yourself."
Liang Youying frowned.
She hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Jiang Yan and Pei Xingyuan both nodded silently to her, she finally sighed and slowly lowered her arms.
However, amidst the swirling thoughts in my mind, I was caught off guard and suddenly felt my hand go empty.
Liang Shide casually took the dagger from her hand!
Liang Youying was shocked: "You—"
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