“I’m going to die if I want to, how can I beg for mercy from the enemy, what a waste!” The girl stood there, her cheeks pale but her eyes bright as stars. She looked up coldly, naked but not hiding or shrinking at all, and said in a deep voice with a cold gaze: "We are believers of Datong. You, a villain, betrayed Datong and will die without a burial place!"
After saying this, he hit his head on the stone steps under the king's chariot. His body stiffened, blood gushed out, and he immediately became motionless.
This sudden change happened and no one could react. When they saw the woman commit suicide, the rest of the soldiers rushed forward. A soldier reached out his hand and turned back to report: "Your Majesty, this man is still alive."
Yan Xun said "hmm" but didn't say how to punish him. For some reason, the look in the girl's eyes just now made him feel very familiar, and many vague memories came flooding back. He frowned and looked coldly at the pool of blood in the field. Suddenly he lost interest and waved his hand. The guards behind him stepped forward together. For a moment, the whole place was filled with screams like thunder, and soon, no one was left alive.
"The hunt has begun. Drag these people off to feed the dogs."
Yan Xun instructed calmly. The guard was slightly stunned, and asked hesitantly: "What about the living one?"
Alive? Yan Xun's eyes flickered slightly, and the picture floated through his mind again. The child's stubborn eyes passed through his memory, as if they were still staring at him somewhere, making him feel a little cold.
"Your Majesty?" Cheng Yuan called out softly.
Yan Xun raised his head and saw that everyone in the audience was staring at him. He couldn't help but frown slightly and said in a cold voice: "Drag them away together." After that, he stood up listlessly and was about to leave.
“Stop it!” Master Zhuang suddenly shouted, ran over and knelt beside the girl who hit her head, and cried out in dismay, “Son! It was Daddy who hurt you!”
Yan Xun had his back to him, a cold smile on his face. The guards all rushed forward and took Lord Zhuang down, while the rest dragged the girl towards the wild dog room, leaving a long trail of blood on the white snow.
"Yan Xun! You wolf cub! Even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go! You will not die a good death!"
Heart-wrenching curses were heard from behind. When the guard heard it, he kicked Master Zhuang and broke all his silver teeth.
Yan Xun continued to walk forward calmly, with countless civil and military officials behind him still kneeling on the ground trembling with fear. He raised the corner of his mouth slightly with disdain, and put on a smile that couldn't be colder.
If you can't even live a good life, why bother about dying a good death?
The strong wind blew up his sable fur coat, like two heavy wings flapping in the air, startling the eagles flying in the sky.
The north is vast and desolate. The Spring Festival is approaching, and this winter seems particularly long.
The weather turned cooler, and a cold wind blew in, bringing with it the clanging sounds of weapons from the north, and blew along the Jinzi Gate all the way into the depths of the Shuofang Palace.
There was a dead silence in the empty Shuiyao Palace. The pillars were as black as ink, the curtains fluttered, and the lights flickered. Most of them were extinguished by the wind, but no one dared to come forward to light them.
A man in a brocade robe sat in the shadow of the lamp, with his forehead supported by one hand, and seemed to have fallen asleep. The man had a clear face and distinct features, and looked very young. However, under the light, he could see a few strands of hair on his temples had turned slightly gray. Occasionally, when viewed against the light, they shone with a silver luster.
The huge dining table, as big as an ordinary person's bedroom, was filled with delicacies: eight-treasure wild duck, shark's fin, red plum pearl fragrance, Kung Pao rabbit, milk horn, two flying dragons, stir-fried frogs, stir-fried pigeon with coriander, golden Buddha's hand rolls, golden crispy sparrow, stir-fried guinea fowl, fish fillet in milk, dried sea cucumber, raw roasted roe deer meat, lotus pod tofu, and broccoli with straw mushrooms.
The dishes on the table were untouched. Even the hot soup with oil had turned cold. The butter had solidified and the aroma had dissipated, leaving only a cold color.
The two Donghu dancers were dressed in honey-colored light silk, with silver bells on their necks, wrists and ankles. They had blue eyes and snow-white skin, and were surprisingly beautiful. But now they were kneeling on the ground, trembling all over. They had been kneeling on the ground for more than three hours and did not even dare to raise their heads.
Today is the Spring Banquet, commonly known as the New Year. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the Great Xia Palace, the Shuofang Palace is immersed in a dead silence. No one tasted the dishes that the chefs had worked so hard to prepare. Only the night wind occasionally carried away a little fragrance, which then floated away in the cold and lonely night.
Ah Jing's footsteps were a little heavy when she came in, waking up the man sitting alone upstairs.
Yan Xun raised his eyebrows slightly and slowly opened his eyes. The lights in the hall flickered, and the man's face looked a little gray in the shadows.
"Your Majesty," Ah Jing knelt on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Master Feng has sent a letter."
Yan Xun seemed to have drunk some wine, and the wine glass fell over, spilling onto his clothes, and a strong smell of alcohol immediately spread.
He took the letter and read it quietly, his brows slightly furrowed as always, his eyes calm.
Opposite Yan Xun was a chair and a set of clean and tidy tableware. A Jing knew who he was waiting for, and he also knew that person might never come back.
Another drop of powder dripped from the sand in the clepsydra. Yan Xun slowly raised his head. He read the few dozen words very slowly, as if he wanted to engrave every word deeply in his heart.
After a long time, he put the letter on the table, pressed it with a wine jug, picked up the silver chopsticks, and slowly started to eat.
"Your Majesty," Ah Jing frowned and said, "The food is cold. I'll ask someone to change the table for you."
Yan Xun said nothing, but just waved his hand quietly, signaling him to go down.
Ah Jing continued anxiously, "Your Majesty has not been in good health recently. The doctor said that you should not eat cold food."
Yan Xun didn't look up, but ate slowly, bite by bite, taking each dish very seriously. The dancer who was kneeling on the ground stood up, staggered and almost fell, but she still hurriedly transferred the dish that was far away to him. The candle wax fell drop by drop, like winding blood, and the wind chimes outside made a crisp sound, ding-dong, which was very pleasant to the ear.
He just sat there and ate quietly, and what was rare was that he actually finished all the dishes handed to him by the dancers. The candlelight shone on him, casting a long shadow on the polished obsidian floor.
Ah Jing suddenly felt a little sad, and vaguely recalled the first meal Chu Qiao had after waking up in the villa in Yunbi City two years ago. It was also calm and cold, and tasted like chewing wax. The moment she raised her glass and put down her chopsticks, she felt the sorrow of a dead heart.
Ah Jing's eyes felt sore and painful. He didn't understand why he had survived so many difficult days and endured so much suffering and hardship, but had to retreat when his goal was achieved? Why has the situation come to this today?
But he didn't dare to ask, he could only stand there quietly like a fool.
"Cough cough--" The man in the main seat suddenly started coughing. It was very light at first, but gradually the sound became louder and louder, echoing in the empty hall, with a deep smell of fatigue.
The dancer was frightened and hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it over. Another dancer poured the wine with trembling hands.
Yan Xun took the handkerchief, covered his mouth with his hands and coughed, his body bent down like a shrimp with a hunched back.
A dancer suddenly screamed "Ah". Yan Xun turned his head away with his eyes squinting, his gaze extremely cold. The dancer shrank her neck timidly, lowered her head deeply, and dared not look up at him again.
"Your Majesty, have you caught a cold? I will call the imperial physician now."
"No need." Yan Xun's voice was a little tired, but he was still his usual self, cold and indifferent, not even saying a single extra word.
"Pour the wine." He ordered calmly.
Another dancer who was a little further away raised her head nervously, her voice almost trembling, but she still mustered up the courage to whisper: "The emperor has caught a cold, and... it's better not to drink."
Yan Xun turned his head slightly and looked at her with a playful look, with a hint of coldness in his eyes.
The dancer kneeling on the ground winked at her in fear, fearing that her boldness would bring trouble to herself.
The dancer was trembling all over when he stared at her, but she still said bravely: "Your Majesty, drinking...drinking is harmful to your health."
——"Drinking is harmful to your health and also hinders your work. Only useless people would drink to relieve their sorrows."
A series of clear sounds suddenly echoed in his mind. Yan Xun was slightly startled, and his thoughts drifted far away for a moment. He went back in time and saw the white waves on the other side of the river. He thought about it, nodded slowly, and said, "Well, then go make some tea."
The dancer was no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. She nodded happily, her slender honey-colored waist exposed, like a small fish with soft and smooth skin. She turned around and ran to the tea room.
The hall fell silent again, and Yan Xun said to Ah Jing calmly, "You go down first."
Ah Jing hesitated slightly and whispered, "Your Majesty, do you really not need to ask the imperial physician to come and take a look?"
"No need." Yan Xun shook his head quietly, his expression very calm, as if nothing had happened.
Ah Jing glanced at the letter on the table, and a few words jumped into his eyes. He was slightly startled, and quickly bent down and whispered: "Your Majesty, go to bed early."
No more sound was heard. Ah Jing turned around and walked in the empty and deserted hall. The gauze curtains on both sides fluttered gently. Colorful auspicious birds were carved on the black pillars. Two women were sitting on the backs of the birds. One was wearing fluttering clothes and had a big belly, obviously pregnant. The other was holding a battle axe and had sharp eyes. They were actually the two gods of Yanbei.
"Your Majesty, please have some tea. Ah!" A young girl's cry suddenly came from behind, with a hint of tears in her voice. "I deserve to die. I got the letter wet. I deserve to die."
"It's okay," a deep voice sounded softly, "Just throw it away."
…
Living in Zhuge Yue's villa in Xianyang... I couldn't keep watch, and suffered a great loss... Ah Jing silently pondered the few words he had accidentally glanced at. A cold and chilly smell came from the distant Xianyang and drifted all the way into the Shuofang Palace in Yanbei.
The heavy palace door was opened by the eunuch, and he walked out slowly. The night was cold and quiet. The people of Yanbei had lost the mood to celebrate the holidays this year. War, taxes, corvee labor, death, and blood almost permeated the entire plateau. The departure of Mr. Wu and General Xiu Li made this iron-blooded regime seem even colder. Death paralyzes people's nerves. They can only live cautiously and deeply suppress their previous expectations and thoughts.
Ah Jing walked all the way to the gate of Jiuchong Palace before she got her sword.
The ground in front of the gate was a little bloody, and several corpses were lying casually on the side of the palace gate in a corner. Their bodies were covered with bullet marks and were stabbed to pieces.
The palace guards were carrying the other two bodies onto the cart and said to the guard driving the cart, "Take them away quickly. The ministers will come to pay their respects when the sun rises."
"What's going on?" A Jing asked.
"They are the remnants of Datong." A soldier who was born in Datong said without hesitation, "This is the second wave tonight. After the death of Master Zhuang, they have become more rampant and dare to rush in with swords and guns openly."
Ah Jing frowned slowly, thinking that it was not rampant, but a desperate suicide. All the senior leaders of Datong have been killed by His Majesty. This is a centuries-old organization, and no one has been able to truly eliminate them over the years. Unexpectedly, it would end in its place of origin.
"Be careful and guard against it."
"Don't worry, General."
A guard smiled and said, "We were trained by Lord Chu himself. With us here, not even a mosquito can get in."