Time seemed to freeze completely at that moment.
The entire world, all sounds, vanished without a trace in an instant.
The wind stopped.
The burning palace in the distance, its flickering flames, seemed to have solidified into amber.
On the square, tens of thousands of soldiers and officials who had just been shouting "Long live the Emperor!" were now frozen in place, as if collectively petrified. They all remained in their kneeling posture, eyes wide, mouths agape, their faces bearing the same expression—
Extreme, unbelievable, almost mind-blowing... shocking!
What did they see?
Their king!
That emperor, who had just returned from a bloody battle, quelled the rebellion, and whose body still exuded an aura of iron-blooded ruthlessness!
it turns out……
He knelt down?
Kneel on one knee!
For ordinary people, this gesture might just be a simple courtesy.
But for an emperor, especially one who has just proven his unparalleled authority with the most ruthless methods!
This is no less than the collapse of the sky and the splitting of the earth!
This is even more shocking than when he was reborn from the ashes and killed the Phantom with a single sword strike!
Because the monarch is the Son of Heaven!
Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. Within the borders, all people are his subjects!
He knelt before heaven and earth above, and before his ancestors below.
Besides him, there was no one or nothing that could deserve his bow!
But now, he knelt down.
He knelt before his empress.
This scene was like a silent thunderbolt from the heavens, striking everyone's heart with devastating force! It left them trembling in their souls, their minds blank!
The whole world seemed to stand still.
The only thing still moving was Lin Wanwan's tears.
She stood there, stunned, head bowed, staring at the man kneeling before her.
Tears, like beads from a broken string, streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks, splashing onto his blood-stained black iron armor, creating tiny droplets.
Her heart was in turmoil.
It was so chaotic, like a lake surface that had been churned up by a giant rock, creating towering waves.
Shock, astonishment, confusion, heartache...
Countless complex emotions surged and intertwined wildly within her chest, eventually converging into an indescribable torrent that nearly engulfed her entirely.
he……
How could he...?
How could he do that?
He's the emperor!
It is the most supreme being in this country!
How could he possibly abandon the dignity of an emperor, which is more important than life itself, for his own sake?
Xiao Che knelt on one knee on the ground.
He was wearing the blood-stained armor that had been tattered in battle, and his body still carried the lingering smell of gunpowder and blood.
He slowly raised his head.
Looking up, he saw the woman standing in front of him, her face streaked with tears.
In his eyes, there was no longer the majesty of a ruler ruling the world, nor the profound cunning of someone who schemes against people's hearts.
Yes, but it was unprecedented, and completely unreserved...
Devotion and deep affection.
It was as if he was kneeling before someone else.
Rather, it was his only, and most supreme, faith in this life.
He slowly reached out and took her cold hand, which was trembling slightly from nervousness and excitement.
He gently placed her hand on his cheek.
Feeling the coolness of her fingertips, feeling the softness of her palm.
Then he spoke.
His voice was no longer the cold and authoritative one he used to use when commanding the army.
Rather, it was a clear, resonant tone, yet with an undeniable air of solemnity and gentleness.
The sound wasn't very loud.
But in this desolate world, it reached the ears of everyone present with crystal clarity!
"today,"
"I, Xiao Che,"
He paused, each word seemingly spoken with all his might, carrying a solemn promise powerful enough to shake mountains and rivers.
"With this vast land,"
His gaze slowly swept across the square strewn with corpses, over the palaces reduced to ruins in the flames of war, and over the scarred capital city in the distance, which had just welcomed the first rays of dawn.
“A scene of devastation,”
"A country in dire need of rebuilding..."
"To betrothal!"
Boom—!!!
If the previous kneeling was a bolt from the blue...
At this moment, this declaration of "taking the country as a dowry" is a cosmic upheaval that is enough to overturn all common sense in the world!
On the square, the civil and military officials who had just recovered from the shock of the "emperor kneeling" were especially the older ministers who valued "etiquette and ancestral rules" more than anything else. Upon hearing this, they felt their vision go black and almost fainted on the spot!
This is insane!
His Majesty must have gone mad!
Since ancient times, only emperors have bestowed titles upon empresses!
What kind of logic is there for an emperor to "marry" an empress?!
What's more, it's using this... this entire vast empire of the Great Liang Dynasty as a betrothal gift?!
This is beyond absurd!
This is... this is the most thorough trampling and subversion of all ancestral rituals and laws over the past thousand years!
However, before they could even process this earth-shattering declaration...
Xiao Che's next words were like a bombshell, powerful enough to shatter the entire era, dropped with tremendous force!
He paused, and his eyes, which were fixed on Lin Wanwan, became even more affectionate and passionate!
With an almost declarative air, he uttered the second half of his vow, which was even more earth-shattering than "the country as a dowry"!
"...this life,"
"Never take a concubine!"
"Within the six palaces,"
"Only Lin Wanwan is my wife!"
The entire world fell completely silent.
At this moment, everyone's brains completely shut down!
Never take a concubine?
Within the six palaces, is there only one Empress?
One life, one love, one partner?!
Is this...is this something an emperor would say?!
Having three palaces and six courtyards, having many children and continuing the lineage—this is not only the power of an emperor, but also the responsibility he, as a monarch, bears for the entire country!
And now, their monarch, for the sake of a woman, is actually going to openly violate this ancestral rule that has been passed down for thousands of years?!
This is more than just a subversion!
This is shaking the very foundation of the empire!
Xiao Che ignored the ministers behind him, whose faces were filled with shock and horror, as if they had seen a ghost.
In his eyes, there was only Lin Wanwan.
He looked at her, at the woman who was so deeply moved by his vow that she had even forgotten to cry, and a gentle, expectant smile slowly curved his lips.
He offered her everything he had, without reservation.
His empire, his future, everything he had as an emperor...
Now, he is just waiting for her answer.
"you……"
His voice became even softer and gentler, carrying a hint of nervousness that he himself was unaware of, a cautious... tension.
"Would you be willing to be with me..."
"...To jointly rule this world?"
The final question, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, ripples spread out in circles, creating ripples known as "eternity."
Lin Wanwan could no longer hold back.
Suddenly, she reached out her other hand and covered her mouth tightly to stop herself from crying out loud.
Tears, however, had already burst forth from their dam!
She looked at the man in front of her.
Looking at this man, who not long ago had transformed into a demon and fought a bloody battle for her sake.
Looking at this man, who, after his victory, disregarded all etiquette and abandoned all dignity, kneeling on one knee before her.
Looking at this, the fool who would give up his entire empire to marry her, promising her a lifetime of monogamy...
Her heart ached so much, it felt like it was about to break.
Yet, it was so sweet, it almost melted in my mouth.
Does this require an answer?
Is there any need to hesitate?
She had given him her life, her soul, everything she had, without reservation.
Under the complex gazes of everyone who remained petrified.
Lin Wanwan covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face, facing the man who was willing to give up the whole world for her...
He nodded heavily...
head.
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