Shan Chao pushed open the door and entered the room. Xie Yun was leaning against a pillow with her eyes slightly closed.
The contours of her face extended from her smooth forehead to her tall nose, and even her pale but beautiful lips. The curve of her eyelashes cast a faint shadow on her nose.
Shan Chao's breathing was rapid as he stopped beside the bed. Xie Yun opened her eyes and smiled, "You're here?"
"…"
Xie Yun looked very tired, but her eyes were filled with calm joy. She held Shan Chao's warm and rough fingers in her palm, "Why do you look like this?
It's normal for people to grow old and die. Don't be like this. "
Shan Chao's Adam's apple bobbed violently. Xie Yun joked, "If I don't die now, I'll live forever?
A person's life lasts for a hundred years. It's just a matter of time. "
Shan Chao spoke with difficulty, "… Where did your reverse scale go?"
"It's broken."
Before Shan Chao could roar, Xie Yun said, "It's completely broken. It's useless to get it back."
"There must be a way. Tell me!
It's just a piece of reverse scale!
Otherwise, I'll kill my way to Liangzhou's Guanshan. At most, I'll take another piece … "
Xie Yun easily interrupted him, "Will it be too late?"
Shan Chao gasped in disbelief. His fists were tightly clenched at his sides. Even his arms were bulging with frightening veins.
"Why don't we use the rest of our time to talk about happy things," Xie Yun struggled to sit up. She coughed a few times and laughed hoarsely, "Little Emperor, you're courting death. According to the prophecy of the Dance God, you probably have the power to compete for that position.
Recently, you've been close to those old foxes in the Secretariat? "
"…"
"In the future, when there's a coup, have you thought of a name?"
"…"
The two of them looked at each other quietly. Xie Yun swallowed with difficulty and swallowed the blood that surged up her throat. Her vision was a little unfocused.
"Back then, in Mo Bei …" Shan Chao said in a daze, "You said that one day, I would fight on the battlefield, achieve success, and ascend to the throne … Everything you said will come true, but what about you?"
"You said that if I shrink back and don't move forward, in the end, not only will I resign myself to death, I will also drag the people who support me to hell with me … But from the beginning to the end, the only one who stands behind me is you.
If you're gone, what's the point of all the glory and wealth in the future? "
With a dull thud, Shan Chao knelt beside the bed and tightly covered his eyes, but tears still overflowed from the gaps between his fingers.
This state of complete collapse had never appeared on him before.
Even in the arduous battlefield of Qinghai, in the northwest wasteland where there were mountains of corpses and seas of blood, this man was as upright and firm as an unsheathed sword. He had never wavered.
Xie Yun tried her best to raise her neck and took a deep breath. She felt the hot tears flowing down her nose and back down her throat. After a while, she said, "I was wrong."
"You …"
"When I went to Mo Bei, not only did I betray the Dark Clan, but I also couldn't rely on the Empress. I was almost at my wit's end, but you showed me another possibility.
I originally wanted to use your bloodline to rise to the top in the future and become a powerful minister who holds the merit of ascending to the throne … "
Shan Chao smiled with tears in his eyes and asked, "I'm afraid that you've also thought of using the Emperor to command the nobles, right?"
Xie Yun smiled tiredly, "That's too far away."
There was a moment of silence in the room. Xie Yun whispered, "Later, the Empress sent a letter to me to kill you, so I changed my mind.
There's one thing that I didn't lie to you. Most of the masters in the world are protective of their disciples. I don't know how it ended up like this … "
He couldn't support his body anymore. He closed his eyes and curled up. His slightly wet cheeks were pressed against Shan Chao's palm. He murmured, "I'm such a selfish and calculative person. I only want to enjoy glory and honor. I don't want to suffer losses … How did it end up like this …"
His voice became softer and softer, more and more vague. The end of his voice was like a distant sigh, disappearing into the void filled with endless time.
Shan Chao's trembling hands stroked his face over and over again. He picked up his unconscious body and held him tightly in his arms.
At this moment, the door was knocked and then pushed open.
Shan Chao didn't raise his head. He only heard Ming Chongyan's voice from the door. It was rare to see a serious voice, "General Shan, His Majesty has sent someone to give a banquet as an apology. The dishes have been sent to the door of the mansion!"
After a while, Shan Chao raised his head slightly and said in a daze, "… Give a banquet?"
"His Majesty is not feeling well today. He was so angry that he spoke without thinking.
After you left the palace, His Majesty felt more and more uneasy. He specially ordered someone to prepare a banquet and give it to you … "
Shan Chao impatiently interrupted, "His Majesty has changed his mind?"
"Yes."
The eunuch from the palace stood in the front hall and said softly, "His Majesty also said that you are a pillar of the country. You saved The Late Emperor when he was in danger. His Majesty is loyal to the Tang Empire. He believes that His Majesty won't blame His Majesty for a slip of the tongue.
His Majesty is also very regretful … "
Could it be that after the incident, he was afraid that the words "His Majesty's Zen is located in Wei Xuanzhen" would spread, so he hurriedly made up for it?
Shan Chao only had one impulse. That was to leave with an ashen face and return to the inner chamber to accompany Xie Yun.
He took a deep breath and looked at the eunuch from head to toe. He recognized that this eunuch was the eunuch who served the Emperor's pen and ink in the Imperial Study. He was also considered a person of power in the palace.
The eunuch seemed to be avoiding the eunuch's gaze. He stared at the ground and hid his hands in his sleeves. Shan Chao suddenly felt suspicious. He felt that the eunuch's pale face was very abnormal. Cold sweat seemed to be seeping out of his temples.
"What's wrong?" Ming Chongyan asked in a low voice.
Shan Chao shook his head and did not say anything. He walked to a black wooden table with a dragon carving on it. The table was filled with the banquet that was bestowed by the Emperor. There were all kinds of shark fin and bear paws.
The eunuch's voice trembled slightly, "General, why … why don't you thank His Majesty and enjoy the banquet while it's still hot?"
Snow Frog Chicken, Small Heavenly Crisp, White Dragon Brilliance, Green Head Spring, Bright Prawn Grilled, Goat Skin Silk, Beef Intestines, Clove Drench, Honeysuckle Slice, Sliced Honeysuckle, Double Mixed Square Pancake, Single Cage Golden Custard, Royal Yellow Rice …
Shan Chao's eyes scanned the dishes and then glanced at the eunuch. He saw that the eunuch's chin flashed with a trace of water.
— — It was the sweat that slowly flowed down his temples.
"… His Majesty is too polite," Shan Chao said lightly, "Someone, take the entire table away and place it in the ancestral hall to worship the ancestors."
The servants responded. The eunuch immediately came forward in panic, "General, you can't do this!
His Majesty personally bestowed the banquet, how can you not eat a single bite?! "
Shan Chao asked in return, "Wouldn't worshipping the ancestral hall better reflect my respect for His Majesty?"
"General … General, can you at least eat a few bites so that I can return to the palace and report to His Majesty?"
Shan Chao stared at the eunuch. After a while, he saw that the eunuch's dark blue sleeves were trembling slightly. He could not hide his trembling.
Everyone did not understand what was going on, but no one dared to speak. There was a suffocating silence.
After a long period of suffering, Shan Chao's eyes suddenly flashed with a chilling sneer.
Then he turned his hand and pulled the purse from the housekeeper's waist. He took out a piece of silver from the purse. It was originally used to reward people. He gently twisted the small silver into two halves, revealing a cluster of silver inside. He then threw it into the soup.
After a short while, the silver turned pitch black.
The eunuch's face changed dramatically. He turned around and ran!
"Hold him down!" Shan Chao brazenly flipped the table and said sternly, "No one from the palace is allowed to run!
Take him down! "
Only then did the servants of Shan Manor react. They hurriedly rushed into the front hall and grabbed the eunuch and the palace servants who did not have time to rush out.
In a moment, the tables and chairs were overturned. The eunuch screamed at the top of his lungs, "You, how dare you!
His Majesty ordered you to die, how dare you not obey!
Do you want to rebel?! "
Shan Chao turned around at lightning speed, pulled out his sword and beheaded the eunuch!
Shan Chao sheathed his sword in the midst of the blood and said coldly, "Yes."
"Seal the doors. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Gag everyone from the palace and take them away."
Shan Chao ordered the housekeeper, "All servants are to return to their rooms and close the doors. Don't mention a word about what happened today."
The housekeeper's legs were already weak. He only managed to squeeze out a "Yes!"
Before he staggered out.
"Mr Ming," Shan Chao's lips curved into a cold smile, "shouldn't you say something?"
Ming Chongyan's expression was calm, as if the scene of blood and screams on the ground did not enter his eyes at all. He only bowed and said, "King Ping will definitely succeed this time. I congratulate you in advance."
"The day of success will be the day of Xie Yun's departure from this world, right?"
Ming Chongyan did not answer.
Shan Chao walked out of the front hall. Ming Chongyan followed closely behind him. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the blue sky outside the courtyard. He said calmly, "After I lead the troops to take down Daming Palace, I will commit suicide in front of the dragon throne with Xie Yun in front of the world. I want to see how Mr Ming's prophecy will come true …"
Ming Chongyan cried out, "No!
What are you trying to do?! "
"Of course, before I commit suicide, I have to kill the little emperor.
I will also kill the Prince of Ji. Then, I will follow the late emperor's edict to kill my cheap mother. The entire royal family of Li Tang will accompany me to hell. Mr Ming can look at the empty throne … "
Shan Chao turned to look at Ming Chongyan. A bloodthirsty smile appeared in his eyes. "I will think of a way to replace her. It can also be considered as repaying the favor of saving my life in Luoyang Palace that day."
At that moment, what Ming Chongyan saw was a beast with red eyes struggling and roaring in desperation.
"…" Ming Chongyan used all his strength to suppress his trembling. He forced himself to look straight into Shan Chao's eyes and said, "You won't do that."
"Oh, why?"
"Because if you kill the Empress, you won't be able to save Commander Xie."
Ming Chongyan took a deep breath with difficulty and said in a low voice, "That year, after returning from Mount Tai to the capital, in order to dispel the Empress' suspicion of me, I took the initiative to offer her two Green Dragon Clan's secret medicine. One of the Red Pills was the Dragon Binding Grass used to kill Yang Miaorong. It was used to increase the power of the Green Dragon Seal to the extreme, causing her meridians to be severed."
"But the other Black Pill's effect is the exact opposite. It can cause the Green Dragon Seal to continuously weaken until it is close to nothing. It can even completely strip away Yin Tianqing's power. In other words, it can make Commander Xie almost become an ordinary person …"
"Without the Green Dragon Seal, she naturally won't be affected by the reverse scale," Ming Chongyan smiled bitterly and said, "Perhaps this is the only way to save Commander Xie."
He closed his eyes tightly and only heard the rustling of robes in front of him. It seemed that Shan Chao clasped his hands and then rushed into the inner courtyard like a whirlwind.
The door to the dormitory burst open with a loud bang. Dan Chao carried Xie Yun in his arms and rushed back to the front hall to mount his horse. Hearing the commotion, his personal guards rushed over from all directions of the huge mansion.
"Seal off the entire mansion. Send five hundred Yulin guards to guard the Xuanwu Gate."
Shan Chao pulled on the reins and shouted as the warhorse raised its head to the sky, "The rest of you, send a message to Beiya – follow me to Qing Ning Palace!"