With a gust of wind, Empress was suspended in the air and dragged off into the distance.
The wounds on her body were throbbing with pain, and her limbs and bones were sore and swollen from exerting too much force. Today, General Tensei was in a sorry state. She had completely lost her composure, but she truly did not care about this.
She allowed Zhao Yunlong to grab her as if he was holding a fan of pork. She did not resist, did not speak, did not struggle, and did not make a sound. Her limbs hung down and her eyes were lifeless, but her heart was in turmoil.
Countless scenes flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
When she was young, the Emperor had taught her martial arts and how to read. He had carried her in his arms to handle court affairs. He had told her about the ways of controlling people, brought her on hunting expeditions, and brought her to court. He had told her that people were divided into three, six, and nine ranks, and that she was destined to be noble from birth.
When she grew up, the Sky Demon attacked. As a member of the Imperial Family, she donned armor and went into battle. For her father, the Emperor, and the country, she bathed in blood and fought. She had experienced the machinations of the Imperial Palace and had experienced bloody battles. The elite education that the Emperor had poured his heart and soul into had shown results early on. Relying on her talent and hard work, she had already grown into a person who truly stood above others.
Iron blood and decisiveness, abandonment and sacrifice. Those who achieved great things did not care about trifles, and those at the top did not have any taboos. The Emperor's teachings over the years had nourished her and silently changed her three views and thoughts. She used justice and severity to command her army, and she used tactics and darkness to ensure her own power. She had done many things right and also many things wrong, but in her heart, there was no longer any compassion or weakness.
She had hardened her heart long ago.
This was the education she had received from a young age.
It was not that she could not distinguish between right and wrong. She also knew right and wrong, but the matters of the world could not only be determined by right and wrong. Right and wrong were only appearances. Beneath these appearances were the key issues that she should focus on.
This was the principle and creed by which she conducted herself.
And then she met Sun Lang.
Sun Lang.
Reality was so mysterious, and fate was so changeable. Who could have imagined that two different souls from two different worlds would have the possibility of meeting?
She thought of the past. In the extremely complicated sword array catalog, beside Jia Ying's corpse, in front of the Back Earth Sword, a short-haired man dressed in strange clothes opened his eyes in a daze.
She recalled the bits and pieces of her interactions with Sun Lang. At first, she had only treated him as a temporary vessel, but his tenacity and aptitude had attracted her attention. That cowardly and weak fellow had actually adapted to the cruel battlefield and kept his heart. He came from another world, a country completely different from the Empire. He had a brain full of strange ideas and rebellious thoughts that were enough to wipe out an entire race a thousand times over.
She couldn't help but be attracted to him. This person was really different. His many ideas, his many suggestions, his tenacity, his generosity … He was really different from the people of the Empire.
But … it was precisely because he was different that he had attracted a fatal disaster.
She remembered the past. On the night before the battle of the Great Desolate Mountain, it was the first time she had been unable to sleep. She could still remember the emotions she had lost control of that night … She had made countless decisions to abandon and abandon. Her heart should have been as hard as stone, but on that night, she had once again tasted the feeling of being about to lose. It was as if she had become a weak and helpless little girl, about to lose the thing she loved the most.
But this was for the Empire.
She convinced herself like this.
She had made countless decisions and choices, and this time was nothing out of the ordinary.
It should have been like this.
But it was not like this.
The failure of the Great Desolate Mountain had changed the trajectory of everything. The Empire had lost a great number of elites and had even sown the seeds of unrest. She did her best to convince herself that this was not wrong. This decision was not wrong. The reason it had gone wrong was because of a mistake and an accident, not because of karma or retribution.
She gritted her teeth and followed her heart. No matter if it was setbacks or tribulations, no matter if it was criticism or ridicule, nothing could stop her from moving forward. She and Sun Lang had long become enemies. He had also become the greatest variable that threatened the Empire. She had vowed to do her best to eliminate this variable and win the future for the Empire.
But the ferocious face that the Emperor had revealed that night had dealt a great blow to her. In just over ten days, the Crown Prince, the Holy Sword, and the disguise were too much for the eye to take in.
When the trust and tacit understanding no longer existed, she began to investigate the father she had once respected and loved the most. Then she was shocked to discover that the Emperor had done too many things behind her back over the years.
At that time, she could still convince herself that no matter what, she had to fight for the Empire, no matter who the opponent was, no matter what he planned to do.
But this kind of persistence seemed so laughable now.
In the golden palace, the Emperor was hysterical, completely revealing his cold and cruel face.
He had exposed the Empire's most fatal weakness. He had planned to use the remnant soul of the Sky Demon to take over the bodies of the ministers. His crazy actions were enough to completely destroy all the credibility of the Imperial Family and put the Empire on the verge of destruction. His plan was so decisive, cruel, and swift that the moment he made his move, it was so earth-shattering that it was difficult to resist … and Empress was almost powerless to do anything about it.
She was almost powerless to do anything about it.
Yes, even if she did everything she could to cooperate with Sun Lang to defeat the Emperor, she would not be able to change the general trend. She would not be able to create a new production line for the Imperial Army for the Empire. She would not be able to prevent today's matter from being revealed to the world. She would not be able to stop the political credibility of the Li family from going bankrupt. In the foreseeable future, the country she loved would face great turmoil. The peace and stability that the heroes of Tianyuan had painstakingly won would no longer exist.
All the efforts, perseverance, and sacrifices she had made so far would become meaningless.
And the most ironic thing was that the direct cause of all this came from a decision she had made.
If she had made a different choice before the battle of the Great Desolate Mountain …
Thinking of this, her heart began to fiercely twitch.
That sharp pain was perhaps the taste of regret.
It was she who had caused all this today. She had made the wrong decision and caused the death of many, many people.
The many images in her mind became more and more chaotic, changing faster and faster.
She recalled the eyes of the first person she had executed. She recalled the moment she had parted with Sun Lang before the battle of the Great Desolate Mountain. She recalled that just now, that ordinary officer had led the men she did not know the name of to their deaths, all because of one sentence she had said.
So many people had trusted her, and so many souls had she let down.
In the midst of her long thoughts, she suddenly felt her body sink, followed by a sharp pain all over her body. She had been thrown to the hard ground. Zhao Yunlong would not give her a good look.
"Look who we have captured.
A traitor. "
When a person like Chao Po-tao was harsh, it was really harsh.
Empress did not even bother to struggle. She saw all the pain as her own punishment. She lay on the ground in a very humiliating position, not saying a word.
"Sister!"
Princess Pingyang cried out in alarm and rushed forward to help her up. She was so distressed that tears fell. "Sister, you're injured!
What was going on?
Where's the Tianyuan Saber? "
Thick and mighty inner breath flowed into her body, nourishing her injured meridians and giving birth to new strength. The Empress Concubine raised her head and looked at the beautiful face that was almost the same as her own. She bitterly smiled.
She murmured, "Sister, I'm sorry …"
This was the first time she had spoken to her cowardly sister in such a weak manner.
This apology was something she would never have said in the past.
However, perhaps even the Empress Concubine herself didn't know what she was apologizing for ….
Pingyang was surprised at first, and then she gently pulled her sister into her arms and said softly, "It's okay."
"Now is not the time for sisterly love."
Zhao Yunlong coldly interrupted this warm moment and said stiffly, "I should have watched you die, but I heard that Tensei Province and Shinto Province have rebelled together. This made me curious."
She said concisely, "Why are you and Li Jiancheng the only ones fighting?
What about Sun Lang? "
Empress glanced at Zhao Feihuang and Lu Shu-jen, who had unkind expressions. Most of the women present had old grudges with her. She smiled bitterly and said slowly, "They are all trapped in the golden palace …"
She tried her best to explain the cause and effect of the matter in the most concise terms.
Everyone was shocked when they heard this.
Even if they had been mentally prepared, they were still shocked by this earth-shattering development.
"Why is the emperor in such a hurry to make a move?" Zhao Feihuang murmured, "This doesn't make sense."
"It seems to be in a hurry, but if he is fully prepared, he can catch Sun Lang off guard. After all, no one expected that he would make a move as soon as he recovered from his injuries."
Lu Shu-jen looked at Empress, "I am more curious about what you plan to do?"
Everyone's eyes fell on her again.
— — How should they put it? When they thought that Sun Lang had pinned his hopes of breaking the situation on this woman, it really made everyone's mood very complicated.
Empress was silent for a moment, and then said resolutely, "Please send me back to Tensei Province."
For a moment, the air was quiet, and no one spoke.
Then, Zhao Yunlong said coldly, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I am willing to bear all of this."
Empress said faintly, "I know the consequences. After going through a dilemma, I was hesitant and confused, but in the end, I still made the right choice … no matter what the price is."
She looked at Princess Pingyang and said softly, "This is the responsibility of the royal family."
Princess Pingyang said uneasily, "Sister, why don't …"
Empress shook her head, "No, you stay here … I can do it alone."
She stopped her sister's suggestion with a firm look, and then looked at Zhao Yunlong, and said calmly and firmly, "Please send me back to Tensei Province. I can't thank you enough."
Zhao Yunlong stared at her for a few seconds, then looked away and said, "Mao Zi, send her back."
Courrier landed on the side and said unhappily, "I am not a troop carrier, you …"
Before she could finish complaining, General Tensei bowed deeply and said in a deep voice, "Please."
These three words were said smoothly.
They came from the mouth of the proudest, noblest, and most valiant woman in the world.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and even Courrier was a little stunned. This arrogant guy was stunned for a moment and stammered, "You … don't have to do this … I mean … why …"
She opened the cockpit in a hurry, "… You can come in?"
"Okay." Empress walked forward calmly and squeezed in, "I need to rest for a while."
Watching the Blazing Angel roar and rush into the sky, Zhao Yunlong and the others' expressions were very complicated.
"… I kind of admire her," Lu Shu-jen suddenly said, "she can still have such a temperament and determination under such circumstances."
Zhao Yunlong said indifferently, "Yes, she wants to protect the elite ministers in the Golden Palace and buy time for Sun Lang, so she has to find a way to activate the Forbidden Palace's formation. The best way to force the Forbidden Army to activate the formation is to lead an army to rebel and attack the Imperial City. However, the price she has to pay is the collapse of Tensei Province that she has painstakingly built. All the innocent soldiers who trusted her and followed her will be branded as traitors and will die in the following battle. Perhaps they will not be able to make a comeback even after death …"
"And just now, she witnessed a group of soldiers from Tensei Province die for her. But today, the faith she once believed in and protected has collapsed …"
"Under such circumstances, she can still grit her teeth and make such a decision, disregarding all her reputation and efforts, and leading the soldiers who trusted and followed her to death without hesitation …"
Chao Po-tao looked up at the sky and said calmly, "I kind of admire her."
Yinluo suddenly said, "We also want to help."
"No."
Lu Shu-jen and Zhao Yunlong rejected at the same time.
"Just with the firearms you brought?" Zhao Yunlong said, "you don't even have heavy artillery. How much noise can you make?
Now that Shinto Province is also rebelling, Li Jiancheng is spreading the news everywhere, and Tensei Province is finally taking the blame. You don't have to get involved. "
Zhang Yinluo said, "Of course, just with the firearms I brought won't be enough, but … I have a plan."
Zhao Yunlong said calmly, "Tell me about it first. I'll listen."
Yinluo took out a map from his sleeve and said, "We lack enough heavy firearms, and we can't risk it in person as Shinto Province, but there's a place here that must have enough firepower … We can borrow some if the situation is urgent."
Zhao Yunlong looked at the map and saw that Yinluo was pointing at the Siyi Embassy in the capital.
It was where the embassy of the Divine Power of Flames was located.
"… I remember that you traveled to the Kingdom of Fire in your early years."
Zhao Yunlong said casually, "Is it appropriate to trick the Russians like that?"
Yinluo sighed. "I'm a citizen of the Imperium. If possible, I'd like to see the two countries live in harmony forever. However, the emperor has revealed the big secret. With the ambition and obsession of the Burning Flame Order, they will definitely take action against Houtu … So, there's no time to think too much. Let's take care of the Imperium first!"
Only great strength could intimidate the enemy and keep the soldiers at bay. At this moment, only by breaking the stalemate and helping Sun Lang succeed could the Imperium's strength be preserved to the greatest extent.
It was obvious what to do.
Zhao Yunlong nodded and asked, "What's the specific plan?"
Yinluo thought for a moment and said, "First of all …"