Chapter 39: The World Cannot Have Both (39)

Chapter 39: The World Cannot Have Both (39)

"Empress..."

"Are you willing to lose your kingdom for a woman?"

The emperor's face contorted. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth. "Loose the arrows!"

However, as soon as the emperor gave the order, countless black-clad figures suddenly emerged, their sharp swords slicing through the air and slaying the surrounding archers.

"Assassins! Guards, protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!"

Guanju Palace descended into chaos, with flashing blades, splattering blood, screams, and a pervasive scent of violence.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Wuchen intended to escape with Zhen Shan. But how could the emperor let him go so easily?

All threats to his throne must be eradicated!

He raised his bow, drew the string taut, and with a buzz, the arrow pierced through the air.

Amidst the chaos, Wuchen had to fend off the Imperial Guards while protecting Zhen Shan. He was unable to dodge the incoming arrows in time, and one of them was headed straight for his heart.

"Prince Charming!"

The leader of the black-clad figures bared his teeth in horror, yelling out in alarm.

Thud!

Zhen Shan's body slumped, blood gushing from her shoulder.

"Wuxin!"

Wuchen caught her swiftly, his light-colored eyes now bloodshot with fear.

The intense pain in her shoulder made Zhen Shan weak and on the verge of fainting. Still, she mustered all her remaining strength to push him away, "Go!"

Caught off guard, Wuchen stumbled backward under her push. The black-clad leader, who had hurried over, swiftly incapacitated him with a pressure point and forcefully dragged him away.

The last image imprinted in his eyes was her collapsing into a pool of blood, her condition unknown.

Wuchen's pupils constricted, his face as pale as paper, but the cinnabar mole between his brows was as vivid as blood, exuding a fierce aura.

If he had supreme power, his enlightenment would not have...

Turned from Buddha to demon, all in a single thought, for the sake of one person.

...

It turned out that the respected Abbot Liao Kong of the National Temple and the esteemed Master Wuchen were traitors who had conspired against the nation, even daring to infiltrate the palace with the intent to assassinate the Emperor and Empress Dowager. Though they failed, they gravely injured Concubine Xian.

Enraged, the Emperor dispatched the Imperial Guards to seal off the National Temple and issued warrants for Liao Kong and Wuchen's arrest.

Concubine Xian, cruelly wounded by Wuchen's treachery, required the hearts of a thousand maidens for her medicine to heal.

The Emperor thus sent men to capture unmarried women everywhere, sparing no one, be it court officials or common folk.

This stirred up outrage among the officials, and the people cursed Zhen Shan as an evil concubine, a bane to the nation.

Amidst this turmoil, news came from the south that the former Crown Prince, known for his virtue and love for the people, still had a surviving descendant - none other than the esteemed Master Wuchen, the rightful heir to the throne.

Prince Imperial Wuchen, unable to bear the tyrant's oppression of the people or the corrupt influence of the evil concubine, rose up in rebellion in the south, invoking the name of cleansing the court. He marched northward, vowing to overthrow the oppressive regime and eliminate the malevolent concubine, thus restoring peace to the land.

Upon the raising of his banner, both common folk and many court officials in the capital secretly lent their support!

Of course, Emperor Qin Yi was not entirely incompetent. He had his share of loyal and righteous subjects who promptly mobilized troops to crush Wuchen and his band of traitors.

In the Peacock Palace,

The arrow hadn't hit any vital spots. The emperor, seemingly unwilling to lose his beauty, had been providing her with the best care and nourishment.

But the combination of poison and severe injuries had pushed Zhen Shan's already frail body to the brink. Her face was pale and devoid of blood, and even at the start of autumn, the underfloor heating in her chambers was already lit.

"Cough, cough," Zhen Shan leaned against the bedrail, her small face more gaunt than ever. Her phoenix eyes lacked any luster, and her lips were colorless. She seemed so fragile that a gentle breeze could scatter her away.

"Miss, the medicine is here. Please drink it quickly."

Zhen Shan shook her head lightly. "I've been drowning in bitter medicine all day, yet it doesn't seem to make any difference. What's the point of drinking or not drinking it?"

"Miss!"

Que'er observed the extremely frail young miss with a pained expression.

"Enough, how is it outside?" Zhen Shan smiled calmly, as if he were not troubled by his increasingly frail body, but rather concerned about Wuchen's situation.

"Miss, with your current state, why bother with that person? Just look at what he's done. A demonic concubine bringing ruin to the nation? Clearing the king's court? Rising up in rebellion in your name, all for his own ambition, seeking to tarnish your name for eternity!"

Que'er was furious. Her young miss had poured her heart and soul into that man? But what about him?

A hint of sadness brushed across Zhen Shan's fair face, but she quickly wore a smile. "I believe in him."

"Miss..."

"Que'er, besides trusting him, what else do I have left?"

Que'er was speechless, tears welling up in her eyes.

Indeed, Miss had nothing else!

The Emperor wasn't foolish. He must have inferred the connection between Miss and Wuchen after she shielded him from an arrow.

Preserving Miss's life was merely to exploit her, claiming that the innocence of a maiden could be used as medicine to save her. In reality, it was an opportunity to search for Wuchen and others' whereabouts, as well as to investigate those secretly colluding with them.

Initially, the emperor naturally wouldn't dare reveal Wuchen's identity. Yet, he hadn't expected Wuchen to dare rebel against him directly.

These men had all professed their love for Miss previously. But in front of power, their faces changed instantly, using her as a tool for their gains, pushing her into the public's disdain!

They were all scum!

Seemingly sensing Que'er's thoughts, Zhen Shan's gaze turned profound, and the corners of his lips curled up faintly, as if mocking, "Beauty withers like bones; how many years can its allure last? With power, will there be a shortage of beauties? Without beauties, power remains supreme. Que'er, in men's eyes, women can never be their everything. Instead, they are insignificant, merely spices in their lives, playthings to amuse them when they're pleased. A wise ruler's woman becomes a virtuous empress, while a foolish one's woman is a source of calamity. It seems as if the world's unrest can always be blamed on women."

Qin Yi used her as an excuse to confront Wuchen, only to later deflect all blame onto him. Despite being momentarily bewitched, he could still gain everyone's forgiveness with sincere repentance. It was she, the deceitful concubine, who could never be pardoned.

Wuchen, in her name, would rise in rebellion and eventually slay her for the good of the land, thus becoming a virtuous and wise ruler.

Ha! Zhen Shan might be vain about her beauty, but she never believed that any man would truly sacrifice everything for her. A man's sincerity was but a jest!

She never placed faith in such notions.

For women, true power and influence lay firmly in their own grasp.

This is why she aspires to be a True God, seeking the path of the Tao.

Relying on others is not as reliable as relying on oneself!

Of course, was her affection for Wuchen false?

No, it was genuine. The Empress understood well that one must offer sincerity to receive sincerity.

But to forsake all reason for love, unless she wishes to bring about her own destruction!

Que'er bit her lip. "Miss, let's leave the palace. Surely there must be a divine healer among the common folk who can cure your ailment."

At this thought, Que'er despised Wuchen even more. The poison in Miss's body had always been under his control; no one in the Imperial Medical Bureau knew how to counteract it. Miss was weakening, not due to the arrow wound, but because of the poison within her.

Miss had risked her life to save him, yet that ungrateful man showed no concern for her, refusing to even send someone with the antidote. Does he truly intend to sacrifice Miss's life for his own success?

How could she have once believed that Wuchen was someone she could entrust herself to?