Scharlachroter Regen überflutet die Stadt

Kapitel 83

He finally turned around, took the arrow, and drew his bow on his horse. His warhorse was startled and took two steps back. The arrow was pointed directly at me, who was smiling and looking up from the city wall.

Two squads of heavily shielded guards immediately came forward from behind me, raising their strong shields to protect me.

"Kill!" His command was brief and forceful!

I could even hear the sound of an arrow leaving the bow, cutting through the wind, swiftly striking the shield with a "thud," breaking through it by an inch. A chill crept into my chest, and my tightly clenched lips loosened in a daze, a drop of blood falling onto my lips, which I fiercely wiped away.

After that one arrow, a volley of arrows followed, whistling through the air. Waves of shield-bearers fell before me, only to be met with another wave of fire. Arrows rained down, impossible to block. Chaos erupted on the city wall. Qiu Ming tried to lead me down to safety, but I refused without a word. I watched as the young master before me, who looked barely twenty, struggled to hold his shield. Four arrows pierced the shield, sinking into his lungs. He finally collapsed at my feet, and another guard quickly stepped over him to shield me. I knelt down, helped him up, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and softly asked, "What's your name?"

His eyes flashed with surprise, and he said in a flustered manner, "My name is not worth mentioning. Madam, just remember that my family is willing to serve the Rong family to the death, and I will be at ease."

I nodded. He chuckled twice in my arms, then finally succumbed, his eyes wide open, lifeless. I reached out to close his eyes, then turned to meet Qiu Ming's gaze, and said firmly and resolutely, "Open the city gates! We will attack the city to the death!"

The once magnificent city gates could no longer withstand this nightmarish carnage. The imperial road, once a route for triumphant returnees, was now a path strewn with blood and corpses. The Fourth Prince's army emerged from the city gates to meet them, and the two armies clashed beneath them. I had turned west to watch my two brothers fight valiantly. Although the threat of the crossbows behind me was gone, a group of guards still obeyed my orders and raised their shields to protect me.

The blood-stained armor beneath the city walls, the grim yet youthful faces, every sound of battle, every groan tore at my heart. I couldn't close my eyes now; I could only clench my fists tightly.

Festering wounds, crimson bloodstains—death and pain were right before my eyes, but what I couldn't see was the separation and heart-wrenching agony behind it all. When would this slaughter end? How long would this power struggle continue? Even though I was utterly exhausted, I had to force myself to keep going. I was fed up. Looking at the tragic scene below the city, I felt a deep disgust—a disgust for power, a disgust for myself, a disgust for everything.

On the other side of the moat, the man on horseback gazed across the river. Did he also see everything before him? Was he, who cared for all living beings, helpless or heartbroken at this moment? I suddenly had an urge to lower the golden bridge, to let him cross the river. I wanted Lu Li to raise his army and come. I longed for him to end all of this, to put an end to all the suffering.

It was another night of blazing fire, and as the sun rose, the world was bathed in light.

Silence finally fell over the city walls. Everywhere one looked, there were heavy casualties; all that could be heard were groans and cries. I stood atop the city wall, my legs numb. Qiu Ming walked up behind me. "Although it was more difficult than we imagined, the result was still the same."

It wasn't that we overestimated ourselves, but that we underestimated the emperor, which is why the victory was more difficult than we expected.

He had the right timing, the right location, and the right people; he only lost the latter, which meant he lost everything.

"Pass down the order: after the army enters the city, reward the entire army, leaving no one behind."

The moment the words left my mouth, the soldiers on and below the city walls erupted in cheers, but I... suddenly burst into tears.

As the rain began to fall, the blood below the city flowed like a river. I pulled my cloak tighter, not bothering to open an umbrella, and hurriedly descended from the city tower. As I walked down, the bloodstains on my skirt stained the hem. I tried my best to avoid the corpses scattered on the ground, but often found that there was nowhere to step.

Lu Hong, clad in armor and carrying a sword, dismounted as I descended the city wall. He rushed to meet me, unfurled his cloak, and shielded me beneath him, blocking my view. Against the sunlight, I couldn't see his expression, but his aura was palpable, filled with the scent of iron and blood.

I took a step back and stood in front of him as if to kneel down, saying, "I await your return to the capital, may you live a thousand years!"

He stepped forward, stopping me from kneeling down, and helped me to my feet.

"You are the only one who will not kneel before me."

I looked up at him suddenly. His face was calm, without excitement or joy.

"You kept your promise to me." His voice was gentle.

I nodded, promising him the world, but I never imagined the price would be so terrible.

He smiled and reached out to touch my hair. "You're a lot like her, always have been. But your heart is harder than hers, you're more resolute. You always do your best to fulfill what you promise, instead of backing down. So you often push yourself to the edge of a cliff with no way out. She's different. She pretends to be crazy rather than force herself. She despises power, she knows how to be content. What she wants is very simple, but I can't give it to her."

I looked at him, wondering why he was talking about personal matters at this moment.

“In the end, I am not one to control the world. Mother is right, my heart is too soft, just like hers.” Lu Hong smiled, but there were too many emotions hidden beneath the smile for me to see. “I asked you for the world, but that is not what I want. Just as you fulfilled the promise you made to me, I must also fulfill my promise. I forced myself to do things I didn’t want to do, and then forced you back to the power you wanted to escape. Although you resented me, you still did it. You are someone who values promises more than life itself.”

What does that mean? He said he doesn't want it. Everything I paid so high a price to get for him, he actually wants to give up?! I panicked, I was scared…

Lu Hong's smile became increasingly strained. "Since it's something you took, you can decide for yourself."

I shook my head. "I don't understand. I really don't understand."

“From today onwards, you no longer need to force yourself. Do whatever you want, and give the empire to whomever you wish. The world is in your hands.” He said with difficulty, and as soon as he finished speaking, he frowned tightly, his body suddenly spun and he fell down, leaning against me, but I could not support his weight.

I thought he was exhausted; after fighting for so many days, he should have been physically drained long ago. But when he collapsed, the sight of several guards with red eyes standing behind him puzzled me. Looking around, I saw Pang Jian surrounded by several guards and suddenly noticed my own hands, which were inexplicably stained red. I was terrified; I dared not think about it.

The arrow that Pang Jian secretly aimed at me as I descended the city wall is now standing behind Lu Hong. He dismounted and strode over, shielding me with his cloak, thus taking the arrow for me. Now, the arrow pierces his lungs, yet he continues to chatter with a faint smile.

“She and I have always wanted to build a thatched cottage in the suburbs, with a peach grove in front of it. Of the three women in the Rong family, Xiyue is the peony, you are the crabapple, and she is the peach blossom.” He bit his lip in pain. “However, I just love peach blossoms. Everyone says peach blossoms are vulgar, but I think they are otherworldly.”

I wanted to tell him to stop talking, but my hands trembled as I dared not pull the arrow out of his body.

His strength grew weaker and weaker, and he reached out with trembling hands. I quickly took his hand and opened it to find a shattered chess piece.

“I did it. Tell her I did it.” He smiled, his lips trembling, and then abruptly closed his eyes.

I gripped the broken chess pieces tighter and tighter, and tears streamed down my face.

The rain intensified, and the blood beneath him gathered and flowed away, mingling with the blood of millions of soldiers, its destination unknown... Perhaps in that place there are vast peach orchards, filled with their fragrance...

Chapter 47 Holding the World in One's Hands

Pang Jian met my piercing gaze, and at that moment, I drew my bow. I wanted to vent my hatred by piercing his heart with an arrow, to wish him a thousand deaths in exchange for Lu Hong's rebirth.

Pang Jian suddenly laughed, "You gained the world through this, was it worth it?"

My hand holding the bow trembled. I slowly lowered it and met his smile. "Is such a noble way to die worth it?"

His lips suddenly tightened, his smile stiffening, but my smile deepened as I handed the bow back to Yang Wei behind me. "Just because I didn't kill you doesn't mean you won't die."

After saying this, he turned and left. Yang Wei followed him in a few steps. I knew he was going to say that he had ordered his men to surround the palace, and that the emperor's intention to reconcile was now evident. However, I refused to accept this surrender document, which showed no remorse whatsoever.

I'm going to pick someone up. He's been standing on the other side of the river for too long, gazing into the distance for too long, and suffering for a long time.

The golden bridge separating us slowly lowered, and he strode over, almost running, without even leading his horse. He didn't look at me, not even once, but ran towards Lu Hong, who lay quietly asleep in the carriage below the city. His brother was dead, the nephew who had grown up with him in the Eastern Palace, had died right before his eyes, separated only by a river, yet he couldn't reach him. Perhaps, in the moment Lu Hong fell, his heart screamed, in pain more intense than anyone else's.

When I saw her again, she was still as erratic as ever, buried in the flowers catching insects, her light blue dress smeared with mud. I walked over, knelt down beside her, brushed aside her disheveled hair, gently wiped the mud from her cheeks, and said softly, "He left something for you..."

She didn't react at all. With a quick movement, she caught a white worm and danced around excitedly. I quickly grabbed her other hand. She looked at the tears in my eyes and just paused for a moment. Then she shook off my hand, got muddy, and brought her face close to mine to wipe away the tears from my lips. "Don't cry, be good, don't cry."

I held the broken chess piece, opened her hand, and placed the shards one by one in her palm. I felt her slight trembling. Jihe held the shards of the chess piece, then suddenly put them in her mouth, chewing them fiercely until her lips were raw and blood seeped from the corners. She cried and laughed, laughed and cried, wiping the blood from her lips with one hand as she said, "Is he gone?!"

She had been restless for a day and a night, and finally calmed down one morning. She only said she wanted to see me. She had cleansed her face, put on makeup, and her face was no longer haggard. I took a few steps, but then I heard her speak, "When I woke up this morning, I suddenly remembered a story from many years ago, and I wanted to tell it to you."

I sat down at the table, not too close to her, afraid of upsetting her. I listened quietly as she continued.

"Many years ago, a woman came to our house. She was my father's third concubine. A strange woman, she didn't like to talk. No matter how my mother treated her, she was always cold and sarcastic. Then one day, the woman's baby died. I saw my father carrying a stillborn infant and burying it under the old locust tree in the backyard. She frantically questioned my father, asking if he had killed her child. My father said nothing. The woman left secretly before she had fully recovered. On New Year's Eve, that spring, my mother gave birth to a girl. But my father said the child had died in the womb. I clearly saw my mother give birth, but my father insisted I was lying. I asked my mother, but she just looked pale and said nothing, sometimes even shedding tears. It turned out... my father had sent my mother's child away, pretending it was that crazy woman's child."

I suddenly couldn't speak. I just felt that everything around me was ridiculous.

Rong Jihe's eyes held a resolute satisfaction. She walked up to me step by step, standing before me. She spoke deliberately slowly, so that every word could pierce my very bones. "There is no such thing as Nalan Qingqian in this world."

A blinding flash of lightning streaked across the east like a ghost. Thunder roared deafeningly. Jihe flashed a sinister smile. "I've hated you since I was little. I know perfectly well that you're just like us, all children of Mother. Yet, everything was given to you. Father only had eyes for you. Aunt too. Mother... even more so!"

I laughed. All my breath was stolen away. Like falling into a nightmare. I didn't want to wake up…

The rain fell for a day and a night, seemingly without end.

I sat before the mirror, washing away the makeup to reveal my true face. Clutching tightly the ring my aunt had given me, the woman in the mirror smiled faintly, yet she seemed like a stranger. Rong Xiyue, dressed in plain white, approached and gently placed her hand on my shoulder.

I smiled and turned around. "You brought them all?"

The person behind me nodded, and I took the memorial tablet from her arms. What came into view were those words that had long been engraved in my heart...

His father was Rong Yucheng, his mother was Lu, his elder brother was Rong Jing, and his second elder brother was Rong Ling.

Sitting in the sedan chair, I held the memorial tablet tightly in my arms. The night was dark, and my heart was completely empty.

Standing in front of the Chaoyang Hall, I nodded to Yang Wei, who was standing by the door with a smile. He gently stepped aside, and I saw Xiao Li standing in the hall behind him.

The emperor, seated on the dragon throne, sneered: "Yan Zheng, Nalan Qingqian, Rong Zhaozhi... Apart from your father, I have finally met a formidable opponent. You really have many faces."

I looked up at the golden-lacquered coffin carved with dragons in the center of the hall, sitting high in the bright lights. I smiled and said, "You prepared this for yourself? I can tell you that you don't need it for now. I don't need your life, and I don't even care about the throne you cherished. I originally wanted to give it to your son Lu Hong, but he's gone."

The emperor closed his eyes tightly, but only two words escaped his throat with difficulty: "You unfilial son!"

"Your sons, one by one, covet that position, yet you single out this rebellious son. It seems unfair to him. If you had ever been even a fraction fair to him, none of this would have happened. You sent him to the Empress as a pawn for the Rong family, you made him Crown Prince, you bestowed upon him a daughter of the Rong clan—what glory! Only you know in your heart that you personally nurtured him, and you will ultimately depose him yourself. You are waiting, waiting to accumulate the power to counter the Rong family, and the first step is to depose this son who was merely a pawn! You say he lacks the demeanor of a ruler, but have you ever truly looked at him? Does he possess the necessary qualities? Is he indecisive or arbitrary? Have you ever truly cared? No! You don't care at all about him being destined to be deposed! You hate that he was a pawn for the Rong family, but was it truly our choice to be one? I dare ask, who pushed him to become that pawn, leading him to utter ruin!" I shook my head, holding back my tears, "It was you! His father, whom he loved and respected most until his death!"

The emperor kept his eyes tightly closed, but he was trembling and remained silent for a long time.

"I only want Pang Jian's life, only the Rong clan's innocence... I'll give you back everything else. After my aunt died, I knew my days were numbered, but I still struggled, I had to live, for myself, for my daughter, and even more so... for the Rong family. I hate you, I hate you as a husband, I hate you as a father, but I don't hate you as an emperor. If I were you, I might have done the same, except I wouldn't have guarded against my wife, wouldn't have forced my children and daughters-in-law to their deaths; even if I wanted to consolidate power, I wouldn't have branded a loyal minister as a traitor, much less eradicated him completely." I stared at him intently, "Can you tell me, when my aunt passed away, were you more heartbroken at losing your wife, or more heartbroken at losing the power to control the Rong family? In your eyes, there was no family, no love between husband and wife, no blood ties, no brotherly loyalty, no trust between ruler and subject. Everything existed only for your country, your empire. In this respect, you are so much like that person, so you chose him."

He suddenly opened his eyes, bloodshot and staring at me intently. "Do you understand what the world is?"

"Don't mention those two words to me. I don't understand them, and I don't want to understand them. What you consider supreme is nothing but dirt to me. I risked my life to survive just to stand before you and tell you," I laughed, "that the word 'the world' cannot be used as an excuse! As long as I have a breath left, the Rong family will exist, and the blood on your hands can never be wiped away in the name of the greater good of the country."

He laughed arrogantly, turned around and reached for the dragon throne, "The world!"

I held back my tears. "Lu Hong almost got it, but I believe he will hand the world he seized back to you. He seized the world only because he wanted to prove himself to you, he hoped you would pay him serious attention just once. He's like a stubborn child who lacks love; he doesn't crave power and wealth, but he only cares about a glance from you, a word of affirmation from you. Now, I've granted his wish and returned the world to you! But can you really hold onto Lu Hong's pure heart? I really want to know... how much pain he's in?! And what about you... how much pain are you in now, even more than him?!"

He couldn't utter a single word. His eyes held no anger, no madness, no… any emotion. A fleeting glint of light stung deep within his pupils, and a bead of blood fell from the corner of his eye. He simply stood there, motionless, not weeping, not shocked… but filled with unbelievable despair.

He slowly turned around, and in the dim candlelight, the gray hairs at his temples were still clearly visible.

He turned his back to me, inching his way towards the inner hall, each step so difficult. A pang of sadness struck me, and I stammered, "Your hair—"

He ignored him and continued walking.

His long shadow trailed on the ground, receding little by little into the distance until it vanished completely into the darkness.

I finally murmured, "Your hair... why is it all white?"

Dragging his heavy feet out of Chaoyang Hall, a heart-wrenching, almost collapsing scream suddenly erupted from the inner hall, nearly shattering the roof.

I lost all my strength and slowly squatted down against the palace door. The cool wind entered my throat, and I coughed softly, coughing up tears.

On the 19th day of the seventh month of the 24th year of Tianyou, the sun shone exceptionally brightly. The Emperor, with a heavy heart, executed a general and personally wrote the "Ode to Everlasting Regret," revealing his remorse to the world. From that moment on, the Pang family's power crumbled. The Rong family's ancestral tablet returned to the ancestral hall, the Huainan Prince's residence was unsealed, and the Rong family was no longer considered a traitor. The former Huainan troops were rewarded, and the Emperor appointed Yang Wei as Grand Marshal, granting him command. The Yang and Rong families joined forces, and the Rong family's power over four dynasties was about to reappear. However, the Rong family's lineage had ended, and no one from the Rong family could inherit the title of Huainan Prince.

By imperial decree, Rong's eldest daughter, Xiyue, is granted control of the family estate and property in Huainan and is bestowed the title of Princess of Huainan. Her offspring are granted the surname Rong, to inherit the family business, and to have a hereditary title. Rong's third daughter, Princess Zhaozhi, is restored to her status as the legitimate wife of Prince Ningshuo.

Thus, the Huainan Rebellion, which lasted for three years, finally came to an end. In this contest, there were no winners.

Chapter 48 Farce

After the upheaval, the entire palace fell silent. The demise of the Pang family and the emperor's stroke plunged the palace back into the desolate atmosphere of the 21st year of the Tianyou era, the fall of the Rong clan and the passing of the empress. The emperor, his hair now completely white, had aged considerably. Though his demeanor remained composed and magnanimous, he no longer possessed the former arrogance and spirit. Perhaps aging makes one weak. I chose to let go, to forgive him, and to release all hatred. Every time he looked at me, his gaze was so unfocused, as if I could transform back into the Yan Zheng I once was with just a turn of my head.

There's no Yan Zheng anymore; the Third Princess of the Rong family has returned.

The disguise water is no longer needed. I slowly got up, pushed open the door, and saw that the Rong family's retainers were already kneeling all over the courtyard. Liu Shang knelt at the very front and kowtowed to me, "Master, this servant has finally waited for this day."

Before I could even help her up, I saw a woman standing by the door in the corridor, her beauty as radiant as a flower, her allure captivating. She looked at me, and I looked at her, the two of us lost in thought, and then we smiled knowingly. I heard my own voice softly instruct, "Go and invite Miss Nangong into the inner room to talk."

Having said that, he turned around and approached the servants scattered on the ground, helping them up one by one and offering words of comfort.

After the crowd in the courtyard dispersed, I went back to the inner room, pushed open the door, and found Nangong Jin lying diagonally on the bed.

"Oh, you're back..." He sat up with a smile.

I glanced at him, then sat down at the table and drank my tea.

“I can smell a man in your bed…” he continued.

I scoffed; it was best not to answer such questions. He jumped off the bed and rushed over, muttering in my ear, "You weren't always this good to me. If I touched you even with a finger, you'd whine and complain for ages. Am I less than Lu Li, a man?"

I looked at him, dressed in an extremely beautiful woman's outfit, shook my head, and said with a smile, "You are not as good as him as a man."

Nangong Xing stared intently. To say he wasn't like a man was indeed taboo for him.

"You've come to take me away?" I stated his purpose directly. There was probably only one thing that could alarm Nangong Jin.