If this group of people were to find fault with this person today and that person tomorrow, and each of them were to scheme against others, how could that be acceptable? They would have no sense of order at all, and people would laugh at the people of the Northern Lu Kingdom.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will remember."
"Get up," Ye Lingfeng waved his hand, and Ji Shaocheng stood up. Everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief, as long as the Emperor didn't blame them.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, and a guard came in to report: "Your Majesty, the War King of Nanling Kingdom has come to visit?"
Upon hearing that Ruan Xiyin had appeared, Hai Ling's face turned completely black, her eyes filled with icy coldness as she stared menacingly at the guard. The guard swallowed hard, not daring to utter a word. Hai Ling coldly said, "He still has the nerve to come here? What is he doing here? Go tell him that we in Bei Lu have nothing to do with him, and tell him to get lost."
"Yes, I will go immediately."
The guards rushed out, and soon they heard a fight breaking out outside. The noise grew louder and louder. Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling frowned, stood up, and went outside together. Hai Ling gestured to Shi Mei to take the kitten inside to rest.
Shi Mei responded and took the kitten to rest. She and Ye Lingfeng left the main hall of Luohua Pavilion one after the other. Outside the door was a spacious courtyard. Many precious flowers and plants were placed around the courtyard, but they were destroyed because War King Ruan Xiyin and the guards of Beilu Kingdom fought. The ground was a mess.
Hai Ling was shocked that this man not only had the nerve to come over, but even brought people to fight his way in. Her face turned extremely ugly, and she immediately ordered Shi Zhu beside her: "Go, take him down and beat him hard. If he's injured or crippled, that's what he deserves."
That's absolutely true. Ruan Xiyin first forced Princess Qinyang to her death, and now he's even stormed into Luohua Pavilion. Even if they cripple or injure him, the people of Nanling Kingdom have nothing to say.
Shi Zhu responded and went down to the stage, while Ji Shaocheng, naturally not wanting to watch the spectacle, flew down and joined Shi Zhu and the others to capture the crazed Ruan Xiyin.
The commotion outside the main hall had already alerted the others in Luohua Pavilion, who rushed over. The courtyard was full of people, wondering what was going on.
Ji Shaocheng and Shi Zhu were both skilled in martial arts, and Ruan Xiyin was still recovering, so he was no match for them. They captured him in no time. At this moment, he looked like a wounded wolf, his eyes bloodshot, howling.
"You're lying to me, aren't you? She's not dead, she's not dead?"
He had been unconscious until he awoke. When Ruan Xizong of the palace sent a eunuch to the Zhan Prince's residence to inform him that the Zhan Princess was dead and that the people of Beilu Kingdom were demanding a city as compensation. His mind went blank; he couldn't speak. He stormed into Luohua Pavilion like a madman. He couldn't believe it. Only now did he truly understand his feelings for Xi Liang. He realized he loved Xi Liang, not any other woman. The reason he hadn't realized it before was because when he saved Xi Liang, she was only ten years old. In his eyes, she was just a child, a lawless and troublesome little girl. In the two years that followed, she caused him countless problems. Each time, he was furious and wanted to punish her severely, but in the end, nothing came of it.
Later, he found her parents and sent her away. After she left, he found himself often thinking about her, about her mischievousness, naughtiness, and cunning. But he thought it was because he was too lonely that he often thought about her. After all, he had spent two years with her day and night. Even a cat or a dog would have feelings for someone, let alone a person.
Who knew that when she returned, she would become Princess Qinyang of the Northern Lu Kingdom and be forced to marry him as a concubine? At that time, he married a woman, a woman of captivating beauty. He thought he loved that woman, but he was wrong. He loved that woman because he loved looking into her eyes. Her eyes reflected Xi Liang's image—shrewish, stubborn, and cunning. But he never knew until Xi Liang committed suicide in front of him. Only then did he realize that the person he loved was Xi Liang, and there had never been anyone else. He had lost his mother at a young age and grew up being served by palace servants. He had never known what it meant to love someone, which is why he missed his true feelings.
But he refused to believe that Xi Liang was dead. She couldn't be dead. Rumor had it that the Empress of Bei Lu was a highly skilled physician. How could she allow Xi Liang to die? So he didn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it.
Hai Ling couldn't help but laugh at Ruan Xiyin's pained and frantic state. He was now filled with regret, pain, and heartache.
I'm sorry, it's too late. The hardest thing to buy in the world is a medicine for regret. Even if you know you're wrong and regret it, it's no use.
"What are you saying, Prince Zhan? Xi Liang's knife went straight into her heart. Do you know how much she hates you? Just how much do you have to hate someone to treat yourself like that?"
Hai Ling remained expressionless. Even as the color drained from Ruan Xiyin's face, she felt no sympathy whatsoever. Men are truly perverse; what they can't have is often the best, and they only realize their regret after losing it, but then it's too late.
"War King, please go back. Does Your Majesty really need to see her corpse to be sure?"
"No, I don't believe it."
As Hai Ling relentlessly tore at him, Ruan Xiyin swayed precariously. Not only that, but the blood in his chest surged upwards, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, making his face appear even paler than paper. He opened his bloodshot eyes wide and, with his last breath, refused to admit that Xi Liang was truly dead: "She won't die, she won't die."
After saying this, he finally couldn't bear the blow and fainted, with more and more blood flowing from the corner of his lips.
Hai Ling looked at the guards of the War King's Mansion and said coldly and sinisterly, "Take your War King back. And if he comes to cause trouble for us again in the future, I'm sorry, we'll fight him every time we see him."
The people from the Prince Zhan's residence all looked grim. They hadn't expected that the Prince loved the Princess so much. If that was the case, why had he been so cruel to hurt her in the first place? People's hearts are truly unfathomable. A dozen or so subordinates quickly stepped forward to help Ruan Xiyin back to the Prince Zhan's residence.
After a morning of hard work, Hailing was really tired. She rubbed her forehead and turned to walk towards the main hall of Luohua Pavilion.
Seeing how tired she was, Ye Lingfeng couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.
"Alright, stop bothering me. Let's go back to Beilu after the coronation ceremony of the Emperor of Nanling Kingdom."
“Hmm,” Hai Ling agreed. There were so many things to do in Nanling Kingdom. Now that Xi Liang had been secretly sent back to Beilu Kingdom by her people, there was no point in them staying any longer. Now they just had to wait for the emperor of Nanling Kingdom to ascend the throne, and then obtain the cession document of Nanling Kingdom before leaving Nanling.
Who would have thought that, overnight, they would receive news that Feng Zixiao and others from the Great Zhou Dynasty had quietly left the Southern Ling Kingdom without leaving a word, let alone marrying Princess Renyue. After receiving this news in the palace, Princess Renyue could not bear the blow and committed suicide.
The court officials of Nanling Kingdom harbored deep hatred for the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Although they were too preoccupied with the affairs of Nanling Kingdom to deal with the Great Zhou Dynasty, they had already made a grudge against them.
On this clear and breezy day, it was still the coronation ceremony of the new emperor of Nanling Kingdom. Early in the morning, a eunuch came to Luohua Pavilion to invite Ye Lingfeng, Hailing and others to the royal palace of Nanling Kingdom to watch the ceremony.
Because of the series of troubles that have occurred in the Southern Ling Kingdom, today's coronation ceremony is extremely simple and will not be extravagant or lavish.
In the square outside the main hall, many soldiers and generals stood armed, along with numerous courtiers from the Southern Ling Kingdom, lined up on both sides. The ceremonial guard played music from time to time. From afar, Nguyen Hee Thong's carriage approached, preceded by palace maids carrying flower baskets and followed by eunuchs holding whisks. The eunuchs carried various utensils and filed in, slowly lining up on both sides. At the very back was the brightly decorated carriage, upon which sat Nguyen Hee Thong and his empress. Behind the carriage were five hundred guards on horseback. Before the emperor and empress dismounted, an official from the Imperial Observatory stepped forward and respectfully announced, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress, please dismount from your carriage."
The emperor and empress alighted from their carriages, and a dense mass of court officials knelt in the square. Not only were there ministers from the court, but also several vassal kings and princes, all of whom knelt down. Except for Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling from Bei Lu, who bowed slightly, everyone else knelt down.
Ruan Xizong's dark gaze pierced through the crowd and landed directly on Ye Lingfeng. A flash of sharpness crossed his eyes, which then turned into calm.
In an instant, Hai Ling couldn't help but ponder deeply. Given time, this young emperor would probably be a formidable figure. Right now, he was just still in the early stages of his rise. It seemed that it was right to ask them to cede Lianshui City. In a few days, it would be no easy task for them to take Lianshui City from the hands of the Southern Ling Kingdom.
Nguyen Hee Thong walked steadily past the crowd, and just as he was about to ascend to the top, suddenly one of the kneeling courtiers shouted, "Go! Take down the traitor!"
As soon as the man finished speaking, the soldiers standing on all sides drew their swords and rushed over, heading straight for Nguyen Hee Thong.
The five hundred guards behind Nguyen Hee Thong immediately became alert and calmly responded: "Protect the Emperor."
In an instant, the vast square was filled with the glint of swords and the clash of weapons. Ye Lingfeng watched as someone approached Hai Ling, then with a flick of his wrist, he struck out, instantly dispatching one of his men. He then pulled Hai Ling to safety, a slight smile playing on his lips as he leisurely watched the spectacle.
"I never thought that even the coronation of the throne could lead to a war."
Hai Ling watched with great interest. She noticed that the two groups were clearly of different strengths. The rebels not only outnumbered the rebels, but were also more skilled than Ruan Xizong's guards and imperial troops. One of them could hold off dozens. In an instant, the entire square was filled with the glint of swords and the splash of blood. Just then, shouts of battle rang out in the distance, and soon a dark mass of people rushed over. As soon as the leader appeared, many ministers of the Southern Ling Kingdom spoke in fear.
"Your Highness, I never expected that Your Highness would survive."
The Crown Prince of Nanling Kingdom, Ruan Xiqin, was not dead. As soon as he appeared, the leader of the previous rebellion approached him, calmly clasped his hands in a fist and said loudly, "Crown Prince, my elder brother."
Ruan Xiqin nodded without saying anything more, and waved her hand to order the people behind her: "Today, anyone who dares to stand with this bastard Ruan Xizong, kill them all without exception."
Nguyen Hee Thong dared to frame him, causing him to lose the throne. Now, he wouldn't stand idly by and watch him ascend the throne; he wouldn't sit idly by. Therefore, having finally managed to win over his younger brother, Prince Hoai, to deal with Nguyen Hee Thong, today he could finally eliminate this traitor.