El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 55

A strange light suddenly appeared in her peach blossom eyes: "What if... Yao-di isn't an idiot..."

Her almond-shaped eyes snapped upwards; she understood that his "what if" was not just a casual assumption!

Her chest heaved violently, her shoulders trembled, and Rongyue's voice trembled uncontrollably: "Explain...explain clearly!"

A deep, pleasant laugh reached her ears, but to Rongyue it sounded like a ghost, chilling her to the bone: "Why don't you let Yaodi tell you himself? Listen, Yaodi and the others are here..."

After he finished speaking, a commotion gradually rose from the distance and entered the desolate palace hall. A moment later, a tall figure clad in silver armor stepped into the brightly lit hall, bathed in the soft golden light of the night air, emerging from the darkness. Behind him followed the twenty-four Imperial Guards, spears and swords in hand, their eyes fixed on the throne; behind them were hundreds of archers and crossbowmen, ready to pounce, and thousands of soldiers…

The steady footsteps echoed above the dragon-and-phoenix-carved roof beams, each sound resounding and powerful! But little did he know, each step he took pierced Rongyue's increasingly heavy heart, trampling her crimson soul until it bled profusely and shattered into pieces...

Seeing Rong Yue pinned beneath Dongfang Lie, he hesitated for a moment, then quickly regained his composure. He flicked down his sleeve, bowed, and reported, "Reporting to Your Majesty, of the two hundred and forty-five treacherous officials, only one escaped; the rest have all been brought to justice!" He then gestured to those behind him. Immediately, two hundred and forty-four soldiers stepped forward, carrying two hundred and forty-four bronze platters. In unison, they lifted the red cloth covering the platters, revealing the contents to Dongfang Lie—in the gleaming bronze platters lay two hundred and forty-four heads, still dripping blood, their eyes wide open in death!

A sudden, overwhelming dizziness and a sense of powerlessness washed over me! I forced myself to open my eyes and looked at the rows of people who had died for her, at their faces—some young, some strong, some old—at the unwavering devotion on their faces, at the resolute determination and resolve they showed for their faith…

When she saw the resolute, dark face on her left, she was struck dumb, unable to reconcile the image of Huo Ming, whom she had met just a few days ago, with his now lonely head! A chill ran through her, penetrating to the bone; she felt as if she had fallen into an ancient ice cellar, utterly cold…

After dismissing the soldiers, Dongfang Lie's icy hand coiled around Rongyue's neck like a venomous snake, his grip tightening: "Colluding with a cult! Liu Rongyue, you have quite the skill! If it weren't for Yaodi's timely notification to me in the Imperial Garden today, wouldn't this day next year be my death anniversary! Don't be surprised, when Yaodi and the others were leaving, you were only focused on exchanging glances with your crony, that Murong Yuyan. How could you have seen the secret report Yaodi slipped to me at the same moment? Allowing someone who poses a great threat to me and the Dongfang Dynasty to live is not the act of a wise ruler! Therefore," his hand trembled, his eyes flashing with painful struggle, "Liu Rongyue, although I am reluctant, you must die! Rather than let you die at someone else's hands, I would rather finish you off myself!"

There is no greater sorrow than a broken heart. Without struggle, without resistance, Rongyue's heart was like a pile of dead ashes, devoid of grief, anger, worry, or resentment. She simply stared wide-eyed at Dongfang Yao, who stood motionless to the side. This was the man she had once entrusted her heart to, who had cruelly and mercilessly destroyed her…

"Let her go! You dog emperor, release my husband!!" A shrill scream suddenly rang out from the dark mass of people. The next moment, a petite figure dressed as a soldier struggled through the crowd and rushed forward fearlessly.

Before anyone could figure out what was going on, the figure had already rushed up to Dongfang Lie and was kicking and punching Dongfang Lie above Rongyue.

With bloodshot eyes, Dongfang Lie stared intently and recognized the person as none other than Murong Yuyan in disguise! With a sinister grin, he released Rongyue from her grasp and, gathering his energy in his palm, slashed mercilessly at Murong Yuyan!

Yu Yan's scream quickly brought Rong Yue back to her senses! In the nick of time, she swiftly reached into her sleeve, grabbed a flying needle, and as Dongfang Lie struck with his palm, she flicked her slender finger and used all her strength to stab two acupoints on his side.

"Brother Emperor—" Seeing Dongfang Lie coughing up blood, Dongfang Yao was horrified. He was about to step forward to check on him when a gleaming flying needle was pressed against his carotid artery.

"Yu Yan, follow me!" Rong Yue shouted at Yu Yan, who was still standing there dumbfounded, and then yelled at the dark crowd outside the door, "Get out of the way! Otherwise, I'll take your prince's dog life!"

The words "dog's life" sent a jolt through Dongfang Yao's heart! His breath caught in his throat, and he lowered his voice, his magnetic tone losing its usual clear and gentle quality: "You'd better not waste your time! Even if you get out of Qiankun Palace, there are still tens of thousands of Imperial Guards outside. You can't escape..."

"Shut up!" Rongyue snapped, her expression flashing with madness. "Get out of the way! You dog emperor, do you even want your imperial brother anymore?! If you do, make them get out of the way!!"

After circulating his internal energy, Dongfang Lie's breathing was still somewhat unstable. He glanced at Rong Yue, who was in a frenzied state, and looked at the shocking bruises on her neck. A faint pang of pity crossed his heart. He gave a wink to the group of people outside the door, and the next moment, a very narrow path, barely wide enough for two or three people to pass through, slowly appeared before them.

"Go!" Forcibly pulling the stiff Dongfang Yao along, Rong Yue protected Yu Yan while keeping a watchful eye on the soldiers lurking around them.

Her heart pounded wildly as she traversed the long, treacherous "human path." Once outside the emperor's palace, she saw thousands of soldiers standing guard with swords drawn. Only then did Rongyue realize that Dongfang Yao's words were true. But so what! Even if it meant facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, she would brave it! Yu Yan, don't worry, even if it costs me my life, I will risk everything to rescue her from this hellhole!

With a slight turn of her body, Rongyue's sharp eyes swept over Dongfang Lie, who was only a few steps away from them: "Quick! Make them retreat to a distance of five zhang to the sides! Don't try anything funny! Hurry!"

Seeing Rongyue relentlessly pushing herself to the brink of certain doom, Dongfang Lie's heart trembled.

"Liu Rongyue, release Yaodi, and perhaps I will consider sparing your life..."

"Stop talking nonsense! Tell me, are you going to let me or not!" He threateningly pushed the needle a little further in, and with a suppressed groan, a stream of bright red fluid trickled down her white neck...

Dongfang Lie roared, "Liu Rongyue!"

Meeting Rongyue's resolute and ruthless gaze, Dongfang Lie narrowed his eyes dangerously. The chilling coldness in his eyes made everyone present, except for Rongyue and a few others, shudder!

The side with the hostage was undoubtedly the victor in this standoff! Dragging Dongfang Yao along, Rongyue walked with extreme caution through the long palace corridors, past pavilions, towers, and halls, until the palace gates were finally in sight…

"Husband, we're almost out!" Looking at the three-meter-high vermilion iron palace gate, Yu Yan couldn't help but cheer with joy, her excitement overflowing.

Unlike Yu Yan's elation, Rong Yue's heart grew increasingly heavy. This door, seemingly a gateway to freedom and life, was in fact a death trap that locked away countless lives! The slightest mishap would mean their entire effort was in vain!

With a gloomy face, Rongyue's sharp almond-shaped eyes shot directly at Dongfang Lie behind her: "Go, have someone prepare a carriage!"

A fleeting, almost imperceptible glint of light appeared. He bowed his head and gave an order, after which a leading guard turned and hurried off to prepare the carriage. A moment later, a four-horse carriage was brought before Rongyue.

"Whoa—" The driver stopped the four horses from moving forward and held the whip, intending to hand it to Rongyue.

"Don't get down! Yes, you stay up ahead and drive the carriage! I'm warning you, don't try anything funny!"

She gave Yu Yan a wink, and Yu Yan immediately understood. After climbing onto the carriage, she helped Rong Yue carry Dongfang Yao up as well.

"Dongfang Lie, if you're smart, don't let your dog follow you! Once we're out of the capital, I'll return your imperial brother to you! Let's go!"

After neighing a few times, the horse immediately turned and galloped out of the palace, its hooves making a crisp, clattering sound in the silent night...

After pulling the flying needle from Dongfang Yao's neck, Rongyue immediately pressed his Jianjing acupoint, rendering him unable to move.

"You can't escape." He broke the silence in the carriage, his calm tone seemingly stating an objective fact without any emotion.

"When did you recover?" She didn't answer his question, but asked a completely irrelevant one.

A flicker of emotion crossed her beautiful eyes: "Thanks to you!"

"As expected!" Fortunately, the silly Yao-gege from before was real and had never deceived or hurt her...

"Do you know that? I hate you!"

He hates her? Suddenly, I want to laugh out loud. He's hurt her so badly, and she hasn't even said anything yet. What right does he have to say he hates her?

"Hate me?"

"Yes! I hate you! If you hadn't cheated on me, behaved so promiscuously, shamelessly seduced Chu Xuyao, and uttered so many cruel words that broke my heart, how could I have left the palace in the rain, how could I have been hit on the head by the carriage, and how could I have... recalled those filthy and shameful memories! Do you know that since regaining my memories, I have lived in guilt and unease every day, unable to eat or sleep properly! Every night I am plagued by nightmares, and my mother's inhuman cruelty has been eroding my heart, tormenting me to the point of unbearable pain! Every time I see my brother, my guilt deepens, and my pain intensifies! It's all your fault! You shattered my peace, stole my happiness, and brought me back from heaven to hell! Tell me, how can I not hate you!"

Hate me if you want, love me if you want to hate! Meeting Dongfang Yao's bloodshot eyes filled with resentment, Rong Yue hugged her knees weakly with both hands: "I don't understand, I made this escape plan almost flawless, how did you find out so clearly?"

The hatred in Dongfang Yao's eyes intensified: "Of course, it was your Huo Ming who first revealed his true colors..."

"Fire Nether?"