Jeune Premier ministre, un ermite

Chapitre 144

Upon hearing this, Nangong Que stepped forward. “Fourth brother, don’t get agitated. The others are dead, but we managed to save one of them. Although he is of no use to us, he must be of a different meaning to you.”

As soon as Nangong Que finished speaking, Gongsong Gongzan pulled a man out from behind him. "I heard he's your male concubine? You must love him very much. He's useless to us. Come and replace him." He pushed the man forward forcefully.

The man, with his hands clasped behind his back, stumbled forward and fell flat on his face.

"He Lu—" Wei Zijun cried out, her heart aching yet filled with joy. He was still here, still here… That's wonderful, she couldn't lose him again, she couldn't lose any of them.

Yes, He Lu won't die. She's confused because she's too worried and lost her senses. They know about his relationship with her and will definitely use him to control her, so why would they let him die?

Although his hair was disheveled, and he had lost all his former noble elegance, and his snow-white clothes were stained with blood, he was still alive, and that was enough. Tears welled up again, but she tried her best to hold them back, forcing back the tears.

"Wei Feng, come here, come and take his place. Otherwise, he will die a miserable death right in front of you." Gong Song Gongzan lashed out with his long whip at He Lu's back, instantly tearing his white robes to shreds, the blood-stained pieces fluttering wildly in the wind. With a flick of his wrist, a dozen men in black robes surrounded He Lu, kicking him viciously in the head and back.

"Stop—" Wei Zijun cried out in anguish, urging her horse forward at full speed.

Geshufa, who was behind her, spurred his horse to catch up quickly and grabbed her arm. "You can't go. If you go, what will become of these troops?"

“Geshufa, go back and tell them, tell Tangpang and Emperor Dayu, that no one is allowed to withdraw their troops. There is nothing left to threaten us. You must keep fighting, until you crush Tibet and make Songtsen Gampo a slave of our Western Turks.”

She knew that if she went, they would use her as leverage to blackmail Li Tianqi, forcing him to withdraw his troops, rendering all their past efforts futile, and causing the Western Turkic warriors to die in vain. Perhaps one day, they would even use her to attack Tibet and Dayu; once she fell into their hands, she would become the Achilles' heel of both the Western Turks and Dayu. But how could she let them succeed? She would rather die than fall into their hands.

“Geshufa, go back and tell them not to listen to any of their threats, because I will never live to be used as a bargaining chip to blackmail you.” She forcefully shook off his hand and spurred her horse toward the Tibetan army.

Seeing Gongsong Gongzan lashing Helu's back again and again, and the feet of those people trampling on him, each stomp and each lash felt like a blow to her heart. She ran quickly, then leaped into the air, throwing herself onto the people on the ground without a second thought.

She covered him tightly and embraced him in her arms.

Her embrace—the selfless embrace that opened for him when he was poisoned, the embrace that held him when he was lonely—this time, she embraced him again, with endless guilt, with a death wish, with her warmth and tenderness…

The whip did not fall again, nor did the men's feet. She hooked her arms around his neck, as she always did, and gently kissed his bloodied cheek.

"He Lu, I'm sorry," she murmured.

“Wind, hurry... leave this place, hurry—” He Lu weakly raised his head, his worry and anxiety giving him strength, “Hurry, go and continue your grand plan to wipe out the Tubo, don’t worry about me, hurry—” He shouted out the last sentence with worry and anxiety.

"Look at you," she smiled gently. "Shouting like that, so unromantic. Didn't you want to hear 'I love you'? I'll tell you." She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I love you—"

Whether it was out of emotion or to offer comfort, this was the last chance, and she didn't want him to have any regrets in his life.

Instantly, large tears rolled down He Lu's cheeks as he trembled and reached for her lips.

She lowered her head, sealed his lips with hers, and kissed him passionately, then whispered in his ear, "Forget me—protect the Western Turks—"

She leaped to her feet, scooped up Helu, and handed him to Geshufa, who had followed her. "Take him back," she said, her tone cold and brooking no argument.

Geshufa supported Helu without moving.

"Take him back." She repeated, her sharp aura pressing down, her tone growing increasingly cold. Geshufa's eyes turned bloodshot, and he turned away fiercely.

"No—" A scream burst from his chest, blood seeping from He Lu's lips. "Don't let me leave, no—no—Feng—don't leave me—" No matter how much he screamed and cried, he was still being pulled away. He looked at her, filled with endless pain and despair. His cries came from his entire body, tearing his face apart, but she was still getting further and further away...

“What deep affection you have for me.” Nangong Que sighed. “Fourth brother, we will not harm you in the slightest. We only want the Four Garrisons of Anxi of the Western Turks, and also, to take back my Tuyuhun from Dayu.”

With a wave of his hand, several men in black robes approached Wei Zijun. "Of course, don't even think about running away, because your skill is inferior to mine. Besides, I don't need to lift a finger; my guards alone are enough to kill you." He pointed to the guards beside him.

Wei Zijun glanced at him indifferently, remaining silent. The men in black quickly approached, holding short swords to her neck. She cooperated, not moving. Seeing this, the men relaxed their guard slightly. Just as they reached up and grabbed her wrists, attempting to control her pressure points, Wei Zijun suddenly spun around and leaped up, snatching the short swords from her neck before they could react, and flew straight towards Nangong Que.

Everyone rushed forward, all their attention focused on Nangong Que, but Nangong Que remained unmoved.

However, at that moment, Wei Zijun did not thrust the dagger she held toward Nangong Que, but instead suddenly threw it toward Gongsong Gongzan. The flying knife, imbued with resolute force and immense internal power, flew toward Gongsong Gongzan with no chance of dodging. Completely unprepared, Gongsong Gongzan only realized what was happening when he watched helplessly as the flying knife pierced his chest.

The Tibetan army was thrown into chaos. Gongsong Gongzan fell backward from his horse.

Just as everyone was looking at Gongsong Gongzan in surprise, a soft sword suddenly sprang open, and with that dazzling brilliance flying straight towards Nangong Que.

Nangong Que stared fixedly at her thrusting soft sword, not moving. He merely smiled, admiring the fleeting figure as it flew towards him… He didn't need to intervene, because the guards on either side of him had already simultaneously unleashed palm strikes imbued with internal energy towards her. If she didn't dodge, her meridians would be severely damaged, and she would die instantly. According to the conventions of martial artists, she would surely spin to avoid the attack and then strike from the side.

However, to everyone's surprise, she didn't dodge. Instead of dodging, she charged straight at the powerful palm strike, flying directly towards Nangong Que. Several loud thuds rang out, but she persisted, piercing through the palms and layers of gusts of wind, determinedly thrusting her sword into the chest of the astonished Nangong Que.

Everything happened in an instant, without time to dodge, without time to think, without even time to see clearly, it just happened like that...

The two of them fell backward together, and blood kept gushing from Wei Zijun's mouth.

The Western Turkic army was in turmoil.

"Wind—" A desperate roar came from the other side. The man dressed in snow-white coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground... His face pressed against the cold grass. He stared intently in the direction she had fallen, staring intently, until he slowly closed his eyes...

I love you so much that I forgot to wake up.

I'd rather close my eyes.

Let me sleep forever and never wake up...

If you weren't in this life, what would be the point of me staying...? I might as well go to sleep... and fall asleep forever... never to wake up again...

The spring breeze swept across the grassland, causing Wei Zijun's hair to dance lightly.

Pressed beneath her, Nangong Que locked his gaze on her face, revealing a serene smile.

"Here's your gift back." Wei Zijun's pale hand still gripped the soft sword tightly as he continued to slash upwards with force.

Nangong Que chuckled, "You're so ruthless... I'm already doomed... no need to cut anymore..."

She finally ran out of strength. In fact, she had no strength left after enduring those blows, but she managed to pierce his chest with her unique willpower. No wonder he was so surprised.

The blood seemed to have dried up. She struggled to wipe the blood from her lips with her sleeve, hoping to die gracefully. Such a proud person wouldn't want to die a gruesome death with her mouth full of blood. Wiping away the blood, she weakly lowered her head, her face pressed against his.

Nangong Que struggled to lift her head and looked at the face above her. Her face was pale and tired, yet breathtakingly beautiful.

"I've heard that if two people who are about to die kiss each other and let their last breath merge into each other's, they will be husband and wife in the next life." He leaned close to her still bright red lips and kissed them.

She was powerless to resist, powerless to dodge. The world receded into the distance, the sound of the wind faded into the distance, and his voice in her ears faded into the distance... as if it came from the distant horizon...

"Come with me...to hell...to be a couple without regrets..."

Volume 3, Dayu Chapter 132: Heartbreak

The bright, radiant spring sunlight streamed through the open window, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor. The person who had been in a deep sleep kept murmuring, "Zijun...don't go...don't leave me..."

He dreamt of her, the elegant woman in her finest attire, her smile radiant. She came to see him and said, "Second Brother, take care. Get well soon and continue to annihilate the Tubo. I will repay the debt I owe you in the next life."

She looked at him and smiled, her smile as bright as the sunlight streaming through the window.

Then she turned and left. In that moment, his heart felt empty. He wanted to grab her, but he couldn't. "Zijun, don't leave me, don't leave me—"

Her gentle glance back gave him a radiant smile. In that instant, countless moments rushed by, and memories of the past surged forth. All her deeds, each and every one, from the beginning in Lucheng, step by step—his teasing of her, his hurt to her—she resolutely shouldered the burden, without complaint or regret, she never uttered a single word of complaint, she kept giving...

He once wanted to protect her, to imprison her; he sent troops to reclaim her—all stemming from his selfish love for her. But he realized he had never taken any responsibility for her; he had only burdened her, simply because she was a man, and the man he loved. He inflicted such pain upon her, unaware of the immense pressure this woman's delicate body had endured. Yet she never complained. She silently bore everything, accepted everything, and gave everything, never uttering a word of complaint…

"Zijun—don't go—" he cried. Her face faded into the distance, like the wings of a butterfly fluttering away, leaving only a shimmering patch of sunlight...

"Your Majesty—" Hearing the struggling cries of the person on the bed, Miaozhou rushed in, "Why are you sitting up? Lie down quickly."

"Miaozhou, where is Zijun? Why didn't she come to see me?" Li Tianqi asked anxiously and fearfully, a gaping hole in his heart growing ever larger. He truly felt her departure. In the past, whenever he thought of her, he only felt heartache, and although it hurt, it was real. But he had never felt this way before—this feeling of a gaping hole being ripped out of his heart, as if a piece of his most cherished flesh had been lost.

"Where is Zijun? Where did she go?" That feeling grew stronger and stronger, as if the whole world had emptied out. The bright sun outside the window was no longer dazzling; it just felt unusually blinding, making one's heart race with unease.

"She's asleep," Miaozhou said as calmly as possible.

"No, that's impossible. Although she's usually a heavy sleeper, she always gets up very early when there's trouble. She never sleeps in on the battlefield. Tell me where she is? If she's here, why didn't she come to see me?" No one knew her better than him. On the battlefield, she would even stay up for several nights without sleep. Such a lie couldn't fool him.

"She is discussing the enemy situation with her generals." Miao Zhou had no choice but to continue giving evasive answers.

"I want to see her, I have to see her." He struggled to get down.

Miao Zhou finally sighed, "She went out to find General Zuo Xiaowei. I just heard that General Zuo Xiaowei led men to raid the camp last night."

She went to see that person? Instantly, her heart began to pound wildly. "No, Miaozhou, something happened to her, something must have happened to her, quick, I have to go find her."

Miao Zhou's heart skipped a beat. Would something happen to her? Was the unease that had started when she left because of her?

"Your Majesty, you can't go. I'll go find her." Miao Zhou's expression gradually lost its usual indifference, and a trace of anxiety crept up.

But how could Miaozhou stop him from being anxious? Just as the two of them were about to set off with their guards, they happened to encounter several soldiers carrying the unconscious Helu back.

"Where is your Khan?" Li Tianqi asked abruptly.

The soldiers were stunned at first, then tears welled up in their already red eyes. "The Khan... he might already be gone..."

At that moment, Li Tianqi swayed slightly. He glanced at the unconscious He Lu and seemed to understand everything.

In an instant, everything in heaven and earth fell silent. A trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his frail body swayed uncontrollably, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Gone? What does that mean? No, impossible. His Zijun is invincible, never defeated. How could she possibly be dead? Impossible.

"Your Majesty—" a group of guards cried out and rushed forward to support him, but he forcefully shook off their arms. No, he couldn't fall. He struggled to straighten his almost broken body; he had to find her, to bring her back…

The grasslands in spring are gentle yet magnificent, with the distant Lake Tarecuo a deep blue, intertwining with the Balinggangri Mountains to create an unconventional and breathtaking landscape. A hundred thousand Western Turkic troops have gathered here, surrounding the Tibetan city of Tarecuo, their fierce eyes fixed intently on the city gates.

She was taken away. That boy, as gentle as water and as resolute as ice, was taken away by the Tibetan army. When Gongsong Gongzan clutched his chest and got up from the ground, when the Western Turkic army rushed forward out of control, when Gongsong Gongzan drew the short knife from his chest and held it to her neck, even though her body seemed lifeless, the Western Turkic army stopped. They held only the hope that she might not be dead yet. Being taken away alive was better than dying completely in front of them.

"You must heal him—" Geshufa roared at Gongsong Gongzan, his eyes bloodshot. "Otherwise—I will make you wish you were dead—"

She was taken away right in front of the army.

The soldiers with bloodshot eyes followed in unison.

The vast grassland returned to tranquility, leaving only the lonely figure of the man lying there. The wind blew Nangong Que's hair, and his face remained exquisitely beautiful, now with a touch of serenity, like a person who had traveled a long way and finally found a home for his soul. However, his grand plan to restore Tuyuhun had ultimately failed. The name Tuyuhun, along with its prince, had vanished forever into the vast grassland and into the long winds of history filled with the smoke of war.

The Western Turkic army followed closely all the way to the city of Tarecuo, where 100,000 warriors stood motionless outside the city.

“If you dare to take a step forward, I will immediately hang your Khan’s corpse on the city gate.” Gongsong Gongzan looked at the dark mass of heads and the sorrowful, hateful eyes, and a sense of fear rose in his heart.

One hundred thousand troops, not moving an inch.

Armored and gleaming, with blades gleaming, they stood guard over their Khan, protecting her body. Even if they didn't know whether she was alive or dead, they would not allow the enemy to harm their Khan in the slightest. So they expressed their determination in this way, putting pressure on Gongsong Gongzan. If anything happened to their Khan, their iron hooves would mercilessly trample Tarecuo to the ground.

However, just as the Western Turkic army was stubbornly waiting, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar. The sound grew closer and closer, the roar gradually increased, and the earth began to tremble. A cloud of dust billowed up behind them. Geshufa saw the Tibetan banner, the banner of Songtsen Gampo's personal expedition.

Songtsen Gampo has arrived! They must retreat, otherwise, the enemy will attack from both sides, and the consequences will be unimaginable. Geshufa shouted, "Retreat!" This decision was difficult to make, but his years of service by Wei Zijun's side had taught him to prioritize the overall situation. He knew that if she were there, she would not tolerate him causing unnecessary losses to the army, so he made this decision with a heavy heart.

The army retreated quickly, and the Western Turkic army encountered Li Tianqi and Miaozhou, who came galloping with a group of guards. At that moment, the Western Turkic army was like children who had just lost their mother seeing their father. They were almost in tears. Without hesitation, they followed Li Tianqi back to the city of Tarecuo.

The two armies faced each other, one inside the city and the other outside; the two kings faced each other, one on the city wall and the other below.

The Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, who once went down in history and claimed to be an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, walked slowly towards the city wall. His head was wrapped in a red silk scarf, with an image of Amitabha Buddha on top. He wore a white woolen robe, a half-moon shaped colorful satin cloak, pointed flower boots, and a gold-embroidered sword at his waist. He had thin eyebrows, long eyes, and a mustache, exuding a heroic and martial aura.

He looked directly at the haggard-looking man below and said, "I have long admired the Emperor of Dayu for his bravery, martial prowess, and skillful governance. It is an honor to meet you today. It is a pity that you are not here as a guest, otherwise I would have treated you well."

All conversations were meaningless at this moment. "Where is the Western Turkic Khan?" Li Tianqi's voice trembled. Where was she? She must not die, she must not die, Zijun, I won't let you die, you can't abandon me.

Songtsen Gampo laughed loudly, "Your Majesty, shouldn't I be more attractive than the Western Turks?"

"Where is the Western Turkic Khan—she?" His battered body seemed to have reached its limit. He wanted to cry out loud. The hole in his heart was growing bigger and bigger, almost devouring his entire heart. "Hand her over, and I will withdraw my troops immediately."

"Retreat? Retreat to where? To Supi? To Xiangxiong? Or withdraw from my Tibet?" Songtsen Gampo laughed sarcastically.