Chapter 723 – The Imperial Decree Arrives in the Snow (1/2)
Chapter 723 – The Imperial Decree Arrives in the Snow
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
(TN: Way of Choices will be on break from December 25th, 2017 – January 7, 2018)
Zhou Tong crawled and struggled his way through the snow, the coughs from his throat ultimately transforming into a sobbing cry.
”Save me…somebody save me…”
His earlier cries of misery and lamentation had truthfully been somewhat faked. However, as he moved from the underground Zhou Prison to the small courtyard which basked in sunlight and then to the avenue covered in cold snow, he had been constantly escaping, constantly pursuing hope, yet he was disappointed again and again. Finally, he began to feel despair, his will collapsing like a flood bursting through a dam.
He sobbed in pain, his tears washing away some of the blood on his face before being frozen by the cold wind into an unsightly paste on his face.
His sobs were as unpleasant to hear as the screeching of an owl.
As an official most renowned for his cruelty, Zhou Tong had never once pardoned this world, never once felt a shred of kindness for it, never saved this world even a single time. Thus, this world naturally treated him with absolute cold. It would not pardon him, would not save him. The lights of the Road of Peace gradually faded into the distance and his path forward was plunged into darkness.
Some estates had still left their gates open, the closest one being the Prince of Zhongshan's estate. In the brightly lit depths of the princely estate, the Prince of Zhongshan sat on a chair with a frozen pear in his hand. As he recalled Zhou Tong's miserable appearance outside his gate, he felt incredibly happy, and even the frozen pear tasted sweeter.
A subordinate at his side hesitated for a while before saying, ”This subordinate still feels this to be inappropriate.”
”What's inappropriate? I've long wanted to tear that old dog into shreds.”
After a pause, the Prince of Zhongshan added, ”And what Mo Yu said was reasonable. Whether there was affection there or not, that I was able to survive until today could only be a kindness.”
This subordinate was flabbergasted. He had not expected for the prince to truly be moved by Mo Yu's words.
It must be known that of the princes that had been living in the provinces and counties in the past few years, the one who lived the most miserable of circumstances was the Prince of Zhongshan. When compared to those princes of the other branch of the family that had been cruelly poisoned to death, he truly had survived, but he had been forced to eat shit and feign insanity…an even more horrifying fate than death.
”Does shit taste good? Of course not, but did you ever think, that woman back there was able to force me to eat shit; are you saying that she couldn't tell I was just feigning insanity?”
The Prince of Zhongshan expressionlessly said, ”She naturally knew that I was just pretending, but she did not expose me because she liked seeing me eat shit. But at the very least, she did not have me die, and compared to death, what does eating shit count for? As descendants of the Son of Heaven, which one of us isn't capable of eating shit?”
Each of the ten-some princely estates had their different reasons for closing their gates and shutting Zhou Tong out.
The most honest and cowardly of them all, the Prince of Louyang, was buried beneath three layers of blankets, on one side worried for his acquaintance Mo Yu's safety and one the other side silently cursing Zhou Tong.
As for the most experienced and knowledgeable prince, the most powerful Prince of Xiang, he wasn't even at home today.
The gate to the Prince of Xiang's estate was open, the young Prince Chen Liu standing in the light. His expression was calm with a tinge of anxiety.
Zhou Tong crawled past him and Mo Yu followed.
Prince Chen Liu ignored Zhou Tong and said to Mo Yu, ”It's just about enough.”
Mo Yu ignored him and continued to wield her sword as a whip, driving the blood-covered Zhou Tong forward.
At the end of the Road of Peace was a vast estate, decorated with particular care and luxury. Even the newly renovated estate of the Prince of Xiang could not match it.
This place was the home of the Tianhai clan, the most powerful clan on the continent in these past two centuries. The powerful figures of the Tianhai clan, such as Tianhai Chenwu and the other elders, would naturally not remain in the capital tonight for such a sensitive moment and had long since left for the manor on the outskirts.
Th gate was still open and brightly lit. Tianhai Shengxue stood under the light, wearing clothes whiter than snow.
Zhou Tong crawled past the gate, shooting a glance, his eyes filled with bitter resentment. However, he could not plead for rescue or curse. He no longer had the strength to speak.
A laugh like silver bells rang out, then gradually devolved into weeping.
The Princess of Ping was standing behind Tianhai Shengxue.
After the palace coup, she had been brought back to the Tianhai clan. It was said that after a time, she might be married off to Prince Chen Liu.
As she stared at Zhou Tong struggling through the snow, she gave a somewhat insane smile, her beautiful face covered in tears.
”You look a lot like a dog today!”
She called out to Zhou Tong, her words like a curse.
Tianhai Shengxue did not stop her, only held her shoulder to stop her from impulsively attacking Zhou Tong.
He looked at the blood-covered Mo Yu and very solemnly said, ”It's just about enough.”
His meaning was the same as Prince Chen Liu's.
Mo Yu was someone that the Imperial Court had to arrest, the number one person on their most wanted list.
Mo Yu still said nothing. When she returned to the capital, she had never had any intention of leaving alive.
……
……
Zhou Tong's mind was a blur; even despair and anger had already receded. At this final moment, there was only a question.
Why is no one coming to save me? Principal Shang only needs to move a finger and I'll live, so why do I have to die?
Just like those massive beasts living on the snowy plains of the north, as he sensed his impending death, he subconsciously went to the place he was most familiar with to wait for death to fall.
To Zhou Tong, the place he was most familiar with was naturally that small courtyard in the alley of the Northern Military Department, so he headed in that direction.
That place was actually very close to the Road of Peace. It was for this reason that he had been able to bring his subordinates to the Xue Estate so quickly when the funeral was being held.
However, when crawling across the icy street, this distance would become extremely long, and that was also with the occasional flashing of a sword glow behind him.
Mo Yu was still occasionally brandishing her sword. Every time it fell, it would cut away a piece of Zhou Tong's flesh.
Zhou Tong's blood had nearly run out, his howls of pain growing weaker and weaker until they dwindled into nothingness. Just like some insensible man of wood, he continued to crawl across the snow.
A crowd of spectators had appeared on both sides of the street. As they watched the blood-covered Zhou Tong being constantly hacked at and humiliated, their initial shock transformed into a sublime happiness. Every time Mo Yu slashed her sword down and cut away a piece of flesh, the crowd would cheer.