Chapter 235 (1/2)
Chapter 235
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As the wind blew into the room, a piece of yellow paper was scattered on the ground. It was the paper in which emperors wrote their imperial decrees. Chu Qiao walked into the palace, stepping over that piece of paper. She looked at the shadow hiding behind the curtains calmly, saying in a heavy tone, ”I'm here to take your life.”
Zhan Ziyu laughed and replied in a calm voice, ”I didn't expect it to be you.”
”I never thought that our next meeting would be like this. You were a fallen man back then. To get to where you were in five years, it must have not been easy.”
Chu Qiao continued calmly with an expressionless look.
Zhan Ziyu laughed again and retorted, ”Are you trying to console me? It's not bad either. It's not easy to get praised by the famous General of Xiuli either.”
Chu Qiao maintained her calm demeanor and asked, ”Do you have any last wishes?”
A look of sadness flashed across Zhan Ziyu's face. He frowned and said indignantly, ”I do not feel fulfilled if I don't kill these hypocritical nobles of Tang.” He continued, ”General Chu, why can the Li family rule over this country, but not me? Didn't the Li family obtain this empire from the previous ruling family too? Why are they the righteous rulers of this country, while I am the rebel?” A proud look started to appear on Zhan Ziyu's face. He looked up towards the rooftop slightly, a look of ambition appearing on his face. ”Furthermore, I'm just taking back what the Li family owes me. What's wrong with that?”
Chu Qiao was unmoved as she continued to say calmly, ”That's your personal feud. It's none of my business.” She stepped forward slowly; the sound of her footsteps resembled the midnight drums striking as it reverberated around the walls of the palace.
”You killed someone that I treasure. I will kill you to avenge him.” As she withdrew her sword out of its sheath, it gave out a blinding silver glimmer which shone on Zhan Ziyu, projecting a white ray of light onto his face.
”What else do you have to say?”
”Let my sister go. She's just a woman. She did everything for my sake.”
Chu Qiao looked at him and remained silent for a long while as she started to feel a tinge of sorrow within her heart. The winds blew towards them from afar, tugging at their sleeves.
”Sorry, I can't do it.”
A gush of crimson-red blood splattered out onto Chu Qiao's black colored clothes, losing its red color as it seeped into the cloth.
Chu Qiao bent down and picked up the man's head on the ground. His jet-black hair was neatly combed; his complexion was fair. His expression was gentle, as if he had drifted off to sleep. Blood was everywhere near his neck, where his head had been severed. It was a gruesome sight.
Swoosh! Chu Qiao threw the head into the hands of another bodyguard and declared with a heavy tone, ”Hang the head onto the palace gates and let those soldiers from the Central Army see it.” As she finished her sentence, she walked out of Lingxiao Palace, got onto her horse, and ordered to the people on her left and right, ”To Roufu Palace.”
The moon had crept over the layer of clouds unknowingly, giving the landscape a desolate appearance. As Lingxiao Palace started to quiet down, the soldiers dressed in their body armor departed the palace, leaving only a heap of bodies behind. The crows in the sky let out their cries; their black wings appeared like the ensign of death. In that empty palace, the headless corpse sat upright on that golden chair, adding to the creepiness of the atmosphere.
The battle at Roufu Palace had ended by then. Tie You and Sun Di arrived together, bloodstains visible on their bodies, which showed the intensity of the battle earlier on. Chu Qiao jumped off her horse and said to Sun Di, ”It's been hard on you.”
Sun Di brushed it off with a laugh and replied, ”It's alright. It's just that the food in the palace sucked. I lost quite a lot of weight.”
”Miss, we have captured Concubine Zhan,” Tie You declared in a heavy tone.
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows and questioned, ”Is the emperor alright?”
Tie You mimicked her expression and replied, ”Just a few shocks here and there.”
”That's good.” Chu Qiao heaved a sigh of relief and continued, ”Why are you so glum then?”
”Empress Yuan has killed herself. When we barged in, she thought that we were Concubine Zhan's people. Before we spoke, she banged her head against the wall and died.”
Chu Qiao frowned tightly, not expecting the Yuan family to show such levels of cowardice. She had painstakingly paved an escape route for mother and son, but the mother had died just like that, without making a sound.
”Miss,” Sun Di stepped forward and declared with a heavy tone, ”the Zhan siblings assassinated the late emperor and colluded with other syndicates to plot against him as they coveted the throne. The evidence against them is here. We can reveal this to the world tomorrow and expose them for their crimes.”
Chu Qiao received the papers from him. It was just a few pieces of paper, but it felt unbelievably heavy as she held it in her hands.
”Let me out! Bunch of slaves! Let me out!” A heart-rending series of cries suddenly echoed out from the palace not far out. The majestic Roufu Palace had been reduced to ruins as the fire continued to ravage the building, leaving dust and debris everywhere in its trail. Zhan Ziming was wearing a bright red outfit as she struggled to fight her way out of the palace, with two servants blocking her way. Her eyes were bloodshot; her royal demeanor had evaporated.
When she saw Chu Qiao, Sun Di and the rest, she froze. Looking at Chu Qiao, she asked, ”Where's my big brother?”
Chu Qiao replied emotionlessly, ”Dead.”
It was almost as if Zhan Ziming had expected the arrival of this day. After a long while, she started to laugh bitterly. Her voice was resigned as the bright look in her eyes faded. She looked at Chu Qiao and asked calmly, ”You killed him?”
”Yes.”