Chapter 754: Exile

Da Wo never imagined that he, kind-hearted and amiable, would still be willing to give He Ya another chance even after she had betrayed him.

In the end, he still had to die at this woman's hands.

For a moment he felt a stifling anger in his chest, and a mouthful of blood nearly spurted up his throat.

He felt a severe pain in his chest, as if someone had forcibly ripped out his heart.

He had invested too much feeling in He Ya; once he hunted a tiger and almost died in its jaws, finally dragging his exhausted wound back to the tribe.

Da Wo gave the tiger skin to He Ya, willing to die for her.

Yet she repeatedly cast him aside easily, and in that moment the greatest love was a dead heart.

Da Wo said nothing more, slowly closing his eyes, having lost all will to live; Gu Jiu Ling, who had just been about to speak but had hardly spoken before, shouted: "Come!"

Chen Wu heard Gu Jiu Ling's shout and stepped out from the crowd.

When Chen Wu stepped forward, He Ya's eyes flickered slightly.

She still thought Chen Wu would throw Da Wo into the well, and at that moment she secretly calculated, willing to add fuel to the fire.

She firmly insisted that she had never seen Da Wo that night.

Brother Chen Wu would also come early to marry her.

Unexpectedly, the Empress called Chen Wu's name; Chen Wu, whose face looked unpleasant, couldn't help but raise his hand and lightly pat Da Wo's shoulder.

"Brother is a good person, but your taste in girls is really poor."

"You clearly spent the whole night with this lady, painstakingly picking out her clothes and arranging her food, clothing, and necessities perfectly, yet she turned around and sold you out, and you still refuse to wake up."

He Ya had originally been smiling a little, thinking she would soon win Chen Wu's favor, but hearing these words from Chen Wu made her feel increasingly unpleasant.

He Ya's face changed instantly; she jumped to her feet, even forgetting she was before the imperial presence.

"You... what do you mean?"

Gu Jiu Ling coldly regarded her; these days, she and her pleasant demeanor, He Ya thought the Empress was someone she could manipulate.

This time Gu Jiu Ling sank her face, and a trace of killing intent emanating from her made He Ya feel a chill all over.

"What big gall, still thinking this is your tribe where you can act tyrannically with the chief's son—seize her!"

He Ya had already lost her composure by then, never expecting the situation to spiral out of control.

Yun Duo and the others pressed her down, forcing her to kneel; she hurriedly lifted her head and burst into loud sobs toward Gu Jiu Ling.

"Your Majesty, please decide for me… it's… this person," He Ya pointed at Chen Wu.

"He came to my tent, saying that Da Wo felt uncomfortable being favored before the Emperor, and insisted on fixing him."

"He threatened me, saying that if I didn't say this, he would kill me."

He Ya's expression finally shattered, and she panicked terribly.

Gu Jiu Ling laughed: "In this world, stupidity isn't scary; what's frightening is someone who is both stupid and evil—seize her."

Upon hearing Gu Jiu Ling's words, He Ya understood everything.

She realized she had been set up; seeing Chen Wu's complex expression, her heart skipped a beat—this was likely a scheme plotted by the Empress, and yet she had walked right into it.

At first He Ya thought the Empress was nothing special, so how did she win the favor of the Southern Qi emperor?

Only now did she truly feel that this woman was a ruthless and vicious mastermind.

She had only Da Wo left as a lifeline; she hurriedly crawled to his side, grabbed his arm, and begged through tears: "Da Wo, save me, please save me—I was forced into this, I was deceived into saying that. Don't you like me? If I die, won't you be sad?"

Da Wo lowered his head, like a statue, and gave a bitter smile.

"He Ya, how can you trample on others' sincerity like this?"

His voice trembled slightly; he could hardly go on, turning away and ignoring He Ya's pleas.

Da Wo took a deep breath and also realized it.

This was the Empress deliberately staging this play before him, so he could see clearly what the one he loved truly was.

Da Wo kowtowed to Xiao Yin and Gu Jiu Ling: "Your Majesty, Empress, she and I, a commoner, have lived in the same village for so long—please spare her life; from now on, we will part ways forever."

"He is still essentially good," Gu Jiu Ling sighed: "Forget it; since you've made your decision, we won't interfere. However, although the death penalty can be waived, the living punishment cannot be avoided—such a person of corrupt conduct cannot remain in my unit; Yun Duo, expel her."

He Ya cried until her voice was hoarse; Yun Duo and the others kicked her into the dark night with a single kick.

He Ya collapsed to the ground, still holding a few banknotes Chen Wu had just given her.

But in this desert, wolves roam; even with banknotes in her bosom, what could that do? She would still have to endure countless hardships to leave this place.

He Ya heard the wolves' howls rising and falling around her, her fear reaching its peak.

She felt utterly powerless, too frightened to cry, clutching the banknotes as she forced herself forward step by step into the depths of Mo Bei.

All she hoped was to escape alive this time; she turned to look at the distant camp, her eyes full of venom, and spat fiercely on the ground.

"Da Wo, wait for me; when I someday rise to prominence, I will surely make you regret it!"

But as soon as the harsh words hit the ground, the wolves' howls grew clearer.

He Ya could see the shadow of the lead wolf, gray and murky, rushing swiftly toward her.

He Ya screamed, panicked and bolted; the more she ran, the tighter the wolves pursued, and both wolves and woman plunged into the vast night, their whereabouts unknown.

In the tent, Gu Jiu Ling sat upright in the seat of honor, steadily gazing at Da Wo kneeling before her, then rose and personally helped him to his feet.

"No need to kneel; this time my plan was not disclosed to you beforehand—I merely wanted you to see a person's true nature, which cannot be fundamentally changed."

Da Wo's body trembled, and he slowly knelt: "Thank you, Empress."

After this ordeal, Da Wo finally saw He Ya's true face.

He felt immense gratitude toward the Empress and kowtowed again.

Gu Jiu Ling gave a few orders, then had her leave.

Having settled this matter, Gu Jiu Ling felt somewhat tired.

If it were someone else, she wouldn't bother with these trivialities, but the other party was her lifesaver, and this favor she could not fail to repay.

The curtain was lifted, and Xiao Yin entered, a fine pigeon feather still stuck to his wrist, walking to Gu Jiu Ling's side.

Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly stood up: "Your Majesty? You haven't slept yet?"

Xiao Yin grabbed Gu Jiu Ling's hand and sat down: "I know you're handling things; I've waited a while."

Gu Jiu Ling saw he had something to say, plucked the pigeon feather from his cuff, and played with it in her hand.

Have you passed the message to Zhao Lang?

Xiao Yin nodded, looked at Gu Jiu Ling: "I used to think Gu Kang and you were real siblings, so I never went all out; now I have no scruples."

He looked toward the window and said softly: "Some people, after sitting on the regent's throne for too long, really think it belongs to them."

It's time to end it.

Ding Ding Ding