Chapter 103: The Final Winner (2)

Yan Hongtian suddenly gave Yang Zhilan a meaningful look and asked with feigned distress, "By the way, according to Mother, other officials should not have any more objections, right?"

Yang Zhilan shuddered, gritted her teeth secretly, and finally replied with a smile, "The officials will only praise the Emperor for his wisdom."

Did she not know how fake her smile was? A fire rose inexplicably in his chest. Yan Hongtian suddenly slapped the desk and roared in a low voice at Dan Yulan, "The case is not yet concluded; Official Dan still needs to investigate thoroughly. I will definitely punish these rebel officials who stole from the national treasury and framed loyal subjects without mercy!"

Yan Hongtian's sudden outburst of anger was somewhat inexplicable, but as an official, he was already used to this. Dan Yulan bowed as usual and replied, "Yes."

"Withdraw." Waving his sleeves, Yan Hongtian stopped looking at them.

With fingers intertwined, the two walked through the night along the quiet bluestone path of the palace. The night wind blew through their hair, swirling and entangling. Holding that pair of slightly cool, slender hands tightly, Zhuo Qing felt her heart was full and warm at this moment.

"Xi Yan!" It turned out that whispering a person's name and having them respond to you immediately was also a kind of happiness.

Gently rubbing the back of her warm, delicate hand with his index finger, Lou Xiyan smiled slightly and whispered, "Qing'er, let's go home."

"Yes." Home!

The moonlight stretched their shadows very, very long. In the haze, the shadows seemed to overlap, making it impossible to tell if it was one person or two. Looking from afar, they seemed to be destined to hold each other's hands like this and walk on until the end of their lives.

Lou Muhai watched the two walking away together not far away, his heart trembling slightly. Was this the love that Xi Yan spoke of, where there was only one person in a lifetime? Perhaps he was right. That girl was barely qualified.

Watching the pair of lovers who seemed to have only each other in their eyes, it wasn't just Lou Muhai whose heart trembled; a sense of inexplicable irritability also rose in Su Ling's heart. Because at this moment, a beautiful shadow that would only cross fists with him flashed through his mind.

Outside the palace gate, four carriages were parked. Seeing their group come out, a petite but vigorous figure also darted out from beside the carriage. Walking to Lou Xiyan and Zhuo Qing, looking at their clasped hands and the happy smiles on their faces, Gu Yun let out a long sigh of relief and smiled, "Finally out. It wasn't in vain to act so hard."

Lou Xiyan nodded slightly at her and smiled, "Thank you, Miss Qing. No, I should call you sister-in-law."

This "sister-in-law" earned two eye-rolls from Gu Yun and Zhuo Qing. They weren't sisters, okay? And if one were to count age, Gu Yun was actually a few months older than Zhuo Qing.

Gu Yun waved her hand and laughed dryly, "No need for thanks. This was my first time acting, and I hope it's the last." Being able to see through other people's lies and telling lies oneself were two different things. She felt her acting was simply clumsy!

Glancing at her sideways, Zhuo Qing scolded in a low voice, "I also hope it's the last time. My shoulders were almost crushed by you!" This woman's grip was stronger than a man's; she had almost shed tears at the time.

Shrugging, Gu Yun replied, "I call that being dedicated!" Actually, it was nervousness. She rarely lied; if it weren't for Qing, she wouldn't have had the leisure!

Thinking of Bai Yi's eyes, which were hidden behind innocence, sinister and cunning, Gu Yun asked with some concern, "Are you sure that kid really returned to Liaoyue?" Don't let him hide somewhere in the capital and stir up trouble again.

Zhuo Qing's clear eyes lifted slightly, and she smiled lightly, "If he isn't stupid, he should already know he was tricked." A person as cautious as Bai Yi would definitely take away the paper he had written on. She wanted him to know he had been tricked. As long as he didn't return to Liaoyue for a day, they wouldn't be able to rest easy for a day.

"That's good." Since Qing said so, she must have foreseen it.

Zhuo Qing glanced at Su Ling behind Gu Yun and asked in a low voice, "Are you coming back to the Prime Minister's Mansion with me, or..." After all, Yun and Su Ling seemed to have argued very fiercely before. If Yun didn't want to return to the General's Mansion, she could stay with her, but she was afraid...

"She is a person of the General's Mansion!" Sure enough, before Zhuo Qing could finish speaking, Su Ling's arrogant eyes glared at her. Even in the moonlight, Zhuo Qing could deeply feel the chill, and the cold, stubborn voice also declared Gu Yun's destination.

After Gu Yun was stunned, she turned and jumped onto the Prime Minister's Mansion carriage behind Zhuo Qing, coldly throwing out a sentence: "Psychopath."

Although she didn't know what this meant, it definitely wasn't a compliment! Su Ling's expression darkened, and he actually followed her onto the carriage. Not long after, the sound of fists and kicks came from inside the carriage, and the small carriage body was kicked until it clattered.

Zhuo Qing said to Lou Xiyan beside her, "How about we walk back?"

Lou Xiyan raised his brows lightly, looking at the carriage roof that was about to be kicked off, and asked with some concern, "Is Miss Qing really alright?" General Su had never known how to cherish the fairer sex.

"This." After hesitating for a while, Zhuo Qing laughed dryly, "She should be fine."

Imperial Study

As the group left the Imperial Study, Yan Hongtian waved his hand, and the maids and eunuchs all retreated. The vast palace appeared even more empty and cold.

Yan Hongtian sat there with a gloomy face, indifferent, not saying a word. Yang Zhilan was somewhat at a loss, her heart hanging in mid-air, not knowing if he wanted to say something to her or just sit for a while. She had never understood what this son was thinking.

A quarter of an hour later, Yan Hongtian still hadn't spoken, but his expression was becoming increasingly gloomy. Yang Zhilan couldn't take it anymore, slowly stood up, and sighed in a low voice, "With such a thing happening today, the Emperor must be exhausted and agitated. You should rest early; I am also a bit tired."

Yang Zhilan walked to the center of the hall, and Yan Hongtian's cold voice suddenly came from behind: "Is this the only thing Mother has to say to me? Regarding today's events, does Mother have nothing to explain?"

Her feet stalled. Yang Zhilan turned around and replied perfunctorily, "This was a treacherous scheme by Liaoyue, first framing the Prime Minister and then framing me. It is truly abominable. What else do I need to say?"

"Is that so? I don't think so!" Yan Hongtian suddenly stood up and walked toward her step by step. In his low voice, besides the usual cold arrogance, there was more confusion and heartache: "Mother went to such lengths to do such a thing—is it to take revenge on the Lou family, or to take revenge on me?"

Her hands were trembling again. Yang Zhilan hurriedly put her hands behind her back and secretly adjusted her breathing for a long time before she could look back into her son's eyes: "I don't understand what the Emperor means."

Don't understand? Yan Hongtian sneered. She had already done it; was she afraid to admit it?

Yan Hongtian looked at this woman who only knew how to deceive and prevaricate with him and sneered, "The Lou family is an indispensable arm for the court and for me. When you did these things, did you ever think about the country and the people? Did you ever think about me? You are my birth mother. For many years, I have turned a blind eye to your actions. It seems I was wrong. If you hadn't indulged Hao in forming cliques for personal gain back then, how could he have reached the point of treason and usurpation later!"

It would have been better if Yan Hongtian hadn't mentioned Hao. As soon as he mentioned him, Yang Zhilan went mad. That was the pain in her heart that would never go away, tormenting her endlessly for years! No longer caring about her so-called status, she pointed at Yan Hongtian and roared, "Are you accusing me of failing to teach my son? Indeed, I really don't know how to teach sons, otherwise, I wouldn't have raised a beast who kills his own kin and is cruel and bloodthirsty!"

"Cruel and bloodthirsty beast?!" His head felt as if it had been hit hard, buzzing. The tightening of his heart was like being ruthlessly kneaded by a hand. There was no other feeling besides pain. Yan Hongtian suddenly burst into laughter. The woman in front of him pointing at him and calling him a beast was his own mother! This woman who indulged her younger brother and usurped the throne and killed her kin was actually his mother!

Good! Good! Yan Hongtian stumbled to the desk, supporting himself on the cold tabletop. The words he spoke were as hard and ruthless as the bluestone desk: "Since even my own birth mother evaluates me like this, I really must do something! Those officials who fanned the flames and helped the tyrant should all be executed for the crime of framing loyal subjects!"

Did she really think he didn't know she was secretly cultivating her own power in the court? The Yang family occupied almost a quarter of the court's positions. To make up for her pain of losing a son, he had been extremely tolerant of her, and the result was her calling him a beast!

Yan Hongtian's blood-red eyes and violent roar finally brought Yang Zhilan back to her senses. She had already lost Hao; if she even lost the Yang family, what would she have left?

"You cannot do this..." As soon as the words came out, Yang Zhilan realized how ridiculous she was. What was there that he couldn't do? He could even kill his own younger brother; what was there that he couldn't do!

Collapsing on the ground in exhaustion, Yang Zhilan said wearily, "This matter was all my idea and has nothing to do with others. As long as you spare the Yang family, do whatever you want." Even if he wanted her to die, it didn't matter. She just didn't want to be a sinner of the Yang family.

Yan Hongtian looked coldly at the woman kneeling on the ground. A few strands of white hair had already climbed onto her temples. Her beautiful face could not withstand the erosion of time, leaving behind traces of aging. The emptiness in her eyes made it seem like a body without a soul. What was he still fighting with her for?

Turning his back so as not to look at that face that made him both angry and sad, Yan Hongtian sighed in a low voice, "Mother has always liked to worship Buddha. Why not stay at the Qingcheng Mountain Imperial Mausoleum to guard the tombs and pray for peace of mind, and live a long life."

Yang Zhilan raised her head somewhat numbly, staring at that tall, cold back. After a long while, she finally stood up slowly, her voice filled with sarcasm, word by word: "Thank you, Emperor, for your grace!"

Yang Zhilan walked out of the Imperial Study step by step. The bright and glorious light gradually moved away from her, just like her life.

In September of the 134th year of Qiongyue, two major events occurred. The first: Northwest rebels colluded with Liaoyue to frame Prime Minister Lou Xiyan, but were finally exposed by Dan Yulan of the Criminal Justice Official. The rebels' treacherous scheme failed, and the Golden Case was settled. The second: The Western Empress Dowager took up permanent residence at the Imperial Mausoleum to guard the tombs and pray for the ancestors of the Yan family.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 104 =====