The setting sun cast its light like thick blood from a battlefield, spilling from the Chengqian Palace all the way into the Cuixin Hall. The shimmering rays enveloped this precarious imperial court. A sharp whistling arrow suddenly pierced the air from the city walls, instantly piercing Shu Bai's eardrums. She lifted her head to look westward—the setting sun hung like a disc, casting a bloody glow upon her porcelain-white forehead, faintly exuding a chill, much like the deepening dusk of night, making one's heart feel cold.
All the consorts of the palace had gathered here, the palace gates wide open, gold and jade vessels scattered across the floor. Dark cyan curtains danced in the wind, resembling spirit banners guiding lost souls. Gu Jin'an held a battle knife against a palace maid's neck, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed as he smirked mischievously and said, "Shu Bai, are you truly unwilling?"
More than ten palace maids and eunuchs lay haphazardly on the ground, all servants of Cuixin Hall. Shu Bai's face was pale, her cheeks tinged with blue, and her hands trembled slightly beneath her sleeves, yet she still clenched her lips tightly.
"Your Highness, Qin'er is not afraid." Tao Qin shook her head, forcing a faint smile onto her pale little face. Ignoring the blood-dripping knife at her neck, she bowed deeply, her head touching the ground. "I can no longer serve you, Your Highness. Please take care."
With a "whir," a line of blood shot into the sky. The sharp blade pierced through her chest, and Tao Qin's small body swayed gently before collapsing softly to the ground.
It was as if a giant club had struck Guan Shu Bai's head. A dull, heavy pain filled her chest, like a knife stabbing into her heart, twisting viciously and grinding relentlessly, shredding her internal organs. A metallic sweetness rose in her throat, her eyes bloodshot, nearly blinding her.
Gu Jin'an set down the knife, blood droplets sliding from the blade onto his boots. He stood deep within the hall, clad in dark cyan iron armor and a black cloak, his armor stained with blood. His eyes were icy and dark, fixed intently on her, devoid of any trace of the gentle elegance he once possessed. A smile played on his lips, but his eyes held no warmth as he asked, "Guan Shu Bai, do you want these people to accompany you in death?"
With a casual sweep of his battle knife, he pointed toward the numerous palace women behind him. The consorts, their hairpins askew and hair disheveled, panicked instantly. Consort Meng fell to her knees with a thud, trembling as she cried out, "Imperial Consort, save me!"
Consort Tian also wept bitterly, "Even if Your Highness pities us not, please have mercy for the Emperor's bloodline."
Princess Jinghe whimpered in her arms, her small face pale and blue. Her left hand was wounded by a stray arrow, blood flowing freely, yet she bit her lip hard, not daring to make a sound.
Her heart aching as if twisted, Shu Bai stared fixedly at Princess Jinghe's young face. Jinghe seemed to understand something, biting her lip as she stretched out her tender, pale hands, timidly tugging at Shu Bai's sleeve. "Noble Mother Rong, save Jing'er."
A wisp of white smoke curled upward from the incense burner, winding around the carved beams and painted rafters, meandering toward the dim sky. Shu Bai suddenly remembered that day, in this very room, after her miscarriage, overwhelmed with grief, he had placed that object in her hand and said, "I entrust my life and the fate of this nation to you. From now on, you must not only protect yourself but also protect me."Her breath caught, sharp as tiny knives scraping her throat. She brushed off Jinghe’s hand and bit down hard on her tongue, nearly vomiting blood. Instantly, a rebel soldier stepped forward, his blade slicing through the night air with a hum, severing the artery in one swift motion. Consort Tianshu stared blankly at Jinghe’s severed head in her arms, then let out a piercing shriek—a sound so agonizing, like a vengeful ghost crying for blood—that sent shudders through Shu Bai.
A collective gasp rose from the palace consorts. Noble Lady Chang screamed wildly, covering her head as she turned to flee, only for the guards at the door to hack off her legs. Blood splattered like a smashed melon, staining Shu Bai’s skirt in a vivid, searing crimson, hot as boiling water.
Consort Zhao stared wide-eyed, hand clamped over her mouth as if unable to believe the scene before her. She scrambled backward, muttering like a madwoman, "You’re all insane! All of you!"
"You vicious wretch!" Consort Tianshu’s eyes burned red as she sprang up, her blood-soaked hands clamping around Shu Bai’s throat. She snarled furiously, "Give me back my child! Give me back my child!"
Gu Jin’an’s brow furrowed coldly. His blade whistled through the air, and with a single cry, Consort Tianshu’s hands were severed at the wrists. She writhed on the ground, howling in agony. The onlookers recoiled in horror, retreating in chaos, stifling sobs behind their hands. Gu Jin’an brushed the severed hands from Shu Bai’s neck, drew a snow-white handkerchief from his waist, and gently wiped her clean. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "No wonder you refused to save them. They’ve been so cruel to you.
Fine, then. Let me help you rid yourself of them all."
A sharp slap echoed through the hall as Guan Shu Bai struck Gu Jin’an hard across the face.
He took a step back, unmoved, merely touching his stinging cheek before letting out a cold laugh.
Noble Lady Li, who had been standing at the back, could bear it no longer. She fell to her knees with a thud before Gu Jin’an, kowtowing as she pleaded, "Spare me, General! I know where the military tally is."
Gu Jin’an raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
Guan Shu Bai froze as Noble Lady Li replied, "I once saw Consort Rong hide it in—"
A final beam of sunlight broke through the clouds, its glare stinging their eyes. A woman in a bright yellow phoenix robe lunged forward, shoving Noble Lady Li to the ground. Rebels swarmed in, kicking and punching ruthlessly until they dragged the woman away. But by then, Noble Lady Li had a phoenix hairpin lodged in her throat. Blood foamed at her lips, her eyes rolled back, and after a few convulsions, she lay dead.
The Empress, struck in the chest by a rebel’s kick, spat blood from the corner of her mouth. Wiping it away with her sleeve, she said coldly, "Useless trash. Better off dead."
Several rebels surged forward, grabbing her by the hair and hauling her up. She lifted her phoenix eyes, her voice icy. "I am the Empress of Great Yan! How dare you treat me this way?"
Perhaps intimidated by her aura, the soldier released her and stepped back, only to feel humiliated and slap her hard across the face. Her teeth shattered, her cheek swollen, yet she stubbornly raised her head and declared to Guan Shu Bai, "Guan Shu Bai, if you hand the military tally to him, I will haunt you from the grave!"
Tears welled in Guan Shu Bai’s eyes as she turned. The Empress’s gaze burned into her, fierce as the midday sun in the height of summer. Suppressing the lump in her throat, she replied firmly, "Do not worry. I will not."The Empress gave a sorrowful smile, her gaze sweeping over the many consorts in the hall as she said calmly, "After all these years of contending with you, in the end, you are the only one I find agreeable. These cowards are utterly nauseating."
She turned her head and sneered at Gu Jin'an, "Do you think you've won?"
Gu Jin'an raised an eyebrow slightly, about to speak, when the Empress suddenly dashed her head against the pillar behind her. In an instant, white and red splattered everywhere, leaving a scene of chaos. Only her piercing final words still echoed in the hall, venomous as a vengeful ghost: "Gu Jin'an! You will surely die a wretched death!"
The night wind blew in, dispersing the stench of blood filling the room. Gu Jin'an gestured slightly, and guards stepped forward to restrain the palace consorts. Shu Bai felt only cold, a chill that seeped deep into her bones. Gu Jin'an stood amidst the corpses on the floor and asked with a smile, "Shu Bai, do you love him so much that you're not even afraid of death?"
Shu Bai's eyes were dark and somber as she lowered her gaze to the tips of her shoes. Blood crept up from beneath her feet, scalding hot. Gu Jin'an's voice turned cold, tinged with a mocking sneer, "You love him so much, but are you certain he feels the same? The affections of an emperor—how much is real, and how much is false?"
Shu Bai lifted her head, her gaze sweeping past his armored cloak, her expression icy and aloof. "The victor becomes the king, the loser a bandit. There's no use in saying more, Gu Jin'an. I have fallen into your hands today, so do as you will—kill me or cut me to pieces. If you think you can obtain the Yingtai military tally from me, I advise you to abandon that hope now."
Gu Jin'an laughed heartily, shoving her to the ground as he stared coldly at her. "Fine, I won't kill you. I'll capture him and make you watch as he meets his end."
He sheathed his blade and strode away, heading toward the dark palace gates. The deep night was as black as ink, and the towering palace had fallen into a sea of flames. Fires blazed near and far, like ferocious beasts emerging from the depths of the earth, wreaking havoc and flaunting their dominance on this night of demons and monsters.
Guan Shu Bai sat in the pool of blood as rebel soldiers swarmed to bind her. She turned her head and saw someone dragging the Empress by the legs, stumbling and staggering as they made their way out. The once most noble woman still stared wide-eyed, her head covered in congealed blood, her hair sullied with grimy dust, ashen gray like the frost beyond the frontier.
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