sovbooks Chapter 289 Liu Hongyan regretted it; she wanted to beg for mercy!
Chapter 289 Liu Hongyan regretted it; she wanted to beg for mercy!
A grand wedding?!
Empress Li Yang?!
Getting married soon?!
Her mind went completely blank for a moment!
Countless thoughts rushed past like a raging blizzard!
She originally thought that Qin Mu had used some means to control Empress Li Yang.
For example, poisoning, hypnosis, or coercion in some way.
She even considered the possibility that a coup might have occurred within the Li Yang Dynasty, leaving the Empress powerless and allowing Qin Mu to seize power.
But she never expected—
It was a wedding!
Qin Mu and Zhao Qingxue are about to get married!
What does this mean?
This means that the Li Yang Dynasty and the Great Qin Dynasty are about to merge into one!
This means that the alliance between the North and Liyang is completely null and void!
This means that His Highness the Crown Prince will face the combined forces of two powerful dynasties alone!
mean--
The North is isolated and helpless!
Liu Hongyan's body trembled violently!
The trembling started in her legs, spread to her waist and abdomen, to her shoulders, and to her hands!
She was like a leaf in the wind, swaying precariously!
The hand gripping the golden pillar turned white from the force, and the nails dug deeply into the already cracked relief!
She opened her mouth, as if to say something.
But it felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping my throat, and I couldn't squeeze out a single word!
Only those eyes were fixed intently on Qin Mu!
Stare at his smiling, composed face!
Stare at the half-smile on his lips!
That curve, in her eyes at that moment, was like a devil's smile!
Qin Mu's smile deepened as he looked at her.
He leaned slightly closer.
The voice was kept very low, so low that only the two of them could hear it:
"I'm still afraid—"
He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:
"After the news of my marriage to Empress Li Yang reached your son's ears, he dared not resist any longer."
Liu Hongyan's pupils contracted again!
Qin Mu continued, each word like a sharp blade tempered with ice:
"otherwise--"
He straightened up, stood with his hands behind his back, and his gaze fell on her face:
"What a show it would be if we got fewer of those?"
Upon hearing these words, Liu Hongyan felt as if all her strength had been drained away.
Her hand, which was holding Jinzhu's, slowly slid down.
Her body leaned softly against the pillar.
In those beautiful phoenix eyes, the anger, the shock, and the fear were all replaced by a deeper, more desperate emotion.
It was utterly cold.
Like the deepest icy lake in the North, it sank her completely to the bottom.
She finally understood.
Now I understand why Empress Li Yang is standing by Qin Mu's side.
He understood why he had been imprisoned in the dungeon.
I understand why all of this happened.
His Highness the Crown Prince knows nothing yet.
They were still plotting in the North, believing victory was assured.
They were still waiting for reinforcements from Liyang, believing their allies to be reliable.
Still there—
Liu Hongyan's tears finally welled up and spilled out.
Tears streamed down her swollen cheeks, over the bright red handprints, over the bleeding wounds, and dripped onto her lake-blue dress, spreading out dark stains.
She cried very softly, almost silently.
Her shoulders trembled violently as tears streamed silently down her face.
Those were tears of despair.
Those were tears shed for His Highness the Crown Prince.
Those were tears shed for the North.
Qin Mu looked at her like this and didn't say anything more.
He simply stood there quietly, hands behind his back.
The moonlight shone on him, making his pale figure stand out clearly.
Those deep eyes were now filled with a look of satisfaction and excitement.
Like a chess player who has finally completed the opening moves, admiring the chessboard as the game nears its end.
Outside the palace, the night was deep.
Moonlight is like water.
Inside the hall, the candlelight flickered.
Liu Hongyan leaned against the golden pillar and wept silently.
Zhao Qingxue stood aside, watching her like this.
In those deep purple phoenix eyes, the complex emotions surged even more violently.
pity.
mercy.
There is a deep, indescribable sorrow.
She knew that feeling all too well.
That was the despair of knowing the truth and having all hope shattered.
That was the deep-seated powerlessness that comes from realizing you're just a pawn.
That is--
She had personally experienced a feeling of being worse than dead.
Zhao Qingxue took a deep breath.
She turned around and looked out the window.
Looking out into the deep night.
In my heart, I silently said:
Liu Hongyan, I'm sorry.
this is the truth.
This is a world where the strong rule.
You, me, him—
They are all just pieces on this chessboard.
Only some pieces manage to survive.
Some pieces will be trapped on the chessboard forever.
You——
It's the latter.
The moonlight shone on her face, illuminating her stunning beauty with exceptional clarity.
There was no joy of victory in those deep purple phoenix eyes at this moment.
There was only a deep, complex calm.
In that tranquility, there was relief and resignation.
There's still a sliver...
Fortunately.
I'm glad I'm one of the former.
Seeing Liu Hongyan's expression, Qin Mu couldn't help but smile and said calmly:
"You are indeed a loyal man, so I will grant your wish. Drag it out, and behead you tomorrow at noon in the most bustling and prosperous market of the Liyang Dynasty's capital."
Upon hearing this, Liu Hongyan immediately raised her head, her heart trembling, her eyes filled with shock!
She leaned against the golden pillar with the dragon design, her body still trembling slightly.
That once beautiful face was now streaked with tears, flowing silently over the red, swollen wounds, bringing a burning pain.
But she couldn't care less about that anymore.
In his mind, only Qin Mu's words from just now were echoing wildly—
"Drag her away and execute her tomorrow at noon in the busiest part of the imperial city of Liyang."
Execute him.
Execute him.
These three words, like three thunderclaps, exploded in her mind one after another!
It blew her away!
It blew her apart!
Liu Hongyan's body trembled violently!
The trembling was even more violent than before, like a leaf falling in a gale, like a small boat in a raging storm!
Her hands gripped the golden pillar behind her tightly, her nails digging deep into the cracked dragon relief, a sharp pain shooting through her fingertips, blood seeping from between her nails.
But she couldn't feel it.
All she could feel was death approaching her.
Cold, merciless, and inescapable death.
She is not afraid of death.
From the day she began following the Crown Prince, she knew she could die at any moment.
The covert warfare in the North is always a dance on the edge of a knife. She has witnessed too many comrades die before her eyes and has personally sent too many enemies to their deaths.
She thought she was already prepared.
But when death truly arrived, when the words "Kill him" came from Qin Mu's mouth—
She was afraid.
I was so scared that I trembled all over, my teeth chattered, and I couldn't even stand up straight.
It's not because I'm timid.
It's not because it happened suddenly, but because it was too unexpected.
From being imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, to being brought to the Heavenly Revelation Palace, to seeing Qin Mu, to learning that Empress Li Yang was about to marry Qin Mu—
All of this happened too fast.
It happened so fast that she didn't even have time to react.
It happened so fast that she didn't even have time to think before she was sentenced to death.
Liu Hongyan's tears flowed even more fiercely.
On her swollen face, tears mingled with blood, dripping down her chin and onto her lake-blue brocade dress, leaving shocking dark stains.
But she didn't say anything.
She just bit her lip tightly, trying not to make a sound.
Because she is an envoy from the North.
It represents the Crown Prince's reputation.
Even in death, we must not lose the spirit of the North.
The thought echoed wildly in her mind.
It allowed her to retain a last shred of stubbornness amidst that extreme fear.
But just then—
Another voice echoed in her mind.
The voice was soft and faint, yet it burrowed into the deepest recesses of her heart like a venomous snake.
"What are you still insisting on?"
"His Royal Highness?"
"Can he still come to save you?"
"Empress Li Yang has submitted, and the alliance between the Northern Territory and Li Yang has been completely broken."
"His Highness is unaware of this news yet, and is still scheming in the Northern Frontier, believing victory is assured."
"How could he possibly come to save you?"
Liu Hongyan's body trembled violently once again.
The voice continued, each word like a sharp blade tempered with ice:
"Even someone like Empress Li Yang has submitted to Qin Mu."
"On what grounds do you continue to resist?"
"What makes you think you're stronger than Empress Li Yang?"
"What gives you the right—"
Liu Hongyan closed her eyes.
In my mind, two voices were fighting fiercely.
One said: "You are the envoy from the North, one of His Highness's most trusted men. Even death cannot betray you."
Another said: "Empress Li Yang has already submitted. What's the use of you, an envoy, resisting? Survival is the most important thing."
One said: "His Highness the Crown Prince has been kind to you; he saved your life. You swore that you would never betray him in this lifetime."
Another said: No matter how great the kindness, it's not as important as your own life. If you die, you'll have nothing left.
One said: If you betray, what will the world think of you? They will call you a traitor, a despicable person who sells out his master for personal gain!
Another said: If you're dead, what do you care what the world thinks of you? You have to live to have a future.
There were two opposing voices, and neither could convince the other.
It was just a frantic battle raging in her mind, giving her a splitting headache and pushing her to the brink of collapse.
Liu Hongyan bit her lip tightly.
My lips were bitten until they bled, and blood seeped out, flowing into my mouth with a metallic, sweet taste.
But she was completely unaware.
He just stood there, letting those two voices tear at his mind.
I don't know how much time passed.
It may be just a moment, or it may be a long time.
Liu Hongyan finally opened her eyes.
The stubborn light in those beautiful phoenix eyes was gradually fading.
Instead, there was a deep, almost resigned sense of powerlessness.
She figured it out.
Or rather, she finally admitted it.
Admit that you cannot resist.
Acknowledge that you are afraid of death.
Admit that you want to live.
This thought filled her with a deep sense of shame.
But that shame was quickly overwhelmed by an even greater fear.
because--
She was about to beg for mercy.
She had to beg for mercy from the man she had just glared at.
She had to be subservient to the man she hated so much.
Liu Hongyan took a deep breath.
The breath she inhaled, carrying with it the heavy atmosphere of the hall, made her feel a bit more awake.
She looked up.
Her gaze fell on the man who had just been standing in front of her.
It fell towards that moon-white figure.
Can--
She was stunned.
Because there was no one there.
Qin Mu is gone.
Beside the golden dragon pillar, there was only the golden brick floor bathed in moonlight, and a few cracked marks.
Where can you find him now?
Liu Hongyan's pupils suddenly contracted!
She turned her head sharply and looked around!
Behind the long table, there was no one.
The throne was empty.
The hall was completely empty.
Only she and Zhao Qingxue, who was standing not far away.
Qin Mu had already left sometime earlier, no one knew.
Liu Hongyan's heart sank to the bottom in an instant!
That newly mustered courage, that newly convinced resolve, that newly prepared plea for mercy—
Everything came to nothing!
She opened her mouth, wanting to call out to him, wanting to beg him not to leave, wanting to tell him—
But it felt like something was blocking my throat, and I couldn't utter a single word!
I could only watch helplessly as the empty space stretched out before me, and the moonlight spilled down upon it.
Endless regret surged forth like a tidal wave!