Huo Wei remained expressionless. With a hook of his foot, he kicked the long sword that Shen Guilan had thrown on the ground. The sword pierced into Murong Lian's throat, and blood spurted out, staining the light - yellow cloud - patterned carpet in the Zichen Hall.
Murong Lian fell straight to the ground. When he died, his eyes remained wide open. He could no longer utter a single word from his throat.
The timid clan elder began to plead for mercy. Huo Wei ordered his men to take the elder away as well, preparing for a secret execution.
Murong Min's face turned deathly pale. Stumbling, he retreated to the dragon throne and sat down. "Guards! Guards! Arrest Huo Wei!"
Huo Wei turned sideways. His deep, dark eyes were filled with killing intent. He walked slowly to the opposite side of the imperial desk, propping his body on his arms. "Do you think you're any better?"
Murong Min swallowed hard and roared at him. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were as deep as ravines.
"You're the son of Xie Jinyang. How can you sit on the dragon throne of the Murong clan of Northern Yan! Where are my civil and military officials? Where are my guards?"
Huo Wei took the imperial edict of succession that hadn't been stamped yet and held it over the candle flame. The silk cloth burned quickly and turned into ashes in no time.
He casually handed the Imperial Seal to Dugu Luanyue. "Keep it safe for me."
When Dugu Luanyue walked over and was about to take the Imperial Seal, Huo Wei suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her forcefully into his arms, holding her tightly.
"Murong Min, don't you think time is a cycle?
Your legitimate wife is now in the hands of the Xie family. Guess what will happen between me and your queen in the future?"
Murong Min stood up and tried to strangle Huo Wei's neck, but Huo Wei gently pushed him with his arm, and he fell heavily back onto the dragon throne.
Huo Wei tilted his head and kissed Dugu Luanyue on the cheek. With a victorious smile, he glanced at Murong Min.
"Huo Wei, I'll kill you! Dugu Luanyue, you slut! You only deserve to be buried with me for the rest of your life!" Murong Min still roared there unwillingly.
Dugu Luanyue knew that there wasn't much affection in Huo Wei's kiss just now. It was just an expression of his hatred.
She smiled. "I feel nauseous just looking at you, a heartless emperor who snatched the wives of court officials.
Time is indeed a cycle. The mistakes you made in the past have been judged by God.
Xie Jinyang never rebelled in his life, but the Xie family suffered so much injustice. So God gave the supreme power of Northern Yan to the only descendant of the Xie family and let him do all this."
Murong Min's mouth twitched in anger. His eyes bulged, and his body stiffened.
The imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital came to examine him and said that he had suffered a stroke and could no longer move his lower body.
Huo Wei didn't send anyone to kill him. He just let Murong Min stay in the Zichen Hall every day, spending the rest of his life in regret and anger.
When the two of them walked out of the Zichen Hall, Huo Wei raised his dark eyes and looked into the distance. He couldn't help but sneer. "My life has truly been a tragedy."
Dugu Luanyue felt sad in her heart and couldn't help but look at him with pity.
"I know you'll have to live with the name and identity of Murong Yao for the rest of your life.
Not being able to be a descendant of the Xie family will be a regret in your heart. But Huo Wei, the past is over. You have to look forward.
From now on, the Northern Yan kingdom will be in your hands. You can get everything you want."
Huo Wei lowered his black eyebrows and stared at her. "Will I have you?"
The corners of Dugu Luanyue's eyes turned red.
"You're destined to become the emperor of Northern Yan, and I'm destined to return to Southern Chu to inherit the throne. We're separated by a great distance, one in the south and the other in the north.
Huo Wei, forget about me. I'm not a perfect partner. There's more than just love in my heart. I also have my responsibilities."
Huo Wei scoffed. "You're beautiful, and you have beautiful ideas too."
He even threatened her.
"Do you think I've been holding back from touching you until now?
It's just because you're injured, and I'm afraid it'll hurt you.
Dugu Luanyue, stop lecturing me. Now that I'm in this position, I don't want to listen to life lessons!"
His eyes were just like before, looking like a man who had been hungry for years and suddenly saw a piece of sizzling, fatty pork.
It was already within his reach. How could he let it go?
Dugu Luanyue flung her sleeves and returned to the Fengluan Palace, starting to plan her departure from Northern Yan.
Now that Murong Min was completely under Huo Wei's control, Huo Wei would surely become the future emperor of Northern Yan. He was completely safe, and she was relieved.
Huo Wei was busy with state affairs. He quickly eliminated Murong Min's forces and cleaned up the court.
He quickly promoted his confidants and began to build his own political power. He also appointed Shen Guilan as the prime minister.
In the Eastern Palace, dragon - saliva incense was burning, filling the air with a rich and elegant fragrance.
Shen Guilan sat on one side, reading memorials. His eyes were almost worn out.
Huo Wei was lying on the couch, looking like a dried - up corpse with its soul drained.
Shen Guilan gritted his teeth. "Huo Wei, you should do these things yourself. I have a lot of work in the Central Secretariat!"
Huo Wei said calmly, "You're of the Murong family's bloodline. How about I issue an imperial edict to restore your identity and then give the throne to you?"
He had never had much desire for power. All he wanted was a simple, carefree life.
Shen Guilan looked up at him.
"Will the Wei family agree to this? The Wei family has put a lot of effort into you. How could they watch you not sit on the dragon throne? Besides, I don't have the surname Murong. I'm Shen."
He didn't want to admit that he was the descendant of a scumbag like Murong Lian. He would keep the surname Shen for the rest of his life.
Neither of them wanted to take over the dragon throne.
The imperial physician brought the decoction to soothe the liver qi. Huo Wei drank it every day.
His extremely handsome face looked lonely and desolate. After drinking the medicine, he finally uttered a few words after a long while. "She's leaving."
Shen Guilan sneered. "I knew it. You're so weak in love. Only the queen can make you so melancholy."
Dugu Luanyue had secretly found Shen Guilan once and asked him to help her leave the Northern Yan palace.
But Shen Guilan didn't dare to agree. He was afraid that Huo Wei would kill him.
At most, he had released Master Yanxu and Sheng Yunqi from prison. He didn't dare to get involved in other matters of love.
Meng Tan came into the study of the Eastern Palace to report. "Your Highness, Sheng Yunqi has been in the queen's palace for an hour and hasn't come out yet."
Huo Wei flipped off the soft couch. He pressed his tongue against his back teeth, his smile cold and cruel. "Sheng Yunqi, I'll kill you."
When he arrived at the Fengluan Palace, he didn't let the palace servants announce his arrival. He walked straight to the door of the inner hall. Sheng Yunqi's excited voice came from inside.
"Luanyue, as soon as I got out of the dungeon, I sent someone to Southern Chu to inform them that our plan has been completed and we'll return soon.
After we return to Southern Chu, we can start preparing for our wedding." Sheng Yunqi was overjoyed, his face full of anticipation.
But Dugu Luanyue didn't share his anticipation. Instead, she felt extremely depressed.
Once she left, she might never see Huo Wei again in this lifetime.
She was rational and knew her responsibilities, but her feelings had already been deeply ingrained in her flesh and blood and were hard to let go of.
Sheng Yunqi said, "Shall we set off tomorrow?"
Dugu Luanyue was silent. She wanted to say that she wanted to wait a few more days, but she didn't know what she was waiting for.
Huo Wei pushed open the door with one hand and stood in front of it. His fierce eyes glared at the two of them. "I think it's a good idea. How about I personally see you off on your journey?"