"That's true," Shen Taifei seemed determined to reveal everything. Today, she was different from her usual self. She was neither the devout Buddhist on the surface nor the calculating and despicable person inside. It was as if she had recalled something extremely wonderful.
"But isn't elder sister's current situation all self - inflicted? If it weren't for him, why would I have entered the palace as a concubine and plotted such a grand scheme?"
"What do you mean by that? Who is this 'him' you're talking about? Is it because of that person that you tried to harm the emperor?"
"Hehe, elder sister probably has already forgotten. Before you entered the palace as the queen, you were a well - known talented woman in Changjing City. At that time, the suitors almost trampled the threshold of the Shi family. Brother Luo was just one of them."
At this point, Shi Muyuan felt a bit muddled. She couldn't quite understand what Shen Taifei was saying.
Fortunately, Cui Qizhou was the first to react.
"A person with 'Luo' in his name and one of the suitors of the empress dowager back then. There can only be one such person, right?"
"Who?"
"Xu Luo, the son of the General Who Pacifies the Far Regions. He was almost about to take over his father's position, but suddenly jumped into the river and committed suicide. There's still no answer to this incident. It seems that Shen Taifei knows something."
As he said this, a fragment flashed through Shi Muyuan's mind, from the original owner.
Back then, that young general had privately approached her about their marriage. He had confessed his love to her sincerely. But Shi Muyuan had always kept in mind the teachings of her father and elder brother. She was destined to be the most noble woman in the Great Liang Dynasty, so she didn't agree to the young general's proposal. Moreover, she had reported the young general's private visit to her father and elder brother according to the rules.
As her thoughts slowly returned, even Shi Muyuan, who had traveled from modern times, thought that the original owner had done the right thing, although her words might have been a bit too direct.
"The young general's actions back then were inappropriate. I reported this matter to my father and elder brother. Was there anything wrong with that?"
"Sure enough, you always think of yourself as the high - and - mighty empress dowager. You never understand others' feelings. If it weren't for your harsh words back then, how could Brother Luo have chosen to end his own life? He was so young, with a bright future ahead."
Shi Muyuan twitched the corner of her mouth. She felt that there was something else in Shen Taifei's words. "Do you like him?"
When her feelings were exposed, Shen Taifei didn't show any panic. She no longer regarded herself as a concubine in the harem.
"So what if I do? Brother Luo is dead, and I must avenge him. Unless you end up being reviled by everyone and commit suicide, I will never let it go. Oh, it seems that you've already fallen to this state. Hahaha, I don't even need to go through all the trouble anymore."
Seeing Shen Taifei's crazy appearance, Shi Muyuan took two steps back.
"So this is the reason why you've been scheming against me all this time. You'll stop at nothing for the young general. I suddenly want to ask, did the young general have feelings for you?"
The smile on Shen Taifei's face froze. She became a bit flustered and finally turned her head to the side.
"What do you know? Brother Luo would have discovered my goodness sooner or later. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have died before he could discover my goodness."
Her eyes were blood - red, her expression ferocious, and her body kept struggling. If it weren't for the ropes binding her, she would probably break free quickly and then attack Shi Muyuan.
Seeing this, Shi Muyuan pursed her lips. "You're simply hopeless. This matter has nothing to do with me. If the young general couldn't even get over such a thing, I should be glad that I didn't entrust the safety of the Great Liang people to him. Otherwise, I might have been a sinner in the history of the Great Liang Dynasty."
These words completely enraged Shen Taifei. No one knew where she took out a dagger and stabbed at Shi Muyuan.
"Go to hell! Go and apologize to Brother Luo in the underworld! Only then can he rest in peace."
Shi Muyuan was stunned for a long time and just stood there in a daze.
Fortunately, Cui Qizhou pulled her aside in time and then kicked Shen Taifei.
To his surprise, Shen Taifei seemed to have learned some martial arts and was evenly matched with him during the fight.
The man frowned and carefully dealt with her.
Finally, after dozens of rounds of fighting, he found Shen Taifei's weakness and took the opportunity to attack, hitting a vital point.
Then, something even more surprising happened.
Shen Taifei didn't dodge at all and directly rushed towards the man's sword.
It was too late for the man to retract his sword. They could only watch as Shen Taifei's chest was pierced by the sword. Blood spurted out and soaked the man's robe, blooming bright red flowers on it.
After Shi Muyuan came to her senses, she quickly ran forward and shouted outside, "Call the imperial doctor immediately."
As soon as she finished speaking, her hand was grabbed by Shen Taifei. There was still blood constantly flowing from the corner of her mouth.
"Elder sister, there's no need. I'm fine like this. I've schemed against you for a lifetime for Brother Luo. In fact, when I went to Baotuo Temple, I really wanted to be nice to you. But it was destined that our lives would end in such entanglement. However, I never regret scheming against you for Brother Luo. If there's an afterlife, I'll definitely be your real sister and make up for all the debts in this life."
Shi Muyuan felt a mix of emotions in her heart and suddenly didn't know what to say.
"You're going to die before seeing me pay the price for your schemes. Aren't you willing?"
There was a relaxed and contented look on Shen Taifei's face. Perhaps she only showed such an expression when facing the young general in her life.
"I believe my schemes won't go wrong. If you can finally turn the tables, then it's your fate. In fact, I really believed in Buddhism, but I've stained my hands with too much blood in this life. I'm no longer worthy of that word."
She struggled to say the last three words, and then closed her eyes forever.
The young emperor happened to see this scene when he arrived. He had just received the news and originally wanted to come and check the situation, but unexpectedly, he faced Shen Taifei's death.
He had almost heard about the whole incident. However, everything has its cause and effect. Since things had come to this, he just hoped that his mother would live happily and not feel guilty because of Shen Taifei's matter.
"Mother, no one expected that the young general would end up like that. Don't take it to heart. Shen Taifei's ending was her own choice."