It was June, yet small snowflakes suddenly began to flutter from the sky.
Outside, the clanging of the cavalry's weapons of the Marquis of Dingbei resounded. The friction of iron helmets mingled with the hoarse and low bugle calls, echoing in the vast Shanhe Hall for a long time. However, the person on the throne turned a deaf ear and sipped his wine on his own.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" A eunuch scurried in, sweating all over and trembling. With a "thud", he knelt in front of King Xia Li. "The Marquis of Dingbei has invaded the palace! Your Majesty, flee quickly!"
"Flee? Hehe..." King Li, Xia Chuli, suddenly let out a strange laugh. Ignoring the shivering eunuch, he suddenly stood up, took a few steps forward, walked towards the concubines kneeling on the steps, reached out and grabbed the collar of a woman, dragging her towards the dragon throne on the steps.
The woman struggled, her shrill screams echoing in the huge Shanhe Hall for a long time, creating an eerie and terrifying illusion.
Xia Chuli plopped down on the dragon throne, pulled the woman onto his lap, and directly tore open her clothes.
The woman let out a scream, but Xia Chuli grabbed her neck. Extreme suffocation made her body tremble violently. She twitched a few times and then could no longer make any sound.
The women below the steps showed terrified expressions in their eyes. They trembled, lying on the ground, not even daring to cry out loud.
"Where should I flee?" Xia Chuli reached out and casually stroked the dead woman's body. He said in a voice as if he were flirting with his beloved concubine, "Tell me, where can I run?"
"This... this..." The eunuch trembled all over, too scared to say a word.
"There's nowhere to run..." Xia Chuli leaned close to the dead woman and murmured like a lover.
Immediately afterwards, he let go of his hands as if discarding something filthy. The lifeless body rolled down his tilted legs and along the steps, coming to a stop in front of the women.
"Ah..." The women suddenly let out a series of screams. But Xia Chuli seemed to enjoy it. He reached out to pour himself some wine, held the three - legged goblet in front of his mouth and sipped it slowly. His eyes were slightly curved, and his somewhat evil eyes stared motionlessly at the open door of the Shanhe Hall, as if waiting for someone.
"Clang!" A sound of something being smashed came from afar, followed by the noisy hubbub. Amid the chaotic sounds, there was a rapidly approaching footsteps. The steps were heavy and powerful, and they directly rushed to the door of the Shanhe Hall.
Xia Chuli reclined on the dragon throne and slowly raised his eyes. He saw Lu Yan wearing a black armor, stained with countless bloodstains, whether his own or others'.
His face was gloomy, like a ghost climbing out of hell, making the people in the hall tremble with fear. What was even more terrifying was the person in white clothes in his arms.
It was Shen Qingfeng, who had died many days ago, personally sentenced to death by Xia Chuli.
After breaking through the palace gates, Lu Yan didn't directly head for the Shanhe Hall. Instead, he first went to the Qifeng Hall and brought out Shen Qingfeng's body!
Everyone in the hall was shocked. The next second, the black - armored cavalry filed in, suppressing everyone in the hall, leaving only the emperor sitting crookedly on the dragon throne.
Xia Chuli stared intently at the person in front of him, but it wasn't Lu Yan. The complex expressions in his eyes were all reflected on Shen Qingfeng's pale and lifeless face.
It had been a long time since he had taken a good look at Shen Qingfeng's face. People all described Shen Qingfeng as ruthless and extremely vicious, a loyal lackey of the royal family, so much so that almost everyone forgot that he was actually extremely good - looking. When expressionless, he was like a quiet white lotus. With a slight turn of his eyes, he could easily captivate everyone. He truly had a face as elegant as his name.
Once, Shen Qingfeng didn't hesitate to show every frown and smile to Xia Chuli. But now, his face was pale, and he was lying silently in Lu Yan's arms.
Xia Chuli felt a sudden twinge in his heart for no reason.
"I'll avenge you." Lu Yan suddenly lowered his head and whispered something in Shen Qingfeng's ear. The voice was lingering and gentle, with a tenderness that didn't match the Marquis of Dingbei.
Then he walked to a dragon pillar, gently placed Shen Qingfeng on the ground, and used the dragon pillar as a support so that Shen Qingfeng seemed to be sitting on the ground, his paper - pale face facing Xia Chuli.
Xia Chuli stood up stiffly. He watched Lu Yan, who also slowly stood up and walked towards him with a sword in hand, his eyes wide open.
Xia Chuli had seen all of Lu Yan's actions. He saw the corners of his mouth twitch a few times, and then he suddenly burst into a terrifying laugh. "Hahaha - Uncle, Uncle. You actually like him!? How ironic!"
Lu Yan's face was gloomy and terrifying, like an avenging ghost. The long sword in his hand dragged on the ground. The hard blade rubbed against the bluestone floor, sparking terrifying metal sparks.
Xia Chuli didn't care about Lu Yan's killing intent at all. He almost laughed himself out of breath. Covering his stomach with one hand, he let out a crazy laugh. "I don't know who refused the imperial marriage back then and even drove the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict out of the mansion! Lu Yan! You coward! He never liked you until his death -!"
"It doesn't matter." Lu Yan's voice was as cold as biting frost. He walked up to Xia Chuli step by step and held the long sword above his head.
Although Xia Chuli knew that he was doomed to die, who could calmly accept their own death? He took a few steps back and fell back onto the dragon throne. He shouted crazily, "Lu Yan! You useless fool! You hid in the Northern Capital when Shen Qingfeng was alive. Now that he's dead, what are you coming back for!?"
"I thought you would treat him well. But I was wrong." Lu Yan stared directly into Xia Chuli's eyes, making Xia Chuli tremble all over. "You killed him. I'm here to avenge him!"
Xia Chuli's eyes widened in horror!
"You -" Before he could finish his words, Lu Yan swung his sword down. The hot blood instantly stained the entire dragon throne red.
The fatuous king, King Xia Li, was beheaded on the spot by the Marquis of Dingbei. The regime of Li Xia changed, and history was rewritten with a bold stroke.
After that, when the cavalry withdrew, no one knew that the Marquis of Dingbei, known as the Cold - faced Hades, cried bitterly in the empty Shanhe Hall, holding the already cold body in white. His desperate wail made people shed tears, and even heaven and earth were moved.
After that, Lu Yan locked all the doors of the Shanhe Hall and set it on fire, cutting off the last bloodline of the Li Xia royal family.
The fire seemed to be possessed. No matter how they tried, they couldn't put it out. The raging flames burned for three days and three nights, leaving behind a field of charred waste in the end.
What's more, no one knew that once, within the raging flames and the dancing fire tongues, there was a vague figure in white standing silently. He was completely transparent, more like a soul of someone. He hid behind the burning dragon pillar and quietly watched the person holding the body in the fire being completely engulfed by the flames.
The century - long history of Li Xia was completely annihilated. The boundless history rolled on, crushing all the heroes and villains. People all said that the wheel of history would move forward, and nothing could stop it. So life couldn't be restarted, and there was no regret medicine. Because everyone had to pay the price for what they had done -
-
A Man held a fur coat and quietly watched Shen Qingfeng standing in the courtyard from the side.
This winter was especially cold. There was a rare heavy snowfall in Lige. Large snowflakes fell on the shoulders of the man in white clothes in the courtyard, as if they were going to cover him in white and merge him with the vast world.
He had been staring at an unopened iris jar for a long time. His thin body, which seemed to be blown down with a single breath, was only loosely covered with an outer robe. He didn't bring a warming stove, and his slender fingertips were almost white with frost.
The fur coat in A Man's hand had been warmed by her holding it, but she didn't dare to step forward. Shen Qingfeng gave them a very strange feeling now, as if he had suddenly shed his sharpness and defenses all over his body. He seemed to have climbed out of the mire, with a kind of clarity and melancholy that he had never had before.
The snow was falling even more heavily. The figure in front of the jar seemed to finally be unable to withstand the wind and frost. He staggered, scaring A Man into hurriedly stepping forward to support him. She advised, "Young master, go into the house quickly!"
Shen Qingfeng's body suddenly stiffened. He slightly turned his head, and his gaze fell on A Man's still - young face. A flash of pain suddenly flashed in his eyes. In just an instant, he gathered his expression, like a water lily emerging from the mud, showing a serene smile. "Okay."