Prologue, in dreams one does not know they are a guest

She paused for a moment, turned her head after a while, smiled charmingly, and spoke clearly.

In the four corners of the grand hall, several shadowy figures suddenly appeared like phantoms.

However

He smiled, his thin lips curling into a mocking arc, casually handing the wine jug to her

I do not know where the pain is, or perhaps there is no pain at all; it is just that something, like glass, is shattering. In the distance, I seem to hear a faint "crack," unsure of what has broken.

I still remember that moment, when the pear blossoms fell like light frost in front of the Hall of Gathering Elegance. Her silver skirt lightly brushed against the moonlit ground, twirling like a splendid flower. In the shadows of the moonlight and flowers, she leaned against the corridor pillar, smiling as she looked back, and he was instantly struck by her serene smile.

"What kind of death do you intend to give me?" In the dim light of the somber hall, she leaned forward, supporting herself on the table, bringing a face that smiled like a rose in the wind directly in front of him, "Poisoned wine? White silk? A bag of earth? A dagger?"

He was still immersed in the joy of sharing secrets with her, while she had already subtly laid the groundwork for the future dichotomy of life and death.

At that time, the feelings were deep and intense

Gently raising her sleeve to cover her lips, a hint of bright red stained the fabric. He, with a cold and silent gaze, wiped it away, while she had unknowingly turned her back, her silhouette straight and slender. As he watched that figure, he suddenly felt that there was a question that, if not asked now, might never have the chance to be asked again

"It doesn't matter." She smiled, "To die alongside you is my honor."

The wine is as green as jade, and her fair wrists resemble frost and snow. A line of deep emerald flows gracefully from her delicate fingers, falling into the white jade cup with a tinkling sound. The surroundings are very quiet, with the brocade curtains and embroidered drapes hanging heavily, isolating all the worldly noise.

He fixed his gaze upon her, her smile as gentle and graceful as when they first met. He averted his eyes, his fingers tightening, and the jade cup in his palm shattered with a loud crash

"Do it however you like, I mean it, for you." She smiled, gently rolled up her sleeves, and opened her palms to him, "Let this humble servant attend to you one last time."

Lingchi

This dark palace has not been entered by anyone for many years he said lightly and this jar of wine stored in the hidden compartment has also never been touched by anyone

Her rebels

Indeed, at this moment, no one can poison him at m.hetushu.com to reverse the unfavorable situation for her

He closed his eyes

It was just a crisp and calm sound, lingering in the great hall.

After a long time, he finally smiled as well. The rumored beauty, at this moment, looked no better than a withered flower when he smiled.

"Since this secret hall was completed, it has indeed been heavily guarded, and no one has entered. " She took a few steps away with her hands behind her back, turned her head to smile at him, "But what about before it was completed?"

It turns out that she has always been his enemy

Including the palace and the jade steps below, the howls and clashes of the rebels are close at hand

That gentle smile, those enchanting eyes, the warmth of hand in hand amidst the falling pear blossoms, it turns out, are merely an empty flower in a dream

He also fixed his gaze upon her, his complexion gradually taking on a slight pallor

The smoke of gunpowder and the fervor of blood seemed to be kept at a distance, not reaching the ears of the two individuals. In the silence, they carefully sought to listen to each other's breathing. In the tranquility, serenity, and almost identical frequency, amidst the curling light smoke from the golden incense burner, their breaths were vividly clear yet deeply intertwined.

He smiled faintly at the books, and without needing to look, he knew that after the applause subsided, countless dark currents would surge forth from those winding roads and palace corners. That was his hidden elite army, ready to confront those rebels who sought to trample on imperial authority and stain the jade steps with the blood of their military boots, armed with their gleaming, finely forged weapons.

As for you ... ... '' He calmly took a sip of wine, not continuing further, his gaze slicing through like an ice blade, the smile a cold glint on the tip of a knife, utterly composed

"What kind of death do you desire?" He poured himself a glass, his movements steady, the clear liquid slightly tilting, reflecting the woman's hazy gaze... For how many years had she lived shrouded in mist, unwilling to be seen clearly by him even in death

"Do you feel a tightness in your chest?" Her misty, moisture-laden gaze fixed on him, obscured by the fog, making it difficult to discern the true emotions hidden in her eyes. "Do you feel a stabbing pain in your dantian? Do you feel the reverse flow of blood surging upwards, pushing against your energy sea?"

She smiled silently, lost in thought as she examined her fingers. Since being deceived into this secret chamber, she had undergone rigorous scrutiny by the world's most knowledgeable poisoners, the most skilled craftsmen of hidden weapons, and the most adept assassins in the art of assassination. Not to mention a single poison, even a hair that did not belong to her had long been removed.

Take her down, confine her in the dark prison, three days later ... ...

A suffocating silence enveloped the inner hall, while outside the long window, a brilliantly blooming begonia suddenly withered in silence

This prologue is independent, and the plot belongs to the future tense. Please start reading the main story from Chapter 1, as it is temporarily unrelated to the prologue

Our encounter is but a grand dream, and we are all merely passersby

He shook slightly

A sudden, thunderous roar erupted from the distance, akin to waves rising violently under the onslaught of a hurricane, heavy as a wall, stretching across the front of the golden palace, momentarily suppressing the advancing sounds of impending slaughter

Indeed, what a pity. He coughed lightly, blood tinged in his sputum, "You see, even though you left this lethal move many years ago, even though you took my life, the great empire you painstakingly sought to reclaim is still destined to collapse today"

In that year, when the secret palace was first constructed, he did not allow her to intervene from the design on paper to the completion of the palace. Only after its completion did he take her inside to have a look.

She smiled gently, her brows and the corners of her eyes curving gracefully, revealing a playful and charming arc

She glanced up, turned calmly, and her long, thick eyelashes fell, obscuring her shifting and obscure gaze

"Alas, I still lost," she said, leaning her head out to look outside the hall, her tone relaxed. "What a pity"

Gently turning the wine glass in her hand, she asked softly, "Aren't you afraid I might poison you?"

Hearing his voice behind me, cool and clear, each word struck like gold and severed like jade

No

At this point, deep affection cannot withstand the struggle for survival, and his precious feelings accumulated over more than twenty years can no longer be used to nurture this poisonous poppy

It was on such a night, fragrant with the scent of pear blossoms, and in such a moment of exchanged smiles and gazes, that her delicate fingers brushed over the hidden compartment beneath the wine pot, laying the poison for an assassination years later

He no longer looked at her, yet his gaze gradually became more subdued, and suddenly he clapped his hands gently

Those secrets that are difficult to express shall remain buried within this body...

Did you ever love me? Such a brief question, yet so difficult to ask

It is sufficient for her to have endured until today

In the midst of the blood, he indifferently addressed the air: "Come here."