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墨書 Inktalez
As the Empress was still lost in the message conveyed to her by Song Yang, he suddenly spoke, causing her to shout in anger.
"If one day you are given a chance to leave the palace, would you take it?" At that moment, a horse approached from a distance. He mounted the horse, dressed in white with black hair, tall and elegant. The wind blew through his hair, carrying a hint of melancholy.
"Who wouldn't want to leave this place?"
Song Yang squinted his eyes and turned his head away, not allowing her to see his current expression.
As he rode away, resolute yet slow, he heard the Empress laughing behind him. "I thought you would finally be unable to bear it and come to my aid. Back then, you watched me marry Late Emperor and become the Empress. I begged you to elope with me, but you indulged yourself in brothels and ignored me... Now you're merely a Regent. If it weren't for my desire to assassinate him, you wouldn't have come out to stop me, would you?"
"I thought that was a mutual decision."
Song Yang's words carried a chill of midnight, somewhat unclear. "Wan Zhao, do not fall in love with me. If you do, then hate me with all your might!"
"I never loved you at all." It seemed she wanted to regain her composure here, stating without hesitation.
If she didn't still care, why had she been scheming to give him her first time?
He smiled bitterly as he rode away, kicking up clouds of dust.
...
The next day, upon returning to the palace, the Empress learned that Song Yang had been swiftly appointed by the Emperor as a general and dispatched to the border to quell a rebellion. For a moment, her mind went blank before she felt a surge of anger and hatred.
On the battlefield, swords and blades showed no mercy. Yet the Empress could not help but feel her heart clench for him. She cursed herself for being so weak, while simultaneously absorbing every piece of news that trickled in from the border.
She had grown up alongside him, one a lonely girl raised in the palace after her family was wrongfully accused and perished in battle, the other a prince with a prestigious lineage, both of equal standing. The bond they had forged over the years was not easily dismissed.
Back then, they had secretly exchanged vows, waiting for Song Yang to return and seek his father's permission to request a marriage decree.
However, fate played its cruel hand. Before she could obtain that decree, she received an edict declaring her as Empress, a decision orchestrated by Song Yang's father. She wanted to confront Song Yang for clarity, but he avoided her. Soon after, news reached her that he was frequenting brothels.
When the Emperor passed away, she became the Empress Dowager. Only then did Song Yang reappear before her, adopting a carefree demeanor that allowed her to humiliate him at will.
He always wore a playful smile, accepting her disdain with ease, leaving her feeling powerless. Now that he was a general, that mask was finally stripped away.
That day, after she had just set down a letter filled with ominous tidings, she sensed a commotion around her. Yet within her chambers, an eerie silence prevailed.
After calling out for some time, it was not a familiar face that emerged but the armored figure of the Regent, wearing a dark smile. Behind him stood several soldiers armed with weapons.
Having witnessed enough over time, she quickly deduced the situation—two words came to mind: palace coup. Raising an eyebrow defiantly, she retorted, “What does His Highness mean by this?”
“The Emperor is on his deathbed. I have come to escort the Empress Dowager on her final journey,” the Regent declared forcefully. “I wonder what method you prefer— White Silk or perhaps a cup of wine?”
“I do not understand. Does His Highness not fear public condemnation for such hasty actions?” The Empress Dowager's voice rose sharply, shedding her usual alluring demeanor and exuding authority instead.
“I have never cared for such empty reputations.”
The Regent smiled and said, "Last time you disguised yourself as a Dancer to assassinate me, didn't you? Unfortunately, it didn't work out, and it never could. It was the Late Emperor who told you that my father was colluding with the enemy, which led to the near annihilation of your Gu Family, causing you to harbor such murderous intent towards me, right?"
The Empress raised her head and snorted coldly.
Unexpectedly, the Regent narrowed his eyes and threw out a shocking revelation: "My father unjustly bore the blame and became a scapegoat, executed in public. Your true enemy is Song Yang's father; he acted on the Late Emperor's orders and took advantage of the chaos to eliminate your Gu Family."
So that was why Song Yang had been avoiding her all these years!
And she had foolishly approached the cold face of the son of her family's murderer!
The Empress's pupils widened in shock, her face turning pale. She had already believed more than half of what he said, yet she still retorted, "You're speaking nonsense!"
The Regent smiled instead of getting angry, his eyes filled with pity as he said, "Do you know why I was able to come here so smoothly? It was Song Yang who has been laying low in the palace all these years, clearing the way for me. He and I are working together; he will seize military power while I... come here to pressure the palace."
Her heart was filled with rage and hatred, and she felt herself swaying, barely steadying herself with the armrest.
After taking a moment to compose herself, she finally calmed down. "What do you want?"
The Regent laughed joyfully and asked, "Do you want White Silk or Dove Wine?"
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