Luo Ran begged for his life, but Yang Wei died a violent death.

  This was the second time Gu Yunxi had seen Luo Xiao. His steps were still light and weak, his eyes sunken, his lips pale, looking as if he was seriously ill. The only difference was that the thin blue shirt on his body had been replaced by a delicate court attire made of Qianxue brocade. The slightly disheveled hair from that day was also tied up high with a silver pin today, and amidst the elegance, there was a hint of handsomeness.

  Among the magnificent decorations, Emperor Lie, seated in a high position, cast his loving gaze on Luo Xiao. "Although I have four sons, the one who is most dear to me is Ning Wang Ning Yuanyoung and early death. Luo Xiao, although young, has always been elegant and calm, and he bears some resemblance to him. Therefore, I also like him very much. In the recent grand hunt, Luo Xiao even risked his life to block a fatal sword for me, which can be considered as having a favor towards me."

  Luoxiao covered her mouth and coughed lightly twice, Lie Di's eyes changed in an instant, "The wounds of winter are the hardest to heal, I heard that the sword wound on your chest hasn't healed yet, it's really pitiful for you."

  The foreign envoys all cast admiring glances at Luo Xiao, while Luo Ran sat across from him and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty is too kind, my brother has been well taken care of by you in Great Yan for ten years, this is only natural."

  She paused for a moment, and her eyes became somewhat distant. "It's been five years since I last came to Yanjing to see my brother. Five years have passed, and the city is still as prosperous as ever. Today, I'm fortunate enough to meet the Crown Prince and two princes. All three of them are indeed the sons of heaven with dragon-like qualities and phoenix-like manners, truly having the air of the imperial court. I had thought that I could stay in Yanjing for a few more days, but unfortunately, my father is getting old and has been seriously ill lately. The shamans of our country have predicted that my father's life will not last more than two months."

  A woman of extreme beauty can be stunningly beautiful at times, but even more so when she is sorrowful, moving people's hearts. Everyone who heard this felt a surge of sadness, and Luo Ran suddenly stood up, knelt down, and kowtowed to the emperor in the hall. "Luo Ran has come on the orders of the Emperor, hoping only to see her brother one last time. Please, Your Majesty, fulfill the dying wish of the Emperor's subject."

  The lively scene suddenly fell silent, and all the ministers looked at Emperor Lie with unease. Only a few people who were closest to the emperor remained calm and unmoving. Gu Yunxi's gaze swept over the black-armored imperial guards standing outside the hall, their heavy halberds seeming to be on the verge of being drawn.

  "The Emperor of Yue has fallen seriously ill."

  The emperor let out a soft sigh, and then the corners of his mouth rose, "Princess, please get up. I am originally a person who loves excitement, but being filial is the most important thing in the world. The request you made today is granted!"

  A web of oppression was broken by a single sentence from the Emperor, and the surrounding voices of congratulations and gratitude rose up. The Emperor's gaze suddenly fell on another person beside Luoxiao, "Luoxiao is about to leave Yanjing, fortunately there is still Wanqi here. As I get older, I prefer to be with younger people. Wanqi, is the fox fur I gave you this year warm enough?"

  The bustle in the hall came to an abrupt halt, and Wan Qi's expression remained calm. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I quite like this year's silver fox fur coat and black sable cloak."

  The Emperor nodded, "You like it, that's good. I heard that this time the envoy from Chu State is the number one talent of Chu State, where is he? Let me see him quickly..."

  As soon as his voice fell, a white-clad man from the envoy's seat immediately stood up and bowed to Emperor Lie, "I am Shi Wuyan, paying respects to Your Majesty."

  Lie Di nodded, looking at Shu Wu Yan with piercing eyes. "I heard that you were able to strongly argue against three hundred scholars in the state of Chu and not one of them was a match for you. If so, then why don't you tell me what you think about the current situation in the world?"

  The man in white had a straight figure, but his face was very ordinary. Only his eyes had a few points of spirit. He slightly hesitated for a moment and said, "Most of the words used by the scholars of Chu State to strongly argue are actually the words of Wei He, a scholar from Yan University. Wei He once said that nowadays the world is in a state of division, with each country vying with each other, which has no great benefit. If we really want to make the people rich and the army strong like the prosperous era of Emperor Zhou Jing 300 years ago, we need to break this deadlock and re-establish a new imperial order. In my opinion, Mr. Wei's words are quite reasonable."

  When mentioning this Wei He Lie Emperor, his eyes dimmed slightly. This person was indeed famous among the various countries, but he had a solitary personality and sharp words. Although he often spoke with good ideas and strategies, he also criticized the imperial edicts proposed by the emperor several times, leaving them in tatters. If not for his position among the scholars of the various countries, he would have been demoted to a commoner long ago!

  Perhaps because of the far-flung reputation of foreign ministers who advocated for their own ministers' words, Emperor Lie heard this and his eyes shone slightly brighter. "How to break the deadlock? You might as well elaborate."

  Shu Wuyan slightly hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head in the direction of Lie Di, "This is something that I have not thought of yet."

  The emperor's smile was radiant, and a hint of dark light flashed in his drowsy eyes. He waved his hand to let Shu Wuyan take a seat, but instead looked at another person, "I forgot to congratulate Xi Lian..."

  As soon as the words came out, an old man with a face full of wrinkles suddenly stood up, his trembling body arduously bowed to Lie Di, "Your Majesty."

  The Emperor's smile grew even more pronounced, "I've heard that Xiliang has annexed two border tribes within a year. If one were to say which country's cavalry is the most formidable, in my opinion, it would certainly be Xiliang."

  The old man waved his hand and shook his head, with a frail and decrepit appearance, "Your Majesty's praise is excessive. Those two tribes have a total of only 20,000 people, all of whom are rough and barbaric commoners. They have been harassing the western border of Xiliang for many years, which is why our country's Princess Long ordered the troops to be dispatched. War is already a burden on the people and a waste of resources. Furthermore, after that, a severe snowstorm hit all of Xiliang, making things even more dire. If this year's tribute does not meet Your Majesty's expectations, I beg for your forgiveness."

  The emperor nodded with a smile, inviting everyone to raise their cups and drink together. Gu Yunxi, on the other hand, clenched her fists hidden under her cloak, her eyes coldly fixed on the Western Liang envoy.

  "That is the old lady Fu of Xi Lian, who has been in the position of Taizi Taifu since she was 30 years old and has never come down. She assisted two emperors and now the young emperor of Xi Lian is also under her assistance. If it's said that within Xi Lian, whose power is the greatest, apart from the Long Princess, it would be him."

  Gongsun Mo's words fell on her ears, and Gu Yunxi's mouth hooked up. "Xi Leng has just ended a war, such an important person is not staying in the country to preside over the overall situation, but instead comes to send New Year's gifts." Gu Yunxi's eyes cast towards Shu Fei's direction, "I wonder if there is any important task at hand?"

  The music and dance in the hall gradually rose, and everyone's anxiety, fear, conspiracy, and calculation were all covered up by the fragrance of this charming woman. Gu Yunxi sat quietly at the desk behind Gong Sunmo, but her gaze fell on the gate of the main hall. Tonight was originally a lively night when various dignitaries gathered, but for her, it was still not enough.

  Suddenly, a figure rushed into the grand hall of Song and Dance, his eyes frantically scanning the room. When he finally spotted the person he was looking for, he couldn't hold back a loud shout: "Master, Young Master has been killed by the young son of the Imperial Duke!"

  As soon as the words fell, the entire hall was shocked. The palace maids who were dancing stopped and stared at the little servant who rushed in with a face full of blood and a look of horror, scattering in all directions in panic. Yang Jin, the Minister of Works, suddenly stood up, his eyes almost spitting fire, "What did you say?!"

  That little servant was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, almost crawling to Yang Jin's legs, "Master, master, young master, young master has been killed by the young son of the imperial son-in-law, he has been killed!"

  The emperor on the high throne had already sunk his face, and Empress Shu was even more shocked to lean against the emperor's side. After a few turns of her eyes, she called over the little maid beside her and whispered a few words. The little maid nodded and hastily left. Suddenly, Emperor Lie slapped the table and shouted, "Guards, take this ignorant servant out for me!"

  Yang Jin's face suddenly changed. The people in this hall were all foreign envoys, and such a scene naturally could not afford to be chaotic. But, but...

  "Your Majesty!" Yang Jin suddenly knelt down, his eyes fixed intently on Emperor Lie.

  Gongsun Lie's eyes narrowed slightly, he took a deep breath and said heavily, "Come on, take me to see!"

  Gongsun Lie was about to move, and others naturally followed. The grand hall that was bustling with activity just a moment before suddenly became chaotic. Gu Zhongzheng closely followed behind Emperor Lie, and after saying a few words, he returned to entertain the foreign envoys. Watching as a group of people surged forward, surrounding them, and walked out of the palace gates, Gu Yunxi picked up the tea that had already gone cold on the table and took a light sip.

  In the dark night, like ink, snowflakes fell again, and in the northwest corner of the grand hall lay a slowly cooling body. A delicate crossbow arrow was stuck straight into the young man's chest, bright red blood gushing out from his mouth and nose. His eyes were wide open, filled with despair and helplessness as he stared at the desolate night.

  Digression

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