Chapter 589: Death is Not Enough
Gu Shuo carried Ye Qianning down Four-direction Mountain, one step at a time. In an instant, Zhan Yi seemed to have aged a dozen years. Zhan Chi supported him, and several times the General nearly fainted.
Zhan Chi trembled, unwilling to believe the truth.
Qian Fu fingered his Buddha Beads. Even though he had practiced asceticism for many years, he still couldn’t let go of worldly matters, of familial love. His granddaughter... the granddaughter he never had a chance to properly dote on, was gone just like that.
Qian Fanji’s lips were a thin, hard line. ’Yuan Yintang must die, and Consort Yuan won’t be getting away either.’
Dark clouds gradually gathered on the horizon over Four-direction Mountain, as if a great downpour was rapidly forming.
At the foot of the mountain, the Beili Emperor himself had rushed to Four-direction Mountain with the Imperial Army. It didn’t take long for news from the summit to reach his ears.
’Ye Qianning is dead?’
’Truly dead?’
Though the Beili Emperor was surprised, he felt no pity. She had secretly spirited a Prince out of the palace and nearly gotten the Eighth Prince killed on Four-direction Mountain. It was a monstrous crime.
Her death was a just punishment.
Although she was dead, his anger over Ye Qianning luring Sang Zhi from the palace had not faded in the slightest.
"Your Majesty," Mr. Li called out.
The Beili Emperor looked up to see a group of people coming down the mountain. Gu Shuo was at the very front, carrying a small child whose clothes were soaked in blood. To his left, Zhan Chi was supporting Zhan Yi; to his right were Qian Fu and Qian Fanji.
His eyes took in the scene, but his gaze didn’t linger. It swept past them toward the back of the group, searching for Sang Zhi’s figure among the crowd.
Suddenly, he spotted a figure caked in black mud, and a flash of joy crossed his face. ’Thank goodness the Eighth Prince is safe. Otherwise, even slaughtering the General’s entire household wouldn’t have been enough to quell my rage.’
Mr. Li saw the look on the Beili Emperor’s face. After so many years of serving the Emperor, he could read him like an open book. He sighed inwardly, not daring to let the slightest hint of it show.
"Your Majesty." Gu Shuo walked forward and knelt in salute.
Zhan Yi, though devastated, did not forget the etiquette between a sovereign and his subject. He, too, stepped forward and knelt.
Zhan Chi and Qian Fanji also knelt without a word.
The Beili Emperor merely gave them a cold glance before stepping past to welcome Sang Zhi, who was coming down the mountain.
Gu Shuo’s arms, holding Ye Qianning, tightened. The cold in his eyes was enough to make one shudder.
Zhan Chi, furious, started to rise but was held down firmly by Zhan Yi.
Overwhelming rage surged through Zhan Chi. He dug his fingers into the ground, his hands filling with mud that he clenched tightly, as if to express his fury and resentment.
Qian Fu and Qian Fanji knelt on the ground with their eyes lowered, appearing remarkably calm.
Sang Zhi stumbled along, his eyes fixed only on Ye Qianning.
"Zhi," the Beili Emperor called out affectionately as he drew near.
Sang Zhi didn’t even glance at him. He brushed past the Beili Emperor, muttering Ye Qianning’s name.
The Beili Emperor’s hand froze in midair. He held it there for a moment before retracting it. Turning, he frowned at Sang Zhi’s retreating back, his eyes dark and inscrutable.
Sang Yan happened to witness this scene. Surprised and confused, he hurried forward. "Father, Eighth Brother suffered quite a shock on the mountain. He hasn’t recovered yet."
"It’s fine. I know he has suffered these past two days," the Beili Emperor said.
Sang Yan lowered his eyes, his mind clouded with doubt.
The Beili Emperor walked toward Sang Zhi.
Muttering to himself, Sang Zhi walked over to Gu Shuo. He stared at Ye Qianning’s pale face and raised a hand, wanting to touch her.
"Eighth Prince, conduct yourself with dignity." Gu Shuo shifted slightly to the side.
It was as if Sang Zhi hadn’t heard him. He just kept muttering, "Ye Qianning, I forbid you to leave. I forbid you to leave."
"Get away! You don’t deserve to touch her!" Zhan Chi could no longer hold back. He shot to his feet and shoved Sang Zhi violently to the ground.
Sang Zhi stumbled back several steps and fell. Just like before, he immediately scrambled back up. "Let me see her... I just want to see her..."