The rising sun cast its warm morning rays into the room, but they couldn't reach Ye Qianmo's heart, nor warm Xiaoyu's body.
Xiaoyu, who had carried all her hopes, died miserably right in front of her. This became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Ye Qianmo, who had been sitting there in a daze all night, finally made a move. She slightly raised her head and with a hoarse voice, murmured into the air:
"I really can't hold on anymore. I'm so tired, so exhausted. I want to go with Xiaoyu to be with you..."
Every word dripped with blood.
Mechanically, she hung a rope on the beam and tied a knot. Then, with stiff steps, she stepped onto a chair, put the rope around her neck, and felt no trace of fear towards death.
Ye Qianmo looked at Xiaoyu lying motionless on the bed. For the last time, there was a flicker in her eyes. "Xiaoyu, don't be afraid. I'll come to pick you up soon."
As Ye Qianmo kicked the chair away and hung from the beam, she saw Gu Jiangli appear. She felt his embrace and thought that death was so warm.
The news of her death quickly reached the ears of Gu Jiangli's remaining followers, and it became a fuse that ignited Emperor Gao Zhuo's anger.
Gao Zhuo was a cowardly and timid man, but extremely jealous. Everyone knew that the current situation of the country was caused by him, yet everyone swallowed their anger and let him off for Gu Jiangli's sake. However, he didn't correct his evil ways; instead, he became even more excessive.
Deputy General Wu stormed into the council hall, the place where the deputy generals discussed important matters.
Deputy General Wu angrily slapped the table and was the first to speak. "He even dared to harm General Gu's only wife. We've been too lenient with him."
Ye Qianmo's death this time ignited the anger that had been pent - up for a long time. The other deputy generals echoed one after another, and all their anger was directed at Gao Zhuo.
The military advisor just silently listened without saying a word.
The deputy generals unanimously doubted Gao Zhuo's current ruling ability.
The military advisor either said nothing or said something astonishing. Calmly, he said, "Let's usurp the throne tonight."
It was like a thunderbolt out of the blue.
But it won the support of everyone.
The military advisor had considered every aspect carefully before speaking.
The country couldn't afford a major upheaval now, but Gao Zhuo was so fatuous and immoral that he had to be overthrown.
They could only assassinate him and support the young prince to the throne.
The once all - powerful Emperor Gao Zhuo finally died silently on an ordinary late night, unnoticed by anyone.
The Northern Kingdom, under the right leadership, thrived. It secretly joined hands with other countries, just like the Southern Kingdom had once dealt with the Northern Kingdom.
Now the Southern Kingdom became the target of public criticism. Wu Mi was shot by a volley of arrows and died without a burial place.
***********
Caicai, who had accompanied Ning Yitao through the whole process, didn't know what to say.
This was not a story of lovers finally getting married but a tragedy of unrequited love.
The bad guys who had done all kinds of evil died, but the good people also had such a tragic ending.
Caicai looked at Ye Qianmo with Ning Yitao's face experiencing all these things. In a daze, she always felt that it was Ning Yitao who had actually gone through these things. She couldn't help but feel a bit heart - aching and asked her question:
"Taotao, is Ye Qianmo in here really you in the past?"
Caicai found that Ning Yitao, after waking up from the memory, was always silent and immersed in her own world.
She seemed not to hear. After a long while, she softly said, "It's me. But I forgot this memory. It seems that this illusion was left behind just to remind me."
There were faint signs of tearing in the crack in the sky. This illusion was about to dissipate.
Caicai tugged at Ning Yitao's corner with her small chubby hand. When Ning Yitao looked over, for a moment, she thought it was Xiaoyu pawing at her.
Ning Yitao was stunned for a moment.
And a human figure quietly gathered at the crack in the sky. It was Gu Jiangli!
Caicai looked at the suddenly - appeared Gu Jiangli in disbelief and rubbed her eyes in surprise.
"How, how is it possible? The illusion is gone. How could he still appear here?"
Gu Jiangli walked straight towards Ning Yitao. "We finally meet again."
Ning Yitao didn't feel happy. She looked at the person in front of her inquisitively and always felt that something was strange. When her gaze fell on his clothes,
Ning Yitao immediately pulled Caicai back a big step warily. The moment he saw her, his eyes turned cold. He defensively asked, "You're not Gu Jiangli. Who are you?"
The man in front of her was wearing a dark purple long robe. There were golden lines drawn on the sleeves, and a vivid coiling dragon was embroidered on the clothes, looking noble and magnificent. His jet - black hair was casually scattered on his back.
Gu Jiangli had never worn this type of clothes. He always remembered not to overstep the mark compared to Emperor Gao Zhuo and had never worn clothes with golden threads, let alone those with the coiling dragon that represented the emperor.
Hearing the suspicion, he wasn't flustered. His expression was as calm as usual, with clear and handsome eyebrows. He didn't care. Standing under the pagoda tree, he smiled charmingly. His deep eyes were like stars falling into the deep sea. He calmly said,
"Yes, I'm not him. I just came to give you something."
He flipped his hand, and a box carved from ebony appeared in his palm.
There was a hint of temptation in his eyes as he said to Ning Yitao, "Here, take it. It finally returns to its rightful owner."
The moment the ebony box was taken out, a faint fragrance filled the air. It was very familiar.
Ning Yitao, as if possessed, reached out and took the box.
When she got the ebony box, the place where her palm touched it felt slightly hot.
The box opened by itself, and there was a jade bracelet inside.
The "Gu Jiangli" in front of her naturally took out the thing in the box and put it on Ning Yitao's wrist.
It fit perfectly on her wrist. The jade bracelet was delicate and exquisite, cool to the touch. It was smooth and shiny.
There seemed to be a spiritual vein inside the bracelet. When Ning Yitao wanted to observe it carefully, it disappeared in a blink of an eye. She couldn't help but frown and think, "Did I just see it wrong?"
The "Gu Jiangli" who had been standing in front of her also disappeared along with the spiritual vein that she might have seen wrong. Only his words remained in the wind:
"I'll come to find you again."
As his words faded, this illusion could no longer hold on and collapsed with a bang. Everything around began to sink.
Without time to think, Ning Yitao flew up and pulled Caicai through the crack.
As soon as they landed on the ground, Chu Zhiyuan and Yun Lianmeng rushed over.
Chu Zhiyuan looked anxious. "Ancestor, you really scared me. You didn't come back for so long. I thought something had happened to you."
Chu Zhiyuan had never seen Caicai in her human form.
When he noticed Caicai, he suddenly widened his eyes. He sneakily pulled Ning Yitao aside and whispered,
"Ancestor, why did you bring a child back? I saw you getting married to Duan Qinghuai in the illusion."
He paused for a moment, hesitated a bit, but still covered his mouth and said, "Ah? Ancestor, this isn't the child you had in the illusion, is it?"
Ning Yitao had a black line on her face. She glanced at Caicai who had appeared behind Chu Zhiyuan at some point and replied speechlessly,
"The person in question is right behind you. Go ask him yourself."
Chu Zhiyuan turned around and saw Caicai's cute and chubby face. Only now, he seemed to be in a bad mood. He smiled sinisterly and tilted his head to ask Chu Zhiyuan,
"Say it again. Who's Duan Qinghuai's son?"
Duan Qinghuai had almost killed Ning Yitao this time, which made Caicai's impression of him drop again and again. The mystery around him deepened, and Caicai became more on guard against him.
Ning Yitao just walked to Duan Qinghuai's side and looked at him lying on the ground with his eyes closed.
He was sweating profusely and sleeping restlessly, as if trapped in a nightmare and unable to wake up.