A cacophony of sounds filled Song Wanchu's ears.
Screams, shouts, wails, cries of condemnation, the fierce clashing of swords and spears, and the barking of the Black Mountain hounds all mingled together.
A slightly trembling hand covered her eyes. "It's over. Don't look."
Song Wanchu wrapped her arms around Liang Yuzhou's neck and laid her head on his chest.
Liang Yuzhou picked her up.
They had fulfilled their shared mission.
This battlefield no longer belonged to them.
Liang Yuzhou carried Song Wanchu and retreated behind the crown prince.
Head - on, their gazes collided with that of Princess Lingyang.
"How's Simean?"
Princess Lingyang looked at Song Wanchu with a complicated expression.
"The crown princess is fine. She's in my palace, and everyone is protecting her."
A sincere smile appeared on her face. "Song Wanchu, thank you for protecting her."
If it had been the crown princess who was held hostage by Lu Siming just now, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Thank you too, for saving my life."
When Song Wanchu was saved by the Black Mountain hound Thunder, she felt a sense of fateful reincarnation.
Back then, it was also Princess Lingyang who, in a fit of madness, incited Thunder to attack her and almost bit her to death.
The person who should have hated her the most had, at a critical moment, saved her life.
Princess Lingyang looked at Liang Yuzhou with burning eyes.
In her mind, Liang Yuzhou was still as cold, noble, and unattainable as a divine being, like the gentle breeze and bright moon.
"Liang Yuzhou, I've saved the person you love the most. Please don't hate me anymore, okay?"
She knew that she would never win Liang Yuzhou's love in this lifetime.
But she didn't want to be the person he hated.
Liang Yuzhou slightly curved his lips and for the first time showed a smile to Princess Lingyang.
"The princess's kindness of saving a life, I, a humble Taoist, will never forget."
Lingyang had saved Wanchu's life, which was also saving his.
The smile from Liang Yuzhou dazzled Princess Lingyang. She felt as if she had fallen into a cloud of happiness, and all the surrounding noises became a distant and blurred backdrop.
Great! Liang Yuzhou didn't hate her anymore.
She could also be a very good person.
"Stop all of you!"
The crown prince let out a powerful roar.
The sound of the clashing swords and the scuffle gradually faded away.
The corpses of the Gao family's army lay haphazardly in front of the palace.
Prince Rui held up the imperial edict and used his internal strength to make his voice loud and penetrating. "The bandit leader is dead. Why don't you surrender quickly?"
The Gao family's army surrounding Lu Siming had already lost their will to fight and timidly retreated.
The Golden Feather Guards and the army of the Duke's Mansion surrounded them tightly, leaving no chance of escape.
"Put down your weapons. You were just following orders. I can spare your lives!"
After all, they were the soldiers of the Great Zhou.
They had also made great contributions to defending the Great Zhou's territory.
The crown prince's intention was not to create a bloody massacre.
The late emperor in the afterlife would not have wanted to see him kill wantonly just to establish his authority.
Knowing that resistance was hopeless and seeing the deep and majestic imperial presence of the crown prince, the Gao family's army felt a sense of awe from the bottom of their hearts.
After a series of clattering sounds, the swords and spears in the hands of the Gao family's army were all thrown to the ground.
The tips of the swords of the Golden Feather Guards and the army of the Duke's Mansion were no longer pointed at them.
The crown prince slowly walked down the steps of Qianyuan Hall and came in front of Lu Siming.
He had lost his right arm and was lying in a pool of blood, weakly writhing, struggling, and groaning.
Only his eyes were filled with deep unwillingness and hatred.
"What a pity."
The crown prince said softly, as if with a sigh. "This hand of yours should have been used for writing poems and painting, but you insisted on picking up a sword and pointing it at the most innocent people. This is your retribution, Lu Siming."
"Kill me! Kill me now!"
Lu Siming let out a shrill laugh in despair. His already hideous and bloody face became even more ugly and terrifying. "I admit that I've lost to you! But Lu Sihong, don't expect me to submit to you! Come on, do it!"
The crown prince actually admired his unyielding courage a bit.
It was just that Lu Siming would never understand where he had lost.
The crown prince didn't want to waste any more time arguing with him.
His eyes were cold.
"Kill me, Lu Sihong. If you have the guts, kill me!"
"No, don't kill my son! Please, please!"
The miserable cries came closer and closer.
A woman in thin clothes rushed out of the darkness, broke through the crowd, and hugged the blood - covered Lu Siming tightly.
It was Concubine Lan, but she no longer resembled the gorgeous and elegant beauty she used to be.
A few days of imprisonment seemed to have aged her ten years. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were bloodshot, and the tears she shed seemed to be tinged with blood.
She saw her beheaded father and brother and let out a shrill scream, hugging Lu Siming even tighter.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, please. I've lost everything. I only have Ming'er left. Please spare his life..."
Among the soldiers, many were filled with righteous indignation.
"The traitor forced the palace and defied the late emperor. Everyone should execute him!"
"Kill him, kill him!"
"Kill me instead. Don't kill my son!"
Concubine Lan crawled on all fours in front of the crown prince and kowtowed loudly. Her forehead was covered in fresh blood, but she didn't seem to care, as if she didn't feel the pain.
"I'm willing to atone for my son's sins with my life. Let me go and accompany the late emperor. Let me go to the underworld and repent to the late emperor!"
The crown prince raised his hand, and the condemning voices suddenly stopped.
He let out a relieved smile. "I won't kill him. Father Emperor left a last word long ago, asking me to treat all my brothers kindly. His spirit in the afterlife would never want my hands to be stained with my brother's blood on the first day of my ascension to the throne."
Lu Siming was stunned and looked at the crown prince in disbelief, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
Prince Rui walked onto the main hall, held up the imperial edict, and slowly opened it.
Everyone knelt down.
"The imperial edict of the late emperor: The crown prince, Lu Sihong, has noble character and greatly resembles me. He will surely be able to inherit the great lineage. Now, the throne is passed on to the crown prince, Lu Sihong. So it is ordered!"
A glint of tears flashed in Lu Sihong's eyes.
He took heavy steps, received the imperial edict, and stood at the highest position in the main hall.
Liang Xuguang was the first to step forward and pay homage.
"Long live Your Majesty!"
Next was Liang Wentao.
The officials who had been waiting in the side hall all knelt down to pay homage one after another.
Concubine Lan didn't have time to wipe the blood and tears on her forehead and bowed deeply.
"Long live Your Majesty."
The crown prince first looked at Concubine Lan.
"Please rise, Concubine Lan."
The last bit of light in Lu Siming's eyes finally faded away.
He seemed to finally understand why he had lost.
The first thing Lu Sihong did after ascending the throne was to kneel before the empress dowager and arrange the late emperor's funeral.
The Ministry of Rites proposed several posthumous titles for the late emperor, and finally Lu Sihong made the decision.
Renjing.
All his life, the late emperor had been kind, lenient, and had widely practiced benevolence. The Great Zhou was at peace, and the people lived in comfort.
Just before dawn, an imperial decree was sent to Caiying Hall.
The crown princess, Cheng Simean, was to be crowned the empress and was to go to Qianyuan Hall immediately to keep vigil for the late emperor.