The Capital Imperial Palace.
Crown Prince Murong Zhuo looked utterly disheveled as he sat on the ground, looking at the Second Prince Murong Yue on the high throne. He smiled faintly, with a hint of sorrow, and said: “I never expected that Second Brother has become so powerful now!”
Murong Yue was wearing silver armor, holding a spear with a cold face, looking at him indifferently, “You are too naive!”
Murong Zhuo laughed, “Ha, yes, I am too naive!”
Always thinking about the bond of brotherhood, always holding on to the father-son affection—it’s truly laughable, laughable!!
He raised his head and sighed, “I’m sorry, Grand Princess, I couldn’t hold on until you returned.”
As he finished speaking, he raised his hand and lifted his sword, ready to take his own life on the spot. But just then, a faint and cool voice drifted in from outside the hall: “Your Highness the Crown Prince, you’re overthinking things.”
Murong Zhuo’s face lit up with surprise and joy as he turned to look at Liu Fang who walked in from outside. She was wearing silver armor, her heroic and spirited appearance was just as it had been when they first met years ago.
“You’re here!”
Liu Fang nodded slightly, then looked up at Murong Yue and said, “Second Prince, the act has gone on long enough.”
Murong Zhuo: (⊙o⊙)!
He was so startled that his hand loosened and the sword fell to the ground. He turned his head to look at Murong Yue.
Murong Yue smiled faintly, “Were you scared to death just now?”
Murong Zhuo: …
Hong Bao, who was kneeling to the side and had collapsed in fear moments ago, thinking he was going to die, said: Alright then, the Grand Princess and the Second Prince sure know how to have fun. Something this serious turns out to be just an act?
Liu Fang had no time to bother with these two brothers caught in their love-hate dynamic. She turned and went into the inner chamber, where she saw Emperor Yanqing, now emaciated and frail from illness, sitting on the couch dressed in his imperial robes.
“Did you plan all of this?”
Emperor Yanqing’s voice was hoarse and deep. Compared with seven years ago, he had become unusually grim just like his voice.
Liu Fang walked slowly to him, lowering her head to look down at him and said: “I have never understood why, as the ruler of a nation, you would have such a terrifying thought—preferring to destroy the world rather than hand it over to your own son? Later I figured it out, for a madman, it’s all about his own happiness, not caring about the lives of others. But, Your Majesty, when you wake up in the dead of night, don’t you have nightmares? Have you ever thought that you are betraying your people and your country?”
The sickly and pale face of Emperor Yanqing froze, and he stared at Liu Fang, saying, “It is you who forced me to do this.”
Liu Fang smiled coldly, “Heh. So, you would rather destroy the Western Border, destroy Dayan Kingdom, just to preserve your supreme dignity!”
Emperor Yanqing was at a loss for words. It was true that he had made the deal with Tuoba Yaoheng for the sake of his own pride.
“Unfortunately, from today onward, the Barbarian Tribe will no longer exist! Your Majesty, please rest in peace.”
After saying this, Liu Fang respectfully bowed and then turned to leave, paying no attention to Emperor Yanqing’s anxious inquiry about what she meant by her words.
Liu Fang walked out of the hall and looked up at the dim sky. At that moment, Murong Yue also came out and stood beside her.
“Did you get your revenge?” Liu Fang asked indifferently.
“Yeah.” Murong Yue replied calmly, “I beat him up. I’ve wanted to hit him for a long time. I’ve been holding it in for so many years. It was really suffocating.”
Suddenly, the laughter of Crown Prince Murong Zhuo was heard from inside the hall. Liu Fang heard it, smiled slightly, and said to Murong Yue: “He couldn’t have been knocked silly by your beating, could he?”
Murong Yue shrugged, “Maybe, who knows.”
After saying that, he also laughed.
Liu Fang smiled and said, “That’s fine. Then, I can rest assured and go back.”
Murong Yue nodded, “Well, go ahead and go back. The capital will be left to him and me. Don’t worry, nothing will happen. The Dayan Kingdom won’t be destroyed like this.”
Liu Fang nodded, exchanged greetings with him, and then left with her people.
Actually, it didn’t matter whether she came or not. But, she still came. The reason was to resolve the issue of the Western Border once and for all.
“Miss, Tuoba Yaoheng already knows that you have come to the capital.”
“Alright, let’s go back.”
“Yes.”
…………
Tuoba Yaoheng looked in disbelief at the Western Border soldiers who had already breached Manjing and entered the imperial palace. Where did they come from?
Liu Zhi held a dagger and hid behind him in fear, saying, “Your Highness, what should we do? What should we do? Are we going to die…”
Tuoba Yaoheng turned around and slapped her, shouting angrily: “Shut up!”
Liu Zhi was slapped to the side, her face reddened and swollen. She lowered her head and remained silent.
Tuoba Yaoheng turned away, unwilling to look at her foolish expression, but in his heart, the image of that captivating figure resurfaced once again.
That person was the first person who completely defeated him, and also the person he would never be able to have in his entire life.
He knew that between him and her, there could only be life or death, only enmity, never friendship, and certainly never…
In a daze, Tuoba Yaoheng saw her slowly walk in. Her appearance was still stunningly beautiful, her figure still graceful, and her demeanor still so nonchalant.
It’s her!
Tuoba Yaoheng’s eyes widened in disbelief. Impossible. How could she be here? Didn’t she go to the capital of the Dayan Kingdom?
So how did she get back here in such a short amount of time?
Liu Fang shrugged: Do you know about sledding?
Over the years, Liu Fang had been studying how to improve the marching speed of the Western Border army and found that sleds were indeed a very effective method.
By using mechanisms to create a self-propelled skiing device and adding a carriage, the speed was so fast that it felt like riding a train. In this ancient world, it was truly like the existence of an ordinary airplane.
However, there was no need to tell Tuoba Yaoheng about any of this.
Liu Fang merely glanced at him and said, “Third Prince, this time, you’ve lost again.”
Instigated Emperor Yanqing to launch a palace coup today, took the opportunity to kill Murong Zhuo, and lured Liu Fang back to the capital. Then, pushed the Second Prince, Murong Yue, to the throne. After that, there were various other princes who knew the inside story, unwilling to be outdone and eager to follow suit. In this way, the entire Dayan Kingdom would definitely fall into chaos.
The barbarian tribes could take the opportunity to capture the Western Border and capture the entire Dayan Kingdom in one fell swoop.
Unfortunately, they made the same mistake again. They underestimated Liu Feng.
That’s right, this time, the commander defending Liucheng and the Western Border was Liu Feng—also a thirteen-year-old boy, who once again defeated the barbarians, leaving them scattered and fleeing in defeat.
This time, he even led his troops and directly broke into the barbarian tribe’s capital—Manjing.
And now, Liu Fang came here just to see her nephew’s final fruits of victory.
Tuoba Yaoheng closed his eyes and said dejectedly, “This time, I admit defeat willingly. I wonder how much ransom the Grand Princess plans to ask for?”
Liu Fang smiled and said, “Third Prince, do you still have money to pay the ransom?”
The ransom she had set back then was so high that the barbarians couldn’t pay it off over the years. The common people of the entire country could hardly survive. Now, after yet another defeat, where would they find the money for the ransom?
Tuoba Yaoheng gave a bitter smile and said, “So, this time, we are all going to die. Right?”
Liu Fang nodded, “That’s right. The common people can still live, but you can’t.”
How could she possibly let someone as dangerous as Tuoba Yaoheng live? That would be like leaving a ticking time bomb for herself.
Tuoba Yaoheng opened his eyes and smiled, “Very good, you’re still as straightforward and honest as ever.”
Never bothered to lie to him!
He looked at Liu Fang’s still beautiful face and softly asked, “If I weren’t a barbarian and you weren’t from the Dayan Kingdom, would there have been a chance for us to be close friends?”
Or perhaps, we could have been confidants?
Liu Fang: …
Could it be that this Third Prince has been scared silly?
She shook her head and said, “No. The fact is, you and I are enemies.”
Tuoba Yaoheng smiled, “Yes, you are right. The fact is, you and I are both enemies!”
After saying that, he raised his hand and lifted the knife, as if he was going to slit his own throat, but suddenly the blade turned and was aimed directly at Liu Fang’s chest.
The two stood facing each other, not far apart. Liu Feng, Chen Fang and others were shocked and hurriedly tried to intervene, but Liu Fang raised her hand slightly, signaling for them not to panic.
She was about to reach out to receive the strike when a dazzling figure appeared before her. With a “thud,” the knife plunged into the person who had shielded Liu Fang.
Liu Fang widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at the person before her—Liu Zhi!
Liu Zhi looked down at her chest that had been pierced, her outstretched arms still stubbornly reaching forward. She looked up and forced a smile at Liu Fang, opening her mouth as if to speak, but in an instant, blood flowed from the corner of her lips.
Her whole body swayed, and Liu Fang subconsciously reached out to catch her, too concerned to pay attention to Tuoba Yaoheng who had been subdued by Liu Feng.
She looked at Liu Zhi with mixed emotions.
Liu Zhi leaned in her arms, forcing a smile at her, her mouth bleeding, and her voice was so soft that only Liu Fang could hear it.
“I know…cough…you’ve always…hate me. Well, it’s normal, considering the things I’ve done. I guess you must be laughing at me, looking down on me, right? How could I, without a care, marry my… cough… father’s killer? Heh. I don’t care anymore. Sister, I know Luoya is your person. I also know what you’re trying to do. I admit, as your elder sister, I’m scared of dying, especially of dying at your hands. I don’t want you to bear the guilt of killing your elder sister, even if I deserve it. I think I can still do something for you one last time. So, I ran away. Cough… you probably think I’m still… cough… the naive and reckless mee… cough, not anymore, really not anymore. Cough, I’ve grown up. Although, the price is high. But I understand now. I understand your heart, your thoughts. That’s why I married him. I wanted to kill him in the end, but unfortunately… cough, puff!”
Liu Zhi couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood, soaking the collar of her clothes.
Liu Fang’s heart ached in panic. She pressed her hand against Liu Zhi’s chest, her eyes red as she said, “It’s okay. Really, it’s okay. I never wanted to kill you. Really, sister, please, don’t… please don’t….”
Liu Zhi smiled and said softly: “It’s great that we can still be sisters in the end, and I can still hear you call me…sister…”
She grabbed Liu Fang’s hand and pressed it tightly on the piece of jade she wore on her chest.
Liu Fang felt the warmth in the palm of her hand, and instantly understood, but no! It couldn’t be!
