Excruciating pain spread from his heart to his limbs and throughout his body. Wang Dian looked up and met Liang Ye’s bewildered gaze. He wanted to stand and tell Liang Ye that he was fine, but all strength seemed to have been drained from his body in an instant, a feeling of weightlessness and suffocation swept over him.
Suddenly all the surrounding sounds became extremely slow. He saw Liang Ye extend his arm toward him, saw the pale golden sunlight behind the clouds. He finally smelled the strong scent of begonia blossoms on himself, a bitter fragrance as if compressed from years of withering, which he instinctively rejected and despised.
“Wang Dian!!” Liang Ye’s roar broke through the long silence, reaching his ears.
Wang Dian’s pitch-black pupils trembled unnaturally a few times, and he saw Liang Ye’s blood-red eyes and panicked expression.
“It’s nothing…” he moved his lips, tugged at the corner of his mouth trying to smile at Liang Ye, but sweet blood gushed from his mouth. He never knew a person could spit out so much blood. His limbs became cold and numb, making every movement extremely difficult.
Liang Ye, who was holding him, trembled all over. Even though he had killed so many people, even though he had been on the brink of death several times without such fear, now as he held Wang Dian, looking at the long arrow protruding from Wang Dian’s chest, his hand hovered over it but didn’t dare to touch it. “It’s okay, nothing will happen, I… Zhen…”
Wang Dian grinned at him, “…pathetic.”
Liang Ye held him helplessly, breathing shakily, looking frantically toward the crowded Suixue Garden, shouting, “Where is the imperial physician! Imperial physician! Li Bu——find Li Bu for Zhen! Imperial physician——“
Wang Dian struggled to raise his hand and grasp Liang Ye’s suspended hand. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t make a sound, so he could only squeeze his palm firmly.
Liang Ye lowered his head, looking at him with red eyes, tears welling in his bloodshot eyes, calling his name with a choked voice, “Wang Dian, Wang Dian, Li Bu will be here soon, don’t be afraid, Zhen won’t let you die, Wang Dian.”
Wang Dian closed his eyes then struggled to open them again, grinning at him, “…alright.”
Liang Ye gripped his cold hand tightly, finally remembering Yue Jingming’s presence. His eyes suddenly filled with hope as he looked up at Yue Jingming, “Master! Master, come quickly and save him! Master! Master!”
Xiao Chunhe turned his face away, unable to bear the sight.
Yue Jingming came over and knelt beside Wang Dian, taking his wrist. Wang Dian felt a warm current flow through his body, his suffocation eased slightly, but he still uncontrollably spat out another large mouthful of fresh blood.
Yue Jingming was already covered in wounds. As he held Wang Dian’s wrist, black blood slowly flowed from his seven orifices. Wang Dian shook his head at him, wanting to pull his wrist away, but Yue Jingming showed no intention of letting go. Xiao Chunhe couldn’t stand it anymore, came over and pulled Yue Jingming away, sealed several of Wang Dian’s major acupoints, and said in a deep voice, “Say whatever you need to say quickly.”
“What do you mean?” Liang Ye looked up and glared fiercely at Xiao Chunhe.
Xiao Chunhe ignored him and pulled the half-dead Yue Jingming aside.
“Liang Ye.” Wang Dian raised his hand to wipe away the tears on his face, smiling. “Don’t force the impossible.”
“Zhen won’t let you die.” Liang Ye said through gritted teeth. “It’s just a small wound… Zhen is fine, so you definitely won’t have any problems!”
“Mm.” Wang Dian responded, and after a good while said, “Liang Ye, I feel a bit cold.”
Liang Ye quickly took off his imperial robe and covered him, holding him tight, lowering his head to kiss his blood-covered lips. “You’re not allowed to die, you belong to Zhen, you’re not allowed to die, do you hear?”
“…hear.” Wang Dian coughed a couple of times, spitting out more blood, “It’s not… that easy to die… I still want… to spend the New Year’s Eve properly with you…”
Liang Ye tightly clasped his hand.
Wang Dian tilted his head up, looking at him carefully and earnestly, “So this is what you look like when you cry.”
Liang Ye grabbed his hand and placed it on his own face, “Zhen never cries. You just promised to go hunting with Zhen in autumn, you’re still going to be Zhen’s empress, no, Zhen will be your empress. Zhen will listen to you in everything from now on, won’t hide anything from you, will only listen to you. Zhen… Zhen won’t deliberately anger you anymore, whatever you want Zhen will give you, Zhen doesn’t want anything else, Zhen only wants you.”
Wang Dian couldn’t help but laugh, “Sounds… not bad, Your Majesty, facing death you finally… cough cough, finally speak… like a human.”
“Shut up! Zhen won’t let you die!” Liang Ye raised his head and shouted at the people around: “Where is Li Bu!? Why hasn’t Li Bu arrived yet!”
“Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Li is saving someone in the council hall, someone has already been sent to call him.”
Wang Dian’s breathing had become so weak it was barely perceptible. The surrounding sounds became distant and blurred. He rested his forehead on Liang Ye’s shoulder, “Alright… Liang Ziyu, just talk with me for a while.”
“Zhen won’t let you die!” Regardless of his wounds, Liang Ye carried him horizontally in his arms, shakily standing up, “Zhen will take you to the council hall to find Li Bu… if he could save Zhen, he can definitely save you too.”
Wang Dian started coughing from the jolting. Liang Ye carried him forward with difficulty. Fragments of broken swords and knives were still deeply embedded in his flesh. Each step made him tremble with pain, blood flowing down his ankles, dyeing the flower petals even more crimson.
He carried Wang Dian forward with difficulty for a few steps, ignoring his wounds reopening and spattering blood, clenching his teeth as he leapt into the air, flying toward the council hall.
Wang Dian was held tightly in his arms, looking up at his tense jaw and smiling, “Liang Ye, I just remembered… some things…”
Liang Ye dared not look down at him, and cool water droplets fell from his chin onto the tip of Wang Dian’s nose.
“Are you listening?” Wang Dian raised his hand lazily to tug at his collar.
“Listen,” Liang Ye said.
“I was also once called by the name Liang Ye.” Wang Dian said weakly, “I always felt that as emperor… I would be better than you… but… you’re doing a much better job as emperor than I did…”
Liang Ye passed over the palace halls, stepping on the wall top, his arms trembling uncontrollably as he looked down at him.
“But I…might have had it worse than you…” Wang Dian smiled at him brilliantly, “Everyone died, couldn’t save a single one… what a fucking complete failure…”
Liang Ye clenched his teeth and flew toward the Imperial Study.
“No wonder I always felt at ease… playing the emperor…” Wang Dian laughed softly. “At first I found everything about you annoying and wanted to punch you… Liang Ye, talk to me, stop this fucking bird act.”
Liang Ye’s strength gave out and his leg weakened. He fell from the wall while holding him, firmly protecting him in his arms. When he raised his head, his face was covered in tears as he looked at him chokingly, “Stop talking…Wang Dian, stop talking.”
“What are you doing?” Wang Dian smiled, raising his hand to wipe away his tears, “Your character has completely fallen apart, Your Majesty. At Sipan Mountain when you were almost dying, I didn’t shed a tear.”
Liang Ye tightly grabbed his hand, looking at him fiercely, “Zhen forbids you to die!”
Wang Dian struggled to take a breath, “You’re the emperor… don’t cry.”
“Don’t leave me.” Liang Ye clutched his hand to his chest, looking at Wang Dian with humility and supplication, his eyes blood-red as he begged, “Don’t leave me, Wang Dian. I only have you now. You said you loved me the most. You can’t do this.”
Wang Dian wanted to laugh but couldn’t. Liang Ye’s figure before him gradually became blurry. He blinked hard, his eyes stinging with tears, then grabbed Liang Ye’s collar, forcing him to lower his head and kissed him.
Pain spread throughout his five viscera and six bowels. His neck felt as if the bone had been carved out. Amidst the intense pain, he kissed Liang Ye forcefully, their lips and tongues entangled desperately. The sweet, metallic taste of blood spread everywhere. He placed his hand over Liang Ye’s intact neck, clinging to him with desire and reluctance, feeling the air gradually becoming thinner.
A passionate, desperate kiss.
He finally exhausted his last bit of strength. Their foreheads pressed together as they gazed into each other’s identical eyes. He tugged hard at Liang Ye’s hair, “Liang Ye…”
“Mm.” Liang Ye’s voice trembled.
Perhaps Wang Dian himself was also trembling, but he no longer had time to feel it. He leaned in, his bloodied nose tip lightly touching Liang Ye’s cool nose tip, laughing cheerfully, “You pathetic thing…”
“Live well.”
Liang Ye carried him, leaping up with all his might, running toward the crumbling council hall, finally seeing Li Bu’s figure.
He landed and ran forward with large steps, but stumbled over a fallen coiled dragon pillar. He quickly used his arm to protect Wang Dian’s head, his flesh torn and bloody from the protruding broken bricks.
“Wang Dian, I see Li Bu, Li Bu is right there, he’ll definitely save you…” Liang Ye got up and ran forward with large steps, shouting loudly through the damp rain and thick gunpowder smoke. “Li Bu! Save him!”
Li Bu turned around at the sound.
Liang Ye looked at the person sleeping in his arms, “Wang Dian, open your eyes, don’t sleep, I’ve found Li Bu, wake up….Wang Dian, wake up!”
The person in his arms did not respond.
Liang Ye stumbled on the wet ground in front of the council hall, and Wang Dian instantly slipped from his arms. He reached out awkwardly and frantically to catch him, but suddenly grasped nothing.
Li Bu crossed the devastation to the entrance of the council hall, looking at Liang Ye kneeling on the ground in confusion. “Your Majesty?”
Liang Ye held up his arms, still maintaining the posture of holding someone, but only a tattered imperial robe hung on his hands. With red eyes, he looked up at Li Bu in confusion, asking softly, “Where is Wang Dian?”
Li Bu seemed to see again the lonely child from many years ago on that stone path in front of the Imperial Medical Courtyard. He opened his mouth but couldn’t answer his question, “Your Majesty, there is only you here.”
The sleeve pocket of the imperial robe suddenly slipped down, and various items scattered out: the copper coin with hair tied to it belonging to Wang Dian, the jade pendant Liang Ye had personally attached, the red rope with gold leaves from his ankle, the blue safety knot tied around his wrist… all the things he had used to bind and mark Wang Dian, quietly falling to the ground.
The dark clouds finally completely dispersed, and the brilliant, passionate sunlight poured over the glazed tiles of the capital’s imperial palace. The long wind swept through the magnificent and prosperous capital, brushing past the mottled, extended vermilion city walls, stirring up the deep green willow leaves on the tiles.
Swaying gently as they fell on the imperial robe.
Li Bu learned for the first time that when a person’s howl reaches the extreme of despair, it makes no sound.
Yet, it tears at the heart and rends the soul.
