When the Anqing Emperor saw her nod, he left with satisfaction. The Empress dismissed everyone, leaving only Gu Yan to talk to her for a while.
When she came out of the Changle Palace Hall, the sun was shining brightly above her head. Gu Yan was drenched in cold sweat. A Nuo hurried forward to support her and asked with concern, "Princess, what happened to you?"
Gu Yan did not make a sound, but she held A Nuo's hand tightly. She straightened her back and calmly left the Changle Palace with her head held high.
She walked very slowly on the long palace road. Every step was extremely heavy. The autumn sun burned her mercilessly, but she did not feel a trace of warmth.
"Find a chance to kill Yi Ling."
This sentence suddenly appeared in her mind. Her eyelids twitched. She looked up and saw that everyone on the palace road had been dismissed. They all bowed their heads and knelt by the road. In the distance, a black figure strode over.
"It's General Yi!" A Nuo whispered in her ear.
Looking at the tall and straight figure in black, Gu Heng recalled the first time she had seen him.
A few days ago, the Hokuin General Yi Ling led three thousand soldiers to Nan Hua.
Three thousand soldiers came and set up camp a hundred miles away from Jiangdu.
On the day of the audience, Yi Ling led five hundred elite soldiers into the city. In the four hundred years since the founding of Nan Hua, no other country's soldiers were allowed to step into the imperial city. Nan Hua's dream of prosperity and peace was mercilessly crushed by these five hundred soldiers.
Although there were only five hundred soldiers, to the people of Jiangdu, as well as the nobles and officials, who were used to seeing song and dance, it was a kind of awe. Nan Hua had always valued the civil and despised the military. However, when faced with these soldiers from other countries who were born in blood on the battlefield, they were deeply shocked.
When the city gate slowly opened, Gu Yan, second brother Gu Qian, and third brother Gu Gao leaned against the Qingfeng Pavilion, the tallest building in Jiangdu, and looked into the distance. The Anqing Emperor led the civil and military officials to welcome him. He was flanked by his left and right prime ministers. Behind the right prime minister was his eldest brother, Gu Yang, and Muran.
Gu Yan did not care about the commotion outside the city gate. She only looked at Muran from afar, wondering if he could see her.
The corridor of the city gate was paved with red carpet, and the palace flags on both sides fluttered in the wind.
Three cannon salutes were fired, followed by the deep and solemn sound of the horn.
The sound of the army marching was like the surging of waves. The clamor in the city suddenly quieted down. Gu Yan had no choice but to look away from Muran and look at the city gate.
Finally, the flag fluttering in the wind with the word "Yi" written on it appeared at the city gate. Just three simple strokes of the calligraphy were enough to make people feel a murderous aura.
The person in the lead rode a black steed and was clad in armor. His black armor was bathed in blood, and his tall figure came against the light, causing the bright yellow palace flag beside him to dim. Only the red tassel on his helmet was like a smear of blood, extremely glaring.
Behind him, five hundred elite soldiers stood in rows and marched solemnly. The sound of armor marching resounded through the Anding Gate.
After passing through the barbican, they entered the Taichi Gate. The general in black armor pulled the reins and stopped his horse. He raised his right hand slightly, and the soldiers behind him immediately stopped and did not move.
Only the general rode his horse forward and dismounted beside the ceremonial officer. He handed his sword to the ceremonial officer. Then, he slowly walked forward alone.
"Yi Ling." Gu Qian squinted his eyes and looked into the distance. It was hard to tell whether it was admiration or amusement.
Gu Ling, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to this. He only stared fixedly at the man who stood tall and straight like a sword. In front of the nobles of the heavens, in front of hundreds of officials and ministers, he stood tall and straight without the slightest trace of cowardice. It was as if everything under the heavens was under his control. What kind of magnanimity was this?
When he was three feet away from the Anqing Emperor, he stopped and then knelt on one knee, not both! The ceremonial officer was at a loss. He looked at the Anqing Emperor in fear.
Yi Ling was only a general of Beiyin. When a foreign official saw the monarch, according to etiquette, he should have knelt and bowed. But now, he was on one knee and had no intention of bowing. This shocked the officials of the court.
The Anqing Emperor smiled faintly and went forward to help him up, dissolving the awkwardness.
Only then did the ceremonial officer come back to his senses. He took out an imperial edict made of bright yellow silk and began to read it out loud. It was full of praises. When he finished, Yi Ling raised his arm and bowed his head to accept the edict. He then turned to face the soldiers and raised the imperial edict high. In an instant, the five hundred soldiers thanked him in unison, neither servile nor overbearing.
Gu Yan was used to the majesty of the royal family, but at this time, he felt a sense of fear. That man was like the summer sun, making people not dare to look directly at him.
Yi Ling, the God of Death on the battlefield. Only someone who was used to life and death and was born from the Asura Hell could have such an awe-inspiring murderous aura. It was not sharp but heavy.
"I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse for the Hokuin to have this person." Gu Qian's voice suddenly sounded, waking Gu Yan. She came back to her senses and found that her palms were sweaty.
"Of course it's a blessing. If it weren't for him, the Hokuin wouldn't have been able to step into Jiangdu." Gu Gao was rarely serious. His face was pale as he looked at Yi Ling.
Gu Qian shook his head and was silent. He wanted to speak, but stopped.
After a long time, he said, "A real man should be like this."
When Gu Yan heard this, she lowered her eyes and pondered. A strange feeling rose in her heart. It was both melancholy and lively.
This was a person who could make people tremble just by looking at him from afar. But the Anqing Emperor wanted her to find a chance to kill him?
"Find a chance to kill Yi Ling."
The Anqing Emperor's calm voice appeared in her mind like a ghost. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the tall and straight figure. His actions were vigorous and decisive.
The people on the palace road retreated. A Nuo also bent his knees and knelt to the side. She was the only one who straightened her back and narrowed her eyes as she watched the person approach.
The sunlight swayed. Suddenly, the world spun. Gu Yan could no longer support herself. Her vision turned black and she fell straight down.
"Princess!"
In a daze, she could only hear A Nuo's nervous scream. She could no longer feel anything.
— — —
The sound of wheels rumbling in her ears seemed to come from afar. It vaguely entered her ears. Gu Yan was in a daze. She felt that her whole body was weak and she couldn't use any strength.
She tried to prop herself up and called softly, "A Nuo?"
"Princess, you're awake?" A Nuo's surprised voice came from outside the carriage. "You suddenly fainted. You scared this servant to death."
The carriage slowly drove out of the palace gates. The majestic palace seemed to be covered in gold dust under the setting sun. It emitted a dazzling light.
Gu Yan reached out and gently lifted a corner of the curtain, revealing half of her face. She tilted her head slightly and raised her eyelids slightly to look at the familiar palace.
Her lips curved into a cold sneer, but it was hidden by the curtain in an instant.
"Princess, you should rest for a while. We'll be home soon." A Nuo thought that she was still dizzy and comforted her softly outside the carriage.
As the carriage moved further and further away, Gu Yan seemed to have been drained of all her strength. She couldn't support herself anymore and leaned against the wall of the carriage.
The smoky brocade was embroidered with beautiful cornel trees, each one in full bloom. Gu Yan gripped a corner of her dress so hard that her knuckles turned white.
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