Ink Burns

Chapter 295 Azure
The sea breeze swirls around the sand and gravel, two endless flocks of birds sweep across the horizon, and the inky night and stars, along with the salty evening wind, sweep in.

On the rugged rocky beach, a slender figure staggered towards the cliff edge on the east side.

Shan Yue stepped onto the rocks one by one.

Behind them stretched the vast ocean, while ahead lay the forest dotted with twinkling lights.

"It was her—she killed His Highness and Lord He!"

A mournful wail echoed from within the temple!
"Kill her! Kill this woman!" Madam Chen, the female official beside Jing'an, seemed to wake from a dream. She leaned against the vermilion pillar of the temple, her voice filled with piercing hatred, slashing sharply through the dark night sky.

His breath seemed to have stopped.

Suddenly, a fierce blade aura attacked from behind Shan Yue!
"call out--"

In a flash, a rocket hurtled through the air, piercing the attacker's shoulder. In excruciating pain, the man was violently slammed against a dry rock, unable to move an inch. The arrowhead was deeply embedded in the stone, flames still burning!

In an instant, a barrage of rockets came hurtling in, all landing a foot behind Shan Yue. The flames, like a vicious whip, lashed the withered grass among the rocks. With a deafening roar, the scorched sea cliff was instantly torn open, creating a burning chasm.

A man and a horse, like a war god in armor, tore through the darkness and galloped from the mountains and rivers.

As Shan Yue dodged, she hurriedly braced herself on the ground with both hands. Amidst the scorching flames, Shan Yue looked up and was instantly met with a powerful arm whose muscles suddenly tensed.

"Jing'an, he fell off the cliff and is dead." Shan Yue was suddenly lifted up by this arm and spun around, landing behind the horse.

She is so tired.

so tired.

The fatigue and tension accumulated over nine years, one month, and three days finally found a brief respite at this moment.

Shan Yue gently rested her chin on Xue Xiao's shoulder.

The flames emitted grayish-white smoke.

The smoke stung my eyes.

Tears streamed down her face silently, eventually landing on Xue Xiao's clothes and spreading out in wet patches.

Xue Xiao felt a burning sensation on his shoulders, his back stiffened instantly, and then slowly relaxed.

The sky and the sea, fire and water, night and light intertwine.

"You're amazing." Xue Xiao expressed his sincere respect and admiration: "You are the most resilient, bravest, and most resourceful person I have ever met—and even the most compassionate."

He could devise a thousand ways for Jing'an to die, but Shan Yue preserved her final dignity and glory: until her death, Jing'an was the incomparably noble Grand Princess of the Great Wei, not a defeated politician, not a rebellious traitor, and certainly not a prisoner on trial.

Dressed in magnificent robes, she leaped off the cliff under the moonlight.

Her life came to an abrupt end, and of course, her sins were forgiven upon her death.

And this dignified end came only from his wife's pity.

Shan Yue buried her head in Xue Xiao's shoulder, her tears flowing from one stream to another, eventually forming a bitter soup of years of grievances. Her silent weeping gradually turned into loud sobs, which were completely drowned out by the crackling sound of the burning firewood.

Xue Xiao felt that the fabric on his shoulder was soaked through by the bitter soup, burning hot against his skin.

She didn't move, and neither did he. He simply stood still on his horse, loosened the reins, and let the horse trot in place.

He turned to the side and gently, slowly pressed his large hand against her trembling back, as if pressing down on an autumn leaf about to be swept away by the wind.

In this karmic fire that burns everything, he silently accepted all her collapses.

Two hours ago.

The fire, which started 300 miles away, spread into the Linde Hall of the Forbidden City before nightfall.

On the straight, gilded blue brick floor, a pair of thick-soled hemp shoes paced anxiously back and forth.

A young, unfamiliar eunuch in blue robes, head bowed, trotted over.

"How is it?! Is Chief Eunuch Fang here?" The thick-soled hemp shoes came to a sudden stop, and the watery eyes looked intently at the eunuch who had come to report. "Chief Eunuch is on duty. He ordered me to take Physician He to the side room to wait."

The young eunuch bowed and led the way, making several turns and bends, until he led Shui Guang to a secluded little room. He pushed open the door, turned on the copper kettle beside him, and a dark room appeared before him.

In the dark room, a square table was placed against the wall, on which sat a pot of hot tea, a porcelain cup, and a plate of mung bean cakes. A narrow gap was cut into the east wall and sealed with polished glass, through which one could vaguely see the flickering firelight and the shadows of people moving around next door.

The small room even had charcoal burning, which was warm but pungent.

"Grand Eunuch Fang requests that you wait here." The young eunuch bowed, his tone extremely obsequious: "You can vaguely see the scene of the Taihe Hall through the narrow glass window, and you can hear the conversations inside through the gaps on the side—you can get answers to any questions you may have."

Shui Guang was somewhat stunned, and grabbed the sleeve of the little eunuch who was about to sneak away: "Is the Emperor in the Taihe Hall next door?"

The young eunuch painstakingly redeemed the hem of the robe, saying, "Look at what you're saying. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is where the Emperor privately discusses matters and reviews memorials."

Shui Guang exclaimed in alarm, "Then wouldn't I be secretly spying on the Emperor's face?"

Having obtained the last bit of clothing, the little eunuch smiled and said, "You want to inquire about the safety of Commandant Xue's wife, don't you?"

She pursed her lips, but remained silent.

The young eunuch, however, understood: "Grand Eunuch Fang understands. Right now, Censor Xiao Po of the Censorate is reporting this matter to the Emperor. Grand Eunuch Fang has arranged for you to stay here so you can hear it firsthand. Isn't that better than you anxiously waiting for news in fear? — As for the death penalty for eavesdropping on imperial edicts and peeping at the Emperor's face, hehehe."

The young eunuch chuckled, his hands tucked into his sleeves. "Whoever arranged for you to come here should take responsibility. If anyone is to be blamed, the first person to be blamed will be Eunuch Fang, wouldn't you say?"

Shui Guang wanted to ask more questions, but when she raised her hand, the little eunuch dodged her like an eel.

Just as Shui Guang was about to call out, a voice came from the hole at the right moment: "The donkey cart that kidnapped Madam He has arrived in Qi County. The Grand Princess Jing'an has occupied the Sea God Temple on the cliff, and nearly five hundred elite soldiers are deployed among the watchtowers, reefs, cliffs, and coastal bushes."

Shui Guang held her breath and bent down, squinting as she looked closely at the glass barrier!

The polished glass refracts and misaligns all the images.

She couldn't see the person's face clearly, but could see that in the narrow inner hall, a person in a bright yellow dragon robe sat steadily on the dragon throne, and another person below seemed to be half-sitting. The soft light from the hexagonal palace lanterns was blocked by the glass into blurry patches of color.

"Is Qingyue Temple ready?"

A clear, calm tone, like a bell tolling in the twilight, landed steadily with a daunting pressure.

It's the emperor.

It's the emperor asking the question!

Shui Guang nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"They are in position." The person who reported this should be the Censor-in-Chief Xiao mentioned by the little eunuch: "The Taoist priests of Qingyue Temple have entered the forest from the back of Ma Liu Mountain. Each of them is carrying a bow and arrow and twenty arrows. The cavalry of the Left Battalion of Jizhou is also ready to take their positions. Captain Xue is personally leading the charge, hiding in the mountains and bushes. He will definitely not let the Grand Princess Jing'an escape."

"Jing'an is not important."

The clear, bright voice cut off what followed: "The important thing is that no one was injured or killed, especially the wife of Commandant Xue who went deep into the tiger's den."

Shui Guang's lips were tightly pressed together, but upon hearing this, they relaxed and exhaled a long breath evenly from between her lips.

The young eunuch who led the way tiptoed out of the dark room. As soon as he turned the corner of the corridor, he saw Wu Min waiting there with a whisk in hand.

"Well? Did that little ancestor have any suspicions?" Wu Min asked in a low voice.

The young eunuch shook his head repeatedly, grinning, "Who is Father? How could you possibly see through the scheme you've set up? A few days ago, I took the opportunity of delivering fruit to befriend that little earthworm from the kitchen. This morning, while chatting with him, I revealed the news that Madam Xue had been kidnapped. The little earthworm wanted to gossip with Physician He, but that's his business. We didn't do anything. Even if Physician He wanted to be suspicious, he wouldn't have any reason to be!"

Wu Min finally felt relieved, draped the whisk over her elbow, and whistled inwardly.

So tired!

The sage, wanting the young ancestor to be grateful, also wanted to reveal himself carefully: though the face was not clearly visible through the glass cover, the young ancestor could vaguely see the figure and hear the voice.
The sage wanted his ancestors to guess, but he was also afraid that they would guess, so he could only try to probe them secretly.

ho.

It's common for the Xu family of the Great Wei to produce romantics, but to produce a sycophant like this is truly remarkable.