I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 227 The Sheep-Leading Ceremony

"Wanwan."

Gu Tingchen called out, unable to hide his excitement.

He thought he would never have the chance to see his cousin again, but unexpectedly, God gave him another chance.

"Prince Dao'an, meeting your beloved is not something that can be done every day and night. You'd better hurry down and make preparations."

Seeing the tender affection in Gu Tingchen's eyes, Helian Jiu couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

She had already heard about the suffocating torture Gu Tingchen inflicted on that wretched woman from the Ye family. If she were to hand her over to Gu Tingchen in the future, it would be much more interesting than torturing her herself.

Moreover, she needed Gu Tingchen to maintain order so that these two women would kneel and submit before all the citizens of Lin'an today, and she absolutely could not afford any mistakes.

Gu Tingchen glanced silently at Emperor Zhaolie and Ye Wanshu, secretly put away the tiger tally, and had no choice but to leave the East Palace first.

Watching Gu Tingchen leave, Helian Jiu walked slowly to Emperor Zhaolie and Ye Wanshu, and said provocatively, "Princess Jinghe, I've let you reunite with your cousin. You should be very grateful to me."

Ye Wanshu smiled slightly: "Of course, I will naturally express my gratitude to the princess today."

I'm glad you have this thought.

Helian Jiu didn't mince words and said directly, "Then let's not waste any more words. Since the Emperor of Daye has already submitted to our dynasty, I hope that you two, the emperor and his minister, can set an example for the people of Daye today and perform the sheep-leading ceremony in front of all the people of Lin'an, and forever submit to our dynasty."

"Perform the sheep-leading ceremony?" Emperor Zhaolie was indignant: "Princess Helian is far too inhumane."

"Favors?" Helian Jiu sneered, "As the ruler of a country, shouldn't Your Majesty of Daye think more about your people? As long as you two meet my demands today, I will stop making things difficult for the people in the city."

After saying that, he waved his hand towards the inside of the hall, and then someone came in carrying two freshly peeled sheepskins, and the strong smell of mutton immediately filled the entire palace.

Ye Wanshu roughly knew what the sheep-leading ceremony was, which required a person to take off all their upper clothes, put on a sheepskin, and crawl on the ground with a rope around their neck.

This is undoubtedly a tremendous disgrace for the ruler of a country.

"Princess Helian, are you so certain that our people have no power to resist?" Ye Wanshu stared at her coldly.

"Ye Wanshu, you're not counting on Fu Mingchi to come and save you, are you?"

Helian Jiu said arrogantly, "The Divine Might Army is so vulnerable in front of my Great Qiu Iron Cavalry. What can those border rats who have been terrified of Great Qiu do? My royal brother is not to be trifled with."

From her eyes, Ye Wanshu already guessed that she knew Fu Mingchi had gone to Jiayuguan.

However, she did not think Fu Mingchi would lose.

She believed that Fu Mingchi could defeat the Crown Prince of Daqiu.

“Then let’s wait and see,” Ye Wanshu said without backing down.

Helian Jiu snorted coldly and waved his hand dismissively: "Please invite the Emperor of Daye and Princess Jinghe to the market."

As soon as she finished speaking, a group of burly men immediately stepped forward and, half-pushing and half-reluctantly, escorted the two of them out of the East Palace.

Li Youzhen and the court officials watched as the emperor emerged from the Eastern Palace, followed by fresh sheepskins carried by people from Daqiu. They roughly guessed what was about to happen and knelt down in agony, crying out, "Your Majesty, it is all our incompetence that has harmed you."

For a time, the streets were filled with the sounds of crying.

Emperor Zhaolie had long been disillusioned with these courtiers and ignored them. He gripped Ye Wanshu's hand tightly and comforted her in a deep voice, "Wan'er, no matter what happens, you must not yield to the Daqiu people. I will never let you be humiliated."

Fearing he might contemplate suicide again, Ye Wanshu whispered, "Your Majesty, just follow the original plan. I will not let their conspiracy succeed." "Alright," Emperor Zhaolie secretly squeezed the jade seal hidden in his sleeve and walked forward with peace of mind.

Upon arriving at the heart of the bustling city, they found themselves surrounded by onlookers. The iron cavalry of Daqiu and the newly recruited surrendered soldiers were scattered throughout the city, creating a tense and ominous atmosphere throughout Lin'an.

Gu Tingchen, mounted on his horse, watched as the Daqiu people carried freshly skinned sheepskins to Ye Wanshu and Emperor Zhaolie, and immediately showed his displeasure.

"Princess Helian, what is the meaning of your actions?" He had not expected Helian Jiu to humiliate him in this way.

Helian Jiu laughed and said, "Does the Prince of Dao'an not want these two to submit to you?"

Gu Tingchen clenched his fists secretly.

He naturally hoped that his cousin would submit to him willingly, but not in this way.

How could he face her in the future, and how could he possibly get along with her again?
“Princess Helian, my cousin is just a woman, why are you making things so difficult for her?” Gu Tingchen said with dissatisfaction.

“Prince Dao’an,” Helian Jiu said angrily, “I advise you to think carefully before you speak. Now is not the time for you to show mercy. Don’t forget who your enemy is.”

Thinking of Fu Mingchi, Gu Tingchen's eyes were filled with anger.

"Wanwan, cousin," Gu Tingchen looked at her with some reluctance.

Ye Wanshu gave a cold laugh: "Gu Tingchen, you don't need to pretend in front of me."

"I," Gu Tingchen felt a sharp pain in his heart, and suddenly didn't know how to talk to her anymore.

Emperor Zhaolie looked at him with a mocking gaze: "Gu Erlang, you keep saying you care about Jinghe, but look at your actions. You don't care about her at all. You have betrayed her time and time again. You are not worthy of being a man."

Gu Tingchen became even angrier: "Your Majesty, don't try to provoke me."

Emperor Zhaolie smiled and said, "Do I need it? You abandoned Wan'er when she was in danger, wasn't it all for the imperial seal? How about I give it to you today?"

After saying this, he took out the imperial seal from his sleeve and held it up in his hand: "Today, the imperial seal and Wan'er are both before you. I want to see how you will choose. Will you stand by and watch Wan'er be humiliated and then hand the imperial seal over to the northern bandits, or will you fight with all your might and live up to the expectations of your ancestors?"

Li Youzhen and his courtiers, having been enslaved by Helian Jiu for so long and witnessing their families suffer endless humiliation, were filled with resentment that had reached a boiling point. They knelt down and pleaded, "Prince Dao'an, you can't do something foolish! Gu is a prestigious family with a hundred-year history. Do you really want to hand over the empire that the Empress Dowager has painstakingly maintained for decades to the northern barbarians?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Tingchen's heart stirred slightly, and when he looked at the jade seal in Emperor Zhaolie's hand again, his eyes lit up considerably.

Helian Jiu sensed something was wrong and immediately shouted angrily, "You bastards, who gave you the audacity to bewitch Prince Dao'an?"

Li Youzhen had long since given up all hope for the people of Daqiu, and bracing himself, he continued to plead: "Prince Dao'an, do you want to become a shameless traitor who will be remembered for his infamy for ten thousand years? If you watch His Majesty and your beloved be humiliated, how will you face the ancestors of the Gu family in the future?"

Helian Jiu was furious, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, and he coldly waved his hand at Chang Rong.

A group of Daqiu soldiers charged into the court officials, brandishing their swords. With swift strokes, Li Youzhen and many other court officials fell into pools of blood.

"Anyone who dares to spread rumors and mislead the public again will suffer the same fate," Helian Jiu threatened, pointing at the corpses of Li Youzhen and the others.

But by this time, the crowd was filled with indignation, and many people knelt down and pleaded loudly, "Please, Prince Dao'an, execute Princess Daqiu."

"Kill!" Helian Jiu gave the order, and many more people were cut down to the ground.

The street was stained red with blood.

"Gu Tingchen, what are you still dawdling for?" Helian Jiu said coldly, "Immediately invite the Emperor and Princess of Daye to perform the sheep-leading ceremony."

Gu Tingchen slowly walked towards Emperor Zhaolie and Ye Wanshu, but his gaze remained fixed on the jade seal.