"He appeared in dusty armor and saved me. That scene is etched in my memory forever! His killing aura immediately filled the room. To me, he was like a god! At that time, my brother was also in the capital, enduring hardship and humiliation. Upon learning that Shang Jian Bo had saved me, he rejoiced not for my rescue, but for the possibility that I might be able to seduce Shang Jian Bo! He did everything for his own survival!"
Saying this, Hai Ru Yue picked up the wine jug again and took a sip.
"He rode his horse through the desert day and night under the scorching sun. When he was just over ten years old, he was already leading expeditions. And when he was over twenty, that's when I first saw him. By then, he was already a mature and authoritative man! As for his elder brother, Shang Jian Xiong, the current Emperor of the Yan Kingdom, he mainly handled the affairs of the realm. That's how it was between them. One dealt with military matters, the other with governmental affairs."
"Regarding his brother, my brother and I also appealed to Shang Jian Xiong. Only Shang Jian Xiong was different. He considered the relationships of ministers and other court officials and did not wish to harm anyone, so the consequences of seeking his help were imaginable."
"After that incident, when Shang Jian Bo saved me from Tong Mo's hands, my brother saw a ray of hope in Shang Jian Bo. He noticed that Shang Jian Bo was not like his elder brother. He told me to seduce him. Although the thought of seducing someone for survival was repugnant to me, I didn't reject the idea myself. For when Shang Jian Bo carried me out of Tong Mo's residence, I had already fallen in love with Shang Jian Bo, and so I began to seek opportunities to get closer to him."
"Shang Jian Bo understood my intentions but tactfully refused. And after that, he even began to avoid me. At that time, he already had a wife and an elder son, but Shang Chao Zong had not yet been born. However, I paid no mind to that. I didn't need status; I simply desired him desperately. In the end, no hero can resist the charms of beauties, and I got what I wanted. We were together."
Yuan Gang was speechless. So, they were cousins... However, in such cruel times, even marriages between siblings were common. There was nothing to be surprised about.
"Then the situation under heaven changed. The Yan Kingdom, under pressure, was forced to respond to the demands of the Zhao Kingdom. In the end, we waited for the day when we could return. Only then, I no longer wished to return; I only wanted to be with Shang Jian Bo. However, my brother wouldn't even allow me to think about it. He said that I was a princess of the kingdom and certainly could not become a concubine, otherwise the Zhao Kingdom would be disgraced!"
"At that time, I truly loved Shang Jian Bo, and I even secretly hid in the mountains. In winter, alone. I felt hunger and cold. Then Shang Jian Bo personally took men, and when it was snowing heavily, he still found me. I was deeply moved then. I thought he wanted to stay with me forever, but who knew that he would personally decide to take me back to my homeland in a carriage."
"It was snowing heavily then. He rode motionless in front of my carriage. I yelled to him that I hated him!"
"The man I loved most, hurt me the most deeply!"
As she spoke, tears streamed down Hai Ru Yue's face. She remembered those days.
Yuan Gang sat calmly, as if nothing could touch him.
"After I returned to my homeland, I constantly heard news of him. How quickly he rose. How he became the commander-in-chief of the Wuli Guard and Yinyang Guard. How he shook the entire realm!"
"And my parents, the emperor and empress, to appease Xiao Huang of Qingzhou, decided to marry me off to his son, Xiao Be Shang, my late husband."
"Not long after, Xiao Huang died. Xiao Be Shang took control of Qingzhou. Later, my father, the emperor, passed away. My brother ascended the throne and, following his ambitions, he wanted to kill the prince and even decided not to release my younger sister's husband!"
"I didn't expect him to release him either! When my parents sent us to the Yan Kingdom, they said it was for the country! When my brother forced me to return, he also said it was for the country. When they forced me to marry the sickly Xiao Be Shang, they also said it was for the country. Always for the country..."
"Then I gradually began to understand that one shouldn't rely on anyone else; one must only rely on oneself. I could no longer depend on them. So, I contacted Shang Jian Bo and asked for his help, in memory of our past feelings. In the end, he secured the imperial court's consent, led troops to the borders, and instilled fear in the Zhao Kingdom. As a result, they withdrew from Qingzhou and released me. That's when Wandong Heavenly Palace started to value me!"
"They did everything for the country! Now, my brother probably regrets not killing me back then. And the reason, of course, will be the same. For the country!"
"On the other hand, if I had stayed with Shang Jian Bo, nothing good would have come of it either. Shang Jian Bo... You must have heard what happened to him. If I had stayed with him, I probably would have died already!" She spoke, both crying and laughing. Then she grabbed the wine jug and drank again.
Yuan Gang snatched the wine jug from her and threw it into the pond. Then he stood up and said indifferently, "Lord Dao is doing all this for you. Don't ruin your own efforts."
After speaking, he turned and left.
Hai Ru Yue pursed her lips. What an unfeeling man!
When she looked up, Yuan Gang was already gone.
Later, she ordered her subordinates to summon Zhu Shun and instructed him regarding Niu You Dao's matter.
Once she had settled everything, she swayed as she walked back to her quarters. Upon returning to her room, near the door, someone grabbed her waist.
She turned her head and saw Elder Li Wu Hua of Wandong Heavenly Palace. His hand was already on a place not usually allowed to be touched on a woman.
"I heard you've been getting closer to that Yuan Gang recently. Have you fallen for him?"
"What's there to fall for? That Niu You Dao is a talented man. I merely want to get a better understanding of the people close to him."
"You're mine!"
"It's easy to say I'm yours. Why don't you marry me? A princess of the Zhao Kingdom! Do you dare? I doubt it. M..."
After that, she was thrown onto the bed...
Liusu Courtyard.
Yuan Gang walked back in a depressed state the entire way. Networks were spread throughout the entire Zhao Kingdom. It seemed the Yan Kingdom was greatly enraged with Lord Dao. Lord Dao was in danger!
When he returned to the residence, he saw Wei Duo standing at the door.
"Lord Dao is in danger. We can't wait any longer. I can't lift the restriction on you yet. We'll think about that later, but now I must act!"
Wei Duo nodded, "Alright!"
Yuan Gang, "You pack your things quickly, and I'll make arrangements. As soon as the commotion starts, seize the opportunity and run! I'll find you later. We'll meet on the street!"
"Alright!" Wei Duo nodded his head.
"The commotion might be very loud. Don't panic or worry; just run immediately. Understood?"
"U-u-understood!" Wei Duo nodded his head many times.
Yuan Gang immediately picked up a jug and left the courtyard.
Wei Duo quickly began packing clothes into a box.
Yuan Gang took the wine jug and headed towards the rockery garden.
After calmly looking around, he crouched down and pulled an object wrapped in black oiled paper from beneath the rockery, which had a small cave. He unfolded it, took out a rope, and pressed it to the ground.
"Boom!"
He began pouring black sand into the jug, which he retrieved from under the rockery wall. When he had poured enough sand into the jug, he took the jug and slowly walked towards a pavilion. Along the way, he slowly spilled black sand from the jug onto the ground, leaving a black trail behind him.
He reached the stairs and stopped there.
Yuan Gang placed the jug nearby and felt for a fiery stick in his bosom. Only then did he notice two maids appearing in the garden. He waited for them to leave, then he opened the fiery stick, blew on it, and then threw it to the ground.
"Hiss!"
Smoke appeared, and the black sand glittered with sparks. The sparks traveled along the path, and Yuan Gang, at that moment, hid himself in the woods.
"Boom!" A powerful explosion ripped through the air. The rockery exploded and scattered in all directions.
Yuan Gang hid behind a large tree in the grove. One could see powerful stones flying past him. The stones shattered almost everything around.
The entire Liusu Courtyard trembled. Everyone sitting or walking there suddenly felt a tremor.
This tremor simply terrified the people.
What was that commotion? Wei Duo was also startled at first, then he grabbed his bundle and ran out. Cultivators flew in from all directions. They looked towards the cave, each not understanding what had happened. Many people flew there. And, of course, no one at that moment paid any attention to those who were leaving the courtyard.
As soon as Yuan Gang ran out of the Liusu Courtyard, he immediately headed to the beginning of the street. Along the way, he encountered a huge crowd of people who were heading there, looking towards the explosion and the black smoke rising from the Liusu Courtyard.
"J-j-just now..."
At the beginning of the street, Yuan Gang met Wei Duo.
Yuan Gang grabbed his shoulder and whispered:
"We need to seize the moment and leave the city while there's still time. Before the city gates are closed!"
The two men immediately began to move at great speed.
Inside the governor's palace, after enjoying her intimacies, a drunken and drowsy Hai Ru Yue heard a clap of thunder. The ground trembled. She immediately woke up, rose naked, pulled clothes from under the bed, and ran outside.
But the sky was clear. There was no hint of thunder. She saw the maids and asked them:
"What happened?"
The maids only shook their heads. They knew nothing...