Chapter 83
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Chapter 83:
Liang Yongyuan’s eyes revealed a mix of admiration and longing, as if he found Li Chunzhou very familiar upon meeting her. But to Li Chunzhou, it all felt strangely inexplicable.
Liang Yongyuan then noticed Li Zhexuan beside Li Chunzhou, tears in his eyes. He sighed in relief and said, "Li Zhexuan?! Thank goodness you’re okay… That’s wonderful!"
He started coughing violently right after speaking, his lips pale and his face gray, looking like his time was running out. His face brightened briefly when he saw Li Chunzhou, but it seemed more like a fleeting moment of hope.
"Uncle." Li Zhexuan naturally called out to his uncle in a familiar tone as always. Looking at the emperor, he said, "The main Turkish forces are likely nearing the capital now. You should leave quickly while you still can."
The Turkish cavalry besieging the palace was just a small advance party. There were tens of times more Turkish troops approaching Shengjing. The only route left for Daliang now was to head south.
Whether it was clinging to the last bits of hope or not, one must first ensure their survival before considering surrendering land and paying tribute, bowing down to the mighty enemy cavalry.
Li Chunzhou didn’t bother thinking about the useless emperor. In the end, most of the current chaos and embarrassment in Daliang could be attributed to Liang Yongyuan.
She pondered with her head lowered. If Liang Yongyuan could notice Li Zhexuan’s presence, then Jian Hou must be nearby. After all, only he could influence the special abilities of the ominous spirits in the dungeon. Li Zhexuan’s ability to make others ignore him was due to him mimicking the spirits’ power to influence others’ consciousness.
Jian Hou had been trapped in the palace for over a day now. If he had any unexpected privileges, he should have left the palace surrounded by the Turks long ago to pursue the fleeing Li Zhexuan.
But he didn’t. This meant that Jian Hou had also reached a dead end.
Li Chunzhou smiled gently, with a hint of hidden excitement in her calm demeanor.
Jian Hou may be very familiar with the Main God System’s program, and can manipulate the unnatural powers in this Dungeon World, such as the abilities of four evil spirits. However, when Jian Hou entered this Dungeon World in his consciousness form, he had to abide by the rules of the world, relying on his fragile human body to carry out his actions.
Their arrogance as a race has put them in a disadvantageous position. The Main God has ruled all worlds for too long, to the point where they are too lazy to pay attention to these insect-like species and lower-dimensional civilizations.
Liang Yongyuan stood by Li Chunzhou with someone’s help, looking like he had a lot to say to her but feeling a bit hesitant. He hesitantly asked her, "Lady Chun, could you… call me ‘Ahu’ again?"
Li Chunzhou looked up at him in confusion, but before she could speak, Liang Yongyuan was interrupted by the hurried arrival of Prime Minister Gu. He restrained the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you must leave quickly."
Liang Yongyuan became even more excited when he saw Prime Minister Gu. He tugged on his sleeve and said, "Minister Gu, look quickly! It’s Lady Chun… cough! Cough…"
As Liang Yongyuan spoke faster, he started coughing, and Prime Minister Gu glanced at Li Chunzhou with furrowed brows. He advised Liang Yongyuan in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please board the carriage first. I will explain later."
His tone was gentle, almost like he was persuading a child. Over the years, Prime Minister Gu had indeed treated this incompetent monarch like a child, controlling the court on his behalf, trying to save this crumbling dynasty.
Following Prime Minister Gu were several palace maids, eunuchs, and Fourth Prince Liang Jiayou, who was carrying a court lady in her forties on his back, known as Consort Shu.
Leading the group to retreat was a calm palace maid, who interacted with Prime Minister Gu confidently. Li Chunzhou guessed she must be an experienced player.
The scene was quite amusing, with a prince carrying Consort Shu, being directed around by a palace maid. Liang Jiayou felt a bit helpless and quietly asked, "Is it really still time for us to run now? Didn’t Jian Hou say the Dungeon is about to end?"
Pebble raised an eyebrow and said without hesitation, "Forget about listening to Jian Hou. He’s from the Main God System. How could he care about our lives?"
Ying Rui whispered, "Right, it seems many people have died outside. There are only seventeen people left in the chat channel… A’ping said Shi Gu seems to have died too… I remember he was an experienced player, so scary."
Serene said calmly, "Men who love to preach are the most unreliable. It’s only a matter of time before they mess up…"
While speaking, she kept a close watch on her surroundings, wary of the Turks suddenly appearing. Prime Minister Gu had already ordered the palace attendants around the emperor to forcibly take him and flee quickly. The main gate was definitely impassable, so they could only try the East Gate.
Li Chunzhou stood quietly nearby, confirming that Jian Hou was not among them. Linlang saw her holding a chicken, observing them with curious eyes. She suddenly had some guesses – this girl must be Li Chunzhou. Her gaze moved to Li Zhexuan and paused…
Linlang was a highly intuitive person chosen by the Main God System before entering various Dungeon Worlds. Because she had seen ghosts since she was young, her family sent her to a nearby Taoist temple on the mountains. She understood some rituals and ancient texts. Over the years in Dungeon World, she had gleaned some information about the Main God System. Based on her intuition, she knew the boy next to Li Chunzhou was extraordinary, but it wasn’t the right time to approach him.
So, Linlang simply glanced at Li Chunzhou and Li Zhexuan once more before leaving.
***
Li Chunzhou puts Li Li down and quickly escapes when he realizes something is wrong, then she and Li Zhexuan continue walking ahead — they are about to reach the Royal Banquet Hall, where the royal family hosts feasts, so it is the busiest place in the palace.
Soon, along with Jian Hou’s figure, Li Chunzhou sees the Second Prince, who she hasn’t seen for a day.
There is still some bright red blood on his cheeks, holding a shiny sword in his right hand, its blade stained with the blood of the Tartars. His handsome face, at this moment, is rendered unique by the dust and blood, creating a special aura.
Li Chunzhou is surprised to see the Second Prince personally fighting with the Tartars, indicating that his Dark Guard around him may have already died. The longsword in his hand gleams with a cold light, the Second Prince carries many wounds on his shoulders and arms, like a testimony to the slaughter he has seen.
Another man dressed as a prince is sitting helplessly on the ground. With his hands and feet tendons cut off, he struggles backward on the ground, inch by inch, using a voice full of fear and hatred, shouting loudly, "You have no right to kill me! No right! You are all just NPCs… Why are you killing me?!"
The Second Prince’s handsome face is veiled with a gloomy expression, the scalding blood on his body does not add much warmth to his expression, but instead, because of the bloody scent, his whole aura appears more aggressive and icy. His gaze sweeps across the crowd like a sharp sword, trapped in this palace are princes, ministers, and other royal relatives.
Amidst the fearful and weeping nobility, the Second Prince is the only one maintaining royal dignity.
Liang Changfeng’s sword glitters with a cold light, pointing at the Fifth Prince on the ground.
"Liang Wenshi," said the Second Prince in a calm and firm voice, with a touch of cold disdain, "you are a wicked person, a scoundrel of the streets, worse than your father who fell under the spell of a sorceress. You dared to sneak into the treasury and steal from the palace, deceive the prince, and betray the country. Your actions are wicked, and if you try to survive by deceit, the people of the kingdom will curse you with hatred."
Liang Wenshi’s eyes showed fear and regret. He regretted not being more discreet in his actions and wished he had dealt with the Second Prince earlier. But it was too late, the words of the Second Prince had sealed his fate.
"From today onwards, your title will be stripped, and all your power will be taken away," said the Second Prince with a cold and disgusted tone, his eyes indifferent like a snake eyeing its prey after a hearty meal. "As for your crimes, I will be the one to carry out your punishment."
In front of everyone, the Second Prince swung his sword and ended Liang Wenshi’s life. Blood splattered, and the crowd cried out in sorrow and shock.
The sight of Fifth Prince’s body and the splattered blood increased the fear among the people. Starting with one person, more and more began to run aimlessly in panic.
Second Prince turned his expressionless face towards Li Chunzhou and Li Zhexuan.
Almost at the same time, Li Chunzhou noticed Jian Hou not far from the Second Prince. His eyes had turned completely golden — his body was struggling to withstand the damage caused by the high-dimensional biological program.
When Jian Hou’s body was completely exhausted, Li Chunzhou was unsure if he would project his consciousness into another unconscious body. The best way was to deal with him quickly now.
Li Chunzhou exchanged a look with Li Zhexuan beside her, who showed a confident expression and squeezed Li Chunzhou’s hand, saying, "Lady Chun, rest assured, I can take care of him effortlessly like a peacock displaying its feathers."
He picked up a knife from the ground, agilely brandishing the sharp blade, swiftly pouncing towards Jian Hou like a hunting leopard.
Just as the blade in his hand was about to reach Jian Hou, it was all blocked by the Second Prince. The Second Prince lifted his bloodstained brows and slowly said, "Should I call you Shouchang… or ‘Li Zhexuan’?"
He chewed on the name that disgusted him deeply, suddenly chuckling.
Li Chunzhou’s face changed, how did Liang Changfeng know that the current Mi Hongbao was also Li Zhexuan…? She quickly wondered, how much did Jian Hou tell Second Prince about Dungeon World and reincarnation? How did Second Prince figure out that the "Mi Hongbao" in front of him was not the real Shouchang? Did Liang Changfeng see Mi Hongbao being killed by the Turks…?
Liang Changfeng had thought that when he was trapped in the palace, Li Chunzhou might abandon him, leave behind everything in Shengjing City and escape. He wouldn’t be angry at her for this kind of "abandonment", and even thought such an ending was not bad. However, he didn’t expect Li Chunzhou to go to such lengths to save this monster, and to even put up a scene of sharing life and death for him.
The care she showed towards Li Zhexuan was plainly visible on her face, seen clearly by the Second Prince.
A nameless rage surged in Liang Changfeng’s heart, he tightened the long sword in his hand, his tongue brushing past his clenched teeth with suppressed anger. At the same time, what he could no longer ignore was the discomfort and unwillingness of being abandoned by the child he raised from a young age.
Although the Second Prince didn’t want to admit it, there was still a sense of returning to the day when he killed Yunxiao when he looked at the slightly guarded expression on Li Chunzhou’s face – a suffocating sense of despair and defeat that entwined around his heart like damp vines.
Suddenly, the knife in Li Zhexuan’s hand was forcefully pressed down by Liang Changfeng. Liang Changfeng’s face no longer held the previous calm and confidence, his eyes burning with a subtle madness and dark jealousy.
Even facing his younger cousin, he still angrily said in a cold, gloomy voice, "You despicable creature! Do you think by charming her, she would see you as the most important person? How foolish!"
Li Zhexuan, feeling both angry and hurt, his handsome face contorted, argued loudly, "Brother! Why do you accuse me like this?! When did I charm Lady Chun? I knew Lady Chun even before you did. If you can’t keep her, why yell at me, brother?! If you’re unhappy, just stay away from Lady Chun and let her be with me. Why the fuss?!"
Seeing his cousin’s stubborn and defiant appearance and hearing his self-righteous words, Liang Changfeng felt a rising frustration in his chest, his face turned dark with anger. He actually wanted to scold Li Zhexuan, but the current Li Zhexuan also had some of Mi Hongbao in him, so the foolish cousin dared to talk back.
Just as the two were at a standoff, the Emperor’s group, who were about to leave from the East Gate, suddenly returned. Prime Minister Gu grimly said, "The main Turkic forces are already outside the palace, and the palaces in the southeast are ablaze, the fire spreading towards us… It was Daliang’s soldiers who started the fire. Jianxi said a few soldiers suddenly disobeyed orders…"
With the fire raging in the south and the Turkic invaders in the north, they were truly trapped. Prime Minister Gu, his face grim, looked at the Second Prince and asked, "These private soldiers are under your command. Your Highness, don’t you have anything to say?"
"Indeed, they are under my command. I had the assassins infiltrate, and when it was too late, they set the fires directly." Upon hearing Prime Minister Gu’s inquiry, the Second Prince’s face calmed slightly, smiling nervously at everyone.
The expressions of everyone present turned grim. The Second Prince’s only goal in doing this was to drag everyone down with him in death.
In a sense, Prime Minister Gu could also understand his mindset. With the Turkic forces invading the capital, even if they fled in carriages, they would not escape. Throughout history, captured emperors and their families never met a good end. In Liang Changfeng’s eyes, rather than let the royal family endure humiliation, being paraded like animals to worship the enemy’s ancestors and gods, it was better to die cleanly.
Since ancient times, there had been deep animosity between the Central Plains people and the Turkic people. The final emperor of the previous dynasty, once revered, was reduced to a captive and suffered immense humiliation. The palace concubines, princesses, unable to bear the enemy’s disrespect, chose to commit suicide on the way to the grasslands.
Maybe the emperor won’t die because the enemy wants to use the captured emperor to show off their victory over Daliang. So they won’t treat Liang Yongyuan too badly, just keep an eye on him. But as long as Liang Yongyuan remains a captive, it will bring eternal shame to Daliang in history books.
Even so, there are surely people who want to keep on living. The royal relatives and nobles present have lived comfortably for so many years. How could they willingly accept death? However, Liang Changfeng is completely crazy – if the royal family doesn’t want dignity, he’ll help them look dignified.
He ordered the assassins to set fire to cut off everyone’s escape route, including his own.
Among the people present are not only nobles but also common palace maids and eunuchs. Even though they may face humiliation or a slim chance of survival if they stay alive, they still have the right to make their own choices.
Second Prince has blocked all their ways out. Prime Minister Gu silently wonders in his heart, does Liang Changfeng really have the right to do this…?