Chapter 312: Chapter 309: Opposing

Sang Yan had fought for two more days.

But two days were clearly not enough.

Trapped within her frail body, she couldn’t do anything.

Especially since Qi Wuya was guarding against her escape, he had arranged for many people both inside and outside the house.

Sang Yan couldn’t escape.

Two days later,

Qi Wuya carried her onto the carriage, beginning their journey back to the Beiqi Imperial City.

“Slower.”

“Even slower.”

She frowned as she lay in the carriage, her heart racing with every jolt, fearful it might harm the child.

Qi Wuya sat in the carriage too, listening to her concern for the child, his annoyance growing.

He couldn’t help but give her belly a cold glare.

Sang Yan felt it and hurriedly covered her stomach, shifting to the side to put some distance between them.

Qi Wuya saw her guarded and fearful demeanor, which only increased his irritation, “Sang Yan, behave, don’t keep reminding me… that you’re carrying a… monstrous seed…”

The last few words, he gritted out.

He was never a good person, nor did he bother to pretend to be one, clearly conveying his disgust for the child in her womb.

“No… it’s not… he isn’t…”

Sang Yan turned away from him, muttering softly.

Her child with He Ying, the heir that the entire He Capital was eagerly anticipating, was a highly esteemed individual in the world, certainly not a monstrous seed.

Qi Wuya heard her quiet resistance, furrowed his brow, but said nothing.

He had always known about her rebellious spirit.

He also knew of her pure heart.

Thus, his rational mind told him–don’t rush. Treat her better. A woman’s heart is always soft. Just like Jiang Ke, who had eventually softened her heart in the end?

Though at the cost of death.

But he would not die.

He was the Emperor, the chosen one, and he only needed to treat her better. Someday, she would understand his true feelings.

“Sang Yan, you can get up and take in the scenery of Beiqi.”

He remembered how she had congratulated him the day he ascended to the high position and thought of sharing it with her.

And to enjoy the scenery below that high position.

Like this Beiqi scenery.

“No thanks. I’m a bit tired.”

She didn’t want to sit, always feeling that sitting would press on the fetus.

Qi Wuya knew her thoughts and was displeased again, letting out a sarcastic remark, “How can you be tired? You’ve been lying down for several days.”

After saying that, his face and voice grew colder, “Get up. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Sang Yan: “…”

He was threatening again.

She had no other choice.

She could only slowly sit up, lift the carriage curtain, and look outside at the scenery.

It was almost noon.

The sunlight was very strong.

But the air was still cold.

The ground was even frozen solid.

As the carriage wheels turned, they made a crisp sound.

“Cold. It’s very cold.”

She didn’t want to sit, so she pretended to shiver, hoping to lie back down under the covers.

Qi Wuya, not wanting to accommodate her, removed the golden cloak from his body and draped it over her while also grabbing her hand and holding it tightly.

Since Sang Yan wasn’t physically well, her hands and feet were cold; saying she was cold wasn’t really a lie.

Qi Wuya wanted to warm her hands, and he blew several breaths of warm air on them.

Sang Yan didn’t like physical contact with strange men. Having him breathe warm air over her made her feel uncomfortable all over. While her hand indeed warmed up, it felt like countless ants were crawling over it, making it itch unbearably.

She really wanted to pull away.

But she didn’t dare.

She didn’t want to anger him.

It was just holding hands.

It was still within her tolerance range.

“Really, it’s very cold. Wuya, let me lay down, please.”

She showed weakness again, giving him a pitiful and longing look.

Qi Wuya found he couldn’t resist her “please” look.

He was supposed to be a tough, iron-blooded man, yet she brought out his tender side.

“Sang Yan, you have no idea how much I love you.”

He reached out to cover her eyes.

But even not looking into her eyes, he still couldn’t utter words of refusal.

“Fine. Go ahead and lie down.”

He sighed deeply in his heart.

He suddenly understood Han Mo’s hidden worries–Sang Yan indeed was his weakness.

If she wished, she could easily manipulate him.

Truly terrifying.

He must not give her the chance to control him.

Once he returned to the Capital City, he would erase her memories.

Without He Ying, without their past, she would love him wholeheartedly and depend on him.

As for this child?

Why not take advantage of her memory loss and end it as well.

The plan was beautiful.

Reality was cruel.

When Qi Wuya brought people back to Taian Palace, he heard the news of Hong Zhao’s death.

“What?”

He froze on the spot, almost failing to hold the person in his arms.

Sang Yan was also shocked.

She knew He Hongzhao had fled to Beiqi, knew she was employed by Qi Wuya, knew about her frail health and short life expectancy, but she never thought she’d witness her death.

Her feet hit the ground.

She saw Qi Wuya set her down and dash into the side palace.

“He Hongzhao!”

Qi Wuya roared as he pushed open the door of Taian Palace’s side palace.

Inside the side palace

The floor heating was no longer on.

Cold as ice.

It felt like being in an ice cellar.

The woman on the bed was also ice-cold.

Touching her felt like touching a corpse made of ice and snow.

He Hongzhao was indeed dead.

He put his hand under her nose, waited for a long time, and felt no breath at all.

He was unwilling to accept it.

He plucked a strand of her hair and placed it under her nose, waited for a long time, but the hair did not flutter at all.

He Hongzhao was truly dead.

Dead through and through.

“When did this happen?”

“How could you take care of her like this?”

He bellowed with anger, starting to assign blame.

The palace maids and eunuchs, already kneeling on the ground, trembled as they replied, “It was, was last, last night… Miss Hong Zhao seemed to have a moment of lucidity, called out your name several times… We told her you were not here, and she, she just, couldn’t make it… The Imperial Physician was helpless… Since you left the palace, the Imperial Physician came over, staying day and night, but there was nothing that could be done…”

Who could snatch a soul from the King of Hell?

Moreover, Hong Zhao herself was a master of medical skills.

Her time was up, not even gods could save her.

Qi Wuya knew all these things too.

But he was resentful: just one night! Just one night! If only he had arrived one night earlier, Hong Zhao could have erased Sang Yan’s memory. She would have become a blank slate, ready for him to freely mark.

Now everything was in chaos.

Who else could erase a person’s memory?

How infuriating!

How infuriating!

Was heaven opposing him?

“Emperor, please, accept my condolences.”

“Emperor, Miss Hong Zhao passed away peacefully, even had some food and died with a smile.”

“Emperor, Miss Hong Zhao left you a letter–”

…

They thought Qi Wuya was too heartbroken, saying flattering things partly to avoid blame and partly to gain favor.

Having Hong Zhao leave a letter was their very suggestion, fearing the Emperor might not cope and lash out in a killing spree.

By then, Hong Zhao could no longer wield a pen; she dictated it.

And the dictated content wasn’t much, just two phrases: Why aren’t you here? My love is boundless, my love… boundless, boundless… at the end of the world…

What did these two phrases mean?

The proxy was confused: Did it sound like she was blaming the Emperor for not being by her side?

If the Emperor saw this, what then?

He would have regretted, and felt guilty to death!

So, the proxy, with a stroke of the pen, wrote a lengthy essay.

It boiled down to three points: First, Wuya, I love you. Second, Wuya, I have passed away, do not grieve for me. Third, Wuya, though people die their love does not, my heart remains with you.

After Qi Wuya finished reading, it seemed to him as if he were looking at a piece of crap; he flung the letter on the ground.

“You bunch of death-seeking fools! How dare you deceive me with this stuff!”

Qi Wuya, easily seeing through the falsehood of the letter, dark-faced, shouted, “Speak! What did she truly say before she died?”