lovenovelstory Chapter 320 Watching your white moonlight marry your enemy, there is nothing more cruel in the world
Chapter 320 Watching your white moonlight marry your enemy, there is nothing more cruel in the world
Upon hearing this,
Xu Fenghua's lips twitched slightly.
The convulsion lasted only a moment, so fast it was almost imperceptible, before she forcibly suppressed it.
"Of course I'm happy."
Her voice was a little lighter than before, and her joyful tone even carried a perfectly appropriate hint of admiration.
"Your Majesty conquered the Li Yang Dynasty without shedding a drop of blood. This is an unprecedented feat, one that will surely be recorded in history and remembered for generations to come. As Your Majesty's concubine, I am naturally honored to share in this glory."
After she finished speaking, she still leaned against Qin Mu's chest, tilting her head back and looking at him with her amber eyes.
There was admiration, joy, and a deep, heartfelt pride in his eyes.
It was as if every word she spoke was from the bottom of her heart.
Without bloodshed.
These four words were like a dull knife, slowly cutting into her heart.
Yes, without bloodshed.
The Qin Dynasty did not send out a single soldier, did not cross the Lancang River, and did not capture any city.
In this way, he annexed the Li Yang Dynasty, conquered the overlord of the Eastern Continent, and made the powerful Li Yang Empress willingly become his empress.
Unprecedented in history, unprecedented in the past.
Every word she said was true.
But every word she uttered deepened the swamp of despair in her heart.
With Liyang gone and the alliance broken, the northern border is isolated and helpless, surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Long Xiang was still plotting in the northern border, thinking that there was still time, that there was still a chance, that as long as he waited a little longer, as long as he endured a little longer, as long as he could seize Qin Mu's weakness, he could turn the tide in one fell swoop.
He didn't know that Li Yang was gone.
He was unaware that the ally he thought he had was already Qin Mu's prize.
He was unaware that his beloved was about to become someone else's empress.
Xu Fenghua's fingers slowly tightened inside her sleeve, her nails digging deep into her palms. The sharp pain kept her conscious for the last time.
The joyful smile on her face remained, like a beautiful mask, firmly stuck to her face, never to fall off.
Qin Mu looked at her, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Well said," he said, his voice soft but carrying an undeniable certainty.
He reached out and pinched her cheek again, the movement was very gentle and carried a hint of doting.
Xu Fenghua blushed slightly, lowered her head, and buried her face in his chest.
The movements were so natural, so dependent, so self-assured.
But the moment her face touched his chest, that joyful smile finally vanished.
Her lips slowly drooped, and her arched eyebrows were gradually smoothed out.
The bright light in those amber eyes was gradually fading, replaced by a despairing weariness.
She closed her eyes and buried her face even deeper.
She was afraid he would look down at her, afraid he would see her expression, afraid he would see the real, broken woman beneath that mask.
Then, Xu Fenghua sighed.
"only,"
She paused, a perfectly timed hint of resentment in her voice, "Your Majesty, I wonder if you will still favor us old concubines after you have Empress Liyang."
She didn't look up when she said this, keeping her face buried in his chest.
The voice was muffled, carrying a hint of grievance, unease, and jealousy tinged with anxiety.
Like a concubine worried about losing favor, testing the king's true feelings.
Qin Mu's hand remained on her back, neither stroking it further nor moving it away.
He looked down at her and smiled softly.
"Of course. How could I possibly forget you?"
Xu Fenghua's body trembled slightly.
That trembling wasn't faked; it was real.
She didn't know why she was trembling, or why such complex emotions welled up inside her when she heard those words.
She took a deep breath and gradually suppressed her surging emotions.
Then she lifted her head from Qin Mu's embrace and looked at him with her slightly reddened but still bright eyes.
"Your Majesty must keep your word," she said, her voice carrying a hint of coquettishness, a touch of coquettishness, and just the right amount of girlish arrogance.
Qin Mu's smile deepened as he looked at her.
"I keep my word," he said.
Xu Fenghua looked at him, at the lazy, composed smile on his lips, and at her own reflection in his deep eyes.
She suddenly felt so tired.
She wanted to know how he had managed to do it.
How could he make Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang, the powerful empress of the Eastern Continent, who had been immersed in politics since the age of eight, plotted to seize power at the age of fifteen, and ascended the throne at the age of twenty, willingly marry him?
She wanted to know the answer.
She wanted to know just how powerful Qin Mu was, and to what extent he was powerful enough to make a woman like Zhao Qingxue lower her noble head.
Only in this way could she determine whether there was still hope for the North.
Only in this way can she determine whether Longxiang still has a chance.
Xu Fenghua pursed her lips, raised her head, and met Qin Mu's gaze.
"Your Majesty," she began, her voice carrying just the right amount of curiosity, "may I ask, how did Your Majesty manage to do that?"
She paused, her amber eyes gleaming with adoration.
"Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang is the overlord of the Eastern Continent, a power capable of rivaling the Great Qin. I am truly curious, Your Majesty, what ingenious plan did you devise to marry her into the Great Qin?"
Qin Mu looked at her, at the perfect balance of curiosity and admiration in her eyes.
He smiled.
"Perhaps," he paused, his tone casual, "then Empress Li Yang has succumbed to my charm."
Xu Fenghua's lips twitched slightly.
The convulsions were more pronounced than before, and she could barely suppress them.
Of course she didn't believe it.
charm?
Qin Mu was indeed good-looking, a fact she had to admit.
His eyebrows slanted sharply towards his temples, his nose was high and straight, his lips were beautifully shaped, and his jawline was sharp yet not aggressive. When those deep eyes smiled, there was something about them that made one's heart race.
But who is Zhao Qingxue?
She is Empress Li Yang, an emperor who fought her way out of the bloodshed, and Zhao Qingxue who has seen the wickedness of people's hearts and the deceit of others.
Would such a woman willingly marry a man simply because of his "charm"?
impossible.
It is absolutely impossible.
Xu Fenghua suppressed the twitching at the corner of her mouth and swallowed back all the words she wanted to say.
She took a deep breath, and the adoring smile on her face deepened even more.
"His Majesty is indeed wise, powerful, and charismatic."
She said, her voice carrying a deliberate, exaggerated admiration, "Even a remarkable woman like Empress Liyang cannot resist Your Majesty's charm. It is truly my great fortune to serve Your Majesty."
After she finished speaking, she still leaned against Qin Mu's chest, tilting her head back and looking at him with her bright eyes.
There was admiration, joy, and a sense of pride in his eyes.
It was as if every word she spoke was from the bottom of her heart.
But only she knew the depth of her sorrow at that moment.
She wondered, did Longxiang know about this?
Do you know that Empress Li Yang is going to marry Qin Mu?
Did he know that his beloved was about to become someone else's empress?
If he finds out, how will he react?
Will he, like when he received his sister's wedding invitation last time, crush his teacup, sit in Zhenyue Hall all night, get up at dawn with bloodshot eyes, but not say a word?
He would still stand on the northern city wall, looking south, just like when he learned that Jiang Qingxue had entered the palace as a concubine. He stood there for a day and a night, letting the wind and snow pour into his collar and freeze him into an ice sculpture.
Or... he might do something even more impulsive?
Will he rise up in rebellion prematurely in a fit of anger?
Would he disregard everything and march south to attack the capital and reclaim his beloved?
Could it be,
Xu Fenghua dared not think any further.
She knows Xu Longxiang too well.
He appears cold and silent, like a sword that has been repeatedly tempered, but his heart is softer and more affectionate than anyone else's.
He endured it when his sister was taken away.
He endured it even though his childhood sweetheart was taken away.
But if his beloved is taken away, can he still tolerate it?
He could still grit his teeth, clench his fists, and suppress all his anger and resentment, just like before, telling himself to wait a little longer, to be more patient, and that everything would be alright once the great cause was accomplished.
she does not know.
She really doesn't know.
All she knew was that she had to get the message out as soon as possible.
Before Longxiang does something irreversible, he must be told not to act impulsively, not to raise an army, and not to become an enemy of Qin Mu at this time.
Xu Fenghua closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She thought of the baby in her belly again.
girl.
They will grow up healthy and strong.
They will receive boundless love and affection in the future.
The fortune teller's words echoed repeatedly in her heart, like the tolling of a temple bell, striking her heart again and again, making her tremble.
She had thought that if the dragon and elephant succeeded, she would hide the child in the North, in a place where no one knew her, so that she could grow up safely.
But what if the dragon and elephant don't succeed?
What if the North is defeated?
If Qin Mu knew that she was pregnant with his child, that she had once considered hiding the child, and that she had been secretly helping the Northern Border...
What will he do to her?
Will he kill her?
Will they take her child away?
Will she never see this child again?
Xu Fenghua almost burst into tears.
She bit her lip hard, forcing back the tears.
Can't cry.
You absolutely must not cry.
She had to live, she had to give birth to this child, she had to let her grow up in the sunshine and run freely in the wind.
She spared no expense for this.
Xu Fenghua took a deep breath and gradually suppressed her surging emotions.
Her gentle smile returned to her face, a smile so perfect it was like a meticulously crafted mask, firmly attached to her face, never to fall off.
"Your Majesty," she began, her voice carrying just the right amount of curiosity, "who were the guests you invited to your wedding?"
Qin Mu looked at her, noticing the just-right curiosity in her eyes.
He smiled.
"Naturally, I invited many people." He paused, the smile on his lips deepening, and a meaningful glint flashed in his deep eyes.
"Oh, right—your brother is coming too."
The moment the words left her lips, Xu Fenghua's mind went blank.
younger brother.
Xu Longxiang.
Come on too.
They came to attend Qin Mu and Zhao Qingxue's wedding.
Come and see with your own eyes his white moonlight marry his enemy.
He sat in the guest seat, looking at the red silk and candles filling the hall, at the bride in her phoenix coronet and wedding gown, at the person who had taken everything from him, and how she was so pleased with herself as she married the person she wanted most.
Xu Fenghua's fingers clenched tightly inside her sleeve, her nails digging deep into her palms, the sharp pain almost making her cry out.
She could almost picture the scene.
The dragon and elephant sat in the guest seats, their black python robes standing out starkly against the backdrop of red throughout the hall.
His face remained expressionless; he had long since learned not to let anyone see through his thoughts.
But his eyes, those deep brown, silent eyes she'd watched grow from childhood, would watch as the person he most desired in his life walked step by step toward the person he hated most.
He would watch as Zhao Qingxue, dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, walked in through the palace gate, step by step, until she stood before Qin Mu.
He would watch her lower her head and let Qin Mu put the phoenix crown on her head.
He would watch them go through the wedding ceremony, watch them exchange vows, and watch them become husband and wife.
All he could do was sit there and watch.
There's nothing we can do.
This is absolutely devastating!
This is perhaps the cruelest punishment in history!
Xu Fenghua's eyes suddenly reddened.
The blush came without warning, yet surged uncontrollably.
Almost instinctively, she lowered her head and buried her face in Qin Mu's chest, preventing him from seeing her eyes.
She was afraid that if she looked at him, she wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.
She couldn't hide the tears welling up in her eyes, nor could she hide the overwhelming sorrow surging in her heart that threatened to tear her apart.
Her younger brother, the quiet and reserved brother she had watched grow up, who always kept his suffering to himself, was coming to attend this grand wedding.
He wanted to see the person he wanted most and marry the person he hated most.
Come, amidst the laughter and cheers of the hall, one person will swallow all the bitterness once more.
Xu Fenghua's tears fell silently.
The tears soaked his nightgown, leaving a small, warm, dark stain on his chest.
Just then—
A warm hand gently lifted her chin.