Jing Huan laughed with interest, nodded towards Pei Yuanshao, and said unhurriedly, “Your Highness, look, even the owner of this empire is about to surrender. What’s the use of your persistence?”

Pei Ming Xing stumbled towards Pei Yuanshao, met his ink-black eyes, pursed her lips, and her gaze flickered.

She coughed lightly and earnestly advised Pei Yuanshao, “Imperial Brother, surrender! If we surrender now, you and I can still ensure a peaceful latter half of our lives. If… if…”

Her voice became a bit stuttering, “Even if you don’t think about yourself, think about Guang’er. She’s only one year old, and since birth, she’s been disliked by the Empress Consort. She’s been raised in the Long Minister’s mansion since she was young. For her sake…”

Pei Yuanshao narrowed his eyes, his expression unchanged. He pulled out the long whip at his waist and lashed it quickly and fiercely onto the Empress’s imperial yellow phoenix robe.

The Empress’s eyes flickered slightly. She fell to the ground, clutching her head. The phoenix hairpin on her head was swept off by the tail of the whip, and her disheveled black hair completely covered her young face.

Pei Ming Xing crawled on the black marble floor, not moving. The fallen golden hairpin was next to her hand. She clutched it tightly, her body trembling slightly.

The man in dark red brocade robes in front of her didn’t give her any dignity. The red whip lashed on her body, leaving open wounds wherever it passed.

He stared intently at the young ruler’s hair whorl. The Empress had two whorls, and there was a popular rumor that an Empress with two hair whorls would definitely be extremely intelligent.

When Ming Xing was young, she was a delicately beautiful little Empress who would chase after him calling “Brother, Brother” non-stop.

When the Empress Mother punished him to face the wall and reflect, Ming Xing would secretly bring him a plate of pastries and accompany him in his punishment.

Because of those countless instances of affection, he had repeatedly stepped onto a thorny path for her.

Yet she took all his giving for granted, and even at the last moment, she still wanted him to do it for her daughter!

Pei Yuanshao held the whip, closing his eyes briefly.

Everything changes, people are no longer the same. Under imperial power, they were all just passersby.

Pei Yuanshao laughed low and deep: “Do you still remember what you said to me when your brother knelt and took punishment for you years ago?”

The Empress lying on the ground didn’t move. She seemed to be in extreme pain, gasping for breath.

Pei Yuanshao didn’t wait for her answer and laughed softly to himself: “‘Brother is suffering for me today, ten years from now when Ming Xing comes of age, I will definitely help my Imperial Brother hold up a piece of sky, never letting others bully him again!’ Today this sky is about to fall, I’m standing straight in front of the hall, yet you want your brother to kneel and beg for mercy, giving up support. Why? Tell me, why? For your lifetime of peace! Have you ever thought of your promise from back then?”

Empress Ming Xing lowered her head. Her hand clutching the golden hairpin trembled, and amidst the continuous questioning, she unconsciously loosened her grip. The golden hairpin fell to the ground with a “bang”.

Pei Yuanshao’s expression remained unchanged, the mockery in his eyes almost piercing through the hair whorl of the person on the ground. He chuckled:

“Imperial Sister, do you know who’s holding up this world for you? It’s the loyal ministers in front of the hall who are being threatened with swords, it’s the three hundred thousand troops of the Northern Army led by Aunt. If I surrender, heh… with the dynasty change, the new emperor will be wary, and they will only have one fate – corpses for thousands of miles. The misfortune of being an official is encountering a foolish ruler. This throne, you’re not worthy of it!”

Empress Ming Xing buried her head, not rebutting a single word from beginning to end. Her hands tightly gripped the ground, never rising again.

If she just looked up, she would see countless eyes filled with utter disappointment and despair.

But she ultimately lacked the courage to face it!

Pei Ming Xing suddenly remembered a snowy night when her Imperial Brother had taken her mother’s punishment for her, kneeling in front of the Qianqing Palace gate.

Snowflakes buried his knees, and in the icy snow, he knelt for an entire night. The next day, the Long Minister, with half his body buried in the snow, had become an ice sculpture.

She went forward with a heartache, hugged her dear brother, and burst into tears.

She had promised to hold up a piece of sky for him.

But…

An impatient rebuke interrupted Empress Ming Xing’s reminiscence.

“Your Highness, why bother wasting effort to delay time, are you going to hand over the military tally or not?”

The Southern King in silver armor walked closer and closer, her eyes already losing patience. The long sword pressed against the ground, leaving a thin, long mark. The “swish” sound made people’s hearts tremble.

Pei Yuanshao folded his arms. He met Jing Huan’s suddenly raised arm, her long sword pressed against the tip of his nose.

Pei Yuanshao didn’t dodge. He raised his hand, pinching the sword tip an inch away with two fingers. With a slight force, the sword tip shattered into pieces.

He stared steadily at the imposing female ruler before him, blew off the powder staining his hand, and said with certainty: “You… can’t beat me!”

“Trying to provoke me, delay time? Your Highness has a good calculation, but the person you’re waiting for definitely won’t appear today! She’s currently trapped in Jiaozhou, while you will die in front of the hall today!”

Jing Huan licked her dry lips and beckoned to the soldiers at the entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Over a thousand soldiers raised their bows, arrows aimed at only one person – the Auxiliary State Long Minister Pei Yuanshao.

Jing Huan repeated: “I don’t need to defeat you, I just need you to die.”

Her eyes were filled with fierceness, her fingers moving, about to give the final order to the soldiers.

The Empress Ming Xing, who had been prostrate on the ground, suddenly sprang up. She held the golden hairpin and without hesitation stabbed the sharp hairpin into Jing Huan’s heart.

The expected scene of blood gushing out didn’t occur. On the silver armor, there were only light bloodstains.

Ming Xing looked horrified. She pulled out the hairpin and stabbed multiple times, but there were still only light bloodstains. The golden hairpin had completely entered Jing Huan’s heart, yet she seemed as if she wouldn’t die.

Everything happened in a flash. Pei Ming Xing didn’t even have time to show a surprised expression before she was kicked to the ground by the quick-reacting Jing Huan.

Jing Huan’s face turned cold as she pulled out the dagger from her waist and threw it down, plunging straight into the Empress’s heart.

Blood gushed from her chest. Pei Ming Xing turned her head with difficulty and met Pei Yuanshao’s gaze, her lips parting.

She spoke intermittently: “Returning… everything… to you! … You are… so… so excellent! How… how… could I… not… be wary of you! From now on… we… we owe… each other… nothing!”

When Pei Ming Xing closed her eyes, her expression was one of relief. She had originally intended to stab this hairpin into her Imperial Brother who had whipped her, but before dying, she remembered memories from many years ago.

Every promise she had made to her Elder Imperial Brother in the past was like a thorn piercing her heart, so today she repaid him!

They owed each other nothing now!

Pei Yuanshao stood stunned in place, feeling neither sad nor pained. He just felt tired…

So tired that he couldn’t even control his usual expression.

The woman lying in the pool of blood was his own younger sister whom he had protected for many years.

Angry at her lack of fight, hating her foolishness. But he had never thought about her dying…

Using death to settle accounts with him!

Jing Huan didn’t give Pei Yuanshao a chance to be dazed. She waved her hand at the archers.

Thousands of arrows were released at once, shooting towards the man in red clothes with black hair standing in front of the hall.

Pei Yuanshao closed his eyes briefly. He thought he couldn’t wait for her to come back and marry him… missing each other once again! It would be an eternal separation between heaven and man!

For some reason, his heart felt hollow and dazed.

As thousands of arrows flew towards him and death loomed overhead, a tremendous cry of grief in his heart almost burst out of his body.

A voice cried out in anger, “This master has used the opportunity of this lifetime, obtained by stealing heavenly secrets and vowing to never fall into the cycle of reincarnation for lifetimes. I only asked for one lifetime to grow old together with her, is that too much… how is that too much?”