Chapter 55: Flowing Fire (5)

Yang Yuhuan’s sudden appearance left Li Longji momentarily stunned. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty covered his forehead with his hand, tears streaming down his face.
“Your Majesty, it is truly a fortune in three lifetimes for Yuhuan to meet you in this life. The time spent with you has been the happiest moments of my life. You need not blame yourself for Yuhuan, for in my heart, you will always be the beloved Sanlang who cared for me so much.”
Yang Yuhuan bowed gracefully to Li Longji and smiled, saying, “After I leave, please take care of yourself. It’s hot and humid in Shu during summer, so be sure to change your clothes regularly.”
She paused for a moment, then took out a purse from her sleeve and handed it to Li Longji. “Sanlang, I started embroidering this purse as early as May. You always said my crafts were poor, so I resolved to create something worthy to show you. I rushed out of Chang’an in a hurry, but I still remembered to bring it… After I leave, please keep it as a memento.”
With that, Yang Yuhuan stood up and turned to Gao Lishi. “Gao Gong, now that I’m no longer by Sanlang’s side, I entrust you to him.”
Gao Lishi was already in tears, repeating, “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I would sacrifice my life to ensure you suffer no harm!”
Yang Yuhuan nodded. “Then I’m relieved. Gao Gong, let’s go.”
“Ah, ah…”
Gao Lishi covered his mouth with his hand and stepped outside first.
“Wait!”
Just as Yang Yuhuan was about to leave, Li Longji, who had been standing with his back turned, suddenly spoke up.
“Your Majesty?”
Yang Yuhuan stopped and turned back, puzzled.
“Yuan Yi, the Concubine has been by my side for many years. Grant her a proper burial.”
Li Longji kept his eyes tightly closed, his voice filled with helplessness.
What was he, an emperor of a great dynasty? At this moment, he couldn’t even protect his own woman!
“Please take care, Your Majesty!”
With her last hope shattered, Yang Yuhuan gritted her teeth and rushed out.
It was deep night, and the rain continued to fall—unknown when it would end…
In front of Mawei Post, over ten thousand imperial guards stood firm in the downpour, staring intently at the house before them.
Inside that house lived the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and that night, something earth-shattering was bound to happen. Ever since they followed General Chen Xuanli’s orders to rebel and execute the Yang family, they had no way back.
Either they would exterminate the entire Yang family or be punished by them later and perish along with their clans. They were not those who valued loyalty above all else; in a life-or-death situation, they naturally valued their own lives more than anything.

So what if they are high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty? So what if they are the imperial concubines? No matter what their status, anyone who hinders them from living must die!
Chen Xuanli stood at the forefront of the troops, clad in silver armor and wielding a long spear. He had waited a long time for this opportunity, and now it had finally come. Gao Lishi called him ungrateful and a treacherous villain for rebelling against the emperor’s grace.
He had overlooked Chen Xuanli’s actions because he considered him an old servant who had served the emperor, but that didn’t mean he agreed with his views.
Ungrateful? If he were truly a self-interested person, these soldiers wouldn’t still be standing outside the inn in the rain! Exhaustion, hunger, fatigue, and homesickness—the anger of these imperial guards had reached its peak. If not for his restraint, they would have rushed inside to commit regicide by now.
Indeed, the emperor had been kind to him. Back then, following the valiant emperor to overthrow Empress Wei and suppress the Taiping rebellion had been glorious. He had risen to the rank of General of the Longwu Guard for his services.
The emperor, through his hard work, restored the Tang Dynasty to prosperity and created the prosperous Kaiyuan era. But what happened after that? He favored corrupt officials like Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, turning the imperial court into a mess!
The crown prince had repeatedly warned him that An Lushan would rebel, but he ignored these warnings and indulged in pleasure, leading to this disaster. No one can remain wise forever, not even emperors. When an old emperor can no longer lead the empire forward, someone must step up to install a new ruler.
He admitted his actions were shameful, but it was for the future of the Tang Dynasty! The current emperor no longer had the energy to lead the court in facing threats. To ensure the survival of the Tang Dynasty, it was his duty to support the young and strong crown prince as the leader of the army.
The strong rule—this has always been an unbreakable rule in imperial courts. His actions were justified!
“Creak!”
The wooden door dozens of steps ahead opened, and the first to emerge was Gao Lishi, the chief eunuch of the inner palace. Once a valiant and radiant general, he now appeared haggard, with sunken eyes and disheveled hair.
Following him were four young eunuchs, carrying a wooden coffin that swayed as they walked toward the soldiers.
It was raining heavily, creating ripples on the ground. These ripples, along with the sound of the eunuchs’ footsteps, resembled the state of the empire—its foundations trembling, on the verge of collapse.

Gao Lishi stopped about ten steps away from Chen Xuanli.
“General Chen, Your Majesty the Concubine… Your Majesty the Concubine has passed away…”
Despite trying hard to control his emotions, Gao Lishi still couldn’t hold back his tears. Rain mixed with his tears streamed down his cheeks, making them even dirtier.
“Let us bid farewell to Your Majesty the Concubine!”
Hearing this, Chen Xuanli curled his lips into a barely noticeable cold smile before kneeling on one knee despite the rain and paying his respects. Seeing their commander do so, the soldiers also knelt down and saluted.
“Please allow me, Mr. Gao, to verify your identity!”
Seemingly thinking of something, Chen Xuanli suddenly raised his head and firmly clasped his fists.
“This…”
Gao Lishi hesitated. He had been ordered by the emperor to bury the concubine’s body that very night. If these men desecrated her body in the rain, how could he face the emperor again?
Seeing Gao Lishi’s hesitation, Chen Xuanli snorted coldly and said, “Please forgive me for speaking bluntly, but I never wanted things to come to this. Now that the Yang family has been punished, and our men have committed such a grave offense, if the concubine were still alive, they would not be able to serve the emperor wholeheartedly. With the current situation, only if the soldiers are at peace can the emperor be at peace. Please, Mr. Gao, consider the bigger picture and allow them to examine the body to ease their minds.”
“Examine the body! Examine the body!”
“Examine the body…”
As soon as these words were spoken, the silent imperial guards began waving their swords and spears in agreement, creating a thunderous uproar.
“Very well, very well.”
Gao Lishi clearly had no other choice. With a bitter smile, he shook his head and said, “I hope General Chen will not desecrate the concubine’s body.”
Chen Xuanli nodded slightly and said, “Please rest assured, Mr. Gao. I know the concubine is innocent. Our men have no choice but to do this. Once I’ve verified her identity, you can bury her peacefully.”
“In that case, General Chen, go ahead.”
Gao Lishi nodded with a bitter smile and sighed deeply.
“Open the coffin!”
Chen Xuanli led the imperial guards forward and gave a firm order.
At once, several guards stepped forward and pushed aside the coffin lid together.
Amid the heavy rain and flashes of lightning, the soldiers clearly saw the most beautiful woman in all of Tang Dynasty lying quietly inside the coffin.
Concubine Yang, whose beauty was beyond compare, had died at Mawei Post. Was it fate?