Chapter 1491: Shattering of a Past Dream
The woman was dressed in lavish palace clothes. The pearls and jade embedded in her dress flickered beneath the light of the flames all around them, but they paled in comparison to her stunning beauty.
She had a beautiful oval face, with skin as fair as snow. Beneath her curved brows was a pair of starry eyes that were incredibly charming. Her pink lips had a seductive glint. Her chest was large and full, her waist was delicate, and her bottom was round, drawing a perfect arc that granted her both the pure freshness of a young lady, and the mature air of a young, married woman. It really was hard to imagine how such completely distinct styles could coexist within a single person.
However, at that moment, her expression was filled with worry. She held her child close and said, “Don’t be scared, mother will protect you.”
A resolute look appeared between her brows as she spoke. However, even though her tone was serious, there was a natural charm to her voice that could make even the toughest of men melt, making her sound both lovely and playful.
All the soldiers who heard her felt as if they were suddenly infused with endless energy. There was only a single thought on their minds, which was that they had to protect the Second Empress and not let any scoundrels get near her.
Still, even though her subordinates were fighting for her while soaked in blood, the Second Empress didn’t look happy at all. She knew just how much of a difference in strength there was between her side and the opposition. This would do nothing but buy her a bit more time.
She absolutely hadn’t expected the Golden Crow Crown Prince to go mad like this, to actually suddenly target his brothers in the Fiend King Court.
Don’t tell me he isn’t scared of the Fiend Emperor’s rebuke once he comes out?
Fortunately, she had some trusted aides in the palace. When they learned that the Golden Crow Crown Prince had secretly summoned his subordinates, she had been worried that her son would be in danger and wanted to bring him into the Imperial Palace. However, not long after she arrived, Director Lei Xin and Martial Guard General Wu Cheng had arrived with a large force of Golden Crow Guards.
They kept saying they wanted to bring back the young prince with them to prevent villains from harming him, but how could the Second Empress agree to that?
Both sides argued for a while. The Second Empress was still the Fiend Emperor’s main wife, so at first, the Golden Crow Guards held some reservations; however, the generals the Golden Crow Crown Prince had sent quickly cast aside their emotions. When their argument reached a certain point, a fight broke out, and things quickly got out of hand.
Even though the Second Empress had managed to gather some trusted aides over the years, she had left her palace in a hurry to find her son and couldn"t bring too many people with her. As such, she had been left with only the guards around the youngest prince’s manor and the few men she had brought, forcing them to endure bitterly. If not because all those men were willing to risk it all for her, the youngest prince might have already been taken away.
The Second Empress didn’t get involved, because neither Director Lei Xin or Martial Guard General Wu Cheng did either. Both sides wanted to keep that last bit of respect for each other. After all, she was the empress of the Fiend races; neither man wanted to commit such an offense. Meanwhile, the Second Empress knew that Lei Xin and Wu Cheng were both famous experts in the Fiend King Court. If she faced them one on one, she could have a chance, but if they faced her together, and with all of their subordinates at that, she knew she wouldn’t have any chance.
In that case, seeing as they weren’t willing to interfere, holding so many people back was already worth it. The only hope she had was that the longer she held on, and the more forces in the Fiend King Court were alerted, someone would come and save them.
However, who would even come to save her at such a time. It was clearly the Golden Crow Crown Prince who had started this entire affair, and he was going to become the new Fiend Emperor. Who would take the risk of offending the new Fiend Emperor to save her and her son?
Her thoughts drifted to the old Fiend Emperor. The two of them hadn’t shared many emotions over the years, but the Fiend Emperor’s presence had at least provided her with a sense of security. Now that he had entered the secret dungeon, even her own subordinates dared to offend her.
She hoped for the Fiend Emperor to emerge from the secret dungeon as quickly as possible. That way, these people wouldn’t be able to cause her any more trouble. However, she laughed bitterly soon after. Even if the Fiend Emperor came, so what? The crown prince was the one who decided on this. Would the Fiend Emperor really turn hostile toward the crown prince for my sake?
She knew that the old Fiend Emperor was nearing the end of his lifespan. Meanwhile, the crown prince was already destined to become the new Fiend Emperor. After being a part of the royal family for so many years, she knew full well how an emperor thought. If he could live long enough, the Fiend Emperor would definitely have stood at her side, and he would even have punished the crown prince severely. But because he was nearing the end of his life, he would definitely stand with the crown prince.
She felt helpless when she realized that. It was a pity that guy Zu An hadn’t been able to a.s.sa.s.sinate the crown prince. Otherwise, none of this would have happened. Seeing as the crown prince had already emerged and she hadn’t heard anything, that meant Zu An had already died inside.
What a pity… He was a pretty interesting little guy. More importantly, he was pretty handsome too.
…
By the time she emerged from her thoughts, the battle was already nearing its end. Most of the guards were lying in puddles of blood, and most of her subordinates had already pa.s.sed away. The ones who remained had retreated to her side. They were surrounded by Lei Xin and Wu Cheng’s Golden Crow Guard subordinates.
Countless shining blades that dripped with blood were aimed at the Second Empress’ people, giving off a mysterious sense of pressure.
“Second Empress, please don’t trouble us anymore. It’ll be better for all of us,” Lei Xin said, looking at the beautiful woman in front of him with a complicated expression. Even in such a situation, she was still devastatingly beautiful! No wonder the late Fiend Emperor had become infatuated with her.
The Second Empress moved a strand of hair from her forehead behind her ear. She protected her child with her body, replying, “The only way you will get to my son is over my dead body.”
Lei Xin and Wu Cheng’s expressions changed. Lei Xin asked, “Second Empress, is there a need to go so far?”
It was well known that the Second Empress was the late Fiend Emperor’s wife. Even after the Golden Crow Crown Prince ascended to the throne, they would still have to respectfully call her Empress Dowager, so Lei Xin really didn’t want to be involved in a conflict with her. If he wasn’t careful and ended up taking on the criminal charge of killing the empress, if others turned against him, the Golden Crow Crown Prince could just end up abandoning him to appease the common people’s anger. After all, he wasn’t a part of the Golden Crow Crown Prince’s main faction. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been sent to deal with the youngest prince, the trickiest mission.
The Second Empress said with a sneer, “You have already rebelled and plotted to harm the prince. Are you really asking me if I have to do this?”
Off to one side, Wu Cheng said, “Second Empress has misunderstood. We came here to protect the youngest prince and not to harm him.”
The Second Empress looked around the entire place. She looked at the guards who were lying in pools of blood around the manor. She said with a cold laugh, “They were the ones who were protecting the youngest prince. Your words might fool a little child, but do you think I would be fooled?”
Lei Xin and Wu Cheng both had expressions of shame. However, a high-ranking officer who was the Golden Crow Crown Prince’s trusted aide exclaimed, “The situation has already reached this point. What is the point of saying all this? You cannot ruin his majesty’s great plans!”
The Second Empress’ expression turned into one of joy. She asked, “His majesty? Has the Fiend Emperor returned?”
The trusted aide didn’t reply, and simply attacked alongside his companions.
Lei Xin and Wu Cheng shivered inwardly. The crown prince was already the new Fiend Emperor. If they messed up this task, or they didn’t do their share of work, they’d definitely have to pay the price for it in the future. In that case, what was an empress from the past regime worth? In their position, they had already long given up on acting based on their own feelings. Their main consideration was for the interests of their clans and their aspirations.
“We’ve offended you!” the two exclaimed, quickly making up their minds to attack together. In such a situation, they naturally wouldn’t fight one on one fairly like in the world of warriors. After all, the Second Empress was a strong cultivator in her own right, so it was best to deal with her as quickly as possible.
…
After a while, the Second Empress groaned, falling at the youngest prince’s side. Her glamorous palace dress was already dyed with red spots like blooming roses. How could she face so many powerful opponents by herself?
She tried to struggle to her feet several times, but unfortunately, she was seriously injured and failed. The few surviving guards wanted to support her, but they didn"t dare to offend her.
Things had already reached the point that any pretenses could be skipped.
The trusted aide secretly waved his hand, striking the hilt of one of his subordinates’ blades. The blade swiftly flew toward the youngest prince.
Lei Xin and Wu Cheng’s expressions changed. Even though they had known that the so-called protection the Golden Crow Crown Prince had spoken of wasn’t anything good, they had thought it would just be house arrest. They had never expected it to actually be murder!
How vicious! What a malicious older brother!
They moved slightly, but in the end, they still didn"t stop it from happening. At this point, they could only walk their current path to the end.
The Second Empress wanted to stop the blade, but in her current state, she couldn"t even do things that were normally extremely simple for her. She laughed helplessly, then threw her body in front of the young prince.
“Your highness!” the guards cried in alarm. Unfortunately, they were all wounded too. They were completely spent and couldn"t act in time at all.
The Second Empress knew that if she died, her son wouldn’t live either. Still, she had no other choice. Suddenly, an absurd thought appeared in her mind.
Just how great would it be if a hero came to save this damsel in distress?
She had always liked such folk stories when she was young, and she had really loved the scenes of heroes saving beauties. She had dreamed countless times about meeting an outstanding hero like that.
However, after she married the Fiend Emperor, she never had such thoughts again. After all, what hero in this world could compare to the Fiend Emperor?
And yet, the Fiend Emperor was as different from the heroes she imagined in her youth as could be. As such, that dream had completely shattered.
She hadn’t expected to remember such a thing in the current situation. It seems one’s final thoughts really can’t be controlled…
She laughed in self-mockery.
Suddenly, a foreign yet familiar voice spoke by her ear. “The Second Empress really is a woman among women. You can even laugh in this situation.”