The Sovereign – Chapter 134

Volume Seven: Iron Horses Shock the World

All Under Heaven United

From this point forward, there would no longer be a Princess of the Yu Kingdom, nor the Sect Leader of the Shura Sect.

The sword was merely half an inch from her throat when an arrow flew through the air like lightning, grazing her hand as it passed. Her grip loosened, the sword slipped from her fingers, and when Ling Yu looked up, she saw it was Qin Junlan!

“Ling Yu! If you dare take your own life, I shall massacre this city!” Qin Junlan forced her internal energy, shouting these words to Ling Yu above.

“Qin Junlan!” The words ‘massacre the city’ cut deeper than any sword, piercing Ling Yu’s heart. Her eyes welled with tears as she looked back at the city’s inhabitants, her heart turned to ashes, never imagining that even death would become an unreachable luxury.

“Ling Yu!!” Qin Junlan’s voice came again, her lips curling into a smile, “If you wish for me to show mercy to your citizens, open the gates and kneel before me. I shall then forgive your past transgressions!”

This roar nearly depleted all of Qin Junlan’s strength. The forced use of internal energy aggravated her injuries, leaving her unsteady on her feet. Li Yue worriedly took the bow from her hands and supported her, asking softly, “Your Majesty, Guiguzi warned against forcing your internal energy. Why harm yourself to save her?”

“I’m fine,” Qin Junlan took a deep breath, trying to steady her qi, but her damaged body made every breath painful. Seeing her weakness, Li Yue quickly helped her into the sedan chair on the warhorse.

“Your Majesty, after how she treated you before, why save her? Her death would mean nothing,” Li Yue recalled how Qin Junlan had instinctively grabbed a soldier’s bow to prevent Ling Yu’s suicide.

“Someone as proud as Ling Yu would choose death over humiliation. Living is her greatest punishment, but…” Qin Junlan narrowed her eyes at the distant figure, a smile playing on her lips. “Li Yue, worthy friends are easy to find, but worthy opponents are rare. Had she been born in my position, the victor between us might still be uncertain. Besides… Xun’er wouldn’t want her dead.”

Qin Junlan gazed at the once-mighty Princess of the Yu Kingdom, now reduced to a lonely figure shivering in the wind and snow. She could feel the regret and pain of one who held such high position yet found themselves powerless.

Veins bulged on Ling Yu’s neck as she glared at Qin Junlan, unable to speak a word. Her nerves stretched taut like a single thread, her bloodshot eyes seeming ready to burst. The suppressed grief constricted her vital organs, and as the unbearable pain filled her heart, she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, the taut string finally snapping.

Her legs gave way, and she fell from the city tower. In that moment, time seemed to freeze. Her light figure appeared to be carried by the snow, snowflakes surrounding her like a celestial maiden fallen to the mortal realm. Spots of red dotted her white robes, and suddenly, streaks of her temple hair turned white. The hatred and sorrow in her pupils gradually faded, leaving only bottomless despair and distance.

“Master!” “Princess!”

Eagle Eye and Ye Ming called out in unison, instinctively leaping forward. Their bodies soared through the air, catching Ling Yu mid-fall and slowly descending to the ground.

“Take care, Princess!” The Left General knelt while supporting his spear, and all the city’s soldiers followed suit, kneeling before Ling Yu.

Ling Yu straightened slightly, raising her arm to wipe her mouth, forcing a smile as she said, “All soldiers, hear my command.”

Everyone froze upon hearing her voice. That once clear and powerful voice had become hoarse and deep, as if it took all her strength to produce even that faint cry. Looking at her three thousand strands of hair, the silver threads at her temples were as white as snow, as if she had aged years in an instant.

“Master.” Eagle Eye’s eyes immediately reddened as she pinched her nose bridge to suppress her emotions. Ye Ming turned away, unable to bear looking at Ling Yu. With the kingdom broken and mountains shattered, the current Ling Yu seemed nothing but an empty shell.

“Open the gates, welcome the Emperor.” Ling Yu spoke these words weakly, her thin figure appearing even more frail in the wind and snow. Ye Ming tried to remove his cloak to cover her, but she pushed it away.

“Princess! You must not!”

“Indeed, we cannot surrender!” Voices of opposition rose from the army. Ling Yu slowly walked to the general, lightly patting his armor and adjusting his cloak. “Do you have a wife and children at home?”

“Yes…”

“And the rest of you, do you have family waiting?” Ling Yu raised her voice, crying out to the crowd. Everyone’s expressions instantly turned sorrowful as they lowered their heads. “Look at this city, look at the civilians, look at the children! Are there not enough dead already? Must we have parents burying their children, must children lose their parents before you’re satisfied?!” Ling Yu’s eyes flashed with anger. Everyone exchanged glances, and facing this irreversible defeat, none dared speak further.

The guards silently removed the stones blocking the gate. The battle-scarred city gate was pulled open with a thunderous sound that struck everyone’s hearts. Ling Yu stumbled to the gateway, standing there alone and isolated.

Outside the city, a sea of crimson armor stood imposingly, with the sovereign ruling all under heaven, the Qi Emperor, seated nearby. Ling Yu slowly bent her knees and heavily knelt down, all her pride, dignity, and nobility vanishing in that moment.

She gradually moved forward on her knees, as the Red Armor Army automatically parted to create a path between her and Qin Junlan. She remained kneeling, inching her way toward the Emperor.

“Princess!” Many soldiers wept, unconsciously falling to their knees and kowtowing to Ling Yu’s retreating figure.

The crowds surged toward the city gate, reluctantly watching their princess willingly endure humiliation for the sake of the city’s people, crawling on her knees from within the city to before the Emperor.

Many civilians couldn’t help wiping away tears. Though they had lost the war, how could all blame fall on the Princess? She was but a woman whose hair had turned white overnight for the sake of her kingdom. Why should she bear all the guilt?

“Changning, Changning…” A panicked voice rose from the crowd. Its owner found her path blocked by the crushing masses as she desperately tried to chase after the distant figure, but couldn’t move an inch. She frantically pushed against the crowd, but to no avail. Never had she felt so useless as in this moment.

Nalan Ling had snuck in through a small gate used for civilian evacuation, but could only see Ling Yu’s blurry silhouette moving toward the city’s exterior. She couldn’t let Ling Yu go to her death – she just couldn’t! Nalan Ling frantically called out Ling Yu’s name, but her voice was drowned in the thunderous crowd. As she attempted to use her qinggong to leap over the crowd, she suddenly felt a heavy blow to the back of her head. Darkness swept in with the world spinning, and dizziness gradually made her lose balance. That distant figure seemed so far away, unreachable. She reached out repeatedly, grasping at air, but couldn’t make contact.

“Changning…” Before losing consciousness, a tear of heartache fell from Nalan Ling’s eye – all her efforts had come to nothing.

Someone caught her steadily from behind, moving her away from the crowd. “Forgive me, Young Master. The Family Head ordered that you must not participate in the war between Qi and Yu, especially not in Princess Changning’s affairs.”

With that, the person carried Nalan Ling away quietly.

Just one step away – Nalan Ling could have reached Ling Yu. But this single missed opportunity would cost her many years apart from Ling Yu.

The cold wind howled, Ling Yu’s figure seeming to merge with the wind and snow. Her long hair danced wildly, white strands at her temples hanging desolately on her shoulders. Her knees were already torn by the rough stones as she crawled step by step from within the city to Qin Junlan’s feet, followed by the city’s soldiers and civilians.

“Kill this dog emperor, save the Master!” Eagle Eye pushed through the crowd, eyes flashing with murderous intent. She couldn’t bear to see Ling Yu humble herself this way, especially kneeling before Qin Junlan.

Ye Ming grabbed her, shouting: “Have you gone mad? The Master sacrificed everything to protect the civilians – do you want this entire city of soldiers and civilians to die with her?”

“I don’t care about any of that! What do others’ lives matter to me? I only want to save the Master!” Eagle Eye tried to break free from Ye Ming’s grip, but was held firmly. “You’ll only harm her this way – she would never live with such shame! Stop this madness!”

Eagle Eye finally calmed down slowly, watching Ling Yu’s retreating figure as her eyes instantly grew moist.

Suddenly, a plea rose from among the civilians, followed by a wave of prostration: “We beg the Emperor to show mercy and spare the Princess!” Then soldiers and civilians called out in unison, “We beg for imperial mercy!”

This scene moved not only Qin Junlan but the entire Red Armor Army. Never had a defeated commander retained such love from civilians and devotion from soldiers as Ling Yu. Even in kneeling, she maintained her nobility and integrity.

Qin Junlan slowly stood, raising both hands, “Please rise, everyone. I will not harm a single soldier of the Yu Kingdom needlessly, nor will I trouble the civilians. As for your Princess, I have my own plans. The winter is cold, please return to the city. I guarantee everyone will have warm porridge to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live.”

The civilians and soldiers hesitated until Ling Yu slightly turned her head, nodding to signal them, and only then did they slowly retreat.

“This Princess has too much popular support, Your Majesty. We cannot let her live – she’ll affect our grand unification.” General Yang whispered in her ear. Qin Junlan nodded, “I have my own plans. Take your men into the city immediately to settle the civilians and garrison troops.”

“This humble general accepts the command.”

Under the orderly command of General Yang and his deputies, the Red Armor Army entered the city. Qin Junlan gazed at Ling Yu, who seemed to have lost her former luster, her appearance desolate and lonely. At just twenty-four years of age, her hair had turned white overnight for the sake of kingdom and family.

“Do you know why I spare your life?”

Ling Yu gave a cold laugh, saying fearlessly, “Isn’t it just to humiliate me?”

“Yes, this is punishment for how you once tormented me. Even dying a hundred or thousand deaths couldn’t atone for your sins. Death would be too easy – I want you to taste the greatest failure and shame in this world—” Before finishing, Qin Junlan suddenly felt unwell. Her earlier forced use of internal energy had disrupted her qi flow, making her internal organs feel like they were being torn apart. She quickly covered her mouth with an embroidered handkerchief, trying to hide her weakness, secretly concealing the blood stains she had coughed onto it.

“This empire – you may have the fate to conquer it, but not to enjoy it.” Ling Yu forced a smile, her trembling figure also suffering. The internal injury from her palm duel with Yi Qingyu had left lasting damage, and with personally leading troops in battle and bearing the pain of defeat, she too was riddled with wounds.

“My empire will have heirs to protect it, spare your concern. Guards, take this Princess away, to be escorted to Qi capital when the time comes.”

Ling Yu was taken away, a kingdom’s princess ending in defeat, becoming a prisoner. Qi’s forces advanced like splitting bamboo, and after Zhengyi fell, the remaining Yu cities offered no resistance. Without Ling Yu, the Yu Emperor was like a bird without wings, powerless. Thus, of the four kingdoms, even the mighty Yu Kingdom fell under Qi’s banner.

After occupying the three kingdoms, no civilians were harmed, no surrendered soldiers killed. Qin Junlan ruled all under heaven with benevolence, treating all subjects equally.

In the fourteenth year of Qi’s Emperor reign, Qi completed its unification. Qin Junlan was honored as the Prosperous Heaven Emperor, praised for her achievements and virtue. That same year, after the Red Armor Army’s triumphant return, she issued an imperial edict naming Qin Yu as Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, and elevated his mother Yun Jin to Imperial Consort to manage state affairs.

The dark cell was bone-chillingly cold. In the underground palace of Suyuan Tower, once Shura Sect’s Qi capital base, now in ruins, Ling Yu was imprisoned. This cell, once used by Shura Sect for missions, now imprisoned its own master – truly ironic.

Ling Yu had lost track of time, but in this place, she could always sense Liu Qianxun’s presence, sustained by memories of past happiness. These years had exhausted her, yet these days in prison brought unprecedented relief, as if the burden on her shoulders was finally lifted. She had fulfilled her duty as Princess; now, she was just herself.

The surroundings were so quiet only heartbeats remained, but her heart was now cold as frost. Even the warmth that once existed in her heart couldn’t warm her now. In the end, she had nothing left, losing both love and country – Ling Yu no longer existed in this world.

“Clang.” The iron door suddenly opened, revealing Qin Junlan.

Ling Yu barely lifted her eyelids, saying nothing.

“Cough, cough…” Qin Junlan covered her mouth, her cloak concealing her thin, sickly frame. She glanced at Ling Yu and announced: “Yu Kingdom’s former Princess Ling Yu has died of illness in prison, departing this world.” With that, she turned to leave.

“Qin Junlan, why don’t you kill me?” Ling Yu’s voice came from behind. Without turning, Qin Junlan coughed lightly and replied: “You saved Xun’er, making you my benefactor. You extended Aunt Liu’s life, making you her benefactor. You saved Ye Ming, making you Xi’er’s benefactor. They are all my family – if not for them, you would have died a thousand deaths already. Take care of yourself.”

Li Yue brought clothes to Ling Yu, saying, “Your people are waiting outside.”

Ling Yu gently touched the new clothes, watching Qin Junlan’s retreating figure, a smile of acceptance crossing her face as she murmured, “Losing to you, I truly have nothing to say.”

Outside Suyuan Tower, Ye Ming stood by two horses, gazing at the familiar building. Scenes flashed through her mind like familiar dreams, making her thoughts chaotic. She painfully clutched her head as a voice suddenly echoed in her ears: “Ye Ming, Ye Ming, I want to eat loquats!”

She grabbed her head in agony, gritting her teeth, unable to clear the blurry figure in her memory.

“You’re remembering.”

Ye Ming looked up to find Ling Yu gazing deeply at her. She shook her head, leading the horse to Ling Yu. “Let’s go, Master.”

Ling Yu nodded, turning to look one last time at Suyuan Tower, her gaze falling on Ziyun Pavilion. She seemed to see the most beautiful figure in the mortal realm – Liu Qianxun smiling like a flower.

She slowly turned away. From this moment, there would no longer be Princess Ling Yu, nor the Sect Leader of Shura Sect. “Xun’er, may you find happiness – until we meet in the next life.”

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