Thus it is.
The man’s gaze swept indifferently over those present, then he turned to the woman in green and said, “Miss Gu, I accept your gift.”
At these words, everyone except the woman in green changed their expressions. The King of Shu, who was being held in check by her, trembled as he stretched out his pudgy hand, pointing at the dignified man, and exclaimed, “Que Emperor... how dare you! Is my royal palace in Shu a place where you may come and go as you please?”
The man chuckled softly, but did not reply. After nodding slightly to the woman in green, he strode openly out of the hall, an imperial guard following behind. Mingyue’s gaze trailed him until his silhouette vanished. She did not yet realize that, in the future, a business deal would involve this most distinguished of the world’s four sovereigns.
After the man had been gone for some time, the King of Shu finally regained his senses and shouted in fury, “Gu Yanrong, this is treason! Secret dealings with the enemy, plotting rebellion and coercing your sovereign—do you know your crime?”
The woman in green seemed to hear something amusing. She fixed her eyes on Jun Xiao, whose expression had abruptly changed, and let out a laugh. The suppressed laughter gradually grew, resounding through the empty palace with an uncontrollable sorrow and desolation.
Mingyue did not understand the significance of the name Gu Yanrong, but it was clear from Jun Xiao’s face that she did. Before long, the disciples Jun Xiao had brought with him slipped in and whispered, “Master, the imperial guards outside have all been dealt with by the man who just left…”
Jun Xiao frowned, while the King of Shu’s face turned deathly pale. His hand, which he had extended before, now trembled as he drew it into his sleeve, only to take it out again a moment later, at a complete loss.
Jun Xiao looked at the woman in green, moved closer, and spoke gently, “Qingyi… listen to me. Let go and I’ll take you away from here. We’ll have nothing more to do with the war between Shu and Que. Let’s go to Luo. I’ve heard the peach blossoms of Luo are the most beautiful in the world. We can settle down in a small town by the Luo River, where no one knows us, and we can start anew… All the past grudges here will no longer concern us. Will you? Qingyi, put down the sword…”
“Master!”
Jun Xiao raised his hand to silence his disciple’s words, his eyes fixed on Qingyi above, waiting for her answer.
Unnoticed, two lines of tears slid down Qingyi’s cheeks. Her smile did not fade, nor did h