eurekapd Chapter 327 Giving people hope, then crushing them in despair! Qin Mu's art of killing by destr
Chapter 327 Giving people hope, then crushing them in despair! Qin Mu's art of killing by destr
Liu Hongyan's pupils contracted slightly.
She knelt on the ground, those two words echoing repeatedly in her mind.
Forced.
She doesn't understand.
She really didn't understand.
Why did Qin Mu ask her to say that?
Qin Mu continued, his voice still very soft, but every word was like a knife, each word piercing the heart.
"It's not just you. Even Empress Li Yang was forced into it."
The moment the words fell, the hall fell into a deathly silence.
Liu Hongyan suddenly raised her head, her phoenix eyes filled with disbelief and shock.
She looked at Qin Mu, at his smiling, composed face, and her mind went blank.
"Your Majesty... I do not understand what Your Majesty means."
Her voice was hoarse, with a tremor she herself was unaware of.
Standing behind Qin Mu, Zhao Qingxue's deep purple phoenix eyes trembled slightly upon hearing these words.
Her fingers, hanging at her sides, slowly tightened inside her sleeves.
The force was so light that it was almost imperceptible, but the white knuckles on her fingers betrayed her true state of mind at that moment.
Forced.
He said she was forced.
Jiang Zhaoyue stood further back, her gaze passing over Qin Mu's shoulder and landing on Liu Hongyan's pale face, which was filled with confusion.
She thought of herself.
She recalled those days in the Listening Snow Pavilion in the Northern Border, those moments when Xu Longxiang gazed at her with gentle eyes, and those promises she thought were sincere.
She also thought that she was being forced.
Qin Mu looked at Liu Hongyan, at her bewildered phoenix eyes, and at her pale, slightly trembling face.
He didn't explain, but simply said, "You need to make him believe that you have your reasons."
Liu Hongyan knelt on the ground, the chaotic thoughts in her mind piecing together little by little, forming a picture that sent chills down her spine.
She wanted to convince the Crown Prince that her betrayal was forced.
She wanted him to believe that she had her reasons.
She wanted him to believe that she hadn't truly betrayed the North, but was simply forced into it.
She wanted to give him hope.
Then--
A chill ran through Liu Hongyan's heart.
Then Qin Mu will extinguish that hope completely at the most opportune moment.
He wanted the Crown Prince to believe that there was still a chance, that Liu Hongyan was still enduring humiliation, that Zhao Qingxue was still being forced to submit, that Li Yang might still defect, and that the Northern Territory still had hope of turning the tide.
Then, at the very moment when His Highness the Crown Prince thought victory was assured—
Liu Hongyan bit her lower lip tightly with her teeth.
This move is more ruthless than any sword or blade.
To kill someone is to destroy their spirit.
It's not about taking his life, it's about taking his heart.
He must be brought to the brink of despair just when he is closest to hope.
Liu Hongyan's body was trembling.
The tremor surged from the depths of her heart, spreading to every part of her body, making her feel as if she had been thrown into an ice cellar.
She looked at Qin Mu, at his smiling, composed face, and at the curve of his lips that she could never understand.
This man is terrifying.
Jiang Zhaoyue stood behind Qin Mu, looking at Liu Hongyan kneeling on the ground.
She saw the fear in her eyes, the trembling in her body, and her lips that were almost bleeding from being bitten.
A complex mix of emotions welled up inside her.
She thought of herself.
She recalled those days and nights in the North, those moments when Xu Longxiang gazed at her with tender eyes, and those promises she thought were sincere.
She too was once a pawn.
I have also been on someone else's chessboard, involuntarily walking the path arranged by others.
The Liu Hongyan kneeling on the ground at this moment looked exactly like herself a month ago.
Fate has you by the throat, and you have to be careful even when you breathe.
Zhao Qingxue stood beside Qin Mu, and hadn't uttered a word since Liu Hongyan started speaking.
Her face was expressionless, except for a very subtle flicker in her deep purple phoenix eyes.
The ripple was very faint, as faint as a drop of ink falling into a deep pool, only spreading out in a very thin circle before being swallowed up by a deeper, colder calm.
Forced.
He said she was forced.
She had heard this phrase many times.
From his words, from the hesitant glances of the old ministers in the Li Yang court, and from the deepest, most untouchable corner of her own heart.
Forced.
What a convenient excuse.
The hall remained quiet for a long time.
So long that the candle burned a little more, so long that the moonlight outside the window shifted an inch.
Liu Hongyan finally spoke.
Her voice was hoarse, yet every word was clear: "But His Majesty, how could he possibly trust his subordinate?"
She looked up and met Qin Mu's gaze.
The fear, confusion, and bone-chilling cold that had surged in her phoenix eyes were now suppressed, leaving only a clear, rational light.
"Unless—" she paused, her voice even softer, "you are willing to reveal your strength as well."
He spoke very softly and carefully, each word as if gently released from his throat, afraid that a louder word might disturb something.
Her idea is simple.
To make the Crown Prince believe that she was forced, he must believe that the person who forced her is powerful enough.
She was so powerful that she had no room to resist; so powerful that her betrayal was not of her own volition, but rather forced by circumstances.
However, Qin Mu has never shown his strength in public.
He made his move on Qinglan Mountain, and there weren't many people present.
He made his move at the Nujiang ferry crossing, where there were even fewer people present.
He made his move at the Liyang Imperial Palace, and those present were put on a gag order.
Those who have witnessed his actions are either his most trusted people or people who can never speak up.
He concealed his true strength so deeply that the whole world spread rumors that he was a weak and incompetent ruler.
How could someone like him be willing to expose himself?
Liu Hongyan knelt on the ground, waiting.
She knew her question might anger him, but she had to ask.
If Qin Mu doesn't let her reveal his true strength, His Highness the Crown Prince won't believe she was forced.
What could a foolish ruler possibly be forced to do?
Qin Mu looked at her, at her clear, rational phoenix eyes.
He smiled.
"Just say—" He paused, his tone as casual as if he were talking about something trivial, "that the sword fanatic Liu Bai is under my command."
Liu Hongyan's pupils contracted slightly.
Sword fanatic Liu Bai.
This name is renowned throughout the martial arts world.
A peerless swordsman who was already famous throughout the world thirty years ago, he has never been defeated in his lifelong pursuit of the sword.
Legend has it that he possessed unparalleled swordsmanship and retired to the mountains in his later years, detached from worldly affairs.
No one knows where he went, and no one knows if he is still alive.
The legends about him in the martial arts world are becoming more and more numerous and mysterious. Some say he is dead, some say he has already entered the realm of immortals, and some say he lives in seclusion in some unknown mountain, spending his days with his sword and no longer concerning himself with the mortal world.
Such a person was under Qin Mu's command.
A half-step terrestrial immortal realm.
Under Qin Mu's command.
Liu Hongyan knelt on the ground, the words echoing repeatedly in her mind.
Her eyes flickered slightly.
It wasn't fear, it wasn't shock, it was something deeper, something she herself couldn't quite explain.
Then she lowered her head, her forehead touching the ground.
"Yes. I understand."
Her voice was soft and steady.
Qin Mu nodded.
"If he asks about Empress Li Yang—"
Liu Hongyan raised her head, waiting for him to continue.
"Just tell me you don't know either."
Qin Mu's voice remained very soft.
"But you know—" He paused, his gaze passing over Liu Hongyan and landing on the moon-white figure behind him, "She definitely didn't do it willingly."
Liu Hongyan's gaze involuntarily followed his line of sight.
Zhao Qingxue stood there, the moonlight pouring in from outside the palace gate, shining on her and illuminating her peerless face with exceptional clarity.
Her face was expressionless, but something was trembling slightly in her deep purple phoenix eyes.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze and returned it to Liu Hongyan's face.
"Okay. That's all."
He said it in a casual tone, as if he were giving an order for something trivial.
"You can improvise about the specifics yourself."
Liu Hongyan knelt on the ground, waiting for him to finish speaking.
"Just remember one thing."
Qin Mu looked at her, his deep eyes now devoid of smiles or warmth, only a cold, unquestionable certainty.
"You were forced to betray the Northern Border under duress. You ultimately used a ruse to infiltrate the enemy and become a blade beside Zhao Qingxue. But your heart—"
He paused, then said slowly and deliberately, "It has always belonged to the North."
Liu Hongyan knelt on the ground, her forehead touching the cold gold brick.
Her body was trembling slightly, not from fear, but from something deeper, something she couldn't quite explain herself.
She understood.
I understood it completely.
"Yes. I understand."
Her voice was hoarse, but every word was clear.
Qin Mu nodded.
He turned around and walked towards the palace gate.
The moon-white hem of her dress trailed across the ground, stirring up a faint breeze.
As Zhao Qingxue followed behind Qin Mu and passed by Liu Hongyan, she paused slightly.
The pause was so brief, almost imperceptible, like a leaf being swept up by the wind, swirling in the air before falling back to the ground.
Her gaze fell on Liu Hongyan.
There was an extremely complex emotion in those deep purple phoenix eyes at this moment.
That emotion lingered in her eyes for only a moment before she suppressed it, burying it deep within her heart, to a place where it could not be seen.
She looked away and followed him.
Jiang Zhaoyue walked at the very back.
As she passed by Liu Hongyan, she neither stopped nor looked away.
She walked quietly, her moon-white skirt trailing on the gold bricks, making a soft rustling sound.
But her hand clenched slightly inside her sleeve.
The palace doors slowly closed behind the three of them.
A soft "bang" cut off the moonlight outside and also shut out the thick darkness inside the hall.
Liu Hongyan knelt on the spot, motionless.
Her forehead was pressed against the cold gold brick, and the chill seeped in from her forehead, spreading along her bones and throughout her body, making her feel as if she were frozen solid.
She didn't know how long she had been kneeling.
All I know is that my knees are completely numb and I've lost all feeling in them.
All I know is that the moonlight outside the window moved from one end to the other, casting a long, narrow, silvery-white patch of light on the bluestone slab.
She slowly raised her head.
The fear, confusion, and bone-chilling coldness that had been in those phoenix eyes had all faded away.
All that remained was a deep, resigned calm.
Like a frozen lake in the North during winter, beneath the thick ice lies an undercurrent, a bottomless abyss, a pitch-black depth where sunlight can never penetrate.
She stood up.
A sharp, piercing pain shot through her knee, causing her to stumble. She managed to steady herself by grabbing the edge of the table.
She stood there, looking down at the oil lamp on the table.
The flame flickered weakly in the night breeze, casting her long, lonely shadow on the mottled wall.
The words Qin Mu had just said kept echoing in her mind.
You were forced into it.
Empress Li Yang was also forced into it.
Make him believe that you have your reasons.
Your heart has always belonged to the North.
A slow smile curved the corners of Liu Hongyan's lips.
The curve was very shallow and faint, almost invisible in the candlelight.
That wasn't laughter; it was something she herself couldn't quite explain, something extremely complex.
It's self-deprecation, resignation, the expression of a piece trapped on a chessboard, never able to escape, when faced with a game it can never win.
She turned around, walked to the window, and opened it.
A night breeze swept in, carrying the chill of early winter, and brushed against her burning cheeks.
She raised her head and gazed at the deep night.
The North is in the north.
From this angle, all you can see are layers upon layers of palace walls, high and low rooftops, and a dark blue sky that stretches to the horizon.
She couldn't see the snow-covered plains of the North, the gray walls and black tiles of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, or the plaque in front of the Zhenyue Hall that she had looked up at for a long time when she first stepped in.
She closed her eyes.
The winds of the North are not like this.
The winds of the North are like knives, capable of cutting right into your bones.
Not this soft, floral breeze that makes you drowsy.
She will never feel the winds of the North again.
The snow in the North will never be seen again.
Never go back.
Liu Hongyan's eyelashes trembled slightly, like a butterfly trapped in a spider web, making its last struggle.
Then she opened her eyes, closed the window, turned around, walked back to the table, and sat down in the chair.
She picked up the half-read book on the table, found the page, and continued reading.
The candlelight flickered gently on the table.
Her fingers turned one page, then another.
It was very steady and slow, as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.
Only the small, almost invisible water stain on the windowsill, dried by the night wind, proved that someone had shed tears here.