Chapter 1669 – Securing Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (Seventy-Seven)
Without the Xichang Princess, considering the bigger picture, An wouldn’t kill the Young Master outright.
Because An needed a stable heir!
The Young Master lay low; there might still be a chance for him to turn things around in the future.
Alas, he was still too young, and under such mental strain, his only response was to take his own life.
By the time Hua Yuan arrived, the Young Master’s body had already been cleaned and dressed in fresh clothes, his face adorned with light makeup. His eyes were closed, looking less like a corpse and more like someone who had merely taken a nap, waiting for the sun to rise so he could open those pure, vibrant eyes once more…
Back at the rear, An’s ministers had gotten wind of the situation and climbed out of their beds.
“Who killed the Young Master?”
An irritable Old Minister in plain clothes, cinched at the waist with a white ribbon, rushed over with a menacing aura.
As soon as he arrived, he fixed his fierce gaze on the Xichang Princess.
“Could it be you, evil woman…”
The Old Minister had heard of the recent scandal, but he wouldn’t abandon the Young Master, whom he had watched grow up, just for a fallen royal.
Even if there was a scandal, it was the woman’s fault; in his eyes, protecting the Young Master by getting rid of the Xichang Princess was completely justified.
For days, he had been brainstorming ways to preserve the boy’s life, looking for faults to pin on the Xichang Princess, ready to shift all the blame onto her. If that didn’t work, he would have no choice but to resort to extreme measures and send assassins after her. Little did he expect that before he could act, the Young Master had already ingested poison. Watching the boy lying on the bed, his chest no longer rising and falling, grief washed over him in waves…
Seeing the Old Minister draw his sword with the intent to kill her sent the Xichang Princess into a panic, her face draining of color as she screamed.
Hua Yuan quickly grabbed the Old Minister’s wrist, applying just enough pressure to make him release the sword, fuming, “Are you done making a scene?”
The Old Minister stubbornly retorted, “This evil woman must die today!”
For some reason, ever since entering the room where the Young Master had taken his own life, Hua Yuan felt a tightness in his chest, a dull pain to boot.
He had no idea where this emotion was coming from, but it pushed him to the edge of reason, making him irritable and restless.
The Old Minister’s reckless swordplay at that moment only served to further ignite Hua Yuan’s anger.
Shoving the Old Minister aside, he nearly lost his balance, as if his brain had momentarily failed him, making the scenes before his eyes flicker in and out of focus.
“Get lost!”
Hua Yuan shouted furiously at the Old Minister.
The Old Minister shot back, “That scoundrel’s demise was plotted by this woman; I’m ready to give up my life to see her dead!”
The Xichang Princess, hiding behind her Maidservant, felt a surge of agreement rise in her as she heard the Old Minister’s words.
That old fool was absolutely right.
Wasn’t Hua Yuan the “scoundrel” he spoke of?
The room descended into chaos, with people rushing in from every direction, trying to separate the two—some holding back the Old Minister, while others restrained Hua Yuan.
Regardless of the circumstances of the Young Master’s death, the deceased was paramount; their body was barely cool, and they shouldn’t be stirring up noise and disturbing the dead.
Moreover, to get into a brawl in front of the deceased was thoroughly improper.
“I said to get lost!”
Hua Yuan swung his arm, pushing aside those attempting to stop him.
Before he could advance a step, a sharp pain pierced through his mind, and the surroundings blurred into a crimson haze.
To Hua Yuan, the figures around him morphed into faceless, bloodied specters, lips moving without sound; one voice became two, two became four, and four became eight… Gradually, the cacophony swelled into a torrential surge of voices, overwhelming his hearing. His legs felt unsteady, and he stumbled forward, but just in time, someone caught him, preventing him from crashing to the ground.
Everyone was startled by the sudden change, even the Old Minister, who had been intent on the Xichang Princess’s life, lost focus.
They approached to see Hua Yuan’s face as pale as death; they initially thought he was just repressing his grief, only to realize he too had his moments of emotional vulnerability. Considering the teacher-student bond between Hua Yuan and the Young Master, their hearts ached, not anticipating that he might seem unhinged.
“Shut up! Just shut up! Everybody get away! Get away now!”
Hua Yuan flailed at those around him, roaring with each breath, his eyes bloodshot and frantic.
“The Young Master has passed; Military Adviser, please mourn his death; the deceased cannot be pursued!”
“Get lost! All of you!”
Hua Yuan grimaced in pain, clutching his head with one hand while pointing at the crowd with the other, urging them to be silent, feeling as if his skull might explode.
His head throbbed with a torment that felt like a hand wringing his brain, crushing his skull, causing him agony nearly unbearable.
He lost track of how long it had been when Hua Yuan finally regained a glimmer of clarity.
He knelt on the ground, his usual graceful demeanor completely vanished, replaced by a stray, desperate madness and a profound despair.
The crowd assumed, wrought by grief, he was simply overwhelmed by the blow, not realizing the next move from Hua Yuan would nearly make their eyes pop out from shock.
With a swift motion, the sword unsheathed.
A voice broke through the silence, screaming, “Military Adviser, you mustn’t!”
It turned out that Hua Yuan, seizing an opportunity when no one was watching, had drawn the sword from someone’s waist, poised to end his own life.
With an expression of pure intent to die, he seemed fully committed.
In a situation critical for saving him, someone lunged forward to snatch the sword away, but they were too late, leaving a long but shallow cut on his neck.
As others witnessed this, they rushed forward to restrain Hua Yuan, fearing he would regain his strength and attempt to end his life again.
If Hua Yuan died, wouldn’t An explode with rage?
“Why are you stopping me!”
Hua Yuan bellowed, tears streaming down his face.
Someone spoke up, “The Young Master is gone; Military Adviser, mourn him!”
Where was the logic of following the one who had taken their own life?
And not to mention, the Young Master had died, sullied by the shame of his own mother and taking his life out of guilt.
“My responsibility in the Young Master’s death is tremendous; I should die, so don’t stop me!”
No one took his words seriously.
They deemed Hua Yuan to be a loyal and valiant figure, even more resolute to prevent him from seeking death.
At this point, Hua Yuan felt like he was on the edge of a breakdown.
He was the one who had killed his own student.
No, more accurately, it was his lost sanity, in a fit of madness, that had annihilated his student; it was him who should die.
Hua Yuan hadn’t realized that his insanity had spiraled out to this extent, that the last “person” to appear had wrought havoc upon the others. If it weren’t for Hua Yuan’s unique existence, he might have been replaced and met the same fate. Previously, he had been lost in a haze, finally getting a chance to surface, only to find his student had fallen victim to malice; knowing the gravity of his sins, he could only hope for forgiveness from his student after death.
He hadn’t expected that even when he spoke the truth, no one would believe him.
These brainless fools were still hindering him from ending it all.
Was this death?
This was him acting as an agent of justice!
As long as he was gone, as long as this body faded away, that dangerous “person” would never arise again.
“Let go of me!”
“No! You must calm down, Military Adviser!”
“Military Adviser, the Young Master has passed; we are all deeply saddened, but you must still assist our Lord in achieving his ambitions; do not take your life lightly!”
The Xichang Princess felt a pang of realization:
She suddenly understood that Hua Yuan’s outrage wasn’t without reason.
Look at him—willing to go to such lengths to cleanse himself of suspicion, even putting in all his might to end his life, with blood still flowing from that gash on his neck.
Had those around him not stopped him, with the force he had put into his suicidal act, he might have cleanly severed his throat.
As the Xichang Princess gawked, half-astounded at the unfolding drama, she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret.
What a splendid opportunity just moments ago; if only it had been a heartbeat closer, he might have succeeded…
