But the next mont, her gentle eyes looked towards her.
As she looked at her, a faint, seemingly relieved smile appeared.
And it was only at this mont that Shang Ruyi seed to finally co to her senses. She hurried to kneel and salute, but saw the Empress Dowager gently raise her hand towards her.
It was a gesture indicating that formalities were unnecessary.
Shang Ruyi stood in place, at a loss for what to do, while Empress Dowager Jiang had already stepped out. As soon as she walked out of the side hall, the doors closed behind her once more.
Yu Wenquan remained inside, unmoved.
And Empress Dowager Jiang did not turn back. She just lifted her head, took a deep breath, and slowly walked forward. Shang Ruyi and Eunuch Yu exchanged a glance and instinctively followed.
It was only a few steps away from the Taiji Palace, yet Shang Ruyi could hardly perceive the passage of ti, only feeling as if, in the blink of an eye, they were standing in the center of the hall.
All eyes were focused on the Empress Dowager.
Only a pair of stern eyes, having deeply looked at Empress Dowager Jiang, then turned towards her, and imdiately shifted away.
But at this mont, Shang Ruyi no longer had ti to care, nor the strength to et those eyes, just as she heard a cry echo through the hall. The mont Chu Chengfei saw the Empress Dowager appear, all the grievances and fears of everyone erupted, and he reached out his hands toward Empress Dowager Jiang—
"Mother!"
He began to cry.
At this mont, though standing behind the Empress Dowager, seeing her slightly twitching, slender shoulders, Shang Ruyi seed to also feel that the Empress Dowager must have shown a loving and more compassionate expression towards her youngest son. If she could, she would certainly do everything to protect him—just like back when Chu Yang was about to abandon Luoyang and head south to Jiangdu, embarking on a road of no return. Even though half of her life was marked by sorrow and loneliness for that man, Empress Dowager Jiang still, for the sake of preserving her children, temporarily set him aside, leaving Chu Chengfei and Chu Ruoyan in Luoyang.
She also left behind this lineage.
But now, the last line of the Chu Dynasty seems to have also reached the end of this grand era.
Her slender shoulders trembled, yet, as she took step by step towards the front of the hall, gradually approaching the place where she had countless tis looked up to, where that immortal-like man commanded the world, her breathing instead gradually cald, and the tremors that almost shattered her soul also slowly subsided.
Until she reached the foot of the Heavenly Terrace.
Shang Ruyi also stopped behind her, looking at her thin figure, standing still, yet at this mont emanating an aura of near-tragic grandeur.
The civil and military officials in the entire hall were all captivated by her presence, even forgetting to kneel and bow.
Chu Chengfei, however, cried even harder.
He stretched out his hands straight towards his mother, his two feet ceaselessly kicking under the Dragon Chair, yet for so unknown reason, despite eagerly wanting to reach her side, he seed held back by an inexplicable obsession, remaining in that Dragon Chair, without leaving even a bit.
As if it was the last struggle of this Dynasty.
At this mont, a voice hoarse as if rough stones were grinding against each other sounded; more a breath than a voice, extraordinarily deep, extraordinarily light, as if even a careless breath would scatter it.
Yet this voice was like a thunderclap from the heavens, loud and clear, echoing through the entire Taiji Palace.
And it resounded by everyone’s ears—
"Heaven’s mandate cos and goes, fortunes ebb and flow."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi gasped sharply.
This voice was the Empress Dowager’s!
Previously, due to following Chu Yang and self-injury, she had that grim scar on her neck, and lost her gentle voice, one that seed to soothe all worldly pains. Yet at this mont, she actually struggled to speak!
But she spoke, and it was the final—extinction note of the Chu Dynasty!
At this mont, Chu Chengfei also widened his eyes, his tearful gaze full of terror, even more filled with despair, as he looked at his mother.
He murmured, "Mother..."
Empress Dowager Jiang slowly, step by step, ascended the Heavenly Terrace, walked all the way to the Dragon Chair, looked down at him, then reached out and grasped his little hand, so helplessly stretched towards her.
She said, "Your Majesty, this great enterprise cannot succeed."
"..."
"The Dynasty and this great endeavor have ended."
"..."
"Let us go..."
With these words, she pulled Chu Chengfei down from the Dragon Chair with force!
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