Ren Jidian woke up wearing red robes.
Memories flashed in his head.
Memories of things that did not happen, mixing with the ones that did happen, confusing and befuddling his mind.
He groaned, holding his head. It was like a tug of war. One group of memories against the other.
"I choose the happy ones. They are the real ones." He told himself.
And so, he had come to accept these new memories easier as fakes. As dreams.
In this dream, Emperor Zau had indeed died. They were successful in their plan, except for one part.
Song Xiu did not die. He managed to avoid Gou Zhongcheng's sword on time....
And beheaded her with his dagger!
"Zhongcheng!" All the three Yins yelled.
Song Xiu moved as quick as a demon, and did not stop there.
He also stabbed Empress Wei in the chest!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Ren Jidian let out a guttural scream, going for a kick towards Song Xiu's head---
But the demon still managed to catch his foot!
Song Xiu did not hesitate this time, and broke his ankles with his bare hands. Ren Jidian screamed in pure pain, but did not hesitate to use his other foot to lock into his neck!
He used his legs to put him in a chokehold, and Song Xiu stood up, trying to wrangle him out of his neck.
He shook Ren Jidian off, throwing him to the ground.
"Very good! Exquisite! Truly outstanding!" He said while clapping, facing this ferocious Yin.
"You are indeed a special one, aren't you?" He clutched the fallen Ren Jidian's neck, who despite the constant pain still fought as much as he could.
He would never give up. He simply would not.
"The Palace is burning. Do you plan to die with your beloved?" Song Xiu just laughed sinisterly, as he was slowly taking away his life.
"But I could save you. We could rule this kingdom together."
Ren Jidian looked to the side. Lady Shu Zhanxing was still holding Gou Zhongcheng's corpse, despite the fire spreading in this room.
"Zhanxing.... Help me..." He begged, but he knows she will never hear him.
"She wants to die with her beloved too. She would not even help herself, much less help you." Song Xiu tightened his grip on his neck.
"Be my Empress, Ah-Guang. The best Empress this kingdom has ever seen."
"I'd rather die... Cough..... Just kill me now....."
The demon advisor just smirked. "I thought so that you would be stubborn."
"He has not left this world yet. I had not stabbed any of his vital organs, but he may die of losing too much blood."
Ren Jidian's eyes widened, and he started to struggle more to reach Empress Wei.
"I can save you and him. We can all escape the fire together, and announce to the people of how the Emperor had died because of him."
"He killed the Emperor, neither of us is involved with it."
Ren Jidian shook his head, kicking helplessly. "No... I would never agree to that made-up story...."
Song Xiu's tone increasingly become more and more menacing, very much like an inner demon whispering to Ren Jidian's ear.
"Then would you rather let him die? Yes, he will be imprisoned.... But I will let him escape once you marry me. Then, I would let you meet again once you bear me an heir."
"That's not a bad deal at all, isn't it?"
This bastard!
But Ren Jidian looked at the empress drowning in a pool of his own blood, and the fire that had already spread and swallowed Lady Shu and her beloved's corpse.
"Just one heir..... If the first child is a Yang... You let me go immediately. You break the deal and .... I will end my life....."
Song Xiu smiled wide, and let go. He kissed his forehead.
"I knew you would agree."
He tried to lift up Ren Jidian, but Ren Jidian pushed his hand away. "You carry him, I can still limp with one foot."
Song Xiu just happily nodded and picked up the bleeding Empress Wei.
"Ah-Guang... Glorious things await us in the future."
But for the defeated scholar, he only knows that pain and suffering await him in the future.
Yet.... There's still a sliver of hope. A slight chance...
He and Wei Wangyi were still alive. As long as both of them were alive.....
Wei Wangyi was imprisoned, but his wound was at least treated.
Song Xiu was a wretched man, but he was a man of his own word. He had become Emperor within 3 days of the Palace's incident.
And not long after, he had also taken in an Empress.
Ren Jidian had tried to escape many times. Poisoning him, stabbing him, trying to collude with servants.....
But the demon manages to catch him all the time.
He would break even more bones, until Ren Jidian was full crippled and could only crawl.
But he kept on trying, kept on being stubborn.
Eventually, his wrists were broken too.
That was what the real Ren Jidian woke up to.
Suddenly, the door opened. It was Song Xiu, holding a bowl of congee.
"Ai.... Ah-Guang. I warned you several times. I do not like hurting you either, but you have forced my hand."
The now Emperor Song Xiu sat by his bedside, and offered up the bowl of food to his lips since his hands cannot take them.
"I want to see Wei Wangyi now." He merely said, turning his face away in disgust.
Song Xiu sighed. "I said you may meet him once you bear me a child."
"And isn't that what's in my stomach right now?"
Ren Jidian had also waken up with a swollen belly. The moment he saw that, he almost puked.
But he reminded himself again and again that this was a dream. A dream that Baphie was just showing for him to see what could have happened.
"Yes..... Our little prince or princess. You were fortunate that the divination had said it would be a Yang."
"Once this child is born, you may meet your beloved Wangyi."
Ren Jidian gritted his teeth. "I want to meet him now. I need assurance that he is truly alive."
Song Xiu looked at his determined face, and sighed.
He called out an official standing by the door.
"Bring the new concubine."
"Concubine!?" Ren Jidian knocked off the bowl of congee as he heard this.
"Is there something wrong, Ah-Guang? I did tell you that I would free him once we are married. This is the only way for me to free a traitor like him."
Eventually, the official came carrying something.
It was not something. It was someone.
It was Wei Wangyi, as beautiful as ever. But his face was pale, and his stomach was also swollen...
And his arms and legs were gone.
"You..." Ren Jidian really did puke out once he saw this.
Song Xiu stood up to avoid it, and his clothes were already dirtied by the congee.
"YOU MONSTER! YOU DISGUSTING, CRUEL, HEARTLESS MONSTER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY WANGYI!!!!"
He kept yelling and yelling, causing the tired and sleeping Wei Wangyi to wake up. His eyes opened weakly.
"Scholar.... Ren..."
Ren Jidian stopped yelling at this, and reached out with his broken hands towards him.
"Let them stay together for a while." Song Xiu told the official as he walked towards the door.
He turned back to the two lovers with a large smile. "I'll bring another round of food. If you eat it this time, I'll let him stay longer. Understood?"
Ren Jidian took the weak Wei Wangyi in his arms.
They were both weak. They were both pregnant with this monster's seed, and Wei Wangyi was crippled.
Escaping was impossible.
"Ren Guang..... Is it really you? Am I not dreaming?" Wei Wangyi asked him.
"You're not..." Ren Jidian buried his head in his neck, inhaling his once fresh scent that was now laced with the scent of death and despair.
This was just a dream, but it hurts so much seeing him like this... It's so sick...
"Ah-Guang..... I'm sorry..... I'm sorry that I was weak... I'm sorry that I have his child now....."
He sobbed harder, and shook his head. "No.... I should be the one who's sorry. I was not able to protect you."
"Ah-Guang..... Let's escape. I can't stand this. I was only living just to see you again..."
Ren Jidian could only weep, just holding him close. Wei Wangyi could not even hug him back.
He kissed those dry and cracked lips.
"Let's escape this world, then."
Ren Jidian reached out to the candle lamp on his bedside.....
And let it spill and fall to this bed they shared. Going in flames.
Escaping this sickening, cruel world. Together.
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