The Northern Qi phoenix robe was woven with gold and black threads, trailing three feet on the ground, and adorned with court rituals and a ceremonial collar, exuding unparalleled elegance and grandeur.
After donning the phoenix robe, Ye Luan sat before the vanity, gazing at the reflection in the bronze mirror, momentarily lost in a daze.
“Miss, you are truly beautiful.”
A maid stood behind her, having expertly styled her hair and applied makeup.
Ye Luan’s expression remained placid; she paid no mind to the maid’s words, nor did her demeanor change upon hearing the approaching footsteps.
Xie Beihan watched the slender figure, walked over, and personally placed the phoenix coronet upon her head.
The dimly lit mirror reflected their expressions.
Clad in the phoenix robe and court attire, with a coronet of red gold and glazed beads gracing her head, golden tassels cascading from her hair, and a floral adornment between her brows, her delicate face appeared even more alluring.
Xie Beihan stood behind her, his arm encircling her waist from the front, lifting her chin as he let out a soft laugh.
His smile carried a hint of seductive allure, his eyes tinged with a regality that spoke of both affection and detachment.
“Beautiful, so very beautiful.”
Ye Luan, unconcerned with admiration, asked, “Have you seen enough? May I take it off now?”
Xie Beihan embraced her waist, lifted her, and strode out with large steps.
Ye Luan frowned, “Where are we going?”
“To watch a play.”
Upon exiting the residence, he carried her on horseback, heading straight for the city walls.
In the darkness of the night, the moonlight cast a frigid, frost-like sheen upon them. The cold wind blew, rustling their entwined robes.
He looked down at her, his eyes filled with a wicked, triumphant smile.
Ye Luan, guessing his intentions, turned her head.
“His Majesty of Northern Qi, to stoop so low as to use a woman to sow discord among the enemy, is truly a laughingstock to the world.”
Xie Beihan chuckled, “That is where you are mistaken. I merely wish to see him unhappy.”
“---”
“Giddy up!”
Suddenly, he shouted sternly, tightening the reins. The horse let out a high-pitched neigh, galloping forward like a whirlwind.
Upon reaching the city gates, Ye Luan heard the sounds of the ongoing siege outside—the clamor of shouts, the clash of swords and blades, a deafening roar.
Xie Beihan dismounted with her in his arms and led her up the city wall.
The piercing cold wind whipped around them, the moonlight cascading upon them as if bestowing a layer of radiance.
The generals on the city wall, upon seeing their arrival, immediately approached with deference.
“Your Majesty.”
Chi Yan, clad in blue, stood beneath the rampart tiles. She turned her gaze towards them, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
As Ye Luan ascended the wall, she looked directly down, spotting from afar a vast expanse of soldiers and warhorses.
The blare of horns and the clash of gongs and drums resonated through the sky.
The ground where the two armies faced each other was strewn with corpses.
As far as the eye could see, there was only blood, bodies, and billowing smoke.
The land lay barren, bleached bones exposed.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood.
Clad in her phoenix robe, she stood on the city wall, the cold wind lifting the hem of her skirt, a stark contrast against the brutal battlefield.
“Do you see him?”
Xie Beihan stood beside her, his face bearing his usual smile.
Ye Luan ignored him, her gaze fixed intently on the Da Liang army.
The fierce northern wind whipped the banners, and before the three armies, the leading man, mounted on a horse, was silhouetted by the scattered crimson of the sky. His aura, like a drawn, deadly blade, stood amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, like a war god descending upon the mortal realm.
Their gazes met across the vast army.
Xiao Chi Zhan’s crimson eyes were terrifyingly cold.
“The person on the city wall is Ye Luan.”
Li Qiongyu observed the figure on the wall, her eyebrows subtly raised.
“Xie Beihan is deliberately provoking you, don’t fall for it.”
Xiao Chi Zhan stared intently at the pair on the wall.
He wore a ceremonial crown and an imperial dragon robe, while she was a vision in a fiery phoenix robe, her bright eyes and pearly teeth making her stunningly beautiful.
This sight was utterly searing to his gaze!
“The Northern Qi troops are all hidden in Guigu Mountain. If we want to cross Longcheng and attack Southern Jiang, we will inevitably have a battle at Qu’nan River.”
Xiao Chi Zhan suppressed his killing intent and said, “Southern Jiang is a land of nothingness, yet it dares to contend with Da Liang. It should have known its fate when it pledged allegiance to Northern Qi.”
The city walls were lined with archers and soldiers holding shields. Beneath the dark sky, it presented a magnificent and imposing spectacle, exuding an aura of overwhelming power.
Xie Beihan watched the approaching army and chuckled.
“Yet, a mere Longcheng deserves such a grand display from him.”
Ye Luan’s eyes remained fixed on the figure on horseback at the front of the formation. Upon hearing his words, she retorted,
“Is Your Majesty any different?”
As she finished speaking, suddenly, her waist was gripped with great force, and she was pulled into the Emperor’s embrace.
Witnessing this scene, Xiao Chi Zhan’s crimson pupils instantly flared with killing intent.
Xie Beihan held her close, lowered his head, and smiled faintly.
“Look at his expression; he’s furious.”
The moment he finished speaking, a feathered arrow suddenly soared across thousands of troops, carrying with it an intense killing intent, hurtling directly towards him.
The arrow’s flight was fierce and unyielding.
The scene unfolded too quickly; amidst the volley of arrows, no one could discern what happened.
Xie Beihan noticed and let out a soft sound. He released Ye Luan, swiftly grabbed a bow and arrow from a soldier, and shot it out with a whistling sound.
The two sharp arrows met in mid-air, a crackling sound, sparks flew, and both shattered, falling to the ground.
However, the opponent’s archery was exceptionally sharp. Before he could react, another ordinary arrow, like one released from a taut bow, sliced through the vast expanse of the sky, aimed directly at his heart.
Everyone saw it now. A general cried out,
“Protect His Majesty, quickly, protect His Majesty—”
The surrounding soldiers rushed to his aid, but it was too late. The arrow pierced the west wind, relentlessly piercing towards him.
Xie Beihan reacted with lightning speed, drawing his saber to block it. But as the arrow was struck and cracked, its sharpened edge still grazed his hand.
Blood dripped down, and the generals around him turned pale with fright.
With such tight security on the city wall, allowing the enemy to injure His Majesty was an undeniable dereliction of duty.
However, with the enemy at the gates and battle imminent, there was no time to punish them, but they would certainly be held accountable upon their return.
“Your Majesty, how are you?”
Huo Dao and a group of generals quickly stepped forward.
Xie Beihan had been on the battlefield since his youth; this minor wound was nothing.
He brushed aside the concerned crowd and looked at Ye Luan beside him, his voice cold.
“Aren’t you going to check if I’m injured?”
Ye Luan glanced at him, “Your Majesty is valiant; you will not die.”
“But it hurts.”
Ye Luan, “---”
Everyone, “---”
Chi Yan, seeing that he was unharmed and speaking such nonsensical words, wore a look of speechless exasperation on her usually composed face.
She remained silent, turning back directly, taking a bow and arrow from a soldier, and positioning herself by the city wall.
Her gaze quickly locked onto Xiao Chi Zhan at the front of the enemy formation. She lowered the arrow slightly, aimed it at his heart, and with a surge of internal energy, shot it out.
Ye Luan happened to catch sight of this. Her expression darkened, and with swift action, she picked up a saber and threw it.
The arrow shattered in mid-air with a crisp sound.
This action shocked everyone on the battlefield.
Chi Yan immediately turned back, glaring fiercely.
“What are you doing?!”