Under the perplexed and guarded gazes of the crowd, A’fang Nu slowly walked towards Qin Shi Huang.
Qin Shi Huang also noticed A’fang Nu, and a hint of ordinary tenderness briefly appeared on his imposing face, which usually showed no anger.
The imperial family was most devoid of sentiment. As an emperor, the tenderness on Qin Shi Huang’s face was something Hu Hai could only dream of obtaining.
Hu Hai sighed inwardly: Father Emperor loved A’fang Nu the most during his life, and unexpectedly, he would meet A’fang Nu again just before his reincarnation.
This, in a way, meant no regrets.
A’fang Nu slowly walked up to Qin Shi Huang. Her expression remained stiff, but she knelt before him.
Qin Shi Huang looked confused. "Why are you..."
Wei Changqing explained faintly, "Her soul is long gone. I managed to extract a sliver of her remnant soul from her corpse. It is now controlling her body, but it will dissipate soon, and at that moment, she will become a true walking corpse."
Qin Shi Huang could not help but be moved upon hearing this.
Although A’fang Nu could not speak, her actions said everything.
A’fang Nu slowly kowtowed.
Qin Shi Huang quickly stepped forward to help her up. "There's no need for this between us."
Witnessing this scene, Long Feicheng couldn't help but exclaim, "The love between Qin Shi Huang and A’fang Nu, spanning a thousand years! If their love isn't true love, then I'll never believe in love again!"
"Are you sure?" Wei Changqing looked at Long Feicheng with a strange expression.
Long Feicheng nodded earnestly. "Is there any doubt?"
Wei Changqing remained silent.
Qin Shi Huang helped A’fang Nu up and was about to say something when he saw her suddenly walk towards the corpse of the actor Lu Huai.
Everyone was stunned.
Qin Shi Huang said nothing, only shook his head and sighed helplessly, as if he had expected this all along.
A’fang Nu reached Lu Huai’s corpse, looked at the unrecognizable remains, and slowly clenched her fists.
Then, her fists relaxed, and the mercury-infused female corpse, A’fang Nu, shed tears gracefully, as if weeping.
"Ah… this…"
Long Feicheng's eyes widened, a guess forming in his mind.
The others also had strange expressions, likely thinking the same as Long Feicheng.
Only Hu Hai roared in anger, "How could she… how could she?!"
In Hu Hai’s memory, A’fang Nu had been deeply devoted to his father and had even chosen death to avoid implicating him.
How could such a woman…
But A’fang Nu no longer cared. She bent down and gently kissed Lu Huai’s corpse, pressing her face against his chest as if seeking his last warmth.
"Little Long, are your words still valid?" Weng Qianxiang asked Long Feicheng.
Long Feicheng covered his face. "Why does fate always play tricks on me!"
Who would have thought that A’fang Nu didn't love Qin Shi Huang, but instead loved this actor.
Stories are really just to fool children!
Wei Changqing seemed somewhat schadenfreude, perhaps mocking Long Feicheng for being proven wrong, or perhaps reveling in Qin Shi Huang’s misfortune.
Even the great Qin Shi Huang was caught in a pathetic love triangle!
Qin Shi Huang stood in the distance, watching A’fang Nu and Lu Huai. He rarely showed any anger.
The "tyrant" Qin Shi Huang simply sighed faintly, "I knew long ago that you didn't die for me, but out of fear that I would order your deaths if the truth were revealed."
"Why didn't you speak up then? Lu Huai was also someone I admired. I loved you deeply and would have granted any request, including… fulfilling your wish for the two of you!"
"He voluntarily requested to be buried alive with you, wanting to be buried together. How could I not know this, how could I not know?"
Qin Shi Huang's "confession" revealed the truth to everyone.
Qin Shi Huang loved A’fang Nu, but A’fang Nu had already fallen in love with the actor Lu Huai. Fearing that Qin Shi Huang would kill Lu Huai if she revealed the truth, she kept it hidden. In the end, she chose death to avoid implicating Lu Huai.
Later, when Lu Huai learned that A’fang Nu's corpse was to be interred in the imperial mausoleum, he voluntarily requested to be buried alive, merely so he could be entombed with A’fang Nu.
Unable to be together in life, they sought to be buried together in death.
This was the story of Qin Shi Huang, A’fang Nu, and Lu Huai.
Upon understanding the unfolding of events, everyone fell silent.
Who would have thought that A’fang Nu, who was praised throughout history, did not actually love Qin Shi Huang, and that Qin Shi Huang, labeled a tyrant by later generations, was also a man of deep affection.
Perhaps A’fang Nu's kowtow to Qin Shi Huang was an apology.
A’fang Nu held Lu Huai's corpse and wept for a while before raising her head and looking at Yan Shouyi.
Qin Shi Huang said, "Yan Shouyi, burn Lu Huai's body. She is asking you."
When a person dies, their lamp goes out. A’fang Nu did not wish for Lu Huai's body to remain in the mortal world to decay, so she hoped Yan Shouyi would burn it.
Yan Shouyi nodded, took out a Taoist talisman, and performed the Sky Thunder Fire Control technique.
Sky thunder fire ignited, quickly reducing Lu Huai's body to ashes.
A’fang Nu watched the corpse intently.
As the fire raged most intensely, A’fang Nu suddenly rushed forward and tightly embraced Lu Huai's corpse!
"Wait!"
Yan Shouyi's expression changed drastically.
If A’fang Nu died, who would retrieve the bone chain from the mercury river for them?!
Qin Shi Huang also wanted to intervene, but it was too late.
A’fang Nu offered no resistance, allowing the flames to consume her body.
The sky thunder fire quickly spread to A’fang Nu, its intensity beyond anyone's ability to stop.
"Alas!"
Yan Shouyi sighed heavily, regretting his failure to keep A’fang Nu in check.
Lin Zhitong, however, was more accepting. She said softly, "Let this devoted couple depart with dignity."
Though A’fang Nu could not speak, her actions conveyed her guilt towards Qin Shi Huang and her deep affection for Lu Huai.
Despite being a strong woman, Lin Zhitong harbored romantic fantasies about such unwavering and loyal love.
Yan Shouyi could only give up, contemplating other ways to enter the mercury river.
The fire consumed their bodies, and soon, only two piles of ashes remained.
Hu Hai watched silently. Only when they had turned to ashes did he control Li Yang's body, step forward, cup the ashes, and scatter them into the mercury river.
A tear of old age trickled down Qin Shi Huang's eyes.
The Great Qin was no more, his beloved was gone, and his descendants had vanished without a trace.
From this moment on, he had no lingering attachment to the human world.
While everyone was still in silent contemplation, Hu Hai suddenly discovered something.
He uttered a sound of surprise and slowly lifted something from the ashes of A’fang Nu and Lu Huai.
"What is this?"
Yan Shouyi seemed to recall something and quickly hurried over, snatching the object to examine it.
It was a bone chain, polished from human bones. Even covered in ash, it could not hide its jade-like texture!
"It's the bone chain!" Yan Shouyi exclaimed excitedly, holding the chain. "It was with A’fang Nu all along!"