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At that moment, an expert of the imperial court suddenly sprang up from beside the Emperor, launching a swift and deadly strike toward Shangguan Yan!

But before he could land the blow, a sharp whistling noise cut through the air and with a whoosh, a cold, gleaming red-tasseled spear shot forward, striking the expert square in the chest, flinging his body onto the steps below the Emperor’s throne!

Gu Jiao walked in step by step.

Her eyes held no frost, no wrath, only calm.

As if the one who had just acted wasn’t her at all.

And truly, amidst the chaos of war, it wasn’t fury that struck fear into the heart, it was serenity.

Another expert lunged up from behind, aiming to ambush Shangguan Yan.

Gu Jiao turned, and without hesitation, she kicked him straight down the high steps.

“Anyone who dares lay a hand on the Crown Princess shall die!”

Outside the hall, more and more elite experts surged forward, but before they could even get close, four figures descended from the sky and blocked their path.

To the left stood Gu Changqing and Old Marquis; to the right were Liao Chen and Taoist Qingfeng.

Tang Yueshan and Wang Xu, who had just withdrawn troops from Chishui Pass, also arrived on the scene.

The two of them led several hundred archers and surrounded the imperial audience hall so tightly that not even a drop of water could seep through.

......

At the end of the second month, the Emperor of the State of Jin passed away, and the seventh prince born of Imperial Consort Liu ascended the throne.

The new Emperor submitted a letter of surrender to Great Yan, and as a show of sincerity, respectfully offered two mineral veins, five cities, one hundred thousand taels of gold, and twenty beautiful courtiers.

All of these courtiers were men, primarily meant to please Shangguan Yan and enrich her harem.

Naturally, the other nations couldn’t return empty-handed either. Though their spoils were not as great as Great Yan’s, it was expected. After all, Great Yan had contributed the main force in the campaign against the State of Jin.

Meanwhile, the State of Zhao had also made significant efforts and thus received considerable compensation as well.

This war nearly gutted the State of Jin; it would be decades before it could recover.

By the third month, with spring in full bloom, the armies began their triumphant return home.

The State of Yan had won a glorious and resounding victory, and civilians lined the roads in celebration, loudly cheering, “Long live the Crown Princess!”

“The Black Wind Cavalry and the Xuanyuan Army will follow me into the capital first.” Shangguan Yan commanded beneath the military tent after they crossed back into Yan’s territory.

The "Xuanyuan Army" referred to the Shadow Division under Liao Chen’s command.

Wang Xu and Wang Man weren’t quite sure why the Crown Princess wanted to ride ahead, but since she had issued the order, they dared not disobey.

Besides, the Black Wind Cavalry and Xuanyuan Army were primarily cavalry forces, and having them return quickly to report back to the Emperor could be seen as reasonable.

But Shangguan Yan had no intention of merely reporting in.

“Uncle.” She said, standing outside the tent, gazing firmly at Xuanyuan Qi, who held a three-foot green steel sword. “I’m ready.”

Xuanyuan Qi looked at his little niece with pride and affection. As her uncle, he gently patted her head. Then, as a subject of the imperial family, he dropped to one knee and drove the three-foot blade forcefully into the ground.

“This humble subject swears to follow the Crown Princess to the death!”

......

Up in a tree just outside the camp, Liao Chen, with his slender fingers as pale and smooth as jade, casually grabbed a wine flask, took a lazy swig, and smiled faintly. “You don’t need to go. Just return to Shengdu with Great General Wang later.”

Beneath the tree, Taoist Qingfeng stared at him seriously. “You’re planning to abandon me?”

Liao Chen looked at him with a teasing smile. “What do you mean, abandon you? You and I were never walking the same path to begin with. Could it be that after spending so many days together, you, Taoist Qingfeng, has developed some tender feelings for this humble monk?”

Taoist Qingfeng cast him a faint, sidelong glance. “I’m just afraid you’ll run off, and then when the day comes that I need to kill you, I won’t know where to find you.”

Liao Chen curled his crimson lips, the corners lifting with charm as his peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly. He floated gracefully down from the tree and said with a smile, “I’ll wait for you in Shengdu. It’s a promise.”

……

In the fourth month, the Black Wind Cavalry and the Shadow Division encircled the imperial palace of Great Yan.

Inside the Emperor’s sleeping chamber, the impostor Gu Chengfeng had completed his mission with honor, while the real Emperor lay on the bright yellow dragon bed.

His stroke had improved considerably, and he was now able to get out of bed and walk.

Upon hearing that the Crown Princess had returned victorious from the battlefield alongside the Xuanyuan Army, he was overjoyed and intended to personally leave the palace to welcome them.

Yet unexpectedly, the Crown Princess and Xuanyuan Qi arrived early at his chambers.

Although the war reports from the front lines had already mentioned that Xuanyuan Qi was alive and returning, seeing him in person still left the Emperor in utter disbelief.

Xuanyuan Qi neither bowed with the courtesies owed to a ruler nor exchanged any pleasantries. He simply stood coldly by Shangguan Yan’s side.

“It’s done.” Xuanyuan Qi said to Shangguan Yan.

The Emperor’s brows furrowed, done with what? Could it be——

“Guards!” He shouted sharply.

But not a single imperial guard came.

The Emperor finally understood what Xuanyuan Qi had meant with “it’s done.”

He stared at Shangguan Yan with a deep frown. “What are you trying to do?”

Shangguan Yan clapped her hands, and a young eunuch stepped forward carrying a tray, upon which rested a brush, an inkstone, and a blank imperial decree.

A sense of ominous foreboding surged in the Emperor’s heart. “Shangguan Yan, are you planning to usurp the throne?!”

All of Shangguan Yan’s daughterly affection had long been exhausted over the years she spent at the imperial mausoleum. She gazed at the father she once admired, now without a ripple of emotion in her heart. “What are you saying, imperial father? I am your rightful Crown Princess, formally appointed by your decree. Once you pass, the throne naturally falls to me. How could that be called usurping? It’s just that you’ve grown old, your stroke has yet to fully heal, and you no longer have the strength to govern. For the sake of Great Yan’s future, you have decided to issue a decree proclaiming me as Emperor, while you live peacefully here as the Retired Emperor.”

The Emperor trembled with rage. “How dare you! I am your father! You dare to coerce me like this, are you not afraid of divine punishment?”

Shangguan Yan’s expression darkened. “My mother is dead. The Xuanyuan Family has been annihilated. I was flogged in the imperial audience hall, my martial abilities destroyed. Even my two sons have danced on the edge of death more than once. If there is divine punishment, I have already endured it! What else is there for me to fear!”

It was the first time Shangguan Yan had ever unleashed such fury in front of the Emperor.

Over a decade ago, when the Xuanyuan Family was wiped out, she was still young, immature and naïve.

But now, the Emperor finally realized that his daughter had grown up.

She had become a stranger, no longer resembling the girl in his memories.

“I loved you so dearly… I truly loved you!” Among all his imperial children, she had been his favorite.

But Shangguan Yan’s emotions gradually calmed. She no longer argued with him and instead replied coldly, “The one you’ve always loved most… is yourself. Just accept your life as the Retired Emperor. The empire of Great Yan… no longer has anything to do with you.”

The Emperor said icily, “And if I refuse to issue the decree?”

Shangguan Yan let out a cold laugh. “Then you die. I take the throne. It’s just as legitimate.”

The Emperor froze completely.

“You planned this… all from the beginning, didn’t you? When you said you were willing to return as the Crown Princess, to lead the army in my stead under that title. It was all for this moment, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Shangguan Yan admitted without the slightest hesitation.

The Emperor clenched his fists. “I never said I wouldn’t pass the throne to you. Why are you in such a rush!”

Shangguan Yan shouted in agitation, “Am I supposed to leave everyone’s fate in your hands again? Who was it that made me Crown Princess, then turned around and abolished me? As long as you sit on that throne, the Xuanyuan Family will never be vindicated. My sons will never be able to stand tall in the light of day! Qing’er is, and Ah Heng is too!”

The Emperor opened his mouth. “I…”

Shangguan Yan said with scorn, “About to say you’ve changed? I don’t believe you anymore.”

“Yan’er, come to father.”

“Imperial father!” The three-year-old little Crown Princess bounced over to him happily.

“You went climbing trees again, didn’t you? Look how dirty you are.”

“There was a little bird, it fell out of its nest, so I wanted to put it back.”

“Yan’er is such a kind-hearted child.”

“Mm! I am!” The little Crown Princess nodded seriously.

“Imperial father, you’re injured. Your finger looks like it hurts a lot. Yan’er will blow on it for you, huu~ huu~ huu~”

That little girl who couldn't bear to harm even a small bird, who would be anxious for a long time just from a small cut on his finger, when did she grow a heart cruel enough to want to slay the Emperor, her own father?

The Emperor stared blankly at Shangguan Yan’s retreating figure, unable to believe that this was his daughter.

Shangguan Yan stopped at the threshold, turned her head slightly, and gazed toward the floor that was polished like a mirror. Her tone was calm as she said, “It was you who lost me.”

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…