After her rebirth, the empress received a tragic and beautiful script.

The dim light from the eternal lamp shines through the crystal coffin, refracting onto the person in the coffin in star-like dots.

The girl was wearing only a loose white robe, her eyes were tightly closed, her face was pale, and her hands were clasped in front of her. She seemed to have been sleeping in this secluded palace for a long time.

There was a long, deep wound on her neck, running through the entire right side of her neck, from behind the ear to the throat, from deep to shallow. Even though it was sewn up with thin white thread, it still looked horrifying.

Ye Qinghuai recognized the scar at a glance.

It turns out that after committing suicide with the Longyuan Sword, this kind of wound will be left behind.

She finally understood that the person in the coffin was herself in her previous life.

But why is my body here?

Ye Qinghuai turned around abruptly and looked at Lu Yanchen.

The man took off the veil on his head and slowly walked from the shadow in front of the door to the firelight in front of the coffin.

When his entire face emerged from the shadows, Ye Qinghuai realized that his expression was no longer as stagnant as before.

He stared at the face of the girl in the coffin, his eyes filled with tenderness and deep sorrow. In the dim candlelight, Ye Qinghuai saw the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he showed a difficult smile to the person in the coffin.

Ye Qinghuai had never seen such a bitter smile, nor had he ever seen such a bitter Lu Yanchen. It was so bitter that people felt sour just by looking at him.

What was sealed in that crystal coffin seemed to be a beautiful dream that was within his reach but had already been shattered, an obsession that he insisted on doing even though he knew it was impossible, and a poison that made him feel heartbroken but he was willing to accept it.

He raised his hand and gently stroked the coffin lid, as if he had thought of something, and a hint of despair gradually appeared in his eyes. He looked at the person in the coffin and said slowly: "Qinghuai, I'm afraid I can't hold on for too long. If... if there is really no other way, I want to follow you. When the time comes, can you... not hate me?"

When he said the last sentence, he paused for a long time and asked cautiously, like a child who had done something wrong.

Ye Qinghuai's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She looked at Lu Yanchen's profile reflected in the firelight, and suddenly found that he seemed much thinner than she remembered. Under the majestic and wide dragon robe was a walking corpse that had long been emaciated and was only hanging on by a breath.

She didn't know why Lu Yanchen looked like this. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she could never have imagined that the god of war Lu Yanchen, who led the rebels into the Hall of Supreme Harmony in just one year, would one day become so destitute and humble.

Ye Qinghuai was overwhelmed with emotions.

From past life to this life, the question that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time now popped up again.

"Why..." Ye Qinghuai murmured to himself as he looked at Lu Yanchen, who was leaning dejectedly beside the coffin.

Why did you betray my trust in you? Why did you have to be the one to raise the banner of rebellion? Why did you still act like this when you had already obtained the throne you wanted?

why?

Ye Qinghuai walked step by step to Lu Yanchen's side, looking at his angular and handsome face so close to him, but his eyes were full of frost, like an old man who was about to die.

She raised her hand, wanting to touch his eyebrows.

At this moment, an extremely familiar voice rang out sharply from a place not too far away.

"As the evening fades and the morning rises, a myriad of things need to be dealt with! As the evening fades and the morning rises, a myriad of things need to be dealt with! As the evening fades and the morning rises, a myriad of things need to be dealt with!" Ye Qinghuai took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and woke up on the dragon bed in Jingshou Palace.

It was a gray sky outside the window.

Ye Qinghuai raised one hand to cover his eyes and sighed with lingering fear.

It turned out to be a dream.
-

At this time, because it was further west, the sky in Qing County, Yingzhou was still dark.

In an official residence of Qing County Government Office, Lu Yanchen woke up from the same dream.

He immediately sat up, as if trying to shake off the horrible nightmare.

“Why would I dream about these things…” He stroked his head, muttering in a trance.

After a long time, he calmed down, got up from the earthen kang, put on his coat and soft armor, picked up the long sword he always carried with him, pushed the door open and left.

Today, the Qing County government office has been transformed into a temporary department that integrates a command center, relief station and shelter.

After Lu Yanchen got up, he went to the room where the injured were first.

Half a month ago, he followed the instructions of the Ministry of War and went to Qing County for baggage supply. This was the last time the Western Army would be supplied within the country. After that, they would move westward to the Hanhai and enter the territory of the Western Rong and Northern Di, and be ready for war at any time and anywhere.

Because the matter was of great importance, Lu Yanchen stationed the large force at the designated location and personally led a small team to Qing County for supplies.

On the other hand, he had never been to Qing County and wanted to learn about the local customs and culture.

For this purpose, he also brought a local named Cao Qing with him.

Cao Qing was originally from Qing County, but later his family could no longer make ends meet, so he became a bandit and made a living by robbing caravans and travelers in the Hanhai area. Some time ago, his group of bandits was caught by Lu Yanchen's Western Army and was immediately wiped out.

Although Lu Yanchen was strict in leading his troops, he always pursued benevolent policies in his policies. Therefore, except for a few bandit leaders and those who behaved badly who were sent to the local government for punishment, he had no intention of punishing others. Those with families were sent back to their hometowns. The remaining Cao Qing and some brothers who had nowhere to go were incorporated into the Western Army by Lu Yanchen.

But what Lu Yanchen didn't expect was that this short trip, which was supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable one, almost cost him his life.

When he arrived in Qing County, he found that the place was very different from what he had imagined.

Among the nine states of Dajing, Yingzhou and Zhongzhou have the most fertile land. The thousand-mile plain of Yingzhou is the most suitable place for growing wheat in the whole Dajing, and therefore it is also one of the most important food supply areas in Dajing. In order to facilitate the transportation of these grains, Emperor Shengzu Ye Yunhan spent a lot of money and manpower to build a post road from Shengjing to Yingzhou in the early days of the founding of the dynasty. During the Xingrui period, Ye Qinghuai's grandfather repaired and widened this post road.

Therefore, in Lu Yanchen's imagination, Qing County, located in the heart of Yingzhou, even if it is not a prosperous county with heavy traffic, should at least be a prosperous place with enough food and clothing.

However, these imaginations were shattered the moment he stepped into Qing County.

At the end of the first month of the year, when the weather was still chilly, the streets of Qing County were filled with ragged beggars, some kneeling on the street begging, some lying on the ground, not knowing whether they were dead or alive. Whether adults or children, everyone was wearing tattered clothes, wearing a pair of straw sandals, and their skinny faces were filled with a heavy look of death.

The streets were filled with people, so many that even the grain truck Lu Yanchen was carrying couldn't get through smoothly. (End of this chapter)