Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

That wasn't all. Lingyan continued, "Furthermore, if you hadn't sent assassins to Da Zhao to kill me, all my secret guards wouldn't have been wiped out. They had followed me for several years, but they all lost their lives because of you."

Her voice trembled slightly, and the hatred in her eyes grew even stronger.

"And Yunmeng..."

Speaking of Yunmeng, her heart ached terribly, and tears streamed down her face instantly: "If you hadn't sent someone to assassinate me, Yunmeng and I would still be safely in the capital. Why would she have lost her life in vain?"

Her voice was filled with sorrow, and tears blurred her vision.

"Do you know how many years she has been by my side? Twelve years! A full twelve years! And for eight of those years, we only had each other. During those eight years, I had no parents, no relatives, no friends. Even the whole family in the mansion regarded me as a thorn in their side. Only Yunmeng was by my side. We relied on each other, comforted each other, and depended on each other for survival. We were each other's only family. I only had Yunmeng, and Yunmeng only had me."

Her voice choked with emotion as she recalled the moments she shared with Yunmeng.

"So do you realize just how important Yunmeng is to me? It's something no one else can compare to, so how could the death of just A Liang be enough?"

The Northern King was gripped tightly by Ling Yan's collar. Looking into her eyes filled with hatred and listening to her tearful questions, he felt as if his heart was being struck by a heavy hammer.

He never cared about these things before. Isn't it only natural to make sacrifices for his ambitions and great cause?

But at this moment, all of this felt like heavy shackles, making it hard for him to breathe.

His gaze slowly lowered, not daring to meet Lingyan's eyes.

All of this is indeed because of him.

It's understandable that she hates him so much.

He could feel her intense hatred and grief.

But he didn't know how to face Ling Yan's accusations.

Because those lost lives can never be brought back.

So he could only let Lingyan grip his collar, silently enduring her anger and grief.

After a long while, King Bei Li slowly raised his head.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions: guilt, helplessness, and a hint of barely perceptible pain.

He looked at Ling Yan and asked in a hoarse voice, "So you want to destroy my Northern Li just for a maid?"

His words carried a hint of disbelief, as if he couldn't comprehend Ling Yan's actions.

Lingyan chuckled softly upon hearing this, as if mocking his naiveté.

Then she replied, "No, this decision was made long ago when I decided to go to your Northern Li as a hostage. No, it should be said that it was even earlier, as early as when you first joined forces with the Northern Desert to invade the Great Zhao. However, although your Northern Li was greatly weakened in that battle, our Great Zhao also suffered heavy losses. Therefore, I could only suppress my thoughts and wait for the right opportunity."

"After that, when you joined forces with the Southern Frontier to invade Da Zhao for the second time, my desire to destroy your Northern Li became even stronger. You not only almost caused the death of my General He, but also poisoned so many Da Zhao soldiers."

Her eyes were filled with anger, an accusation directed at the Northern King.

"Although all of this was done by the Southern Frontier, you are still the culprit. It is true that the King of the Southern Frontier is ambitious, but if he only had the Southern Frontier, no matter how ambitious he was, he would never have dared to invade the Great Zhao. He had the desire but not the courage. So if you hadn't joined forces with him, how could so many soldiers have been sent to their deaths?"

Lingyan continued regretfully, "But in that battle, I was in the Southern Frontier and couldn't do anything about it. In addition, the Great Zhao suffered even more severe losses this time than the last time, and it was no longer possible to continue fighting against you Northern Li. So I had to suppress my desires once again."

"But things can only happen once, and three times is too many. I swore then that I would never let Bei Li escape this time, because I knew that your ambition had not been extinguished and that you would still find ways to cause trouble."

"As expected, you sent people to assassinate me in Da Zhao, so I decided to go to Bei Li and wipe you out this time."

"Moreover, thanks to my efforts, the strength of the Great Zhao has improved significantly. It is now very powerful in terms of both financial resources and military strength. We have made all the necessary preparations and are just waiting to annex your Northern Li."

"Therefore, given such favorable timing, location, and popular support, your Northern Li is doomed this time and can only be destroyed."

"For your own ambition, you did not hesitate to sacrifice countless lives. Your actions have filled me with endless hatred for you. Therefore, I swore that I would make you pay for your actions. And look, I have done it."

After hearing this, King Bei Li finally realized just how much she hated him.

It has already reached its peak.

Pain spread through his heart. Looking into her hateful eyes, he felt as if a thousand sharp blades were piercing his heart.

But he would never regret it.

Because if he had to do it again, he would do the same thing.

If there is any regret, it is that he launched the war before Bei Li was ready, which led to all the subsequent events.

Ling Yan continued to stare at the Northern King, her gaze as cold as a thousand-year-old glacier, as if it could freeze a person instantly.

Her voice was as cold as a knife as she continued, word by word: "So all of this is because of you. So many deep-seated hatreds, national and familial feuds, and how many lives have been lost in between? How can I not hate you? How can I not wish you dead day and night?"

At this point, the hatred in her eyes was so intense it seemed to materialize: "Your ambition is like a raging fire, burning away countless lives and hopes. To satisfy your own desires, you did not hesitate to start wars, plunging the people into misery. Have you ever thought about those innocent lives? What crimes have they committed that they should pay for your ambition?"

Lingyan's eyes flashed with anger: "So you deserve even the slightest bit of pity from me? Isn't your current predicament entirely your own fault? If you hadn't started wars one after another because of your ambition, you would be living a good life as the Northern Li King, just like the Xuan Yue Empress, the Western Chu King, and the Eastern Ling King."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone full of sarcasm: "Da Zhao is not the kind of person who would start a war, so all of this is the bitter fruit of your own making. You should bear the consequences yourself. So what right do you have to expect me to have pity on you? Isn't it all your own doing?"

Lingyan's voice grew louder and louder, as if she wanted to vent all the anger in her heart: "So, although you started this matter, you have no say in how it ends. Now all the initiative is in the hands of Da Zhao, and you can only be slaughtered like a stray dog."

The Northern King trembled slightly at Ling Yan's words, which were as sharp as ice.

He slowly raised his head, meeting Ling Yan's hateful gaze, and said in a hoarse voice, "I know all of this, but I still do not regret what I did before."