Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

The concerns of the people in Zilan Pavilion were not unfounded. If Yan Lingji hadn't been secretly following them, Honglian might have really done something irreversible.

He took a deep breath, knowing that this was the best time to reveal the truth, and the only time he could appease Honglian and prevent her from continuing to dwell on her mistakes.

"Alright, Yan Lingji has arrived just in time." Qin Chuan's voice returned to its usual calm. He looked at Hong Lian with a frank and serious gaze. "Hong Lian, look at me."

Honglian raised her face, still streaked with tears and flushed, and looked at him, puzzled.

Qin Chuan spoke clearly, word by word:

"There is no fool Ying Chuan, nor is there Qin Chuan who came to save you."

Honglian blinked, tears still clinging to her long eyelashes, not quite reacting.

Qin Chuan continued, "Ying Chuan, that's me. I'm the 'fool' you're going to marry, the younger brother of King Ying Zheng of Qin, Prince Ying Chuan of Qin. Qin Chuan is just an alias I use when I'm out in the world."

Time seemed to stand still.

Honglian's blush, tear stains, confusion, and grievances... all her expressions froze in an instant.

Her beautiful big eyes widened, and her small mouth was slightly open, as if she had heard the most absurd and unbelievable thing in the world.

"Wh...what?" She managed to squeeze out two words, her voice hoarse, her mind blank.

Ying Chuan? A fool? Qin Chuan? An alias?

These words collided wildly in her chaotic mind.

"You...you are Ying Chuan? You are that idiot?!" Hong Lian's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief and sharpness.

She took a sudden step back, her finger trembling as she pointed at Qin Chuan, then looked at him, and then at Yan Lingji beside her, who had an expression of "I knew it" and even a hint of watching a good show.

After the initial shock came an overwhelming sense of shame and anger at being deceived!

"So...so you all knew?! Sister Zi Nu knew! Sister Nong Yu knew! Even that bastard Ninth Brother Han Fei knew!!"

She finally understood the meaning behind Han Fei's profound "blessing"!

That wretched Ninth Brother!

And this guy in front of me!

He knew everything. He watched her cry, watched her go crazy, watched her talk like a fool about assassinating the King of Qin and then committing suicide... He even... kissed her!

"Liars! Big liars! You're all liars!"

Honglian trembled with rage. She grabbed a soft pillow and threw it at Qin Chuan. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but this time, they were from anger and shame!

However, beneath that surging torrent of shame, anger, and resentment, a secret, immense, and uncontrollable ecstasy, like a tender sprout breaking through the soil, was quietly growing deep within her heart, spreading rapidly, almost overwhelming all the dams of negativity.

The man she loved was her husband!

The "fool" she thought he was was Qin Chuan, the man she had been longing for day and night!

She doesn't need to assassinate anyone, nor does she need to commit suicide; she can be with him openly and honestly.

This sudden, dramatic, and unexpected truth left her completely stunned, standing there dumbfounded.

Tears still wet her face, shame and indignation still lingering, yet she couldn't help but, little by little, let a smile bloom on her face—a smile more unsightly than crying, yet incredibly genuine, brimming with immense joy.

Looking at Honglian's wonderfully varied and ever-changing expressions, Yan Lingji finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Laughter, like silver bells, echoed in the quiet courtyard, carrying a hint of mischief, a hint of understanding, and a touch of melancholy that even she herself was unaware of.

Qin Chuan caught the soft pillow that was thrown at him, and looking at Hong Lian, who was crying and laughing, embarrassed and annoyed like a cat with its fur standing on end, a helpless and doting smile finally appeared in his eyes.

The upcoming wedding looks like it will go very smoothly.

Chapter 50: The Demise of Korea, the Rebirth of the Crimson Serpent

Qin Chuan and Hong Lian's wedding was a grand ceremony held in Xianyang City.

Beneath the red veil, Honglian, having experienced the dramatic turn of events that night at the post station, felt a mix of emotions—shame, anger, elation, and trepidation.

Ultimately, under the influence of the elaborate ceremony and the calm atmosphere of Qin Chuan, it transformed into a strange sense of tranquility.

After the ceremony, she became the princess consort of the Qin Dynasty.

However, the peace brought about by this grand marriage was as fleeting and fragile as thin ice in spring.

After ruling for a long time and eliminating Lü Buwei's obstacles, Ying Zheng's ambition to conquer the six states and unify the world was no longer concealed.

After years of silence, the Qin Dynasty's sophisticated war machine finally roared, shaking the world.

The state of Han, the weakest of the seven states, yet firmly anchored like a wedge at the crucial passage for Qin's eastward expansion through Hangu Pass, became the first dam to be breached in this sweeping tide that engulfed the world.

The prelude to Qin's conquest of the six states began with the state of Han.

On the sand table inside Zhangtai Palace in Xianyang, the flag symbolizing the state of Korea was slowly removed. A series of cold military orders, like unsheathed swords, pointed towards Xinzheng.

Inside the city of Xinzheng, in the Zilan Pavilion.

Han Fei held the cold wine cup, gazing at the desolate courtyard outside the window. His face no longer held its former cynicism, but only deep weariness and frustration.

Wei Zhuang, holding the Shark Tooth Sword, leaned against the shadows, his aura colder and more gloomy than ever before.

They once thought that by eliminating Ji Wuye and Yemu, and clearing away the biggest cancer in South Korea, they could usher in an opportunity to make South Korea stronger.

Han Fei devoted himself to reforming the government; Wei Zhuang used an iron fist to enforce military discipline and rose to the position of Grand General.

However, reality dealt them a heavy blow, far more suffocating than Ji Wuye's night.

King An of Han's cowardice and shortsightedness were ingrained in his very being.

On the one hand, he relied on Han Fei's wisdom to handle the mess, and on the other hand, he couldn't wait to support the cunning fourth son, Han Yu, to keep him in check.

In the imperial court, any reforms proposed by Han Fei that touched upon the interests of the nobility would be met with resistance from Han Yu and his cronies.

He was caught in endless internal strife and power struggles, possessing vast knowledge and strategies for strengthening the country, yet he could only watch helplessly as the wrecked ship of South Korea sank deeper and deeper into the quagmire.

Wei Zhuang's situation was equally difficult.

Although Ji Wuye is dead, the corruption within the Korean army has already penetrated to the bone marrow.

Factional infighting, rampant corruption, and exhausted soldiers.

With his unparalleled martial arts skills and ruthless methods as a descendant of Guigu, he could kill a few troublemakers, but he could not eradicate this deep-seated and intractable disease.

Every attempt to rectify the situation is like punching cotton, or it provokes an even stronger backlash.

Standing in the command tent, he saw not soldiers ready to fight, but a group of rotten wood hollowed out by termites.

It's nothing but wishful thinking and illusion.

Under the continuous military attacks and political pressure from the Qin state, the territory of the Han state gradually shrank, and its national strength declined to the extreme.

Fear completely crushed King Han An's spirit.

Ultimately, he chose the most humiliating way to survive—sending an envoy to Xianyang to present a letter of submission, expressing his willingness to become a vassal state and begging for a mere existence.

Xianyang, the young master's residence.

Qin Chuan looked calmly at the copy of the letter from Xinzheng in his hand, which represented the complete submission of the State of Korea.

He looked up at Honglian sitting opposite him.

Dressed in the attire of a noblewoman from the Qin Palace, she appeared more composed and serene than she had been in Xinzheng, with a hint of lingering worry in her eyes.

The deterioration of relations between Qin and Han has led to the current precarious state of Han, which is on the verge of being incorporated into Qin territory. The one caught in the middle suffering the most is none other than Han.

"Zheng Ge ordered me to go to Xinzheng as an envoy of Qin to accept the submission of the King of Han."

Qin Chuan's deep and clear voice broke the silence in the room.

Honglian unconsciously tightened her sleeves, her knuckles turning slightly white.

She raised her head, her icy blue eyes swirling with emotions: sorrow for her homeland, worry for her father and brothers, and uncertainty about the future.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but it ultimately turned into a barely audible sigh.

Qin Chuan stood up and walked to her. His tall figure brought a heavy sense of security.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on the back of her cold hand.

“Honglian,” his voice carried an undeniable power of promise, “even if the state of Han perishes and ceases to exist one day, I assure you that I will protect the safety of your father, your brother Han Fei, and the millions of people of Han.”

His gaze was profound, as if it could pierce through the mists of the future:

"What will perish are those corrupt nobles who leech off the people and are stagnant on the body of Korea. They are those stubborn rocks that hinder the unification of the world. A new order will be built on the ruins. And your relatives, your homeland and people, will thrive under the new order."

Honglian stared at him blankly, at the calm yet powerful light in his eyes.

The light dispelled some of the gloom in her heart.

She remembered his promise in Xinzheng, and the ability and responsibility he had demonstrated time and time again.

This man is her husband, and now her only support.

The thousand words in my heart ultimately turned into a simple action.

She gripped Qin Chuan's broad hand tightly, nodded vigorously, her voice trembling slightly but unwavering: "Yes! I believe you, Chuan."

No further words were needed; trust was already evident in her eyes.

Several days later, a dignified Qin delegation set off on the official road to Xinzheng.

At the heart of the team is Prince Ying Chuan, who represents the will of King Ying Zheng of Qin.

Beside him stood Princess Honglian, dressed in equally magnificent robes, her expression complex.

As the wife of a prince of Qin, she returned to her homeland with her husband, only to witness the complete submission and demise of her homeland.

The wheels rolled on, crushing the dust of the official road and the remnants of the old era, heading towards Xinzheng, the city that once held all of Honglian's girlhood memories, but is now filled with the mournful sounds of a fallen kingdom.

The city walls were in sight, their familiar outlines appearing particularly desolate under the autumn sun.

Honglian lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked at the city gate that was getting closer and closer, her gaze complex and indescribable.

Qin Chuan sat upright to one side, his hand resting on the hilt of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade at his waist, his eyes calm and composed, as if he were preparing for the order that would follow the storm.

Xinzheng, the capital city soon to be swallowed by the torrent of history, awaits its final fate.

A somber silence hangs heavy in the air of Xinzheng, the once-prosperous capital now shrouded in the shadow of national subjugation.

Qin Chuan's delegation did not go directly to the royal palace, but instead detoured and stopped in front of that familiar building—Zilan Pavilion.

The place, once a hub of revelry and hidden power struggles, now appears deserted.