Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

He did not rush to take back the sword from Honglian's hand.

Honglian turned her head and looked at the place where Xu Qing had left. After pondering for a while, she also left, ignoring Han Yu's corpse.

It is worth mentioning that, just as when he came to this palace, her departure was not hindered in any way.

This is an incredibly bizarre event, signifying that Han Yu has completely lost control of the royal palace.

However, Honglian didn't care about any of that.

She simply returned to the place where she used to live, and then silently licked her wounds.

the other side.

Xu Qing also returned to Madam Mingzhu's place.

After a period of consolidation, the night, which was willing to shift, had already moved towards the State of Qi.

During this period, Xu Qing also took advantage of the cover of night to amass a considerable amount of wealth.

In the past, it would have been inappropriate to do such things openly, but now that the country is on the verge of collapse, there is no need to hold back.

Countless South Korean tycoons and officials have had their wealth plundered by Nightfall through violent means.

Now all we need to do is wait for the moment when Korea is destroyed, and Xu Qing will leave with Lady Mingzhu. That will mark the end of Korea's reign.

Han Yu is dead!

After arriving here, Xu Qing casually mentioned to Madam Mingzhu what had happened in the main hall earlier.

Madam Mingzhu's expression immediately changed slightly; this news greatly shocked her.

Regardless, Han Yu was the king of Korea, yet he died like this.

She could guess that, given South Korea's impending doom, the situation in South Korea was far more chaotic than she had imagined.

Madam Mingzhu then tried to inquire about the details of Han Yu's death.

Xu Qing did not hide anything and said directly that it was Princess Honglian who did it.

Madam Mingzhu's eyes flickered, and she immediately guessed that Xu Qing had played a very dishonorable role in this matter.

It's definitely his doing.

After all, Princess Honglian had been imprisoned because of her conflict with Han Yu.

"You value Princess Honglian highly?"

Madam Mingzhu subconsciously asked Xu Qing.

After asking the question, she felt nervous again, thinking it was very abrupt and that she shouldn't have asked such a question.

Surprisingly, Xu Qing answered frankly.

"She's a diamond in the rough, and I have high hopes for her!"

Perhaps Honglian, or rather, Chilian of Liusha in the original work, wasn't particularly skilled in martial arts, but her abilities in medicine, poison making, and other areas were extraordinary.

It's important to know that for a long part of her life, she was a carefree princess.

In other words, it didn't take her many years to transform from Princess Honglian into the infamous Chilian Woman.

This is a very powerful qualification.

Chapter 195 The Fall of Korea, Settling Down with Others

Xu Qingsu always adhered to democratic principles, and he had no idea what choice Honglian would ultimately make.

But he had already made up his mind that whatever the other party's choice was, he would give it the utmost respect.

This is both an endorsement of the will of others and his consistent style of doing things.

Xu Qing did not have to wait long at Madam Mingzhu's residence.

From the moment he stepped into this elegant palace, less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn out, soft yet firm footsteps echoed outside the palace gates.

The vermilion gate opened slightly, and a figure dressed in a pink palace robe with dark embroidered patterns slowly stepped in—it was Honglian.

Her hair was neatly styled, but a few stray strands of hair near her temples still carried a trace of dampness.

Clearly, after returning to her residence, she not only treated her wounds but also changed her clothes.

The pain she felt under the gauze as she changed clothes gradually dispelled the hesitation in her eyes, eventually transforming it into a clear and resolute expression.

As Xu Qing said, she cannot change the already decaying past, but she has the right to control her own future.

South Korea is already terminally ill, with treacherous officials in power and its people displaced. Such a country is not worth her dying for.

Her brother Han Fei's parting words echoed repeatedly in her heart: "Honglian, live on, live well."

How could she let her brother down?

Moreover, with South Korea on the verge of collapse, someone has to live to commemorate the fallen soldiers, the innocent civilians, and the past of all of South Korea.

Why can't it be her?

Honglian took a deep breath and tapped her fingertips on the vermilion door, making two soft "tap-tap" sounds.

Footsteps soon came from inside the door, and when the door was fully opened, Honglian's pupils suddenly contracted, her voice filled with astonishment: "It's you?!"

Appearing at the door was Madam Mingzhu, still impeccably made up, with a pearl hairpin tucked behind her ear, and the gold thread on her skirt gleaming softly in the candlelight.

Honglian's memory of her was exceptionally clear. When her father was alive, Lady Mingzhu was the most favored concubine in the harem. She always felt that this lady had a deliberate coquettishness in her eyes and often called her "vixen" in private. However, due to her father's favor, she never dared to express her dissatisfaction in public.

After her father's death, although the concubines in the harem were not forced to commit suicide, they were all moved to a secluded palace on the west side of the royal palace. From then on, she lost contact with Lady Mingzhu.

Upon seeing her in this palace, Honglian was initially taken aback, but quickly realized that this was originally the residence of the late king's concubines, so seeing Lady Mingzhu was not surprising.

But Xu Qing told her about this meeting place. If she hadn't gone the wrong way, wouldn't that mean that Xu Qing and Madam Mingzhu had a secret relationship?

Just as she was pondering to herself, a familiar voice came from behind Madam Mingzhu, carrying a gentle smile: "You've come. It seems you've thought it through."

Honglian turned to the side and saw Xu Qing, dressed in a blue robe, slowly walking towards her from behind.

Upon seeing Xu Qing, Honglian's tense nerves instantly relaxed a bit.

Although she was curious about the relationship between Xu Qing and Madam Mingzhu, she knew this was not the time to ask. She simply nodded slightly and said firmly, "Yes. So, what do you plan to do with me?"

"Let me take you away from this dangerous place in South Korea first." Xu Qing looked at Hong Lian and said calmly, "As for the future, whether you want to be an assassin, live as a commoner in the city, or choose other professions, it is up to you."

His answer seemed casual, yet it conveyed a reassuring reliability.

Honglian raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, but in the end she chose to believe Xu Qing. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't even have had the chance to take revenge on Han Yu.

……

News of Han Yu's death eventually spread.

When the people in the palace discovered Han Yu's gruesome death, they were immediately horrified.

Soon, the news spread from the palace to the outside world.

As the prime minister, Zhang Kaidi personally went to the palace to take charge of the overall situation.

If things proceed as planned, the next step would be to seal off the palace and the entire capital, then investigate the truth behind Han Yu's death, and finally, after everything is resolved, choose a new ruler.

Because Han Yu had no children, the new emperor could only choose from among his brothers.

The same procedure was followed after King An of Han died suddenly.

But that was under normal circumstances. Although South Korea was in chaos at the time, due to Tianze, which caused endless turmoil, the overall situation was still stable. People like Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei were still alive. Although they were treacherous and wicked, during their time, the state of South Korea was not in a precarious state.

Even if a new monarch is not elected in the short term, South Korea will not descend into chaos.

But things are different now.

The Qin army has already captured Yangdi and is no more than a hundred miles away from Xinzheng.

At this time, Han Yu was killed in the palace.

The truth was revealed by Zhang Kaidi's investigation upon entering the palace.

On that day, all the guards stationed outside the palace were killed.

In other words, no one knows exactly what happened in the palace at that time.

Was it a palace coup or the work of an assassin? There were many different opinions in the palace. Some people said that they saw Princess Honglian carrying a blood-stained longsword, covered in wounds, walking out from the depths of the palace, with blood still stained on her skirt.

Zhang Kaidi's heart sank, guessing that Han Yu's death must be related to Honglian.

But when he sent people to search for Honglian, he discovered that the princess had already disappeared.

At the same time, he also learned that Honglian had a fierce conflict with Han Yu, and Han Yu even ordered her to be imprisoned. All the clues pointed to Honglian, and it could be almost concluded that she was involved in Han Yu's death.

However, Zhang Kaidi had no time to track down Honglian's whereabouts, let alone the energy to unravel the mystery of Han Yu's death.

Because yet another piece of bad news arrived.

After occupying Yangdi, the Qin army did not rest for long before breaking camp again and rushing towards Xinzheng.

For the Qin soldiers, the victory over Han was within reach, and countless merits and rewards seemed to beckon them from the front. No one wanted to waste a moment.

At this moment, Zhang Kaidi had not yet recovered from the shock of Han Yu's death. He was pondering countermeasures while looking at the map on the table. When he heard the news that the Qin army was approaching, he felt dizzy.

His family had served South Korea for generations. Although he had his own selfish motives, he genuinely wanted to save the crumbling country when it faced a crisis.

These days, he worked day and night, racking his brains to think of ways to save the country, but unexpectedly, one change after another occurred. Now, the Qin army is at the gates of the city, and the destruction of Han seems to be a foregone conclusion.

"Is South Korea really going to perish?" Zhang Kai murmured to himself, his aged fingers gripping the map tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

The thought that Korea's centuries-old foundation was about to be destroyed and that its people were about to suffer the ravages of war filled him with a metallic taste. He could no longer hold back and with a "pfft," a mouthful of scarlet blood sprayed onto the map, staining Korea's territory red.

His body swayed, then he fell heavily to the ground, his aged face filled with despair.

Before he fell into darkness, he seemed to hear the panicked shouts of the guards and see their hurried figures rushing towards him, but these sounds and sights quickly dissipated into the darkness, leaving only boundless silence.

……

Two days later, the gates of Xinzheng slowly opened.

Having lost its king and prime minister, the state of Han completely gave up resistance, and the Qin army entered the capital without bloodshed.

Thus, Korea, which had existed for hundreds of years, officially withdrew from the stage of history and completely perished.

But all of this was irrelevant to Xu Qing. Long before arriving in South Korea, he had already made contact with the Nightfall organization and used his connections in Qi to secure an escape route.

Since he stepped into Xinzheng, the members of Nightfall have begun to move to the State of Qi in batches. Even with the Qin army at the gates, leaving the State of Han is not difficult for him.