Xingluo Imperial City, a slightly secluded palace. Next to the palace is a small courtyard, which is not large in size and has some grass and trees.

It is already autumn, and the branches and leaves of the plants and trees are all withered, and only a few residual leaves are tenaciously tied to the branches, trembling in the west wind, showing a sense of desolation.

The decoration in the palace is not luxurious, nor can it be said to be simple, but the conditions are far inferior to those of other palaces, and it may be more than the living place of the palace maid.

At this moment, on the couch in the palace, there is a middle-aged woman who has not woken up, although her eyes are closed, but from her demeanor and temperament, you can see that her identity is either rich or expensive.

At the couch there was a maid who took care of her.

The middle-aged woman lying on the couch was the Duchess.

The sky in the distance was gradually brightening, and the duchess, who was in a coma, frowned, opened her eyes, and just wanted to sit up from the couch, when she heard the maid's voice in some surprise: "Madam, are you awake?" ”

The Duchess felt that the scene around her was a little unfamiliar, and while recalling the scene before she lost consciousness, she asked, "Where is this?" ”

"Madam, this is Qinghe Palace, and the slave is called Ling'er, who is responsible for taking care of your daily life." The maid Ling'er bowed slightly and replied.

Hearing the three words Qinghe Palace, the Duchess was stunned for a moment, and she naturally understood where this was, as she was born in the royal family. This is the place in the Xingluo Palace where some ministers and concubines who have made big mistakes are placed under house arrest.

The Duchess panicked suddenly, got up and yelled, "Why? I didn't make any mistakes, so why should I be concerned? ”

"I want to see Your Majesty!"

As she spoke, she was about to force her way out.

Ling'er hurriedly stopped in front of her and persuaded: "Madam, once you come to Qinghe Palace, no one is allowed to go out without the order of Your Majesty or the Offering Hall, and someone will be responsible for food and clothing." ”

"Get out of the way. Dead minions dare to stand in my way. The Duchess snorted coldly, and the soul power in her body burst out, and she shook Ling'er who was blocking the way to the side.

Ling'er had some cultivation as a special maid, but she was far from being the Duchess's opponent, and she was hit by a huge wave of qi against the wall, spitting blood and fainting.

The Duchess was very fast, and in the blink of an eye she rushed to the gate, but before her right hand could touch the gate, she was intercepted by a pale white light.

The huge impact rebounded, causing the Duchess's body to fly straight upside down.

The Duchess regained her footing and looked at the door with a sinister look, with her cultivation, she couldn't break through this layer of white light.

"Why? I want to see Your Majesty! The Duchess shouted.

As if hearing her shout, the white light suddenly disappeared, and the door opened, and the Duchess was overjoyed after a moment's stunned, and was about to rush out when a figure walked in.

It's the Duke of the White Tiger, Dai Hao.

Seeing that it was her husband, the Duchess stopped, and the expression in her resentful eyes was complicated.

She asked, "What are you doing here?" Just because you have some grudge against that bastard, are you going to keep me locked up here? ”

Smack-

It was not the White Tiger Duke's explanation that responded to her, but a crisp slap in the face.

There was a long-lost sharp pain on her right cheek, the Duchess covered her right cheek, looked at the Duke of White Tiger in disbelief, and her voice was sharp: "Dai Hao, are you crazy?" You beat me for the sake of that slut's son? ”

"Huo Yun'er has been dead for so long, do you still want to be so towards her son?"

The Duchess glared at the Duke of the White Tiger in confusion, she didn't understand, obviously she loved him so much that she gave birth to two sons, but in the heart of the Duke of the White Tiger, she was always tepid.

Duke White Tiger said in a deep voice: "The stakes have been clearly stated to you by Yu Hao last night, he is not only representing himself now, but also representing the face of the Sun Moon Empire and the Sun Moon Emperor during his mission. Even His Majesty had to entertain him with the highest courtesy. ”

"Because of your own selfishness, it is very likely that the peace between Xingluo and the sun and the moon will come to naught."

"Shut up here and reflect on it, you can do it yourself."

After speaking, before the Duchess had a chance to reply, the Duke of White Tiger strode away. The pale white mask reappeared, and it was impossible for the Duchess to leave here.

The Duchess gritted her teeth from the ground and stood up, and said hoarsely: "Dai Hao, I'm really blind." ”

"What if there is no peace? You will be able to be the commander of the three armies forever, and you don't have to worry about high achievements. ”

There was a long shout, but no one responded to the Duchess.

It didn't take long for the Duchess to be tired, and sat down in the palace, as if resigned to her fate, silent.

She knew that no matter how much she shouted, it would be in vain, and her only choice was to wait quietly, waiting for the limelight to pass, and His Majesty's attitude was enough, and he would soon release her.

The daily food is brought in by a special person, but it is all coarse tea and light rice, although the Duchess has a lot of complaints in her heart, but she is helpless.

The life under house arrest was long and short, there was no activity to relieve the boredom of living here, and the Duchess did not want to communicate too much with the maid Ling'er, so the boring days passed quickly.

I don't know how long later, one day, the door opened from the outside again, and at the same time, a familiar young voice came from outside the door.

The Duchess immediately realized that this was not the attendant who routinely delivered the meal, and looked at the person who came to the door in surprise.

"Keyweight, why are you here?"

With pale blonde hair and a majestic face, it was none other than her eldest son, the eldest son of the Duke of the White Tiger, Dai Keyheng.

"Mother."

Seeing Dai Keyheng, the Duchess's eyes were full of joy and pity, and she said with concern: "Keyheng, your cultivation is high again. ”

Dai Keyheng smiled and said, "Mother, you have suffered here. ”

After a few pleasantries between the mother and son, the Duchess asked again, "Key Heng, why are you here?" Is there something Your Majesty has decreed? ”

A trace of hesitation flashed in Dai Keyheng's eyes, but he still spoke: "Mother, I am about to go to the battlefield, and I am here to say goodbye to you." ”

The Duchess's eyes widened slightly, and she muttered, "What did you say?" ”

Dai Keyheng said lightly: "The Sun and Moon Empire has sent a war letter, and if you want to start a full-scale war with the Star Luo Empire, I will follow my father to the western front." ”

The Duchess was stunned, she did not expect that the all-out war would come so suddenly, and her son was still accumulating prestige in the army, and he was about to go to the frontal battlefield.

Dai Keyheng continued: "Mother, the army of the Sun and Moon Empire is much more fierce than before, and they may have been hiding their strength for decades. ”

"Now that the garrison near the Mingdou Mountain Range has almost been wiped out, I ......"

He hesitated, but plucked up the courage to say, "This may be the last time I see you." ”

Dai Keyheng's pessimistic words made the Duchess feel like a lightning strike, and she hurriedly grabbed Dai Keyheng's hand: "Keyheng, mother believes in you, you will definitely follow your father to lead the army to defeat the Sun and Moon Empire." ”

With his mother's encouragement, Dai Keyheng nodded firmly and resolutely left the palace.

After Dai Keyheng left, the Duchess sat down in her chair in some despair, feeling uneasy.

This war may have been caused by her.

The son of the White Tiger is destined to fight the horse for the rest of his life and gallop across the field, and Dai Keyheng will naturally not be an exception, but when the Duchess heard that Dai Keyheng felt that she was likely to die on the battlefield, she still felt that her eyes were dark.

Her feelings for Dai Hao, the Duke of the White Tiger, are very complicated, loving, fearful and hateful, but she has pure maternal love for her two sons.

The war reports and news from the outside world did not reach the deep palace, and the attendants who delivered the meals did not know the news of the front, and the Duchess lived in such an anxious and uneasy mood.

Every day, she looked forward to the opening of the door and the appearance of not the person who delivered the food, but the battle report that brought the victory on the front, and her son led the army to defeat the Sun and Moon army.

I don't know how many years have passed, but it shouldn't be too long, and the door is opened by another figure.

The Duchess looked anxiously at the door, a face that resembled Dai Keyheng.

It was her second son, Dai Huabin.

A strong sense of unease intensified in the Duchess's breast.

"Hua Bin, why are you here?"

"How's the war going in the West? Did the Sun and Moon Empire return defeated? ”

She asked a series of questions, waiting for a smile to appear on Dai Huabin's face, proudly saying that the Sun and Moon Empire had been slaughtered to pieces.

But Dai Huabin just lowered his head, and some did not dare to look directly into the Duchess's eyes.

His attitude had already made the Duchess guess some kind of bad outcome, and the uneasy feeling of no reason became stronger.

Before Dai Huabin could speak further, the Duchess asked in a trembling voice, "Keyheng...... How is he doing......"

She said the name that had been worrying her for a long time.

Dai Huabin clenched his fist hard, quickly and weakly let go, and after being silent for a long time, he said in a low voice.

"Big brother, he...... The eldest brother was killed. ”

The Duchess felt her brain go blank, took several steps back, and slumped in her chair.

Mother and son connected hearts, and learned from Dai Huabin that Dai Keyheng died on the battlefield, which made her heart cramp as if she had been cut by a blunt knife.

The duchess howled and cried: "My Heng'er, ......"

After she cried for a while, Dai Huabin hesitated: "Mother, I will soon go to the battlefield." ”

The crying duchess was like a lightning strike, and hurriedly grabbed Dai Huabin's hand in horror, and said in a pleading tone: "Huabin, don't you go, okay?" ”

She had already lost an eldest son, and she would never allow herself to lose the only one left.

But Dai Huabin still said firmly: "Mother, you can't hide, the Sun and Moon Empire has captured several cities in Xingluo, and as the son of the Duke of the White Tiger, it is impossible for me to be a deserter as the next Duke of the White Tiger." ”

The Duchess was still crying and begging: "Hua Bin, mother begs you, you sit in the rear, don't go to the front again." ”

Her pleas failed to keep Dai Huabin, and Dai Huabin still left with a firm gaze, just like his eldest brother.

The Duchess wept bitterly in the palace, counting the days in anguish as she waited for the next opening of the gates.

The door opened for the last time, and in came the familiar figure at the beginning.

Tall, majestic, with a cold light in his eyes, he is the Duke of the White Tiger.

may have just experienced the baptism of countless bloody battles, and he is still accompanied by a fishy smell and murderous aura that cannot be washed away.

The Duchess seemed to have guessed something, and looked directly at the Duke of White Tiger with the greatest courage, and asked bluntly in the first sentence of her mouth: "How is Hua Bin?" ”

Duke White Tiger slowly spat out three words from his mouth.

"Dead in battle."

The Duchess almost fainted.

Duke White Tiger said coldly: "But his sacrifice is very valuable, it was he who led a surprise army to raid the rear of the Sun and Moon army, and we were able to defeat the Sun and Moon army on the frontal battlefield." ”

"Now the Sun and Moon Empire has suffered a great loss of vitality, and it has emptied the resources it has accumulated for many years, and it is no longer able to launch the next war."

The Duchess didn't listen to what he said later, and there was only one thought in her head.

Both of her sons are dead.

"You have lived so hard in the palace for so long, and you have suffered, take this."

Duke White Tiger placed a beautiful gift box on the table.

"Your Majesty has something important to summon me, so I will stay soon."

Duke White Tiger's tone was very indifferent, and he didn't want to stay for a long time, so he came to pass a few words and left.

The Duchess sat down again in despair, her pale face bloodless, and the sudden bad news made her unable to hold back tears.

The two brothers Dai Keyheng and Dai Huabin died in battle one after another, and her mother was so grief-stricken that she couldn't speak.

"Madame, don't you want to see what the Duke left behind?" The maid Ling'er suddenly reminded.

The Duchess's voice was hoarse, and her eyes were bloodshot: "What else can there be?" What else can he send me at this time? ”

She brutally smashed the box left behind by the Duke of the White Tiger against the wall.

The box shattered, and the contents fell to the ground with a crisp metal crashing sound.

The Duchess's pupils shrank sharply, and she stared in horror at what had fallen to the ground.

It was a short, sharp blade, and the thin blade exuded a chill that made the Duchess tremble a few meters away.

What was Duke White Tiger's gift to her?

It's a knife.

So what is the purpose of giving this gift?

The Duchess stumbled back a few steps, knowing in her heart.

To some extent, this war was also fueled by her. And the death of her two sons in battle is also the result of her brewing.

Now, being able to understand herself is her last dignity. Anyway, her two sons are dead, and there is no point in her life in the world.

"Heh, hehe......"

The Duchess sat down on the ground and laughed strangely, tears streaming uncontrollably, and then she swayed and barely walked over, picked up the short knife on the ground, and aimed it at her heart.

"Dai Hao, I hate you!"

She gritted her teeth and spat out the last sentence, and in the next second, the sharp white tiger dagger pierced her heart.

Blazing blood gushed out and splashed onto the white tiger dagger in her hand.

The Duchess chose to know herself.

……

Outside Xingluo City, in front of a tomb.

Huo Yuhao gently slashed over Huo Yun'er's tombstone with a blood-stained white tiger dagger, and the blood that was still warm left a red line on the tombstone.

The Duchess can be said to be the culprit of Huo Yun'er's death, if she hadn't been suppressing Huo Yun'er, she would not have accumulated her hard work and left early.

Everything just now was a nightmare he constructed for the Duchess with mental illusions and mental agility, which made her spend the last moments of her life in fear and anxiety all day long.

And it was the Duchess herself who killed the Duchess in the end.

Huo Qiu'er stood beside her, and said with emotion and some admiration: "I really haven't been mentally ill for a few years, and I can't think of such a revenge method to torture other people's spirits." ”

Huo Yuhao didn't say a word.

Huo Qiu'er asked again: "After all, she is the mother of your two brothers, is it appropriate to kill her like this?" ”

Huo Yuhao said coldly: "Why didn't she think about it at the beginning, someone else would also be the mother of her child?" ”

Once again, the atmosphere was silent.

The figures of Heavenly Dream and the Two Emperors of Ice and Snow emerged.

Tianmeng said with some doubts: "Yuhao, didn't you help your mother avenge it?" Why not be happy? ”

Huo Yuhao's tone was a little melancholy: "Although I took revenge, I know that if Huo Yun'er knew all this, she would definitely not agree." ”

The Ice Emperor asked puzzledly, "Why?" ”

"She is such a submissive person, no matter what kind of oppression she is subjected to, she never thinks of revenge back, and even every time I want to stand up for her, her first reaction is to stop me and persuade me to swallow my anger."

Huo Yuhao's bland words conveyed his incomprehension and anger towards Huo Yun'er.

"She has always been like this, no matter how much she suffers, she will only cry silently, and she will not be angry at all, as if she deserves all this."

Emperor Xue said lightly: "Don't you human beings have a saying, "Don't you humans have a saying that if you eat hard, you will become a superior person?" ”

Huo Yuhao said: "She has suffered so much, but when it should have been her turn to enjoy happiness, she was crushed to death by those hardships. ”

He gently placed the blood-stained white tiger dagger on the ground in front of Huo Yun'er's grave.

"Moreover, Emperor Xue, you are wrong, no matter how much hardship you endure, you will not be able to become a master."

The Snow Emperor asked with some surprise: "Then how can you become a human being?" ”

"Eat what you eat." A cold light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and Sen Ran spoke, "If you want to become a human being, you have to eat people." ”

(End of chapter)