Transmigration: The Fate of the Villainess

233 No more… The number one beauty Part II

He was not breathing.

Ouyang Feilong was not breathing… He was not breathing like she was moments before!

“The news of Your Majesty’s birth came as soon as the procession arrived at Mount Ping An before we could reach the place of the ritual. It said that Your Majesty’s abnormal condition was critical and that either Your Majesty’s body or the heirs’ lives might be in danger. That day, it was raining so heavily that the procession could not continue. The Emperor refused to listen to anyone’s protest as he rode his horse down the mountain by himself. When I could follow, I only found a landslide that blocked the path. Not far from there was the Emperor’s horse, near a drop-off caused by the landslide… I could not find the Emperor’s body.”

Yue Huiling’s voice, which was once strong and stable, was now so low and hoarse. Sobs did not obscure the words from Bai Yu at all. Even without the report, she could assume what had happened. Still, she did not and could not believe it. And so she must continue to ask. “What happened to his majesty?”

“His majesty fell…” Yue Huiling’s face was dry, though she had to control herself from sobbing. “…Fell into a poison forest. His majesty was gravely injured and combined with the strangely unpredictable weather that day, it was too late to cure him by the time that I found him…”

No…

“…His Majesty ordered us to bring him back to the royal palace, no matter how critical his condition was. The Emperor passed away on the same day that Your Majesty stopped breathing.”

Why did he do such a foolish thing…?

“I just brought the Emperor’s body here today. I never thought Your Majesty would rise from death…” The lump in Yue Huiling’s throat silenced her, making it impossible to continue. She, who had been through countless battles with Ouyang Feilong over the years, did not want to believe it and could not believe it…

.....

Someone who was like a brother…

Her comrade in arms…

How could he leave so easily?

Why did love make the heartless Black Dragon put someone before himself to this degree?

Bai Yu only silently cried as she listened. Her red lips, painted with rouge to enhance her beauty, were pressed tightly to suppress the sobs. In the large bedchamber, there was only the sound of sobs from the servants who both loved and revered Ouyang Feilong.

Who here had never fought beside him?

Who here had never seen his strength and feats?

Who here had never been under his protection over the decade?

The sorrow and grief all of them had for Ouyang Feilong did not come from his status as a great or powerful emperor. It was only because he was the man who had protected Da Yang with his immense strength that everyone could be witness to it. He was not a long-reigning monarch, but he had been beside the throne all his life. He was not the compassionate emperor lauded by his subjects. He was a man whose name could put those in Da Yang at ease under his protection.

The love that the citizens had for Ouyang Hongxian was shared by Ouyang Feilong to the same degree.

No one could imagine the end of the strong and majestic man such as Ouyang Feilong. They only thought that he would remain to protect them forevermore. He was the legend of Da Yang’s pride. He was the safety and security that all wished to die under. Yet, in the end, a mortal could not refuse death, no matter how noble or powerful one was.

Da Yang had to send another angel back to heaven.

“Did his majesty leave any words behind?” After a long silence had passed and left her tears dried, Bai Yu spoke up amidst the sound of sorrowful sobs that never seemed to stop. There was no answer, only a golden scroll handed to her by Ouyang Mingxian. Bai Yu wiped away the last of her tears before taking her husband’s last words. She lifted her chin, took in a deep breath, and uttered in a commanding tone that rang loud and clear.

“Bring bengong’s children here.”

Bai Yu had not yet read the last royal decree. She was more concerned with the two bundles of cloth handed to her afterward. Bai Yu put one little bun next to Ouyang Feilong while the other she carried in her arms. “Listen well….”

The sound of crying instantly ceased. “…The prince and princess… When they grow up, tell them that they are carved most lovingly by the love of their father and mother.”

Her voice was hoarse but powerful with affection. Yet it did not stir the spirit of the servants, only plunged them deeper into sadness at the cruelty of fate…

For Bai Yu and Ouyang Feilong, dying together was a better alternative to one leaving the other behind…

Bai Yu ignored the pity or sorrow anyone had for the fate between them. She pressed a kiss onto the forehead of her little steamed buns. My dear children… You must grow up gracefully and live a life full of happiness in your parents’ place.

“The name of the prince of Da Yang…” Bai Yu deeply inhaled before announcing loudly. “…Ouyang Yongyuan.”

“Long live Prince Ouyang Yongyuan.”

“Long live Prince Ouyang Yongyuan.”

“Long live Prince Ouyang Yongyuan.”

Words of blessing were uttered three times amidst the woeful air before returning to silence. Bai Yu took in another deep breath before she continued. “The name of the princess of Da Yang… Ouyang Zhenai.”

“Long live Princess Ouyang Zhenai.”

“Long live Princess Ouyang Zhenai.”

“Long live Princess Ouyang Zhenai.”

Bai Yu gazed at her children’s lovely faces with a smile. She had wanted Ouyang Feilong to name them himself, but now that he was gone, she wanted the name of these two steamed buns to be proof of their love.

The love that she never thought could be born between a man like him and a woman like her.

The love that pushed them forward to seek true happiness.

The love that was fate that they wrote together.

The love that they had been waiting for over countless lives…

The true eternal love.

“Let them rest.” Bai Yu handed her children to Xiao Xi and Xiao Chang. She had to wipe her tears away once more as she watched them being brought out of the room. Then, she seized the opportunity while everyone was distracted and pulled out the phoenix hairpin in her hair. She gripped it tightly as she held it above her head, intending to send it through her neck and sever the artery for a quick death…

To be with her other half.

“No!” The strength she had gathered was quickly stopped by Ouyang Mingxian. Bai Yu tried to fight him, though her strength and martial arts skills could not rival his.

Still, she did not give up… She wanted to die!

“Your Majesty, please restrain your emotions.”

“Your Majesty, please restrain your emotions.”

The people in the bedchamber were made witnesses to the scene of the mother of the nation struggling to use her hairpin to kill herself and follow her husband. Though their marriage had not been long, the love they shared ran deeper than anyone could imagine…

Ouyang Feilong’s death told them how much he loved Bai Yu. And this scene before them showed that the profound love they had for each other did not need to be ripened by time… This was true love that could not be parted from, even by death!

“Release me!” Bai Yu tried to take the hairpin back from Ouyang Mingxian. Her body was held and pulled by her mother while her father watched. Bai Han did not dare touch his daughter for fear of hurting her in the process of trying to stop her. At the sight of Bai Yu’s desire for death, the sound of crying within the bedchamber was amplified.

“Let me go! I’m going to be with him!” Bai Yu yelled until her voice was hoarse. Her tight grip on the hairpin made its sharp edge dig into her palm. Yue Huiling came to hold her back instead of Yue Mei, making it impossible for Bai Yu to struggle anymore. Then, Ouyang Mingxian could eventually force the hairpin out of Bai Yu’s hand.

When the only means of death were taken away, her willpower was left behind in its absence. Bai Yu fell back into Yue Huiling’s arms, her tears flowing like blood. In her mind, she could only ask herself. What did she do wrong again? How could the red string she had found be taken away so soon?

“Yu-er…” Yue Mei stroked her daughter’s hair in pity… She understood how it felt to love so deeply, to the point of wishing for death. When she was forced to marry and later heard the news of her former lover’s death on the battlefield, she once tried to commit suicide to follow him into the netherworld. That time, she was stopped by Li Rong.

“Mother…” Bai Yu had forgotten her own status. Her bloodied hand carefully removed the jade bracelet before pressing it into her left chest. Her finger caressed its cold, hard surface. “…If I can’t follow my husband in death, then I’ll live with a fate worse than death until the day I’m buried in the ground!”

Without giving anyone time to understand her words, Bai Yu held the bracelet in her right hand while her left hand pulled out another hairpin from her hair. Its sharp end slashed the beautiful face from the tip of her chin to the corner of her mouth. The sound of screams could not stop Bai Yu’s hand.

She intended to create more wounds on her face, but the hairpin was easily pulled away by Bai Xue. She had truly lost all of her strength now. Even for her own death, she could not grant herself. Bai Yu could only die while still living.

No more… The red string of fate she had found.

No more… The man who never cherished a beauty.

No more… The number one beauty.