Before any of them noticed Zhou Haitao was rushing towards them, it was too late. Zhou Haitao already cut the soldiers out of his way and was a couple of feet away from them. When the Emperor glanced back, Zhou Haitao was two feet away from him with the sword aiming right at his heart.
"Watch out!"
At this time, LiJie and ZhangWei had finished off the remaining men. They quickly glanced over before LiJie repulsively moved the way he held his sword and immediately threw his sword, like a spear, with all his might. The sword pierced through the air before penetrating deep inside the back of Zhou Haitao, instantly killing him. Zhou Haitao dropped dead on the ground, but loud cries rose.
"Your majesty!"
Even though LiJie was able to kill Zhou Haitao, Zhou Haitao had already stabbed the Emperor. The Emperor stumbled while holding onto his wound before falling onto the ground.
"Your majesty!" another roar of cries burst as everyone immediately stopped fighting.
Minister Yu immediately laughed, "Yes, victory is mine! What are you guys waiting for? Continue to attack," but he could finish his words. Bojing gripped his sword tightly and swung it so hard that his action caught Minister Yu off guard, making him miss a beat, and instantly, his throat was cut open. Minister Yu gagged as he fell to his knee while holding onto his neck as he collapsed to the ground.
At once, the enemies were defeated.
"Your majesty," Xiaomei said, quickly going to him. "Your majesty, hold on. The doctor is coming," Xiaomei said, kneeling beside him. The Emperor coughed up blood before he glanced at her. He shakily raised his hand before saying, "Y-you know...you resemble the Empress. B-but you have your...father's eyes even though you have your mother's features...." His eyes started getting teary as he struggled to speak, "I...I...." He couldn't bring himself to express his feelings as he had no right.
"I-I'm sorry...," he said breathlessly. "They must h-ate me.... They will n-ever forgive me for what I did..., and probably don't e-ever want to see me...," his voice broke. Xiaomei looked deep into his sad eyes and said, "They forgive you." His eyes instantly tremble with his eyes filled with tears.
"They are probably waiting for you," she said as tears flowed down his eyes. He looked up at the sky to see the sun was trying to peek through the dark clouds. It was as if he saw them waiting for him on the other side. His heart immediately felt so light, and he couldn't help but break into a smile before closing his eyes. Once the Emperor breathed his last breath, the sun finally pierced through the clouds.
Xiaomei slightly bowed her head before slowly getting up to look for ZhangWei, as he was also striding towards her.
However, once Baozhai and LiJie ran to each other embrace, the light burst throughout the sky, giving it a heavenly effect. It was at that moment that Xiaomei felt sharp pain coursing throughout her body. She soon felt warm liquid rush up her throat, and momentarily, she coughed up blood before collapsing. Her entire body felt weak, and her throat was burning in pain.
"Daiyu!" ZhangWei shouted as he reached her. He quickly kneeled to her, holding her in his arms and calling out her name again. She could barely hear him as she felt like she was drifting in and out of consciousness, but something felt different this time as if she was being taken away.
"Ah...I guess I'm leaving...so the end was the end," she thought, looking at ZhangWei, who was calling her name with shaky eyes.
"Please don't go. Not yet," he desperately said. "Why didn't you tell me this was the end?" his voice trembled. "Please wait." His eyes filled with tears.
"I-I'm sorry..." she softly said. She weakly lifted her hand to wipe away his tears. "This is w-why I told you...n-not to fall in l-love with mee.... I-It was going to h-urt you," she struggled to speak, but she looked deeply into his eyes.
"Please...," he cried. He tightly held her hand before bringing it to his lips and kissing it.
Her heart felt so much pain but also warm. In a cracked voice, she said, "I...love you...." She smiled one last time before spitting up a mouth full of blood.
ZhangWei's eyes trembled into tears as he heard her first and last 'I love you'.
"Me too.... I love you," he quietly sobbed in her hands before leaning down to kiss her cold lips. This time, their kiss felt so bitter. She then took one last look at ZhangWei before closing her eyes with tears rolling down her cheek. She quietly thought as her mind slowly drifted away, "How silly of me to get emotionally involved with a book. It's just a story. It's not even real.... It's like a dream...and eventually, you have to wake up from your dream to face reality...."