Chapter 134
She looked at the fresh blood on her hands.
Her face was still wet with tears.
But in her heart, she had already breathed a sigh of relief.
She had escaped, and the humiliation she suffered today would be repaid a hundredfold in the future.
She had no time to look after her Grandmother.
Grandmother had been sent in and came out quickly.
Grandmother seemed to have gone mad, sometimes insane, sometimes lucid.
Fortunately, the next day, Aunt actually sent someone to pick them up.
With the Seventh Prince\'s army at their doorstep, Jiang Changtian had no choice but to open the gates.
She finally left this godforsaken place.
The dark room in the temple was a nightmarish place in the depths of her heart, filled with countless demons.
Thankfully, it was all over now.
She left Ming County.
Following the premonitions from her dreams, she navigated through dangers step by step.
As she had wished, she married Chu Xi and climbed the ladder of power, eventually reaching the position of Empress.
After securing her position as Empress and while pregnant with her second child, one day the Emperor invited a high monk to preach.
The high monk\'s face was like that of a celestial being, incredibly beautiful, making people unable to look at him directly.
Every word he spoke was like heavenly music, penetrating deep into people\'s hearts.
He was like a true Buddha descending to the mortal world, every movement captivating people\'s hearts.
Jiang Wan didn\'t believe in Buddhism, but she couldn\'t help but trust this person.
Listening to him preach Buddhism brought tears to people\'s eyes.
Yet he remained calm, like a true Bodhisattva, gazing at you without a ripple of emotion.
As he preached Buddhism in the palace, the entire imperial court became more peaceful, and her temperament became more balanced. She even felt that the heart palpitations she had suffered since being frightened in Ming County years ago had improved.
The Emperor\'s old injuries also seemed to have eased considerably.
That day, the Emperor was to hold a Buddhist ceremony for the high monk.
All the court officials and noble ladies would attend.
The high monk wore dazzling golden robes, a golden light adorning his head, his gaze cold and clear. Looking at him was like seeing a Bodhisattva descend from heaven; one dared not look directly.
It was the grandest Buddhist ceremony in the dynasty\'s history, also signifying the prosperity of the current reign.
The high monk\'s Buddhist teachings were profound. As he preached, the officials present were moved, and the noble ladies wept behind their sleeves.
Even though Jiang Wan had heard it before, she was still moved to tears.
She sat beside the Emperor, noticing his eyes were slightly red as well.
She held the Emperor\'s hand, their eyes meeting, silently conveying their feelings. It hadn\'t been easy to be together and reach this position in this lifetime.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, as she grasped the Emperor\'s hand, only the hand remained. The Emperor had split apart.
He split open right in front of her.
Blood splattered all over her, half-charred heart fell out, dangling with blood vessels, swaying back and forth. Her legs were gone too; she had also split open.
Before her eyes, it was like a grand fireworks display.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Explosions kept happening, many people flew up and split apart.
Blood and limbs splattered everywhere.
Jiang Wan was closest to the high monk. She crawled over; the monk\'s position hadn\'t exploded.
She had no legs, so she dragged her body, inching bit by bit towards him.
She heard the high monk still chanting sutras:
"All the evil deeds I have done in the past,
Born of beginningless greed, hatred, and delusion,
Born of body, speech, and mind,
I now confess them all."
He was reciting prayers for the deceased, his face full of compassion, his eyes calm, watching countless people die, scream, and cry. He remained calm, continuing to chant: "No anger, no delusion, no joy, no sorrow, no good, no evil..."
Jiang Wan\'s eyes widened. This, this high monk, it was him, it was him.
She died in terror.
As she breathed her last, the child in her womb seemed to still be moving.
The door opened.
Day broke.
Light poured in.
Jiang Wan clutched her belly, looking at her legs that were still there, and at the crowd outside.
She saw her deranged Eldest Brother.
She saw her Father, face covered in blood.
She saw her worried Grandmother.
She saw her Mom holding her Younger Sister.
She saw groups of armored men in black.
She saw Jiang Changtian sitting there with his eyes closed, resting.
His face was calm, like a true Bodhisattva, gazing at her without a ripple of emotion.
She crawled back in terror.
She wouldn\'t go out, she wouldn\'t go out, she didn\'t want to go out.