The sun was at high noon. And the sunlight shone brightly in the sky.

Gu Yunxi stood in the center of the square in front of the Golden Palace. She puckered her dry lips, raised her hand to her forehead, and looked at the cloudless blue sky.

Straight ahead of her was the high and lofty Golden Palace. The bright sunlight shone straightly, and plated a stately and clear outline for it. The glazed tiles were like waving edges which constantly flashed dazzling light.

She heard Wan Yuyao's crow blood crying, and saw figures moving inside and outside of the palace with her own eyes. The Honour Guards moved in and out, and dragged out Wan Li's dead body and syncopal Lord Shen one after another.

Blood dripped down the pure white marble steps. Each drop of blood frightened many people.

Gu Yunxi looked around quietly, and couldn't help wondering how many people's blood and bodies were buried under the resplendent and magnificent palace, the pure white jade steps carved with dragon and top resplendence which symbolized supreme glory and power.

The sunlight over her head was warm clearly, while the jade and marble steps under her feet were so cold!

At this time, all civil and military officials walked out orderly after the vermilion door of the palace opened.

Finally, the court was ended.

A cyan figure walked in the head of the line, and went down the marble steps at a steady pace. He walked out of the shadow, and rushed into the glistening sunlight in a flash.

She saw him striding toward her with tempting and affectionate smile.

The warm sunlight fell on his cheek, portraying smooth lines of his face, picturing his beautiful eyes and brows.

In a distance of one finger, he stared at her deeply. In his lower eyelid there were two long umbrageous, exquisite and bleary eyelashes.

His deep eyes, soft as water, made her anxious to fall into them.

Gu Yunxi's heart was suddenly in a tumult. Her palm-size face raised and was slightly flushed with rippling eyes. She asked softly with some expectation and eagerness,

"Did you succeed?"

The laughter lines on the Master's lips became deeper. He opened his arms, scooped her and circled around, which took her by surprise.

At this very moment, no word could express Leng Qingtang's excitement.

Today, he just wanted to be headstrong once. With practical action, he wanted to show his undying love for the girl before him in public.

In the square, there were still some officials. Seeing this, some conservative ministers were dumbfounded.

Blushed with shame, some old ministers with grey hair even covered their faces with full sleeves one after another. And they ran away and kept saying,

"Oh, see no evil! See no evil!"

After her feet landed, Gu Yunxi's cheek was flushed. She pouted playfully and whispered,

"Master..."

Leng Qingtang was relaxed and in a good mood, his big hands clasping her little hands. Staring at her face, he was unheard-of serious and calm,

"I succeeded! Girl... I love you."

The girl was in a daze. Her heart seemed to miss a beat then it was filled with happiness and sweetness.

While Leng Qingtang was going forward hand in hand with her, he said,

"Go to the Western Depot with me."

The girl frowned and felt puzzled,

"Why going there?"

Leng Qingtang hooked his lips coldly, with dim light concealed in his eyes, and said,

"The imperial edict has been issued. I am appointed as an inspector by Huanan Ze, and later I will close the Western Depot together with Royal Guards. In the future, Da Yi won't have authorized strength of the Western Depot."

Gu Yunxi took a deep breath and her eyebrow was stagnated.

As Leng Qingtang walked along the way out of the palace, he explained,

"Ming Lan came into the palace to surrender on his own, and confessed Yongning Palace and the Wans' father's and son's crimes. His oral confession was consistent with what Wu Yong said.

You and I guessed right. In that year, the Eastern Depot inspected snow disaster in six counties of Jiangan. It was Wan Li's subordinates who ambushed us in Fanyang county. And the robbery of tax grain in Qianqi Mountain was done by An Hong from the Western Depot.

Besides, Ming Lan was under Wan Yuyao's instigation. He used overpowering drug to injure Concubine Xu, and set on fire in Chuxiu Palace later.

While Yunjin didn't die of a sudden disease. She was killed by Wan Li, because she fornicated with Wan Li and was pregnant."

Gu Yunxi was shocked heavily at once. She stood, frozen in her stance for a long time. After that, her pale face became better.

Leng Qingtang looked sideways slightly and cuddled her with one hand. Feeling a little pitiful, he comforted her softly,

"Those things have passed. The Wans were wiped out. At present, Huanan Ze allocated northwest and southwest armies to hurry to Donglan, Nadi, Nandan to wipe out the Lang Army. Girl, the revenge of your family and the deceased emperor was done more than a half."

Gu Yunxi sunk her brow and nodded heavily,

"Right. If someone perpetrated, he would never escape from damnation and retribution. Indeed, God is fair. Sister Yun Yao is kind-hearted but infertile in all her life. And then, the God gave the seventh prince to her.

Now, the wicked have received their retribution. Spirits of the deceased Concubine Xu, Madam Jinzhu and the eighth prince can be peaceful."

When they came to the outside of the gate of divine prowess, a hundred Royal Guards were ready and assembled. Together with several guards, they were waiting for the Eastern Depot Commander-in-chief to call the shots.

Leng Qingtang and Gu Yunxi mounted their horses, led the team and marched towards the Western Depot.

When someone influential falls from power, his hangers-on disperse. At this moment, the Western Depot was open. The eunuchs and guards went to find another way out, leaving their den unguarded.

Someone of Royal Guards picked the plaque with golden characters hung up under the ostentatious lintel with his spear. And then, lots of feet stepped on it. The plaque with four Chinese characters "the Western Depot" became squalid, with overlapping footprints on it.

Gu Yunxi finally went across the threshold with Leng Qingtang. Occasionally, they saw two or three eunuchs scampering off like a frightened rat and keeping on the run.

Valuable things were divided up by the Western Depot. Scattered books, pictures and broken ceramic chips were seen everywhere on the ground. Those things were antiques and authentic works which couldn't be taken away. So they were deliberately damaged by the greedy people.

Once there was an important place of government office. Now the prosperities faded away overnight. How sad it was! What kind of emotion would you have?

Leng Qingtang ordered royal Guards to allocate a team of fifty people to Xijing Gate to inspect Mansion of Ming. And the people left searched for the account of the Western Depot, and checked and verified one by one.

Gu Yunxi found a letter on the long and narrow table in the main hall of the Western Depot. Official seal was exquisite flapping crane decoration. Name of Leng Qingtang was written on a red frame.

It was clearly that this letter was written by Ming Lan to the Master.

Gu Yunxi didn't know what things that dead eunuch wanted to leave a letter for the Master to explain. She picked it up curiously. And she was surprised by the heavy weight of the letter in her palm.

She handed the letter to Leng Qingtang, and saw him take out a copper key and a note from the official seal. There was only a line of words on it,

"The game is dead."

The man frowned with a shadow on his brows. Suddenly he had a strange feeling. His eyes were light color. He looked at the copper key in his hand, and twittered for a moment,

"Meiwu..."

A man of Royal Guards ran into the main hall in a state of anxiety, held the fist in the other hand and said to Leng Qingtang,

"Report to the Master, we found something in a grind house..."

Leng Qingtang turned his eyes and found that the guard's look was abnormal. It seemed that he was frightened and his face was almost pale.

His eyes were heavy. And he questioned, "What makes you so frightened?"

The guard's lips kept quivering,

"A... A people whose hands and feet were cut off and poisoned to dumb…"

...

In the sunset, in the Master's Mansion.

Gu Yunxi and the Master were dining on the table face to face. Their expressions were thoughtful. And they were in silence for a long time.

"What are you thinking of?"

Leng Qingtang perceived the tedious atmosphere, and raised his eyes and looked at her. Her slanted eyes shone with limpid lights.

Gu Yunxi held chopsticks to pick the rice grains in the bowl, and was careless of a table of delicacies.

She directly put down the bowl and chopsticks and spoke bluntly,

"The Master, I'm just sighing of inconstant things in the world. We take pains to defeat the Wans and the Western Depot. Finally, no eggs could remain unbroken when the nest was ruined.

However, time heals all wounds. Maybe in five or ten years, even in the distant future, no one will remember the blood and killings once happened here."

As he agreed with a nod, tenderness in his slanted eyes suddenly deepened. Long eyelids of the close crow feathers quivered with a fantastic rhyme.

He patted her little soft hands. His dimple was soft like water with smoke curling in it, and it went right to the heart.

He said, "You are right. The dead cannot be brought back to life, while the living... should go on living."

In the same breath, he said,

"You should go and see him."

Seeing the girl's facial features twitching slightly, he smiled calmly and generously,

"Do whatever you think in your heart. Go and see him. He turned his coat at the last minute. He gave a warning to Concubine Yu, and caught Tu Muxue. What he did was all for you."