Chapter 968 The best choice

Ye Tianming's heavy breathing like a wild beast was particularly clear in the silent night.

The fragrance from Yanran's body corroded his reason like poison, and he was almost unable to think.

However, at this moment, the scene of the border soldiers fighting bloody battles suddenly emerged in his mind. They fell in a pool of blood one by one, but were still shouting "General" before they died.

He also recalled the scene when the people lined the streets to welcome him when he returned. Those people who had suffered so much from the war finally showed long-lost smiles on their faces.

"Yanran..." Ye Tianming pushed her away suddenly, closed his eyes in pain, and said in a hoarse voice, "I can't do this!"

Yanran looked at him in astonishment, and her originally blurred eyes gradually became clear, replaced by deep disbelief and despair.

"Brother Tianming, you...you don't want to be with me anymore?"

"Yanran, listen to me," Ye Tianming forced himself not to look at her. He was afraid that if he looked at her again, he would fall completely. "Besides killing him, there are other ways."

"Is there any other way?" Yanran laughed bitterly, "Do you want me to beg him? Beg him to let me go, let you go?"

"Brother Tianming, you are too naive. He will not let any of us go, even if that person is his former brother!"

Ye Tianming took a deep breath and said firmly: "I will go and tell him everything about you and me. I will not get married again. I will use my life to protect you and my country!"

Yanran looked at him blankly, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

"Yanran, I will protect you." Ye Tianming turned around. Under the moonlight, his back looked extremely lonely.

"Since he married you, I will ask him to treat you well. From now on, I will only guard the border and never return to the court."

Yanran couldn't hold back her tears at last and she pounced on him, hugging Ye Tianming tightly from behind.

"No! Brother Tianming, I don't want you to leave! I don't want you to stay alone at the border! I..."

Ye Tianming's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand.

He closed his eyes and let the tears fall. He knew that he was destined to let this woman down in his life.

He gently pried Yanran's hands apart, his voice gentle but firm.

"Yanran, this is the only thing I can do for you. Forget me and live a good life."

After saying that, he left without looking back, leaving Yanran alone, crying heart-wrenchingly under the moonlight.

Ye Tianming had not slept all night, his eyes were bloodshot and his face was terribly pale.

He watched his lover leave sadly, but did not dare to give her any comfort.

He was afraid that if he got any closer, he wouldn't be able to hold back any longer.

Royal Palace, Jinluan Hall.

The Stone Emperor was dressed in a dragon robe, sitting high on the dragon throne, with a playful smile on his face.

"General Ye, why are you so anxious to see me instead of preparing for your wedding?"

Ye Tianming knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice: "I have something important to ask for your Majesty's attention."

"Oh? What's the matter that you have to tell me so early?" Shi Huang asked with interest.

"I would like to ask Your Majesty to let Yanran go and revoke the imperial decree granting the marriage!" Ye Tianming raised his head and looked directly at Shi Huang with a firm gaze.

"How outrageous!" The Stone Emperor was furious. He slapped the armrest of the dragon throne so hard that the teacup shook violently.

"It seems that you are still thinking about my queen! You want me to take back my order? Do you still have me as the emperor in your eyes?"

Ye Tianming still knelt upright, his tone firm: "Your Majesty, I dare not!"

“How dare you!” Shi Huang was furious. He stood up suddenly and pointed at Ye Tianming and roared, “You! How dare you disobey my order? Do you really think that I dare not kill you?!”

The atmosphere in the palace suddenly became extremely tense. The serving palace maids and eunuchs were all silent, not daring to make a sound for fear of bringing trouble upon themselves.

Ye Tianming seemed to feel no pressure at all, and said calmly: "I will be loyal to you if you want to take my life away from me, Your Majesty! I will not hesitate!"

"It's just that, although my death is not a pity, Yanran is innocent! Your Majesty, I once had feelings for her, but she doesn't deserve to die, does she?"

"You..." Shi Huang was so angry that he was shaking all over. The fingers he pointed at Ye Tianming were trembling, and the murderous intent in his eyes grew stronger.

At this moment, a gentle voice came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, calm down. I have something to say."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Queen Yu Yanran, dressed in plain clothes, slowly walking in from outside the hall.

She walked lightly and gracefully, but there was an indelible sadness between her brows, which made people feel pity for her.

"Yanran, why are you here?" When Ye Tianming saw Yu Yanran, a trace of panic suddenly appeared on his face. He wanted to go forward, but finally stopped.

Yu Yanran ignored Shi Huang's murderous gaze and walked gently to Ye Tianming, straightened his clothes, her eyes as gentle as water, as if they could melt all the coldness and hardness in the world.

Then, she turned around, faced the Stone Emperor, and bowed to him, her voice soft but powerful.

"Your Majesty, Brother Tianming is extremely loyal to our dynasty. He fought bravely for our dynasty and made great achievements in the war. Could Your Majesty really have the heart to put him to death just because of his feelings for Yanran?"

The Stone Emperor was still furious, and snorted coldly, "He is disobeying my order and defying my authority. If I don't kill him, how can I convince the people? How can I govern the country?!"

Yu Yanran looked directly at the Stone Emperor with neither humility nor overbearance, but there was a hint of compassion in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, since ancient times, heroes have always been tempted by beautiful women. Brother Tianming is loyal and righteous, so is this his fault?"

"If Your Majesty kills him, wouldn't that be cutting off your own arm, giving those enemy countries who are eyeing him covetously an opportunity to take advantage? By then, the country will no longer be a country, and the family will be in turmoil. Your Majesty, can you really bear to see such a situation?"

Shi Huang's face turned pale and blue, and it was obvious that Yu Yanran's words hit the nail on the head.

He knew Ye Tianming's talents and the evil ambitions of the border countries, but when he thought of Ye Tianming daring to covet his woman, he wished he could tear Ye Tianming into pieces.

After all, who knows if a general with great military achievements will covet his throne in the future?

"That's enough! You don't need to say any more!" The Stone Emperor threw his dragon robe violently and roared, "I have made up my mind. Today, Ye Tianming must die!"

"Your Majesty!" Yu Yanran suddenly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty, please think twice! Yanran begs you!"

"Yanran, what are you doing? Get up quickly!" Seeing this, Ye Tianming felt heartbroken and hurriedly wanted to step forward to help Yu Yanran up.

"Don't come over!" Yu Yanran suddenly pushed Ye Tianming away. She slowly stood up, looked at Shi Huang firmly, with a hint of determination in her voice.

"Your Majesty, Yanran and Brother Tianming love each other. Since you won't allow us to coexist, let Yanran use her life to exchange for Brother Tianming's life, and also in exchange for the stability of our dynasty!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Yanran suddenly pulled out a dagger from her sleeve and stabbed her heart without hesitation...