That day, in the dark dungeon of the Coastal Defense Guard outpost, Emperor Jingxi met with Lu Yunjian.
Yehan and the Ning family brothers hated Lu Yunjian with a passion; having captured him, they showed no mercy.
Their fists were stiff and brutal, hitting him hard, yet they always left him one breath. Â
Afterwards, Emperor Jingxi sent his personal guards to secretly interrogate Lu Yunjian.
He was subjected to harsh torture, leaving him battered and bruised. Â
The dungeon in Linhai was damp and reeked of a salty, moldy stench.
Lu Yunjian’s black hair was disheveled, and his clothes stained with blood, but the stubborn defiance in his brows and eyes remained intact. Â
Emperor Jingxi silently studied Lu Yunjian.
His eyes slanted at the corners with thick lashes, a narrow, slender nose—his features were refined and remarkably handsome. Â
He had noticed long ago that Lu Yunjian’s eyes were a lighter shade than most.
They resembled his own.
The Imperial Son was Emperor Jingxi’s biological son, but his eyes were different.
Simply judging by their features, Lu Yunjian seemed more like himself. Â
At that moment, as if sensing something, Lu Yunjian suddenly opened his eyes wide and saw the luxurious, impeccably tailored robes.
The embroidery was exquisite and refined, radiating nobility. Â
A sneering smile flickered across Lu Yunjian’s gaze.
He hated Emperor Jingxi.
As a child, he was suddenly sent into the palace to study beside the then Imperial Son, Emperor Jingxi.
He was cautious in every step, never daring to relax even a little. Â
Emperor Jingxi had actually treated him fairly well, but Lu Yunjian knew his own origins—he knew that Emperor Jingxi’s late father was also his biological father.
How could he ever accept that?
He envied Emperor Jingxi’s reverent affection when speaking of their father.
He envied the predecessor emperor’s admiring, hopeful gaze toward Emperor Jingxi. Â
That was something he could never have!
For many years, he had harbored jealousy toward Emperor Jingxi, hiding in the shadows and watching with cold eyes, his hatred trembling in his heart.
Yet, he restrained himself.
He truly restrained himself. Â
Because the emperor, who sat high and mighty, had once looked at him with a guilty gaze, and before his death had made arrangements for him.
At this moment, Lu Yunjian bitterly curled his lips into a smile, trembling as he looked at the still elegant and noble emperor: “So you knew all along.”
Emperor Jingxi lightly stroked a silver ingot in the palm of his hand—a small, smooth, ten-tael piece shaped like a boat.
He toyed with it absentmindedly, his voice calm and faint: “Yes. Thirty-two years ago, the predecessor emperor traveled to the Eastern Seas and favored a woman there. The woman was fortunate to conceive and gave birth to a child, who was then raised in the Zhen’an Marquis Manor under the name of a legitimate son.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yunjian was struck as if by a sudden blow, his body trembling uncontrollably.
That was a past he did not wish to recall.
He lowered his eyes and gritted his teeth: “Since when have you known?”
Emperor Jingxi answered: “That day, I wrote an essay and was quite pleased with myself. I took it to see the predecessor emperor, only to find him gently stroking your hair and speaking to you.”
He said softly, “I was only twelve years old then.”
He had wanted to ask the predecessor emperor why he had placed his illegitimate child at his side as a study companion, but many things happened afterwards, and he never found the chance.
Later, when the predecessor emperor fell gravely ill and passed away, he lost all hope of asking.
Of course, never asking may have been a form of avoidance—a refusal to dwell on it.
But the predecessor emperor’s arrangements regarding Lu Yunjian had left hidden dangers.
Lu Yunjian sneered coldly: “So you knew all along, but you stayed so calm, pretending ignorance, trusting me, even deliberately getting close to me. Such deep scheming!”
Emperor Jingxi raised an eyebrow: “If not, then what? Do you think I hold this vast empire by chance?”
Lu Yunjian was stunned, then lowered his eyes in defeat: “Yes, I’m not as good as you. He said I’m not as good as you. I didn’t accept it, but now… maybe I really am not.”
He slumped forward, muttering: “Since today I have fallen into your hands, just kill me.”
Emperor Jingxi looked at him: “Do you know what I want?”
Lu Yunjian looked at Emperor Jingxi meaningfully: “You want the Yusuo Tablet. The Dragon Guard searched the Zhen’an Marquis Manor and found the Imperial Edict left by the predecessor emperor but could not locate the Yusuo Tablet the predecessor emperor had bestowed. To leave no loose ends, you must find the Yusuo Tablet.” Â
Emperor Jingxi: “Yes.”
Lu Yunjian’s expression turned mocking: “The Yusuo Tablet? You won’t find it… you’ll never find it. Kill me, and you’ll never have peace! The Great Hui Territory will always hold a hidden danger. You will be restless!”
Emperor Jingxi: “Then I’ll kill you. Once you’re dead, who will seek justice for a mere tablet?”
Lu Yunjian froze suddenly.
He knew Emperor Jingxi was right; it was the way of kings and losers.
He gritted his teeth, hoarsely asking: “What exactly do you want?”
Emperor Jingxi’s expression hardened: “Before his death, the predecessor emperor secretly spoke with the Zhen’an Marquis to secure a refuge for that child, thus protecting the Zhen’an Marquis Manor and bestowing the tablet. As for me…”
He held the silver ingot tightly, speaking each word clearly: “I am trapped by filial piety.”
Lu Yunjian’s eyes darkened with disdain: “Trapped by filial piety? You build a grand facade but secretly act with treachery. You married Lu Wenling in name only to use her! You’ve always been wary of the Zhen’an Marquis Manor—”
He stared fixedly at Emperor Jingxi: “You’ve always been wary of me too!”
Emperor Jingxi sneered coldly: “So what?”
He stood with hands behind his back, indifferent: “The predecessor emperor wanted me to marry her, fine, I did. But a woman with ulterior motives holds no interest for me. If she wants to be Empress, so be it.”
Lu Yunjian was shocked; he had never expected this.
The Great Hui harem did not admit women of noble birth, but when the predecessor emperor discussed this matter with the Zhen’an Marquis Manor, aware that the Marquis’s legitimate daughter was unable to conceive due to an early illness, he allowed her to be Crown Princess in waiting.
Yet Emperor Jingxi had never touched her!
Emperor Jingxi looked down on him: “Do you think I would just touch anyone?”
Lu Yunjian clenched his fists so hard his temples twitched from the suppression.
He painfully said, “I thought you would use her as leverage, but I never imagined you would take her life!”
He owed the Zhen’an Marquis Manor; he had promised the old Marquis to protect Lu Wenling for life.
He had already considered what conditions Emperor Jingxi might set. Â
But he never imagined Emperor Jingxi would simply end her life.
She was dead.
Emperor Jingxi said: “Do you think I killed her?”
Lu Yunjian: “Then who?”
Emperor Jingxi: “A wu killed her.”
Lu Yunjian’s expression jolted; he looked at Emperor Jingxi in disbelief.
Emperor Jingxi smiled lightly, but his eyes were ice-cold and cruel: “She was already terrified, timid as she was, like a frightened bird. She went to see Lu Wenling, but Lu Wenling coerced and threatened her.”
Lu Yunjian understood then.
Pain flickered in his eyes: “So A wu killed her?”
Emperor Jingxi sighed: “Yes, poor girl. It was the first time she ever killed someone.”
Lu Yunjian was torn and confused, unable to believe it.
The act of killing was not an easy one, especially for a woman like A wu.
If she killed, it meant she was pushed to a dead end. Â
He could not imagine the pain and fear she must have felt at that moment and afterward.
Yet when he thought of Lu Wenling, his heart twisted in a different way.
He hated Lu Wenling, but beyond that hatred was a sibling bond that had lasted many years and the promise he had made to the old Marquis.
He had failed to protect her.
Emperor Jingxi lowered his eyes, enjoying Lu Yunjian’s suffering: “Don’t you believe in cause and effect? It was Lu Wenling who forced her to come to the Imperial Son’s side, to my side. In the end, she stabbed Lu Wenling with her own hand. Don’t you think Lu Wenling brought this on herself?”
Lu Yunjian paused, then let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh: “Yes, she brought it on herself… she deserved it…”
Lu Wenling was the mountain over his head, a debt he had to repay.
To repay it, he almost sacrificed everything, even A wu. Â
But now, A wu had stabbed Lu Wenling to death herself.
Thinking of this, Lu Yunjian’s face turned pale with pain.
He recalled the very beginning—when he first met A wu, she was climbing a tree, gathering bird eggs in her skirt, delighted beyond words.
Sunlight streamed down, and in that moment, A wu’s beauty shocked him.
Later, A wu smiled at him, leaned against his chest, and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying, “Seventh Master treats me best.”
The sweet little lady obeyed him in every way, coaxing and holding him.
How could he not be moved? Â
He once trusted her, wanting to protect her in his arms, to give her everything.
Even when Lu Wenling demanded he give her up, he refused.
For the first time in his life, he stood opposed to Lu Wenling. Â
He was willing to betray and be unfaithful just to keep her.
But later, when he discovered Yehan’s trace and used Yehan to test her, she resolutely abandoned him to follow Yehan!
That was devastating!
Emperor Jingxi lowered his eyes, watching Lu Yunjian quietly.
He disliked Lu Yunjian, and upon learning of his involvement with A wu, disliked him even more.
He knew he would never get the truth of their past from A wu, only bits and pieces from Lu Yunjian, enough to imagine their once sweet moments and gauge the depth of their affection.
By now, he knew that with A wu, he himself was the most important—far more than the Imperial Son or Lu Yunjian—but he still wanted to meticulously weigh every detail of her past with other men, to suppress and dominate completely.
So he enjoyed Lu Yunjian’s pain, playing with the smooth silver ingot in his hand as he said softly: “All you brought her was pain and misery. How do you deserve her? What you call mutual love was just your own delusion. When she left you, she did so without hesitation or a glance back.”
Those words were like a knife, stabbing deeply into Lu Yunjian’s heart.
He trembled in pain, his strong body almost curling inward.
Emperor Jingxi said: “I know everything about you two. She told me herself.”
Emperor Jingxi, without changing his expression, dismissed it, “That’s all in the past. To her, it’s nothing but a joke.” Â
Veins bulging, his face twisted in anger: “I don’t believe it! Let me see her! I want to ask her myself!”
Emperor Jingxi folded his sleeves and looked down on Lu Yunjian: “She doesn’t want to see you.”
Bloodshot eyes blazing, Lu Yunjian asked: “She said that? Have you asked her?”
Emperor Jingxi coldly stared at him: “If you’re so eager to know, I can ask again.”
He smiled: “To let you give up hope.”
Lu Yunjian stared at Emperor Jingxi, unwilling to accept defeat.
Emperor Jingxi sighed lightly: “You were just a nightmare from her past. Now she’s found her father and brothers. She lives well and never thinks of you. Someday she will marry me, become my Empress. I will let her rule the world as mother of the nation, enjoying the very best in this life. As for you—whether you live or die—will she remember? Will she care?”
Lu Yunjian gritted his teeth fiercely.
Emperor Jingxi said: “You probably don’t know, but the three young soldiers who captured you that day were her brothers. They wanted nothing more than to tear you apart!”
Lu Yunjian suddenly looked at Emperor Jingxi: “Her brothers?”
Emperor Jingxi: “Yes. The one who was poisoned by you is her third brother—the one who loves and protects her. Yet because of you, he was poisoned…”
Lu Yunjian’s face went pale.
Emperor Jingxi stared coldly: “But after her brothers kill you, they won’t say a word to her. She will forget you, won’t even want to know how you died. She may feel some guilt toward the Imperial Son, but she never cared about you.”
Lu Yunjian was in such pain he almost trembled.
Emperor Jingxi stood up, his eyelids drooping slightly: “The Zhen’an Marquis Manor has fallen. You carry the shame of being a traitor and rebel. You’ve wronged Lu Wenling, hurt A wu, and now you’re a prisoner. Do you find this amusing?”
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