The palace lanterns in Fengtian Hall had long been extinguished, leaving only a single candle flickering.
Emperor Jingxi silently stared at the case files on the table, saying nothing.
He kept gazing at the documents for a long time.
The handwriting on the files was somewhat messy but concise in narration, yet it transformed into countless vivid and clear scenes in his mind, forcing him to recall her past over and over again.
From the very beginning, he knew—he knew she was not like ordinary women.
She had once lingered in the Taizi Mansion, utterly entwined with the Imperial Son!
Those memories hung in his heart like bitter fruit; occasionally, he would tentatively taste them.
The pain was sharp, so he would pull away.
After some time, he couldn’t help but taste again, and with too many tastings, he seemed to become indifferent.
Back then.
From the moment that illegitimate son had provoked the wet nurse, he knew exactly what was on that bastard’s mind!
Yet he never expected that, before the Imperial Son, there was another man—
Perhaps he had thought of it before but chose to ignore it, unwilling to dwell on it.
That man was Lu Yunjian.
Only now did he recall that festive day when he had summoned A wu and asked her about the principles of the Dao.
At that time, the Imperial Son was present, and so was Lu Yunjian.
He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly in mockery: the three men present back then had all been her guests behind the curtain!
He was the most exalted emperor, yet he had been unaware that both Lu Yunjian and his own son had once possessed her before him.
Thinking of this, the hatred in his heart was like a knife, wishing to tear Lu Yunjian into pieces!
But amid that pain, a sudden wave of desolation welled up within him.
He was already thirty-four, not young anymore.
His son was married, and he even had grandchildren.
Yet he had been toyed with by a young woman who could have been his daughter’s age.
That young woman had spoken so many sweet words, enchanting him, this emperor, into losing his senses, making him forget the passage of time and everything else, hoping only to be with her day and night.
But what did she think of him in her heart?
A liar, that liar!
An emperor overseeing the world, controlling the court and the fate of the realm, sharp-eyed and decisive, wielding the will of the throne expertly, with civil and military officials all under his command.
Was there anything that could be hidden from his eyes?
Who before him did not tremble and shrink in fear, unwilling to look directly at the imperial countenance?
But she—
For the first time in his life, Emperor Jingxi clearly realized that he had suffered a tremendous fall, a complete and utter failure.
He had once been proud, arrogant to the point of looking down on the dust beneath his feet.
Facing A wu, who had once been touched by another man, he naturally felt disdainful.
It was nothing more than a game to him, even if he became infatuated, he believed he could withdraw cleanly.
A mere glance was enough to see through that young woman’s schemes.
Whether it was her methods, her intentions, or her body, all were under his control, ready to be cut off whenever he wished.
She was just a fleeting indulgence in his loneliness, a one-sided gaze projecting his longing for the pleasures of men and women onto her, needing neither her reciprocation nor her admiring eyes.
He had only treated her like a fine porcelain, a bouquet of flowers, or a plaything on the bed.
When he found himself growing more attached to her, after one passionate night, he left the bed, adjusted his robes, and decisively let go.
The severance was painful, but there was also a cruel sense of achievement.
‘Look, I do not care about her; I am still myself, and she cannot affect me in the slightest.’
He was cold-blooded and ruthless enough, having compensated her with money and a place to stay, feeling no guilt whatsoever.
But what happened afterward became a turning point that caused him to stumble backward.
He could have killed her then, should have killed her—but he did not.
At the moment when his murderous intent surged but suddenly halted, a flood of emotions burst forth.
This emperor, always cold and indifferent, suppressing every thought with strict control, almost collapsed and lost control in front of that young woman sixteen or seventeen years his junior.
No one had ever seen this side of him; this was the other self hidden beneath the emperor’s dignified facade!
He vented his anger, scolded her, lost all dignity, exposing his most vulnerable self to her.
From that moment, she became different in his heart.
She was his own, utterly possessed.
In front of this fragile little thing, he could take off his mask and find another version of himself.
It was as if he had returned to his sixteen-year-old self, recklessly indulging, giving in, and making amends.
Beneath the emperor’s imposing aura lay a lonely sea—dark, obscure, and tightly confined.
Later, when she arrived, he finally found an outlet.
Now, recalling the past, his pride, once so firmly planted, had long since crumbled.
He had looked down on her with contempt but had fallen step by step, sinking so deep he could no longer pull himself out.
Now, not only had he lost his pride, but he had to watch her past humiliations, her suffering, her torment with his own eyes!
What else could he do…
He remembered her humbly kneeling before him, pleading for a little love.
Looking back now, he finally understood that she was already at her wit’s end then, begging him for her last shred of hope.
When he grasped her by the neck, she didn’t struggle at all—because there was no hope.
She couldn’t escape!
Unable to flee, she began feigning compliance.
Emperor Jingxi stood painfully and blankly by the imperial desk, staring vacantly into the distance.
His pride, cruelly shattered, his pity for that weak woman, and the pain of betrayal—all mixed inside him, cutting his heart like countless knives.
In a moment, a sharp thought pierced him: ‘How could she do this? Why deceive me? A lowly and weak woman, how could she treat me like this?’
In another moment, another thought: ‘A wu, A wu—she is my A wu, she suffered so much injustice, I must hold her and comfort her.’
‘My A wu!’
And then, in an instant, he resented and hated himself for not having seen through it earlier, and hated his own actions that had become the last knife stabbing into her heart!
For a moment, Emperor Jingxi even wanted to kneel, humbly kneel on the ground.
The pride of the favored son of heaven had long vanished; now, he was nothing but an ordinary man.
He wanted to know more, wanted to understand what she had suffered, but he was hesitant—afraid of the pain, afraid of his own fury, and most of all, afraid of losing control and committing acts he would regret forever.
At that moment, the Imperial Son suddenly arrived.
He entered and first paid proper respects, then slowly lifted his gaze to Emperor Jingxi.
Bloodshot eyes revealed: “Father, A—”
He took a deep breath and swallowed the syllable “wu” with difficulty.
No matter what, A wu had given birth to his younger siblings; she was his stepmother, and he could not call her by name.
He spoke word by word: “Mother Consort and I originally met through the Lu family’s arrangement. She had a past with Lu Yunjian; they…”
His words were awkward and strained, but so what?
Suddenly, he was filled with grief and rage.
If before it was only suspicion, now the evidence was clear; there was no self-deception left.
They had truly had an affair!
Lu Yunjian had once possessed A wu, sharing countless intimate moments!
The Imperial Son could hardly believe it—how could it be?
A wu and Lu Yunjian had been lovers!
Emperor Jingxi kept his gaze lowered on the case files, seemingly ignoring his son’s words, not lifting his eyes once.
The Imperial Son said: “Father, tell me—is it true?”
He said bitterly, “It was all a lie from the start, all lies… she deceived me…”
As he spoke, he saw his father slowly raise his eyes to look at him.
Those were deep, dark, and cold eyes, completely devoid of emotion.
The Imperial Son was stunned; his father looked so unfamiliar.
His father had always controlled everything steadily, even on the night when he almost raised arms against him over A wu, he still felt his father held him firmly.
But now, he felt his father had changed, his emotions nearly out of control, barely restrained.
Emperor Jingxi finally spoke in a slow voice: “And what if she lied to you?”
The Imperial Son was stunned.
Emperor Jingxi said: “She even lied to me; what’s the problem if she lied to you?”
The Imperial Son was even more dumbfounded, staring at Emperor Jingxi, completely lost for words.
Emperor Jingxi motioned with his eyes: “Come here, I have something to ask you.”
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