Ji Yunshu felt guilty in her heart.

“I’m sorry.”

Wei Yi turned his eyes to look at her. “Why are you saying this to me?”

“If it weren’t for me, Uncle Wei and Aunt Wei wouldn’t have died either.”

Wei Yi smiled slightly. “Do you think I would hate you?”

Wouldn’t he?

She stared at him, trying to find a trace of comfort from his expression, and Wei Yi did not disappoint her expectations—there was not the slightest hint of resentment in his expression.

He told her solemnly, “Shu’er, I don’t hate you. I never have in the past, I don’t now, and I never will in the future.”

Utterly sincere!

Suddenly a strong wind arose!

Wei Yi immediately positioned himself in front of her.

One tall and one short, their silhouettes overlapped together under the reflected light.

One looking down, one looking up.

Their four eyes met.

Snowflakes fell, landing on Ji Yunshu’s forehead.

Wei Yi reached out to brush it away for her, but just as his fingers touched her forehead—

She turned her head aside, avoiding him!

Wei Yi’s hand froze in mid-air. The cold wind blew on his well-defined fingers, making them as immobile as frozen icicles.

He lowered his gaze to look at the woman before him, his eyes moistening.

The deeper the love, the greater the heartache!

“Are you very afraid of me?”

Eh?

Ji Yunshu suddenly lifted her head, meeting his sorrowful gaze, and quickly said, “No.”

“Then why do you avoid me?”

She wasn’t trying to avoid him—it was that this feeling made her heart panic and confused. She was afraid that unknowingly, she would fall into Wei Yi’s clean and gentle gaze.

At this moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

The corners of Wei Yi’s lips gradually pulled into a smile of acceptance.

“You and Jingrong, I sincerely wish you well.”

“Wei Yi.”

“I’ve always said I would protect you, but actually I can’t do it at all. Only with him by your side are you truly safe. Shu’er, I wish you both well.” He spoke earnestly.

Ji Yunshu’s eyes moistened, deeply moved.

They smiled at each other.

Suddenly—

“Dong!”

“Dong!”

“Dong!”

Bell sounds came from the direction of the imperial palace, echoing through the capital city on New Year’s Eve.

Soon, a message reached Prince Rong’s manor.

“Emergency from the palace!”

…

Imperial Palace, outside Fuyang Hall.

When Jingrong arrived with Ji Yunshu and Wei Yi, a crowd of ministers had already gathered outside.

Seeing him arrive, everyone moved aside to both sides.

He walked to the hall entrance.

Zhang Quan said, “Prince Rong, His Majesty wishes to see you.”

He hurried inside.

In the hall, several imperial physicians stood before the bed, heads lowered in sighs.

On the bed, Emperor Qizhen’s face was deathly pale, his body emaciated, his cheekbones protruding. Those hollow eyes were sunken deep into their sockets, staring wearily and lifelessly at the gauze canopy above.

How much time had passed for him to become like this!

Jingrong walked to the bedside.

He called softly, “Father Emperor.”

Emperor Qizhen heard the voice, breathed out lightly, then turned his eyeballs to look at him, opening his mouth.

“Jingrong.”

“Your son is here.”

At that moment, Emperor Qizhen’s eyes suddenly reddened. His pale lips trembled for a long while before he asked a question: “Do you… do you hate me?”

Hate!

Of course he hated!

This question had been asked more than once before.

Jingrong lowered his gaze slightly. “Your son wouldn’t dare.”

Even now, he remained that obedient and sensible son who never rebelled. Emperor Qizhen said through tears: “In this life, I have sat on the imperial throne for twenty-one years, recovered territory, pacified rebellions and stabilized the nation. The prosperous era of Great Lin is my glory, but… I have also done too many foolish things. Back then, if I had shown even the slightest bit of reluctance, your mother consort… would not have died, and everything today would not have happened. I was wrong, I was wrong…”

His tone was desolate.

Jingrong suppressed the pain in his heart, the words stuck in his throat, unable to say a single sentence.

“Jingrong, the person I’ve wronged most is actually you. In this life, I’ve failed you far too much…” He said while crying, reaching out to tightly grip Jingrong’s hand, straining to keep open those powerless, weary eyes as he said, “I have already written my final edict, to give the Great Lin empire… to you.”

“Father Emperor.”

“Promise me, no matter what happens, you must… protect this empire.” Emperor Qizhen gasped heavily.

Jingrong had no desire for the throne at all!

He hesitated in his heart, unsure whether to accept or not.

Emperor Qizhen began to cough, using the last few breaths of life to forcefully grasp his hand, saying with all his strength in a hoarse voice, “Promise me!”

Jingrong’s face was full of conflict, his eyes blood-red, brows furrowed, his entire body’s blood seeming to boil, making him burn all over. Looking at his father emperor’s gaze that was almost pleading and the tears in his eyes, his heart twisted painfully into a knot.

Finally—

“Your son promises you.” He didn’t know how much courage this sentence took.

Emperor Qizhen finally felt at peace, released his last breath, lay flat on the bed, his gaze looking at the gauze canopy above, and slowly closed his eyes.

His hand also gradually loosened from Jingrong’s hand, falling to the side of the bed.

Jingrong’s entire body froze.

“Your Majesty.” Zhang Quan cried out.

Everyone in the hall knelt down.

At the same time, a voice rang out from outside the hall: “His Majesty has passed.”

It echoed throughout the entire imperial palace.

The assembled ministers all knelt outside the hall.

Mournful cries filled the air.

Jingrong looked at Emperor Qizhen. At this moment of facing death and separation, his eyes ultimately reddened.

“Father Emperor, your son has never hated you.”

But Emperor Qizhen could no longer hear.

He stepped back several paces, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times with resounding thuds.

At this time, wind blew open a window in the hall. The wind carried snowflakes that drifted inside, falling on the windowsill, the floor, and that neatly hung dragon robe on the screen.

An emperor of his generation—power and status were ultimately things one couldn’t bring at birth or take at death.

…

Zhang Quan brought forth the final edict. “Your Highness, this is His Majesty’s final edict.”

The final edict—that was the entire realm!

Jingrong looked at the imperial decree, then glanced at the main entrance of Fuyang Hall. As long as he went through that door and proclaimed the edict, the future Great Lin empire would be his.

“Your Highness?” Zhang Quan called out.

He suddenly instructed the imperial physicians and attending palace maids and eunuchs in the hall, “All of you, go outside.”

“Yes.”

Everyone withdrew.

Zhang Quan: “Your Highness, this is…?”

“Eunuch Zhang, I must trouble you to summon Minister Shang from the Hanlin Academy.”

Though he didn’t understand, Zhang Quan still complied.

A short while later, Shang Zhuo entered with a bow, brushing the snow from his shoulders as he entered the hall.

“I wonder what instructions Your Highness has?”

Jingrong: “Minister Shang, I know well the strength of your copying skills, so I need you to help me with something.”

…

An incense stick’s time later.

Zhang Quan carried the imperial decree outside.

Jingrong stood inside, his expression calm.

Shang Zhuo was somewhat puzzled and asked, “Your Highness, is doing this worth it?”

He remained silent, turning his eyes toward the inner hall to look at that dragon robe hanging on the screen—the dragon on it was truly lifelike.

Zhang Quan’s voice came from outside, reading the final edict.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have now reached my allotted years, and the Dragon御 returns to Heaven. The son of the Duke, Jing Xi (Wei Yi), is of noble character and moral virtue, possessing both filial piety and virtue, deeply resembling myself. He will surely be able to inherit the great succession. Let him succeed me and ascend the throne. All civil and military officials and the people of the realm shall follow this decree. Thus it is decreed.”

The final words were accompanied by the sounds of civilian fireworks as New Year’s Eve arrived.