In the end, was it Zhuangzhou dreaming he was a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming it was Zhuangzhou?

At the very beginning, Yan Lin could still distinguish clearly.

However, when the dreams continuously visited in the deep of night, another set of memories constantly pouring into his mind from beginning to end, he gradually began to lose the ability to tell them apart. Dream and reality, converging together, ultimately made it impossible to discern which one was the true self…

Or perhaps the two had already merged into one.

But the only thing he could clearly perceive was now, this time, this very moment!

He wanted her to love what she loved, gain what she gained, have all her wishes fulfilled, all her wounds healed…

Yet Jiang Xuening, who had been pulled to the front of this magnificent hall by him, only had a dreamlike feeling.

The Imperial Jade Seal was cradled in her hands.

Everyone within her line of sight had their gazes fall upon her.

If this were her previous life, she might have laughed aloud, after all, she hadn’t obtained anything she wanted. But in this life, she clearly didn’t want it, yet others insisted on forcing it into her hands…

Past life and present life suddenly wove together into a strange absurdity.

Jiang Xuening suspected she was in a dream.

Yet the expertly carved dragon scales on the Imperial Jade Seal pressed against her palm, with some pain slowly seeping in—it wasn’t false at all.

But how could this be?

How could she be the one to choose?

Jiang Xuening remembered that in her previous life, she had chosen an imperial clan child who was only ten years old. Just after he was adopted as heir apparent, before he could even be enthroned, he was killed on the journey to the capital…

How did she dare to choose?

That terror, along with this jade seal delivered into her hands, surged up together. She shook her head, as if afraid of awakening some ferocious beast that would devour people at any moment. Holding the jade seal with both hands, she wanted to return it to Yan Lin.

She said: “No, I don’t dare…”

However, Yan Lin didn’t reach out to take it. He only looked at her like a criminal undergoing punishment, with a gaze so silent it was almost pleading.

A cold laugh suddenly came from ahead. Xie Wei gazed at the two of them with eyes utterly devoid of emotion, though his words were directed at Jiang Xuening: “Don’t dare this, don’t dare that—when will you grow up a little?”

Jiang Xuening looked at him.

Xie Wei actually had no intention of objecting at all, but his voice grew colder with each sentence: “Either close your eyes and pretend you’re randomly selecting a pig, or cut open your heart and look clearly at what you truly want!”

If Yan Lin’s earlier words had only shocked everyone into losing their ability to speak, unable to react for a long while, then at this very moment, Xie Wei’s words summoned back what little rationality remained in those who had been shocked senseless.

“A matter concerning the realm and the nation—how can it be treated so frivolously!”

“Are we really going to let this little woman decide?”

“Have you all gone mad?!”

“Absurd, simply absurd…”

…

Several elderly ministers beat their chests and stamped their feet, nearly becoming so agitated they could barely breathe.

The several thousand remnant soldiers of the Celestial Teachings were leaderless, and with Wan Xiuzi dead, they were all quite bewildered.

But looking left and right—

What princess, what prince, what Second Miss Jiang—they didn’t recognize any of them!

What to do?

Everyone looked at each other in dismay, and no one knew who was so cowardly and eager to preserve their life that they first ingratiatingly shouted: “Of course we choose our Master Du Jun!”

This was immediately followed by a chorus of agreement.

Lu Xian’s scalp, which had just been made numb by the sword Yan Lin had thrown, had not yet completely recovered. Hearing the voices of these rabble and opportunists, he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood!

So without Wan Xiuzi, they were still hoping to preserve their lives by pledging allegiance to Xie Wei!

However, this group of good-for-nothings clamoring really did trigger wave after wave of commotion before, behind, left, and right of the great hall.

Not everyone in the Xinzhou Army necessarily obeyed Yan Lin—they all had their own thoughts. But seeing that Xie Wei seemed to have no intention of opposing Yan Lin whatsoever, they couldn’t do anything for the moment.

Those who followed Yan Lin’s orders naturally remained still.

The numerous Black Armored Army behind Shen Zhiyi had never encountered such a situation either, but they were different from others. Originally established by the late Emperor to protect the imperial clan, they naturally could not allow the Imperial Jade Seal to fall into other hands.

So at this moment, countless people actually drew their swords!

The sword edges all pointed toward Jiang Xuening, who cradled the jade seal!

They only waited for Shen Zhiyi’s command to charge forward, take Jiang Xuening’s life first no matter what, and then seize back the jade seal in her hands.

However, what came was not the order to attack.

Shen Zhiyi was even calmer than Xie Wei: “Lower your weapons.”

Several generals behind her were stunned: “Your Highness?!”

Shen Zhiyi’s expression turned cold, her voice finally cooling by several degrees: “I said lower your weapons!”

“…”

The Black Armored Army was bewildered at this moment.

However, Shen Zhiyi’s attitude was firm. Even though they couldn’t fathom it, after being puzzled for a long while, they finally, with some reluctance and unwillingness, put away the weapons they had raised and retreated to the rear.

Shen Zhiyi didn’t look at Xie Wei, nor did she look at Yan Lin. She only gazed at Jiang Xuening, slowly curving the corners of her lips. This faint smile that emerged softened all her features, making even that scar at the corner of her eye seem overflowing with radiance.

If in this world there was only one person she could trust with her whole heart—

Then without a doubt, that person was Jiang Xuening.

She gently said to her: “Ningning, whoever you choose, that’s who it will be. And I will also forever stand on your side.”

Even if she might choose Xie Wei.

But as long as she was willing, Shen Zhiyi thought, it didn’t seem like such a big deal. After all, being Emperor didn’t really mean one could do whatever one pleased.

In this instant, the civil and military officials who still retained some rationality were simply blown away until they couldn’t find north, only feeling that a hole had been punctured in the sky!

One Xie Wei wasn’t enough, add Yan Lin!

Now it was perfect—even Grand Princess herself had gone mad!

Finally, someone’s eyes rolled back and their head tilted to one side, falling unconscious, causing chaos all around.

Xiao Dingfei, Fang Miao, and others in the corner looked at Jiang Xuening with almost admiring and envious gazes, vaguely carrying some fervor, as if anticipating what would happen next.

However, Lu Xian’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

His gaze wandered among Xie Wei, Jiang Xuening, and Shen Zhiyi. In just a moment, he suddenly wanted to curse.

Wonderful! So this was what they were waiting for!

He had been wondering why Xie Ju’an had gone mad to this extent, insisting on acting as if he and Shen Zhiyi were incompatible as fire and water, locked in a life-or-death struggle!

What Yan Lin had just done was obviously not within his expectations, but he made no attempt to stop it, which proved this move was exactly what he wanted!

What Xie Ju’an had been waiting for was precisely this moment, wanting exactly this—to force someone into an impossible dilemma!

If one wanted to satisfy both him and Shen Zhiyi, how many choices were left for Jiang Xuening?

Lu Xian almost suspected he could already see the result.

Yet his heart still hung suspended at this moment—

Could Xie Ju’an truly win and have his wish fulfilled?

Jiang Xuening truly didn’t understand how everything had suddenly become like this.

Was it she who had gone mad, or they who had gone mad?

Holding this Imperial Jade Seal, for the first time she felt like a beggar carrying a golden mountain on her back—far from being happy, she felt she was about to be crushed to death, unable to catch her breath at all.

She was clearly nothing.

Yet everyone at this moment was watching her every move, even every glance, every look.

She first looked toward Shen Zhiyi, then looked toward Xie Wei, and memories related to these two people came flooding in.

One was a princess, one was an imperial tutor.

One had a benevolent heart, one was mad and obsessive.

One was female, one had become a rebel.

One regarded her as a confidante, one was her teacher.

One had gone far away to the Tatars for a marriage alliance and returned to the palace after many ups and downs; one had a mysterious background and suffered calamity in childhood, enduring humiliation to seek revenge and clear his name.

One carried in her body the blood of another person’s enemy; one had just killed the other’s blood relative before her face.

…

However, after all of this swept past, what remained in her mind was neither Shen Zhiyi nor Xie Ju’an. Rather, it was not long ago, on that rainy evening, when Zhang Zhe had looked at her with an extremely faint smile, so firmly telling her: “Your Majesty, you can.”

The waiting time was drawn out unbearably long.

Yet it was hard to tell whether only a quarter-hour had passed, or already half a double-hour…

Jiang Xuening, who had stood before the hall entrance for so long, finally moved.

She glanced at Xie Wei, her eyes reflecting a thousand turns and changes, yet she only showed him a somewhat peculiar smile before turning to walk toward Shen Zhiyi!

Yan Lin watched her intently without blinking.

Before the hall, an uproar suddenly arose.

Xie Wei’s hand hanging at his side suddenly clenched tightly with force.

Even Shen Zhiyi could only stare at her in stunned amazement.

Jiang Xuening stopped before her, remembering her first meeting with Shen Zhiyi in this life—she had taken up a brush and drawn a touch of cherry pink on that scar she had been so troubled by. From then on, she was good to her, and she was good to her in return.

What in the world could be better than this?

She simply said with a gentle smile: “Actually, welcoming Your Highness back from the Tatars wasn’t my happiest moment. What made me happiest was seeing that Your Highness never again deliberately concealed the scar on your face. You finally accepted yourself. No matter what happens in the future, whether you establish a new emperor or raise troops to stand independently, in Jiang Xuening’s heart, you will forever be that princess who loved all people despite having nothing, who left me with a promise of homeland.”

Tears suddenly fell from Shen Zhiyi’s eyes.

Yet Jiang Xuening lifted her hand and placed that heavy Imperial Jade Seal into her palm.

She said: “I want to believe in you.”

As her words fell, Xie Wei, standing behind her, swayed slightly. His tightly clenched fingertips dug deeply into his palm—he was nearly crushing his own fingers!

“Loved all people despite having nothing!”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t anticipated Jiang Xuening would make this choice, but those three words “loved all people” were like three extremely long iron nails hammered into his heart. Like a suddenly surging tide, they shattered all the composure and obsession he had been barely holding together!

A faint sweet taste of blood welled up in his throat. Xie Ju’an had never been this exhausted. Unwilling to hear another word, he turned directly and left with a sweep of his sleeves.

The dark gold sun sank in the west, his robes whipping in the wind.

Yet he had only just reached the long stairway when that familiar voice rang out behind him: “Xie Ju’an!”

Xie Wei stopped after all.

A moment later, a warm palm reached from behind him and grasped his hand.

Jiang Xuening gazed at him: “When I came, I already said I had something I wanted to tell you.”

How could Xie Wei not know?

That day she had seen Zhang Zhe, and early the next morning, she said she had something she wanted to tell him.

Jianshu had secretly come to report it to him.

But…

He turned his eyes to look at her, his prominent Adam’s apple surging up and down, only saying: “I also said I don’t want to hear it at all.”

In the carriage, she had wanted to speak several times.

But Xie Wei always told her to be quiet.

At that time, Jiang Xuening thought that perhaps, with their arrival in the capital approaching and the decisive battle imminent, this person might need a calm mind and settled spirit. So after failing to speak, she didn’t disturb him further, only thinking it wouldn’t be too late to speak in a couple of days.

However, seeing this person’s appearance now, what did she not understand?

How bitterly this person must have lived.

She nearly choked up, but she didn’t let go of him. She simply reached out to take the knife his right hand had been tightly gripping without release, and just as he had coaxed her in the cave back then, she said softly: “Put down the knife. I’m right here. I won’t leave.”

Xie Wei’s heart was full of deep, heavy violence.

He originally didn’t want to release it.

But he was also afraid that knife would hurt Jiang Xuening’s hand, so in the end, he slowly let go.

She threw the knife down to the base of the stairs.

Around the Taiji Hall where tens of thousands had gathered, for some reason, it suddenly became utterly silent.

That Imperial Jade Seal was pressed in her hand, yet Shen Zhiyi didn’t look at it. Instead, she looked toward Jiang Xuening, who stood very close to Xie Wei. She asked: “Ningning, do you know what kind of person he is?”

Jiang Xuening said: “I know.”

This person had forced her to her death in the previous life, and even in this life, he had still thought about taking her along to die. He was definitely not a good person—how could she not know?

She could even say she understood more clearly than anyone.

Because she had seen his truest and most insane side.

Shen Zhiyi asked again: “Do you like him?”

Jiang Xuening thought for a moment and said: “I do.”

In this instant, Xie Wei’s palm trembled lightly, yet in his mind it was as if ten thousand rays of light and shadow swept past, ultimately leaving nothing. He could only stare at her in a daze.

Yan Lin stood too far away—no one could see his blurred expression clearly.

Shen Zhiyi also didn’t speak for a long time.

She didn’t entirely approve of Xie Wei as a person, afraid that her Ningning would choose wrongly and be hurt. Yet she couldn’t stop her. A thousand worries ultimately transformed into just one sentence: “Then do you truly understand what you’re doing right now?”

Jiang Xuening smiled at her: “I understand clearly.”

And not only did she understand clearly what she was doing now, she also knew what she would do in the future.

So she said calmly and frankly: “I’m going to marry him.”

“…”

That evening, he had asked her once, but she hadn’t answered, and he never dared ask a second time.

But now she said she was going to marry him.

Xie Wei suddenly couldn’t distinguish whether this was real or a dream. Wasn’t she supposed to leave him and go find Zhang Zhe?

Jiang Xuening looked at him and suddenly discovered she could actually read this person’s thoughts at this moment, so she couldn’t help but laugh: “A long time ago, you told me that if you liked someone, you should hide it in your heart forever and not let that person know. But Xie Ju’an, if you truly like someone, how could you possibly hide it?”

Xie Wei didn’t understand.

Jiang Xuening could also see he didn’t understand: “You truly are supremely intelligent, but you just don’t know how to like people.”

When it came to romance, this person was hopelessly stupid.

At the slightest misstep, he would drill himself into dead ends.

Too afraid of losing what he possessed, also seemingly thinking that what was gained would ultimately be lost, so he was obsessive, extreme, and stubbornly refused to show weakness to others or speak those words aloud.

Jiang Xuening suddenly felt this person was far too similar to herself in her previous life.

Not understanding certain things, so crashing into them until bloodied and broken.

She blinked, tears gleaming faintly in her eyes, yet she pulled his hand and stood on tiptoe to kiss his slightly cool thin lips, saying in a low voice: “Teacher Xie, you taught me to read, write, play the qin, and how to be a person. But from now on, let me teach you—teach you how to properly like someone, all right?”

…

On that day, exactly how Xie Ju’an answered Jiang Xuening ultimately became a riddle in the history books that no one could ever solve.

Because, precisely at this moment when everyone was concentrating intently—

Before the entire Taiji Hall shrouded by the setting sun, Lu Zhayin’s voice suddenly rang out, gnashing his teeth, filled with bone-deep hatred, finally unable to restrain himself as he cursed loudly: “I knew it, I should have known all along! Using all that brilliant talent and grand strategy just to scheme and trick a young girl! I’m done, I quit! This old man is going to change careers and become an official! I must have been possessed to rebel with you! Damn your ancestors!”