The poisonous weed in his heart pulled away without his effort as if struggling to leave on its own. Its tiny roots spread throughout his entire heart, slowly withdrawing one by one. The largest root, connected to his heartstrings, caused his chest to spasm in pain.
Yin Gezhi had been wounded many times before, some injuries nearly reaching his heart, some almost taking his life. He thought he wasn’t afraid of pain anymore, having grown accustomed to it.
But now, just because of this person’s casual words, his vision blurred with pain, and he desperately wanted to pound his chest a few times just to feel better!
Looking up at the person before him, how composed her expression was! Still wearing a smile, as if completely unaffected, simply waiting for his response.
He was the only fool here.
Realizing this, Yin Gezhi snorted, forcefully suppressing all his emotions before asking coldly: “What right do you have to kill Yi Guoru?”
What right? Feng Yue raised an eyebrow, suddenly laughing so hard her willow-like waist swayed: “Your Highness, I’m standing right here before you talking about killing for revenge – don’t you think the Guan family was wronged at all? You must have had many nightmares over these years. Haven’t you thought about freeing yourself?”
Yin Gezhi closed his eyes.
The Guan family matter was what he least wanted to face. On one side was what he witnessed with his own eyes, on the other was Guan Canghai’s iron-clad integrity. If he had to make the judgment again, he probably would still have no choice but to send him back to the capital for trial.
That was the only decision he could make.
The problem lay in the trial process. He had been too busy to know what happened, but in her eyes, he was probably an accomplice in the extinction of her family – unforgivable, deserving of death.
How hard it must have been for her, suppressing such hatred while fawning over him.
The thing in his chest jumped violently, making the pain even worse. Taking a deep breath, he said softly: “I’m waiting for an opportunity. When it comes, you can kill Yi Guoru. However…”
Turning his head away, he continued: “Killing him is easy, but finding evidence that he framed your father will be very difficult.”
“I know.” Nodding with a smile, Feng Yue’s eyes held mockery: “From the beginning, I never planned to clear the mud you all threw on the Guan family name, nor do I have the patience to do so. I’ll simply seek revenge on whoever harmed us.”
“Who do you think harmed your father?” Yin Gezhi smiled coldly: “The evidence for the verdict came from me.”
Feng Yue nodded: “I know. At the Battle of Pingchang Mountain’s Ghost Valley, Your Highness watched as fifty thousand Wei soldiers were slaughtered. The killing intent was too heavy. Coming back from that hell, you questioned my father who couldn’t explain himself well, and in your anger naturally sent him back to the capital for trial. I can understand all that.”
“But after returning to the capital, the Wei judiciary, acting on someone’s wishes, rushed the verdict, forcing my father to die in prison, slandering him to the Emperor, causing His Majesty to order the execution of our entire family! You provided the evidence, but did anyone examine it carefully? Did anyone investigate? Did anyone at court even question once why the Guan family would betray the country?!”
“No! They had long despised our family, worried that our achievements would overshadow the throne, making His Majesty uneasy. Conveniently, the Crown Prince was good at warfare and could replace General Guan’s position. So why not drag General Guan back and execute him? Everyone could sleep better that way. Why not do it? Hahaha!”
Laughing until tears appeared, Feng Yue glared at the person before her, emphasizing each word: “Favoring corrupt officials, harboring villains, harming the loyal, destroying heroes – the Great Wei royal family has done well! They’ll surely prosper for thousands of generations. As for me, I can only avenge my father’s death and our family’s extinction. What else matters to me?”
She was rational – even though she clearly hated him too, she cleverly absolved him of responsibility, indicating she wouldn’t seek revenge against him, trying to make him lower his guard.
However, when speaking of past events, she couldn’t help it – her eyes reddened.
The person before her finally looked up at her, his eyes filled with emotions too complex to read. He was always like this – even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, his face would show no expression as if nothing in this world was worth moving him.
Truly the cold-hearted Crown Prince Yin.
Yet as Yin Gezhi looked at her, he thought about how she was from the Guan family. The way she spoke was just like the Guan family’s second young master back then – that youth with the straight backbone who, wearing shackles, had said mockingly: “May Your Majesty’s empire endure forever, with no more loyal ministers!”
This generation of the Guan family all knew how to speak well, so why couldn’t Guan Canghai explain clearly? When he was furious, all Guan Canghai said was “How could I betray? Why would I betray?” Why couldn’t he be sharp-tongued like this Guan Qingyue and convince him?
Squeezing his eyes shut, he said wearily: “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Looking at the sky outside, Feng Yue pressed her lips together, wiped her face, and nodded: “Alright.”
She turned to leave immediately.
Perhaps her turn was too decisive, walking away without looking back – Yin Gezhi instinctively reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Slightly startled, Feng Yue stopped and turned back to look at him in surprise.
After everything that had happened, he would still… reach out to stop her?
Yin Gezhi frowned, probably not quite understanding his action either. But when she made a move to break free, he still grabbed her tightly: “Sleep here.”
What? Feng Yue blinked, and couldn’t help but dig at her ear: “What did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly.”
Pulling her toward the bed, Yin Gezhi’s back was tense, his voice cold and hard: “Your identity is special. To prevent you from trying anything, from today on, you’ll stay under my watch. Wherever I go, you go.”
Feng Yue: “??”
What was this? Personal surveillance?
Seeing that his killing intent had dissipated and everything had been discussed openly, Feng Yue suddenly grew bold, fearlessly asking: “Keeping me so close, aren’t you afraid of being constantly reminded of Guan Canghai?”
His grip on her hand stiffened, and then Yin Gezhi’s entire demeanor became agitated as he gritted out: “He’s your father! How can you speak his name so casually?”
“Guan Canghai has no grave, you know. Not even a memorial tablet. If I don’t often call his name, he’ll surely forget what he was called down there.” Feng Yue shrugged, smiling maliciously: “This is my way of showing filial piety. Does Your Highness forbid this too?”
From their earlier conversation, she could tell that Yin Gezhi still had a conscience and wasn’t certain about Guan Canghai’s betrayal – he just had evidence before him. He didn’t necessarily believe Guan Canghai was innocent either.
So she might as well deepen his guilt a bit. People say pillow talk is effective – she should try her best to use it.
Without answering her, Yin Gezhi flung her onto the bed. Then he got on himself, removed his outer robes, and put them away, holding her tightly in his arms.
For a moment, Feng Yue sensed his body trembling slightly. But when she felt careful, his back was as cold and hard as iron – it all seemed like an illusion.
It must have been an illusion. What could affect the mighty Crown Prince Yin?