The mountain breeze drifted through the slightly ajar window, carrying the fragrance of blooming camellias, filling the room with a cool, refreshing scent.
Emperor Jingxi’s eyes darkened, his oppressive aura suffocating.
A-Wu’s thin lips trembled slightly as she whispered, “Yes.”
Emperor Jingxi: “From the very beginning, you knew my identity?”
Large teardrops rolled down A-Wu’s cheeks as she shook her head in panic.
“At first, A-Wu didn’t know. A-Wu only knew that Your Majesty was of noble status. How could A-Wu dare to guess Your Majesty’s true identity? It was only later that A-Wu realized…”
Emperor Jingxi’s gaze grew even colder. “How did you find out?”
A-Wu shrank back, her voice barely audible. “That day, a distinguished guest came to visit Your Majesty. A-Wu thought the guest seemed extraordinary, but compared to Your Majesty, he paled in comparison. A-Wu became suspicious and began to overthink.”
She added: “Then, A-Wu carefully observed the furnishings in the room. Before, A-Wu hadn’t paid much attention, so I didn’t notice anything. But upon closer inspection, A-Wu began to sense something, though it wasn’t clear. A-Wu didn’t dare to ask further.”
Emperor Jingxi’s expression was unreadable. “Why didn’t you dare to ask?”
A-Wu wept bitterly, her voice broken and filled with fear.
“If it were confirmed, and if the truth were exposed, A-Wu was afraid…” As she spoke, she shuddered.
Emperor Jingxi took a deep breath, looking down at the young woman with a scrutinizing gaze.
Her tear-filled eyes were filled with terror.
She was someone who couldn’t hide her thoughts, easily seen through.
His lips tightened into a mocking smile.
“But you guessed my identity. You knew I was the Crown Prince’s biological father, yet you never mentioned it. You kept me in the dark.”
At this, A-Wu’s face flushed with shame, and tears streamed down her cheeks once more.
She wiped her tears, her voice trembling. “How… how could A-Wu say it? A-Wu was afraid. A-Wu could only play dumb, pretend not to know. If it were spoken aloud, A-Wu would rather die on the spot…”
Hearing this, Emperor Jingxi’s expression stiffened.
Then, a dark, brooding emotion churned in his eyes.
Yes, this matter was too disgraceful to be spoken of.
She was his son’s concubine, the woman his son was infatuated with.
Just an hour ago, he had been lamenting how his son was so bewitched by mere beauty!
He had wanted to destroy this femme fatale, to frame her, to catch her in the act, to make his son witness how his beloved woman was entangled with another man!
But now he knew the man she was entangled with was himself!
He had taken his son’s concubine, even harbored tender feelings for her!
Even while handling military affairs, his mind would occasionally wander to their intimate moments!
And that day, when the Crown Prince was just outside the tent, he had been so eager, and the Crown Prince might have even known what he was doing with this woman!
A-Wu’s heart was filled with dread.
She glanced cautiously through her tears, only to see the man’s cold, stern face, icy and menacing, sending chills down her spine.
She suddenly felt a sense of despair, no longer holding onto any hope.
It seemed she was truly going to die this time.
At that moment, Emperor Jingxi raised his eyes, staring at A-Wu with an expression so sharp it seemed to pierce through everything.
His demeanor appeared calm, but A-Wu grew even more terrified.
She could feel the Emperor’s ruthless intent to kill.
Emperor Jingxi forced a mocking smile: “Throughout my life, I have been cautious, never daring to make a misstep. Yet, in a moment of negligence, I committed such a grave sin against human ethics-indulging in carnal pleasures with you, sinking into depravity, utterly absurd.”
As he spoke, his fingers, which were gripping Awu’s, trembled: “If this were to get out, the Yong clan of Dahui would become a laughingstock. Awu, I cannot let you live.”
Awu understood all too well.
His long, well-groomed fingers slowly moved down, resting on Awu’s neck.
The slender, delicate neck was grasped inch by inch, tightening.
Awu did not resist.
Before a man of such high authority, there was no chance of escape.
She looked at him submissively, allowing him to choke her throat.
Fear crept in bit by bit, despair flooding over her like a tide.
The man’s ring pressed against her neck, and she felt a cool, sharp pain.
She trembled as she gazed at the man before her, into those cold, merciless eyes, her thoughts in disarray.
Amidst the swirling thoughts, she unexpectedly recalled the beginning.
Once, he had held her, made love to her passionately, and that same ring had pressed against her waist, warmed by her body heat.
It was the oldest and most lingering entanglement between a man and a woman, and he had once been so tender and full of love!
But now, those hands that had once caressed her with tenderness were filled with murderous intent, ruthlessly choking her neck.
Emperor Jingxi stared intently at her, his voice hoarse: “It’s my fault for not recognizing you. I didn’t recognize you, and instead, I reveled in passion with you, reckless and unrestrained.”
That morning, as he and she were entwined, the Crown Prince was waiting outside.
He had already sensed something was amiss, but who could have imagined it would lead to the disgrace of father and son sharing the same woman!
Not to mention, once the Crown Prince learns the truth, the conflict between father and son could cause unimaginable turmoil in the court!
So, for the sake of Dahui’s century-long foundation, for the reputation of the royal family, and for himself, she had to die.
Emperor Jingxi stared at Awu, cold and cruel, his fingers tightening slowly and mercilessly.
Awu had long accepted her fate.
She was not afraid of death, so she did not struggle now, knowing it would be futile.
Her breath became increasingly labored, her ears ringing, her vision darkening, her head dizzy and throbbing, her limbs weak and limp.
Yet, in this chaos, she still opened her eyes wide, gazing into the distant, illusory horizon.
She thought she saw it-the waves of the East Sea, rolling and churning, a massive merchant ship breaking through the waves, and on its bow, her father and brother were waving flags at her.
She knew it was an illusion.
Her mother had said that when one is about to die, they see what they wish to see, and now she saw it.
She saw her father and brother returning.
An overwhelming sense of happiness surged within her.
Her father and brother were not dead; they had finally come back.
She desperately stretched out her arms to welcome them, murmuring their names.
At that moment, a flash of white light appeared before her eyes.
Caught off guard, her neck loosened, and she caught a breath of fresh air, carrying the scent of tea.
The instinct to survive made her gasp greedily for air.
Emperor Jingxi gripped her shoulders tightly, his hot, intense breath spraying on her face.
He shook her, his voice hoarse and low: “Why didn’t you struggle, why! Don’t you want to live!”
He had seen so many people on the brink of death, crying and begging for mercy.
They would prostrate themselves on the ground, kowtowing until their heads bled, screaming for the Emperor to spare their lives.
But A-Wu did none of that!
She gazed at him with tears in her eyes, without resentment or regret, submitting to her fate without resistance!
These hands of his wielded the imperial brush, bringing order to the world.
He had also personally taken lives, holding a sword with decisive ruthlessness, showing no mercy in his strikes!
Yet he had never before done something like this strangling the neck of a defenseless woman, watching her struggle for breath, powerless to resist.
This was the woman who had once brought him joy, who had once captivated him so deeply.
And now, he was killing her because of it.
Her unresisting submission only made him realize, with heart-wrenching clarity, how weak, incompetent, and despicable he truly was!
He was nothing but a hypocrite, a fraud who deceived the world!
Because of his own mistakes, he was taking out his anger on her, who was utterly defenseless!
What was he afraid of?
Was he afraid she would tarnish his legacy?
Or was he afraid that the scandal between father and son would become the laughingstock of the world?
A-Wu coughed violently, gasping for air.
Amid her coughing, she sobbed, trembling as she spoke:
“If the Emperor wishes to kill A-Wu, A-Wu has nothing to say. To die, to die…”
Her trembling fingers touched her neck, and she lifted her face, her hair disheveled.
Through her tears, she said, “To die by the Emperor’s hand, A-Wu’s life would still…”
Emperor Jingxi fiercely gripped her chin, his dark and frenzied eyes as sharp as blades.
He stared into her eyes, enunciating each word: “Why did you go with him? Did you like him?”
A-Wu knew who he was referring to.
This was the bitterness an emperor could not voice aloud.
No matter the reason, he was jealous of the Crown Prince.
This was the jealousy of a man, something he had perhaps suppressed and controlled well before.
But now, he could no longer hold it back!
From the moment he uttered the word “him,” he was already wavering between his roles as a man and a father.
And so, she found a glimmer of hope.
With tears in her eyes, her lips trembling like flower petals, she defended herself in a weak voice:
“Why does the Emperor say such things? If A-Wu liked the Crown Prince, why would A-Wu flee? The Crown Prince was deeply devoted to A-Wu. Even if the Emperor disapproved, could A-Wu not have found an opportunity to stay at Yan Yang Temple?”
Emperor Jingxi’s cold eyes narrowed sharply, his imposing aura radiating as he asked:
“What about that guard? Did you abandon the Crown Prince to elope with a mere guard?”
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