An Jin smiled, stating, “To achieve great things, one must seize every opportunity. When you need to be ruthless, you can’t leave any room for mercy. Your opponents are like wild grass on the plains – given the slightest chance, they’ll resurrect. By then, you’ll regret it and can only watch yourself lose.”
His words had merit, but I couldn’t bring myself to be so cruel. An Jin aimed to strip Yunqiao not only of her status but possibly her identity or even her life. If she alone suffered, that would be one thing, but if it implicated A Fu and her husband…
“Let me think about it,” I said, shaking my head and holding his hand. “Promise me you won’t act yet.”
After a long pause, An Jin reluctantly agreed.
Next, I found Liu Hua and asked her to secretly arrange a meeting with the imprisoned High Priest. This was my first time seeing the High Priest’s appearance.
She was extremely pale, her lips dry and peeling. Her large eyes lacked luster, appearing somewhat dazed.
Liu Hua dismissed the others, giving us privacy. The High Priest stared blankly ahead, a faint smile on her lips as if lost in a beautiful memory.
“High Priest,” I called, smiling at her.
After a while, her gaze focused on me, showing panic. “Is it you? Why are you here? What do you want?!”
“Don’t be nervous,” I said, staring into her eyes. “You seem unwell.”
Gradually, she came to her senses, fear and hatred flashing across her face. “Stop pretending. You’ve already achieved your goal. Why are you looking for me?”
“The High Priest seems to have misunderstood me,” I frowned. “What goal?”
“Who else could it be?!” she hissed. “I didn’t expect you to look weak but act so ruthlessly! Isn’t this revenge on me?”
“Revenge?” I sneered. “Didn’t you have a secret affair in the temple? Were you framed?”
She was speechless, mumbling, “No… it’s a misunderstanding, I don’t even know him…”
“Don’t know him?” I stared at her. “So he’s a villain who broke into the temple? Such a criminal should be executed. How about I request his execution right now?”
Her face turned pale, trembling. “No—” she suddenly knelt down.
“Please, Your Highness Yu Wang, I made a mistake before. Please forgive me…”
I glanced down at her. Priests guarding the temple were not allowed to marry, and the High Priest needed to observe strict rules. However, she had broken these rules by having a lover and meeting him secretly in the temple. This time her actions were exposed, mostly related to An Jin.
An Jin had his methods, some of which he shared, but I understood the unsavory aspects he kept to himself.
“Rest assured, I came here to confirm something with the High Priest,” I said, deliberately pursing my lips and tilting my head to appear more imposing, a tactic I learned from An Jin for interrogation. “If the High Priest answers honestly, I might protect your lover and settle your family.”
She shrank back, hesitating before asking, “What is it?”
“When I had my first trial, you tampered with the golden cup. Whose idea was it?”
She was stunned, thinking before responding, “Prince Ning.”
“Are you sure?”
She lowered her head. “Prince Ning personally discussed it with me, absolutely true.”
An Jin hadn’t lied to me.
For some reason, I felt a huge weight lift, like putting down a massive stone. Yet with this removal, some disappointment emerged. I didn’t expect Yun Qiao to actually do this.
She was unkind to me first – should I be unjust to her in return? Soon after meeting the High Priest, another bombshell news arrived. The High Priest provided new testimony, admitting she conspired with Prince Ning, Jiang Yun Qiao, and the Grand Councilor to sabotage the heir’s trials, though they had failed. This involved Prince Ning and the Grand Councilor, prompting the Emperor to order a thorough investigation by the Censorate, Court of Judicial Review, and Ministry of Justice, with severe punishment for those involved if proven true.
I was stunned. I had secretly met the High Priest to confirm whether Yun Qiao had done that, but she revealed everything the day after our meeting. Liu Hua privately praised me, saying she didn’t expect the Yu Wang to deliver another heavy blow. I could only smile bitterly—would anyone believe I had no part in this?
Just then, the Emperor summoned me. Everyone says he is cruel and ruthless in his pursuit of power, but I don’t believe it. I walked to the wall’s edge, brushing past the tangled vines.
“Father must have loved Mother deeply.”
There was no doubt that Father and Mother had once deeply loved each other. They met under the Qixi Lovers’ Bridge, released sky lanterns together, and walked through the misty bamboo sea of Fenzhu. They performed music together, making others envious. The imperial historians recorded that Father filled Mother’s palace with wisteria flowers, and Mother surprised Father on his birthday by bringing back the Wushan red fish he longed for, causing him to shed tears.
Such love was no less profound than mine and An Jin’s. Yet, this love ultimately descended into despair.
Emperor Hong sighed and nodded. “Indeed. I only understood this much later.”
Father’s family was once a renowned noble clan in Nanrui, with a generations-long plan to overthrow the Jiang imperial clan. From childhood, Father bore his family’s mission, and his meeting with Mother was deliberately arranged. After the palace coup, Mother fled, burning down the palace that held countless memories and destroying their love.
I have reason to believe that the ease with which the imperial uncle later broke through the capital and eliminated Father’s rebel clan was due to his pain and regret after losing Mother.
I suspect that when Father learned of Mother’s death during childbirth, he lost all hope and wished to die. He chose to take his own life in the burnt palace, attempting to follow Mother’s path.
“No matter how deep the love, it can still turn into a tragedy,” Emperor Hong said sharply. “A Yao, who do you think was more at fault in this tragedy?”
I stood frozen.
“It was your Mother. If she had detected Father’s family’s conspiracy early and stopped them, things would never have escalated. Her excessive tolerance and blind trust harmed her, creating this tragedy and nearly destroying the empire.”
He paused, then patted my shoulder. “So A Yao, are you going to follow your Mother’s path?!”
Chapter Seventy-Three: My Husband
I hooked my arm through Emperor Hong’s, laughing softly. “Imperial Uncle, you’re overthinking. I’m not Mother, and An Jin is not Father. We could never repeat her path.”
“I know you are on his side. That’s fine; since he came to Nanrui, I can overlook his actions in the shadows.”
But he has provoked your relationship with Yun Qiao, forcing you to consider eliminating her, which reveals his ruthless ambition.” Emperor Hong glanced at me. “Yun Qiao did something wrong, and I will punish her, but I cannot tolerate anyone trying to turn you sisters against each other for their benefit. Whether it’s An Jin or that unknown man in Yun Qiao’s residence, anyone doing this will not be spared by me.”
I replied, “Imperial Uncle, you misunderstand him. He is not the one who provoked my relationship with Yun Qiao; rather—”
“Enough,” Emperor Hong sighed. “You will understand soon. Guards!”
Two court attendants appeared and knelt before Emperor Hong. “Your Majesty, please command.”
“Bring her up.”
I watched as the pale-faced High Priest was pulled up by the attendants and knelt before us.
Emperor Hong glanced at her. “Speak. Repeat to the Prince of Yu what you told me.”
“Your Majesty…” The High Priest looked at me, clearly hesitant.
“Don’t worry. That man has been brought out, so you need not be concerned.” Emperor Hong’s expression was calm but authoritative. “Tell the truth.”
