The matter was temporarily resolved. The fact that Jiang Ji was the sole heir of Prince Yu had been exposed. Yu Jingchen regained his position and took over some of the military power from Nan Su.
Miyin Pavilion
Well-trained maids were orderly attending to the noble lady who had been unconscious on the bed. The elegant furnishings and the people present put one at ease.
As for the person on the bed... wasn't it Nan Yin?
Nan Yin had been unconscious for over two months...
"Pavilion Master," a maid's voice sounded from outside, followed by the appearance of a figure dressed in pure white, like a snowdrift. Apart from his white robes, there was also... snow-white hair... Gu Yin, the Pavilion Master of Miyin Pavilion, Miyin... Mu Yin...
"You may all leave," Gu Yin's clear voice commanded, and all the maids in the room withdrew.
Gu Yin walked to Nan Yin's side and sat down. Apart from her head full of white hair, the wrinkles on her face were far fewer than when she was in the imperial palace. Although Nan Yin had been unconscious for two months, she looked as if she were merely sleeping. Her spirit seemed better than usual, and she looked younger.
Gu Yin picked up Nan Yin's hand and gently massaged it. "It's time, you should wake up... I brought you here and kept you for two months without permission. Don't blame me when you wake up... I just wanted to spend some time alone with you..."
"Yin'er... Miyin Pavilion is a paradise I've created for you. If you ever feel tired, you can stay here for a while. No one will disturb you here. You can do whatever you want, without being bound, just being free and at ease, how wonderful is that?"
"You are a bird of the heavens, a phoenix spreading its wings... noble and unrestrained. I still remember your unrestrained spirit when you rode horses, your heroic posture when you shot arrows, your quiet gentleness when you played the zither, your playful liveliness when you acted spoiled... If only time could be longer, I wish we could spend every day composing poetry, drinking wine, and enjoying tea..."
"Yin'er, do you remember? I told you before that I wanted to take you to Jiangcheng. This time, when you wake up, can you go there once? To see the mountains covered with flowers, to taste the fragrant tea." Gu Yin reached out and stroked Nan Yin's head. "Do you know, if you had only said 'I do,' I would have overturned the world to give you a sky full of stars and a land of suitable beauty?"
"I only thought, if you look back, I will wait for you through life and death.
I only wished, if you turn around, I will cross a thousand mountains to be with you... Yin'er... If there was truly a chance to start again, even if it meant eternal damnation, I would defy fate and protect one person... Next time, I want to be a little selfish. Will you look at me a little more then?" Gu Yin smiled, but the smile couldn't hold back the tears. Tears fell, splashing onto Nan Yin's hand...
Nan Yin vaguely felt someone calling her... In her second life, she saw herself setting herself on fire, and the person in white rushed towards her through the flames...
Yin'er... Yin'er!
Who was calling her? It was... Ah... It was Gu Yin. Gu Yin, Gu Yin...
Nan Yin slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, and she couldn't see clearly. The sounds around her were deafening, and she couldn't hear clearly...
Faintly, she saw the person in white, rushing through the flames, holding her... Gu Yin, it was Gu Yin...
Nan Yin raised her hand to touch Gu Yin's face, but...
"Miss, you're awake?" the voice by her ear broke the illusion.
Miss?
Nan Yin looked at the vanishing scene with a dazed expression. Gu Yin seemed to be smiling... but before she could touch him, the scene disappeared.
She was afraid, she was terrified. It felt like she had lost something... a part of her heart seemed to be missing...
The scene before her became clearer and clearer. Nan Yin looked at this unfamiliar environment and felt a sense of peace.
"Miss?" the voice sounded again. Nan Yin looked beside her and saw a strange girl.
"Miss, you're finally awake. You've been unconscious for two months. Quickly, quickly go tell the Pavilion Master!" The maid seemed very happy.
"Where is this place..." Nan Yin's voice was a little hoarse.
"Miss, this is Miyin Pavilion. The Pavilion Master brought you here." The maid smiled joyfully. For a moment, Nan Yin felt as if she had returned to before she got married.
"Pavilion Master? Who is your Pavilion Master?" Nan Yin asked.
"Our Pavilion Master's name is Gu Yin. He told us that if you asked, you should say his name is Gu Yin, 'Gu' meaning to care for, and 'Yin' being your name, Yin." The maid explained.
Gu Yin, Gu Yin?
Before Nan Yin could ask further, An Xin entered.
"Your Majesty..." An Xin knelt before Nan Yin.
"An Xin..." Nan Yin lay on the bed, her strength gone.
At the same time... the person who had gone to call Gu Yin returned.
"Where is the Pavilion Master? Has he come?" the maid asked.
"The Pavilion Master, the Pavilion Master, he... he..." The person's eyes reddened, their voice hurried.
Nan Yin's heart fluttered. What happened to the Pavilion Master? Was the Pavilion Master they spoke of Gu Yin?
"I want to see him..."
I want to see him. Nan Yin was helped up and went to see Gu Yin. At that moment, Nan Yin was stunned. Was that him?
The person before her was dressed in white, with a head full of gray hair and wrinkles etched by time, clearly an aged elder. Gu Yin wouldn't be like this. He said he was immortal, he always looked so noble and radiant. How could the person before her be him? It couldn't be... it wasn't...
"Defying fate, the cycle of heaven and earth. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, you used your life to exchange for His Majesty's second chance. The Pavilion Master used his life to compensate for the price you paid." This was someone who had been serving Gu Yin.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager might not know, but the Pavilion Master had long been condemned by heaven for your sake. To help you have a second chance, to change your fate, to endure tribulations for you, the Pavilion Master suffered torment daily."
"Your Majesty could have woken up long ago, but the Pavilion Master couldn't bear to let you go, so he wanted to keep you for a while longer, because he knew that the moment you woke up would be the moment of his eternal return to dust. You woke up, but he couldn't see you anymore..."
"The Pavilion Master said not to let Your Majesty know about this. He even specifically instructed not to let Your Majesty see him in such a disheveled state, because he wanted to leave behind the best image of him in your heart forever."
"He said you didn't need to mention him in front of you anymore, because he couldn't appear by your side when you needed him like before. He said, if you asked, tell you he was traveling, that he went to Jiangcheng, his hometown, and also... the place where you first met. He didn't know where he would end up, but it was there that you gave him new life, so Jiangcheng became his birthplace, his eternal home..."
"I did not follow the Pavilion Master's instructions... I told you because I don't want so much that the Pavilion Master did for you to be permanently turned to dust, forever buried. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager... the Pavilion Master asked a question before he left. He asked, if you have time, could you go to Jiangcheng to see him?" He looked at Nan Yin, who now had red eyes. She walked up to Gu Yin.
She reached out and touched Gu Yin's face. She hadn't touched him in her dream, but now she finally could...
"Gu Yin..." she whispered his name, tears spilling from her eyes, falling onto the back of her hand.
"I'm awake... I see you... Gu Yin, will you look at me too? I heard you call me, did you hear me call you?" Nan Yin slowly lowered herself, kneeling before Gu Yin.
It was a pity, however, that Gu Yin would never wake up again. No one would ever call her Yin'er again, never.
One day later, Miyin Pavilion celebrated a grand occasion. It was said that the Pavilion Master of Miyin Pavilion was marrying his wife. However... some said they only saw the Pavilion Master's wife, but not the Pavilion Master.
But how did the marriage of the Pavilion Master of Miyin Pavilion alarm the current Emperor? On that day, His Majesty and the Empress paid a visit to Miyin Pavilion to congratulate them.
Miyin Pavilion
Nan Yin, dressed in a red wedding gown, was incomparably beautiful. The person before her was none other than Yu Jingchen.
"I was going to tell you before, but now it seems unnecessary. His Majesty probably knows everything." Nan Yin looked at Yu Jingchen, her voice calm.
"I remember," Yu Jingchen said. This 'remember' naturally referred to the memories of his second life.
"So, does Your Majesty think I was also wrong?" Nan Yin asked Yu Jingchen.
Yu Jingchen did not answer directly, but after a few seconds of thought, he said, "I was wrong."
"Of course you were wrong, but I was also wrong." Nan Yin's tone was not fluctuating. Today was her big day, and she wanted to be happy.
"The secret chamber in Yunpeng Hall was built by me. It was also me who assisted the Wen family in abducting Yun'er. If I hadn't done so, His Majesty might not have felt your affection for Yun'er. Did I go too far?" Nan Yin asked Yu Jingchen.
"Were the injuries she sustained all real?" Yu Jingchen asked only this one question.
Nan Yin smiled upon hearing this. "You asked this question first, which puts my mind at ease. Those injuries... were not real. They were all caused by some medication, which could also control the sense of pain. So they weren't real injuries, but... the fear was real, and her fear of you was also real."
"The incense in Yun'er's palace was also changed by me. That incense could incite inner fears and trap people in dreams, like nightmares," Nan Yin continued.
"Was it all just to make me feel guilty?" Yu Jingchen did not show any particular emotion.
"Without guilt, where would love come from? Moreover, if Yun'er fears you, how can she be at ease? I didn't have much time left then, so I resorted to these drastic measures," Nan Yin continued.
"So you planned that assassination, because you were testing how much I cared for her, right?" Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Yin. (The assassination they encountered on the boat during their first outing from the palace.)
"Yes, I tested you repeatedly, approached you, and pushed things forward. Yun'er is naive, and the harem is treacherous. If you don't pay enough attention to her, don't value her enough, then she might be devoured alive if she stays. A'Su and I can't protect her forever, but you can. Moreover, only when you completely favor Yun'er can Yun'er be truly safe," Nan Yin continued.
"But you still cleared the path for her," Yu Jingchen lowered his eyes, then added, "The death of Concubine De was your doing. Afterward, you deliberately guided Yan Qing to support Yun'er, making her a knife in Yun'er's hand to clear the obstacles in the harem."
"At the Lantern Festival banquet before entering the palace, after Yu Yan performed, you deliberately praised Bai Yusheng, with the aim of intensifying the conflict between them, because you knew Bai Yusheng's past exploitation of Yun'er and Yu Yan's bullying of Yun'er." Yu Jingchen only understood these things afterward.
"The palace maid by Su Qianyan's side was also arranged by you. That maid constantly fed Su Qianyan the idea of being favored, and guiding Su Qianyan to her own demise was also your objective, wasn't it?" Yu Jingchen could not imagine that the Empress Dowager had orchestrated so much behind the scenes.
"This is all I can do for Yun'er. My hands are already stained with blood, so I don't want Yun'er to follow in my footsteps. Your Majesty, Yun'er is truly naive and has suffered greatly. Please don't fail her again, okay? Protect her well, don't let her get hurt anymore." Nan Yin looked at Yu Jingchen.
"No, I will protect her well. I will never fail her in this lifetime," Yu Jingchen promised Nan Yin.
"Yun'er is not suited for the harem, nor does she like to be bound by rules and regulations. If possible, Your Majesty, please don't keep her in the palace forever." The look in the Empress Dowager's eyes became distant.
A carriage was prepared at the entrance of Miyin Pavilion. Nan Zhiyun was held tightly in Yu Jingchen's arms. Soon after, An Xin helped Nan Yin out. Her hair was tied up, and compared to her appearance in the palace, her attire now was much lighter, and she seemed more relaxed.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..." Nan Zhiyun walked over.
Nan Yin took Nan Zhiyun's hand, a gentle smile on her face. "I am no longer the Empress Dowager, I am Madam Gu. But... Yun'er can call me Aunt, would you like to?" the Empress Dowager asked.
"Okay, Aunt," Nan Zhiyun changed her address naturally.
"Good," Nan Yin gently stroked Nan Zhiyun's head. More than an aunt, she still wished to be Nan Zhiyun's mother.
"Aunt, please come back to the palace with me. Yun'er will respectfully care for Aunt." Nan Zhiyun said.
But the Empress Dowager shook her head. Nan Zhiyun looked puzzled. "Why?"
"Aunt is going somewhere," the Empress Dowager told Nan Zhiyun, looking into the distance.
"Where is Aunt going?" Nan Zhiyun couldn't imagine.
"To a beautiful place, where the seasons are like spring, where mountains of flowers bloom year-round, and a peach forest that never withers throughout spring, lotus flowers that bloom brilliantly all summer, the fragrance of fruit that lingers all autumn, and bright red plum blossoms that brave the snow and frost all winter." The Empress Dowager's thoughts drifted into the distance.
"Someone is waiting for me in that place. I'm going to see him." The Empress Dowager's gaze seemed to soften.
Nan Zhiyun leaned into Yu Jingchen's embrace and watched as the Empress Dowager Nan Yin boarded the carriage. Nan Yin sat inside the carriage and lifted the curtain.
"Yun'er, be well... I may not come back in the future. Don't mistreat yourself. If you ever feel wronged, Miyin Pavilion will back you up. The token is in your hands. From now on... Miyin will also be yours. Promise me, you must live well, okay? If there's a chance, you can come see me." Nan Yin looked at Nan Zhiyun.
The carriage moved further and further away. Nan Yin's words seemed to still echo in her ears.
"Where is that place?"
"That place is Jiangcheng... it's my home..."