煜景辰 did not reply immediately. He glanced at his wound, which had been repeatedly reopening for the past two days, and he had almost grown accustomed to it.
"What is your purpose in doing all this?" Yu Jingchen finally asked.
"What purpose could this sovereign have? I simply don't wish His Majesty to have an easy time," Gu Yin said without any reservation.
"Then you should not have involved Nanzhi Yun," Yu Jingchen's tone turned cold.
"This was her own choice, not one this sovereign made for her." Gu Yin was unashamed. Could he control what Nanzhi Yun chose to do?
"Gu Yin, do you believe I will kill you?" Yu Jingchen's killing intent was palpable.
"If Your Majesty truly wishes it, then it is certainly achievable." Gu Yin knew of Yu Jingchen's capabilities. If he were truly determined to kill him, he might just succeed.
Yu Jingchen was indeed considering killing him. After all, Gu Yin had gone so far as to target Nanzhi Yun, and if left unchecked, he might do something even worse. In their standoff, it was Gu Yin who backed down first.
"Her memories are indeed real. Therefore, Your Majesty did indeed kill Nan Su, and even decapitated him in front of Consort Shu. Do you think she should hate you? This hairpin was not plunged deep enough," Gu Yin said with a mocking expression, as if all of this was Yu Jingchen's own doing.
Hearing this, Yu Jingchen's heart shuddered. No wonder she hated him so deeply... But if this were truly the case, how should he face Nanzhi Yun?
"If Your Majesty has nothing else, this sovereign will take his leave," Gu Yin was unwilling to stay any longer.
"Her remembering these things... it's related to you, isn't it?" Yu Jingchen continued to ask.
Gu Yin's lips curved slightly, his gaze dismissive. "What does Your Majesty think? Does this matter? If Consort Shu hadn't remembered, would Your Majesty have been able to pretend it never happened?" Gu Yin asked him.
Yu Jingchen fell silent at this question. If Nanzhi Yun had not remembered, he might never have known about this matter. However... thinking of something, Yu Jingchen looked at Gu Yin and asked, "My remembering these things... is that also because of you?"
"It's not wrong if Your Majesty thinks so," Gu Yin did not deny it, and Yu Jingchen seemed to understand something.
"In that life... what happened to Empress Dowager?" Yu Jingchen asked. As expected, upon hearing Yu Jingchen mention the Empress Dowager, Gu Yin's expression instantly turned cold.
"Thanks to Your Majesty's kindness, the Empress Dowager perished in a great fire. The blaze burned for a full half-day before it was finally extinguished." Gu Yin looked at Yu Jingchen, his eyes turning red, showing that his emotions were unstable.
Indeed, only the Empress Dowager could elicit such a strong reaction from Gu Yin, so her death was likely also his fault.
"This sovereign will not keep Your Majesty company. Please help yourself," Gu Yin's patience had run out. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he might not be able to restrain himself.
Yu Jingchen did not stop him. If what Gu Yin said was true, and he had killed Nan Su in the previous life, then the Empress Dowager would inevitably have been implicated. But what exactly had happened in their supposed past lives?
Yu Jingchen closed his eyes. Why had everything become so difficult lately? He sat down on a nearby chair, feeling a sense of powerlessness. Xing Lai, seeing that Gu Yin had left, quickly entered. Upon entering, he saw the current scene.
"Your Majesty..." Xing Lai sounded worried.
"Retire." Yu Jingchen did not wish to see anyone. He needed a moment to calm himself.
"...Yes." Xing Lai was worried, but he dared not overstep his bounds, so he could only obey the imperial command. Yu Jingchen felt weary and sat on the chair, pressing his temples, not opening his eyes for a long time.
Perhaps because he was too tired these past few days, his consciousness began to wander as he sat there. He seemed to have a dream... In the dream, Nanzhi Yun was crying, and he, against her will, forcibly had relations with her...
Also, Nan Su... Nan Su and the Empress Dowager had colluded with Yu Jing'an to rebel and force their way into the palace... Were those memories real?