Inside and outside the palace, chaos reigned.
But this bought Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao time. With the emperor distracted, no one suspected them.
Who could have imagined the emperor enslaved to a woman’s whims? Or that Ruyue, the woman who held his emotions hostage was Yue Heng’s pawn?
Through deception and strategy, Yue Heng had brought Emperor Changde to the brink of ruin.
With such intellect, how could the original novel have him obsessed with Jiang Jinyue? The plot made no sense!
Someone as brilliant as Su Qiao, a girl deserving of endless praise was far more suited to Yue Heng. Jiang Jinyue wasn’t worthy!
____
With nightly visits to the palace to witness Emperor Changde’s descent into madness, Jiang Lin found the half-month passing swiftly.
So when Wei Yunzhao suddenly stood before him, he was momentarily stunned.
"Wife, I’m back."
His voice was hoarse, whether from disuse or suppressed longing, it was hard to say.
Jiang Lin spread his arms. "Hold me." He needed to ground himself in reality.
Wei Yunzhao lifted him effortlessly. "You’ve lost weight."
Jiang Lin thought: Too many late nights.
Wei Yunzhao continued, "Did you miss me?"
Pinching his own thinner cheeks, Jiang Lin quipped, "See? All this pining for you. The evidence is right here."
Wei Yunzhao carried him inside, straight to their room. "Would my wife like to bathe first or sleep?"
Jiang Lin grinned. "Should I ask - does my husband want to eat first, or eat me?"
Wei Yunzhao hugged him tightly. "Wife, I missed you. Every day on the road, all I could think of was returning to you."
His voice was soft but clear in Jiang Lin’s ear. Burying his face in Wei Yunzhao’s shoulder, Jiang Lin murmured, "Wei Yunzhao, this is the first time I’ve hugged you like this while you’re standing. I like it."
"Me too." Wei Yunzhao cupped Jiang Lin’s face, their foreheads touching as they smiled.
Their clothes were dusty, their faces weary, but their eyes shone with joy.
Exhausted from the journey, Wei Yunzhao and Xun Qi needed rest. So Jiang Lin resisted the urge to join Wei Yunzhao’s bath and "inspect" his legs, settling instead for watching him sleep.
Trailing his fingers over Wei Yunzhao’s features, Jiang Lin admitted to himself, he’d missed him just very much, counting the days until his return.
"He kissed Wei Yunzhao's lips, but that wasn't enough. He continued to explore further, which stirred a reaction from Wei. Then, Wei Yunzhao flipped them over and playfully said, "Wife, shouldn't I be the one accusing you of taking liberties now?"
Jiang Lin’s hands slipped under his robes. "You’re not just momentarily pleasure. You’re my treasure."
Wei Yunzhao sighed, helpless against such words.
After some affectionate teasing, they lay entwined, smiling at each other. Once the laughter subsided, Wei Yunzhao asked about the capital’s situation.
Jiang Lin praised Yue Heng extravagantly. "Honestly, if he were willing, he’d make an excellent emperor."
But Yue Heng had other plans, ones that would forever bar him from the throne.
"Tomorrow, let’s thank him together," Jiang Lin said. Without Yue Heng’s aid, they would have been in grave danger.
"By the way, the emperor plans to execute the Fourth Prince." Originally, Emperor Changde had intended to implicate the Wei family through him. However, following Ruyue's disappearance, the Crown Prince, who had long sought to eliminate his brother, seized the opportunity to fuel the outrage among refugees. This growing discontent eventually pressured the courtiers into calling for the Fourth Prince's execution."
In his unstable state, the emperor decreed immediate execution.
"It’s set for tomorrow," Jiang Lin said. Wei Yunzhao had returned just in time to witness the Fourth Prince’s beheading.
The Fourth Prince had caused countless deaths, he deserved no less. "After he’s gone, we’ll investigate Qinghe Wangfu. I want to know what happened to Jiang Rou."
Jiang Lin remained wary of that troublesome system. Best to eliminate threats early.
Wei Yunzhao agreed. "Once the Fourth Prince is dead, only the Crown Prince remains."
They now had ample evidence against Emperor Changde and Cao Lan’er. But the Crown Prince was another matter, aside from past abuses of power, they lacked proof of capital crimes.
Yet if the Crown Prince lived, he would inevitably ascend after Emperor Changde’s death and then come for them.
So he, too, had to die.
Jiang Lin tapped Wei Yunzhao’s palm. "You’re forgetting, the Crown Prince may lack fatal flaws, but he has enemies. One who has survived two assassination attempts."
Wei Yunzhao’s eyes lit up. "The Eldest Prince?"
"Exactly." In the original novel, the Crown Prince had killed his eldest brother after taking the throne. In this life, he had already tried twice.
"I doubt the Eldest Prince would be so forgiving as to allow someone who tried to kill him to rule without any opposition."
Wei Yunzhao smiled, tapping Jiang Lin’s nose. "That settles it. My wife is brilliant."
Jiang Lin accepted the praise without modesty.
Though the outcome was clear, the path remained.
The next day, Wei Yunzhao reported to the Ministry of War briefly before joining Jiang Lin to watch the Fourth Prince’s execution.
The Fourth Prince seemed to spot them in the crowd, glaring hatefully, until the blade fell his eyes still wide with fury.
The people cheered, especially the refugees who’d nearly been ensnared in his schemes.
As Jiang Lin prepared to wheel Wei Yunzhao away, he sensed eyes on them. Turning, he met Jiang Zhen’s gaze, filled with venom.
But what caught his attention was the cloaked figure beside Jiang Zhen - petite and frail. Jiang Lin knew instantly who that person was, Jiang Jinyue.
After hiding so long, she had finally emerged.
And she seemed to have come for them. Spotted, she strode forward, lifting her face with terrible burn scars, twisted like worms burrowing beneath flesh.
Her voice was rough and strained, each word an effort. "Jiang Lin...I'm back...for you...Die!"
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