A crimson haze filled her vision as Gu Qinghan coughed up blood uncontrollably. She looked at the man who had been by her side for ten years—just yesterday, he had sweet-talked her into writing a letter to her parents on the battlefield to reassure them of her safety, and today, he had plunged a sword into her chest.
“Xiao Yinghuai, you are so cruel…” Gu Qinghan no longer had the strength to form complete sentences. Pain, sharp and all-encompassing, spread throughout her body, and she trembled uncontrollably. Before she could speak again, the person she trusted most emerged from behind the screen—her cousin, Gu Xu.
Gu Qinghan instinctively reached out to Gu Xu. “Sister, save me, save me…” To her shock, Gu Xu kicked her hand away and wrapped her arm around Xiao Yinghuai.
“Yinglang, why isn’t it over yet~” The intimate display between Gu Xu and Xiao Yinghuai, as if no one else were present, made Gu Qinghan realize the truth: the two had long conspired against her, secretly betraying her together.
At that moment, Gu Qinghan felt utterly hopeless, as if all her strength had been drained from her. Though she was usually quick to shed tears, she found herself unable to cry now.
The blood from her chest soaked into the bright red wedding gown. She remembered that this gown had been painstakingly sewn by her younger sister from the third branch of the family, whose hands were covered in cuts when she presented it. Yet, Gu Qinghan had believed Gu Xu’s lies: that the third branch was merely trying to flatter her to seize her wealth, and she had dismissed the gown with disdain.
Her hands clenched tightly around the hem of the wedding gown as she took her last breath. Yet, her spirit remained there, watching as the pair laughed shamelessly. Xiao Yinghuai frantically searched for her properties and estates, while Gu Xu rummaged through all her jewelry and clothing, trying each piece on herself.
“Gu Qinghan, everything you had now belongs to me, hahahaha…”
Gu Xu’s excited face twisted with malice. She hated Gu Qinghan to the core. Despite sharing the same background, Gu Qinghan enjoyed endless adoration, always ranked first in the capital for both beauty and talent—the dream of every man and woman in the city. In contrast, Gu Xu felt utterly overshadowed.
Why? She had endured Gu Qinghan for eighteen years, lurking by her side. On one hand, she pretended to dote on Gu Qinghan, using her to gain access to various noblewomen’s gatherings. On the other, she deliberately seduced Xiao Yinghuai and secretly drained Gu Qinghan’s wealth.
While her naive younger sister gazed adoringly at Xiao Yinghuai, his pocket held Gu Xu’s intimate undergarment.
At this thought, Gu Xu could no longer contain herself and burst into laughter, pouring out all the vile deeds she had carried out in secret over the years.
Gu Qinghan watched expressionlessly, her heart feeling as if it were being carved out piece by piece.
When the bribed guards brought in several unconscious people, Gu Qinghan could no longer control herself. She stared in shock at the faces before her: Chun Tao, the maid who had grown up with her; Rong Chun, her most loyal young guard; and Gu Rongxin, her younger sister from the third branch…
Each of their faces was filthy, their white clothes stained with blood. They were awakened by a splash of cold water, struggling to open their eyes. “Miss!” “Miss…” “Sister!”
Seeing Gu Qinghan’s tragic state, their eyes widened in horror, and they cried out in unison.
Chun Tao couldn’t bear to imagine how much pain her mistress, who was usually so sensitive to even the slightest bump and quick to shed tears, must have endured from a sword thrust. Tears slowly streamed down the faces of the other two as well.
Xiao Yinghuai and Gu Xu gave them no time to grieve, forcing them to kneel before Gu Qinghan’s lifeless body.
Gu Qinghan wanted to catch them, but her arms passed right through their bodies. She tried again and again, until she could no longer hold back her tears. Everything that had happened tonight left her breathless.
Suddenly, chaos erupted outside the door—the sounds of fighting, screams, and the clashing of blades in the air.
She slowly looked up and saw the most unexpected person—Crown Prince Ye Muyan.
Ye Muyan’s stern face, usually cold and indifferent, now looked unusually fierce, his eyes as dark and unfathomable as ink. His subordinates tied up the man and woman and walked straight toward Gu Qinghan.
He took a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the bloodstains from her face.
“Qingqing loves to look beautiful, doesn’t she?” he said, slowly lifting Gu Qinghan into his arms.
Ye Muyan carried Gu Qinghan outside, instructing his subordinates to hang the two upside down on the city wall and force them to write ten thousand words of repentance and blessings for Gu Qinghan every day. As for the victims, they were to be buried with full honors.
No one in the room dared to make a sound. They watched Ye Muyan’s retreating figure—tall and solitary.
Only Gu Qinghan noticed his trembling eyelashes and bloodshot eyes.
Ye Muyan carried her all the way back to the palace. The palace servants tactfully withdrew, leaving them alone.
Gu Qinghan looked at the crown prince she had always feared, who now buried his face in her neck, tears streaming down his cheeks and onto her shoulder.
For some reason, Gu Qinghan felt a faint ache in her shoulder.
“Qingqing, if only I had known…” Ye Muyan straightened up and gently stroked her hair. He took out an exquisite box, and inside, Gu Qinghan saw a golden hairpin adorned with a red gemstone at its center. Under the candlelight, the tassels shimmered, each one studded with precious stones.
He carefully inserted the hairpin into her bun and said softly, “I should have given this to you when you came of age, but I was afraid it would frighten you.”
Before Gu Qinghan could recover from her shock, she was carried into the inner chamber of the palace. There, she saw countless women’s garments and portraits of herself hanging densely on the walls.
Among them was the plum blossom Hundred Waters Dress, which every woman in the capital had coveted, only to find it sold out immediately after its release. In the center hung every style of clothing she had ever worn.
“Qingqing, don’t be afraid of me. I just wanted to keep something that reminds me of you.”
“If Qingqing knew about all this, she would never want to see me again…”
“Qingqing, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have given you away, letting you fall into such a state.”
“Qingqing, does it hurt? Even slightly rough fabric makes your skin red and swollen.”
“Qingqing…”
Gu Qinghan watched as the crown prince kissed her inch by inch—from her forehead to her lips, from her neck to her toes—and finally understood the deep, hidden love he had for her.
Unable to hold back, she leaned forward and, taking advantage of her position, kissed the crown prince on the cheek.
As if sensing it, Ye Muyan’s eyes glistened with tears. “Qingqing, I love you.”
Immediately, Gu Qinghan felt herself being pulled away by an invisible force, and she fell into a deep unconsciousness.