Chapter 341: Why

"I can go there myself."

After saying that, Yu Shiyan turned and headed towards the Buddhist hall, but his expression had never been so cold as it was today, as if he had an unmelting block of ice in his heart.

Although Jade was puzzled, she didn't think about it too deeply.

The Empress Dowager knelt on the prayer mat, her eyes still closed as she heard the door open. She calmly counted her prayer beads and said, "You've come."

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I have come today with a question for you. I hope you will speak frankly with me."

Yu Shiyan suppressed his anger, the veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible, and his knuckles were white from the excessive force.

"Sit down and talk."

The Empress Dowager put down her prayer beads and patted the prayer mat beside her, gesturing for him to come and sit down.

Yu Shiyan remained motionless for a long time, his deep eyes filled with complex emotions.

The Empress Dowager sighed, as if she had known this day would come: "If I remember correctly, today is your birthday, and also the anniversary of your mother's death."

"Yes, it's kind of you for worrying about me, Grandmother."

Each word was uttered slowly and deliberately from his lips, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

Do you know why I later changed my mind and forbade you from getting close to Yin'er?

"So, you admit to what happened back then?" Yu Shiyan looked up at the Empress Dowager, whose temples were turning gray, his voice trembling slightly with anger.

A boundless rage nearly overwhelmed him, yet at the same time, a sense of desolation silently sprouted in his heart.

He never imagined that the Empress Dowager had been behind his mother's death.

In the past, anyone could have done it; he would have sought revenge for his mother, no matter who it was.

But why the Empress Dowager?

Little Sparrow repeatedly begged him not to harm the Yuan family or the people around her.

Could it be that she already knew the truth of what happened back then, and that everything that followed, including her kindness towards him, was for ulterior motives, solely to protect the Empress Dowager when the incident occurred?

Although the logic behind it was flawed, Yu Shiyan had no mind to think about it at the moment, and only a few remnants of reason remained.

"I have never denied this matter, nor have I intended to hide it from you."

The Empress Dowager stood up, turned to look at him, and asked calmly, "How much of the whole matter do you know?"

"The medicine was given to Chu Wan by you."

"That's right, it was given by me."

"At that time, the Emperor favored only your mother, and the harem was filled with resentment; everyone came to me for help."

"So you just killed her like that?!"

In contrast to his impassioned questioning, the Empress Dowager appeared much calmer.

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Later, the emperor even skipped the morning court session to be with her. I could not stand by and watch the emperor disrupt the order of the court."

"Please forgive me, grandson, for not being able to accept this reason."

"I admit my mistake back then."

But this matter has nothing to do with Yin'er. Now that you know the truth, the two of you being together will only torment each other.

I am old. Even if you want me to pay for my crimes in blood, I can still do so because I see my whole family is safe and sound and I have no more worries.

Only Yin'er... only Yin'er.

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes briefly. "Yin'er is a good child, and so are you. I will take responsibility for what happened back then. You should both forgive and forget each other."

Yu Shiyan smiled slowly, his cool and handsome eyes full of mockery. "What happened back then is naturally inseparable from my grandmother."

But did my grandmother ever truly care about my mother's death and all the pain I've endured over the years?

Or is the Empress Dowager simply responding to each move with a counter-strategy?