The emperor fell silent.

He couldn't believe the truth of the matter, but Gu Jiangli's words forced him to believe it.

The promise Consort Yu made to him was originally known to only a few people. He never told anyone else about it, and given Consort Yu's personality, she wouldn't tell anyone else either.

So... how did she know?

Gu Jiangli understood the emperor's doubts, so she could only explain from the sidelines first:

"Your Majesty, you should have realized long ago that, given Consort Yu's character, she would never blame you."

When you were young, she was the person who understood you best in the whole world, besides yourself.

"She could not possibly believe the Empress Dowager's words, and she could not possibly think that you were the one who set the fire."

"For so many years, you've been trapped in your own self-blame and guilt, never seriously considering that Consort Yu treats you like her own daughter, how could she possibly doubt your character?"

The emperor's voice was muffled, "But she still died. She didn't have to die. She just didn't want to face me anymore, and she didn't want to have a chance to live."

“No,” Gu Jiangli immediately denied. “Consort Yu wanted to die because her son and daughter had all perished in the fire. She didn’t want to live not because she resented you, but because the tragic deaths of her children had caused her mental breakdown.”

"How could she resent you? She would want you to live well, live freely, and live happily more than anyone else, because apart from her children, you are the one she loves the most."

"Otherwise, she wouldn't have felt guilty about not being able to take you out of the palace until the very end. She cared about you, valued you, and pitied you, but she would never have resented you!"

"Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand Consort Yu, and please do not torment yourself with this memory."

No one blames you, never.

Tears welled in the emperor's eyes, but they did not fall.

He pondered Gu Jiangli's words repeatedly and found that they were indeed irrefutable.

The lump of anger that had been stuck in his chest seemed to have been kneaded and dissipated by a pair of skillful hands.

That memory suddenly became less painful and less torturous.

When I recall the fire at Mingyang Palace, the expression on Consort Yu's face as she stood amidst the flames seems to become clearer.

There was no resentment on her face, no disappointment; all that remained was a look of deep guilt and a yearning for death.

In my mind, Consort Yu's voice, appearance, and smile are still vivid.

“No one blames me…” he murmured Gu Jiangli’s last words.

Gu Jiangli repeated, "Yes, no one blames you. Every wrong has its perpetrator, and everyone knows who the culprit is. Now that all the guilty parties have been punished, can Your Majesty forgive yourself?"

The emperor looked into her eyes and remained silent for a long time, as if lost in memories, or perhaps trying to calm himself down.

After a while, the emperor took her hand and asked:

How did you know?

"Um?"

"As you said, everyone who knew about this is dead. You even claimed that Consort Yu did not wish to live and chose to die... The Empress Dowager would not tell you these things, much less tell you Consort Yu's dying words. So how did you find out?"

Gu Jiangli blinked, making sure the emperor didn't seem to doubt her, before speaking again:

"Does Your Majesty remember? I once said that I had the ability to know the past and present in my dreams, but Your Majesty did not believe me at the time."

"Since His Majesty doesn't believe me, I can't force him to believe me, so I won't bring it up again."

"Can Your Majesty be trusted now?"

Gu Jiangli asked tentatively.

At that time, she lacked confidence in convincing the emperor because she had not yet obtained any useful information from the Empress Dowager.

But it's possible now.

The emperor was not questioning her when he asked her this question; he genuinely wanted to know the answer.

She saw the emperor's expression change from astonishment to hesitation, and finally, his resolve strengthen.

He struggled with his conscience for a while, but in the end he believed his own words.

"Your Majesty is no longer asking questions, so it seems you no longer doubt me?"

He pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Besides this, I can't find any other explanation. Let's just assume that Consort Yu and the others appeared in your dream to tell you the truth."

Gu Jiangli smiled faintly, "It's not impossible for Your Majesty to interpret it that way."

Whether it's a dream or an exploration of memories, anything is acceptable as long as it's a story the emperor can accept.

His brows finally relaxed, no longer troubled by the past.

Gu Jiangli finally felt much better.

This is good news; I can finally focus on getting better without worry.

If things continue like this, with Doctor Wu and Physician Lü providing proper treatment, it seems likely that the emperor will live another ten years.

————

Even faster than the news of the emperor's recovery came Gu Jiangli's coronation ceremony.

The emperor had previously said that he had wanted to make her empress for a long time, but the ceremony was quite complicated. At that time, she was pregnant, and he was worried that she would be too tired. So even though the edict had been prepared long ago, the formal investiture of her as empress was delayed.

But it's possible now.

After she finished her postpartum confinement and her body recovered well, she had no problem going through the formalities of being crowned empress.

Wearing the empress's unique crown, Gu Jiangli heard the imperial decree to be crowned empress, accepted the congratulations from civil and military officials, and accompanied the emperor to the temple to offer incense to the ancestors of the royal family.

After the whole process, Gu Jiangli was already exhausted and her back ached.

She couldn't help but admire the Emperor's decision to only now make her Empress; it was the right one.

If anyone were pregnant and attended this ceremony, they would probably miscarry.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!