"No! Impossible!" He Yue's pupils contracted, and she shook her head fiercely, unwilling to believe it.

With Hongtun and Hongming being so healthy, how could anything happen to them?

However, Heyue had no choice but to believe what the Eighth Prince's wife said.

My sister never speaks without reason, and she has no reason to use a child to deceive Heyue.

"Whether you believe it or not, as your older sister, I'm just giving you a heads-up so you won't have any regrets in the future. Besides, I already warned you before, but you still chose the Thirteenth Prince, so you should have been prepared for this."

Heyue lowered her eyelids. Yes, she already knew it from the beginning, didn't she? But seeing how healthy the children were one by one, she still held onto hope, thinking that everything would change.

But can it really change?

Perhaps this is just Heyue's self-deception.

“Even knowing it’s self-deception, even knowing it can’t be changed, we still do some things. In this respect, we are the same. We are all helpless people, yet unwilling to compromise with fate. So we always tell ourselves that there is hope if we try, even if that hope is very slim, we will still try for that little bit of hope.” Guo Luoluo looked at Heyue’s dazed appearance and smiled bitterly.

He Yue turned her head to look out the window, her expression somber: "Yes, there is hope if we try, it's better than doing nothing."

"So, you understand me, right?" Guo Luoluo looked at Heyue as she drank the tea in one gulp, a hint of helplessness flashing across her face.

The scene before her eyes gradually blurred. He Yue supported her forehead with her hand, smiled slightly, a smile tinged with bitterness, and then slowly slumped onto the table and closed her eyes.

...

Looking at the unfamiliar scene before her, He Yue was not surprised at all and calmly accepted everything before her.

When Guo Luoluo saw that she had woken up, she reached out and stroked Heyue's cheek, smiling slightly: "Awake? Are you feeling unwell?"

He turned his face away from her touch, his expression indifferent: "Why bother with crocodile tears?"

Guo Luoluo's hand stiffened, and she slowly withdrew it. She wasn't unhappy at all, and her smile was as gentle and loving as ever: "You're still so stubborn. Actually, I didn't want to do this either. I wish we could still be good sisters in this world like before. I wish you could live a carefree life. But some things have to be done. If you don't do them, you'll regret it. If you don't do them, you'll lose the person I love. I believe that if it were you, you would also try your best to do them, wouldn't you?"

“But that doesn’t include using the people around you.” He Yue’s tone was indifferent, showing no emotion towards what she said: “I believe you. Even though I know you have ulterior motives, I still choose to believe that you won’t harm me, so I came. But what I get in return is that you used me for another man.”

Guo Luoluo was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "Just consider it my fault. In this life, we always have to make choices. Who told me to meet him? I've lived this life for him."

"Speak, what do you want to do?" He Yue was unwilling to say any more and went straight to the point.

Guo Luoluo stared at Heyue, her expression momentarily dazed, then suddenly smiled: "Actually, I don't want to do anything to you. You are, after all, my most beloved sister. I just want them to stay out of it. I hope he loves you enough, and I hope he won't disappoint me. If he still chooses Yongzheng, I think I will do anything."

He Yue wondered if she was trying to use her to threaten Thirteen? But then she saw the other woman's gaze fall on He Yue's hands.

Something suddenly flashed through her mind, and He Yue was incredulous, feeling fear for the first time.

The next moment, the other party gave a pleasant answer.

Guo Luoshi grasped Heyue's hand and slowly opened Heyue's right hand, revealing the almost invisible red line on her palm.

Guo Luoluo smiled faintly and said, "I never thought that this thing would become our trump card to turn things around. Heyue, I want to thank you, but I wish you had never had this thing."

"But we are destined to be adversaries. I cannot lose Yinzhi, so I can only ask you to make this sacrifice."

Stroking Heyue's hair, Guoluo said gently, "Don't worry, I won't take your life, and I can't bear to kill you. As long as the Thirteenth Prince is willing to compromise, you will naturally be fine. If he is not willing, I will at most make you suffer some physical pain."

"Sister, are you sure you want to do this?" He Yue couldn't believe that her sister, whom she had always relied on and trusted, would actually do this. She was filled with endless disappointment: "You need to know that if you do this, our sisterhood will end here."

Guo Luoluo was taken aback, then smiled: "Our sisterly bond was severed the moment you went with the Thirteenth Prince. Life always requires choices, and I simply chose my husband. Didn't you also choose your husband?"

Harmony without words.

Yes, neither of them is wrong; they just have different positions, which means they are destined to fight to the death.

Heyue closed her eyes and stopped speaking, also to hide her unease.

This was the day she least wanted to face, but it finally came.

Thirteen, what would you choose?

If Thirteen continues to choose to help Fourth Brother, Heyue will be disappointed.

Even though Heyue also hoped that Prince Yong would succeed, she did not want the Thirteenth Prince to disregard Heyue's life and death for Prince Yong's sake.

Heyue is such a selfish person.

If Thirteen doesn't place Heyue in the most important position, Heyue won't be wholeheartedly devoted to Thirteen.

However, if Thirteen chooses Heyue, Heyue worries that Thirteen will lose the historical favor he has enjoyed after Fourth Brother ascends the throne.

He Yue simply did not believe that without the thirteenth prince, the fourth prince would lose the throne.

After all, there were still Nian Gengyao and Longkodo. The Fourteenth Prince couldn't return from the Northwest, and Prince Lian and the Ninth Prince had no military power, so they couldn't accomplish anything.

Unless they are willing to bear the stigma of regicide and usurpation.

What a clever scheme! If Thirteen had chosen Heyue, he would have lost the future emperor's trust, and Prince Lian and his allies would still have had a chance.

If the thirteenth prince chooses Prince Yong, he will lose He Yue's heart.

Guo Luoluo left, after all, she still had to handle the affairs of the Prince's Palace.

There were two maids serving Heyue, but Hailan was nowhere to be seen.

I don't know where Hailan was taken. I believe that Lady Guoluo wouldn't do anything to a maid. At most, she would be imprisoned somewhere, like Heyue, to prevent her from sending messages back.

Therefore, Heyue was not worried about Hailan's safety.

I wonder how worried the children in the manor will be if they find out they're missing.

Without He Yue by their side, they are all still young and don't know how chaotic things will become.

Thirteen already knows, right? Are you so anxious that you can't sleep?

Hopefully, he didn't lose his temper and do something irreversible.

Because someone was guarding her, Heyue couldn't leave her room and didn't know where she was.

However, judging from the fact that the food brought by the maid was all vegetarian, it must be a temple or similar place.

Heyue knew that worrying was useless, so she simply ate and drank as usual, seemingly not caring at all about what was happening outside.

Perhaps to avoid being discovered, Guo Luoluo did not come for the next few days.

But it's likely that news of Heyue's situation reached Guoluo's ears every day.