"That's not a big problem. Many things are decided by the capable. Yun Zhuo and I can get rid of Empress Shen, and so can you. But your actions of taking the opportunity to steal credit mean that Yun Zhuo and I can no longer regard Prince Xuan as our younger brother on the same boat."

"After the palace coup under Empress Shen is over, you can live well as Prince Xuan and Princess Xuan. The Emperor will not mistreat you while he is on the throne. Even if Yun Zhuo ascends the throne, he will not mistreat you. In any case, Prince Xuan will still have the credit for killing Empress Shen."

"In Yun Zhuo's mind, Prince Xuan also helped us to marry Princess Lingyang and helped the Great Zhou reduce the amount of grain sent to the Heavenly Eagle Holy Kingdom. He is a meritorious official!"

"But you are not satisfied. You also want to ascend the throne and rule the world. Do you think that to live a good life and be filial to Consort Ning, you have to ascend the throne and become emperor or empress?"

"When you are determined to fight for the throne and take action to do so, you are actually gambling with your current noble status and your good life."

"Heaven has not treated you unfairly; at least your efforts have been rewarded. But for the throne, you have become gamblers, betting your noble status, your good life, and your precious lives."

"If you lose the bet in the end, how can you blame God for being unfair or blame your bad luck?"

Ji Mingwei's eyes were bloodshot: "And what about you? Weren't you and Yun Zhuo fighting to the death for the throne?"

Ye Qingxue said, "The question you raised may be something Yun Zhuo hasn't considered. He was named Crown Prince at a young age, and protecting the country and its people has been his responsibility since childhood."

"As for me, do you think it's for the throne? For power? It doesn't seem so! A towering mountain stands beside you, constantly in danger of collapsing and crushing you into mincemeat. Do you run away, or destroy it? I choose to destroy it!"

She walked the path she was meant to walk, and she bore the consequences she was meant to bear.

"Princess Xuan, my luck isn't much better than yours."

“Prince Xuan cares about you. You have two healthy children. Before you got married, your aunt took care of you in every way and arranged marriage partners for you.”

"Your parents sent you to the Marquis's mansion not because they abandoned you, but because they hoped you would be favored by the Marquis's mansion and marry into a good family. So many people love you, how could you be unlucky?"

Ji Mingwei stared at her blankly.

She originally had many dazzling pearls in her hands, shining brightly and incredibly beautiful.

But she saw that others had bigger and more dazzling things, so she used the pearl in her hand as a bargaining chip.

She lost everything; she didn't get the bigger and more dazzling pearl, and she even lost what she already had.

In that instant, she saw clearly the way she had come from.

So that's how it is!

She laughed sadly, tears streaming down her face again. The sounds of fighting outside gradually subsided. She didn't need to look to know that her people were being taken down one by one.

Ji Mingwei glanced around and saw Yun Xiang'er and her personal guards. They were all covered in wounds, blood, and pale.

The gradually fading sounds of fighting, screams, wind, and burning candlelight all seemed like a lament at this moment.

Ji Mingwei suddenly stood up. The guard thought she was going to fight back before she died, but he did not expect that Ji Mingwei would grab his sword and, ignoring the blood dripping from her palm, plunge the sword into her own heart!

"Princess Xuan!" Yunxiang cried out, her eyes filled with grief.

Everyone else stared blankly at the scene, unable to react for a long time.

Ji Mingwei coughed up blood again. She gripped the sword in her hand tightly, blood gushing from her chest, quickly soaking her clothes.

She remained kneeling before Ye Qingxue, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, yet she smiled at Ye Qingxue: "I'm about to die, can I... can I beg you, spare my two children?"

Ye Qingxue pursed her lips and did not answer her.

A breeze carrying the dampness of the lake water blew in from outside the cave, and Ji Mingwei shivered.

She laughed self-deprecatingly: "You don't want to? That's true. If I die at your hands, and you allow my two children to grow up, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep day and night..."

When she was about to kill Ye Qingxue, she didn't actually intend to let Yun Zhaolin go, even though Yun Zhaolin was an idiot!

Thinking this, Ji Mingwei's eyes regained their ruthless glint: "Ye Qingxue, don't be too happy yet. So what if I die at your hands? Yun Zhuo will die soon too. My husband won't let you go! He will protect the two children! You won't be the final winners!"

She drew her longsword, letting the blood flow freely, but she ignored it and crawled out of the cave, and everyone made way for her.

Emerging from the cave, she gazed towards Kyoto, her hand trembling as she reached out...

But as the wind blew, her hand fell limp, her head slumped to the ground, her eyes filled with resentment and hatred.

She was so close to the Empress's throne; she and Yun Xun were only one night away from ruling the country.

Her husband will kill Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue, right? Yun Xun won't let her lose, will he?