Upon hearing this, Yang Qiguang closed his eyes briefly before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Did you come to me just to talk about this?"
Don't you hate me? Aren't you angry with me for what I did at the examination hall back then?
If Princess Ning'an hadn't suddenly appeared, Gao Yang would have been killed by him. He thought that when she came to see him, it would be a tense scene.
Unexpectedly, it was so calm, just like any casual chat we'd ever had before.
He felt a pang of sadness, a stinging reminder of everything he had done.
Gao Yang merely twitched the corner of his mouth, lowered his head for a while, and then honestly nodded, saying, "Yes, I hate you. At least at that moment when those people were beating me, I hated you."
I think you're being incredibly unfair and selfish, willing to sacrifice anyone for your own sake.
But now the matter is resolved, and I'm standing here properly.
After today, we probably won't have the chance to meet again.
Besides, not everyone is selfish; I've known your nature for a long time.
After all, they had been together for so long, and he didn't want their last meeting to end unpleasantly.
The fact that the other party can still speak to him like this proves that nothing must be wrong.
Yang Qiguang suddenly smiled, spread his arms and lay back on the ground, looking at the dark wall above him and said, "You really are as forgiving as ever. I'm really jealous of you."
I'm jealous that you have such a good temperament, such a good mother, and that you even won the favor of the princess.
Unlike me, I'm timid, jealous, and selfish.
He never intended to harm Gao Yang; he was simply jealous of him, jealous that he could get involved with the princess, jealous that he could always be liked, and jealous that he was so good.
They were so gentle and devoted to helping someone as despicable as him.
When did it begin? This jealousy initially seemed to be nothing more than envy.
Gao Yang is too good, so good that he can't help but feel ashamed when he stands next to him, so good that he can't control the jealousy in his heart.
He sighed and said softly, "Go back to Jinling after you finish the autumn imperial examination. If you pass, you might even become a county magistrate."
Please help me out. If I come back in two years, I might come to you for help.
If you accomplish nothing, I, a banished man, will have nowhere to go and may even starve to death.
These are all his true feelings; he always considers his own interests.
Otherwise, why would she cling to Gao Yang like a lifeline after meeting him?
Gao Yang was stunned for a moment, staring at the people in the cell for a long time without saying a word.
I just felt that Yang Qiguang seemed a little different.
Yang Qiguang simply covered his eyes with his hand and casually said, "If you don't agree, then forget it. We'll see..."
"I agree."
*
Seeing Gao Yang enter the dungeon, Jiang Yimian was about to go to the carriage to wait for someone when she suddenly heard a sharp scream.
"Jiang Yimian, you stop right there."
Jiang Yimian turned around and saw Xue Lingyu staring at her intently, rushing over from the end of the street, her whole body radiating anger.
After a long absence, Xue Lingyu looked much more haggard. Her figure, which was not plump to begin with, was now frighteningly thin. Her eyes were covered with dark circles, and her chin was pointed. She had completely lost her former arrogant and domineering aura and looked much older.
Jiang Yimian glanced at her only and said indifferently, "Is there something you need?"
Xue Lingyu stared intently at the person in front of her. Her already thin face looked strange as her eyes widened in anger.
"Jiang Yimian, you, you will die a horrible death! You caused the Xue family to be wiped out. You will get your retribution sooner or later."
She hasn't had a proper rest since the day of the autumn imperial examination.
Hearing about the amounts her father had taken in bribes every day made her feel terrified.
She had never known about her father's actions during her many years in the Xue family; on the contrary, she always thought he was just a Minister of Rites with little power.
It wasn't until these past few days that she learned that she and her mother had been kept in the dark all these years.
Unfortunately, now that their home has been raided, her mother, who knows nothing about it, has also been imprisoned along with them.
If she hadn't already been married, she certainly wouldn't have escaped it either.
The thought that they would have had to live with such a cunning person for who knows how long if Qiuwei hadn't exposed her father's true colors made her feel afraid.
Even the person she spent every day with was deceiving her like this. She didn't know what Xue Xingzhao was telling the truth about, and she didn't even know when he would kill her and her mother.
Jiang Yimian merely tilted her head and said calmly, "If Miss Xue is dissatisfied with His Majesty's decree, she can go to the palace. What does the execution of the entire Xue family have to do with me? It's simply Xue Xingzhao's own fault."
Oh, by the way, I heard from the Xue family servants that the Xue residence is extremely frugal, not at all like the residence of a second-rank official. Even Madam Bai is not very clear about Xue Xingzhao's years of embezzlement.
It seems Miss Xue is indeed having a difficult time at the Xue household! Xue Xingzhao has embezzled so much money, yet he hasn't spent a single penny on you and your daughter. I wonder where it all went, Miss Xue, are you aware of this?"
When these rumors were rampant in the capital, she didn't believe them at first, but she only believed them after seeing with her own eyes the wealth confiscated from the Xue family mansion.
Who would believe that a person who has accepted huge bribes would have a mansion full of broken copper and scrap iron, with not a single thing of value?
Xue Lingyu was so angry that her eyes turned red. She had no idea where all the bribe money had gone.
Xue Xingzhao had actually kept more than a dozen mistresses behind their backs. If the Ministry of Justice hadn't investigated so thoroughly this time, how could they have discovered so many of Xue Xingzhao's mistresses, some of whom had even given birth to children?
They're all a bunch of bastards, illegitimate children, shameless bastards living a carefree life in the capital with the money that belongs to her and her mother, while the mother and daughter are completely unaware of it.
Now that they've all been caught and imprisoned, they all deserve it, except for her mother, who is clearly innocent.
Thinking of her mother's crazy state in the dungeon, she glared angrily at the person in front of her and cursed, "You slut, don't be so smug. What does it matter to you how I live in the Xue family?"
You're nothing but a peasant girl. I used to be a rich young lady, and now I'm the young mistress of the Marquis of Anding's mansion. You can't compare to me in any way.
"You wait, I won't let you get away with this."
After saying that, she glared at Jiang Yimian and headed towards the dungeon.
Jiang Yimian simply smiled and said, "Is that so? It seems that Madam Xue's manners are not very good. Not only did she not bow to the princess, but she also showed disrespect to me. What should her punishment be?"
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