"Yes, this lady is right..."
"Before I jumped off the cliff, my only wish was that Your Highness would take care of my family. Also, thinking of my fiancée who is not yet betrothed to me, and that she should not remain a widow because of me, I beg Your Highness to grant my wife a divorce agreement..."
As He Jingyan spoke, he slowly opened his eyes again, his amber eyes gazing at Song Xizhi's profile, seemingly glistening with a hint of moisture.
"But I never expected that Zhizhi would love me so much. For my sake, she stayed in the Marquis's mansion and took care of everyone."
He Jingyan's voice was like a clear spring, flowing into Song Xizhi's ears and making Song Xizhi's chest tremble. He couldn't help but raise his eyes to meet his gaze.
He... actually lied?
The entire room fell silent as they felt the look in He Jingyan's eyes as he gazed at Song Xizhi.
Pei Yunyi lowered his eyelashes slightly, feeling as if a corner of his pounding heart had been torn open, and air was slowly leaking out.
Song Ruoan listened to He Jingyan's protective words in disbelief, feeling a splitting headache, her heart pounding with jealousy, and her internal organs churning as if they were being overturned.
She never expected that the real He Jingyan would return and, seeing his wife become someone else's wife, would still protect her without hesitation!
What's so good about that scoundrel Song Xizhi?
She makes every man in the world fall for her!
Song Ruoan's eyes flashed with endless resentment, and she raised her voice with a cold laugh: "Heh, General He, you are truly great!"
"You almost sacrificed your life for your country, barely escaping with your life, only to have someone else take your place and enjoy your woman. In the end, you gained nothing!"
"General He, General He! Can you feel something warm on your head? Hahahaha! This is absolutely ridiculous!"
After saying this almost like a roar, Song Ruoan laughed so hard she almost cried.
Upon hearing this, He Jingyan clutched his chest, slowly rose from the ground, gritted his teeth, and knelt before the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
"I never imagined that after surviving so many close calls, I would receive the Buddha's blessing and be able to return alive."
"From the frontier to the capital, such a long journey, only two thoughts have sustained me: the first is for the country, and the second is for my family. Zhizhi has done so much, I cannot divorce her."
As He Jingyan spoke, he endured the pain all over his body and kowtowed heavily to the emperor.
Emperor Guangqi gripped the gavel tightly, then looked up at Pei Yunyi.
Pei Yunyi simply stood there, his eyes slightly lowered. No one could see the expression in his eyes, but from his taut jawline, one could tell that his emotions were a mixture of intense restraint and fierce control.
Emperor Guangqi remained silent for a long time, and the situation became extremely tense.
The Empress Dowager, who had been sitting to the side, was only now recovering from the shocking news. She looked at He Jingyan's face one moment and then at her own grandson, Pei Yunyi's face the next.
Her eyes held shock, confusion, and doubt, yet she was also moved by He Jingyan's words, her eyes glistening with tears.
Seeing that the emperor had not answered for a long time, she frowned slightly and looked in his direction.
So the Empress Dowager reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes with her handkerchief, and choked out, "I really never imagined that a story from a play would one day be played out before my eyes."
"I never expected that General He would go to such lengths for his wife. And Zhizhi, even after signing the divorce papers, still wants to be filial to her parents-in-law in the Marquis's mansion."
As the Empress Dowager spoke, she shook her head again and couldn't help but burst into tears: "I used to get along very well with her, and I even said before that I wanted to recognize her as my goddaughter."
"Since that's the case, then I, your humble servant, will grant them their long-awaited marriage today, and the divorce papers will be null and void..."
As the Empress Dowager spoke, she looked in Pei Yunyi's direction again, her eyes filled with deep affection and tenderness: "Since Yi'er was born, I have hardly seen him."
"I never imagined that this child would grow up so big and suffer so much. I truly knew nothing about it and am so ashamed before the late Empress!"
Pei Yunyi only slowly began to react after hearing the Empress Dowager's words.
He slightly raised his head, then knelt down again in the direction of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, his expression seemingly tinged with dejection: "I'm sorry, Grandmother, that old divorce agreement... I... I don't know where it is anymore..."
After Pei Yunyi finished speaking, the entire courtroom fell silent for a moment.
Before anyone else could speak, He Jingyan coughed lightly twice, then smiled weakly and said, "It's alright, Your Highness..."
"If there's a divorce agreement, then our marriage can be considered a remarriage. If there isn't, then it's as if we were ever divorced..."
As he spoke, he kept his eyes on Song Xizhi's direction: "A letter of divorce is nothing more than a painting in the palm of your hand. How can it sever our... childhood friendship?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi froze.
Pei Yunyi remained kneeling, his head bowed deeply, his fingers twitching slightly.
Then, with her eyes closed, she spoke, her voice somewhat trembling: "Ayan, what have you been through these past few days?"
"What exactly happened that day when you fell off the cliff?"
Upon hearing this, He Jingyan replied, "That day, after I fell off the cliff, I was slowed down by a few big trees on the edge of the cliff. I was rescued by a hunter from the border region at the bottom of the cliff."
"He took me back to his tribe and healed my injuries. Because I hit the back of my head on a rock when I fell off the cliff, I also temporarily lost my memory."
"After I recovered from my injuries, the hunter said that I was from the Central Plains and that I had to keep going east to get back to my hometown. So I kept going east without delay."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yunyi let out a soft sigh.
He was about to ask something more, but before he could speak, he saw He Jingyan suddenly clutch his chest and spit out another mouthful of blood.
Several gasps rang out from the scene, and Pei Yunyi instinctively stood up and walked to He Jingyan's side.
Seeing the world covered in crimson, Song Xizhi was about to rush forward to help, but then she heard He Jingyan's still gentle and polite voice.
Because there was blood in his mouth, his voice was somewhat indistinct:
"Your Highness, thank you for taking care of my wife. I am deeply grateful..."
Pei Yunyi felt his throat gradually become dry, and he said in a low voice:
"Feel sorry……"
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