Chapter 72 A Shocking Secret: "If she wants to kneel, let her kneel!"
Zhu Yin followed Yun Ke to the Imperial Hospital to get medicine.
Before figuring out what to do, do your best to save the child.
After they left, Gu Xi leaned against the bed frame, staring blankly ahead.
"His Majesty has arrived!" Zhao Fuquan's voice came from outside, but Gu Xi didn't hear it.
She only came to her senses slightly when the door was pushed open.
Xiao Heng stood inside the doorway, his gaze fixed on Gu Xi's unfocused pupils. He clenched his fists and looked at her coldly. "You remember now, don't you?"
Gu Xi opened her mouth, wanting to tell him about the child, but the words caught in her throat.
The coldness in his eyes made her realize that the more he hated her, the more he hated her child.
Xiao Heng looked at her coldly and cruelly ordered, "Zhao Fuquan, proclaim the imperial decree: the execution will take place in three days!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhao Fuquan glanced at Gu Xi, bowed his head in agreement, and quietly closed the door before leaving.
Gu Xi suddenly realized what he was saying, and with a start, she jumped up and cried out in a panic, "No!"
She walked quickly to him, her hand instinctively reaching out to grasp his sleeve before she pulled it back. In the end, she simply looked up and pleaded, "Please, don't kill him, okay?"
Xiao Heng sneered, his eyes fixed on her. "Beg me? How will you beg?"
She actually had to beg him for Bai Xingzhi's sake!
Gu Xi clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, feeling lost and helpless.
Xiao Heng suddenly raised his hand and grasped her chin, looking down at her. "Don't know how? How about I teach you?" His Adam's apple bobbed a few times. "To please me."
Gu Xi froze, staring at him in disbelief. At that moment, she felt her dignity being trampled underfoot.
She couldn't help but ask herself, did he ever really love her?
If you loved her, how could you bear to treat her like this?
Was it all just wishful thinking on her part from beginning to end?
Gu Xi suddenly chuckled softly, suppressing the humiliation in her heart, she raised her hand to hook his neck, stood on tiptoe and offered her lips.
Xiao Heng's eyes darkened suddenly. The softness on her lips, mixed with the saltiness of her tears, stirred a subtle pain in his heart. He pushed her away abruptly, his voice filled with pain and anger, "Would you do anything for him?"
Gu Xi looked up at him, but her eyes were empty, devoid of any emotion. Her voice seemed to drift from afar, "Your Majesty, can we let him go like this?"
From then on, she considered her Ah Heng dead; from that moment on, he was the king, and she was the queen, nothing more.
Xiao Heng was stunned for a moment. "What did you call me?" His voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Your Majesty, is it possible to let him go like this?" Gu Xi seemed not to hear him and repeated herself.
"Don't even think about it!" Xiao Heng said angrily, clenching his fists and leaving Weiyang Palace without looking back.
Gu Xi collapsed to the ground.
After a long while, she finally managed to walk step by step to the bed, lay down, and tears slid down her cheeks.
She couldn't fall; she had to save Bai Xingzhi.
Gu Xi wiped away her tears and forced herself to leave Weiyang Palace. She was going to find Consort Xu to see if Yao Yao had any ideas.
Along the way, news of Bai Xingzhi's impending execution had already spread throughout the palace. It seemed the imperial edict had been issued, and Yao Yao must have known about it as well.
When they reached the vicinity of the rockery in the Imperial Garden, someone suddenly pulled her in. Gu Xi was startled and was about to shout when the person quickly covered her mouth.
"Miss Gu, excuse me, it's me." The man was dressed as a guard. He raised his head slightly, revealing his face under the brim of his hat, and then removed the hand that was covering Gu Xi.
Gu Xi's eyes widened, and she asked uncertainly in a low voice, "Lu...Lu Feng?" The person who came was actually Bai Xingzhi's bodyguard.
"Miss Gu still remembers me, that's wonderful." Lu Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Xi asked in a low voice, "Did you come here to see me? How did you get in?"
“Young Master left a trail beforehand, and they helped me get in.” Lu Feng took out a letter from his pocket. “Miss Gu, to make a long story short, this letter was given to me by Steward Bai. He said that if you can persuade Young Master to save himself, you can keep the contents of this letter to yourself. If you cannot, you can also inform the Emperor of the contents of this letter. Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope.”
But perhaps the consequences would be worse, he didn't dare say that, they were just desperate and grasping at straws.
"Okay, I understand. Be careful on your way back." Gu Xi was a little worried that he would be discovered.
"Yes, burn this letter after you finish reading it," Lu Feng instructed.
Gu Xi's heart skipped a beat; she had a gut feeling that the letter contained some earth-shattering secret.
After Lu Feng left, she looked around to make sure no one was there before heading towards Weiyang Palace.
When she returned to Weiyang Palace, she found that Zhu Yin had already returned and was preparing medicine for her.
Gu Xi closed the door tightly and unfolded the letter.
She scanned the words one by one, her breath hitched, her pupils contracted sharply, her fingertips trembled slightly, and a storm raged within her.
It turns out that Bai Xingzhi is actually... the late emperor's son.
Bai Xingzhi's birth mother, Consort Lan, was framed by the former Empress, now the Empress Dowager, and demoted to a palace maid. When Bai Xingzhi was born, the Empress Dowager killed Consort Lan and abducted Bai Xingzhi; everyone in the palace believed that Consort Lan and her child had died in childbirth. On the same day, Xiao Heng was also born, so the Empress Dowager decided to kill Bai Xingzhi. Fortunately, he was rescued by Steward Bai, who was working as a guard in the palace at the time, and taken out of the palace.
Bai Xingzhi once told her when he was in Shuangxi Village that his mother died when he was born and that he had no father.
It turns out that his mother was Consort Lan from back then, and his father was the late emperor.
Gu Xi took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and quickly put the letter into the charcoal brazier to burn.
She'll go to the prison now. If Bai Xingzhi can save himself, that would be best. Otherwise, she can't be sure whether Xiao Heng will let him go or kill him after she tells him the contents of the letter.
Lu Feng and the others probably had no other choice but to bring this up. They should also know that fortune and misfortune are unpredictable.
This step should not be taken unless absolutely necessary.
As soon as Gu Xi left Weiyang Palace, it started snowing again, and the weather was getting colder day by day.
She finally made it to the prison, but this time she couldn't get in.
As she paced anxiously back and forth in front of the prison, she looked up and saw Xiao Heng standing in the wind and snow, looking at her with a cold expression.
He strode up to her, his voice devoid of emotion, "Didn't you want to see him? I'll take you to see him." With that, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the cell where Bai Xingzhi was imprisoned.
Gu Xi remembered that she was pregnant and followed carefully behind.
Bai Xingzhi, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed against the wall, opened them upon hearing the noise.
As they approached the iron railing, Gu Xi was about to speak when Xiao Heng suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and, in front of Bai Xingzhi, leaned down and kissed her deeply.
Gu Xi's eyes widened, a strong sense of shame spreading throughout her body. She tried to push and pound him away, but he only held her waist tighter, his fingertips running through her hair, wantonly entwining his lips and tongue with hers.
Gu Xi cried out in humiliation and bit him haphazardly. A salty, fishy taste immediately filled her mouth. Xiao Heng released her in pain, but the hand on his waist still held her captive.
He cupped her cheek in his palm and wiped the blood from her lips with his fingertips. Tears and blood dripped from her eyes down his palm. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you hate me now? You two, who love each other, finally managed to get rid of me and be together. Do you wish I could never find you again?"
Gu Xi pushed him away with all her might, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. She didn't say a word, nor did she dare to look at Bai Xingzhi. She turned and staggered out of the cell, and a disheveled and broken sob echoed from the dark passageway of the cell.
Xiao Heng closed his eyes and his throat bobbed a few times.
Bai Xingzhi opened his eyes after hearing her leave, and said with a pained expression, "You shouldn't have treated her like that. Even if she has amnesia, she still loves you."
Xiao Heng snorted coldly, his voice hard, "How I treat her is none of your business!"
She loves him? How could she possibly love him?
Even his father and mother, who gave birth to him, didn't love him, so how could she possibly love him?
His father personally poisoned him, his mother pressed him into the icy river to suffocate him, and his ninth brother pushed him off a cliff to fight with tigers and wolves. They all hated him and wanted him dead!
No one in this world will ever love him!
Bai Xingzhi continued to advise, "Don't regret it someday, just like me."
"I...have no regrets!" Xiao Heng said resolutely, then turned and left the prison.
***
Gu Xi wandered aimlessly through the palace, unsure of what to do next.
She knew she had to save Bai Xingzhi, but she was so tired.
She wiped away her tears, squatted in the snow to catch her breath, and prepared to go find Xiao Heng again. He should have returned to the Qianqing Palace by now.
Walking down the street, she suddenly remembered that he had told her not to go to the Qianqing Palace. Her eyes dimmed, and she wondered if she would be able to get in to see him.
When they arrived at the Qianqing Palace, they ran into Xiao Heng at the entrance. He must have just returned from prison as well.
Gu Xi's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked towards him, pleading softly, "Your Majesty, what will it take for you to let him go?"
Xiao Heng glanced into the Qianqing Palace, then looked down at her indifferently before continuing to walk into the palace.
As Gu Xi watched his departing figure, she suddenly knelt down in the snow with a thud. Xiao Heng stiffened at the sound, turned around abruptly to look at her, his eyes filled with shock and anger.
"I beg Your Majesty for mercy," Gu Xi said, her voice choked with sobs.
Xiao Heng took two steps forward, his eyes bloodshot, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Who are you doing this for? For Yu Xinyao or for yourself?"
Gu Xi remained silent; she could not refute it.
This time, she did it for herself.
If it weren't for Bai Xingzhi, she would already be dead.
During her time in the valley, when she was on the verge of death and when she went blind, he cared for her day and night. In those days when she was helpless and alone, he gave her shelter and companionship. Even if she didn't love him, it was still an inseparable emotion.
Xiao Heng looked at her in silence and suddenly chuckled softly.
She really did love him.
The two remained locked in a standoff.
Seeing that the snow was falling heavier and heavier and the cold was biting, Zhao Fuquan quickly advised from the side, "Your Highness, it's freezing cold. Please get up and take care of yourself."
Xiao Heng clenched his fists and said something almost cruel, “If she wants to kneel, let her kneel!” After saying that, he turned around, glanced to the side, and stepped into the Qianqing Palace.
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