The Empress Dowager laughed maniacally and glanced at the head on the ground.
Gu Jiangli was not surprised by what the Empress Dowager said. She did not believe the Empress Dowager's words, nor did she think that she would tell the truth so easily.
Besides wanting to give the Empress Dowager a little shock, I also wanted to get closer to her so that I could use the system to explore her memories.
No one else in the world knows Yufei's last words.
Since the Empress Dowager was unwilling to tell the truth, she used other methods to obtain it.
She called out to Zizai in her mind, ready to borrow Zizai's power.
[Darling, currently the system can only send memories through dreams, meaning you'll have to fall asleep next to the Empress Dowager.]
"Your system needs an upgrade," Gu Jiangli said helplessly.
Just then, the Empress Dowager suddenly rushed to the door, seemingly to check the time outside.
She laughed maniacally: "It's time! It's time!"
Gu Jiangli was wondering what time it was when she saw the Empress Dowager quickly close the door, then hurried back into the room, staring intently at Gu Jiangli with her vicious eyes.
"I had planned that once the fire got bigger, you would be too weak to escape after eating the vegetables, and I would run out and watch you burn alive. But you were so irresponsible!"
Her fierce appearance was completely different from her usual self.
"Gu Jiangli, I've figured it out. It's enough that the emperor is suffering. Whether I can live to watch him suffer is completely unimportant!"
Gu Jiangli lowered her eyes slightly; she seemed to understand what the Empress Dowager was going to do.
Even so, she did not stop it.
The Empress Dowager swiftly pulled a tinderbox from her sleeve, removed her cap, and in the blink of an eye, the tinderbox ignited.
"Let us die together, together with our brother! Let the emperor collect our three corpses!"
With that, she loosened her grip with one hand, and the tinderbox fell to the ground.
Although Gu Jiangli took the candlestick, the fuse on the ground remained.
The open flame encountered the insidious mixture of kerosene and cotton wool, and in the blink of an eye, the fire spread from the ground to all four corners of the room.
The room was filled with wood and curtains; if left unattended, Cixi Palace would soon be reduced to ruins.
The Empress Dowager laughed wildly and quickly wrapped Gu Jiangli and herself together with long strips of thin cloth.
She was incredibly strong and determined to destroy Gu Jiangli along with her.
"Gu Jiangli, don't even think about running away! If I don't survive, neither will you!"
Gu Jiangli silently rolled her eyes.
She didn't intend to run away; she still needed to stay by the Empress Dowager's side to review her memories.
"Zizai, I want to see the Empress Dowager's memories. How long do I need to be in a coma?"
[Honey, memories are short; you'll wake up in two minutes at most.]
Two minutes is enough.
At worst, she could wake up, knock the Empress Dowager unconscious, and run away. She was quite confident that she could knock out the Empress Dowager and escape.
But she needs to hurry.
Because she already understood when the Empress Dowager meant "it's time."
It is now the time when the emperor is leaving court.
The Empress Dowager simply wanted the Emperor to witness once again the person he cared about being consumed by fire, so she deliberately chose this time.
Ideally, one should wake up before the emperor arrives.
She didn't want the emperor to see this scene of raging fire again.
Gu Jiangli sat down on the ground without a care in the world, showing no sign of nervousness or fear.
Her leisurely and carefree expression even made the Empress Dowager a little suspicious.
"Aren't you afraid of death?" the Empress Dowager asked in shock, the firelight now making their faces glow red.
Gu Jiangli shrugged: "Yes, I am scared, but I know I won't die."
After she finished speaking, she closed her eyes with a clear conscience and stopped paying attention to the Empress Dowager's madness.
These were memories assigned to her by the system, and she fell asleep especially quickly.
The Empress Dowager was utterly shocked. "You're insane! You're still sleeping! Gu Jiangli, you should have struggled to die! Get up!"
She started shaking Gu Jiangli's shoulders, but Gu Jiangli was fast asleep and showed no signs of waking up.
Gu Jiangli couldn't sense the Empress Dowager's actions towards her because she had reappeared in her familiar memories.
Just like the Cixi Palace at this time, she was still surrounded by flames.
One of the thickest beams in the Mingyang Hall has collapsed.
Thick smoke billowed and flames filled the air.
The house was filled with ashes, and she could even glimpse what the ruins would look like the next day.
Consort Yu stood in the room, holding her child, her face expressionless, the room seemingly deathly still.
At that time, the Empress Dowager, who was still Consort Yun, stood outside the house. Her hands were empty, and she looked smug, with the air of a petty person who had achieved her goal.
It is clear that the little prince has already been thrown into the fire.
Consort Yu was utterly despondent. She smiled bitterly for a long time, her eyes lifeless, devoid of any desire to live.
Consort Yu turned her head slightly, looked at the crying little emperor in the distance, moved her lips, and uttered a sentence.
This is the moment!
Gu Jiangli listened attentively and with utmost focus, not daring to lose her attention for even a moment.
She was absolutely certain that Consort Yu would not resent the Emperor, absolutely not!
At that moment, a desperate, hoarse whisper reached her ears:
"Ah Yao, I've broken my promise. I can't take you out of the palace to have fun."
Consort Yun's eyes widened in shock, and she looked at Consort Yu as if she were a monster.
Upon arriving here, a look of shock and astonishment appeared on her face for the first time.
Gu Jiangli was terrified and almost burst into tears.
Before coming, she had considered many possibilities—
Perhaps Consort Yu was making her final arrangements, perhaps she was telling the young emperor to live well, or perhaps she was comforting him and telling him not to be sad.
Gu Jiangli made many guesses, but she never expected that at this moment, Consort Yu would actually be blaming herself.
Consort Yu did not hear the young emperor's explanation, but she believed that he was not the kind of person who would do anything to harm others.
She didn't believe the malicious words spoken by Consort Yun, and she believed more the little emperor as she knew him.
The kindest person, even on their deathbed, was apologizing for failing to keep their promise.
This makes one feel as if a heavy stone is pressing on their chest.
Consort Yu once again walked into the fire in front of Gu Jiangli, her back view resolute yet tragic.
The young emperor screamed and cried outside, but his helpless cries were swallowed up by the roar of the fire.
Gu Jiangli felt increasingly distressed.
The emperor's lifelong suffering began here.
Consort Yu's suicide was undoubtedly the most painful blow to him.
"How could such a good person end up like this?" Gu Jiangli murmured, choking back tears.
After speaking softly, she turned and glared at Consort Yun.
Consort Yun's face was red and bright under the flames, her eyes filled with a thirst for power and a sense of relief at the death of her enemy.
It's all because of her.
Gu Jiangli's gaze turned cold.
Consort Yun is extremely vicious. If it weren't for her, none of this suffering would have happened!
She's the one who deserves to die the most!
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