Zhao Jing was stunned for a moment, his heart suddenly touched. He looked at Jiang Tian: "...How do we back down? How do we give in?"
He thought the two of them could only remain in this state until one of them completely gave in, and he had a premonition that the one who gave in would always be him.
After all, Jiang Tian asked nothing of him, but he simply couldn't live without her.
Hearing that this woman was willing to compromise with him, he felt an absurd sense of emptiness, as if he were still in a dream.
Jiang Tian's tone finally softened.
"You've left me here, yet you can't find any fault with me. One day, it will be either you or me who dies. Do you like this ending? I don't."
“Let’s each take a step back. Your infatuation with me is nothing more than being attracted to your former dignified wife who has changed her appearance. As long as you don’t become obsessed, your interest in me will soon fade.”
Zhao Jing remained silent. He did not agree with the woman's guess. If it was just a fleeting interest, he would not have gone back on his word again and again, and become unlike himself time and time again.
But he listened anyway, wanting to see what kind of method this woman was looking for to ensure they both got what they wanted.
“I don’t want to say much about your marriage to the Empress. After all, I never considered you my true husband. What I wanted was a lifelong, monogamous relationship, which you can’t achieve in this lifetime.”
Zhao Jing's expression suddenly changed. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again. His mind was suddenly in turmoil.
“I won’t force you, so you can’t force me to give you my heart. Just as you can’t help but compromise for your political interests, I can’t do something against my conscience. Neither of us can give up our principles, so let’s each give way a little.”
"I don't care if you marry your empress, have children, or take concubines, but don't keep me in the palace anymore. I don't want to live in this confined space anymore. Just treat me as your mistress outside the palace. You can come to me anytime. We shouldn't bother each other."
After she finished speaking, Jiang Tian looked at him expectantly: "What do you think?"
What does he think?
Zhao Jing was almost laughing in anger at this woman. His gaze turned somewhat fierce as he swept it towards Jiang Tian, carrying a chilling intent.
"You want to ask me what I think? Then let me tell you, don't even think about leaving the palace. I do want to marry the Empress because I need an alliance and, more importantly, a child to inherit the throne. But those people are just tools to me. My heart will only belong to you, so you can only think of me."
His tone left no room for evasion or refusal.
He had long seen through this woman's scheme. After leaving the palace, she would have plenty of room to maneuver. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but rather that he was somewhat wary of her.
If she were an ordinary woman confined to her chambers, after experiencing such a upheaval, she would have already bowed her head and writh beneath him in pleasure.
But this woman not only refused to back down, her heart hardened, and she became increasingly veiled in hostility towards him.
She pretended to compromise with him, but in reality, she was looking for an opportunity to escape.
Once she leaves the palace, who knows if, in some unseen corner, someone will be willing to lend a helping hand and pull her out of this vortex, leaving him stuck in the same place?
The thought of that possibility filled Zhao Jing with a desire to destroy everything.
He could not let go, much less agree to this woman's demands; that would be digging his own grave.
After he refused, the softness in Jiang Tian's eyes vanished completely, and her gaze suddenly turned icy cold.
"So you really want me to grow old and die in the palace? You really want me to ruin myself beyond recognition and even pay with my life in a fight with others for a man I don't love?"
"Do you think others don't want my life? They just haven't found the opportunity! Just one gap and my life could be taken. And my death is all your fault. You're such a selfish person, wishing everyone would be buried with you, offering their bodies and souls to you, but what right do you have?"
"Zhao Jing, you disgust me."
Zhao Jing's eyes turned bloodshot: "You've finally said what's on your mind. You've always been disgusted by me, haven't you?"
“Yes,” Jiang Tian retorted, “I’m disgusted not only by you, but by everything you’ve done for me. Do you really think this place can hold me back? That’s ridiculous. Even if no one takes my life, when I realize that you’ll never care about my needs, I can make you regret it for the rest of your life.”
At this moment, Jiang Tian's tone suddenly softened: "Don't you know very well that if someone wants to die, they can always find a way? Unless you lock me up and turn me into a madwoman, making me forget about death, or tame me and make me your slave. But then the person you love will disappear."
Zhao Jing's face was contorted in pain, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
He had to admit that this woman had hit the nail on the head regarding his deepest worries.
The reason he had been taking such good care of Jiang Tian during this time was because he was afraid she would do something irrational, and even more afraid that she would go crazy and leave him forever.
She seized this opportunity and used it effectively, causing him to crumble completely.
An awkward silence spread between the two.
Zhao Jing had long realized that he had no way to truly tame this woman, and she would never compromise for him.
But this time, he still felt a strange pain.
This was the first time in his life he had cared so much for a woman, even to the point of wanting to cherish her in his heart, but she was always moving forward and never looked back at him.
It was as if all his efforts were just dust clinging to her feet, easily brushed away.
"What exactly do you want from me? You'll disappear after you leave the palace, and I know your methods all too well. Those two people spent one night with you and now they're practically at your beck and call. They're still testing me to let you out of the palace. How can I possibly let you go out of the palace with peace of mind?"
Jiang Tian sneered: "You can't have it all. You want to be the Empress, you want children, you want my true heart, and you want me to stay with you forever. How can you think you can get everything?"
Her voice sounded somewhat weak.
Zhao Jing remained silent.
How will you know you can't get it if you don't try?
He was a greedy man. If he weren't greedy, he wouldn't have had the ambition to conquer the world, let alone ascend the throne at such a young age.
"I can compromise for you. As long as you don't leave the palace, I can give you the rank of Imperial Concubine. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you."
"I don't want anything," Jiang Tian said without hesitation.
Unsurprisingly, the negotiations between the two broke down again.
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