Chapter 128 It's all over
Chu Yunjin raised her hand and cupped his face: "Yan Cang, if you keep painful things bottled up inside for too long, they will become inner demons that torment you day after day. You are so strong, you shouldn't be trapped by things that are already in the past... Besides, who knows if those things are true or false? Maybe it was just a dream."
Yan Cang pursed his lips and remained silent.
Chu Yunjin sat up and pulled Yan Cang out of bed as well: "If you really do have memories that don't belong to this life, just treat it as a dream. Anyway, we're doing very well in this life, aren't we? You haven't wronged me; on the contrary, I've been the one causing trouble all along—"
Yan Cang said, "You weren't the one causing trouble before."
Chu Yunjin's voice faltered, she bit her lip, and looked at him nervously: "You can't say things like that. If someone hears me, I could very well be burned at the stake as an evil spirit."
Yan Cang sighed softly, held her in his arms, and remained silent for a long time.
“You’re right. Because I was too powerless in my previous life, I made preparations in advance in this life. Even if it aroused my father’s suspicion, I didn’t care.” Yan Cang took a deep breath. “Back then, you were the empress, but we were both weak in the court. Our only support was Minister Chu. But Minister Chu was no match for the Prime Minister and the Duke of Dingguo when they joined forces. He was quickly found to be corrupt and imprisoned. Then the Prime Minister and the Duke of Dingguo forced me to depose the empress.”
Chu Yunjin hugged him tightly: "And then?"
"I..." Yan Cang's voice was hoarse and filled with pain, "I demoted you to the rank of Imperial Concubine and made Wen Jingsheng the Empress."
Chu Yunjin listened quietly, thinking about Wen Jingsheng's feelings for Yan Cang, and her hostility towards her... Yan Cang wasn't the only one who loved deeply; Wen Jingsheng did too.
But a relationship between two people cannot accommodate a third person.
Chu Yunjin pondered: if Wen Jingsheng had also married Yan Cang in her previous life, was her marriage to the Prince of Jin in this life out of necessity? She clearly still loved Yan Cang, so she obviously didn't marry the Prince of Jin willingly—well, Lao Yue had also said that the Princess Consort of Jin had always admired Yan Cang, and her marriage to the Prince of Jin was not her own choice.
The reason why people's paths diverge in past and present lives is mostly because the people who make the decisions are different.
Therefore, Chu Yunjin was almost certain that Wen Jingsheng's marriage to the Prince of Jin in this life was definitely related to Yan Cang.
Based on her years of experience reading novels, Chu Yunjin automatically pieced together half of the novel's ending. She whispered in Yan Cang's arms, "After Wen Jingsheng became Empress, was she still not satisfied and took pleasure in tormenting me every day?"
That's how it's written in the books.
The villain constantly harasses the female lead, regardless of the reason, even creating one if there is none.
Moreover, Chu Yunjin is deeply loved by Yan Cang, which is enough to arouse the strongest jealousy and revenge of another woman.
Yan Cang's body tensed instinctively: "You..."
"I don't remember." Chu Yunjin broke free from his embrace. "But I can imagine it, because they are all common palace intrigue tactics."
Yan Cang's gloomy and bewildered expression froze slightly at her words.
He looked at her hesitantly: "Common palace intrigue tactics?"
“Yes, it’s either for the sake of favor or for power.” Chu Yunjin said casually, which was completely different from Yan Cang’s sad and painful expression. “I guess after Wen Jingsheng became empress, she will definitely try to torment me every day. Unfortunately, you, as emperor, have no foundation and are hindered by the prime minister and the Duke of Dingguo in the court, so you can’t stand up for me. Moreover, Wen Jingsheng’s status as empress is higher than that of the imperial concubine. She has the right to manage the concubines in the harem. She can torture people to death with just a little excuse.”
Yan Cang looked at her with a pained expression.
Chu Yunjin smiled and said, "Why don't you just tell me how she tortured me afterwards?"
“She…” Yan Cang lowered his head, seemingly unable to look at her, “She found an excuse to punish you with confinement, giving you only one meal every three days, and then…”
Chu Yunjin guessed: "And then I starved to death?"
That's ruthless enough.
The palace has no shortage of food, yet Wen Jingsheng treats her with this method of starvation, making her suffer a death by starvation.
While there were certainly more methods of tormenting people than this, starvation combined with other punishments, such as beatings, forced kneeling, confinement, and psychological despair, made it quite normal for a woman in the inner palace of ancient times to be tormented to death.
Yan Cang's face was very pale, as if he was immersed in painful memories.
After a long while, he nodded almost imperceptibly: "Mm."
Chu Yunjin hugged him tightly: "It's all over now."
Yan Cang pursed his lips and remained silent, a dull ache throbbing in his heart.
Based on Chu Yunjin's years of experience reading novels, most of those who can be reborn after death are people with pain or hatred in their hearts, especially those who have been betrayed in love and deeply hurt by the people they loved in their previous life.
Because of a deep-seated obsession, he was reborn.
Although both the scumbag and the bitch are the culprits, the primary target for revenge is clearly the "scumbag," followed by the other female villains and scheming women.
Does Chu Yunjin's lack of that memory prove that she died without resentment?
At least she probably didn't harbor any resentment towards Yan Cang.
On the contrary, Yan Cang was unable to get out of his pain and regret, which is why he had the opportunity to be reborn.
Chu Yunjin remained silent for a long time before replying: "Yan Cang."
Yan Cang stared at her in a daze.
"If we were to go back to the same situation we were in before, with the exact same experiences and the exact same people, do you think you would be able to solve the problem you faced back then?"
Chu Yunjin asked him, "Without martial arts skills, without military power, and without any memories of this life, you're still in the same situation as before. It's like giving you a second chance. Do you think you have a chance to win and protect us unharmed?"
Yan Cang lowered his eyes, his face deathly pale.
“I don’t think it’s possible,” Chu Yunjin said. “One person’s ability cannot contend with two families, especially with a hasty ascension to the throne. It might not even be possible to distinguish who the truly loyal ministers are. Powerful ministers in the court can control everything. Even if there are ministers loyal to the new emperor, they wouldn’t dare to openly oppose them… This is not your fault…”
“If we were back in that situation, I wouldn’t want that chair again.” Yan Cang hugged her tightly and said softly, “Let whoever wants to be emperor be emperor, we just need to live our own lives.”
Chu Yunjin hummed in agreement: "But in this life, you have absolute military power and have made plans in advance. You will definitely be able to protect me, right?"
Yan Cang nodded: "Mm."
"Then I want to be the Empress," Chu Yunjin said softly. "And the harem must only contain me. You are not allowed to marry other women. You must make up for the grievances I have suffered."
Yan Cang was silent for a moment, then let out a very soft voice: "Fine, just you, and I'll make you the empress, and grant you a life of wealth and honor."
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