Gu Zhixing stared at her intently, then suddenly smiled.
That smile was not the perfect mask she wore in front of the Crown Prince; instead, it carried a hint of weariness, a touch of madness, and a resoluteness that she couldn't decipher.
“On the contrary, Tangtang,” he said softly, raising his hand to stroke her cheek, “I have never been as clear-headed as I am now.”
His fingertips were icy cold, but his eyes were frighteningly hot.
Shen Jintang saw something terrifying in that gaze—not uncontrolled rage, but a refined, pure killing intent.
"Ye Qingzhou will not have died in vain." Gu Zhixing's voice was soft, but every word was like a knife. "Does the Crown Prince think that he can rest easy by taking away the power to investigate the case? He is wrong."
The sound of eunuchs changing shifts came from afar. Gu Zhixing immediately composed himself and regained his calm and restrained demeanor.
Only Shen Jintang could see the undercurrent surging in his eyes.
"Let's go." He straightened his sleeves, the bloodstains perfectly hidden in the folds. "We still need to go to the Dali Temple today; there are some files that need to be organized."
Shen Jintang hesitated for a moment, then finally just nodded.
Looking at Gu Zhixing's straight back, she vaguely recalled the boy who picked flowers for her in the Imperial Garden many years ago, his smile so bright it was dazzling.
Gu Zhixing now seems to have had his outer shell forcibly peeled off, revealing his sharp inner core.
Outside the palace gates, their carriages waited quietly.
Before getting into the car, Gu Zhixing suddenly turned around and glanced at the majestic palace walls, the sunlight casting deep shadows in his eyes.
“Do you know,” he said softly, “that I asked Qingzhou to check the ledgers, and the last ledger he gave me clearly stated where the silver went, right there in the East Palace.”
Shen Jintang gasped: "So his death..."
“It wasn’t an accident, it was to silence her,” Gu Zhixing calmly replied. “And the Crown Prince’s attitude today is the best proof of that.”
The carriage moved slowly along the wet streets, the sound of its wheels rolling over the puddles monotonous and dull.
Gu Zhixing leaned against the car wall, closed his eyes to rest, as if the person who had just spoken was not him.
Shen Jintang gazed at his calm face and suddenly realized—this was neither a breakdown nor a forced act.
Gu Zhixing has truly changed. He has forged all his pain into weapons and transformed every bit of hatred into power.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
