Gan Lin was most afraid of Princess Duanrong mentioning this, and he immediately became restless.
Gan Qiongying slammed her hand on the table again and said to Gan Lin, "What are you afraid of? Look at me!"
“You clearly don’t love me, yet you’ve done so much for me, even drinking poison for me.” Gan Qiongying reached out again and grabbed Gan Lin’s hand, saying, “Then do you know what I’ve done for you?”
"In order to prevent Jinchuan and Jingxi from joining forces and threatening your position, I didn't hesitate to lose face and chase after the hostage from Jinchuan. It became a public spectacle, and everyone in the neighborhood laughed at me. I was practically the laughing stock of the entire Nanzhao!"
"You think I really love that arrogant hostage?"
Gan Lin shuddered, his expression pained.
Gan Qiongying then said, "But what does it matter? My reputation has never been important to me. Do you really think those male concubines in my backyard are male concubines?"
“They are all pawns I have secretly cultivated and can use. I have already dug up the underground of the princess’s mansion. Do you know what I used them for? I used them to stockpile private troops.”
"This is a capital offense punishable by being torn apart by chariots!"
"You gave me eighteen shadow guards, and I stockpiled over two thousand absolutely loyal elite guards for you. Guess what I'm going to use them for? It's all in case of a palace coup someday, hoping to save your life!"
Gan Lin's lips trembled violently. He was a little afraid to listen to anything more, but he gritted his teeth and looked up at Gan Qiongying with a look that clearly wanted to know everything.
Gan Qiongying chuckled and continued, "In order to gather these people, I ruined my reputation for life. In order to have some capable people in various places, I colluded with court officials and accepted bribes."
“All of this is nothing…you know?” Gan Qiongying looked at Gan Lin, and at this moment she seemed to have become Duanrong, but she was also saying the words that Princess Duanrong would never say to Gan Lin, even if she died.
“I even tried to seduce the Regent, drugged him, and got pregnant with his child, all so that he would help you in court, or at least make things difficult for you.”
Gan Qiongying's eyes were already wet after she finished speaking.
Upon hearing this, Gan Lin suddenly stood up from the table, knocking over the low table between the two of them with a loud bang.
Gan Lin felt as if his heart had been squeezed and burst. He stared at Gan Qiongying with wide, trembling eyes, his teeth chattering, and his eyes bloodshot.
That devilish Regent...did he lay a hand on my elder sister?
how so!
"How could this happen..." Gan Lin's voice was hoarse, as if it had been rubbed by sand and gravel, and every word he uttered contained a broken soul.
Gan Qiongying's intention was to provoke Gan Lin and make him know everything, but she did not expect Gan Lin's reaction to be so strong.
Especially after she... mentioned the Regent?
Gan Qiongying had a very bad feeling, but she couldn't ask that now. The most important thing now was to make Gan Lin understand that they had no other choice.
Therefore, Gan Qiongying pretended to be relaxed, with a "what's the use" attitude: "Sit down and talk. What's so shocking about this? As long as it can make you live like a human being, I would do it right now, even if it meant taking a knife and dying together with the Empress Dowager!"
Gan Lin trembled all over, tears streaming down her face in fear and silence.
Gan Qiongying pulled him down to sit, kneaded his overly tense, almost spasming shoulders, and smoothed the horribly twisted veins on his neck.
Gan Qiongying felt she had given him enough of the stimulation, so she softened her voice and coaxed him, "Chang Sheng Nu, do you know how worried I am that you are in the palace, like you are in a tiger's den? Every time I dream of you, I dream of you. How many times have I dreamed of a great fire breaking out in the palace?"
"You are in the fire, and you want me to leave, but I can't save you at all."
Gan Qiongying reached out and took Gan Lin's hand, but there was no hint of affection or ambiguity in it.
"I've always doted on you since I was little, can you dote on me just this once?"
"I'm tired of seeing the Empress Dowager's deadpan face. The court is in turmoil, with power struggles and evil infighting."
"I'm tired of being a princess, and you never wanted to be emperor anyway, so why don't we go together, okay?"
Every word Gan Qiongying said from beginning to end, although intended to provoke Gan Lin, was not a lie.
Not a single word.
All of these were the actions of Princess Duanrong, obsessions buried deep in her soul that she couldn't take with her even in death.
Gan Qiongying stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and hugged Gan Lin. Gan Lin cried uncontrollably, but this time she couldn't make a sound.
He had no idea... he had no idea that his sister had gone to such lengths for him.
But if he had known earlier... what could he have done if he had known earlier?
He could only send his sister some ordinary gifts, hoping to repair their relationship and maintain a balance between them.
But is there really a balance between them?
They were both giving their all so that the other could have a good life.
Gan Lin felt like he was dreaming, and he reached out to hug Gan Qiongying back.
His voice was also hoarse. Gan Lin never had the voice of a young man. He had been fed poison by the Empress Dowager for many years, and his voice was basically like that of a middle-aged man in his forties.
His tears slid silently down his face, like two winding streams, yet also like two pools of lava, almost corroding his skull.
He asked Gan Qiongying, "Did he...did he do anything to you...?"
Gan Lin seemed hesitant to speak, her eyelids twitching slightly before she gritted her teeth and said, "The Regent...did he...?"
"No."
Gan Qiongying felt Gan Lin's body trembling violently again. She knew that the Regent had bullied Gan Lin in the plot, but she didn't know the specifics. However, the fact that Gan Lin was so frightened meant that the Regent had definitely not done anything good.
Gan Qiongying made many guesses, but now was not a good time to ask Gan Lin.
He quickly interrupted Gan Lin's misunderstanding, saying, "He didn't do anything to me. He wouldn't dare to do anything to me. When I go crazy, I don't care whether he's the Regent or not."
"I tried to drug him but failed, and that's how we ended up falling out."
Gan Qiongying said, "Furthermore, I've discovered something new: drugging the Regent or getting pregnant with his child is simply not an option."
"I'll tell you the reasons in detail later," Gan Qiongying knelt down in front of Gan Lin, cupped his face in her hands, and wiped away his tears.
He said, "Don't be afraid, Changsheng Nu. I have over 800,000 taels of silver in my hands, and I have also gathered all the capable people around me."
“My elder sister can’t protect your throne. I don’t have the ability to let you stay in the palace unharmed. And that madwoman Kou Ning’an won’t allow you to stay unharmed either.”
"Would you like to come with your sister?" Gan Qiongying said. "Let's make a good plan. We're sure we can escape from here. After that, we can live in hiding and have a carefree life. To hell with the emperor and princess!"
"Let's be an ordinary couple, a regular brother and sister, okay?"
Gan Lin was completely exhausted; if it weren't for Gan Qiongying supporting him, he would have collapsed to the ground.
His eyes welled up with tears, and after blinking hard, he looked at Gan Qiongying and nodded.
Then he grabbed Gan Qiongying's hand, nodded firmly, and said, "Okay."
"Let's go."
Gan Lin shouted hoarsely, "Let's go!"
Gan Qiongying's heart sank heavily.
The stagnant air around them began to move slowly.
She collapsed to the ground, exhausted, her back covered in cold sweat and her limbs feeling weak.
She simply lay down on the ground, right next to Gan Lin.
Gan Lin slowly lay down as well.
Just like when I was a child, watching the stars and the moon with Princess Duanrong in the palace.
The two stood side by side, gazing at the magnificent dragon carvings on the emperor's bedchamber.
The sun outside was at its highest point.
Gan Qiongying closed her eyes and listened intently. Outside the window, it seemed as if birds were flapping their wings and chirping, soaring towards the sky.
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