"The reason I have hesitated to attack Daqing is because my wife and children are still in Daqing. My brother-in-law was once the Marquis of Dingyuan in Daqing." Gu Lin looked at Gu Heng's mouth and face, which were covered in blood, and a bloodthirsty sneer appeared on his lips.
"Otherwise, you would have become a king who lost his country long ago."
Another mouthful of blood escaped Gu Heng's lips, and he smiled blankly. So that's how it is!
No wonder, no wonder I gave Gu Qingyan a gift at my birthday banquet and attended a family dinner that evening.
No wonder Da Ning held back his troops after capturing Heng County and agreed to exchange Gu Qingyan for Gu Qingling.
This was all Gu Lin's scheme!
"I...I'm such a fool..."
Gu Heng swallowed the mouthful of blood, already struggling to breathe.
"Becoming the ruler of the Great Ning Kingdom... must be very, very difficult..." He was also an emperor and knew how difficult it was to be an emperor.
Moreover, Gu Lin became the king solely because he was the son of a princess.
Be careful... Be careful in everything.
“Very few people in Da Ning know my true identity, so Your Majesty need not worry about me.” A mocking smile appeared on Gu Lin’s face. “I just wanted to tell you.”
"The throne of Daqing back then was not something I couldn't obtain because I didn't want to fight for it."
"After you die, I will leave your body to rot in the wilderness, and then have a Taoist priest perform a ritual to ensure that you will never be reincarnated again and will forever carry your sins."
"Could you call me 'brother' one more time, Ah Lin?"
Even the sight of his body lying exposed in the wilderness didn't bother Gu Heng anymore; he only wanted Gu Lin to call him "brother."
"Call me brother again."
The deadly poison had spread to every corner of Gu Heng's body, and the excruciating pain was overwhelming, but Gu Heng seemed completely oblivious to it.
For a full half-incense stick's time, Gu Lin did not utter another word.
Gu Heng realized what was happening and gave a helpless twitch of his lips.
"When you were born, you were so tiny... so small. I held you in my arms and told myself that I must protect you. I... I broke my promise."
Two lines of tears slid down his cheeks, and Gu Heng's consciousness began to blur.
"Father!"
Suddenly, Gu Heng stretched out his hands toward the top of the bed curtains; his arms were thin and bony, with the bones clearly visible.
"Father, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong."
A few breaths later, Gu Heng's hands fell completely limp, and he stopped breathing. Only his eyes remained wide open.
Gu Lin slowly stretched out his hands and covered Gu Heng's eyes. The eyes closed, and the already broken brotherhood completely dissipated.
"My lord."
"Tell Ayu, and then find a corpse to exchange for Gu Heng."
He wanted Gu Heng to suffer the humiliation that A Yu had endured in her previous life a hundredfold.
As Gu Lin walked out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he suddenly staggered a few steps. Ling Hai wanted to reach out to help him, but Gu Lin waved his hand to stop him, saying, "I am fine."
......
Many long-buried memories flooded back, causing Gu Lin to furrow his brow in slight distress.
"Brother!" Six-year-old Gu Lin's favorite thing to do was follow Gu Heng around. "Brother, what happened to your hand? Did your mother punish you again?"
Gu Heng put his hands behind his back, a smile appearing on his face. "A-Lin, you sneaked out again? Did you go to the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence again?"
Gu Lin paused, his expression immediately wilting.
"Brother, I secretly ran away from the palace, please don't tell Father." Gu Heng was amused by Gu Lin. "Of course, I'm your older brother, so naturally I'll protect you."
The next morning, Gu Heng woke up to find a porcelain bottle beside his bed containing top-quality wound medicine, something his mother, as a concubine, could not obtain.
Thinking of the little one from yesterday, Gu Heng's heart melted.
He specially took the opportunity to sharpen a sword for the little one and gave it to Gu Lin. Gu Lin was so happy that he almost wanted to hug it and sleep.
As the images flashed by one after another, a sarcastic smile crept onto Gu Lin's lips.
How did they go from being such good brothers to being irreconcilable enemies?
Gu Lin's fingers curled uncontrollably, with white powder still remaining at his fingertips.
"Father," Gu Qingyan approached, "Is he... dead?"
Gu Lin nodded. "The next step is to start preparing for your coronation ceremony."
How did you determine that he would die today?
Gu Lin subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch Gu Qingyan's forehead, but withdrew his hand after realizing something. "Because he must die today."
Gu Heng must die in front of him in excruciating pain.
Gu Qingyan's pupils contracted as he understood the meaning behind Gu Lin's words.
"Father, let me stay with you."
“Ayan, go and keep your mother company. Soon all the civil and military officials will be entering the palace. You need to stay calm, especially at times like these.” A smile appeared in Gu Lin’s eyes. “If there are any troublesome issues, your father will handle them for you.”
Just like dealing with Gu Heng.
......
When news of Gu Heng's death spread, every household in Daqing hung up white cloth. Even though Gu Qingling was unwilling, she had to wear mourning clothes for Gu Heng and pretend to be heartbroken.
All the civil and military officials were dressed in white robes, but only Jiang Yu and Gu Qingyan were in the mourning hall.
"Mother, Gu Qingfeng and Gu Qingyao are outside."
Gu Qingyan's voice rang out, and Jiang Yu nodded in response, "You stay here and keep watch. I'll return to Zhaoning Palace first."
When passing by Gu Qingfeng and Gu Qingyao, Jiang Yu didn't even glance at them.
Inside Zhaoning Palace.
Jiang Yu looked at the phoenix coronet and wedding robes laid out before her, which she had worn when she was crowned empress, along with the imperial edict that had conferred her the title of empress, which lay quietly on the table.
She once longed for the day when she would rule the world as an empress, and wanted to make life better for the people of Daqing in her own way.
But in the end, it was all wishful thinking.
A few breaths later, Jiang Yu personally threw all of these things into the charcoal stove.
Watching these things slowly burn to ashes, Jiang Yu twitched the corner of her mouth. Gu Heng... was finally dead.
She had been waiting for this moment for so long, and when it finally arrived, all she wanted to do was laugh out loud.
The instigator who caused all the tragedies finally got what he deserved: he was abandoned by everyone and met a tragic end.
At the same time, in the mourning hall.
Gu Qingfeng lit three incense sticks for Gu Heng, while Gu Qingyao stood in front of the memorial tablet, hesitant to make a move.
"Father."
Gu Qingyao's expression was a mixture of joy and sorrow. "Do you think death would be a relief?"
If so, she also wants to be free.
If you did so many wrong things in your past life, can you erase them all after you die? No.
Gu Qingyao didn't even offer Gu Heng a stick of incense. She glanced at Gu Qingyan beside her and truly envied him, for he had never let his mother down.
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