Gu Lin had a very, very long dream, so long that he thought he would never wake up from it.
The scenes in my dreams are completely different from those in this life.
He still escaped death and became the ruler of the Great Ning Kingdom, but A Yu... was not the A Yu he knew.
In the dream, Ayu stepped in to protect Liu Feng, and for the sake of Gu Qingling and the other two, she completely broke with the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion. She was called a demon queen by the people of Daqing and never stepped out of Zhaoning Palace.
He could clearly see the ending of the dream: Ayu died.
She was ordered to commit suicide by a decree from Gu Qingling. On the day of her death, Gu Qingling, the other two, and Consort Rong's good intentions in teasing Ayu led to Ayu's death with resentment.
As for Ayan, he was killed by a thousand arrows while trying to collect Ayu's body.
Gu Lin's breathing became heavy. He desperately tried to break free from the shackles of the dream, his veins bulging. His wife and children were dead? What about him? Where was he?
The scenes in the dream seemed to sense something, and the images switched instantly.
He lay pale-faced on an ice bed, surrounded by a group of people kneeling around him, each of them sobbing uncontrollably.
A pattern of despair bloomed on the back of his hand, and a sense of despair rose in Gu Lin's heart. Why did the poison have to spread at this time?
"Ling Shan, where are you going?"
"The Emperor of Daqing poisoned the young master, and Your Majesty used your inner strength to save him for three whole days! Your Majesty is now..." Ling Shan's eyes were bloodshot, "Even if I die, I will kill the Emperor of Daqing with my own hands!"
Ling Shan strode out of the mourning hall, and then one...two...one after another, people followed Ling Shan out. Ling Hai was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head, trembling.
Gu Heng died, his life ended by Ling Shan's own blade, but Ling Shan also failed to survive this bloody battle.
Gu Qingling ascended the throne, and at the same time, Ling Hai, holding Gu Lin's token, mobilized the Da Ning army and led them to attack Da Qing. He wanted to follow Gu Lin's arrangements before his death to welcome his wife and young master back to Da Ning.
The hundreds of thousands of troops advanced with unstoppable momentum, marching all the way to the capital. But what awaited Ling Hai was devastating news: a traitor had emerged from among their people stationed in the capital!
Suddenly, Gu Lin opened his eyes, his whole body covered in cold sweat.
He was forced to see an alternate ending in his dream.
A suppressed growl rose up; he remembered that day when Ayu told him she was dead.
Does that mean that Ayu actually experienced the scene in her dream?
Hearing the commotion, Mei Chu rushed in and saw that Gu Lin's spirits had improved significantly compared to before, which made Mei Chu's expression even more serious.
This is probably the time for a final burst of energy before death...
"Relay my orders."
Gu Lin's calm yet authoritative voice rang out, and Mei Chu knelt down without a second thought.
"After my death, the news must be kept secret. The national mourning can only begin after the new emperor and empress dowager have been successfully brought back to Daning. I have only one son in my life, and you must do your best to assist him."
"Also, immediately conduct a thorough investigation of the people in the capital; there's a traitor among them." Gu Lin recalled his dream, "This person must be of high status and not an ordinary secret guard; they must have had access to..."
As he was speaking, Gu Lin suddenly fell silent, a perfect candidate appearing before his eyes.
The next second, a chill swept over them, and Mei Chu only heard one sentence: "Investigate Qin Wei for me."
Qin Wei was sent by Gu Lin to protect Gu Qingyan personally.
Mei Chu's pupils contracted sharply. Qin Wei was someone they all trusted implicitly. If something happened to Qin Wei... the consequences would be unimaginable.
......
When Jiang Yu arrived, Gu Lin was leaning against his pillow, taking a nap with his eyes closed.
"Jiang Ayu".
Without even opening his eyes, Gu Lin recognized Jiang Yu just by hearing her footsteps.
They were not calling for the Empress, but for Jiang Ayu.
Jiang Yu's eyes immediately reddened. She pursed her lips and sat on the edge of the bed. She had so much to say, but she didn't know where to begin.
"This time, I'm really going to die."
Gu Lin opened his eyes. That dream... he would call it his past life. In his past life, he waited his whole life for the opportunity to tell A Yu the truth, but the truth was never told until his death.
His wife and children were kept in the dark even after their deaths.
Waiting was the biggest mistake he made in his dream.
He never wants to experience that again in his life.
Gu Lin reached out as if to touch Jiang Yu's hair as he had when they were children, but then abruptly withdrew his hand. "Ayu, that night you were drunk and said you were dead. You even read to me the imperial edict that ordered your execution."
"sorry."
Gu Lin felt as if his heart was being pricked by needles. "I...failed to protect you and the child..."
Instantly, the jade pendant in Jiang Yu's hand fell to the ground with a clattering sound. Jiang Yu looked at Gu Lin in disbelief.
What did Gu Lin refer to himself just now? "The lonely one"?
Jiang Yu's eyelashes trembled as she watched Gu Lin take a bottle of ointment from beside his pillow and apply it to his face. A quarter of an hour later, a familiar face appeared before Jiang Yu.
"This scar..."
Gu Lin took out another mask, and after putting it on, Jiang Yu recognized Emperor Zhaoyuan in front of her.
"You are... the King of Da Ning?" Jiang Yu's mind went blank for a moment, only to see Gu Lin nod. "Gu Lin, Huo Xiang, Emperor Zhao Yuan, all of them are me."
“Back then, I was tricked by Gu Heng, but luckily I survived and eventually became the ruler of Da Ning.” Gu Lin looked into Jiang Yu’s eyes. “Ayu, I had a dream.”
"In the dream, you were killed by Gu Qingling."
Jiang Yu's expression was starting to falter, and she avoided Gu Lin's gaze.
"I failed to protect you."
Gu Lin bent over, sobbing, and buried his head in Jiang Yu's hands. The man, who hadn't shed a single tear despite being covered in scars, broke down in tears in front of Jiang Yu.
But for Gu Lin, at this moment he was completely immersed in the pain of losing his wife and children.
Jiang Yu looked down at Gu Lin, a bitter feeling spreading through her body. "That was just a dream."
“Not only did I fail to protect you, I also failed to protect Ayan.” Gu Lin reached out and grabbed Jiang Yu’s wrist. “Now I don’t have much time left, Ayu. This is the order to mobilize the Da Ning army. I can’t personally kill them for you.”
Jiang Yu held the transfer order in her hands, her heart trembling slightly.
Why did Gu Lin say he hadn't protected her...and Ayan?
The next second, Jiang Yu felt that Gu Lin's breathing was so light that it was almost stopped, and his voice was trembling.
“I am also Ayan’s biological father.”
In an instant, Jiang Yu felt a complete silence around her, with only Gu Lin's words filling her mind.
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