Gu Heng's eyes widened suddenly, but he still couldn't make out the person's appearance.
The voice was so familiar that Gu Heng was momentarily hesitant to recognize it.
"What? My royal brother doesn't recognize me?"
More than a decade later, Gu Lin reappeared before Gu Heng under his true identity.
"You are Gu Lin!"
Gu Heng waved his hands wildly, "You're not dead! You're still hiding in Daqing! What exactly do you want?"
Gu Lin waved his hand in front of Gu Heng's eyes, but Gu Heng did not react at all.
"Your Majesty is too kind," Gu Lin said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Your Majesty has appointed my son as Crown Prince, what more could I possibly do? I've come to thank you."
"You!" Gu Heng was devastated; he never expected that Gu Lin was not dead at all.
A few breaths later, Gu Heng gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"It's good that you're alive, so you can help the Crown Prince a bit more."
He was already a dying man anyway, and with the throne passing to Gu Qingyan, Gu Lin's existence would only make Daqing stronger.
only......
"The throne that I seized from you, I never imagined that it would be returned to you in another way in the end."
"I have been poisoned by my own son, and my eyesight has failed me. I deserve this fate." Gu Heng paused. "Ayu... I am sorry for her."
"You are not worthy to call her that."
Upon hearing Jiang Yu's name, Gu Lin's aura suddenly changed, and countless pressures crashed down on Gu Heng, who couldn't help but reach out and cover his chest.
“But she is my Empress!” Gu Heng said with difficulty. “After the Crown Prince ascends the throne, she will be the Empress Dowager. As the Empress Dowager of Daqing, she cannot… cannot do anything that would damage the reputation of the Daqing royal family.”
"Tch—" Gu Lin's mockery made Gu Heng's face turn pale. "Gu Heng, what face does the Daqing royal family still have?"
"The face of the Daqing royal family was destroyed little by little by the Daqing royal family."
Feeling the passing of life, Gu Heng slowly extended his right hand.
"Let me...let me touch your face."
He didn't want to argue in his final moments whether the person in front of him was his brother or not.
Seeing that Gu Lin did not make a move for a long time, Gu Heng was not annoyed, but instead spoke to himself.
“Father only has you and me as his sons. From childhood to adulthood, Mother Consort has always told me to avoid your sharp edge.” Gu Heng twitched the corner of his mouth. “But my teacher told me that your mother is Princess Daning, and Father will not allow a prince with foreign blood in his veins to succeed to the throne.”
“From that time on, I began to think about seizing the throne.”
“I compare myself to you in everything I do. In the quiet of the night, I feel so... so pathetic.” Gu Heng’s voice trembled slightly. “He treats his own brother as an enemy and tries every means to scheme against you, who are completely unsuspecting of me.”
"I never thought about inheriting the throne."
Gu Lin's voice rang out, "Being emperor is not my greatest pride, Gu Heng. I only want to marry A Yu."
"But I also want to marry her!"
Gu Heng had never been so certain of his feelings for Jiang Yu as he was at this moment. "Gu Lin, I also want to marry her."
A silence fell over the two brothers, both from the Tian family.
"You married her but didn't treat her well. Gu Heng, you are truly shameless."
Faced with Gu Lin's questioning, Gu Heng had no way to refute it.
Looking at Gu Heng like this, Gu Lin felt a pang of sadness. He had once sincerely wanted to get close to Gu Heng and tell him that he had no desire for the throne and that if he could choose for himself, he would rather have been born into an ordinary family.
"Yes, I am shameless."
"I knew she didn't want to marry me, yet I still issued an imperial decree to make her my empress. After marrying her, I didn't treat her well. I've done so many wrong things, and in the end, I can only... I can only make her child the crown prince."
"hypocritical!"
Gu Lin suddenly walked to Gu Heng's bedside. "If Gu Qingling hadn't rebelled and Gu Qingfeng hadn't had any interest in the throne, would you have left it to Ayan?"
“Gu Heng, over the years, have you ever regretted your actions even once? You haven’t!” Gu Lin’s eyes were bloodshot. “You only say these things and do these things now that you’re down on your luck and about to die.”
"No one knows your shamelessness better than me, Gu Heng."
"Hahahahaha!" A weak and helpless laugh rang out. This time, Gu Heng reached out and touched Gu Heng's robe. "You're right, I am shameless and hypocritical."
How could he possibly expect to gain everyone's forgiveness with just a few words before he dies?
"But you still came to see me one last time."
Gu Heng gripped Gu Lin's sleeve tightly. "You were able to enter the palace at this time, so the Empress must know you're still alive. Ayan should know too. Your family... can be considered reunited."
"I came to see you one last time, just to watch you breathe your last."
Gu Lin's cold, emotionless voice rang out. He wanted to personally watch Gu Heng be tortured to death by the poison.
"Also, I want you to die knowing the truth."
"What do you mean?" Gu Heng's heart skipped a beat. What did it mean... to let him die knowing the truth?
“From the very beginning, I knew that there was a Di Kingdom sorcerer by Gu Qingling’s side. I saw clearly every step of how Gu Qingling poisoned you.”
Gu Heng's body began to tremble with rage. "You...you knew from the very beginning!"
"The scene of Gu Qingling being filial to you while poisoning you is so beautiful that I wish I could watch it again."
"You!" Gu Heng's face flushed with anger, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.
"Furthermore, I also know how Gu Qingling's ambition gradually expanded, how she gradually developed rebellious thoughts, and how the leader of the Imperial Guard betrayed us."
Who exactly are you?!
Gu Heng sensed something was wrong. Why was Gu Lin so familiar with everything that was happening around him?
"My brother asked me who I am?"
Gu Lin chuckled softly, feeling extremely pleased as he looked at Gu Heng's expression.
“My brother has actually met me before, at his birthday banquet last year.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Heng's mind raced, recalling the officials he had invited to the palace at the banquet. But these were officials he saw every morning at court; it couldn't possibly be Gu Lin...
Who else will be at the birthday banquet?
"My brother hasn't recognized me yet, which makes me very sad!"
Gu Lin narrowed his eyes slightly, slowly prying open Gu Heng's hands that were gripping the hem of his clothes, and then straightened his robes:
"How long has it been, and Emperor Anping no longer recognizes me?"
Gu Heng's mind went completely blank for a moment, and he couldn't even think straight.
I, the King.
The ruler of the Great Ning Kingdom.
Gu Lin.
When these things were put together, Gu Heng suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
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