Chapter 765 Even-Stevens

Prince Yan stared at her for a long while.

Suddenly, a faint, indifferent smile touched his lips.

"Yueshu, it doesn’t matter anymore!"

"All those things from the past, they don’t matter anymore!"

"Since you’ve come, it shows you had the decency to, and I have no intention of dwelling on it any longer!"

"From now on, we will be separated by life and death, owing each other nothing!"

"In the next life... let’s just be strangers!"

In Prince Yan’s eyes, there was neither regret nor hatred, only an indifference as cold as icy water.

Shih Yueshu was the Empress Dowager’s maiden name.

Decades had passed.

Hearing someone call her maiden name again after all this time, the Empress Dowager still wept uncontrollably.

"No!"

"I don’t agree!"

"If destiny has failed us in this life, it’s my fault; I don’t blame you. But if there’s a next life..."

Prince Yan interrupted her with a smile.

"There is no next life!"

"Yueshu, I’ll die in Junqi’s place so he can live; that’s the last thing I’ll do for you!"

"For all the lifetimes to come, we will owe each other nothing!"

Having said that, he pushed her away. Dragging his crippled legs, he laboriously turned over to lie on his side, facing away from her.

He then added, "It’s late; this Young Prince must rest. Empress Dowager, you may take your leave."

But the Empress Dowager refused to give up.

Back then, he loved me so much!

They had promised that no matter what happened, they would be together in this lifetime, the next, and the one after that.

Has he forgotten?

Tears streamed down the Empress Dowager’s face as she threw herself onto his back, hugging him and desperately shaking her head.

"No, I won’t leave!"

"All those sacred vows we made, have you forgotten them?"

"You told me yourself, we would be together for all eternity!"

"Have you forgotten? Tell me you haven’t!"

Prince Yan stiffened. After a long moment, he gritted his teeth and said heavily, "Is that so? Apologies, this Young Prince doesn’t remember!"

Though only a few words, they struck the Empress Dowager’s heart like a heavy hammer, shattering it to pieces.

She was dazed, her face rapidly turning deathly pale.

She clutched her chest, her brow furrowed tightly. She gave a single cough and then violently vomited a mouthful of fresh blood.

Then she collapsed onto the bed.

THUD! She fell upon Prince Yan.

He turned around in alarm. Seeing the Empress Dowager’s face covered in blood, he too was thrown into a panic.

"Yueshu!"

"Yueshu, what’s happened to you?"

He struggled to sit up and, with all his strength, dragged the Empress Dowager fully onto the bed, laying her flat.

He then reached out to check her pulse.

It was a while before he withdrew his hand, his frown deepening.

Her pulse is weak, as if from years of overwork and mental exhaustion. But she’s the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor has always been filial! Her own niece is the Noble Consort, and Empress Fan has always treated her with respect! Who would dare to cause her such distress? Besides, she relinquished control over Harem affairs long ago, merely spending her days in the palace worshipping Buddha! What could possibly have worn her out to this extent?! Unless...

Prince Yan furrowed his brows in thought.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager coughed again and slowly regained consciousness.

She turned her head and, to her surprise, saw Zongcheng sitting beside her.

Looking again, she realized she was lying on his bed.

A flicker of discomfort crossed her face, and upon closer inspection, it was tinged with a hint of shyness.

"Zongcheng, was it you who saved me?"

"You still have feelings for me in your heart, don’t you?"

Prince Yan was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure what to say.

He casually pulled a handkerchief from under the pillow and handed it to her.

"Wipe your mouth."

The Empress Dowager took the handkerchief.

Subconsciously, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, but as she did, she realized something was amiss.

This handkerchief is far too old, she thought. The fabric went out of fashion many years ago. Why would Prince Yan still...

Inspecting it closely under the light, she was instantly stunned.

Isn’t this the very token of affection I personally gave him back then?

Embroidered on it was a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water; even the pattern of the waterweeds was so familiar.

It truly was hers!

She looked up, her face full of delighted surprise.

"Zongcheng, you..."

Prince Yan’s expression was somewhat unnatural.

But to deny it now seemed impossible.

Thus, he had to say, "Empress Dowager, please don’t misunderstand. The one this Young Prince yearns for is not you, but... the Shih Yueshu of old!"

"That girl from back then—so innocent, so daring in her love and hate—she was indeed the one who captured this Young Prince’s heart!"

"It’s just a pity... she is dead!"

She married another, betrayed our love, her heart is no longer pure, tainted by the secular world... Isn’t that as good as being dead?

The Empress Dowager froze, the joy on her face stiffening, her eyes filled with disappointment.

"Zongcheng..."

She realized her relentless pestering was utterly meaningless.

Steeling her resolve, she closed her eyes and began to undress.

Prince Yan exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing?"

The Empress Dowager didn’t speak, merely continued to undress.

She gritted her teeth and fiercely tore open the neckline of her robes, exposing the dudou beneath.

Then she tore open the dudou as well, revealing the pale skin of her chest. Though she had aged and her skin had sagged, it was still...

Prince Yan quickly averted his gaze, his eyes like ice.

"What on earth do you think you’re doing?"

"This Young Prince is a dying man. Why must the Empress Dowager keep pestering me!"

The Empress Dowager, her face a mask of determination, acted as if she hadn’t heard his last words.

She only said stiffly, "What am I doing? I’m showing you my wounds!"

With that, she tore open the side of her dudou near her heart completely!

There, on the somewhat sagging skin around her chest, were countless densely packed scars.

There were knife wounds, injuries from hairpins, and even long gashes that seemed to be from scissors—some were horrifying to behold.

Besides her chest, she successively pulled open her collar and pushed up her sleeves.

On her neck and wrists, many scars could faintly be seen as well.

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, "Look!"

"These are all wounds I inflicted on myself in the days leading up to my marriage!"

"During those days, I had no wish to live!"

"I tried to kill myself countless times, but I was always saved. In the end, my mother even confiscated all my jewelry and had people watch me twelve Shi Chen a day!"

"Until they pushed me into the bridal chamber!"

"And you? When you heard I was to marry him, what did you do? Why didn’t you come and save me?"

"If you had come, I would have gone with you! I would have even eloped with you!"

"Why didn’t you come?"

As the Empress Dowager spoke, she gradually became hysterical.

"I have felt wronged my entire life, regretted my entire life, and yearned for you my entire life!"

"Yet you wouldn’t see me for twenty years!"

"The only time... you were drunk, and I secretly went to see you. We..."

Lost in that moment of passion, Junqi was conceived. Such a sin, oh, such a sin!

The Empress Dowager wept aloud.

Prince Yan slowly turned back. Indeed, he saw the many scars on her body.

Though faded with age and not very distinct, they were still shockingly disturbing.

The indifference in his eyes instantly vanished, his body tensing rigidly.

In that moment, he felt something inside him shatter.

Something warm and fervent began to flow out from within.

Afterward, his heart felt like a medley of flavors, a whirlwind of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy emotions overwhelming him.

His expression was lost, his limbs stiff, his mind a complete blank. He...