"You believe you protected Yu Wan'an well, yet she was harmed within your own manor?"
"Ah, the Regent may not know. Every night, after midnight, figures appear at the back gate of the Xuanyuan manor."
"And do you know who receives that man? It is Yu Wan'an, the one you care about most."
"I saw it with my own eyes." She looked at Xuanyuan Heng, a cold smile playing on her lips as she scoffed, "Oh, I know, when I say these things, the Regent will naturally not believe a word."
"However, whether you believe it or not is unimportant. What matters is that it will make the Regent uncomfortable, and that is the result I have always desired."
"Since I am already in this state, I am naturally happy if I can make the Regent unhappy."
"Regent, after hearing all this, do you want to strangle me even more? Do you want to take my life immediately?"
"Do you know? I had no intention of saying any of this. But in the past few days, I have thought it through clearly. I believe that if I don't speak, you will torment me anyway. Either way, the outcome is the same."
"So, I might as well say it all, and be happy myself."
Feng Ran finally relaxed completely. She had never imagined that she could speak so freely in front of Xuanyuan Heng.
She thought she would never be able to say such things in her life.
But now? She was exceptionally happy.
To finally express all the thoughts weighing on her heart, what a joyful thing that was.
"Feng Ran, do you truly believe this King wouldn't dare kill you?" Xuanyuan Heng said coldly. "If that's the case, then this King wants to see you regret it."
He exuded a chilling aura as he spoke.
He had never imagined Feng Ran would utter such desperate words.
"Is that so?" Feng Ran replied calmly. She clearly saw Xuanyuan Heng's bloodthirsty gaze, his desire to kill her.
Yet, she found herself fearless at this moment, her eyes fixed on him.
Her calm demeanor seemed to await Xuanyuan Heng's next move.
She closed her eyes, resigned.
She knew very well that the words she had just spoken would make the man before her act impulsively and kill her.
She had already made peace with whatever fate awaited her.
At worst, it would be death.
He was indeed surprised that Feng Ran was now willing to say anything that came to mind.
She had never been like this before.
She had truly changed, changed so much that he barely recognized her.
Xuanyuan Heng let out a light chuckle. "You can continue. This King is listening."
Feng Ran hesitated for a moment, then obediently said, "Regent, I have said what I should and should not have said. How you punish me is entirely up to you."
Feng Ran accepted her fate.
What she had just said was enough for Xuanyuan Heng to want to tear her to pieces a thousand times over.
Yet, she had held nothing back, revealing everything.
Perhaps, for her, this was a form of liberation.
"The Regent mocks me as base and degenerate. But the Regent seems to have forgotten that everything I am experiencing now was bestowed upon me by you."
"In truth, what the Regent says is not entirely without reason."
"You said, never to hope for what does not belong to me."
"What is forcefully taken will always come at a price."
Feng Ran said self-mockingly, "At first, I didn't believe it, but later, I gradually did. Because I myself am a living example."
"It seems you are not ignorant after all," Xuanyuan Heng said coldly. "You are truly pretending to be clueless while knowing everything."
Hearing Xuanyuan Heng's insults, Feng Ran did not get angry. Instead, a calm smile graced her lips as she looked at him.
"Feng Ran, if you had been this sensible back then, perhaps your fate would have been different."
She truly dared to speak such words to his face.
These matters had already been reported by Bei Chenye, yet he had deliberately avoided them.
It seemed that only in this way could he 'rightfully' find fault with Feng Ran.
And then 'openly' humiliate her.
But Feng Ran, as if driven mad, had directly torn away the last shred of pretense.
She had robbed him of any excuse, any opportunity to lay a hand on her.
Feng Ran truly didn't want to live anymore, did she?
But dealing with Feng Ran was not something he had always wanted to do? Yet, he didn't know from when he had changed, becoming accustomed to finding trouble with Feng Ran, needing to see Feng Ran every day to feel at ease.
"Sensible?" Feng Ran chuckled. "Back then, I also knelt on the ground, kowtowed and begged for mercy, my forehead even bleeding, and I even lost the child in my womb."
"Heh, that bastard. Even without that incident, do you think this King would have let that bastard live to be born?" Xuanyuan Heng's expression darkened, his aura becoming terrifying as he said coldly, "Feng Ran, even if you had the ability to give birth to that bastard, it would be effortless for this King to take his life."
"Giving birth would only mean he would suffer grievances and shame alongside you."
"He would even die a more tragic and painful death."
"So, what is the use of keeping that child?"
"Feng Ran, this King will not allow it. In this lifetime, you will never have the chance to achieve it."
"Yes, I already know." Hearing Xuanyuan Heng's words, Feng Ran smiled self-deprecatingly, and continued calmly, "I have already experienced it, and that pain was far more tragic than I could have imagined."
She pointed at Xuanyuan Heng, her voice cold like a ghost from hell. "Xuanyuan Heng, you will regret this one day. You will live in remorse every single day."
"I constantly wonder, when the Regent dreams at night, is he haunted by my dead child?"
"Is the Regent awakened by nightmares?"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Heng's brow furrowed, his gaze towards Feng Ran growing colder.
She truly thought too highly of herself. How could she have such absurd thoughts?
It was simply unreasonable.
"Feng Ran, it seems you have gone mad today."
"If you weren't mad, how could you speak such nonsense?"
"Is that so? When the Regent hears these words, does he only think I'm mad, with no other thoughts?"
"Is it that the Regent is unwilling to face it, deliberately avoiding it? Or..."
"In fact, the Regent isn't so certain that I did those things. After all, there's no concrete evidence."
"I imagine the Regent had Bei Chenye investigate all these years. But after so many years, nothing has been found."
"Therefore, the Regent appears by my side from time to time now, merely to comfort his fearful and anxious heart."
"Feng Ran." Xuanyuan Heng directly grasped Feng Ran's chin, his voice chilling. "Stop talking nonsense here. Why should this King explain his actions to you?"
"This King is keeping you alive to torment you."
"And naturally, there's also the matter of Feng Jin still being around. Making you lose face and dignity in front of Feng Jin, what a fun thing that would be."