Gu Yin is the Mistress of the Mu Yin Pavilion? Yu Jingchen did not seem to expect such an answer. Wasn't the Mu Yin Pavilion...
"So, you deliberately forced them to this point in the name of the Mu Yin Pavilion to get revenge on the Yu Wang Fu?" Yu Jingchen asked again. This time, Yu Jiang Yan was caught with conclusive evidence of colluding with Mu Yin. Yu Jiang Yan was a cautious person, but he didn't know that Jiang Ji had already made these arrangements.
"What about Luo Yun Cheng?" Yu Jingchen couldn't quite understand why Jiang Ji's revenge on the Yu Wang Fu would involve Luo Yun Cheng.
"It's the Empress Dowager's wish." With every word Jiang Ji spoke, Yu Jingchen felt his heart tremble. This was related to the Empress Dowager again?
But then, Yu Jingchen seemed to understand some of it. After all, the Empress Dowager also had memories from two lifetimes. Coupled with what Gu Yin had told him earlier about the Empress Dowager's purpose in this life, it made sense.
What kind of person was Luo Yun Cheng? How could the Empress Dowager not know? In the second life, the Empress Dowager chose Luo Yun Cheng for Nan Zhi Yun. At first, Luo Yun Cheng was indeed deeply in love with Nan Zhi Yun, but... he couldn't withstand the test. In the end, didn't he use and even abandon Nan Zhi Yun for power?
It seemed that the Empress Dowager in this life knew this, which was why she had Jiang Ji provide such a lure to resolve it together, but...
"Does the Empress Dowager know you are from Mu Yin?" Yu Jingchen thought that if Gu Yin was the master of the Mu Yin Pavilion, then the Empress Dowager should also know.
"The Empress Dowager does not know. She only knows that this servant is the Pavilion Master's subordinate, but she does not know that the Mu Yin Pavilion belongs to the Pavilion Master. Actually, Your Majesty can easily guess that the imperial court and the martial world have always been clearly separated. Anyone in the imperial court who gets involved with martial world forces commits a capital offense."
"Your Majesty fears the Nan family. If... Your Majesty knew that the Nan family had a connection with the Mu Yin Pavilion, which is feared by everyone in the martial world, what choice would Your Majesty make?" Jiang Ji asked.
Yu Jingchen was stumped by this question. What would he do? Perhaps he wouldn't care now, but... if it were in the past, he would... cut the weeds and pull out the roots!
"Your Majesty also knows what will happen, doesn't he? Therefore, to avoid implicating the Empress Dowager, and not wanting to worry the Empress Dowager, General Nan and the Grand Tutor never told the Empress Dowager." Jiang Ji continued. After he finished speaking, Yu Jingchen's expression changed slightly. So... "Nan Su committed suicide by taking advantage of the situation because of this?" Yu Jingchen couldn't imagine it.
"...Yes, the General knew that privately involving martial world forces was a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan. Two months ago, the General's health deteriorated. His old illness worsened, and the doctor said he didn't have long to live. Even if he survived, he wouldn't be able to stand in the later stages."
"So, after much consideration, the General chose this method. In the final analysis, General Nan actually did not trust Your Majesty. Moreover... the General wanted to use this method to elicit Your Majesty's guilt, to treat the Nan family, the Empress Dowager, and... the Empress well." Jiang Ji looked at Yu Jingchen. He couldn't quite understand it, but when he saw Nan Su mentioning the Empress every day at the General's mansion, he knew that for Nan Zhi Yun, he would do anything.
Nan Su did not trust Yu Jingchen. The heart of an emperor was unpredictable. Especially for a monarch like Yu Jingchen... Although Nan Su had handed over his military power, those soldiers had followed Nan Su through life and death. It was not as if there was no threat just because the military power was handed over.
All in all, Nan Su's extreme measure was because of Yu Jingchen.
"Your Majesty... General Nan's death was indirectly caused by you. Your debt to the Nan family can never be repaid." Jiang Ji stood up. Nan Su's purpose was to make Yu Jingchen feel guilty, and Jiang Ji would naturally help him achieve it.
"General Nan was Your Majesty's teacher, the Grand General who protected the Yuan Dynasty, and the Empress's biological father. Your Majesty has chilled the hearts of old officials and meritorious officials. A subject can be loyal to a monarch, because for Your Majesty, General Nan was just a subject. But to only be loyal is to lose trust. This trust was ground away by Your Majesty himself." Jiang Ji even spoke such treasonous words.
Yu Jingchen remained silent, not angry. How... should he face Nan Zhi Yun? Jiang Ji did not continue to speak. He had said what he needed to say, and done what he needed to do. The rest... depended on whether General Nan's understanding of His Majesty was deep enough...
General Nan always felt that he had fought on the battlefield his entire life. Rather than die in such a wretched state, he might as well do one last thing for his only daughter, for the Nan family, and for the Empress Dowager, using his life. The person he felt most indebted to in this life was his daughter, but... was it really worth it?
Jiang Ji didn't know, and didn't want to know. Now that things had come to this, what was the use of pursuing them further?
Yun Peng Hall
Nan Zhi Yun was with Yan Qing. This morning, she was sleeping soundly when Yu Jingchen lifted her from the bed. He said he wanted her to move around, and ended up sending her here.
There were many hidden guards outside. Even if she was slow-witted, she knew. So she stayed here obediently. Yan Qing would also talk to her, telling interesting stories.
Yan Qing was also speechless. His Majesty had sent someone early this morning to tell her to keep the Empress company. Whatever she did, she could do it herself, but she couldn't leave.
It was also said that the Empress liked storybooks. If she was bored, she could tell her some interesting stories, and not let her be too restless, as it would be bad if she got hurt. So... Yan Qing was almost collapsing. Was His Majesty treating her like a nanny? Your Majesty, is the Empress like a child? Is she taking care of her daughter?!
However... When Yan Qing saw Nan Zhi Yun, she was truly envious. She had been too well protected by the Empress Dowager and General Nan before, and now she was too well protected by His Majesty, always living like a child. For her, His Majesty had become unlike himself, caring about everything and concerned about everything.
For Nan Zhi Yun, Yu Jingchen dismissed the imperial harem. For Nan Zhi Yun, Yu Jingchen was not like a ruler. He treated Nan Zhi Yun as a father doting on his daughter, cherishing her in the palm of his hand.
"Is it not done yet? It's been so long..." Nan Zhi Yun propped her head on her hands. It had been such a long day, why hadn't any news come yet?
Yan Qing had already told her that she had talked about the Yu Wang Fu and Luo Yun Cheng, and that Luo Yun Cheng was missing, so he might secretly go to Feng Yin Palace, which was why she had been brought here.
Alas~ how boring. She was shocked for a long time when she heard this. She really couldn't believe that Luo Yun Cheng would do such things.
It was just that Yan Qing had said that Luo Yun Cheng could enter the palace, and there were things within... There were still his people in the palace...