Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 356 A Miserable Departure
"Princess... Ping Le... Gu Lang?!"

Xue Yueying's throat tightened, and her eyes almost bulged out of their bloodshot sockets.

She stared incredulously at the two people huddled together in front of her.

"You... you..."

"Surprised?" Ping Le chuckled.

The voice, tinged with a sticky malice, came through the gray gauze, and fingertips lingered suggestively across Gu Jie's clothes.

"You never expected I'd be back? Or you never expected your husband to be willing to serve me, to be my dog, rather than be yours..."

Gu Jie stiffened, but did not push her away. His face was inscrutable in the dim candlelight.

"Princess, why bother talking to her?"

"Seeing her like this now, don't you feel relieved?" Ping Le pinched his waist with her fingertips, a half-smile on her face. "Back then, she relied on her looks to flirt with Li Yan, using you as a stepping stone. She made you lose face and was ridiculed by everyone..."

Naked malice pierced Xue Yueying's heart.

Xue Yueying was heartbroken by this humiliation.

She instinctively reached out, wanting to scratch the vicious face hidden behind the gray veil.

Unfortunately, her wrists were tightly bound, and she could only writhe and struggle in spasms...

The humiliation exacerbated the fever caused by the poison, and she trembled like a leaf.

"I...I am His Highness Prince Wei's man...You cannot..."

She tried in vain to bring out her last resort.

Ping Le, however, felt as if he had heard a huge joke.

“Prince Wei? Do you really think Li Yan treats you like a trifle? You gave birth to a bastard, and you think you're someone important? Xue Yueying, this is Prince Wei's residence. Without Prince Wei's tacit permission, how could I stand here? And how could your good husband have entered?”

She moved even closer.

Every word seemed to be spitting on Xue Yueying's face.

"He's been tired of you for a long time. You idiot!"

Xue Yueying's eyes widened in fury. "You're talking nonsense! I gave birth to Yu-ge'er for His Highness. His Highness loves my son the most, he will definitely..."

"Stop dreaming." Ping Le bent down, grabbed Xue Yueying's disheveled hair, and forced her to lift her disfigured face. "Let this princess see if you're blind."

She glanced at Gu Jie, her expression full of mockery, "The person who truly cared for you was Gu Jie... not Li Yan. It's a pity you lost him..."

Xue Yueying was forced to tilt her head back, her bloodshot eyes staring intently at the unfathomable gray gauze.

After a moment, his gaze finally shifted with difficulty to Gu Jie's face—

The young man who once spoke gently to her and whose eyes were filled with admiration is long gone.

The husband she thought she could rely on was as stiff as a stone.

He stood just a step behind Ping Le, his lips pressed tightly together, offering no rebuttal, no anger, and not even the slightest hint of sympathy for his wife's tragic state.

Beneath the numb, evasive expression lay a deep-seated cowardice and cold-bloodedness that Xue Yueying only now understood.

At that moment, Xue Yueying suddenly understood many things.

Why was Gu Jie able to stand by and watch Xue Sui, who had helped her back then, with indifference?

Why did he willingly depend on Ping Le and become increasingly harsh on himself...?

He couldn't reach the former "bright moon" of Ping Le, nor could he fight against Xue Sui and Li Zhao who dragged him into the mire. He could only project all his resentment, bitterness, and twisted feelings onto himself, who had also fallen into the same predicament.

He dared not hate Ping Le, nor Xue Sui and Li Zhao; he only dared to hate Xue Yueying…

He can always find someone weaker to protect his pitiful self-esteem.

So that he wouldn't look so humble...

"Ho... ho ho..."

Xue Yueying made a strange sound from her throat, a sound that was both crying and laughing.

She struggled, her bound wrists reaching out towards Gu Jie in vain, scratching him.

"You will... die a horrible death..."

"One by one...without exception..."

"Lu Xi is dead..."

"You Zhimu is dead..."

"Yao Wei is dead..."

"Guo Zhaohuai is dead..."

"The Xiao family... Consort Xiao... Xiao Qing'er... is dying..."

"Retribution! This is retribution..."

"Now, it's my turn..."

Do you think... you can escape?

Her words were incoherent and her voice weak, yet it sounded like a curse from the underworld.

The names that had once surrounded Ping Le were read aloud by her, one by one, like a death knell tolling.

Ping Le was enraged by her insane words, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes.

"Gu Jie. What are you standing there for? Hurry up and send her on her way."

Gu Jie seemed to have just been awakened by the whip. He slowly took out a tiny porcelain bottle from his sleeve, uncorked it, and stared at Xue Yueying, motionless for a long time...

"Useless!" Ping Le impatiently shoved him away, pulled out a silk handkerchief from her body, and forcefully covered Xue Yueying's mouth and nose.

"Look closely. Your husband personally saw you off. You haven't lived in vain..."

Xue Yueying's limbs were convulsing violently.

She had no strength to resist, and her eyes were fixed on Gu Jie.

Gu Jie turned his face away, his voice trembling: "A short pain is worse than a long one. Rather than living and suffering, it's better to... go in peace."

Xue Yueying's pupils suddenly contracted as she stared at the face so close to hers.

She finally saw it clearly—

I saw through the cowardice and despicable nature hidden beneath that handsome exterior.

In order to curry favor with Ping Le, he treated Xue Sui, who had saved his life, as a source of amusement.

Now, in order to cling to this venomous snake, he watches helplessly as his wife breathes her last in pain and despair.

He also realized how ridiculous his life had been.

They were eager to scheme and scheme, using every means to fight and grab, thinking that by attaching themselves to Li Yan they could rise to the top in one step, and that by controlling Gu Jie they could enjoy wealth and glory.

in the end--

What she fought for was a body covered in festering sores, alienation from everyone, and the tragic fate of not being able to see her own flesh and blood one last time before she died.

Cause and effect...this is cause and effect.

Her fate was ultimately the same as those who had bullied Xue Sui back then.

He did not die a peaceful death.

A strong sense of regret, like a poisonous vine, instantly tightened around Xue Yueying's heart, suffocating her even more than the physical pain.

If only she hadn't looked down on Xue Sui back then.

If she hadn't been so eager to integrate into Ping Le's wealthy social circle.

If she had just behaved herself... wouldn't she have ended up like this today?
Yu-ge'er... her Yu-ge'er...

Could she have a different kind of mother?

Unfortunately, no if.

"Yu...er..." Xue Yueying let out a short, indistinct sob.

The last thing that flashed before my eyes was Gu Jie expressionlessly taking out a snow-white handkerchief and gently wiping Ping Le's fingers, as if cleaning up some filthy garbage. And Ping Le was laughing, a laugh that, seeping through the gray gauze, was more vicious than any curse.

Xue Yueying's unfocused pupils struggled to move, as if trying to penetrate the thick wall and take one last look at her child.

Then I heard him timidly call out "Mother" again...

But the boundless darkness completely engulfed her.

The hand that had reached out to grasp at the void finally fell limply to its side.

The room was deathly silent.

Only the candle wick made a slight popping sound.
-
Ping Le gasped for breath, the corners of her mouth slowly, slowly turned upwards into a satisfied arc, and finally turned into a silent smile.

"Dead. Was it a relief?"

She turned her head sharply and glared at Gu Jie, whose face had turned deathly pale.

"What? Are you feeling distressed?"

Gu Jie shuddered, looking into Xue Yueying's unseeing eyes, a chill ran from his feet to his spine.

“She brought this upon herself and deserves to die. But… Princess, we cannot stay here any longer… We will be unable to hide it by dawn, so we must deal with it quickly.”

"What's there to be afraid of?" Ping Le scoffed, with the arrogance of a controller.

"She's just a stupid woman. Who would bother to investigate? Li Yan would be more than happy if she were dead. Even the Empress Dowager in the palace only sees her as a shameful and troublesome woman. Only when she's dead will this mess of Prince Wei finally be put to rest."

She kicked the edge of the bed in disgust.

"Keep your hands clean. You know what to do."

Gu Jie looked at Xue Yueying's corpse and nodded with difficulty.

"……Yes."

Ping Le straightened her clothes, turned around, and disappeared behind the screen.

Gu Jie remained alone in the room and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

Reaching out, with a slight tremor, he slowly closed Xue Yueying's eyes, which were filled with resentment.

"Don't blame me... If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for your misplaced affection and insatiable greed... Also blame... this world is a dog-eat-dog world... there's no turning back..."

He closed his eyes, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, whether he was speaking to the dead or comforting himself, it was unclear. Then, he slowly pulled the thin blanket up to cover Xue Yueying's head and face, and untied the cloth straps binding her, creating the illusion that she had been poisoned and struggled in agony, finally breaking free of her restraints and dying from exhaustion.

Having done all this, he opened the door, drenched in sweat, and strode out, his figure quickly disappearing into the deep, dark night of the Prince's mansion's winding paths...

The night wind blows, bringing a hint of coolness.

Gu Jie suddenly collapsed against the artificial rock, gasping for breath, gazing at the starless night sky, and raised his hand to cover his face...

Suppressed sobs leaked from between his fingers, and his shoulders trembled.

He burst into tears…

But no one knows who is crying or what is happening.

(End of this chapter)