The improved female villains regained their memories.

He could only try to persuade Zhou Jinyu that she didn't need to take such good care of herself, and that since Fusu was in trouble, she should go and help him.

“We’ll go to the young master’s residence today,” Yang Pingsheng said. “Senior sister, our eldest brother needs you. Didn’t you already promise to assist him? You can’t go back on your word.”

Zhou Jinyu gave him a deep look: "You're right, a person cannot break their word."

She got up and walked outside.

Yang Pingsheng didn't understand the meaning behind her glance and thought she was going to the young master's residence, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, what happened next was something he never expected.

Zhao Gao arrived, carrying the imperial edict bestowing a marriage upon him by the First Emperor.

Zhou Jinyu and Yang Pingsheng were the betrothed by the First Emperor.

Chapter 622 Forced Marriage

Zhou Jinyu's sudden action caught everyone off guard.

She gained recognition from the Qin royal family as Fusu's adopted sister, and then requested the First Emperor to grant her a marriage to Yang Pingsheng. Most importantly, the First Emperor agreed.

Zhao Gao's arrival was so sudden that Yang Pingsheng didn't even have time to react.

He received the imperial edict in a daze, and from Zhao Gao's few words and the contents of the edict, he deduced what had happened.

He felt cold all over.

In order to achieve her own goals, Zhou Jinyu did not hesitate to join forces with Zhao Gao and Li Si. She controlled so much manpower and resources, and if she were to rebel, the situation on Fusu's side would only get worse.

The room was shrouded in magical artifacts and formations, preventing him from going out. He could only wait for Zhou Jinyu to return.

As dusk fell, she returned, her gaze shifting slightly as she opened the door, unable to meet his eyes directly.

Seeing her expression, Yang Pingsheng knew there was nothing more to ask.

What's the point of asking questions now that it's already done?

He got up and walked outside.

The two missed each other for a moment, and neither of them spoke.

-------------

Yang Pingsheng requested permission to enter the palace that very night to meet the First Emperor.

However, in just one year, the situation in the palace had changed drastically. Now, the only person in the palace who could get close to the First Emperor was Zhao Gao. If someone wanted to see the First Emperor, they had to be informed by Zhao Gao first.

Yang Pingsheng found Zhao Gao, but the latter made all sorts of excuses, saying that the emperor had said that no one could enter without his order.

No one can just enter. So how did Zhou Jinyu get in today? Yang Pingsheng sighed helplessly. The Qin Palace is not like other places; he cannot force his way in.

Zhao Gao then suggested with a smile, "Lord Zhou is now a member of the royal family, and the marriage is now bestowed by His Majesty. It is not unfair for Lord Yang to marry her."

This is not about whether I feel wronged or not.

He glanced at Zhao Gao silently, knowing that Zhou Jinyu had already taken care of the palace. The First Emperor had spoken, and it would be difficult to get him to retract his order, let alone see him now.

-------------

On his way out of the palace, he bumped into Li Si.

He sat leisurely in the sedan chair, as if he were waiting for Yang Pingsheng. When he saw Yang Pingsheng come out, he called for someone to stop him: "Mr. Yang."

Yang Pingsheng stopped and looked up at him.

Li Si smiled and said, "I haven't yet congratulated Mr. Yang on his happy marriage."

He smiled, his words unreadable as to whether they were a blessing or sarcasm, but enough to make Yang Pingsheng turn cold: "Prime Minister Li, what brings you to my attention?"

Li Si said, "Sparrows live on branches, while phoenixes rest on cliffs. People with little talent ask for little, but people with great talent will be like phoenixes, not content to stay on branches."

He said, "Doesn't a great talent like Mr. Yang feel wronged to be perched on a branch?"

Presumably, Zhou Jinyu's defection gave him hope of overthrowing Fusu. Now, in the court, the forces represented by Prime Minister Li are stronger than ever before. On the immortal side, there is the support of the Heavenly Guardian Sect and the scheming of Nangong Qingyang. In the palace, there is Zhao Gao, and among the princes, there is Huhai. Even the First Emperor had to rely on them.

But so what?

Yang Pingsheng chuckled, gave no reply, and simply turned and left, completely ignoring Li Si.

How can someone like him be compared to the gentle breeze and the bright moon?

Therefore, he disdained to reply with words, but instead expressed his views through his actions—he simply walked confidently toward the young master's residence.

-------------

Fusu warmly received Yang Pingsheng.

How are you feeling?

"It's alright."

"Xiang Liu's demonic aura is so domineering that it has slowed down your recovery. If you need anything, just tell me."

"It's alright, senior brother, I'm much better now."

Fusu patted his shoulder with a smile, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.

"Come on, we agreed to drink when you came back, let's drink now."

The courtyard was somewhat lonely, with the surrounding trees swaying gently in the breeze, as if they were sighing something.

Fusu invited Yang Pingsheng to sit in the pavilion. His once handsome and angular face was now covered with stubble, and his hair was slightly messy. His once bright and sharp eyes now seemed to be covered with a layer of gray mist, and his brocade robe was wrinkled and no longer as luxurious and neat as before.

He pulled out a jar of wine from somewhere, slammed it on the table, and laughed, "Come on, Pingsheng, let's drink until we drop today!"

The flowers in the courtyard seemed to sense the oppressive atmosphere and bowed their heads. The wind gradually picked up, swirling the fallen leaves around them.

As he drank cup after cup of wine, feeling warm all over, Fusu gradually became drunk. He drank cup after cup, his cloudy eyes reflecting the moonlight in the sky.

Yang Pingsheng finally spoke up and asked, "Where is Meng Ying?"

Fusu replied drunkenly, "I've gone back. The situation in the court is tense. Prime Minister Li is pressing me step by step, and the Wang family has given me an ultimatum. If I don't marry, then the Li family will really have to form a marriage alliance with the Wang family."

Yang Pingsheng had not attended court for a long time, and he never expected that such a thing would happen.

He wanted to say something, but Fusu interrupted him: "Pingsheng, I know what you want to say, but your senior brother also has some heartfelt words to say to you."

“Before you and your junior sister came to the young master’s residence, your senior sister came to me and talked about this matter. She hoped that I could recognize her as my god-sister and have my father choose her to marry as a member of the royal family. She felt that this was the only way to be worthy of you.”

“Ping Sheng, do you still remember what I said to you in the secret room when you came to the young master’s residence that day? If you join this side, the other side will disappear; if you join that side, this side will disappear. This is the content of the basic teaching of the Guigu School, the Pestle Joining Chapter. We are all disciples of the Guigu School, so we should know this principle.”

“I don’t blame your senior sister for what she’s doing now, because I’m the one who broke my promise to her. To be honest, I’m a really failed senior brother. I hold the power of destiny in my hands, but I haven’t been able to lead you all onto a good path. I really hope that the people around me are happy, I hope you are happy, I hope the world is happy, but I can’t do it.”

At this point, Fusu raised his cup and drank it down, then smashed the cup and roared, "I've accomplished nothing. You, your senior sister, your junior brother, your little junior sister, I haven't done any of it. I should have done it, but I didn't. Those vast destinies are intertwined, and I don't know where they lead."

"What can someone like me do in my life? I can't even marry the woman I love."

His voice trailed off, and he slumped to the ground, looking utterly dejected. "That's why, Pingsheng, I don't want you to end up like me."

"I don't know what kind of relationship you have with your junior sister, and I won't interfere, but I can see very clearly how your senior sister feels about you. In your life, no matter what choice you make, you must think it through, because once you've made a choice, you can't go back on your word, even if you don't want it anymore halfway through."

“Your senior sister has already mastered all the cultivation resources in Qin. Even my father has to pay attention to her.” Fusu smiled and said, “The things that were used to cultivate and maintain my junior sister are no longer up to me. So, Pingsheng, you should think it over carefully.”

"Figure out what you really want."

Having said that, he stood up and sang loudly again.

This time it's not about peach blossoms, but about "The Woman Says the Rooster Crows" from the Book of Songs in Zheng:

"The woman said, 'The rooster crows,' the man said, 'It's still dark.' Rise and look out at the night; the bright stars shine. Let us soar and fly, to hunt ducks and geese..."

His voice was mournful, a mixture of crying and laughing.

That night, he was completely drunk, but Yang Pingsheng remained sober.

-------------

what is love?

Is such ruthless means love?

Yang Pingsheng looked at Fusu, at his unrequited love, at his ambiguous laughter and tears.

He didn't understand what love really was.

Ye Buxin's image kept appearing in his dream that day, lingering in his heart.

Night had fallen, and he returned to his residence in the capital, stepping into a room heavily enveloped by spirit arrays.

The spirit fire blazed brightly; Zhou Jinyu was waiting for him.

"You're back." She smiled. "The demonic aura of the Xiangliu clan hasn't been completely dispelled yet. Your body must be about to give out. Come, sit here, I'll help you."

Yang Pingsheng just stood there, looking at her: "Why?"

Zhou Jinyu's smile vanished. She remained silent for a long while before finally speaking: "Pingsheng, don't blame me. I'm just that despicable. I'll do anything to get what I want."

Yang Pingsheng frowned: "Why does it have to be me?"

Zhou Jinyu retorted, "Why can't it be you? You have no idea how good you are."

She continued, "Anyway, you already told me that day that you don't have anyone you love. If you don't, why can't that person be me?"

As she spoke, she stepped forward, her eyes once again filled with a pleading look: "Pingsheng, why can't it be me? I have royal status now, and in terms of looks, I'm no less beautiful than my junior sister. Yes, I don't understand your and her ambitions, or what you and she talked about, but I can learn. I can support you. No matter what you do, I will support you."

"I never thought of becoming your confidante. I wanted to be your wife, another most important person in your life."

"Because I live for you."

Yang Pingsheng took a few steps back.

He felt something was wrong, that everything was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. He just felt that they were all wrong, and terribly wrong.

"Senior sister, calm down," he said. "You really don't need to be like this. Like I said before, our relationship should stop at being fellow disciples. Continuing down this path won't be good for either of us."

Zhou Jinyu chuckled softly, finally abandoning all tenderness and displaying an unprecedented resolve.

“I will not listen to anything you say in my life. The decree has been issued and things have come to this. You must marry me. The cultivation materials that Ye Buxin needs to maintain his body are all in my hands. If you do not marry me, I can cut off the marriage at any time.”

She stepped forward, the spiritual fire illuminating her dark figure as she overshadowed Yang Pingsheng: "Pingsheng, didn't you keep saying that she was your confidante? If you can accept a confidante, can't you accept a wife?"

Zhou Jinyu was so assertive that Yang Pingsheng almost didn't recognize her.

Wife—that's a more unfamiliar word than confidante.

Yang Pingsheng could no longer say anything, standing there blankly, overwhelmed by the emotions that surged through him.