strictlysupreme Chapter 434 Gao Xian, I Don't Hate You
Chapter 434 Gao Xian, I Don't Hate You
"At that time, not a single person in the harem was willing to stand up for me and speak a word of justice, and they let me be bullied."
Gao Xian looked up at her, his gaze deep.
"It wasn't until later that I managed to curry favor with the Empress Dowager and gain her protection that I was able to barely survive."
Those were the most difficult days she had in the palace.
Having just entered the palace, she had neither connections nor family background.
Yet, he happens to hold the highest rank among the newcomers.
It is a crime to have a jade.
She became the target of bullying throughout the entire harem.
The food was spoiled, the clothes were deliberately torn, and needles were hidden in the bedding at night.
Those days were like living hell.
Upon hearing Qin Jiuwei's account, Gao Xian's heart sank.
"I understand."
When Qin Jiuwei was chosen to enter the palace, she was given the highest rank among the newcomers.
They chose her because of her ordinary family background, making her the perfect target.
He was the one who pushed her into that position...
The original intention was to protect Mo Qingkui, but unexpectedly it ended up harming her...
Making her life in the harem so difficult and painful...
Qin Jiuwei's gaze flickered slightly, but she didn't speak, simply watching him quietly.
Gao Xian's voice was slightly hoarse.
"I never truly knew about those things that humiliated you."
"It's all my fault... my fault."
Inside the Wenyuan Pavilion, the air is filled with the fragrance of ink.
Xie Yanli sat at the table and read through the eldest prince's file again.
Suddenly, Zizhu rushed in, knelt down and reported: "Young Master, we just received news that the young mistress has been summoned to the palace by the Empress Dowager."
Xie Yanli's hand paused on the book, and his eyes suddenly narrowed.
"When did this happen?"
"The news that just came in says that Granny Wei came to pick her up personally, and the young mistress has already entered the palace."
Xie Yanli pursed his thin lips slightly, his expression unchanged, but his fingertips had already tightened subtly.
He stood up abruptly and strode outside.
The red official robe accentuated his tall and straight figure, with silver threads on the lapel flashing in the light and shadow.
He walked so fast that he almost stirred up the wind.
His boots trod across the stone steps of the corridor, and he remained silent, his face grim.
The palace servants in the corridor quickly made way for them.
He didn't even glance at it, and walked straight towards Shou'an Palace.
But when they arrived, they found out that Qin Jiuwei wasn't there.
It was in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.
The window lattice was tightly closed, letting in only a sliver of dim yellow light.
The air seemed to freeze, and the hall was completely silent.
Qin Jiuwei stood in front of the desk, her eyes deep and thoughtful.
His gaze fell on the blood-stained scrolls, then swept over Gao Xian, who was kneeling to the side.
His usually handsome face was now as pale as paper, and cold sweat trickled down his temples.
Then I remembered what Xie Yanli had said before.
Gao Xian only has ten years to live...
She finally spoke up, "Stop copying scriptures like this. You're only harming yourself by doing it."
Gao Xian slowly raised his head, his gaze towards her unfocused.
In the candlelight, his eyes were bloodshot.
Struggling between old dreams and reality.
Gao Xian's voice was low and hoarse as he finally released the pain that had been suppressed deep in his chest for so long.
"Then...do you still hate me?"
Qin Jiuwei remained silent for a moment.
After a long silence, she spoke softly, "I never imagined you would go to this lengths for me."
Then she looked up at Gao Xian in front of her and couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
She had never seen him like this before.
Gao Xian, a man she had gazed upon countless times from the depths of the palace walls, was the emperor, the supreme ruler, and the master of the world.
But at this moment, the person who was once high and mighty is now sitting at a table covered in bloodstains.
He was wearing only a thin garment and his face was pale.
Her eyes were full of vulnerability, like barren land scorched by the blazing sun, longing only for a rain.
In his past life, when he held power and gave her poisoned wine, his expression was as indifferent as frost, and his brow did not furrow even once.
But now—he looks like he's in more pain than when she died.
She closed her eyes, and her past and present lives seemed to cycle before her.
It went through everything in a flash, like a revolving lantern.
When she opened her eyes again, she said, "Gao Xian, I don't hate you anymore."
Her voice was soft and calm, like a spring breeze sweeping across a barren plain.
Gao Xian's fingertips trembled suddenly.
A ripple suddenly appeared in those eyes that had long been dull and lifeless.
Qin Jiuwei looked at him, her eyes no longer filled with the hatred and resentment of the past, but only with a calm clarity.
"If you truly repent, then do not try to heal your conscience by suffering. Your life is not just your own."
"You are the emperor, you have the people of the world, stop torturing yourself."
Gao Xian stared at her blankly.
After a long pause, his throat bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only uttered one word: "Okay."
At that moment, a servant's voice suddenly rang out from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince Xie Yanli is requesting an audience outside the palace."
Gao Xian paused, his expression momentarily frozen.
Qin Jiuwei also subconsciously looked towards the doorway.
The air seemed to sink for a moment.
After a moment, Gao Xian said in a low voice, "Let him in."
Before Gao Xian could finish speaking, the palace door creaked open.
Xie Yanli strode into the hall, tall and elegant, with a cold and stern expression, and a lingering chill emanating from him.
He spotted Qin Jiuwei sitting at the desk immediately.
Yuanxi hurriedly chased after him, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and quickly bowed down to apologize.
"Your Majesty, this servant...this servant was unable to stop the young master. He...he was just too hasty."
Gao Xian glanced at Xie Yanli, his expression unreadable.
Xie Yanli had already walked to Qin Jiuwei's side, his eyes filled with anxiety. He grabbed her wrist and whispered, "Are you alright?"
Qin Jiuwei shook her head slightly, about to speak.
Xie Yanli's gaze had turned to Gao Xian again, his eyes filled with a mixture of frost and snow.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.