strictlysupreme Chapter 368 Gao Xian's Pursuit of His Wife: A Fierce Battle (2)
Chapter 368 Gao Xian's Pursuit of His Wife: A Fierce Battle (2)
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his breath hitched for a beat.
"If you dare to take another step, I will take you down with me." Qin Jiuwei's voice was icy.
She gripped the hairpin tightly, the tip pressing against Gao Xian's neck.
If you go any further, you'll pierce the skin.
Her gaze was as cold as frost, and her expression was full of resolute indifference.
Gao Xian felt as if something was gripping his chest tightly.
Qin Jiuwei actually... actually wanted to kill him!
She'd rather kill him, rather die together with him! than be with him!
Gao Xian's face was slightly contorted with pain.
My heart felt like it had been stabbed by a sharp blade; the pain made every breath difficult.
"I don't want your compensation," Qin Jiuwei said calmly and coldly. "I don't care about your regret either."
"Gao Xian, I have never loved you."
She stared intently at Gao Xian and spoke slowly and deliberately.
Each word was like a knife, piercing straight into Gao Xian's heart.
Gao Xian stood there, stunned.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, but no sound came out.
He stared intently at Qin Jiuwei, trying to find a trace of pretense in her eyes.
But no matter how closely you look at her, you can no longer find the warmth that once existed in her expression; only deep estrangement and resoluteness remain.
“No, impossible.” Gao Xian immediately shook his head. “We’ve been together for ten years… ten years! A full ten years! How could we have no feelings for each other at all?”
"Ten years? What ten years?" Qin Jiuwei interrupted immediately. "Is it our ten years, or your ten years with Mo Qingkui?"
"In these past ten years, all the preferential treatment and rewards you've given me, wasn't it all to bewitch the concubines in the harem and to protect Mo Qingkui?"
Her gaze was like a sharp blade. "What am I? I'm just a target you pushed out to protect Mo Qingkui!"
"In these ten years, how many open and hidden attacks have I suffered in the harem? How many conspiracies and schemes have I been plotted against? I have almost died countless times!"
"What feelings can you expect from a target?"
“When Mo Qingkui was poisoned, I had a high fever. You summoned all the imperial physicians to Mo Qingkui’s palace and told them that if they couldn’t cure her, none of them were allowed to leave.”
She stared intently at Gao Xian, gritting her teeth as she said, "That high fever almost killed me."
"In the end, because of Mo Qingkui's words, you gave me a cup of poisoned wine."
Why do you think that a simple apology from you now can make up for all the hurt I've suffered?
She stared intently at Gao Xian, her eyes burning with anger and pain that seemed to consume him.
"I'll tell you why? Because you didn't suffer those hardships!"
"You are the emperor, the whole world belongs to you! What suffering have you endured? How could you possibly understand my feelings?"
"Have you ever been pushed into the water? Has someone hidden needles in your pillow? Have you ever drunk poisoned wine? Have you ever been forced to kneel in the rain?"
Qin Jiuwei's voice grew louder and sharper, "You know nothing! You haven't even thought about these things!"
"But all of this is what I endured every single day during those ten years!"
Gao Xian stood frozen in place, unable to utter a single word.
Qin Jiu sneered, her eyes filled with mockery, "In order to survive in the harem, I have to please you, flatter you, revolve around your affairs, and do things according to your preferences."
“You like steamed tofu, so I order the kitchen to make a small plate of it for every meal. You think tea is too hot and insist it cools down to about 60% before you drink it, so I have to have it prepared in advance every day. You like cool fragrances, so I burn camphor incense in my room, and the scents you love are everywhere.”
"You can't have a bright light when you're reading, so I told the maids to only light two palace lanterns with gauze covers. You don't like noise during your midday rest, so I told the palace staff to be careful to keep quiet, and even the pigeon whistles outside the palace were removed."
Do you think I did these things because I like you? Because I have feelings for you?
"No." Qin Jiuwei shook her head. "Because if I don't do this, if I don't make you feel even a little bit more affection for me, I simply can't live."
“Gao Xian, I don’t love you, and I never have. I even…” Qin Jiuwei paused for a moment, “…hate you.”
"The person I love is Xie Yanli. What he has given me in the past six months is more than what you have given me in the past ten years."
Upon hearing this, Gao Xian's originally straight back instantly hunched over.
The clenched hand loosened at that moment, and the fingertips fell limply to the side.
Taking advantage of the moment she let go, Qin Jiuwei flashed and moved directly to the other side of the carriage.
She immediately lifted the carriage curtain, only to be met with a row of cold, long swords.
The menacing blade reflected a cold light in the torchlight.
Gao Xian took a deep breath and raised his hand. "Let her go."
After saying that, he seemed to have no strength left, and his head drooped completely.
The soldiers were taken aback by what they heard, then sheathed their swords and retreated, quickly making way for them.
Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Jiuwei lifted her skirt with one hand and stepped off the carriage without looking back.
Inside the carriage, Gao Xian sat alone, motionless.
A silent, oppressive atmosphere filled the air.
The flickering lights inside the carriage cast deep shadows on his face, making his features appear even more solitary and aloof.
If Qin Jiuwei hadn't told him this, he wouldn't have been able to.
He may never know what kind of life he spent in the palace during those ten years in his previous life.
All of this was caused by him.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
he whispered softly.
But even if I say sorry a million times, it seems like it's no use...
useless.