Sharing One Life with My Nemesis - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The emperor received me in a side hall.

Xie Huaiyan was kneeling in the middle of the hall, and blood had already seeped through the fresh clothes on his back.

At the sound of footsteps, he turned and saw me. His gaze visibly faltered.

I walked over and knelt beside him.

The emperor looked at me.

“Jiang Tingyun, are you here to testify again?”

I said, “This subject’s daughter is here to file a complaint.”

Xie Huaiyan closed his eyes.

The emperor laughed in sheer exasperation.

“Against whom?”

“Against Xie Huaiyan.”

Xie Huaiyan froze.

I took the annulment letter from my sleeve and presented it with both hands.

“Xie Huaiyan has deceived Your Majesty.”

The emperor’s eyes shifted slightly.

“Speak.”

I said, “Before Your Majesty ever issued an imperial decree, he privately wrote an annulment letter. On the surface, he was refusing the marriage, but in truth, he was forcing Your Majesty to acknowledge this engagement first.”

Xie Huaiyan said softly, “Tingyun.”

I ignored him.

“He also requested exile to the Northern Frontier. But his wounds have yet to heal, and the Remnant Gu has not been fully purged. If he goes to the Northern Frontier, he may not be able to repair any city walls at all. He will only add one more coffin to the army.”

The emperor was silent for a moment.

“You certainly dare to speak.”

“This subject’s daughter is speaking the truth.”

I raised my head.

“If Your Majesty wishes to test the Jiang Family, you may simply ask us directly. The Jiang Family has already suffered one wrongful accusation. We no longer dare to guess at the imperial will.”

The air in the hall instantly sank.

Xie Huaiyan immediately kowtowed.

“Your Majesty, Jiang Tingyun misspoke.”

I turned to look at him.

“Try apologizing on my behalf one more time.”

Xie Huaiyan’s lips moved, but in the end, he actually fell silent.

The emperor looked at the two of us, then suddenly pressed his fingers to his brow.

“Jiang Tingyun, what if We insist on bestowing this marriage?”

I said, “Then this subject’s daughter asks Your Majesty to bestow a task upon me as well.”

“What task?”

“To investigate the case of Lu Xingzhou sending messages from death row.”

I presented the note Princess Ningjia had given me.

After the emperor read it, his expression turned completely cold.

Xie Huaiyan saw the words on the note too.

His face went whiter than the paper.

“You have the Remnant Gu in your body?” I asked.

He did not answer.

I stared at him.

“You won’t live past winter?”

Xie Huaiyan said in a low voice, “Zhou Xuan’s Gu Manual may not be reliable.”

I gave a short laugh.

“So it’s true.”

He fell silent.

In that instant, I suddenly wanted very badly to drag him outside and beat him senseless.

The Soulbound Gu had been broken. His pain was no longer mine, and mine was no longer his.

So he had started hiding his pain all over again.

The emperor slapped the note onto the desk.

“Lu Xingzhou is already on death row. Who is passing messages for him?”

I said, “This subject’s daughter is willing to investigate.”

The emperor looked at Xie Huaiyan.

“And you?”

Xie Huaiyan braced a hand against the floor and slowly straightened.

“This subject is also willing to investigate.”

I said coldly, “Willing? What exactly are you willing to do? First make sure you live past winter.”

The hall went quiet for a beat.

The eunuchs lowered their heads.

The emperor looked at us for a long while, then suddenly laughed.

“The matter of bestowing the marriage will be postponed for now.”

He tossed the note back onto the desk.

“Within three days, uncover the truth behind the messages from death row. If you fail, Xie Huaiyan goes to the Northern Frontier, and Jiang Tingyun will be confined to Jiang Mansion.”

I kowtowed.

“This subject’s daughter accepts the decree.”

Xie Huaiyan was about to kowtow as well.

I pressed a hand onto his shoulder.

He sucked in a soft breath from the pain.

I asked under my breath, “Did that hurt?”

He lowered his eyes.

“It hurt.”

“Good.”

I let go.

“Remember that feeling. We still have accounts to settle later.”