Rong Jing saw that Gu Lan remained silent, and his heart increasingly affirmed his suspicions, which lifted his spirits considerably.

These days, Rong Jing had been speculating about the reason Rong Heng and Gu Lan were together.

This matter was not just about Rong Heng’s betrayal of him; Rong Heng being with Gu Lan, a woman, also meant that everything he had done over the years was in vain. His most prized creation turned out to be a failure!

It was only now that Rong Jing used this reason to convince himself.

It turned out, Rong Heng was also deceived by Gu Lan.

Now that Rong Heng knew Gu Lan was a woman, and in this world, women are the least trustworthy... he must remember what he had once told him.

"I am not wrong. Even if Wu hates me, he would never have the courage to betray me. His return to the capital for you is probably because he doesn’t believe that I announced to the world that you are a woman... Once he sees you, he will understand that I did not lie to him, that the one deceiving him is actually you." Rong Jing murmured softly.

Gu Lan lowered her head; her gaze was icy.

Although she despised Rong Jing, at times she found him pitiable.

Rong Jing stubbornly believed that Rong Heng was just like himself. He made him endure pain and torment, leaving him with only this "brother" to rely on, considering Rong Heng his most perfect creation.

Even now, Rong Jing believed that Rong Heng’s spirit had been ground down, his pride shattered, becoming the blade in his hand. He would rather believe Rong Heng was deceived by Gu Lan, that the blade mistakenly wounded its wielder, than believe Rong Heng had been pretending in front of him all along. That it wasn’t a blade, but another person holding the blade.

They were never brothers but two completely opposite individuals.

If a person is inherently kind, even after enduring countless hardships, they will remain unrepentant, their nature unchanged.

And Rong Jing never knew, nor believed, such sentiments existed in this world.

"Gu Lan, I’ve decided how you will die," Rong Jing’s lips curved into a satisfied smile, softly whispering, interrupting Gu Lan’s thoughts.

"I want you to die as a woman in front of Rong Heng, so he knows the person he loved has been deceiving him all along. You’re no different from Xia He. In this world, apart from me, he shouldn’t trust anyone!"

As Rong Jing spoke, his breath quickened, his vision suddenly a bit blurred.

He actually couldn’t remember the original reason he wanted Rong Heng to despise women.

Initially, he merely thought that if Rong Heng despised women, he wouldn’t have offspring.

A person without descendants, no matter how much power they wield, would remain a tool he could use for a lifetime, his most perfect tool. Rong Heng was his favorite younger brother, and he wouldn’t treat him like Rong Jue. He just wanted him never to betray him.

Gradually, Rong Jing felt that in this Imperial Palace, there was no such thing as filial piety, brotherliness, or courtesy. Everything was just an act. As long as there were sufficient benefits and as long as people’s hearts harbored desires, any feeling could change.

To ensure Rong Heng’s absolute loyalty, he had to make him lose everything, leaving only himself.

Thus, he did the deed.

"That deed?" Gu Lan repeated softly, and Rong Jing realized he had spoken his mind aloud.

He glanced sideways at Gu Lan, his pupils as dark as the densest night, embodying an extreme madness and wickedness.

Rong Jing said, "At this point, why not tell you? Even if you know, you can’t change any of it. It’s a hatred of life and death that Wu will never let go."

"Back then, I merely stirred the pot. It was Xia He who actively killed her master Rong Luo, betraying the friendship they had shared since childhood..."

Rong Jing recalled the scenes from that year, involuntarily shaking his head, a mocking smile curling his lips.

In this world, there is no feeling as solid as a rock.

"Xia He was a maid left by Princess Consort Xiao to watch over Wu, growing up with him, feeling like siblings. She did indeed care for Wu as an elder sister would. However, I merely found a handsome guard for a hero-saving-the-beauty scenario, and within a few days, she fell deeply for that guard."

Rong Jing recounted the past lightly, as if it were nothing more than a farce.

Gu Lan’s original goal was already achieved; as she listened to him, her serene eyes involuntarily turned cold.

A guard?

Hero-saving-the-beauty?

Fell deeply?

What Rong Jing was talking about now was Xia He’s story, something she was unaware of.

She had learned in Nian Xia’s sparse words that Xia He had never betrayed Rong Luo and Rong Heng, only pretending to abandon her master, faking Rong Luo’s death, and ultimately dying at Rong Heng’s hands.

Gu Lan didn’t know what Xia He and Rong Luo had gone through back then, but she saw the bitterness in Nian Xia’s heart.

And the culprit behind it all was the man before her—

"And then I arranged for that guard to take care of Rong Luo, being with Rong Luo. This was accidentally discovered by Xia He, which drove her mad. She questioned her master on why he was trying to steal her love, and in the end, she poisoned Rong Luo to death for the sake of a man.

I remember she used poison that marred a woman’s appearance and skin, causing her to die in excruciating pain, manifesting the depth of her hatred for Rong Luo."

Rong Jing spoke words meant to pierce the heart with the most casual of tones.