The King of Dongzhou finally understood.
He finally got it.
Why Jin'er had loathed him so much.
Why over all these years, she had never fallen for him.
It turned out.
It was all because of that past.
He stood up.
And walked towards Baizhi.
But Baizhi dodged.
With disgust in her voice, she said, "Don't touch me."
"Jin'er, you've suffered. It's all in the past."
"In the past? It's so easy for you to say, King of Dongzhou. Do you think I only hate my father for abandoning my mother, my brother, and me for that woman back then? Do you think I hate that woman?"
"Jin'er—"
"You're wrong. What I hate is Bai Yunfeng. He was the one who took the initiative to court my mother back then, and it was because of him that my brother and I were born. Since he couldn't fulfill his responsibility as a father, why did he bring us into this world? A heartless man like him deserves to be sliced to death. Even a thousand cuts wouldn't be enough to vent my hatred."
"But I've been sincere to you."
"Sincere? How different are you from Bai Yunfeng? King of Dongzhou, didn't you rely on Dongfang Ruoxi to obtain the throne today? But you still couldn't resist my temptation and wanted to get rid of the Dongfang family. You're just the same kind of person as Bai Yunfeng."
"That's because I've truly fallen in love with you."
"Dongfang Ruoxi was also in love with you. Otherwise, do you think your little schemes in the palace could have been hidden so well? If she had told Dongfang Yan about your disgraceful deeds earlier, do you think you could have lasted until now?"
Dongfang Ruoxi.
At the mention of this name.
The King of Dongzhou couldn't help but feel a twinge of uneasiness.
"She watched me too closely. I had no room to breathe."
Baizhi walked towards the King of Dongzhou.
Smiling sweetly.
"So, Your Majesty, you really have deep feelings for me. For me, are you willing to give up the great kingdom of Dongzhou?"
Seeing the woman showing that kind and amiable smile as before.
The King of Dongzhou's heart softened once again.
"I want both the kingdom and you. But don't worry, you'll be the only queen of Dongzhou."
"Really?"
"I'm willing to give you a chance."
The woman smiled faintly.
The man wasn't on guard.
"Then, Your Majesty, are you also willing to accept me like this?"
The King of Dongzhou pondered.
He thought.
Since she could bare her past like this, she should have some true feelings for him.
He had finally found someone who was in tune with his soul. How could he give up so easily?
"Of course I'm willing. My promise to you has always been true."
The King of Dongzhou opened his arms.
Baizhi threw herself into his embrace.
Only to hear a muffled groan.
The King of Dongzhou's eyes widened in shock.
How could this be?
"Jin'er—"
Baizhi pushed the King of Dongzhou away.
There was a dagger sticking out of the King of Dongzhou's chest.
That dagger.
It was extremely sharp. It was the one the King of Dongzhou had given to Baizhi for self - defense.
Baizhi clapped her hands and threw the dagger aside, as if the dagger had dirtied her hands.
"I've told you, Your Majesty. I'm not Jinse. My real name is Baizhi. Why can't you remember it?"
"You—"
The blood from the King of Dongzhou's chest kept spreading.
It soon soaked his clothes.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
"Don't you know why, Your Majesty? It's because of what you've done. Because of the loss of our child. You let me see your true self. I don't want to follow in my mother's footsteps."
The pain in the King of Dongzhou's chest made him feel suffocated.
He still didn't understand.
The loss of their child wasn't his fault. For this child, he had even fallen out with his daughter and almost executed Yinuo in public.
The King of Dongzhou thought he had done nothing wrong to this lost child.
"It was because you punished Dongfang Yinuo that I was scared. Think about it, Dongfang Yinuo is your own daughter, and you were so cruel to her. Aren't you just the same as Bai Yunfeng back then? And Dongfang Yinuo was just like me back then. Comparing like this, I was naturally afraid that I would end up like my mother. Your Majesty, don't blame me."
Baizhi left the King of Dongzhou.
But after a moment of stupefaction, the King of Dongzhou smiled in relief.
He had long anticipated that he wouldn't live much longer.
Dying at her hands was also a kind of closure for the second half of his life.
"I've treated you well. I know that in the end, Dongzhou will be yours. I only ask one thing of you."
"Speak."
"Spare the lives of her and her daughter."
Baizhi burst into laughter.
Laughing wildly.
"It's too late. It's all too late, King of Dongzhou. In fact, if you had been calmer back then and hadn't coveted what didn't belong to you, maybe you would be enjoying your twilight years now, surrounded by your children and grandchildren. You're quite lucky. Although I don't like that woman, I've seen all the things she's done for you over the years."
"You always said that you were looking for a woman who would whole - heartedly love you. Did you think that person would be me? You're wrong. That person is Dongfang Ruoxi. Everything she did was for you. But you ignored such an important person by your side and regarded the person who would harm you as a treasure."
"If you hurry to the Princess's Palace now, maybe you can still see that woman's corpse."
The King of Dongzhou stood up.
"You killed her?"
"Yes."
"You!"
"Also, there are many things you don't know. I'll tell you one by one now. Back then, Dongfang Ruoxi rushed to my place just to persuade me to leave. She didn't instruct other guards to assault me. I just deliberately arranged the scene like that before you came, making it hard for Dongfang Ruoxi to defend herself."
"Moreover, that woman actually discovered your unusual relationship with me a long time ago. But when Dongfang Yan asked her, she still spoke up for you, saying that it was all a rumor. At that time, you didn't have much real power. As long as that woman had casually complained a few words to the general, your throne would have been long gone."
"Finally, the rumors in the palace about me abusing and killing maids and eunuchs were not rumors. I did it with my own hands, and that woman saw it with her own eyes. But when she told you, you didn't believe her. You thought she was just jealous and deliberately trying to harm me, so she splashed all this dirt on me. I should thank Your Majesty's deep love. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have come to this."
"Child—" The King of Dongzhou forced out these two words through his gritted teeth.
"Of course, I deliberately got rid of the child. It had nothing to do with the little princess of Dongzhou."
The King of Dongzhou's figure swayed unsteadily.
He walked out of the bedroom.
And rushed towards the Princess's Palace.
Baizhi watched his back and thought it was really ridiculous. A man could be so fickle. Clearly, they were the ones driven by greed, but in the end, they blamed all the mistakes on the women.
"It's too late."
As these two words fell.
The King of Dongzhou's body.
Collapsed to the ground.
She had smeared the dagger with a deadly poison.
What she said later was just to anger the King of Dongzhou, making his blood boil and the poison take effect earlier.
Even in death.
The King of Dongzhou didn't get to see Dongfang Ruoxi one last time.
He left with remorse.
But for Dongfang Ruoxi, maybe not seeing this man would make her leave this world more peacefully.