Yi Zhici fell silent. She bypassed Gu Weifeng to check on Yi Junshi's condition. Yi Junshi looked extremely unwell at the moment, his lips as pale as paper.
"Right, I almost forgot," Gu Weifeng suddenly said. "Junshi, we seem to have a deal, don't we? We were going to have Yuyang compete with Songyang."
Yi Junshi didn't say a word. His complexion turned even worse, and he started to cough.
Yi Zhici had long sensed something was wrong. Ever since they entered the palace, she never expected to leave unscathed. However, she never thought that Gu Weifeng, who had always indulged Yi Junshi, would suddenly turn against him so completely.
Gu Jing was summoned. He looked terrified of Gu Weifeng. "Your Majesty..."
Yi Zhici could no longer pretend. She sneered and said, "May I ask Your Majesty, do you want me to win or lose?"
Gu Jing gave her a look, probably warning her not to provoke Gu Weifeng.
But at this moment, Yi Zhici was already driven out of her wits by Yi Junshi's dying state. "Your Majesty, please tell me. I will surely act according to your will."
There was silence for a while. Gu Weifeng's face darkened. Suddenly, he grabbed Yi Zhici by the neck. "Good. You're truly worthy of being picked up by Marquis Jing. After spending a few years by his side, you do resemble him a bit."
"Pah! What do you mean 'picked up'? You're the one who was picked up!" Yi Zhici's face turned red. She had difficulty breathing for a moment. "Let me go! Release my father and mother!"
Gu Jing immediately knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, please spare Yuyang. She didn't mean it. She didn't mean to be disrespectful to you..."
Yi Junshi fell off the bed. There was a faint trace of blood in his throat. "Gu Weifeng! Let go—"
Hearing Yi Junshi's voice, Gu Weifeng's expression grew even more gloomy. "Zhao Fu, take Songyang away."
Zhao Fu entered the room, dragged away Gu Jing, who was kneeling and on the verge of tears, and closed the door. In the huge Hall of Mental Cultivation, only the three of them remained. Yi Junshi was lying on the ground, still trying to crawl towards Yi Zhici, but he was too weak.
Yi Zhici's throat was being choked. She felt that she was about to suffocate, but she still refused to give in. She glared at Gu Weifeng with her neck stiffened. "You bastard! Release my father and mother..."
Gu Weifeng lifted Yi Zhici off the ground. His eyes were even colder. "Yuyang, Yuyang. Do you know how many years I've envied you? I've envied you for being able to stay by Marquis Jing's side, for being able to openly show your kindness to him, for being able to act coquettishly towards him without any scruples. Even, even for the fact that Marquis Jing said he never regretted picking you up."
Yi Zhici didn't understand. What did it mean that Marquis Jing never regretted picking her up? What did it mean that she was picked up? She wasn't a foundling! Yi Zhici's face turned red from being choked. Her mind was also getting muddled. All she could think was that Gu Weifeng was a madman.
"Do you also think I'm a pervert?" Gu Weifeng laughed as if he didn't have a care in the world. He let go of Yi Zhici, looking nonchalant, but there seemed to be a glimmer of tears in his eyes. "It doesn't matter. Everyone in the world laughs at me. But I'm the emperor. As long as I'm powerful enough, no one dares to say anything bad about me. Not even a single word."
Yi Zhici regained her freedom and fell to the ground. She gasped for air, too weak to even resist.
Gu Weifeng's voice was deep, and there was a hint of desolation in it at this moment. "I'm a tyrant. The whole world says so. If any official displeases me, I'll dismiss him from office, behead him, or even confiscate his property. Only you, Yi Junshi, I've held in the palm of my hand. I do whatever you say. What else haven't I done well?"
She saw Yi Junshi's eyes turn red.
She saw Gu Weifeng's eyes turn red too.
Gu Weifeng swept all the memorials off the table. "Tell me! What else do I have to do to get a soft word from you, Yi Junshi?!"
Yi Junshi leaned back and remained silent.
Gu Weifeng smiled. "Yuyang, do you also think I'm a pervert?"
There was a distinct red mark on Yi Zhici's neck from Gu Weifeng's hand. She coughed so hard that there were tears in her eyes. She looked extremely pitiful.
She struggled to get up, trying her best not to show any weakness. She said word by word, neither overbearing nor humble. "I was really shocked when I found out you liked my father, but I didn't think you were a pervert. No matter who you like, you have your own dignity and pride. However, love doesn't distinguish between first and last comers, but it does distinguish between propriety, righteousness, integrity and sense of shame."
Gu Weifeng squinted his eyes. "What?"
Yi Zhici sneered. "You forced my father to stay in the palace without asking for his opinion and tortured him until he was emaciated. This is a violation of propriety. You ignored the fact that my father was already married and forcibly separated him from my mother. This is a lack of integrity and sense of shame. Love may not distinguish between first and last comers, but it must abide by propriety, righteousness, integrity and sense of shame!"
"First and last comers? First and last comers..." Gu Weifeng laughed like a madman. His eyes were bloodshot, and there was an inexplicable, burning light in them. "Ask your father. Ask your mother. Who is the one who came later? Who is the one who lacks propriety, righteousness, integrity and sense of shame?!"