She Hates

Wenli Hall of the Crown Princess's Palace.

Luo Zhao sat behind her desk, brush in hand, still reviewing official documents.

The hall doors were gently pushed open.

Shangguan Yunying walked in. Her footsteps were light, but Luo Zhao noticed her immediately.

She did not look up. The tip of her brush continued to move across the paper as she spoke calmly,

"You're back?"

"Yes."

Shangguan Yunying responded and walked over to sit in a side seat.

She didn't report immediately as she usually did, but fell into silence, seemingly organizing her thoughts.

Luo Zhao stopped her brush and turned to look at her.

Her gaze swept across Shangguan Yunying's face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her lips a bit swollen, her hair slightly disheveled, and the hem of her clothes was stained with dust.

In Luo Zhao's eyes, these details were as clear as ink spots on white paper.

"Did Gu Chengyin coax you that quickly?"

Luo Zhao spoke lightly, her tone betraying no emotion.

But these words were like a needle, accurately piercing Shangguan Yunying's calm facade.

She trembled all over, her face instantly stiffening.

She had been seen through.

It made sense. Her Highness was so smart, how could she not see it?

How did her current appearance look anything like someone who had just returned from hunting down an enemy?

It was clearly...

"What are you talking about, Your Highness?"

Shangguan Yunying forced a smile, though her voice was somewhat dry,

"I stabbed several large holes in Gu Chengyin with my sword. He even knelt down and begged me not to kill him."

These words were full of holes.

Luo Zhao did not expose her lie.

She simply lowered her head again and continued reviewing the documents, her tone noncommittal,

"Oh? Is that so."

"Then did he say why he lifted the hypnosis on you? Did something happen to my aunt?"

This question made Shangguan Yunying freeze instantly.

Oh no.

She had been so focused on hunting down Gu Chengyin, and later got kissed until she was dizzy, that she completely forgot about this matter.

She hadn't asked about Lin Qingyan at all.

Noticing Shangguan Yunying's renewed silence, Luo Zhao frowned slightly.

She put down her brush, leaned back in her chair, and scrutinized Shangguan Yunying with a gaze as sharp as a knife,

"Don't tell me... you didn't ask?"

Her tone carried disbelief.

"Then what did you go do?" Luo Zhao's voice turned cold. "Did you really stab a few big holes in him? Or..."

Luo Zhao didn't finish her sentence, but the implication was more piercing than if she had.

Shangguan Yunying's face turned red and white in turns.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

Although she forgot to ask about Lin Qingyan, it wasn't as if she gained absolutely nothing.

Next, Shangguan Yunying recounted exactly what Gu Chengyin had said, word for word.

She didn't hide Gu Chengyin's threats against her, because she couldn't hide them; Luo Zhao would find out sooner or later.

But she wasn't completely honest either, omitting the details of the kissing that followed.

She merely stated Gu Chengyin's chain of logic objectively.

As she spoke, Luo Zhao's expression shifted from initial suspicion to gradual solemnity.

When Shangguan Yunying finished her last word, the hall fell into a long silence.

After a long time, Luo Zhao slowly spoke, her voice somewhat dry,

"Are you saying... Gu Chengyin hypnotized me not to tear away all pretenses, but because he felt the threat from my father?"

"That's what he said."

Shangguan Yunying nodded, adding,

"From what I gathered, that's what he meant. If he can return safely, then naturally everyone is happy."

"But if he can't return..."

"With his current status, position, and official rank, if he dies on the road while inspecting the sects, then His Majesty will gain a perfectly righteous banner."

Luo Zhao closed her eyes.

In her mind, Gu Chengyin's analysis was like a massive puzzle rapidly piecing itself together.

The Right Vice Minister of Rites, responsible for liaising with the cultivation sects and conducting regular inspections.

The heir of the Azure Cloud Immortal Clan, the symbol of orthodoxy in the cultivation world, and the desperately needed legacy of the Azure Sword Sect.

The other cultivation sects' wariness of the Azure Sword Sect and their murderous intent toward the heir of the Azure Cloud Immortal Clan.

Emperor Luo had superimposed these two identities, pushing Gu Chengyin into that position.

"An open scheme."

Luo Zhao opened her eyes, her voice icy,

"This is a naked open scheme."

"My father made Gu Chengyin take the position of Right Vice Minister of Rites. If he refused, it would be defying an imperial decree, cutting himself off from the court."

"By accepting it, he must go inspect the sects and directly face the murderous intent of the other sects."

"If he can return smoothly, bringing back the continued immortal path and methods, then naturally that is good."

"But if he cannot return..."

A cold smile curled the corners of Luo Zhao's lips,

"A man who embodies the titles of Junior Tutor to the Crown Princess, Chief Steward of the Internal Affairs Department, Right Vice Minister of Rites, and the Marquis of Equal Shoulder, dying on the territory of the cultivation sects."

"No matter who kills him, the blame can be pinned on them."

"When that time comes, my father will have a reason to dispatch troops, one that is righteous enough, resounding enough, and sufficient to silence the people of the world."

"As long as war breaks out..."

Luo Zhao's voice grew even colder,

"The so-called method to continue the immortal path will naturally fall into the hands of the victor."

"My father doesn't need Gu Chengyin to come back alive at all; he merely needs an excuse to start a war."

Shangguan Yunying felt a chill run down her spine as she listened.

"No wonder..."

Luo Zhao murmured to herself, a complex light flickering in her eyes,

"No wonder Gu Chengyin worked so hard to expand the inspection team."

"Because in this matter, my father not only won't help, but he might even stab him in the back at a critical moment."

"In any case, regardless of whether this Luo Envoy lives or dies."

"My father will be the ultimate winner."

The air in the hall froze.

Sitting in the side seat, Shangguan Yunying felt her hands and feet go cold.

Even though she had already learned the truth from Gu Chengyin, she had been thoroughly dazed by the kisses at the time.

Now, sitting here and listening to Luo Zhao analyze it all over again, she understood Gu Chengyin much more profoundly.

In the face of a matter of life and death, his control over her and Her Highness seemed to become insignificant.

Meanwhile, Luo Zhao's feelings were even more complicated.

She slowly closed her eyes, and the images of the night she was hypnotized surfaced once more.

At the time, she thought Gu Chengyin hypnotized her to completely control her, to avoid her future revenge.

Therefore, she hated him.

Hated his overstepping, hated his offense, and hated that he actually cared so little for her.

But now...

Now she finally realized that Gu Chengyin's hypnosis might not have been for any of those reasons at all.

Rather, it was because he felt the threat of death and had to grasp at any life-saving straw he could find.

"Bastard..."

Luo Zhao squeezed the word through gritted teeth, her voice carrying suppressed anger,

"If you had just told me directly, would I have refused to help you?!"

"I do hate you, and I did want to kill you, but that was because I thought you wanted to control me!"

"If you had told me the truth, told me of my father's schemes, and told me of your situation, I wouldn't necessarily have refused to help you!"

"We could have absolutely cooperated! I could have helped you deal with my father, helped increase your chances of survival, could have... done so many things!"

"Why... did you have to use such methods?"