Chapter 225: Rivals Meet

Chapter 225: Meeting of Rivals

"Prince Gu does not mind mingling with the lowly, and this humble prisoner accepts without objection."

As the noble Gu Huai entered the squalid prison, the jailer on duty hastily tidied up Sun Zhiye's cell, brought in tables and chairs, and even went so far as to elegantly arrange a few blooming peach branches in a clay vase to decorate the environment. Finally draping a cloth curtain over it and retreating, the cell was transformed.

Sun Zhiye sighed, "So this is the essence of power."

The destiny of the noble is preordained.

His gaze was slowly drawn to the vibrant peach branches in the rough clay vase.

He hadn't realized that the spring flowers had already bloomed so profusely.

The plum petals he had meticulously collected had long since dried and withered, crumbling into dust at the slightest touch.

"Indeed, this is power," Gu Huai said, setting the wine jug on the wooden table with deliberate care and sitting down on the chair.

"Please, have a seat," Gu Huai pointed to the opposite seat.

Sun Zhiye accepted without hesitation, sitting down with an air of calm, picking up the wine jug and taking a swig.

The smooth, mellow liquid slid past his lips and teeth, bringing Sun Zhiye a long-forgotten clarity.

Gu Huai did not reprimand Sun Zhiye for his impudence but absentmindedly twisted the jade ring on his slender, pale finger. "The people of your Changhe County are truly daring."

"A man facing death has nothing to fear," Sun Zhiye roughly wiped the wine stains from his mouth and glanced at Gu Huai's finger. "I assume Prince Gu has already met Mr. Lu and Xie Yan."

"Did you notice the matching gold rings on Mr. Lu and Xie Yan's fingers?"

Gu Huai's eyelashes flickered, and his hand stilled.

Consumed by jealousy and rage, he was fixated on A Chao's pregnancy and the affectionate glances between her and Xie Yan, noticing nothing else.

"Then do you know that A Chao is pregnant?" Gu Huai elegantly poured a cup of wine, gently shaking it, the ripples in the cup reflecting his unsettled heart.

The aroma of the wine wafted around Gu Huai's nose, but he only sniffed lightly, not lifting the cup to drink.

"Your subordinate Chuanbo guaranteed with his own life, firmly stating in front of me that the marital relationship between A Chao and Xie Yan is merely superficial, in name only."

"I believed it and immediately wrote to the magistrate of Yicheng to exert pressure and try to save you."

"Who would have thought that Prince Duan would intervene personally and take over the case."

"Because of you, I was reprimanded by His Majesty and ruined a major plan. Do you know your crime?"

The matter of the marriage contract, dragged on until today without resolution, truly infuriated him.

Sun Zhiye frowned, inwardly shocked.

Lu Mingchao is pregnant?

Lu Mingchao willingly became a real couple with Xie Yan?

Despite his myriad doubts, he showed nothing on his face. "Prince Gu, you are too late."

"Day and night together, affection grows over time."

"Rather than blaming the common people, Heir Gu should reflect on why he hasn't sought out Mr. Lu in the past six months."

"Heir Gu, since you cannot offer Mr. Lu the formalities of a proper marriage, why are you so unwilling to let go?"

Now, he only hopes that Lu Mingchao's Chaofu Trading will gain fame throughout the world.

By then, even in the afterlife, he can deceive the spirits.

Gu Huai slammed the wine cup heavily on the table, spilling the wine, and said with a grim expression, "Is status really that important?"

"With me protecting her from all hardships, treating her well and cherishing her, ensuring her a life of luxury without any worries, isn't that enough?"

Sun Zhiye's eyes flickered, and he sneered.

It was clear that Heir Gu could never have Lu Mingchao.

"What are you laughing at?" Gu Huai's brows furrowed deeply.

Sun Zhiye curled his lips, "Laughing at Heir Gu's condescension."

"The reason Heir Gu believes status is unimportant is simply because the scorn, curses, and biases of the world are aimed solely at her."

"To put it bluntly, status is like a protective cloak to her, the basic requirement for her to stand proudly and beautifully before others."

"Does the heir understand now, as I, a condemned man, have said?"

Sun Zhiye's words entered Gu Huai's ears like a stone falling into water, causing ripples that soon faded into silence.

"Is this what you mean by 'a dying man speaks honestly'?"

"She has no family connections to rely on, nor a clean reputation, unable to enter through the main gate of the Duke's residence, nor reside in their mansion."

"Being my mistress, isn't that a hundred or even a thousand times better than being a hunter's wife?"

Sun Zhiye blinked, "Heir Gu, are you in need of a mistress?"

"You know she spent fifteen years in the Yongning Marquis's residence, learning the etiquette and morals of a high-born lady. Making her a mistress is deliberately degrading and humiliating her."

Since his complete defeat, his sins made public, and the collapse of Sun's enterprise, his mindset has become remarkably calm and composed.

In his leisure time, he repeatedly revisited his encounters with Lu Mingchao, sincerely admiring her.

Gu Huai coldly glanced at Sun Zhiye, "Speaking so candidly and righteously, yet your impure thoughts are no less."

Sun Zhiye laughed freely, "A gentleman admires a virtuous lady, but Mr. Lu's heart is as unyielding as steel."

"To be honest with the heir, I once proposed to Mr. Lu."

"Offered to marry her with seventy percent of the Sun family's wealth, only asking her to divorce and marry me."

"She drew her bow and arrow, warning me that if I dared to approach her again, she would surely kill me."

Gu Huai, unsettled, drank several cups of wine in succession, his vision gradually blurred, no longer as sharp as before. He asked in a deep voice, "She is skilled in archery?"

"Not just archery, her cunning, strategic mind, and courage are no less than any man's," Sun Zhiye's voice was full of admiration.

What haunts his dreams is the dazzling Lu Mingchao.

Gu Huai's mind was in a daze, how could the gentle and tender A Chao grow such sharp thorns in just a few months, piercing him so deeply that he could hardly get close?

It's Xie Yan, of all people!

It's the rough hunter Xie Yan who has turned the once docile, gentle, and dutiful A Chao into someone completely transformed.

Yes, it's Xie Yan.

Gu Huai, imitating Sun Zhiye, threw his head back and chugged the wine, his eyes blurred, rambling on about his history with Lu Mingchao.

The more he listened, the more Sun Zhiye felt something was off.

Docile?

Kind and gentle?

Making scented sachets, brewing hangover tea, putting up with cold shoulders, and unwavering devotion...

Is this really Lu Mingchao?

If Lu Mingchao had even a shred of docility, they wouldn't have ended up in a life-and-death struggle; they would have collaborated long ago.

Putting up with cold shoulders?

Absolutely ridiculous!

He clearly saw that Lu Mingchao was the type to walk away if the other party showed no affection.

Lu Mingchao's unwavering devotion to Xie Yan stemmed from the deep love and loyalty she felt from him.

However, after listening to Gu Huai's ramblings, he finally understood.

What Gu Huai couldn't let go of was Lu Mingchao's tender care and meticulous attention, and what he missed was her once selfless and unconditional devotion.

Who would have guessed that Lu Mingchao was once such a romantic soul?

Tsk, if he had faced that version of Lu Mingchao, the outcome might have been different.

"Heir Gu, wallowing in self-pity isn't the way to go."

Sun Zhiye is dead.