Chapter 107: Lu Yunjian

**Chapter 107 – Lu Yunjian**

On this day, in the dank, shadowy dungeon of the coastal garrison, the Jingxi Emperor met with Lu Yunjian.

Ye Han, alongside the Ning brothers, harbored deep hatred for Lu Yunjian. Upon capturing him, they showed no mercy. Their blows were brutal—deliberately leaving him clinging to life.

Later, the Jingxi Emperor dispatched his trusted guards to interrogate Lu Yunjian covertly, subjecting him to savage torture. Now, Lu Yunjian was a mass of wounds.

The seaside dungeon was oppressively damp, reeking of the briny stench of mildew. His dark hair was disheveled, his clothes stained with blood, yet his expression remained one of unyielding defiance.

The Jingxi Emperor silently observed Lu Yunjian—his long, narrow eyes, thick lashes, slender nose, and aristocratic features, all of which gave him a strikingly refined beauty.

He had noticed long ago that Lu Yunjian’s irises were paler than most people’s.

They bore a resemblance to his own.

The Crown Prince was the Jingxi Emperor’s biological son, yet his eyes were not like this. In other words, judging solely by their eyes and brows, Lu Yunjian seemed more like him.

At that moment, as if sensing something, Lu Yunjian suddenly opened his eyes—and saw the hem of an exquisitely embroidered robe, its craftsmanship refined and noble.

A mocking smile flickered across Lu Yunjian’s lips.

He hated the Jingxi Emperor.

As a child, he had been abruptly sent to the palace to study beside the then-Crown Prince, who would later become the Jingxi Emperor. He had lived with constant caution, never daring to let his guard down even for a moment.

The Jingxi Emperor had treated him decently, but he knew the truth—that the father of the Jingxi Emperor was also his own birth father.

How could he accept it?

He envied the childlike reverence the Jingxi Emperor showed when speaking of their father. He envied the approving, hopeful gaze the late Emperor had cast upon the Jingxi Emperor.

Those were things he could never have!

For years, he had watched from the shadows, lurking with cold, hate-filled eyes—quaking with hatred.

But he had restrained himself—truly restrained himself.

Because that exalted emperor had once looked at him with guilt in his eyes. Because on his deathbed, he’d finally acknowledged me!

Now, with his lips twisted in a bitter smile, Lu Yunjian gazed at the still-elegant and noble emperor and said in a trembling voice: “So you knew all along.”

The Jingxi Emperor idly rubbed a modest ten-tael silver ingot between his fingers—a junk-shaped piece with rounded edges.

He toyed with it absentmindedly, his voice indifferent. “Yes. Thirty-two years ago, the late Emperor toured the Eastern Sea and favored a local woman. She conceived unexpectedly and bore a son, who was then passed off as a legitimate son and fostered by the Marquis of Zhen’an.”

At these words, Lu Yunjian’s body wracked with tremors—as if struck by some invisible force.

It was a past he did not wish to recall.

Lowering his eyes, he gritted his teeth. “When did you find out?”

The Jingxi Emperor replied, “That day, I wrote an essay and was swollen with pride, so I went to show it to the late Emperor. But then I saw him running his fingers through your hair, speaking gently to you.”

He spoke lightly, “So I froze at the threshold. I simply watched.”

Truthfully, he had wanted to ask the late Emperor why he had arranged for his illegitimate son to be his study companion. But many events followed, and he never found the opportunity.

Later, when the late Emperor fell gravely ill and passed away, the words died forever in his throat.

Of course, staying silent all this time might have been an attempt to escape—unwilling to dwell on it too much.

But the late Emperor’s arrangements concerning Lu Yunjian had ultimately left a lingering threat.

Lu Yunjian let out a cold laugh. "So you knew all along. You knew, yet you stayed so calm, playing dumb, trusting me, even deliberately drawing close—such deep scheming!"

The Jingxi Emperor slightly raised a brow. "Was I supposed to let you fool me?"

He smiled at Lu Yunjian. "If I couldn’t keep my composure, how could I have held onto this empire?"

Lu Yunjian froze for a moment, then sagged defeatedly, lowering his eyes. "Yes… I’m no match for you. He said I wasn’t, and I refused to believe it. But now, maybe I truly am not…"

He hunched over, murmuring, "Now that you’ve got me, just kill me."

The Jingxi Emperor studied him. "Do you know what I want?"

Lu Yunjian gave him a meaningful look. "You’re looking for the jade lock pendant."

The Imperial Guard had torn through the Zhen’an Marquisate searching for the late Emperor’s decree, but they couldn't find the jade lock pendant he had bestowed.

For total security, the Jingxi Emperor had to find that pendant—to eliminate any future danger.

The Jingxi Emperor said, "Indeed."

Lu Yunjian let out a mocking laugh. "The jade lock pendant… you won’t find it. You’ll never find it. Kill me, and you’ll never know peace! Because the Great Hui Empire will forever carry a time bomb—you’ll never rest easy!"

The Jingxi Emperor replied, "You won’t break under torture, but what about your child? Lu Yunjian, just yesterday, the Imperial Guard found a secluded fishing village—"

Lu Yunjian went rigid.

He had sent his most trusted guard to hide Lu Guanglan in a remote fishing village to protect him.

And now, the Jingxi Emperor had found them.

With great effort, he lifted his gaze, his sharp, beautiful features pale as paper.

He clenched his jaw, suppressing the storm of emotion threatening to break loose, before finally hissing, "What do you want?!"

The Jingxi Emperor’s expression was hard as stone. "Before his death, the late Emperor summoned the Zhen’an Marquis for a private meeting—to secure a place of refuge for you. That is why he protected the Zhen’an Marquisate and gifted the jade pendant. As for me—"

He gripped the silver ingot tightly, enunciating each word, "I am trapped by filial piety."

Lu Yunjian’s face darkened. "Trapped by filial piety? You played along while plotting behind the scenes! You went through with marrying Lu Wenling just to use her! You've always been wary of the Zhen’an Marquisate—"

He glared fiercely at the emperor. "And you've always been wary of me!"

The Jingxi Emperor laughed coldly. "So what?"

He stood with his hands behind his back, utterly indifferent. "The late Emperor wanted me to marry her—fine, I did. But a woman like that does nothing for me. If she wants to be Empress, let her keep the title."

Lu Yunjian recoiled—he clearly hadn’t expected this.

The Great Hui imperial harem barred noble daughters, but back then, the late Emperor and the Zhen’an Marquis had discussed the matter. Knowing the Marquis’s legitimate daughter was unable to bear children due to past injuries, he allowed her to hold the title of Eastern Palace consort in name only.

Yet no one could have guessed—the Jingxi Emperor had never laid a hand on her.

The emperor sneered. "Did you think I would sleep with just anybody?"

Lu Yunjian clenched his fists, his temples pulsing with barely contained rage.

He said bitterly, "I thought you’d hold her hostage, but I never dreamed you’d take her life!"

He was indebted to the Zhen’an Marquis’ household. He’d sworn to the old marquis to protect Lu Wenling for life, and he had already anticipated what terms the Jingxi Emperor might demand.

But he never dreamed the Jingxi Emperor would simply end her life!

She was dead.

Jingxi Emperor: "You think I killed her?"

Lu Yunjian: "Then who did?"

Jingxi Emperor: "A Wu did."

Lu Yunjian stiffened, staring at the emperor in disbelief.

The Jingxi Emperor gave a faint smile, though his eyes were icy with cruelty: "She was already scared witless—so timid, like a spooked rabbit. She went to see Lu Wenling, but Lu Wenling pressured and threatened her—"

Lu Yunjian understood then.

His eyes darkened with pain: "So A Wu killed her?"

Jingxi Emperor sighed: "Yes, poor thing. It was the first time she’d ever taken a life."

Lu Yunjian was both heartbroken and conflicted, unable to believe it.

Killing weighs heavy on the soul, especially for a woman like A Wu. If she had resorted to murder, she must have been pushed to the brink.

He couldn’t begin to imagine the torment A Wu must have felt in that moment, or the terror afterward.

He had warned Lu Wenling not to push A Wu, not to force her—but she had done it anyway, pushing A Wu over the edge.

The Jingxi Emperor savored Lu Yunjian’s suffering, saying, "Don’t you see the poetic justice? Lu Wenling forced her into the crown prince’s arms, into mine, and in the end, she ran Lu Wenling through herself. Don’t you think Lu Wenling brought this upon herself?"

Lu Yunjian froze, then let out a bitter, mocking laugh: "Yes… she deserved it."

Lu Wenling had been the weight on his shoulders, the debt he had to repay. To settle it, he had sacrificed nearly everything—even A Wu.

Yet now, A Wu had killed Lu Wenling herself.

Suddenly, Lu Yunjian remembered the beginning—the day he first met A Wu. She had been climbing a tree to raid a bird’s nest, her skirt cradling a handful of eggs, radiant with joy.

Sunlight had bathed her, and in that moment, she took his breath away.

Later, A Wu had smiled at him, nestled in his arms, even looped her hands around his neck and whispered, “Seventh Master is the best to me.”

That sweet, coquettish girl, doting on him, teasing and clinging—how could he not have fallen for her?

He’d once believed in her, dreamed of holding her close, of giving her everything. Even when Lu Wenling demanded he abandon her, he had refused—the first time in his life he had stood against Lu Wenling.

He was ready to break his oath just to keep her.

But later, when he discovered Ye Han’s trail and used him as bait, she’d dropped him without a second thought to follow Ye Han!

It cut him to the bone.

The Jingxi Emperor stared Lu Yunjian down, his expression unreadable.

He’d always despised Lu Yunjian—and learning he’d once been involved with A Wu only stoked his contempt.

He knew he could never get A Wu to reveal her past with Lu Yunjian, and could only pick up bits from Lu Yunjian himself to speculate about their once-shared sweetness and gauge how much they really loved each other.

By now, he was well aware that he meant the most to her—far more than the Crown Prince or Lu Yunjian—but he obsessed over every detail, scrutinizing every interaction she'd had with other men, determined to outdo them in every way.

So he reveled in Lu Yunjian’s pain, absentmindedly rolling a smooth silver ingot between his fingers as he said coolly, “All you brought her was suffering and disgrace. What makes you think you were ever good enough? That so-called mutual affection? That was all in your head. When she left you, she didn’t spare you a backward glance.”

The words cut Lu Yunjian like a knife, piercing deep into his heart.

He trembled with pain, his powerful body nearly doubling over.

The Jingxi Emperor said, “We know everything about your history with her. She told me all of it—”

He lied without batting an eye, “It’s ancient history now. To her, it’s just a pathetic joke.”

Lu Yunjian’s veins stood out on his forehead, his face contorted. “I don’t believe you. Let me see her—let me hear it from her own lips—”

The Jingxi Emperor adjusted his sleeves, peering down at Lu Yunjian with cold contempt. “She doesn’t want to see you.”

Bloodshot eyes burned in Lu Yunjian’s gaze. “She said that? Did you even ask her?”

The Jingxi Emperor stared at him icily. “If you’re so desperate to know, We can ask her again—just to put your doubts to rest.”

Lu Yunjian glared at him, unwilling to yield.

The Jingxi Emperor sighed softly. “You were just a nightmare from her past. Now she’s found her father and brothers again. She’s thriving—so much so you never cross her mind. Soon, she’ll marry Me, become My empress. We shall make her mother to the nation, give her the finest this world has to offer. As for you—whether you live or die, will she remember? Will she care?”

Lu Yunjian clenched his jaw until it ached.

The Jingxi Emperor added, “You probably don’t even know this—the three young soldiers who captured you that day? They were her brothers. They’d love to see you drawn and quartered.”

Lu Yunjian went rigid. “Her brothers?”

The Jingxi Emperor nodded. “Yes. The one poisoned because of you? That was her third brother—the one who doted on her. And yet, because of you, he was poisoned…”

Lu Yunjian turned pale.

The Jingxi Emperor watched him with icy detachment. “But after her brothers kill you, they won’t breathe a word of it to her. She’ll forget you—won’t even wonder how you died. She might feel some guilt toward the Crown Prince, but you? She never cared about you at all.”

Lu Yunjian shuddered in torment.

After a long silence, he finally whispered, “What about my child…”

The Jingxi Emperor arched a brow. “Naturally, the same fate as you—torn apart limb from limb. Did you really think We’d leave such a threat alive?”

Lu Yunjian’s gaze locked onto him with deadly intensity. “You’re heartless. He’s just an innocent boy—your own flesh and blood!”

The Jingxi Emperor let out a cold laugh.

He lowered his eyelids, sneering, “Flesh and blood? Is he worthy? Even if you were the late emperor’s blood, what of it? You were never recorded in the imperial lineage. If We declare you a dog, then a dog you shall be.”

Lu Yunjian froze, his handsome face twisting in anguish.

These were the words he hated most—and the Jingxi Emperor knew exactly how to wound him.

The Jingxi Emperor said, “You’d better think hard about how to save your son’s life.”