in2ebook Chapter 282 Ending
Chapter 282 Ending
At this time, the sky sprinkled light raindrops, gently falling under the golden splendor and pearl curtains of the palace. In the middle of the night, Emperor Li Zhen faced a woman who knelt in the rain for his cousin Li Ji - Xu Jiaoran.
Xu Jiaoran's brows revealed an unyielding determination, like a star twinkling in the dark night sky. Her bright eyes were full of pleading and expectation, like the deep lake, whose depths could not be seen. She knelt on the cold stone slab, her clothes fluttering, like a sad and beautiful painting.
"Your Majesty, please..." Xu Jiaoran's voice, filled with pleading and helplessness, echoed in the empty imperial study. Her voice was full of concern and worry for Li Ji, as if a burning heart was beating.
Li Zhen stared at her, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He knew that she cared about Li Ji, but he also knew the contradictions and entanglements in his heart. He was not a cold-blooded person, but why was it so difficult for him to make a decision between love and justice?
"I know what you are going to say." Li Zhen's voice was calm and deep, but in this calmness, there was an indescribable indifference. "If you don't want to make me angry, don't say anything."
His words made Xu Jiaoran's heart sink to the bottom of the valley instantly. She knew Li Zhen's anger and dissatisfaction, and even more so the jealousy and contradictions in his heart. She understood that Li Ji's existence made him feel threatened and uneasy. However, she could not watch her brother suffer and do nothing.
"Your Majesty, I..." Xu Jiaoran's voice rang out again, but this time with deeper sadness and determination.
"I know I can't let you let Li Ji go easily. But I hope you can understand my feelings. If he dies, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
Her voice was low but firm, as if there was a power flowing through her words. Her eyes revealed a kind of determination and firmness, as if she was ready to bear everything.
Li Zhen looked at her, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes. He was jealous that Li Ji could make her miss him so much, but he also understood her sincerity and kindness. He couldn't get angry with her, nor could he be indifferent to her request.
"You..." Li Zhen's voice was a little heavy, "Do you think this will solve the problem? Do you think this will make me let him go? You will feel sorry for him, and what about me? What do I mean to you?"
Does she wish she could die immediately?
Li Zhen was extremely angry.
"I can't guarantee that I can solve the problem." Xu Jiaoran replied, "But I can only do my best. I am willing to atone for Li Ji's sins and take on everything for him."
Although her voice was weak, it was full of power. She looked at Li Zhen firmly, as if telling him that she was willing to give everything for Li Ji.
Li Zhen looked at her, and a ripple appeared in his heart. He was jealous and angry.
His eyes suddenly lit up as he asked, "How are you going to give everything for him?"
Li Zhen's eyes were filled with flames of jealousy, and his gaze was fixed on Xu Jiaoran's eyes that were as deep as the sea.
Xu Jiaoran's every word seemed to pluck his heartstrings, filling him with anger and sadness. He clenched his hands slightly, suppressed the impulse in his heart, and raised a sarcastic smile at the corner of his mouth.
He walked forward, pinched Xu Jiaoran's chin with one hand, and stared at her sternly: "Give everything? Xu Jiaoran, everything you have belongs to me. How are you going to give everything for him?"
His voice was cold and domineering, but it also inadvertently revealed his inner pain and struggle. Xu Jiaoran raised her head slightly, with a determined light flashing in her eyes. She did not retreat or show any fear, as if she had already anticipated the emperor's rebuke.
"Your Majesty's favor is like the clouds in the sky, which has bestowed upon me the deepest gift. Although Li Ji is in danger, he was once my wife and treated me very well. Although my feelings for him have long faded, I am not a heartless person and I also remember his kindness, so I beg Your Majesty."
She spoke softly but with determination, "Your Majesty, please let him go. Letting him go will also resolve the knot in my heart. From now on, I will forget everything in the past and stay with Your Majesty."
Her fingers were tightly clasped together, and under the silvery moonlight, her shadow was like a fight between a pine tree and a crane, difficult to separate.
When Li Zhen heard her words, he let go of her chin, but held her waist tighter, pulling her close to him. "I will never allow you to be with me and still think of someone else in your heart, but if you are willing to sincerely love me and be loyal to me, I can spare his life."
This sentence seemed like a proposition, pushing her to the edge of an emotional cliff. But she showed no fear, just like a lotus in a pond accepting the test of the breeze, as gentle but full of pride. "If your majesty can forgive Li Ji's crime, I am willing to serve you with the most sincere heart."
"Everything you have belongs to me." The emperor repeated again. This time, there was a hint of tenderness in his tone. "Then I will give you a chance."
He let go of Xu Jiaoran's waist and slowly let go of his hand, then stepped aside from the beaded curtain and turned away from the woman's body in front of him. "From now on, there can only be me in your heart. Is it possible?"
There was a hint of gloomy but mysterious light in his eyes. "I will reward him with a mountain villa as a permanent residence. He can live a peaceful life in this life. You don't have to worry about it."
Xu Jiaoran smiled with tears in her eyes as if she was being pampered. This struggle did not cause their emotions to collapse but rather to become more cohesive and deepened. In the end, the queen was relieved and satisfied with the stability of the court. Although the truth would eventually be revealed, it no longer mattered.
The night was as dark as ink, but in the imperial study there was a bright lamp quietly burning the fire of hope. And Xu Jiaoran was like a beautiful figure under the lamp, quietly waiting for the arrival of dawn...
A glimmer of hope flashed in Xu Jiaoran's eyes. She knew that Li Zhen's decisions were often well-thought-out. She believed that he would give Li Ji a fair trial and fair treatment...
Xu Jiaoran promised again: "As long as Your Majesty releases him, I will be with Your Majesty, but Your Majesty, I want to see him again!"
The jealousy and anger in Li Zhen's heart seemed to be blown away by a breeze, but when he heard the second half of the sentence, his expression suddenly changed and he said, "No!"
"Your Majesty, but..."
"If I say no, then it's not possible!" Li Zhen was very firm and interrupted what Xu Jiaoran was about to say.
Li Zhen was afraid that the relationship between them would rekindle and that the past feelings would be rekindled.
Xu Jiaoran's heart was filled with bitterness. She knew that her past with Li Ji had become a thing of the past, but those sweet memories still left deep marks in her heart. Now, she could only stand here and silently miss those past times.
The night wind blew, and Xu Jiaoran's long hair fluttered in the wind. Her eyes reflected the shadow of the past, which was the good times she and Li Ji spent together. She sighed softly, and the pain in her heart surged like waves, but if she wanted to get over this knot, she had to meet Li Ji and end this relationship.