The prince loves me like his life, but I force him to rebel

Cen Yu took a deep breath and continued, "From that moment on, my fate seemed to be determined. I know that with my imperfect body, it is almost impossible to ascend to the throne. But I am unwilling to give up like this. I want to fight for a chance for myself."

"If I want to ascend the throne, at least at the beginning, I can't let anyone know that I am disabled. So I need him to be my substitute."

As Cen Yu spoke, he turned his gaze to the stand-in beside him.

Gu Nianzhi also turned to look at the stand-in, only to see him standing there quietly, with no expression on his face, as if he had no feelings at all about being someone else's stand-in.

He was like an emotionless puppet, just silently carrying out his tasks.

"This is my biggest secret." Cen Yu turned his wheelchair and slowly came to Gu Nianzhi, looking directly into her eyes. "Anyone who knows my secret...will definitely die if they don't stand by my side."

Cen Yu's voice was very soft, but every word seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, hitting Gu Nianzhi's heart hard.

Gu Nian was stunned. She looked at Cen Yu's serious expression and a chill surged in her heart.

She knew that Cen Yu was not joking, he was serious.

She never thought that she would be involved in such a thrilling power struggle.

She also never thought that her life would be threatened because of knowing a secret.

"I... I don't want to know this at all..." Gu Nianzhi's voice was trembling with endless fear and panic, as if every word was squeezed out from between his teeth with great difficulty.

According to Cen Yu's chilling logic, if he did not become his accomplice, then death would be the only end waiting for him.

This is an attempt to usurp the throne, a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of all nine generations of the clan!

Even though I don’t have any blood relatives in this place, my life is extremely precious!

Gu Nianzhi's heart was filled with contradictions and fears. She didn't understand why fate had to play such a trick on her and trap her in such a terrible vortex.

"I don't want to know why you told me. I have never been interested in other people's secrets."

Gu Nianzhi confessed anxiously, with a hint of tears in her voice.

The court struggle was so cruel and complicated, it was a world full of conspiracy, calculation and blood. She didn't want to get involved in it at all, and didn't want her life to be entangled in these troubles.

She just wanted to live a quiet and peaceful life, away from the noise and turmoil of these power struggles.

Cen Yu looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly, his eyes revealing an elusive light.

He slowly stretched out his hand and made a gesture, and the stand-in, who had remained silent all this time, bowed and retreated respectfully.

In an instant, they were the only two people left in the room, and the entire space seemed to be shrouded in a depressing atmosphere.

"You must know this." Cen Yu's tone was surprisingly calm, as if he was talking about something trivial rather than a matter of life and death.

Such a shocking act as plotting to usurp the throne became so commonplace in his mouth, as if it was just a small episode in his life.

But Gu Nianzhi knew that the seriousness of this matter was far beyond her imagination.

Gu Nianzhi stood there blankly, her eyes full of confusion and helplessness. She felt like a bird caught in a storm, struggling desperately but unable to find the direction.

Her heart was filled with regret and self-blame. Why was she so careless as to get involved in such a terrible conspiracy?

"I really don't want to know this. Why do you want me to know this..." Gu Nianzhi muttered to himself.

Cen Yu looked at Gu Nianzhi's painful expression, and his heart moved slightly, but there was still no expression on his face.

"You have no choice." Cen Yu's voice was cold and firm.

Gu Nianzhi sighed deeply, and the heavy breath seemed to carry her helplessness and melancholy. Her voice was filled with deep fatigue and confusion, and she said slowly: "What good will knowing this do me? I really don't want to know such complicated things."

She frowned, her eyes revealing deep resistance, as if she wanted to drive out the information that was bothering her from her mind.

"You, must know." Cen Yu's voice was still as firm and unquestionable as ever. He emphasized it again, and those few words seemed to carry a heavy weight. "Because you will be my queen."

The moment Gu Nianzhi heard these words, she felt like she was struck by a thunderbolt and took a step back involuntarily. Her face was filled with shock and bewilderment, and her eyes were filled with disbelief.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"Queen?" She repeated the word in disbelief, her voice trembling with excessive shock.

Those two simple words set off a storm in her heart. It all happened so suddenly that she was caught off guard.

Cen Yu nodded calmly, his eyes deep and firm, as if telling Gu Nianzhi that all this was true.

"Me? Be your queen?" Gu Nianzhi felt that her thoughts were a little confused. She continued to ask haltingly, with a panic in her voice that was difficult to conceal.

Her mind raced, trying to comprehend this sudden turn of events.

"Yes." Cen Yu answered briefly, his expression still didn't change much.

"Why me?" Gu Nianzhi spoke incoherently, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.

"If you want to be the emperor and need to consolidate your power, you should look for the daughter of a minister in the court, so that your power can be consolidated. Look for me? I don't have any foundation. I am just an ordinary person. I don't have a family background to rely on, and I don't have a strong force to support you. Why me?"

As she spoke, she shook her head anxiously. She felt that all this was too unreasonable.

Her heart was filled with fear and confusion. "I don't understand, I really don't understand, why me?"

She kept muttering to herself, her eyes revealing deep helplessness.

Cen Yu looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, as if he had made up his mind, and he finally spoke.

"Because..." Cen Yu paused, his eyes fixed on Gu Nianzhi's. Those eyes seemed to contain endless affection and sincerity, as if they could penetrate Gu Nianzhi's eyes and reach the softest corner of her heart.

Then, he slowly said the following words: "Because I like you."

The moment Gu Nianzhi heard these words, his mind went blank, and he stood there in a daze, as if he had been cast under a spell.

Her eyes were wide open, and her originally bright eyes were now filled with astonishment and confusion. She had never expected that Cen Yu would suddenly say such words.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a word, only shock surged in her heart.

Cen Yu continued, "You are the only one in my heart. From the first moment I saw you, you have been deeply imprinted in my heart. If you become the queen, I can guarantee that you will be the only one in the harem."

His voice was low and firm, and every word seemed to carry a thousand pounds of force, striking heavily on Gu Nianzhi's heart.

However, Gu Nianzhi shook her head, a trace of panic and resistance flashing in her eyes.

She doesn't care how many people are in Cen Yu's harem, and she doesn't want to be anyone of Cen Yu at all.

She felt that all this happened too suddenly, leaving her unprepared, and her heart was full of contradictions and struggles.

"I don't want to." There was a slight tremor in her voice, which reflected her inner fear and anxiety.

"You don't want it?" Cen Yu showed a hint of surprise on his face. He didn't expect Gu Nianzhi to reject him so firmly.

"I don't want to be a queen, I don't want to know your secrets, and I don't want to participate in your plot to usurp the throne."

Gu Nianzhi spoke in a rush, her speech speed was very fast, as if she wanted to express her thoughts as quickly as possible.

Her face was full of determination, without the slightest hesitation.

At this moment, Gu Nianzhi felt that the Cen Yu in front of her made her feel an unprecedented fear.

She had never thought that Cen Yu had such a deep mind and such a huge plan.

She suddenly felt that she knew too little about Cen Yu, so little that she could not imagine that he had such ambitions.

Her heart was filled with worry and fear. She didn't know what consequences Cen Yu's plan would bring her, nor did she know how to face it all.

The Bai family thought that the Flying Eagle Gate was their pawn and could be used by them, but they did not expect that they were about to be pecked in the eye by the eagle.

It turns out that although the Feiying Sect seemed to be obeying the Bai Family's orders, they were actually secretly accumulating strength and waiting for the opportunity to come.

Now they and the emperor want to use the Feiying Sect to get rid of Sima Yao, but unexpectedly the Feiying Sect is lurking behind the scenes.

What Feiyingmen was eyeing was not the bounty offered by the Bai family, but the throne of their patron, the emperor - the supreme throne.

Gu Nianzhi seemed to have sorted out his thoughts all of a sudden, and many things that he hadn't figured out before suddenly had answers.

Gu Nianzhi stared at Cen Yu closely, his eyes full of disbelief and deep doubt.

"You have been aiming for the throne since the beginning? Are you the one behind all those treacherous things happening in the court?"

Her voice trembled slightly, as if saying these words had exhausted all her strength.

At this moment, Gu Nianzhi's heart was in chaos as if it was swept by a storm.

She thought back to the past, all the disputes, conspiracies and calculations in the court. Could it be that this seemingly calm Cen Yu in front of her was really manipulating everything behind the scenes?

Her hands clenched unconsciously, her nails digging deep into her palms, trying to use the pain to keep herself awake.

However, Cen Yu remained calm in the face of Gu Nianzhi's questioning.

He looked at Gu Nianzhi quietly, without any ripples in his deep eyes.

Although Cen Yu hadn't answered yet, Gu Nianzhi seemed to have known the answer from his eyes.

Her heart sank to the bottom in an instant, and a feeling of despair spread in her heart.

After a long while, Cen Yu finally spoke slowly: "You are right. The chaos in the court is probably caused by me. I have been planning for so many years, just waiting for the moment to ascend the throne."

His tone was still so calm, as if what he was talking about was not a major event in the world, but just a trivial matter, like talking about what to eat tonight, something ordinary.

But these words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Gu Nianzhi's heart hard.

Gu Nianzhi's eyes widened, and he almost screamed, "But, but Sima Yao has never done anything to let you down. Do you have to kill him this time?"

A barely perceptible fluctuation flashed across Cen Yu's face, but he quickly regained his composure.

"The current emperor wants him dead, and I am just going along with it." His voice was still low and steady. "If he dies, the emperor will no longer have the biggest hidden danger, so he will naturally relax his guard. That will be the best time for me to take action."

There was a determination and coldness in Cen Yu's eyes, as if everything was under his control.

Gu Nianzhi's body trembled slightly. She couldn't believe that the person in front of her who was once familiar with her had become so cold and ruthless.

"They are both your nephews. Blood is thicker than water. Why are you so heartless?"

There was deep confusion and sadness in her voice.

Hearing this, Cen Yu suddenly laughed, and the laughter echoed in the empty room, sounding particularly eerie and terrifying.

"Blood is thicker than water? Nephew?"

His laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by a ferocious expression, "When their father was killing me, did he ever think about the blood relationship between him and me? He is still my biological brother..."

Gu Nianzhi just stared at Cen Yu in front of him, as if all his thoughts had been taken away from him. His mind was blank, his lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Memories came flooding back like a tide, and the scene when she first met Cen Yu appeared clearly in her mind.

He was dressed in white and had a slender figure. Although his movements were a little inconvenient, his gentle and jade-like temperament could not be ignored.

There was a faint smile on his face, and his eyes were clear and gentle, as if he could embrace everything in the world.

At that moment, Gu Nianzhi felt that this man seemed to have walked out of a painting.

But every time she met Cen Yu thereafter, her opinion of him was refreshed again and again.

Sometimes, she would see a subtle depth in his eyes; sometimes, she would find that there seemed to be some secrets hidden behind his smile. She began to realize that this seemingly perfect man was far from being as simple as he seemed on the surface.

And until this moment, when Cen Yu personally admitted everything he had done, when the determination and coldness revealed under his calm face were displayed in front of her, she felt that the Cen Yu in her heart was completely overturned.

She couldn't believe that Cen Yu, who had once chatted and laughed with her and made her feel good about him, would actually be such a person who would do anything to get the throne.