The queen is crazy and spoiled, and the tyrant bows to her

Nangong Liuli lowered her head and was silent for a long time before she murmured, "I thought... no matter what, at least... you could protect him."

Jiang Wantang saw a sense of sadness in her lonely expression, as if a rabbit had died and the fox had grieved for it.

She looked at Nangong Liuli with a cold smile, her voice even colder than the wind at the moment: "Three days ago in the middle of the night, my brother fell from the palace wall. Before he died, he was still repenting for what he had done..."

"Nangong Liuli, what about you?"

"Do you regret it?"

"If it weren't for you, he could have lived his life in peace."

Nangong Liuli's body trembled, and then she raised her head and looked up at Jiang Wantang, her eyes stubborn and unwilling, her words firm and resolute: "No regrets."

"I've said before, no one in the Nangong clan can escape the vengeance of genocide!"

"The one who is wrong is not us, but that murderous executioner... Ji Wuyuan!"

"He was the one who killed our people, our blood relatives!"

"He is the one who destroyed our family!"

"If it weren't for him, how would we have gotten to this point?"

"If it weren't for him, Jiang Huaizhou wouldn't have died!"

"..."

Nangong Liuli became more and more excited as she spoke, her sparkling peach blossom eyes turning blood red, and every word she spoke came out from between her teeth, each one filled with hatred.

Jiang Wantang could understand Nangong Liuli's hatred, but she had no feelings for the Nangong family.

She only cares about the people she cares about.

Nangong Liuli looked at Jiang Wantang, who remained silent, and sneered, "I know you resent us for involving Jiang Huaizhou and you."

"But shouldn't revenge be about using any means, regardless of the consequences, and at any cost?!"

"As long as we can achieve our goal, what does it matter how much we sacrifice?"

Jiang Wantang just looked at her coldly, unwilling to waste any more useless arguments with her.

Everyone has a different standpoint, and it is meaningless to argue about right or wrong.

Nangong Liuli's eyes were bloodshot as she said bitterly, "Jiang Wantang, if you had witnessed your parents, brothers, and entire clansmen die tragically before your eyes, would you still be as indifferent as you are now?"

"No!" Jiang Wantang said coldly, "I want my enemies to pay with blood!"

The smile on Nangong Liuli's lips widened, and disdain and ridicule flashed in her eyes, as if to say: See, you are the same, no different from me.

Then, she heard Jiang Wantang say, "So, why don't you first tell me what the Nangong family did back then that would cause Ji Wuyuan to kill you all?"

The smile on Nangong Liuli's lips froze instantly, and there was an unnatural evasive look in her eyes.

Afterwards, she pretended to be calm and said, "What can we do? We just chose Ji Wuwang in the battle for the throne."

Jiang Wantang sneered at her, his stunning face smirking with sarcasm, "You keep saying I'm from the Nangong clan and that I should contribute to the family's revenge, but when have you ever considered me one of your own?"

"Even now, you're still trying to conceal and deceive."

"I didn't come here today to engage in useless arguments with you."

"You should know that even without you, I would have figured this out sooner or later."

"And now, it is your only bargaining chip to negotiate with me. It is your choice whether to tell it or not."

Nangong Liuli's expression changed slightly.

After a brief consideration, she quickly made a decision: "If I tell you, can you promise me one thing?"

"That depends on what it is?" Jiang Wantang said calmly.

Nangong Liuli added: "It won't be difficult for you."

Jiang Wantang looked up at her and said, "Okay."

After the words fell, the abandoned palace fell into a dead silence...

Nangong Liuli glanced around, then raised her hand and gently stroked the mottled palace wall beside her, her fingertips covered with old dust...

She suddenly laughed softly, her smile dark and cold.

She said, "Do you know why Ji Wuyuan wanted to imprison me in this abandoned palace?"

Jiang Wantang followed her gaze, sweeping across the carved beams and pillars in the hall that were covered with cobwebs, and landed on the vermilion window frame that was nailed shut with wooden boards. Light leaked in through the gaps in the boards, casting long and thin streaks of light on the ground.

The entire palace was covered in traces of fire. The main hall was completely reduced to ashes. The only place where one could stand was the small side hall where Nangong Liuli was imprisoned.

After reading it, she looked thoughtful and looked at Nangong Liuli in front of her without saying a word, obviously waiting for her next words.

"Because this place..." Nangong Liuli's smile widened, not quite mockingly: "This is where the late emperor imprisoned him."

Jiang Wantang's pupils suddenly shrank and he staggered back half a step.

Nangong Liuli continued to talk to herself, "I still remember that year I was only six years old, while Ji Wuyuan and Ji Wuwang were only a few months apart, almost seven years old."

"I was young then and don't remember many things clearly. As I grew older, I gradually learned more."

"That year, the late emperor's health had begun to deteriorate due to frequent drinking, so he began to consider appointing a crown prince."

"At that time, most of the princes in the harem died young, or became disabled due to illness. There weren't many left. The ones most popular in the court were the Sixth Prince Ji Wuyuan and the Seventh Prince Ji Wuwang."

"And yet His Majesty has been hesitant to make a decision."

"I still remember that a major incident occurred in the harem at that time. The late emperor was furious and wanted to order the execution of the Sixth Prince Ji Wuyuan and his biological mother, Concubine Yu, on the spot."

"Later, I heard that Concubine Yu committed suicide to prove her innocence and save Ji Wuyuan."

"Ji Wuyuan was also disdained by the late emperor and imprisoned in the Cold Palace to reflect on his mistakes."

"After that incident, many princes and concubines in the harem were affected, and the matter of establishing a crown prince was shelved."

After hearing this, what else did Jiang Wantang not understand?

The death of Ji Wuyuan's mother, Concubine Yu, is probably related to the Nangong family...

So the first thing he did after ascending the throne was to exterminate the nine clans of the Nangong family.

To this day, when people mention the Nangong family, their faces are filled with disgust.

Nangong Liuli paused at this point. She looked at Jiang Wantang with a frank look, "As for what happened back then, I don't know."

"But later I learned from my father that my grandfather had a hand in the incident involving Concubine Yu..."

Jiang Wantang remained silent, her peach blossom eyes lowered, and her color could not be seen clearly.

Seeing that she was silent, Nangong Liuli continued, "Jiang Wantang, whether you believe it or not, this is all I know."

After a long while, Jiang Wantang finally spoke slowly, his voice low and deep: "How long has he been locked up here?"

Nangong Liuli was stunned...

She thought she had misheard and asked again, "What did you say?"

Jiang Wantang raised his eyes, looking at her with deep and cold eyes, and said in a cold voice: "Let me ask you, how long was Ji Wuyuan imprisoned here at that time?"