I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 169 The Stubborn Top Scholar

Looking at Ye Wanshu, Ji Yunze said in a deep voice, "The Zhenfu Division preys on the people and abandons them in times of crisis. They deserve to be executed. But even if they have countless crimes, the court should make the decision."

"Who made this decision?" Ye Wanshu questioned. "Was it His Majesty or Empress Dowager Gu? Wasn't enough blood shed in Qizhou? Guan Qing's death alone led to a major reshuffle of the Zhenfu Division, stabilizing the coastal defenses of Daye. Isn't this a good thing for the people?"

"You're just making excuses," Ji Yunze said, somewhat displeased, but still suppressing his anger. "Wanwan, just call me Yunze."

Ye Wanshu closed her eyes helplessly: "Young Master Ji, what's past is past, please..."

"I can't get through it."

Ji Yunze interrupted her impatiently: "We could have gotten married smoothly, lived happily ever after, and become a loving couple that everyone envies. It was this despicable world that ruined you and me. I want to change this world and give you everything you want. What did I do wrong?"

Looking at Ye Wanshu's indifferent expression, with no trace of her former enthusiasm in her eyes, Ji Yunze's heart was filled with turbulent emotions.

"Wanwan, do you know how restless I've been these past few days apart from you, racking my brains to figure out how to welcome you back?"

Excitedly pulling out the gold hairpin from his pocket, Ji Yunze said in a hoarse voice, "In the days after I returned from the Zhenfushi Division prison, I was so ashamed that I almost died because I couldn't protect you. It was this hairpin that kept me going until now. Don't you really care about our past at all?"

Seeing his excited expression, Ye Wanshu sniffed and sighed softly, "Many things have become luxuries for me. Now I only hope that everyone can live peacefully and that no one can make me cry my eyes out or lose sleep over them anymore."

Hearing this, Ji Yunze felt a deep pang in his heart.

He knew that the person he had always loved had changed.

"Young Master Ji, you are highly regarded by His Majesty. You should always think about sharing His Majesty's burdens, instead of only thinking about matters of personal affection," Ye Wanshu earnestly advised.

Ji Yunze sneered: "Wanwan has fallen for Prince Yongning, and she only invited me here today to persuade me not to be his enemy?"

“I am already his wife, and that is an irreversible fact. It’s just that fate is cruel,” Ye Wanshu said. “I once thought about trying to be with you, but I can’t just watch you lose your life for me.”

Thinking of Fu Mingchi's resentful gaze from the top of Huizhou city wall, Ye Wanshu still feels lingering fear.

“The Prince of Yongning’s only wish in his life was to recover the northern border for the court. He had no ambition whatsoever. Even so, so many people still feared him and wanted to kill him. This time, you have painstakingly driven him to a dead end. Have you ever thought about my feelings or His Majesty’s feelings?”

Ye Wanshu said unhappily, "It's a wonder he's such a magnanimous person. If he were a domineering and unreasonable person, do you think you could have left Yuezhou alive? Yes, you think you have a sense of justice, but in this world, can you get things done just by having a sense of justice? You keep saying that you're doing all this for me, but please think carefully, are you really doing this for me or just to vent your own dissatisfaction?"

A barrage of questions left Ji Yunze speechless.

"Young Master Ji, there's no turning back now. Please take good care of yourself."

After giving her instructions, Ye Wanshu was about to turn around when Ji Yunze stopped her, unwilling to give up.

“These past few months, I’ve regretted it every day. I regret that if I had been more careful back then, Gu Tingchen wouldn’t have been able to scheme against me, and I wouldn’t have implicated you.” Thinking about what happened that day, Ji Yunze was on the verge of tears: “I don’t dare to relax for a moment now. Once I relax, I will feel extremely guilty, blaming myself for not working harder, blaming myself for being so careless, and causing you to almost die in the Zhenfu Shisi.”

With a tremor in his throat, Ji Yunze took a deep breath and almost choked up as he said, "Sometimes I wonder if I am really not as good as Prince Yongning. He is willing to fight against the world for you and protect you without regard for his own life, while I can only be a burden to you, becoming timid and hesitant just because of Gu Tingchen's threat."

“I have never blamed you. I know that you, like me, have many things you have no choice but to do,” Ye Wanshu said calmly. “You have studied hard for ten years, and I don’t want you to ruin your reputation because of a moment of impulsiveness.”

"Why don't you blame me? Why don't you hate me?" Ji Yunze asked, somewhat annoyed. "Fu Mingchi is a regional prince, yet he would do anything for you. I am just a poor scholar. Why can't I disregard my reputation for you?"

At this point, the resentment in his eyes intensified, and he roared excitedly, "Do you truly care about Fu Mingchi? Does he ever lose sleep over you like I do? Do you ever think about him like I do? Do you ever feel the same heart-wrenching pain that comes with thinking about him as I do?"

Seeing him so out of control for the first time, Ye Wanshu looked somewhat surprised, her gaze fixed on him blankly.

Unable to contain his anger, Ji Yunze grabbed her arm and said sternly, "You've never done that before."

Ye Wanshu realized that he was blaming her for not paying attention to him.

She glanced sideways at Gu Tingchen, who was already walking over with his men in the distance. She forcefully shook off Ji Yunze and said coldly, "Ji Yunze, I've made everything clear to you today, whether it's what I should or shouldn't have said. If you want to achieve great things, you should learn to be patient."

Ji Yunze said with a face full of resentment, "But I did all this just so that you could make your own decisions as soon as possible. It was all for your own good."

"It's only good if I think it's good myself." Ye Wanshu shook her head helplessly: "Forget it, things have already come to this point, everything is over, only you are unwilling to let go."

Having said that, he immediately walked towards the city gate.

Gu Tingchen came over, glancing disapprovingly at Ji Yunze, who was still standing there in a daze, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "Wanwan, did that bookworm bully you just now?"

"Gu Tingchen, what are you planning to do now?"

Ye Wanshu looked at him warily, and thinking about her own plans, she deliberately provoked him, saying, "Don't forget, you are just a young master of the Duke's mansion. Even if His Majesty respects the Empress Dowager, the world of Daye still belongs to the Fu family. You can't just do whatever you want."

"It seems that Wanwan's horizons have broadened after her trip to Yuezhou."

Gu Tingchen pursed his lips with a half-smile, thinking about his plans in Qizhou, and his deep-seated ambition gradually became apparent.

“Wanwan, even if you marry into the Yongning Prince’s Mansion, you will only be a princess of a foreign vassal state. Compared to the noble family of the Duke’s Mansion, you are far inferior.”

With a slight smile, Gu Tingchen said cryptically, "Don't worry, Wanwan. One day, your cousin will make you a woman that even the Prince of Yongning wouldn't dare to aspire to."

Upon understanding his implied meaning, Ye Wanshu was secretly delighted.

This made it much easier for Empress Dowager Gu to assume the throne.