In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Gu Zhao had engaged in heated debates with many people in the imperial court and rarely lost.

But he never imagined that one day he would be in bed with a young woman he had once been intimate with, not to talk about romance and poetry, but to discuss the affairs of the court and the merits and demerits of officials.

He never imagined that he, a nobleman and a powerful second-rank official, would one day be outshone by a commoner in a woman's heart, and even lose so miserably.

This commoner, now imprisoned, can no longer be considered a person at all.

She practically idolized Zhang Jingyan. In her heart, Zhang Jingyan was a good person, a gentleman, a great man, a hero who rid the people of evil, and the husband she would risk her life to save.

And she almost trampled him into the dust. In her heart, Gu Zhao was nothing more than a bad person, a villain who could only keep her by coercion and enticement.

What exactly did Zhang Jingyan do to make her turn a blind eye to his crimes, distort the truth, and become so devoted to him?

Then what did Gu Zhao do for her? Why couldn't she see any of it?

Her heart and eyes were filled with Zhang Jingyan; Zhang Jingyan was her everything. In her heart, there was probably no place for him, not even in the very corner.

From childhood to adulthood, Gu Zhao was always the center of attention, looking down on everyone from the highest clouds. Even during the years when Consort Gao was at the height of her power, no one dared to humiliate him to his face like this.

But this audacious young woman, relying on his love for her, was so unscrupulous in tormenting his heart.

That heart, so cruelly ravaged by her, pounded violently with anger and pain. Gu Zhao laughed bitterly in her fury:

"Zhu Qingyu, he's the best person in the world, and I'm the worst villain? Ha, why did I do that? I should have just..."

Halfway through his speech, Gu Zhao suddenly stopped and laughed at himself.

Forget it, what's the point of saying it? She doesn't care anyway, so why should he humiliate himself and lower himself to compete with a merchant?

After Gu Zhao finished speaking, he glanced at her again, growing angrier and more resentful. He hated her for being ungrateful and unable to distinguish right from wrong, and he also hated himself for being so heartless that he couldn't bear to let her suffer, and couldn't even bring himself to say a harsh word to her.

To avoid seeing it altogether, Gu Zhao turned around, picked up the box from the table, and left.

Zhu Qingyu sensed the hidden meaning in his words and jumped out of bed to follow him:

"What did you say? What did you mean back then?"

When Gu Zhaozhen was about to leave, how could Zhu Qingyu stop him?

By the time she reached the door, Gu Zhao had already vanished without a trace.

This time, Gu Zhao must have been truly furious, because he didn't show up for several days after leaving.

During his absence, Zhu Qingyu's illness gradually improved, and by the time she returned to the capital, she was almost completely cured.

The night before she was to leave for Tongzhou Port, her nanny and the maids were packing her luggage.

She arrived at the ship empty-handed, and Lord Gu traveled light when he left the capital. However, when he returned to the capital, dozens of large boxes of food, supplies, and toys were found inside and outside the ship's cabin. Apart from a few boxes containing Gu Zhao's personal belongings, most of the remaining boxes contained Zhu Qingyu's things.

It was all arranged by Gu Zhao, who bought everything he could, from Yangzhou all the way to the capital.

The old woman and her entourage worked from morning till night. When they finally took a break in the evening and were about to leave, she looked at Zhu Qingyu with some hesitation.

Zhu Qingyu and the old woman were not familiar with each other, but they had developed some affection for each other during the journey on the ship, with the old woman taking care of her daily life.

Thinking that the old woman had encountered some difficulties, Zhu Qingyu asked her:

"Granny, is there something you want to tell me?"

The old nanny wasn't close enough to Zhu Qingyu, certainly not to the point of being a confidante, and there were some things she shouldn't say in her position. But as servants, their future depended on their mistress; if their mistress wasn't doing well, they wouldn't be either. So she had to say some things, offering her advice:

"My lady, please don't think I'm being nosy, but I used to serve in the inner quarters of noble families. In those inner quarters, there are no fleeting romances, let alone everlasting love. Lord Gu has been staying in his study these past few days. While things are still passionate, and he still has the inclination, you could simply pretend to go get a book, lower your head, and the matter would be over. But if you annoy Lord Gu and he loses his patience, and he actually takes your hand, how will you face him afterwards?"

Zhu Qingyu knew that the old woman was actually well-intentioned, teaching her how to survive in the inner quarters of the household.

But she spoke so harshly that day, intending to provoke Gu Zhao and make things worse, so why would she bother to back down?

She didn't want to spend the rest of her life trapped in these inner-house ways of making a living.

So Zhu Qingyu just smiled:

"Thank you, Granny, I understand."

He said he understood, but he didn't move. The old woman had no choice but to sigh, bow, and take her leave.

The next morning, they were to arrive at Tongzhou Port. That night, lying alone in bed, Zhu Qingyu was preoccupied with her plans for the capital.

Gu Zhao didn't tamper with Zhang Shen's case, and Zhang Shen's life wasn't in his hands, so there was no need for her to get entangled with him.

Although Gu Zhao has influence with the Emperor, he is greedy for her and will not be willing to clear Zhang Shen's name and make her a legitimate married woman again. Therefore, Zhu Qingyu must sever her ties with him and find a suitable person who can rescue Zhang Shen.

I wonder what Gu Zhao has been thinking these past few days, not coming here.

He must be angry; someone of his status and position couldn't tolerate such humiliation.

Once a superior becomes enraged, can he really pretend that nothing happened and continue to enjoy romantic moments with her?

Lord Gu must now understand that she is not the gentle, understanding woman he imagined. She could say those hurtful and devastating things eighteen times a day without repeating herself, and Lord Gu would be furious.

He either kills her or lets her go, giving her a quick death.

Just then, the door to the inner cabin was suddenly pushed open, and a tall figure rushed in, enveloped in the cold night wind.

Just as Zhu Qingyu was about to get up, the person rushed to the bedside, pressed her shoulder with one hand and pushed her back onto the bed, then pressed down on her with his whole body.

He didn't know where the cold wind from the river had come from, but even though it was only early autumn, he felt cold all over, even his cheeks were icy.

Gu Zhao's haphazard kisses landed on her forehead, cheeks, lips, and neck.

The kiss smelled of alcohol, then gradually turned fierce, and became increasingly fierce. Gu Zhao bit her shoulder through her clothes.

Zhu Qingyu remained motionless, enduring his venting anger.

Just when she thought he was going to bite her until she bled to vent his anger, Gu Zhao's heavy slamming came down suddenly slowed down, and even the pain between her skin and flesh dissipated as soon as it started through her plain clothes.

The two were pressed tightly together, face to face, appearing so intimate, but the words he whispered in her ear were laced with hatred:

"Zhu Qingyu, you heartless, cold-blooded wretch! Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you, wouldn't dare kill him?!"

Now, at this final juncture, it's either success or death.

Zhu Qingyu said coldly:

"Then kill me and him too. Since we are husband and wife, we can look after each other on the road to the underworld and be husband and wife again in the next life."

She would rather die than stay by his side. Gu Zhao had already witnessed this a few days ago, but hearing her say it herself still plunged him into immense pain once again.

Since she is so heartless, why should I bother, why should I be so heartbroken over her!

Gu Zhao released her, along with the warmth she provided, and stood up alone, walking towards the door.

In the pitch-black night, someone said:

"Zhu Qingyu, I never want to see you again."