At this point, still thinking about love.
What an idiot.
Who the hell wants to play this game of chasing after a wife who's already gone, Gu Sang thought disdainfully as she looked at him, her firm tone revealing her ruthlessness.
"Never!"
Pei Changying's eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked again, not giving up: "Not even for a moment?"
"Never!"
Never...
Everything from before was a lie!
It was all fake!
"Fine! Fine! Fine! In the end, I overestimated myself." Pei Changying quickly handed the token to Gu Sang, then held Gu Qingrou, laughing and crying at the same time.
"Qingrou, only now do I understand that you were the only one who truly loved me."
"I've wronged you in this life, I can only make it up to you in the next."
"Very well, let's reincarnate together."
The tide had turned, and no amount of struggling would help Pei Changying now. He didn't want to witness Pei Weiqi ascending to the throne, and rather than living on in disgrace, he might as well end it all now.
Pei Changying picked up a long sword dropped by some fleeing Imperial Guard and held it in his hand, about to take his own life.
But in that split second, Gu Sang made her move.
"Clang!"
The sword was shattered by an electromagnetic blast, falling to the ground with a crisp sound.
Pei Changying looked up at Gu Sang standing before him in confusion, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Sang Sang, you—"
Before he could finish, Gu Sang cut him off coldly.
"Before Consort Li died, I promised her I would make you kowtow and apologize at her grave, and then kill you."
In that instant, the hope in Pei Changying's eyes was extinguished. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, the bone-chilling cold making him shiver.
"Gu Sang, you're so heartless!"
"You don't compare to Qingrou in the slightest."
Gu Sang glanced imperceptibly at Gu Qingrou in Pei Changying's arms and said flatly: "What a similar scene. Indeed, what you can't have always seems the best. You're truly pathetic."
"She's already dead."
"She died for you, and now your deep feelings are useless. She can't see them."
A surge of anger welled up in Pei Changying's heart. Provoked by Gu Sang, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Every word from Gu Sang was like a knife stabbing into his heart, making him wish for death and regret his past actions.
Although the dozens of palace assassins had been eliminated, the Elder Princess's side had also suffered heavy losses. Many people had been poisoned and could only sit down where they were.
General Qin took command of the remaining Imperial Guards and approached Gu Sang:
"Miss Gu, the Elder Princess and others have been poisoned. What should we do?"
Gu Sang looked at Pei Changying: "Where's the antidote?"
Pei Changying's face twisted into a maniacal grin: "Hahaha, there is no antidote. They can accompany me to the afterlife."
Gu Sang raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Spoiled brat.
How dare you still act so arrogant now.
The Prime Minister walked up to Gu Sang and said: "Shadow Gate couldn't have had only this many people. Miss Gu, if we can find Shadow Gate, we can obtain the antidote."
"Modern medicine can suppress the poison. The token is in your hands now, and these assassins only recognize the token, not the person. We have enough time."
Hearing this, the smile on Pei Changying's face suddenly froze, and he glared at the Prime Minister with hatred.
"I should have killed you long ago."
Faced with Pei Changying's venomous gaze, the Prime Minister paid no attention, treating Pei Changying as if he were invisible. He and General Qin began dealing with the aftermath in the imperial city.
Gu Sang ordered the guards to put Pei Changying in shackles and assigned two guards to watch him, preventing him from taking his own life.
Gu Sang hung the Shadow Gate token at her waist.
Soon, Shadow Gate assassins came to see Gu Sang.
Gu Sang immediately ordered them to produce the antidote. Even though the token's owner had changed, they didn't hesitate to bring out the antidote.
Indeed, they only recognized the token, not the person.
Gu Sang didn't immediately give the antidote to the Elder Princess to take. Instead, she first had the imperial physician examine it. Only after it was checked did she allow the Elder Princess, Zhou Qichen, and the others to take the antidote.
"Why did you arrive so late? How many people are there in Shadow Gate in total?" the Elder Princess asked, walking up to Gu Sang after taking the antidote.
Gu Sang handed the token to the Elder Princess.
Seeing that the Elder Princess now held the token, the Shadow Gate members replied:
"There are one hundred and sixty people. We were ordered to search for the previous dynasty's treasure."
Gu Sang and the Elder Princess both turned to look at Pei Changying. No wonder he had been so confident all along, with Shadow Gate protecting him and knowing about the previous dynasty's treasure.
If he had found the treasure, it would have been another fierce battle.
Fortunately, Pei Changying was too arrogant and didn't know how to keep a low profile.
Perhaps it was his past experiences of being bullied that caused his personality to change dramatically after becoming the ruler. After years of hiding his true nature, when he reached the pinnacle of his life, he began to seek revenge frantically, trying to fill the void in his heart.
"Contact the others immediately. There's no need to search for the treasure anymore. Return to the capital!" the Elder Princess ordered.
She knew there were many things to handle before her coronation.
She needed powerful protection around her, and Shadow Gate was the best coronation gift Pei Changying could have given her.
Gu Sang gave the Elder Princess a deep look, the corners of her mouth turning up.
The Elder Princess's determination to give up on the previous dynasty's treasure showed that she was more clear-headed than anyone else.
This further proved that the Elder Princess was a very intelligent person who knew how to weigh the pros and cons.
Ensuring her own safety first was the priority. Once the country was stable, there would be time to search for the treasure, and she wouldn't need to use her trump card to do so.
Gu Sang glanced at Pei Changying and said to the Elder Princess:
"Elder Princess, I previously promised Consort Li that I would bring Pei Changying to her grave to kowtow and apologize."
The Elder Princess had everyone else step back a few meters before speaking softly to Gu Sang: "After he apologizes, kill him on the spot."
"The appearance of Shadow Gate has revealed some flaws in our palace arrangements."
"I just received a report that some officials have escaped."
"I'm afraid that if we bring Pei Changying back, those officials with treacherous intentions might try to rescue him from the prison cart."
"Alright," Gu Sang agreed.
Then, she and the Elder Princess split up. The Elder Princess stayed in the palace to consolidate the remaining forces, turning those who could be turned and eliminating those who needed to be eliminated.
Meanwhile, Gu Sang, after contacting Madam Li, borrowed her carriage and quietly loaded the unconscious Pei Changying, who had been stunned by the electromagnetic weapon, onto it.
Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at Consort Li's grave.
Gu Sang kicked Pei Changying hard twice to wake him up.
Looking at the grave before him, a gust of wind blew past, making Pei Changying shiver from the cold.
He met the watchful gazes of Gu Sang and Madam Li.
With a rustle, Pei Changying stood up from the ground, looking directly at the two of them, and then at Consort Li's grave with a mocking gaze: "You're delusional if you think you can make me apologize!"
"You can kill me, but don't expect anything else."
Gu Sang pulled out her electromagnetic pistol and fired two shots at Pei Changying's knees as he was talking.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Pei Changying's legs were ruined, and he fell to his knees with a thud.
"Ah!!! Gu Sang!" Pei Changying screamed in pain, his eyes bloodshot.
