Gu Sang coldly said, "Pei Changying, you think you're suffering just because your kneecap was broken?"
"This is nothing compared to how you tortured Consort Zhao and Consort Li."
"The pain they endured was far worse than what you're experiencing now."
"Today you will apologize to Consort Li and Consort Zhao. You have no choice."
Pei Changying looked into Gu Sang's eyes and saw no affection, only hatred.
But upon seeing Gu Sang's icy gaze and Madam Li's look of deep-seated hatred, Pei Changying knew he couldn't escape. His death today was inevitable.
Accepting reality, Pei Changying deflated and made a request:
"Gu Sang, I know I must die. I can apologize, but I beg one thing of you. After I'm dead, can you bury my body together with Qingrou?"
Gu Sang thought of Gu Qingrou's love-addled brain. If Pei Changying could be buried with her, it's probably what Gu Qingrou would have wanted.
Best to lock away that love-addled thinking for good.
No need to cause more harm to others.
"Very well," she said.
At this moment, Pei Changying no longer had his former vigor. In the fading sunlight, he seemed to age decades in an instant, becoming a pitiful old man.
"Consort Li, I was wrong!"
"Consort Zhao, I was wrong."
Hearing Pei Changying apologize in person, the poison vial dropped from Madam Li's hand as tears streamed down her face.
"My daughter, did you hear that?"
"He admitted he was wrong!"
"He kneeled at your grave and apologized!"
When Gu Sang had sent someone to contact her, she had already been told that Pei Changying could be killed however she wished.
At the time, Madam Li had wanted Pei Changying to experience the same pain as her daughter - to die with his liver and intestines torn apart and blood flowing from seven orifices.
But seeing Pei Changying kneeling there and apologizing, Madam Li suddenly felt all her resentment dissolve.
Her daughter was already dead. What meaning was there in torturing Pei Changying further?
And to torture him with the same method of death - who did Pei Changying think he was? He didn't deserve to die the same way as her daughter.
Madam Li turned her gaze to Gu Sang, wiping away her tears with effort and revealing a satisfied smile.
"Miss Gu, being able to make that dog emperor kneel at her grave and apologize is enough for me."
"His life is yours to deal with now."
Having lost the throne, the woman who loved him most dead, and the woman he desired being utterly heartless - Pei Changying had no hope left for living.
He closed his eyes in resignation.
"Bang!"
As the sun set, a loud gunshot startled birds from a nearby tree. They flapped their wings and flew skyward.
Pei Changying fell into a pool of blood.
He died by Gu Sang's hand.
After his death, Gu Sang ordered the guards to bury Pei Changying in any random place.
Gu Qingrou's identity was inconsequential, and her body was easily transported out by the guards to be buried together with Pei Changying.
After finishing all this, Gu Sang didn't return to the imperial palace. Instead, she traveled through the night to South City to find her grandmother.
When Gu Sang had led her army to the capital, she had already arranged for her grandmother to stay with a farming family.
The guards at the city gate recognized Gu Sang. Seeing that she wanted to leave the city at night, they let her pass without asking any questions.
It was already midnight when Gu Sang arrived at the farmhouse. Upon seeing her grandmother, Gu Sang's heart was finally at ease.
"Grandmother, we have a few days left. I'll take you to see the Plague City."
"After a month has passed, we can go home."
Her grandmother patted Gu Sang's hand affectionately: "Alright, as long as I'm with you, we can go anywhere."
"Has the Princess ascended the throne?"
"Is Pei Changying dead?"
Hearing her grandmother's questions, Gu Sang sat down and recounted the events that had transpired after she led the army into the capital.
Early the next morning, Gu Sang took her grandmother and left the farmhouse, giving the family a sum of silver in gratitude.
Gu Sang and her grandmother traveled leisurely, sightseeing along the way. During their journey, they overheard travelers discussing Pei Weiqi.
Pei Weiqi had issued an edict to ascend the throne as Empress, with the ceremony to worship Heaven scheduled for half a month later.
After taking power, Pei Weiqi didn't purge the officials. Instead, she treated them courteously. Aside from some officials who were reported for corruption and executed, the positions of the remaining officials remained unchanged.
Zhou Qichen, General Qin, Counselor Fang, Advisor Xu, and others who had followed the Princess through battles were naturally rewarded for their merits.
Zhou Qichen became the youngest general ever to be granted a title of nobility.
Gu Sang and her grandmother arrived at the Plague City. Though they didn't want to attract attention, Gu Sang's face was already etched in the hearts of the city's people.
As soon as Gu Sang appeared in the Plague City, she was immediately recognized by the common folk.
"Ah! Miss Gu has come to the Plague City!"
"Oh my God! It really is Miss Gu."
Upon seeing Gu Sang, the soldiers guarding the city excitedly ran into the city, informing the citizens as they went.
Before long, the city gate was crowded with enthusiastic citizens, packed so tightly that not even water could flow through.
Gu Sang extended her right hand, waving to everyone in a modern gesture: "Hello, everyone."
Grandmother Gu also smiled and returned the greetings: "Hello, I'm Gu Sang's grandmother."
"Wow, Miss Gu is so down-to-earth."
"Miss Gu, you look even better than in the livestream."
"Miss Gu, is this a greeting from your future? It seems casual, but it feels very friendly and can bring people closer together."
The crowd's voices mixed together, becoming quite jarring, but Gu Sang and her grandmother showed no signs of impatience.
Some observant individuals in the crowd noticed this, and someone shouted:
"Everyone, stop talking!"
"Let's let Miss Gu and Grandmother Gu enter first."
"Whoosh!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd voluntarily parted to make way.
Gu Sang let go of her grandmother's hand, stepped forward, and addressed the crowd in a clear voice: "I'm just a person with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth like everyone else. After you've seen me, please go about your business."
"I'm very grateful for your welcome, but please don't put me on a pedestal."
"My grandmother and I are just ordinary people. We don't want too much attention."
The citizens finally understood that their enthusiasm had caused some discomfort for Gu Sang.
So, they dispersed and went about their own affairs.
Gu Sang and her grandmother stayed in the place where Pei Weiqi had previously lived.
"Grandmother, you should rest today."
"Tomorrow we'll take a look around the Plague City and then we can head back."
Even if one sleeps the whole time, sitting in a carriage for too long leaves a person without energy.
This was especially true for her elderly grandmother, whose body couldn't withstand such travel. As soon as they reached the room, she lay down on the bed to rest.
Meanwhile, Gu Sang sought out the highest-ranking commander in the Plague City to inquire about the situation after Pei Weiqi's ascension to the throne.
"Although the Princess has issued an imperial edict to ascend the throne as Empress, more than half of the court officials are strongly opposed."
"Moreover, the Pei family has also stepped forward at this time, demanding that the Princess abdicate and allow them to select someone from the Pei family to support as the new emperor."
"They all say that a woman ascending to the throne goes against the rules."
This person didn't know much about the affairs of the court, but from these few sentences, Gu Sang could understand how difficult things were for the Princess now.
It was a time when everything needed to be rebuilt. The court officials couldn't all be executed, as it would be impossible to find enough people to replace them all at once.
And at this moment, for the Pei family to step forward - their malicious intentions were clear.
