And that chair was the best gift Ji Chengjue could think of.

He Sisi was not frightened by these eerie words; instead, she covered her mouth and began to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I am laughing that a year ago, I was just a butcher’s daughter following behind my father and brother to help with the business, and now, the child in my belly has a chance to sit on the throne of supreme power."

"Are you afraid?"

"What is there for me to be afraid of? Life only passes once; since the chance has come, why not gamble everything?"

After all, she was once the daughter of the He Family who held a hairpin to her neck, insisting on delivering meat personally at night,

and at this moment,

she showed a boldness beyond that of ordinary people.

Perhaps this was truly her nature; even among the common folk, dragons and phoenixes could emerge.

Ji Chengjue looked at his wife,

to be honest,

if all of this began with a fleeting glance of his that day, finding the slaughterhouse beauty behind Old He quite pleasing to the eyes, then her visiting him at night to offer her untouched self deeply enchanted Ji Chengjue.

For him, the woman of Ji Chengjue, mother of Ji Chengjue’s child,

could be a commoner; whether a butcher’s daughter or fisherman’s daughter, either was fine;

but she must have a fiery nature,

otherwise, life would be too bland.

"To this day, my eldest brother leads the troops outside, clearing the trade routes for me. None of my other brothers have come by to offer a word of support, much less help with my upcoming grand wedding.

They are all just waiting to watch me make a fool of myself, thinking I’m like a ladle, dipping in and out without settling.

This time,

I will let them truly see,

make them understand,

as long as father does not intervene,

none of these brothers of mine,

would even have the qualification to stand in front of me!"

...

The Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake.

This is a place of solitude; outside, armored guards patrol, while inside, it is empty, even devoid of a single servant.

Daily meals and necessities are relayed by two deaf-mutes; whatever the person inside needs is written on a piece of paper and taken out by the two deaf-mutes, prepared by the next day, and then delivered.

It is often said that life within the Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake is austere;

but in reality, compared to this isolation from the world, such austerity is really nothing.

"Clang!"

The iron gate’s lock was opened.

Ji Chengjue carried a food box and under the gaze of two deaf-mute servants, walked up to the Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake.

Within the pavilion was a man in white robes; while his clothes were relatively clean, his hair had grown incredibly long.

He was neither composing poetry within the pavilion nor playing the zither,

but rather squatting on the bluestone bricks, watching ants work.

When Ji Chengjue approached, he finally realized someone was nearby, looked up dazedly, and after a moment, exclaimed with joy:

"Old Six!"

The solitude at the Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake had long since worn away most things, including hatred.

In fact, apart from the fact that Zheng Fan initially rose up with help from Ji Chengjue, there really wasn’t much enmity between the Third Prince and Ji Chengjue.

"Third Brother."

Ji Chengjue simply sat on the ground,

opened the food box,

and served a pot of wine, a dish of stir-fried gourd, a dish of stir-fried crown daisy, and a plate of braised pork.

The Third Prince also sat on the ground, with a smile on his face, he said:

"Was it father who told you to come see me?"

Ji Chengjue shook his head and said:

"Brother, you know it yourself, as long as Lord Jingnan is alive, you won’t leave this Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake."

The Third Prince was momentarily stunned, then let out a bitter laugh, saying:

"How your words have become so straightforward."

The matter of the Third Prince appeared, from the outside, as if he was punished by the Yan Emperor for a mistake.

But essentially, it was because he crossed paths with Lord Jingnan, as the night he was disabled, Lord Jingnan exterminated his own clan.

He was essentially viewed by the Yan Emperor as a vent for Lord Jingnan’s anger.

To the Yan Emperor, compared to an heir like Tian Wujing, what is a single son?

So, as long as Lord Jingnan lives, the Third Prince won’t leave the Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake.

Ji Chengjue sighed and said, "Because I don’t want to pretend anymore."

"Oh?"

The Third Prince appeared slightly puzzled, then picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks, putting it into his mouth, and said while chewing:

"The taste is quite nice, rich but not greasy."

"Your sister-in-law made it herself, you should eat more."

"Alright."

The Third Prince began to eat earnestly, while Ji Chengjue quietly drank.

The two brothers never had a particularly close relationship before, and even now, there was still a lack of warmth.

Finally, after consuming most of the food, the Third Prince let out a satisfying long breath and said:

"I haven’t eaten so fully in a long time; tonight, my stomach will ache again."

His body already carried injuries, and the Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake is not a place for recovery, leaving him with chronic ailments.

In fact, his appearance was already much older than his actual age.

"Is there confidence?" the Third Prince asked.

"Such matters, how can one speak of confidence, father is the sky, no matter how we brothers fight, we are but crickets in a bamboo basket before father."

"I can’t help you with anything," the Third Prince said. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

This prince, once called the inheritor of Yan’s literary lineage, was essentially finished after being imprisoned in the Pavilion at the Heart of the Lake, along with his physical state and the power he once held.