Chapter 1269: Chapter 1269

The Emperor sat down on the stool opposite her, casually surveying this chamber.

It was still as opulent and grand as ever. The Golden Phoenix adorning the walls symbolized the Empress’s exalted identity, and every object in the hall was a rare treasure from the mortal world.

Yet now, this chamber felt boundlessly desolate.

This was what she had fought for all her life.

These things should have belonged to the woman he loved most.

His gaze returned to the bed, where an old woman lay with her eyes closed. Looking at her aged visage, he felt a surge of jealousy.

Why was this vicious woman allowed to grow old? Allowed to die amidst the splendor of this golden palace, while the woman he loved most—the wife he had married in a proper ceremony—was left to rot in the wilderness?

She had claimed all things that did not belong to her. Why?

Enraged, the Emperor grabbed a cup containing cold tea from the table and shattered it violently against the floor.

The Empress was forced to open her eyes once more.

She looked at him. In her memory, it was the first time he had gotten angry in front of her—angry enough that his face contorted.

So he could get angry. This is what he looked like when he was angry.

"You hate me?" From the Emperor’s gaze, she read hatred.

No one was ever able to see clearly the emotions in his eyes. She had spent her life trying, only now finally perceiving it.

He hated her. Why did he hate her? Such intense hatred.

The Emperor had always hidden his emotions. No matter how sorrowful or angry, no matter how much hatred, he kept it buried deep within.

But now, within this Kunning Palace, with the doors shut, he could fully reveal his hatred for Jin Yushu.

How laughable that she had asked him if he hated her.

He hated. Of course, he hated.

In a low voice, the Emperor exclaimed, "Hate? Of course I hate. From the moment you entered the Crown Prince Residence, I’ve hated you for forcing me to feign civility with you."

The Empress froze for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. "Then the Emperor must hate quite a few people."

She was fully aware that the Emperor’s fondness for any of them was nothing more than a calculated act of manipulation. She had always known it, and cared little.

"I hate you for harming her, for driving her away, for forcing her into a tragic death in a foreign land..."

"Who?" The Empress stiffened suddenly, sensing that his hatred was not what she had expected.

Shocked, she asked, "Are you talking about Xiao Qinqin?"

Xiao Qinqin was no different from her—just another woman discarded like trash once this cold-hearted man had finished exploiting her.

"Hmph, what do you think?"

The Empress’s heart sank bit by bit, and after a long while, she began to recover her composure.

She asked, "You treated Xiao Qinqin differently than you treated us?"

Her gaze fixed on him, waiting for his answer.

The Emperor responded, "You? You all? Do you think you can compare to her? She was the woman I have loved since childhood, the wife I married openly and properly. You all were nothing more than tools for me to use. On what basis could you compare yourselves to her?

Do you think I allowed you to outwit and eliminate all the women around me? That was simply my tacit approval—to use your hand to destroy every woman who once harmed her, putting them to death..."

The Empress widened her eyes in realization, for the first time seeing how terrifying this man truly was. So many women who had once helped him immensely, yet when they died, he didn’t spare them even a glance.

At the time, she hadn’t understood the Emperor’s mindset of using her as well. She had thought she was his beloved, someone he couldn’t bear to see suffer even the slightest grievance.

Thus, relying on her family’s influence and the Emperor’s favor, she had ruthlessly eliminated all the women who dared compete with her for his affection.

Only now did she realize it was nothing more than this cold-hearted man’s ploy to avenge Xiao Qinqin.