Chapter 423: 12.31

"My beloved, please come, let this bastard knows what an idiot he is."

A man slowly walked to Xu Jiansheng's side. His slow step and rhythmic step suddenly evoked a nostalgic feeling in Huang Shu. And when the man finally showed up, Huang Shu was stupefied to the bone.

…

"No, No, that can't be…"

The man had long, silky black hair. His doe eyes blinked as he stared at Huang Shu. It was the same eyes that Huang Shu dreamed of every day. The same eyes that Huang Shu wished would open for him once more.

The man wore the same white hanfu, just like the one sleeping inside the glass case right now. His lips are bluish, and his skin was still ashen. He also had a skinny, almost bony figure, just like the one in the glass case.

Everything about the person who stood in front of Huang Shu was also the same as the one in the glass case, but this one was very much alive, while the one inside the glass case kept on being a sleeping beauty.

The man was standing right in front of him, his beloved, whom he regretted for being a horrible husband. His beloved, whom he wished would wake up one day and say, I love you again.

His beloved wife, whom he grieved for eight months. The beautiful ger who breathe him the love he missed for years.

"Bai Yunyu…" Huang Shu subconsciously walking towards Bai Yunyu. Like a light at the end of the tunnel, he finally found his purpose once more after getting stuck in a dark cave for so long.

"Bai Yunyu… is that really you?" Huang Shu asked, but he still ambled towards Yunyu, who still hadn't answered his question.

"Yunyu, why don't you return home sooner?" Huang Shu asked. He suddenly realized something and darted his eyes at the corpse Bai Yunyu inside the glass case. Then he looked at the alive Yunyu once more.

"Why… why are there two of you? Are you faking your death the whole time? Bai Yunyu, I… I am sorry for everything I've done. I truly don't know what I was thinking back then…" Huang Shu's head was in so much mess that he couldn't process what happened. But obviously, his beloved wife had woken up from his deep slumber, even though people kept telling him that his wife had died.

"People told me that you've died, Yunyu. I know that they're just trying to break us apart. Bai Yunyu, I know deep down that you're still alive. And you'll come back to me, right?" Huang Shu said.

He felt his heart was pinched when he said that. Probably because he knew it wasn't really possible. He knew how terrible he was to Bai Yunyu and how he banished him and starved him to death.

Deep down, he knew how guilty he was. But he still held on with the hope that Bai Yunyu had forgotten about everything and decided to stay with him instead. Yunyu was a good person, right? Of course, he would forgive him.

"Yunyu… I'm so glad that you're alive…" Huang Shu said as he walked slowly towards Yunyu.

"No, Huang Shu, I've died. You know it yourself," Yunyu said with that crisp, beautiful voice that Huang Shu missed so much, but he spouted the fact that Huang Shu didn't want to hear.

Huang Shu gulped when the same thing came from the mouth of his beloved. It hurt even more than he expected.

"I've died because of starvation. Your punishment is too much for me. I cannot persevere any longer," Bai Yunyu said. He glanced at his corpse in the glass case and commented, "And the fact that you embalmed my corpse… Huang Shu, do you have any respect even after my death?"

"W—Wife, but you're not…"

"What you keep inside that glass is my corpse! You're not even cremating my body!" Yunyu yelled at Huang Shu, who paled after.

"But… you're not dead. You're standing in front of me, talking to me, yelling at me…" Huang Shu's body trembled as he still couldn't hide his happiness and nervousness at the same time.

"I am dead right now, Huang Shu. What you see in front of you is my spirit in my new body because you don't want to cremate my body. You ignorant bastard!" Yunyu started to get worked up as he got triggered by Huang Shu.

'Ignorant bastard…'

'Ignorant bastard…'

'Ignorant bastard…'

Those words echoed inside Huang Shu's head. He didn't know how to react, but he knew he deserved it. After the horrible things he did to Yunyu, he had to bear for everything that Yunyu said.

"I… I am sorry, Yunyu…"

"SORRY?!" Bai Yunyu clenched his fist. At first, he didn't want to lash out at Huang Shu, but after seeing how easy it was for him to say sorry, Bai Yunyu finally lashed out.

"You think one SORRY will forgive everything?!" Yunyu snarled. "You are an idiot, Huang Shu! Do you know how many things I sacrificed for you?! How many times I devote myself to you so you can be the greatest Emperor?!"

"Do you even realize how unjust for you to banish me after that accusation? Huang Shu, you are truly an ignorant and an idiot!"

…

Huang Shu lowered his head, knowing that he deserved it.

"You refuse to listen to me and ditch me after you've got all you want. You've conquered many lands, bring the empire prosperity. You have a hundred concubines in your harem, and you have your own child already."

"Is that why you banished me? Because I have no more use?"

"NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Huang Shu finally reacted. Never once he thought that Yunyu had no use. Even if he was an infertile ger, he was still the ger man Huang Shu loved so much.

But he also didn't understand what was in his head back then. Why did he banish Bai Yunyu to the Cold Palace?

Was it because Bai Yunyu tried to poison his son? But why didn't he listen to Bai Yunyu first?

"It's pride," Yunyu said coldly so suddenly. As if he had read what was in Huang Shu's heart, "You have so much pride on your reputation that you kick everyone who could ruin your reputation, including your own wife," Yunyu replied.

"Huang Shu, do you know how painful my heart is when I see you having a great life in the Imperial Palace while you banished my maid and me to the Cold Palace for a crime I didn't commit."

"Yunyu, I'm—" Huang Shu was tongue-tied, unable to say sorry. Now he realized that he didn't even deserve to say sorry.

Bai Yunyu stared at Huang Shu coldly, "Maybe our marriage is a mistake in the first place. Huang Shu… I regret ever marrying you."

Bai Yunyu finally turned back, wanting to leave the Palace.

"WAIT! DON'T LEAVE ME! I WILL MAKE UP FOR IT!" Huang Shu yelled desperately, and he was rushing to chase Yunyu.

But before he could grab Bai Yunyu's sleeve, a sword raised and pointed at him, only one inch away from piercing his neck.

Xu Jiansheng scoffed mirthlessly, "Bai Yunyu is mine now."