Chapter 1911

"But I just don't understand, why did the Empress hit me? Gao Yang humiliated her like this; once this matter came out, it was a huge joke; elder brother, you heard it yourself, the Empress herself was roaring in the Imperial Study, wanting to kill Prime Minister Gao!"

"She can say it herself, so why did I get hit when I said I wanted to kill Prime Minister Gao?"

Zhang Shou covered his face, unable to figure it out.

This, it makes no sense!

Zhang Ping pondered for a moment, then said with a sigh, "In my opinion, the Empress must have been played by Prime Minister Gao!"

"What?"

Zhang Shou looked surprised.

"Love is deep, hatred is deep; otherwise, why would she cry? But it's hard to say, a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, I don't understand."

Yan Wushuang spat out a turbid breath, feeling unprecedentedly refreshed in his heart.

Zhang Shou nodded, "Elder brother's words make sense, a woman's heart is indeed hard to fathom, I have always gone by instinct."

"..."

Golden sunlight spilled down.

Gao Yang passed through one palace gate after another, walking along the palace paths he knew all too well.

The palace maids and eunuchs who used to be full of flattery and smiles avoided him from afar, fearing him like a ghost or god.

Gao Yang turned a deaf ear, his pace steady.

The golden sunlight stretched his shadow very long, casting it lonely on the cold palace walls.

In Gao Yang's mind, the past echoed; scene after scene, sentence after sentence, appeared in his mind like watching flowers from horseback.

After returning from Linjiang City, Wu Zhao's eyes burned with the fire of ambition, staring at him intensely, "I want to destroy the six kingdoms and open the foundation for Da Qian's ten thousand generations; Prime Minister Gao, will you help me?"

After the Defense of Changan, she grabbed his hand regardless of decorum, her voice full of excitement, "Prime Minister Gao, you saved my life, saved the entire Da Qian; in this life, if you do not fail me, I will never fail you; let the sun and moon be the witness, let gods and demons be the judge; if I violate this oath, may I die a horrible death!"

On a late night with flickering candlelight, the two talked at length; she rubbed her temples tiredly, shedding her imperial majesty, and said to him: "Prime Minister Gao, if this dragon chair is made of ice, only when you are by my side do I feel... it's not so cold."

Under the warm spring sun, she rarely relaxed her brows, carrying pure longing: "When winter passes and spring comes, I want to go hunting with Prime Minister Gao, lie on the grass, blow the spring breeze, and look at the blue sky above; that must be very wonderful..."

Gao Yang's eyes were bloodshot; he left the palace all the way, got into the carriage, and headed toward the Duke of the State Prefecture.

On Zhu Que Street, it was boiling.

In the streets and alleys, pedestrians and merchants were all discussing, and what they centered on was his resignation.

This was like a storm, detonating the entire Changan.

"Prime Minister Gao... really resigned?"

"Ungrateful! Hexi has only been peaceful for a few days, and Prime Minister Gao has resigned? Does he have the people of the world in his heart?"

"Yes, I heard he didn't even want the python robe personally bestowed by the Empress, insisting on resigning in front of all the officials; how arrogant!"

The myriad states of life turned into noisy discussions, like poisonous needles, coming toward him in dense numbers.

Gao Yang was expressionless, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he heard nothing, his back straight.

Soon.

The carriage stopped.

Outside the Duke of the State Prefecture, it was peaceful.

Gao Yang got off the carriage, and under Chen Sheng's worry, he looked at the Duke of the State Prefecture.

Within his sight, everything was as usual.

Old Fu hunched his body, revealing a mouth of big yellow teeth, and said, "Young Master is back? Come in quickly, the Old Duke, the Master, and the Lady are waiting for Young Master to eat."

Gao Yang nodded silently.

Afterward, he stepped into the mansion, washed his hands, and walked toward the front hall for dinner.

Within his sight.

Gao Tianlong had white hair but was in high spirits, holding the babbling Junjun, his face full of kindness; Gao Linyuan sat in a wheelchair at his side.

Further to the side were Gao Feng and Chu Qingluan in long robes, as well as Gao Changwen and Gao Ling holding a bowl.

Lady Li was directing the maids to set the dishes, and the air was filled with the tempting aroma of food and a kind of... heartbreaking, unreserved acceptance and love.

Gao Ling'er touched her stomach and pouted, "Elder brother, why did you come back so late? Ling'er is almost starving to death."

Don't know why.

Looking at this scene of extreme ordinariness and warmth, looking at these faces full of smiles and without any reproach.

The humiliation and coldness in the Jin Luan Hall, the stinging resolution in the Imperial Study, the noisy accusations along the way.

That long-suppressed exhaustion, grievance, and huge sense of loss, like solid ice melted by this warmth, turned into endless surging sorrow, instantly collapsing Gao Yang's inner defenses.

He looked at Lady Li and said full of grievance, "Mother, Yang'er is so tired."

"In the next life, I want to be a happy little dog, carefree, without having to do anything, without having to manage anything."

Lady Li felt a wave of heartache and said with a face full of maternal love, "Then if you see Mother on the road in the next life, remember to bark twice at Mother; Mother will still raise you."

Gao Yang's eyes suddenly turned red.

Gao Changwen was to the side, winking and saying, "Foolish younger brother will pull a big one for you then."

"Elder brother, don't worry, as long as there is a bite of meat for foolish younger brother, there will be a hot bite for you."

Gao Yang's vision was filled with mist, and for no reason, a sense of grievance arose, and tears almost instantly burst from his eyes.

"Mother..."

Lady Li felt even more heartache, hurriedly walking up, opening her arms, and tightly embracing this son who could stir up clouds and rain outside, but was now as fragile as a lost child.

She stretched out her warm palm, carrying all her tenderness, rubbed Gao Yang's head, and said full of tenderness.

"Good child, you have already done very well; this is not your fault... if the people of the world want to scold, let them scold; we are home, Father and Mother are here."

At this moment, Gao Yang's body first stiffened, then uncontrollably trembled violently.

His hot tears, which had been suppressed for a long time, finally surged out like a broken dam, instantly soaking Lady Li's lapels.