Chapter 115

Jiang Yi had been angry and heartbroken, but in the end, he chose to let Yan Yiming go, or perhaps, he chose to free himself.
From the very beginning, Jiang Yi had never intended to hurt her, even if the one who ended up wounded was himself.
He never told Yan Yiming that it was all a “deception”, pretending to be incomprehensibly obsessive and mad, while in reality, he had long planned the day of his departure. He didn’t want to ask Yan Yiming to just stay with him for a while, nor did he want her to soften and indulge him out of pity. So, he deceived her, just to see her truest reactions.
Watching her anger, her helplessness, and how, after a period of withdrawal, she began to laugh and be lively again, watching her grow increasingly dependent on him without even realizing it, Jiang Yi finally understood that Yan Yiming was not without feelings, nor was she unmoved by him.
It was just that she had other things she cared about more.
But that was enough.
When it was time to leave, Jiang Yi felt reluctance and pain, but also a sense of fulfillment.
Perhaps the next morning, Yan Yiming would wake up just like every other morning during that time. The only difference was that, back then, she would lazily nestle back into his arms for a little more sleep, but now, there would be no trace of him by her side.
She might think he had just gotten up early and gone to his study, so she would linger in bed, waiting for him to return and wake her. Only after a long time would she realize something was different, only then would she find the letter he left for her.
She would probably be happy to finally be free, but perhaps she would also feel sad about his departure.
He truly wanted to stay behind secretly and see her reaction, but in the end, he gave up. If she didn’t care and was only relieved, he would regret staying to witness it. If she truly felt sorrow and pain because of his departure, it would only make it harder for him to leave.
He still left, carrying the final memories, closing the door beneath the starry night sky, never to meet again.
Thus, he never saw Yan Yiming’s panic upon waking alone in the morning, never witnessed her holding that letter with tears streaming down her face in helplessness, and never knew that Yan Yiming’s feelings for him far exceeded what he had anticipated.
Some things, some emotions, only become deeply etched in the heart at the final parting.
This day marked the end of April, the second day after she had left Jiang Yi back then, and now the second day after Jiang Yi had left her. Jiang Yi would never want to recall that day from the past, yet he would forever preserve this day in his memory.
There was no longer anyone by her side to thoughtfully drape a coat over her shoulders or gently urge her not to linger in bed. Yan Yiming held the letter and slowly sank to the floor.
In those long eight years, aside from the time when the soldiers’ hard-won victory had brought her to tears of joy, this was the second time Yan Yiming cried, and she wept for a long time.
With his final act of tenderness, Jiang Yi had dealt her the most fatal blow to her heart. Yan Yiming finally felt the dull ache in her chest, because of his departure, and because of her own.
It turned out she, too, had been moved, had fallen in love.
Little A said that before leaving, Jiang Yi had sat by the bed and watched her for a long time, that even as he left, he had carefully tucked her in and drawn the bed curtains.
This time, Yan Yiming did not interrupt Little A, allowing him to speak at length. She carefully folded the letter and finally stood up, asking Little A, “May I take this with me?”
She had once asked Little A if she could take the jade bracelet on her wrist or some other trinkets. Among all the playful teasing directed at Little A, what she truly wanted to take with her now was just a piece of paper.
The value of a single sheet of paper was almost negligible to the system, so Little A had no reason to refuse. Yet, in his simple mechanical mind, he suddenly felt an indescribable sadness.
“Of course,” Little A said.
“Thank you,” Yan Yiming replied, putting the letter away.
The pain in her heart lingered, but after wiping away her tears once more, she was still the ever-vigilant Yan Yiming.
The day after Jiang Yi left, Yan Yiming and Little A also departed from that place. The countdown to returning home had finally begun.
Through Little A, she accessed Jian Yu’er’s memories and learned that the emperor and the crown prince had warmly welcomed Jiang Yi’s return. Though there were murmurs of discontent in the court, they did not shake Jiang Yi’s position.
The rivalry between the crown prince and the eldest prince grew increasingly apparent, but during a subsequent hunting expedition, the emperor accidentally fell from his horse and was confined to his bed from then on.
Just as Yan Yiming had guessed, the previous attempted coup had not taken the emperor’s life, but his lifespan was not much longer than in the original plot.
On the day the emperor passed away, Yan Yiming and Little A stood atop the highest peak in Jinling, listening to the mournful and heavy tolling of the funeral bells from the palace, one after another.
With swift and decisive measures, Jiang Yi cleared all obstacles for Nan Gongxuan’s ascension to the throne. Shao Jingyu sent news of victory from Guangzhou, providing Nan Gongxuan with the firmest support. No one in the court dared to oppose any longer, and Nan Gongxuan rightfully ascended to the throne.
And in almost an instant, everything around seemed to be sliced into fine, fragmented starlight, dissolving bit by bit until it vanished completely. The familiar air, untouched for years, once again seeped into her pores.
At the coronation ceremony, Jiang Yi, for some unknown reason, glanced toward the southern part of the city but saw nothing.
Everything felt like a grand dream. In this timeline, Yan Yiming no longer existed, only the blue tassel tied to the jade pendant at her waist swayed gently in the breeze.
Everything…had come to an end.