You yield the imperial throne to me.

Watching the direction in which Gu Shengyu gradually retreated, a growing sense of unease settled in his heart.

He knew what lay in that direction.

A precipice.

Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on the blood seeping from Shen Nanyuan's neck, his brows knitted together in an expression of impending tempest.

Shen Nanyuan took a deep breath, collecting herself amidst the current situation. She paused, frowning as she endured the pain in her neck, and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness came here with a do-or-die attitude, didn't you?"

Recalling the confident look Gu Shengyu had given her when he sought her out yesterday, and Xiao Yan's words to her later that it would all be over soon, it was clear they both harbored their own agendas.

"So even in failure, you would rather die than flee."

Gu Shengyu sneered. "I have staked everything I am on today's final throw. Once I run, I am left with nothing. Under such circumstances, I might as well drag you down to die with me."

"Your Highness could have lived well, requested a fief, and continued to be a prince."

"An idle prince?" Mockery dripped from Gu Shengyu's tone. "That is no different from having nothing at all. Besides, the Emperor and Gu Shengyan would never feel secure with me; they would certainly send people to watch me year-round. Reduced to such destitution, a desperate gamble is far better."

Shen Nanyuan: "..."

He was far too obsessed with the imperial throne.

However, having been instilled with the belief that he must claim the throne by Consort Zhuang since childhood, such obsession was perhaps to be expected.

"Yet with Your Highness taking this path," Shen Nanyuan said, "Wu Miaofu is likely to wait in vain for a very long time."

At this mention, Gu Shengyu paused slightly before replying, "She disrupted my plans. While I loom her, I suppose I still left her a way out. Otherwise, had I brought her into the palace earlier and failed in this endeavor, she would inevitably have been implicated and executed..."

"Consider it a measure of leniency on my part. After all, in her heart, she trusted me, firmly believing that I would seize the throne."

Shen Nanyuan was startled. "Is that the reason why Your Highness delayed bringing her into the palace?"

"Naturally, that was part of it," Gu Shengyu admitted. "Though part of it was also simply my aversion to her."

"..." Shen Nanyuan's eyes shifted. After a moment, she remarked, "Viewed in this light, Your Highness is not entirely wicked."

"If the County Princess imagines she can use these words to soften me and grant you a way out, I am afraid you are mistaken," Gu Shengyu mocked. "Just look at the two men opposite us. Although their expressions conceal their thoughts, they dare not act rashly because of you; they dare not come closer to kill me for fear that I might harm you in the slightest. Back in the woods, the County Princess did not witness how viciously my third brother's sword was thrust at me, how desperately he wished to send me to my death. Had I not reacted swiftly, I would have perished right there."

"Still, he is vigilant. He had already laid an ambush in advance; otherwise, it would have been him who died."

As Gu Shengyu finished speaking, his gaze shifted slightly, landing on the cliff not far away, his eyes turning even more sinister and harsh.

"They must be frantic with worry right now, yet completely helpless. Seeing them like this rather improves my mood. Why don't you talk some more? Hearing enough pleasing words might just move me to spare your life."

Shen Nanyuan sighed softly. "Your blade is held much too close. My neck aches so fiercely that I have little desire to speak."

Gu Shengyu lowered his gaze, pulling the blade back just a fraction, distancing it slightly from her throat.

"Speak then."

Shen Nanyuan: "..."

Lowering her gaze, her eyelashes trembled as she felt the knife move away, only to find the wound on her neck burning with an even sharper pain.

She wondered if she would survive. Perhaps dying might even send her back to the real world.

Yet she feared death, and she feared pain.

Shen Nanyuan pressed her lips together. "Your Highness sometimes takes things to extremes. Why not consider what life outside the capital might be like? Without the strife for power, perhaps it would be even better than life within the deep palace."

Gu Shengyu's voice was flat. "You and I are different. I have lived amidst power my entire life; asking me to let it go is impossible."

He walked to the edge of the precipice and stopped. "The County Princess has lived cradled in pampering since childhood and cannot comprehend my existence. Just as the moment of my triumph was within reach, it vanished like smoke. No matter who it was, resignation would be impossible."

"And yet..." Shen Nanyuan said, "The Third Prince earned the recognition of the civil and military officials through his own abilities. Even when Sang Luo violated the territories of Sheng Qi, he risked his life to march into battle and ultimately won the victory. Those achievements cannot simply be swept aside by the word 'favoritism'."

She paused before continuing, "Your Highness knows this clearly in your heart; there is no need for me to spell it out."

Gu Shengyu lowered his eyes, the darkness within them deepening. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the bottomless abyss below and smiled. "Even had he not gone, this prince would have gone."

"Would Your Highness have faced death without fear, risking your life upon the battlefield?"

Hearing this, Gu Shengyu paused, his lips pressing together.

"If the Third Prince had not gone, Your Highness indeed would have gone to meet the enemy. But the Third Prince went with the desire to defend our territory and protect the common people, whereas Your Highness..."

You went merely to secure military merit so that upon your return, you would be one step closer to the throne.

Shen Nanyuan continued, "Therefore, using the word 'favoritism' to overshadow all of the Third Prince's efforts, as Your Highness puts it, is entirely unjust. Although I know little of court affairs, the officials of the civil and military courts naturally understand far more than I do. If they all stand on the side of the Third Prince, then..."

It simply meant that Gu Shengyu truly could not compare to Xiao Yan.

She did not dare voice that final sentence aloud, hastily adding a few flattering remarks instead. "However, Your Highness is dashing, handsome, and exceptionally capable. If the civil and military officials chose not to select you, that is entirely their failing."

Gu Shengyu gave a half-smile. "If the County Princess has no desire to flatter me, you need not force it."

Shen Nanyuan: "...Not at all, this subject county princess truly feels this way."

Beyond them lay the abyss. Shen Sinian watched with a heart gripped by terror, shouting sternly, "Whatever demands the Second Prince may have, name them! Anything within my power to grant, I shall fulfill completely."

Gu Shengyu lifted his gaze, looking at Shen Sinian's worried expression with a sense of immense pleasure. "I do happen to have one demand."

With that, his gaze shifted to Xiao Yan. "Hand over the imperial throne to me, and I will let her go."

Hearing this, Shen Nanyuan's breath hitched. "You..."

Before she could speak, she heard Xiao Yan's voice ring out: "Let her go, and I will give it to you."

A mocking smile touched the corner of Gu Shengyu's lips. "Tell me, do you think his words are true or false?"

Shen Nanyuan pressed her lips together, her gaze dazed as she looked at Xiao Yan. Her heart felt as though it had been violently clenched, aching with a bitter, astringent pain.

"Yet my dear brother's mind is unfathomably deep. The very second I hand her over to you, someone in the shadows might well strike me dead."