CHAPTER 1244: CHAPTER 1239: A SATISFACTORY CONSULTATION FEE

Lin Qianqing hurried away, and that painting is still in that room to this day.

When he was bored, he would sit in Lin Qianqing’s room, where the pitch-black painting always stood out conspicuously.

Gu Youyou glanced at him and said, "Are you referring to this room? This room is clean and regularly disinfected; it’s specially designated for performing surgeries."

"Surgery?"

Gu Youyou said, "Yes, some diseases cannot be cured just by medicine; surgery is a must. Like your condition, and also the kind of illness Yuancheng had that you’ve inquired about, both require surgical intervention."

"And... what about that pitch-black painting?"

"Pitch-black painting?" It had been so long that Gu Youyou had thoroughly forgotten about that painting and naturally didn’t know what he was referring to.

King Jin responded, "Qianqing said that you painted it, pitch-black, a Star Map."

Gu Youyou recalled and uttered an "oh," saying, "That one you’re talking about, your wedding gift."

"Yes, the wedding gift," King Jin affirmed.

Looking back now, every one of his weddings had become so ironic, with only the one with Lin Qianqing retaining a shred of dignity.

Gu Youyou started to laugh, saying, "Qianqing likes living freely, always curious about how vast the world truly is. Although the map I gave her is much larger than the world we see, in the grand scheme of the universe, it’s just a drop in the ocean. We are but ephemeral beings within the cosmos, with no one knowing the true extent of this world."

King Jin couldn’t help but smile wryly and said no more.

"What do you plan to do after you’ve recovered?" After a while, Gu Youyou asked.

King Jin chuckled bitterly and said, "Do you think someone like me deserves this?"

"Not at all," Gu Youyou replied succinctly, catching King Jin by surprise.

Gu Youyou said, "Why would you think so? There’s no such thing as getting what one deserves. It’s a fact that you’ve been schemed against."

King Jin was taken aback and even more astonished by Gu Youyou’s words.

Indeed, she was different from ordinary women, no wonder someone like Jin Zijin had set his sights on her.

She certainly had her exceptional qualities! To be outplayed by Jin Zijin, he had no grounds to feel wronged.

But if he were to lose to Jin Zijin, he would concede wholeheartedly.

In dynastic histories, struggles for legitimate succession always had winners and losers; nothing to be so worked up about.

What he could not accept was the Ducal Residence harboring a rebellious heart, seeking to usurp the throne through him, stepping on his back to steal the state.

He felt a surge of hatred rising to his heart, fists clenched tightly, declaring, "Such a nation-stealing traitor deserves death by everyone’s hands. I am a member of the Jin Imperial Family, not a man of the Jin Ducal Residence. Rest assured, I will provide you with a diagnosis fee that will satisfy you."

Gu Youyou and what Jin Zijin thought, he too was well aware.

Since that incident when he was twelve, he was forever estranged from the throne of Zhuzhao Country.

It’s only now that he has come to see it clearly.

...

King Jin returned to his residence and spent a few days recuperating before resuming his daily routine.

Today, he dressed himself in clean and neat clothes, spruced up regally, before entering the Imperial Palace.

Ever since Jin Wei first arrived at Prince Jin Residence, he stopped regarding himself as a person.

His beard grew unkempt and his clothes wrinkled, and when hunger or thirst struck, he wouldn’t always remember to eat or drink.

During those days, he was tormented to less than human, having lost much weight.

Every time he visited the Imperial Palace, the Empress would find him listless, which led her to cry countless times.

Now, seeing a radiant King Jin before her, she could hardly believe her eyes.