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  A low, muffled sigh echoed through the rugged mountain rocks. The shadows on the mountain path stirred slightly as a man wearing a deep blue brocade robe slowly emerged from the darkness. He took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with sharp intensity. "What do you want to do? That's what I should be asking."

  He deceived himself at first, but in an instant, that towering figure was already tightly pressed against Ming Xuan. His entire body emitted a cold and icy aura, his facial expression was extremely complex, with a sense of betrayal and helplessness from suppressing anger. He solemnly asked, "Ah Xuan, do you really want to bear the burden of my oath and marry the young master of the Pei family?"

  By May, the wind in the back mountain was strong but carried a warm intention. However, for some reason, Ming Xuan felt a chill all over her body. She slowly raised her head and stared straight at those domineering eyes, her mouth corners involuntarily curling up into a cold sneer. "Oath? Han Xiuxiu, do you have the qualifications to mention these two words to me?"

  She took two steps back, and with the wind blowing her hair open, she revealed a mottled scar. Her bright eyes gleamed with mockery as she said coldly, "See this scar? It's too deep, and no matter how good the medicine is, it can't be restored to its original state. But I don't mind. Do you know why?"

  Han Xi's face changed slightly, and he raised his hand to touch the wounds that had already turned white, but was dodged by Ming Xuan. He could only awkwardly lower his arm and ask with a bitter smile, "Why?"

  Ming Xuan gazed at him, and a strange smile suddenly bloomed on his face. "Because I don't remember."

  Her tone was slightly hesitant, and her gaze at Han Xiu was filled with indifference and detachment. "As for the past, I don't even remember it anymore. This isn't an excuse or a pretext. With your vast connections, you must be able to find out that everything I say is true. My grandmother said that back then, I had actually stopped breathing, but fortunately, the imperial physician's skilled hands saved me, and I came back to life. However, as a result, I lost my memories of the past. It seems that heaven itself wants me to forget the past and start anew."

  "So, I don't remember what our relationship was like in the past, nor do I recall any vows I may have made... let's just forget it all. The old Gu Mingxuan is dead and gone, no matter how much pressure or threats are applied, he can't come back. Now that I have a family and a wife, with Ronghua by my side, I should cherish the people in front of me."

  Han Xiuyi fell silent for a moment, and after a long while, he raised his head "Say... what should I forget?"

  Ming Xuan's mouth corners slightly twitched, she said faintly "I once had a marriage vow, but on that day I personally tore up the wedding book, and also personally buried the oath, the oath was destroyed early, what about betrayal? If you really want to calculate, Han Xiuxiu, ask yourself, who betrayed whom?

  "You may think I don't understand court politics, but in fact, I'm very clear about what happened back then. Forcing my father to leave was because the emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed, but publicly annulling our engagement, what was that for?"

  She lowered her eyelids and sighed softly, "Han Xiuzi, one can't be too greedy in life."

  After the divorce, Han Xiu married the daughter of Cheng'en Hou, Princess Hui'an, and due to this imperial connection, after the new emperor ascended to the throne, not only was his power not weakened, but within two years he rose to Ping Zhang Zheng Shi. At such a young age, he had already reached the pinnacle of power and became the most powerful young minister under Pei Xiang.

  At that time, for the sake of power, he could easily abandon his engagement. Now that he has power in his hands, he wants to pick it up again. Isn't this like a joke? Not to mention that his wife is still there, he can't even give her the position of first wife, let alone respect. Even if he were to offer her the position of first wife with both hands, she would certainly not deign to accept it.

  Let go, let go, letting go is for gaining, what's let go will never be gained again.

  If Han Xiagu had made a clean break, Gu Mingxuan would have been completely disdainful of him. He could still be considered decisive and ruthless, but since he had already sacrificed himself for power, now entangling himself in unclear matters would be greedy and despicable.

  Han Xiuyi's expression changed slightly, and a pained look flashed across his face. He said in a low voice, "I have my own difficulties, but I can't tell you now."

  Ah Xuan, believe me, one day you will know that everything I've done wasn't to hurt you, but for my own future.

  He paused slightly, his tone suddenly becoming gentle, as if coaxing a child, and said in a low voice, "Ah Xuan, listen, just wait for me for two more years. Two years later, I will marry you with the status of a legitimate wife. Later, we will have three children, two boys and one girl, and our family will live a happy and joyful life. How about it?"

  This man was clearly a fierce and formidable figure, but his face showed a gentle expression that clashed with the cold and murderous aura he emitted.

  Ming Xuan felt a strange and inexplicable sense of contradiction in Han Xiuxin's body. He was the one who put her in harm's way, yet he threatened and coerced her; he repeatedly stopped her from marrying someone else, even going so far as to solemnly promise that she should wait for him for two more years, but at the same time, he kept saying that he wanted to build a family with her and live a happy life...

  This man must have gone mad!

  But she won't go crazy with him.

  Ming Xuan slowly closed her eyes, then slowly opened them again. Her gaze was firm, as if she had made up her mind about something. Without hesitation, she shook her head and said decisively, "No."

  She gently lifted the hairpin from her temples, the icy sharp tip of the pin pressed against her slender neck as white as jade. The pin was so close that it seemed to only need a slight force to easily cut through her throat. She looked at Han Xiu with a desolate smile "I know that saying anything more would be futile, and you don't care about my thoughts anyway. You'll just keep bothering me in the future, so let's settle our grudge here once and for all."

  Han Xiuying had not expected Ming Huan to take such a drastic action. He was furious that she dared to threaten him with her own life, and at the same time he was afraid that she might really get hurt. Three years ago, he had already endured the pain of almost losing her once, a pain that went deep into his bones, far more suffocating than fighting for his life amidst thousands of soldiers.

  He sternly stopped her "Gu Mingxuan, what are you doing? If you die, do you believe I will make the entire Gu family accompany you in death?"

  Ming Xuan couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head lightly as she said with a mix of disdain and pity, "Apart from threats, I suppose there's no other way. To make the entire Gu family accompany you in death? Han Xiuxiu, do you really think you have such ability? Even if you did..."

  She raised an eyebrow disdainfully, "Even if I did, do you think I'd care? In the past, I endured and hid because I still cherished this life, wanting to treasure this hard-won existence and live a peaceful life in the future. But now I understand, unless I'm willing to live according to their wishes, they'll never let me have a peaceful day."

  Han Xiu's face turned iron-gray in an instant, like a furious storm about to erupt at any moment.

  Ming Xuan seemed to be in a state of indifference, but she pressed the hairpin against her neck even closer, almost touching the artery. With just a little more force, bright red blood would gush out like a fountain. She said resolutely, "What I care about is what I despise, and what I think is important is what I discard like a worn-out shoe. The future and everything that has been planned out are just one-sided fantasies." Her eyes sparkled, making her face radiant, yet the words she spoke were heartless. "Han Xiu, regardless of past grievances, you have wronged me and harmed me, it's all true. If you still feel a shred of guilt or unease in your heart, then please let me go. From now on, I'll walk my own path, and we'll have nothing to do with each other. But if you insist on pursuing me and obstructing my marriage, then today I will definitely die here, and even in death, I won't get anything!"

  The mountain wind blew her hair into disarray, her snow-like cheeks looked even paler, her slender body trembled slightly as she faced the wind, and her sleeves fluttered as if they were about to take flight.

  Han Xi's heart skipped a beat as he saw the determination in her eyes, knowing that with her fiery personality, if he uttered a single "no", the sharp hairpin in her hand would cut down at any moment. For a fleeting instant, the thought flashed through his mind: "Then go ahead and stab me, what I can't have, no one else will either."

  But as he thought so, his heart seemed to be torn open with a gap, and the pain was almost forgotten in breathing.

  Ming Xuan gazed at Han Xiuxiu's face, where his expressions changed unpredictably, and saw the reluctance and heartache in his eyes. Yet he still hesitated.

  A bitter and desperate feeling arose in her heart, she didn't know how the real Ming Xuan would respond if faced with this demon-possessed man, whether it would be a more resolute refusal or a helpless submission. But at this moment, she only had one thought: If I can't escape, then die!

  She bit her lip, gently pushing the hairpin downwards, and a thread of fresh blood slowly trickled down from the back of her hand. The pale hand and the deep red blood wove together to form a strange, enchanting, and eerie image that shocked the heart at first glance.

  Han Xiu could no longer hold back his emotions, he took two steps forward, one hand grasping Ming Xuan's still bleeding neck, the other hand making a great effort to snatch the hairpin from Ming Xuan's hand. He was like a raging lion, the cold killing intent scattering the birds in the forest, almost roaring out "Gu Ming Xuan, you really have skills!"

  Ming Xuan smiled wryly and said, "Lord Han, if I wasn't forced to, how would I humiliate myself like this?"

  She's no longer as cautious as before, instead she's become bolder. She raised an eyebrow and said, "With a wife and in-laws who are currently enjoying imperial favor, they only dare to use these underhanded tactics to coerce me. Han Xiu, now that I have nothing left to fear, yet still have many concerns... So either I'll leave you from now on, never to be involved with you again, even if we coincidentally meet, it's as if we're strangers. Or I'll die, but don't think about having a good life!"

  Her eyes sparkled, and she smiled charmingly "Which one should I choose?"

  Han Xiu was about to respond when he suddenly heard the creaking sound of the door of the thatched cottage in front of him opening. A man dressed in brocade and purple robes slowly walked out, his face as white as jade, his figure slender and elegant, like a celestial being descending into the mortal world.

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