The Daily Life of a Depressed Salted Fish Chapter 79

The black arrowhead was personally driven into Yao Ji’s heart by Jiang Wu.

Her pupils quivered, her expression full of disbelief.

This was her son, yet as he drove the arrow into her, his face showed no emotion.

No hatred, no joy, no pain, not even hesitation.

Suddenly, she remembered.

Jiang Wu wasn’t always like this.

When he was born, he smiled a lot. He’d giggle when held by his royal father, or kissed by his royal mother. When he smiled, his big, dark eyes would crinkle up like little grapes, his small mouth would stretch into a grin, and his toothless pink gums would show.

He was always smarter and more clever than other children. Before he was even two, he’d learned to walk and would go around asking people for sweets. Even though the Great Empress Dowager didn’t like him much because of her, every time she saw him, she would still give him treats.

Even the former Empress, who loathed Yao Ji, couldn’t bring herself to push Jiang Wu away when he hugged her leg.

As a child, his expressions were full of life. If she pulled his hair, he’d yell. If he got angry, he’d pout. When frustrated, he’d frown. And when he cried, it was loud and piercing. Whenever the former Emperor was overwhelmed by work and retreated to Ziyun Palace, Jiang Wu would wriggle his small body into his royal father’s arms. Even if his royal father pushed him away, Jiang Wu would keep trying. Eventually, the former Emperor couldn’t bear to push him away anymore.

Yao Ji had been the daughter of the Zhao family, known for her unparalleled beauty. Wherever she went, she was the center of attention. But in the imperial palace, she was ridiculed and humiliated.

Back then, the Great Empress Dowager never invited her to banquets, but after Jiang Wu pestered her for days, the Great Empress Dowager reluctantly agreed. Jiang Wu didn’t want his royal mother to know he had pleaded on her behalf, so he told the Great Empress Dowager, “Grandmother, you should invite Royal Mother just like you invite others. It doesn’t count if I tell her. Royal Mother has her pride too.”

The Great Empress Dowager had laughed in exasperation and eventually sent someone to invite Yao Ji.

Later, when Yao Ji found out the truth, she pinched Jiang Wu’s cheek and asked, “How can you be so shameless?”

“If Royal Grandmother likes me, she won’t neglect you anymore.”

Yao Ji had been touched by Jiang Wu’s efforts to please her, knowing he was trying to make her happy. But she also knew that in order to survive in the palace and rise to power, she needed Jiang Wu to succeed.

She had no family, no status, and not even friends in the kingdom. All her glory came from the high-ranking man she was tied to.

But who knew when that man might take it all away?

At first, it was vanity that drove her—she only lived for herself. She wanted to stay in the Xia Kingdom and rise to greater heights.

She hated being looked down upon, hated the Great Empress Dowager’s disdainful gaze, and hated the former Empress’s condescending demeanor.

So, she pushed harder, forcing Jiang Wu to train in martial arts. After attending lessons at the National Academy, he would return to continue lessons she arranged. While other children hadn’t yet learned archery or horsemanship, Jiang Wu was already practicing bow and arrow in the palace.

She believed that only by making Jiang Wu emperor would she have a chance to rise.

Jiang Wu released his grip, leaving the arrowhead in her chest.

The face that had once been praised by so many, now streaked with tears, slowly fell.

She had gradually tamed him, turning him into an obedient tool. He no longer smiled, no longer tried to please her on his own, and treated her words as commands. He stopped asking for sweets, stopped clamoring to play with his brothers, and stopped approaching the former Emperor affectionately.

She remembered a day when the former Emperor visited. Jiang Wu had just finished archery practice, and she was eager to show off his skills. She dragged him before his royal father.

The former Emperor smiled warmly, “You’re quite skilled for your age. I heard you can hit a target from a hundred paces.”

Jiang Wu stared calmly at his royal father. The former Emperor, unaware of what had changed, glanced curiously at Yao Ji.

She hastily nudged him, pretending to pat his back but actually pinching him. “Show your royal father what you can do.”

Jiang Wu had always been sensitive to pain, crying for a long time if he was hurt. But this time, he merely flinched slightly before calmly drawing his bow, as she had instructed.

The former Emperor was indeed pleased, and she took the opportunity to say, “Wu Er wants to join this year’s autumn hunt.”

“He’s still too young for the hunt. Riding alone could be dangerous.”

“Wu Er can handle it. He enjoys it.”

When she looked back at Jiang Wu, his expression remained indifferent. So, she called him again, “Wu Er.”

He obediently replied, “Yes, Wu Er enjoys it.”

That year, the eight-year-old child forced his way into the top three of the autumn hunt, earning cheers from all around.

He was renowned throughout Guanjing, known by all for his extraordinary talents in both the literary and martial arts.

Blood gushed from her throat as she recalled everything from the past, her eyes filled with emptiness and confusion.

Had she done something wrong?

In the royal family, there was no room for affection. She had pushed Jiang Wu to grow up, but it was all for his own good.

Without her, how could he have become the emperor?

She watched as Jiang Wu collapsed as well.

Why did he do this? Did he not know that she had actually placed a curse on him?

The Mother-Son Symbiosis Gu.

Jiang Wu didn’t know. On that fateful night, after the previous emperor left, claiming he was going to the Ziyun Palace, he had, in fact, come to see her.

That day, Yao Ji had already been tortured by the Great Empress Dowager. She was imprisoned in the Ziyun Palace, her body covered in wounds, her wrists bearing marks from needles.

The Great Empress Dowager was ruthless and had always despised her. She showed no mercy when punishing her.

Yao Ji had thought the emperor had come to save her, but he merely sat silently in the chair, watching her curled up on the floor. “The Great Empress Dowager can’t stand you. She wants to teach you a lesson, and there’s nothing I can do.”

“From now on, Jin Wen will take care of Wu Er. Don’t even think about getting close to him again.”

He had allowed the Great Empress Dowager to punish her, offered no rescue, and gave her no comfort. In that moment, she knew that the beauty which had once brought her his favor had been worn away over time.

She feared she might be killed and dared not approach Jiang Wu for years after that.

Later, she found out that Zhao Cheng and Jiang Wu had become friends, recognizing each other in secret. To protect her, Zhao Cheng had given her a type of gu. At first, she was afraid Jiang Wu would hate her, so she didn’t dare use it.

But then came the news from the front lines—her father and brothers had died in battle, and the entire Xia nation rejoiced. She mingled among the crowd, watching the smiling faces, and suddenly felt disgusted.

That was the first time she began to hate this country, and even hate the version of herself that wanted to remain in Xia and rise to the top.

Placing the gu on Jiang Wu was too easy. But her guilty conscience made her afraid he would find out. Yet she needed others to fear him, so at the right moment, she let the previous emperor know.

By then, the crown prince was dead, Qi Wang was crippled, and Ning Wang was gravely ill. The previous emperor had already grown suspicious of her and began investigating in secret, but before he could uncover the truth, he fell ill. Shocked by what he learned, he could do nothing about it.

Thus, before he died, the emperor ordered everyone to leave her untouched. Outsiders, including Jiang Wu, believed it was because she was too favored. But only she knew that the emperor had been protecting Jiang Wu.

He loved that child far more than he loved her.

But that didn’t matter to her. Her goal was for Jiang Wu to become Xia’s most revered saint and ascend the throne with full legitimacy.

But now, this saint had publicly killed his own mother in front of so many people.

She thought he must be insane, yet she recalled the child who had become accustomed to waking up early on his own, practicing martial arts and calligraphy without her supervision. She remembered the boy who had charged into a raging fire without regard for his life, and the emperor who had calmly revealed their secrets and waited quietly at the side.

In the end, she remembered that day on the swing—he let go of the ropes and flew off, his face serene, almost hopeful.

She remembered his expression—calm, peaceful, even filled with a hint of longing.

He wasn’t mad.

This death had been carefully planned for a long time.

She clutched her wound as tears and blood flowed together.

When the arrow pierced Yao Ji’s chest, Jiang Wu felt a sharp pain.

But he still pushed the arrowhead deeper.

He wasn’t the original soul of this body, so killing this woman brought no pain. Without the relationship of mother and child, Yao Ji was just an enemy to the original soul. Now, to Jiang Wu, she was simply a tool for his own death.

She had no other purpose.

He was caught by someone, his gaze meeting the dark eyes veiled in mist, and he saw the red mole at the corner of the eye.

No longer faint, it had fully emerged.

That tiny mole, just a bit larger than a pinhead, was so vivid against his beautifully sculpted face that it suddenly became bewitching.

“You always have to make me so sad, don’t you?”

Jiang Wu’s lips moved. “I… I didn’t know.”

His reaction was slower than Yao Ji’s, but eventually, blood began to flow.

Yin Wuzhi caught the blood in his palm, speaking softly, “What did you say?”

“I just wanted to avenge Jiang Wu. Revenge… she’s bad.” He lied. “She cursed me with the Symbiosis Curse.”

“So, you really knew nothing.”

Jiang Wu nodded weakly.

More blood spilled from his throat, streaming down Yin Wuzhi’s hand, thick and unsettling.

He wanted to tell Yin Wuzhi that he hadn’t known killing Yao Ji would kill him too. He just wanted revenge for the original soul. This woman was truly evil, using the Symbiosis Gu on her own son.

He wanted to say that it was all an accident.

As if that would stop Yin Wuzhi from suffering at his death.

“You…” He raised his hand, but Yin Wuzhi held it, blood staining both of them. “Your Jiang Wu…”

He wanted to say that Yin Wuzhi’s mole had fully appeared, meaning that his death would likely bring back the original Jiang Wu, the one Yin Wuzhi loved.

But he didn’t get the chance. He lost consciousness completely.

His hand slipped from Yin Wuzhi’s grasp.

Yin Wuzhi didn’t even blink.

Someone rushed over, and the Great Empress Dowager, disheveled, cried out, “Wu Er, how could this happen! Someone, help—”

Consciousness drifted away and then returned.

Jiang Wu opened his eyes and saw the familiar canopy above his bed. In the dim light of the bed curtains, he struggled to move slightly. Everything was fine, except his chest still ached a little.

He blinked and uncertainly looked at the bed curtains again.

He was lying on the same bed he had grown accustomed to in the Taiji Hall.

Strange.

He wasn’t dead.

What happened?

He tried to prop himself up, but his body still felt heavy, so he gave up and laid back down.

He was a bit discouraged.

How could this be? He still hadn’t died, even after everything.

What happened?

“Your servant greets the Empress Dowager.”

“I’ve come to check on Wu Er.”

Jiang Wu turned his head, and soon the bed curtains were lifted. Empress Dowager Wen was taken aback for a moment, then her face immediately filled with joy. “Wu Er, you’ve finally woken up.”

Jiang Wu opened his mouth, and Empress Dowager Wen quickly ordered someone to fetch water and personally fed it to him. “You’ve been lying here for almost three months. Is there anything that feels uncomfortable? Tell your royal mother.”

Jiang Wu found his voice. “Where is Yin Wuzhi?”

Empress Dowager Wen glanced at him and replied, “He’s at King Dingnan’s residence. This is the deep inner palace, and it wouldn’t be proper for a man like him to stay here for long.”

Jiang Wu said, “Then I…”

“We made a deal with the national teacher of Zhao. We returned Miss He to them, and in exchange, he agreed to save you.” The Empress Dowager stroked his head. “You don’t need to think about anything now. Just focus on resting.”

“Yin Wuzhi,” Jiang Wu paused, “I want him to come see me.”

Empress Dowager Wen frowned. “He’s at King Dingnan’s residence. It’s not too late to see him after you’ve recovered.”

The more she didn’t want Jiang Wu to see him, the more determined Jiang Wu was to meet him. He hadn’t died, and his original self hadn’t returned, so Yin Wuzhi must have been grieving all this time.

With no other choice, Empress Dowager Wen finally ordered someone to summon Yin Wuzhi to the palace.

Yin Wuzhi took his time arriving. By the time he finally came, the Great Empress Dowager had already visited Jiang Wu, and he had been forced to eat his dinner. Only then did Yin Wuzhi show up, late as ever.

Empress Dowager Wen wiped Jiang Wu’s mouth and said to Yin Wuzhi, “The Emperor wishes to see you… well, I’ll take my leave.”

Yin Wuzhi approached Jiang Wu, his gaze soft. “What’s this? You missed me?”

Jiang Wu glanced at the red mole by the corner of his eye. Yin Wuzhi paused for a moment and said, “I don’t know why, but this thing suddenly appeared. When my mother first saw it, she tried wiping it off with a handkerchief for a long time, but it wouldn’t come off.”

“Yin Wuzhi.”

“Yes?”

“My chest hurts.”

Yin Wuzhi knelt in front of him and gently massaged his chest. “No one will ever hurt you again.”

Jiang Wu looked at the hand on his chest, then at Yin Wuzhi’s face. “I lied to you.”

“What did you lie to me about?”

“I knew about the symbiotic gu.”

Yin Wuzhi’s hand continued its gentle, slow movements on his chest. “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Yin Wuzhi.”

“Yes?”

“Are you angry?”

“No, I’m not.”

Yin Wuzhi stared into his eyes, the weight of thousands of years of hardships flowing through his gaze.

“To be able to look at the Emperor like this is already a blessing for me, in three lifetimes.”

Jiang Wu was a little confused.

Yin Wuzhi lifted his hand to his lips, inhaling the scent from Jiang Wu’s fingers. His long lashes fluttered closed.

“Your Majesty, you smell so sweet.”