The Black Armored Guards moved to seize Cheng Wang. He retreated, trying to evade them, but in the confines of the small cell, there was nowhere to run.
When they caught him, Cheng Wang screamed hoarsely, "Tang Ning! Do you really not want to know where Rong Yue's child is?"
"I know you'll use torture, but that child is my bargaining chip. If you don’t let me go, I’ll never tell you where he is. He’s being kept in a secret location under strict guard. If anything happens to me, he won’t survive either."
"He’s Rong Yue’s child, her flesh and blood. If you let him die, Rong Yue will hate you for it…"
Smack!
Changlang slapped Cheng Wang across the face, sending him stumbling into the wall. Before Cheng Wang could recover, Changlang delivered a hard kick to his abdomen, eliciting a pained cry as Cheng Wang crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach.
"I’ve seen plenty of tough mouths, but even they cry for their mothers in the torture chamber," Changlang said coldly.
He grabbed Cheng Wang by the collar and dragged him toward the cell door, tossing him forward. Guards quickly moved in, binding his hands and feet before hoisting him up like a sack.
Cheng Wang felt as if his organs had been rearranged, cold sweat pouring down his face as he was dragged along the ground. When they passed Tang Ning, he turned his head desperately toward Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Yan! I have no quarrel with you. Why must you involve yourself and condemn me to death?"
"If it’s just for the Rong family’s connections, Rong Qian’an has been dead for years. How many people still honor old ties? I know you’ve made plenty of enemies in court and that your position with the Emperor is precarious. If you let me go, I can offer you far more than Tang Ning ever could. I can help you…"
Xiao Yan tilted his head, looking at him with mild interest. "What can you offer me?"
Cheng Wang’s tone grew urgent. "Anything you want. If you and I join forces, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish."
Xiao Yan chuckled. "How tempting."
Cheng Wang relaxed slightly, but then Xiao Yan continued, "If you’re so sincere, why not start by telling me where you got Xie Yin?"
Cheng Wang’s face instantly turned pale.
Xiao Yan’s voice remained calm. "What’s the matter? Weren’t you just saying you’d give me whatever I wanted?"
"That’s not what I meant…" Cheng Wang stammered, struggling to suppress his panic. He had taken Xie Yin in years ago with the intent of using him to leverage the Rong family’s power and ensure his own control. But if Xiao Yan discovered the truth about Xie Yin’s origins, it could unravel everything. There were too many secrets tied to Xie Yin’s background—secrets that could destroy him.
"Xie Yin is just a child I randomly adopted. Why does the Director care about someone so insignificant?"
"If you won’t even admit to something as insignificant as this, how can I trust you with anything else?" Xiao Yan’s gaze sharpened. "Someone like you, who deceives even the person lying next to you, isn’t worth believing."
With that, Xiao Yan coldly ordered, "Take him away!"
"Xiao Yan, wait! You can’t—" Cheng Wang’s frantic shouts were cut off as Changlang shoved a bundle of straw into his mouth, muffling his voice. The guards dragged him out of the cell, ignoring his muffled protests and futile struggles.
The sound of his body being dragged across the ground left a long, scraping mark. The cell door creaked shut, and silence fell, leaving only Xiao Yan and Tang Ning in the cold, dimly lit prison.
Xiao Yan didn’t linger. He gestured for Tang Ning to follow as they headed toward the exit. The small girl remained quiet, trailing a step behind him. Noticing her silence, Xiao Yan slowed his pace.
"Did you believe Xie Tianyu’s words?"
"No." Tang Ning shook her head. She had faltered momentarily when he first mentioned the child, but the moment Xie Tianyu shamelessly begged Xiao Yan for mercy, she realized it was a ploy.
A man as vile as Xie Tianyu, paired with the cruel and calculating woman entangled with him, wouldn’t have allowed her aunt’s child to survive. Their years of scheming, even preventing her aunt from bearing another child, proved their ruthlessness.
She walked beside Xiao Yan and murmured, "Back then, when my aunt gave birth, Grandfather was still alive, and the Rong family was at its peak. Xie Tianyu wanted to use Grandfather’s influence to compete for the throne against the Crown Prince. Swapping the child was already a huge risk. Keeping the baby alive would have only invited endless trouble."
"No secret can be kept forever. The deeper it’s buried, the more likely it is to leak. The only way to ensure absolute silence is to eliminate everyone who knows."
She paused, biting her lip as she glanced at the dim oil lamps on the wall. "I don’t care if that child is alive or not. Even if he is, I have no intention of letting him meet my aunt."
"Blood ties create bonds, and bonds lead to vulnerability. That child was the beginning of all the lies. Even if he’s innocent, my aunt’s life was ruined by those endless deceptions."
Her voice grew firmer. "I’d rather he be dead than see my aunt, who has finally broken free of Cheng Wang’s shadow, drawn back into that web. If he were to recognize my aunt, he’d become her weakness. Worse, he might turn into another Xie Yin."
Tang Ning’s voice softened. "If he’s alive, I can provide for him, give him a peaceful life far away from the capital. But I’ll never let him near my aunt."
She turned to Xiao Yan, her eyes searching his. "Brother, am I being too heartless?"
The dim corridor was cloaked in shadow, the flickering oil lamps casting a weak glow. Xiao Yan walked half a step ahead of her. Hearing her words, his tone was cool but resolute. "Everyone has people they care about. It’s natural to protect them at all costs. If a stranger’s presence would harm someone I cherish, I’d be even more ruthless than you."
Eliminating the threat entirely wasn’t out of the question.
His voice, like jade touched by frost, carried a chilling detachment.
"Don’t burden yourself with ideals of universal kindness. Live for yourself. Be selfish, free, and happy—it’s not a crime."
He thought back to his father, once a paragon of virtue, praised as the perfect Crown Prince. His adherence to moral ideals earned him universal acclaim. Yet, in the end, he met a tragic fate, dying in disgrace, cursed by all.
Tang Ning glanced at the broad-shouldered man beside her. Though his expression remained calm, she sensed an underlying sadness in his words, as if they carried a weight of bitterness and unspoken grievances, veiled in self-mockery and resentment.
Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed his wrist. Her small, cool hand startled Xiao Yan, and he paused mid-step.
He turned to her, only to hear her soft voice.
"Brother, are you sad?"
Xiao Yan hesitated, caught off guard. He was about to deny it, to say sadness was pointless, but before he could speak, Tang Ning stepped closer. Rising on tiptoe, she gently touched his brow.
"Don’t be sad. I’m here."
She was so close that her upturned face was inches from his, her petite figure almost brushing against him. Her delicate nose nearly grazed his chin, and the faint scent of her warmth lingered in the narrow space between them. He only had to lower his head for their breaths to mingle.
Xiao Yan’s throat tightened, and his eyes darkened under the dim light.
"Little Begonia"
"Hmm?"
"I don’t want—"
Before he could finish, a sudden clatter echoed from the distance, followed by agonized screams. Tang Ning’s attention snapped to the commotion, the distraction pulling her focus away.
When the noise subsided, she turned back, puzzled. "Brother, what were you saying?"
Xiao Yan looked at her trusting, innocent eyes and paused. "Nothing."
He thought of his position, his identity as a eunuch in the eyes of the world. If not for his role as her “brother,” keeping her in Jiyun Alley would have been impossible.
Letting her face public scrutiny would ruin her hard-earned reputation, her dreams for the academy, and the honor of the Rong family.
Xiao Yan couldn’t bear to see Tang Ning exposed to the storms outside.
Lowering his gaze to mask his thoughts, he eventually looked up, his expression calm and steady. Gently, he took the hand she had touched his brow with and placed it back by her side.
"Wait outside. I’ll handle Cheng Wang. When the gifts are ready, I’ll come get you."
Tang Ning nodded obediently. "Alright."
The section where royal prisoners were held was separate from the main cells. Xiao Yan escorted Tang Ning to a clean waiting area, leaving Jin Yun to accompany her outside. Only then did he stride purposefully back into the interrogation chamber.
Jin Yun stood by the door. "Miss, I’ll be here if you need anything."
Tang Ning nodded. "Thank you."
Once the door was closed, she walked to the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and stared blankly at the rippling surface.
In truth, she had heard him clearly.
Xiao Yan had said, “I don’t want to be your brother anymore.”
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T/N: Confessing to Tang Ning while her uncle is being tortured in the background is so Xiao Yan
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You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
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