The Fourth Prince was caught off guard. Before he could retreat, he took two more blows. Cheng Ping, trailing behind him, yanked the prince backward.
“Your Highness! Are you hurt…?”
The prince lowered his hand from his face and spat out a mouthful of blood—a tooth clattered to the floor.
“Hiss—”
Tang Ning’s eyes widened as she sucked in a sharp breath, then blurted, “Wow.”
How brutal.
Xiao Yan, whose aura had been icy, noticed the poorly concealed schadenfreude in the girl’s widened eyes. A flicker of amusement softened his menace.
Clutching his rapidly swelling cheek, the Fourth Prince glared at Prince Cheng. “Uncle! What is the meaning of this?!”
Prince Cheng’s mind swam in fog. Weeks in this lightless cell, ignored and rotting, had eroded his sanity. The physical torture was unbearable, but worse was the thing sharing his cell—a mangled lump of flesh.
At night, it haunted him: the phantom wails of a child, accusing, pleading. Why did you abandon me? Join me in death!
At first, Prince Cheng had hurled the mass away, stomping it to pulp. But the screams only grew louder, sharper. Fear gnawed until he crawled back, cradling the remains with fingerless hands, draping it in rags, murmuring ceaselessly.
The jailers whispered: The prince has gone mad.
“Uncle Rong!”
When the prince didn’t respond, the Fourth Prince raised his voice.
Prince Cheng jolted. His head snapped up—and both the Fourth Prince and Cheng Ping recoiled.
Sunken cheeks, cracked lips, eyes like charred pits. Blood crusted his skin. His gaze, hollow yet piercing, froze the Fourth Prince’s blood.
How can he possibly interrogate this wreck?
Xiao Yan, observing from the doorway, spoke coldly: “Xie Tianyu. His Majesty knows of your collusion with the Lu family. That Xie Yin carries Lu blood. The Emperor has tasked the Fourth Prince to root out your accomplice. Confess, and you might die cleanly.”
At “Fourth Prince,” clarity pierced Prince Cheng’s haze.
He’s here. She sent him.
“F-Fourth… Highness…” The words grated like stones.
“You recognize me!” The prince leaned closer, ignoring the reek. “Confess your Lu mistress, and I’ll beg Father for mercy.”
Prince Cheng’s milky eyes focused on the young face he’d secretly watched for years.
“Zheng’er…”
The childhood name startled the Fourth Prince. They’d never been close—why the intimacy now?
Masking discomfort, he pressed: “Mother knows I’m here. She detests your filth as much as Father. Name the Lu woman.”
Mother knows. The words ignited hope in Prince Cheng’s shriveled heart. If the Empress allowed her son here, she’d secured their escape. His ravings had reached her—she was moving.
His eyes darted to Xiao Yan, looming like a shadow. No risks.
“The Lu… woman…” Prince Cheng rasped, buying time.
The Fourth Prince misread his hesitation. “You care for Xie Yin, don’t you? Confess, and I’ll spare your bastard.”
A twitch. The prince pressed harder: “He’s royal blood! Father might pardon him!”
Prince Cheng’s breath hitched. Royal blood? Bitter laughter choked him. If only the fool knew…
But the game required patience. Let them believe the lie. Let Xiao Yan’s gaze burn.
The truth would out—when the Empress willed it.
==============
You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
Comments
Post a Comment