The person who impersonated a delivery man from Si Shan Zhai to enter the relay station was apprehended by the Xuan Guard and brought to the Prince's estate.
"Master—"
Xuan Thirteen received the message from the Xuan Guard and entered the room to report. He glanced at Nan Shiying subconsciously, hesitated for a moment, and then suppressed his words.
"Brought back?"
Ji Jinmo asked dismissively without turning around.
Seeing that his master had no intention of hiding the matter from the Princess Consort, Xuan Thirteen dared not delay and immediately replied, "Brought back. They've already been locked in the dungeon."
"Mm!"
Ji Jinmo gave a faint hum, his expression unreadable. Nan Shiying, however, discerned the underlying meaning from their conversation.
So Ji Jinmo had already anticipated someone would attempt to harm the Da Li envoy amidst the chaos?
She couldn't help but admire him, praising him from the bottom of her heart, "So it was I who worried unnecessarily. If I could think of it, how could Master not? I just didn't expect them to be so impatient, targeting the Da Li envoy so soon after the death of Wen Changbo's son."
"However, they surely never imagined that despite their meticulous plan, it would still escape Master's keen eyes."
Xuan Thirteen glanced up at his Princess Consort, finding her flattery a bit too stiff.
His Master had been unparalleled since childhood. He was so accustomed to praise and admiration that his ears must have grown calluses. In his early twenties, his strategy resolved the border crisis of Linyuan. In coordination with Xie Yuan, son of the General guarding the northern frontier, they achieved victory against overwhelming odds, decisively defeating the northern barbarians and achieving fame that resonated throughout the Nine Provinces. In the same year, he single-handedly established the now formidable Demon Hunter Army. Had his Master not been too young at the time, missing the succession war, the former Emperor might not have ascended the throne smoothly, and that wretch Ji Hong would not have become the Emperor.
Xuan Thirteen felt that no compliment in the world could adequately describe even a tenth of his Master's prowess. Such praise from the Princess Consort, he thought, would likely be met with disdain. His Master—
Xuan Thirteen's inner monologue collapsed completely upon seeing the smile that bloomed on his Master's lips. From his angle, he could only see his Master's profile, but even so, he could clearly see the gleam of happiness radiating from his lips into his eyes.
It was genuine joy and delight.
"Master, is it really that necessary?"
Xuan Thirteen couldn't bear to watch. Ever since the Princess Consort entered the estate, his Master had changed.
Now, it was only becoming more pronounced.
He should have realized it long ago. When his Master addressed himself as "I" instead of "this Prince" when facing the Princess Consort, it was already clear that she had become the most special and important person in his heart.
It's just, he wondered about the Princess Consort—
Xuan Thirteen actually didn't want to dwell on it, or think too deeply. After all, the Princess Consort was the daughter of Nan Chaoyin. Was his Master truly so certain that everything the Princess Consort displayed was genuine and not a deception?
Xuan Yi had once said, the Princess Consort was not right.
If the Princess Consort's quick mastery of medicine was due to her extraordinary talent, then how could her martial arts aptitude be explained?
In just over half a year, the Princess Consort had grasped the basics?
This could no longer be described as mere genius.
The Princess Consort was like a mystery wrapped in mist. Just when you thought the wind had blown away the thin fog, allowing you to glimpse inside, you discovered that within the mist, there was another layer of ink-like barrier.
What you saw was an even more unfathomable darkness.
And all of this, his Master knew.
As he was lost in his own thoughts, he suddenly heard his Master's voice asking, "Want to go take a look together?"
Xuan Thirteen's head snapped up, and he looked at his Master in disbelief.
The location of the Prince's estate dungeon had always been a secret. Let alone ordinary guards, even most Xuan Guards didn't know where it was. Yet, from his Master's words, he intended to bring the Princess Consort there?
Nan Shiying looked at Ji Jinmo, a faint smile curving her lips. She nodded indifferently, happily accepting Ji Jinmo's invitation, "Alright!"
However, she couldn't help but wonder if he truly trusted her this much, or if this was a subtle test.
...
The Prince's estate dungeon was located within the rock garden in the backyard. A hidden mechanism, so small it was virtually impossible to find, was concealed within the rocks of the mountain. By finding and rotating a few protruding stones on the west side of the mountain in a specific sequence and orientation, the mountain emitted a sound of gears turning, and then, before Nan Shiying, an hidden door appeared.
Ji Jinmo led Nan Shiying inside, saying as they walked, "Remember the sequence and orientation of the rotation? This is not just a dungeon, but also a refuge. If, one day, the estate falls, you can hide here to save your life. However, if you forget the sequence, then even if you die, do not come here, because the mechanism within the mountain will riddle you with holes."
Nan Shiying frowned as she listened to Ji Jinmo's words. If even he, the Regent Prince who commanded respect throughout the Nine Provinces, couldn't protect this estate, would she even have a chance to hide?
Nan Shiying didn't understand why Ji Jinmo was telling her this. She concealed her displeasure and snorted, "If that day truly comes, Master, rest assured, this concubine will definitely not avenge you."
Xuan Thirteen glared fiercely at Nan Shiying.
Ji Jinmo, however, seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He didn't bring up the topic again.
They passed through a long corridor, and the view suddenly opened up. In the dim dungeon, the smell of blood spread everywhere. The ground and walls were stained with dried blood, layer upon layer, mottled together. The blood exuded a rotten, fishy stench.
Heart-wrenching screams and dying groans filled the dungeon, making the already bloody and terrifying scene even more horrific.
A true hell on earth.
Xuan Thirteen stealthily glanced at Nan Shiying. Her face was cool and composed, showing no fear. It wasn't forced composure, but a disdain that showed she didn't take such a scene seriously.
Xuan Thirteen was slightly stunned.
How could this be?
A gasp arose from his heart but was stifled in his throat. Xuan Thirteen ultimately did not voice his inner astonishment.
Was this scene terrifying?
What kind of bloody scenes had she not witnessed? The path to victory was paved with countless bones; directly or indirectly, she had caused the death of innumerable people, using methods that were no less brutal than these. And the battle outside the Great Yuan against Northern Liao years ago, the battlefield was so brutal, with floating corpses stretching for a thousand li, blood, flesh, and severed limbs scattered across the scorched earth, was it not much bloodier than this scene?
Whenever she thought of that long and arduous battle outside the Great Yuan, which had consumed nearly half of Da Yuan's national strength, Nan Shiying still wished to skewer those Northern Liao barbarians with iron skewers, boil them in water, cook them with fire, and employ every cruel method possible to quell her hatred.
The hatred surging in her eyes flashed and disappeared, yet it did not escape Ji Jinmo's gaze.
Hate?
Why?