The Imperial Palace, the Heavenly Prison.
Candles embedded in the walls emitted a faint light. The entire prison was deathly silent, the rustling of rats and cockroaches through the dry grass hanging in the air, only to be replaced by the sudden sound of footsteps.
A figure flashed by, and before the jailer's eyes could register, darkness enveloped him, and he lost consciousness.
"Who?"
Liu Yuci, huddled in the corner of her cell, heard the sound of chains and looked up sharply.
A figure skillfully picked the lock, yanked the chain free and threw it to the ground, then pushed open the cell door and entered. His black brocade boots crunched on the dry grass, startling the rats and cockroaches into a frantic scramble.
"Liu Yuci?"
Although the newcomer had deliberately lowered her voice, it was still identifiable as a woman's.
Liu Yuci instinctively nodded, then became suddenly alert. The dim prison only had a few candles, and the moonlight that leaped through the high window was insufficient for her to discern the newcomer's face. Vaguely, she could make out a young, beautiful woman.
"Aunt Lan asked me to send you her regards," the newcomer said with a smile.
But these words, falling into Liu Yuci's ears, were like a clap of thunder, or a scythe to her neck. Her eyes widened in terror, and in an instant, she felt the blood within her freeze, leaving only bone-chilling cold.
Aunt Lan, Yin Si Lan!
The matriarch of the Yin clan of Miao territory, and it was because of this woman that her mother had placed Gu worms into her as an infant. It was also because of her that her mother had suffered so much over the years, and she herself had ended up in this predicament, even dragging her husband and son down with her.
Yet, upon hearing Yin Si Lan's name, her first reaction was not anger but fear.
Was this woman before her someone sent by Yin Si Lan to kill her?
"She wants to kill me?"
Liu Yuci looked at the person before her and asked word by word.
Having been sleepless and terrified for days, she was utterly exhausted. The bloodshot veins in her eyes now appeared so red they seemed about to bleed. Tears welled up, refracting the hatred in her gaze.
The newcomer chuckled lightly. She crouched down, unconcerned about dirtying her skirt on the ground, and looked directly at Liu Yuci. Only now did Liu Yuci get a clear look at her.
"Kill you?"
The person's lips curved upwards, her tender lips like a flower blooming in the dark night.
Her slender hand, glowing white in the moonlight, suddenly flashed before Liu Yuci's eyes, and an abrupt suffocation made her eyeballs bulge.
That beautiful hand was gripping her neck, and with a little more force, it could snap her cervical vertebrae.
Liu Yuci did not want to die. She raised her hand to grip the other's wrist and pushed with all her might, her nails digging into the flesh. The other person gasped in pain.
"Slap~"
The person swung her hand, slapping Liu Yuci hard. Her teeth grazed the inside of her mouth, and blood trickled from the corner of Liu Yuci's lips. The person released Liu Yuci's neck, then slapped her again before the anger somewhat subsided.
Liu Yuci's cheeks swelled on both sides, the imprint of the slap clearly visible.
The person looked at her wrist, scratched by Liu Yuci's fingernails, her brows knitting together.
Lan Yue'er felt she wasn't cut out for playing the villain!
"Alright, alright, I wasn't here to kill you!"
Lan Yue'er couldn't stand the look of fierce hatred in Liu Yuci's eyes, as if she had killed Liu Yuci's entire lineage. She wasn't here to kill anyone today; Yin Si Lan wouldn't have entrusted her with such a task.
Liu Yuci was momentarily stunned. The person who had almost choked her to death had just said she wasn't here to kill her?
"Don't be so wary. Yin Si Lan said the best way to control someone is to let them experience the fear of death first. Once they've felt it, they'll cherish their life dearly and agree to anything."
"But it seems I'm not very good at it!"
"Alright, I'll get straight to the point. Yin Si Lan sent me to tell you that when you and Zhao Wuyan return to Yannan Commandery, you are to pretend to have been persuaded by the Emperor. You can tell him everything you know. Once you gain his trust, Aunt Lan has other arrangements for you."
Liu Yuci looked at the person before her, hearing her address someone as "Aunt Lan" with such blatant disrespect. She had been wondering who she was and why she wasn't afraid of her, or why she dared to speak of her so casually. Now, hearing her words, she was truly stunned.
So, Yin Si Lan wanted her to be a double agent?
"What if I refuse?" Liu Yuci asked.
Lan Yue'er exclaimed dramatically and sighed with regret, "Then I'll have to kill you!"
"You must understand, this isn't a choice, it's an order."
"Disobeying orders leads to death!"
Liu Yuci remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a cold laugh, "Yes, from beginning to end, what choice have I ever had?"
"Fine, I understand!"
"Alright, I'll be going now."
Lan Yue'er, having completed her task, said no more and turned to leave.
After Lan Yue'er had gone far, footsteps suddenly sounded from the adjacent, empty cell. Liu Yuci didn't look up, but she couldn't help but want to laugh, to laugh heartily.
"Please tell His Majesty that I have agreed to their terms!"
"Whether the Zhao family as a whole can survive depends on your performance from now on," the person said, then disappeared back into the darkness, as if they had never been there.
...
Lan Yue'er hastily left the Heavenly Prison, made a circuit around the Imperial Gardens, and then headed towards Zou Yun'er's sleeping quarters.
In the darkness, a figure followed her silently. Seeing her enter Lilan Palace, the figure turned and left, heading to an unknown destination.
...
Outside the Ministry of Justice.
The two armies were still in a standoff.
In the prison cell, Qin Xiaorong's brother, Qin Qianyu, opened the cell door, tidied his collar, and walked out with grace. Hearing footsteps, Nan Shiying looked up.
Their eyes met.
She raised an eyebrow slightly, while Qin Qianyu frowned.
He saw a figure completely unharmed. Feng Luan had not been tortured?
Qin Qianyu's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to go back.
Nan Shiying stood up, opened the prison door, grabbed him, and asked with a smile, "Young Master Qin, you seem to be in such a hurry. Where are you off to?"