Forced to return to Beijing, he was imprisoned.

The eunuch's cold words pierced the heart like ice picks, and the angry roars of the soldiers outside the tent rose and fell, but Shen Qingci raised his hand to suppress them. He looked at Su Yunqing, his gaze calm but containing a thousand pounds of weight: "I entrust the affairs of the army to General Li and Colonel Zhang. They must hold Yanmen Pass firmly and not give the Xiongnu any opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

Su Yunqing's eyes reddened, but she nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, I will stay to help manage the medical tents and stabilize the morale of the troops. Brother Qingci, the journey ahead is fraught with danger, please take good care of yourself, I will wait for you to come back." She reached out and placed a safety amulet that she always wore close to her body into his palm. It was a charm that she had re-woven overnight with red thread, adorned with dried lavender, and it still exuded a faint calming fragrance.

Shen Qingci gripped the amulet tightly, the familiar warmth radiating from his fingertips bringing a slight sense of peace. He turned to his soldiers and declared loudly, "My lords, I, Shen Qingci, have no regrets before Heaven and Earth, nor before my country. Upon returning to the capital, I will surely uncover the truth and return to fight alongside you as soon as possible!"

The soldiers watched him leave with tears in their eyes, the clanging of armor filled with reluctance and resentment. Su Yunqing stood at the camp gate, watching his receding figure until the wind and sand blurred her vision, then she turned away to wipe her tears—she knew she had to hold the camp, to hold onto this last hope.

On the return journey, Shen Qingci was not allowed to ride a horse, but instead shared a closed carriage with two eunuchs. The carriage was dark and damp, filled with a musty smell, a stark contrast to the dusty atmosphere of the border military camp. The eunuchs spoke coldly to him, and he faced numerous restrictions along the way, even his meals consisting of only coarse dry rations and cold water. Shen Qingci, however, paid no heed, keeping his eyes closed in deep thought as he pieced together the threads of Li Linfu's framing, secretly resolving to expose this conspiracy in court.

However, when the carriage reached Heishi Ferry, thirty miles outside the capital, an unexpected incident occurred. The imperial guards who were originally escorting them were suddenly replaced by a group of masked men dressed in black. The leader, holding Li Linfu's secret order, killed two eunuchs without saying a word, then dragged Shen Qingci off the carriage, chained his hands and feet, and took him to a secluded valley.

"Li Linfu sent you here to kill me and silence me?" Shen Qingci struggled fiercely, the iron chains rubbing against her flesh, drawing blood.

The masked leader sneered, "Supervisor Shen was wise all his life, but he made a foolish mistake this time. The Prime Minister said that if you return to the capital alive, you will only ruin his plans. Go in peace. When you get to the underworld, don't hold a grudge against the Prime Minister. Blame yourself for being too sharp and outspoken."

Just as the masked man raised his knife to strike, the sound of galloping hooves came rushing in. Su Yunqing, dressed in close-fitting clothes and holding a long sword, was followed by dozens of elite cavalrymen from the Zhenbei Army—she had anticipated that Li Linfu would make a move midway and had arranged for her trusted confidants to secretly follow her in advance, and they had finally arrived in time.

"Stop!" Su Yunqing shouted sharply, drawing her longsword, its cold light flashing. She leaped off her warhorse, her sword aimed directly at the masked leader, her movements swift and fluid. The Zhenbei Army cavalry also drew their swords, engaging the masked men in fierce combat.

Seeing this, Shen Qingci struggled to break free of her restraints, picked up the long knife from the ground, and fought alongside Su Yunqing. The couple worked together seamlessly, and amidst the flashing blades, the masked men fell one after another. However, the masked men were numerous and each one was agile. In order to cover Shen Qingci, Su Yunqing's arm was slashed with a deep wound, and blood instantly stained her white clothes.

"Yun Qing!" Shen Qingci's heart tightened. He slashed the masked man beside him and pulled her behind him to protect her. "You take the brothers and go first. I'll cover the rear!"

"We'll go together!" Su Yunqing gritted her teeth, enduring the excruciating pain as she brandished her longsword. "I will never let you face danger alone!"

Just at this critical moment, the bugle call of the imperial guards sounded in the distance. It turned out that Shen Yanzhi and Su Mingyuan had sensed something was wrong in the capital and had been running around trying to persuade the Imperial Censor to bring reinforcements. Seeing this, the masked men dared not linger and quickly retreated.

Shen Qingci supported the swaying Su Yunqing, her heart filled with both pain and anxiety: "Why did you come? This is too dangerous!"

"I told you, wherever you go, I'll be with you." Su Yunqing smiled weakly and leaned on his shoulder. "Even if we die, we'll die together."

When the Imperial Guards arrived, they didn't give them much time to catch up. The Censor-in-Chief, holding the Emperor's decree, said solemnly, "Supervisor Shen, His Majesty has ordered that you immediately return to the capital with us and be interrogated at the Court of Judicial Review."

Shen Qingci knew there was no escaping it. He picked up the injured Su Yunqing and boarded the carriage bound for the capital. Outside the carriage window, the outline of the capital became clearer and clearer. The once bustling capital that had witnessed his success in the imperial examinations and his blissful marriage now resembled a giant net, waiting for him to walk right into it.

The moment he stepped into the Dali Temple prison, the heavy iron doors slammed shut behind him, cutting him off from the outside world. The cells were dark and damp, filled with the pungent smells of mold and blood. The sound of chains dragging on the floor echoed in the empty corridor, sending chills down his spine. Shen Qingci settled Su Yunqing on the only pile of straw he could find, looking at the wound on her arm, his heart turning cold—he knew that the real hell had only just begun.