Song Tangxue shook her head firmly as before, casually chuckling twice to mock Li Zong's wild idea: "Lord Li seems to be unable to understand human language. I have said this many times already."

“Miss Song’s pride is admirable. Let’s test how long Miss Song’s pride can last with these things.” Li Zong gestured to the person who had brought the first tray to stand up and walk to Song Tangxue.

He slowly walked up to Song Tangxue and looked at her beautiful face with a sense of regret.

Two tall, burly jailers stood on either side of Song Tangxue, grasped her hands, and placed them beside the object.

Song Tangxue tried to withdraw her hand, but to no avail. Li Zong watched her with a smile, waiting to see her burst into tears.

The Left Prime Minister's Residence.

Xie Qianzhong got out of bed, rubbing his forehead with a slight headache. Sweat soaked his body, and the black between his eyebrows seemed even darker, showing a moist look as if nourished by rain, making him handsome and unparalleled.

It was still pitch black outside the window. The servant came in, lit the candles, and brought the official robe.

"My lord, someone's coming from over there," Dark Sixteen reported as he stepped forward.

Xie Qianzhong looked coldly out the window. It was a bright sunny day, with not a single cloud in the sky, a pure and boundless blackness.

When he came out, the man was sitting upright drinking tea, and the letter he had been given was already on the table.

Xie Qianzhong silently pulled out the letter inside and unfolded it.

"Lord Xie, the master is very disappointed with your recent actions." The man spoke slowly, "You should understand your importance and prioritize the overall situation."

The letter unfolded, as verbose as ever. Xie Qianzhong patiently read on, finding nothing but advice to him to mind his own business with Song Tangxue.

Don't lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains.

"My lord, don't let your romantic feelings interfere with important matters. She's just a woman. When you achieve success and fame, you'll have everything you want." The man continued to ramble on.

"Between power and beauty, I believe you, sir, know how to choose." After saying this, the man bowed and left, conveying his master's message.

Lord Xie has never done anything related to marriage in recent years, so this is probably just a spur-of-the-moment thing.

After a long while, An Shiliu stepped forward to change the cold water for Xie Qianzhong. Xie Qianzhong's fingers, white and smooth, rested on the table and suddenly tightened.

Exhaling a heavy breath, An Shiliu moved even more slowly: "Master, it's time to go and report for duty."

Opening his eyes, Xie Qianzhong snorted coldly and slowly tore the letter to shreds, while An Shiliu remained silent.

Those people still can't see the situation clearly. Whether or not to save Song Tangxue is no longer a personal matter.

If it were just a personal matter, he could easily use his power to pull the person out, instead of going through all that trouble and effort.

She has now become a bargaining chip in the partisan struggle, and he cannot afford to lose, otherwise his power will be divided and handed over to others.

Those people will think he's all bark and no bite, and the chances of them taking action against him will be higher.

Therefore, Song Tangxue not only has to save him, but also has to do everything in her power to save him in order to maintain her current power, make people wary of her, and make things easier for her in the future.

The Dali Temple was silent; the jailers lowered their eyes, not daring to look at Li Zong's expression.

Li Zong smiled slightly, his fingers touching the cold instruments of torture: "Miss Song, rest assured, these things have been cleaned thoroughly, you will like them."

Li Zong's smile was sinister, almost as if the threat was written all over his face.

Song Tangxue remained unmoved, her attitude being to remain silent.

“It’s not too late if you’re willing to agree now. A wise person knows when to yield.” Li Zong picked up the first tray, which contained a bamboo clamp: “I believe Miss Song is a rare chivalrous woman in this world.”

Two jailers held Song Tangxue down tightly, placing the handcuffs in front of her.

Two more prison guards came up and placed Song Tangxue's hand, which was gripping his, through the gap in the hand clamps.

"Miss Song, have you made up your mind?" Li Zong stood leisurely in front of her, waiting for Song Tangxue's answer. What tough nut hadn't he cracked? A woman was nothing to him; he didn't believe he couldn't handle her.

“I’ve answered this countless times. No matter how many times you ask, my answer will always be the same: I’m innocent!” Song Tangxue straightened her shoulders with great pride, her fingers touched by the cool bamboo strips. She resolutely chose the only answer.

"good!"

As soon as the name Li Zong was uttered, the two jailers immediately tightened the ropes on both sides of the handcuffs, using all their strength.

It is said that the ten fingers are connected to the heart, and even though Song Tangxue did not want to, she had to let out a cry of surprise. The pain from her fingers made her grit her teeth.

He tasted blood in his mouth, and his head was covered in beads of sweat. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and persevered.

The jailer held her body firmly in place, making her tremble but unable to escape.

Li Zong waved his hand casually, and the jailer stopped what he was doing. Song Tangxue slumped to the ground, a chilling coldness creeping up her legs and through her entire body, as if all her strength had been drained away.

My fingers trembled, turned red and swollen, and I couldn't even move them.

"Is Miss Song willing to talk now?" Li Zong asked with a gentle smile. "This humble official does not mind using some other things."

After a while, Song Tangxue spat out a mouthful of blood, forced a smile, stared into Li Zong's eyes, and said, word by word, "Heh, I'm innocent!"

Li Zong's smile deepened: "Very well, I hope Miss Song will still say the same thing when she leaves here today."

"Sister~" A soft voice came from behind Li Zong, and Song Tangli appeared in front of her.

This is the Dali Temple, can Song Tangli really come and go as she pleases? A bad feeling welled up in Song Tangxue's heart.

"Seeing my sister like this breaks my heart." Song Tangli stepped forward, and the jailer made way for her. Song Tangli gently wrapped the ropes of the handcuffs around her fingertips, and then pulled hard.

"Ah!" Song Tangxue screamed, her head thrown back, lying on the ground panting.

"Sister, what good is having backbone? There are so many people with backbone in the world, and they all end up in bad situations." Song Tangli slowly loosened the ropes: "Sister's hands are best suited for managing accounts, but now you can't use them anymore."

"What good are these methods if you can withstand them? The outcome is already decided, so sister, you shouldn't struggle anymore." Song Tangli gently brushed aside Song Tangxue's sweaty temples, grabbed her hair, and slammed her hard onto the table.

His face was fierce, and his eyes were slightly narrowed.

Song Tangxue couldn't even call out. She was slumped on the table, her head spinning. Blood dripped down her face and onto her hands, mixing with the blood on her hands.

I shook my head, leaning on the table, but I felt even more dizzy; everything in front of me was blurry.

“Lord Li, I have an idea that might solve this deadlock.” Song Tangli stood up and wiped the bloodstains that had accidentally gotten on her hands with a handkerchief. “I think this prisoner is very stubborn. He probably won’t talk even if he dies.”