Chapter 41 The Empress is merciful, she will spare you a whole corpse.

What's with all this talk about covering someone's ears and secretly brewing tea?

Sheng Sheng blinked in confusion. Consort Rong was amused and rubbed her head: "Sheng'er, don't worry about these things. You can leave these to your brother."

"Oh." Sheng Sheng nodded obediently.

Consort Rong hesitated, wanting to ask her another question, but looking at the little girl's obedient yet bewildered expression, she simply sighed and said, "Sheng'er, rest well. Your mother still needs to go to your father's place."

"good."

Sheng Sheng smiled, pursing her lips. To reassure her, she playfully swung her arm and said, "Don't worry, Mother. That assassin didn't even touch a hair on my head. I'm perfectly fine!"

Consort Rong chuckled: "Very well, very well."

Consort Rong knew that she was doing this to put her mind at ease, so she went along with her wishes and said nothing more.

On her way to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see His Majesty, Consort Rong leaned against the carriage, her sorrowful expression barely concealed.

Lu Ping was worried that her heart condition had flared up again, and asked, "Is Your Highness feeling unwell?"

Consort Rong waved her hand: "Tell her about her..."

"Princess?" Green Lotus asked blankly. "Is Your Highness still worried about the princess? Your Highness, don't be afraid. That assassin has been captured and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. He will never come out!"

Consort Rong shook her head: "No. When Sheng'er was born, it attracted a chorus of birds. When Sheng'er was five months old, I took her for a walk in the Imperial Garden. None of the butterflies in the garden would come near her, but they all flew to her side."

Lüping was an old servant of Consort Rong, so she naturally remembered what happened back then.

Lu Ping recalled what Consort Rong had said about that day. On that day, there were not only Consort Rong in the Imperial Garden, but also several other concubines, making it a large gathering.

Strangely enough, it was late autumn, and fewer flowers were blooming, and fewer butterflies were coming. But that day, besides the large number of people, there were also many butterflies, and each one was eagerly flying towards the princess.

At the time, everyone said that the animals were especially close to the princess, and that the princess would surely be a kind and blessed person in the future.

Green Lotus asked in surprise, "Your Highness, are you referring to the assassination attempt today, where a flock of sparrows flew in from outside the window to attack the assassin and save the princess?"

"I have a feeling that something is wrong with this. Sparrows are afraid of people, so why would they go to rescue people in flocks?"

Green Lotus pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "The princess has been loved by animals since she was little. All things have spirits, and these animals are all sentient beings. It is said in folklore that kind-hearted people attract spiritual beings. It must be because our princess is kind and lovely that even these birds can't bear to see her being bullied!"

What Lüping said wasn't entirely unreasonable; such a saying does indeed circulate among the people.

All things have a spirit; animals can see things that humans cannot. Those who can make animals feel close are often people with great love.

Consort Rong frowned and pondered for a while: "Well, it's not a bad thing after all."

...

Night falls, inside the imperial prison.

In the dark and damp cells on either side, Cuilan and the eunuch who sprinkled itching powder were being imprisoned.

In the room on the left, huddled in the corner, was Cuilan.

The Heavenly Prison was a place for imprisoning serious criminals, and the stench of decay and blood pierced the nostrils like a sharp blade.

Instruments of torture were embedded in the recesses of the wall, with rusty nails and twisted chains looming in the shadows.

There was already some blood on Cuilan's body. Cuilan's eyes were closed and her breath was weak.

In one corner of the cell, a rat, attracted by the smell of blood, crawled out of a hole in another corner and gazed at Cuilan from a distance for a while.

A team of guards patrolling the prison were passing by Cuilan when the six men, who were on high alert, suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Silently, the candlelight still flickered in the dim light.

Hearing the noise, Cuilan struggled to lift her head and saw the group of guards lying unconscious on the ground. She smiled.

"Is...is it Master who has come to rescue me?"

The next second, a woman dressed in light green emerged from the darkness.

The woman stood silently in front of Cuilan through the iron fence.

Cuilan, whose body was weak, finally regained some strength: "Did Master send you to save me?"

A sliver of moonlight shone through the only tiny window in the cell, and the woman looked up, the light falling on her face.

It was actually a colorful cloud!

Caiyun tossed a small bottle through the crack; the porcelain bottle shattered on the ground with a crisp sound.

The commotion startled the little mouse that had been observing whether the spot was a food source, and it quickly scurried back into its hole to hide.

The little mouse poked half its head out of its hole, its two teeth sticking out, its nose twitching as it tried to smell what was in the bottle.

"Squeak, could there be food in that little bottle?!"

The little mouse wagged its tail, secretly watching the porcelain vase.

Cuilan stared at the porcelain vase in astonishment, panic flashing in her eyes: "What... what does this mean?"

Caiyun said expressionlessly, "Your mission has failed. The Empress is merciful and will spare your body."

"What?!" Cuilan's face turned deathly pale, and she cried out in disbelief, "Impossible! I've served Her Majesty for so many years, how could Her Majesty possibly..."

Cuilan suddenly fell silent, realizing something: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty intends to silence us...?"

Caiyun looked at her coldly, her tone still flat: "You're quite clever. You know too much. In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Second Prince will come to interrogate you personally. Her Majesty does not want any rumors to get out."

Cuilan shook her head desperately, tears streaming down her face.

Cuilan was in excruciating pain from the torture, but she still gritted her teeth and crawled over on all fours to Caiyun. Her fingers gripped the iron bars tightly, and the biting cold of the bars made her even more terrified.

Cuilan looked up, grabbed a piece of Caiyun's clothes, and pleaded, "Aunt Caiyun, I didn't say anything. They tortured me, but I didn't say a word!"

Caiyun let her clutch the hem of her clothes, looking down at her as she cried in despair and helplessness, without saying a word.

Cuilan wiped away her tears, her pupils trembling violently with fear, her voice hoarse to the point of sobbing. Suddenly, she lunged forward, her forehead slamming heavily against the cold ground with a dull thud.

"This servant swears, this servant swears that I will never betray Her Majesty the Empress, and I will not reveal a single word even if the Second Prince comes!"

Caiyun watched coldly and said, "The Empress said that only the mouths of the dead are the hardest."

Cuilan stopped kowtowing and looked up at Caiyun for a long time.

Caiyun maintained the same expression, coldly meeting her gaze.

Cuilan gritted her teeth: "Aren't you afraid that I'll tell the Second Prince everything later, and in return, he'll spare my life!"

Caiyun finally showed an expression. She curled her lips slightly and sneered, "If even a single word of these things gets out... then I'll have no choice but to make a trip to Heshan Town."

Cuilan's eyes widened, she looked up in shock, and collapsed to the ground.