Xia He had always thought the dungeon was rather eerie and was a little scared, so she didn't go in with them.

He's guarding outside just like Tong Zhan.

Tong Zhan would steal glances at Xia He from time to time, and when she noticed, her face would turn red with embarrassment.

Leaving aside the sweet and intimate atmosphere above, below, Chu Yuan was led directly to the door of the innermost cell at the end of the dungeon.

The stone gate that comes into view is adorned with an exaggerated iron chain and padlock, which is quite intimidating.

Those locked inside naturally felt the same way, so they gave up struggling without even trying.

Hugging her legs, Shen You'an huddled on the inside of the stone bed, remaining silent.

Dugu Ran found a stone bench and sat down. To be honest, she was a little happy that she was actually locked up with her.

After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but say, "Miss Chen, don't be too pessimistic. It's impossible for my brother to keep us locked up for long."

"If my mother doesn't see me enter the palace in a few days, she'll surely notice something's amiss."

He thought Shen Youan had given up hope of getting out.

In reality, Shen You'an was in a good mood; she was just making this gesture because she felt the cell was a bit cold.

Who is she? My aunt's only remaining nephew, or rather, niece!

I've been pretending to be a man for so long that sometimes I even get confused myself.

Dugu Ling wanted to kill her last time, and he would have done so. Since he didn't, it must be because of his aunt, so she's not afraid.

But this oddball in front of me, even though they've brought him to a place like this, he still calls me "Royal Brother"?

Did they forget their brains in the womb when they were born?!

Dugu Ran inexplicably felt that Shen Youan's gaze carried a hint of disdain. He was stunned, not understanding why the other party disliked him.

Upon closer inspection, good heavens, the girl had turned around and was facing the wall, hugging her knees!

Shen Youan, "..."

Could it be that he smells bad?

Thinking this, he quickly raised both hands and subconsciously smelled them.

I was puzzled. There was no smell? And even if there was a slight smell, it couldn't possibly be stronger than the smell in the prison cell!

Dugu Ran wanted to ask clearly, but her mouth felt like it was glued shut. She opened her mouth, but her social anxiety kicked in, and she couldn't say a word.

...

Half a meter away from the stone gate, Dugu Jue carefully observed Chu Yuan's expression and noticed that she was not overly shocked when she heard Dugu Ran call out "Miss Chen".

He himself was shocked, "You knew Shen Youan was a woman? Not a good nephew, but a good niece!"

Chu Yuan turned her head and gave him a strange look. "Shouldn't I know?"

"You..." Dugu Jue suddenly fell silent. It wasn't about Shen You'an's situation. To him, whether the Shen family was harboring a descendant of a fallen kingdom or whether Shen You'an was a man turned woman, it didn't matter. What mattered was why Ji Yunyuan could be as calm as him!

That doesn't make sense!

He clicked his tongue on the spot, "Ji Yunyuan, you said you wanted to restore the country, and I believed you. I even persuaded Dugu Ling to help you. But now that Shen Youan is a woman and can't be the emperor, who are you going to work for if you want to restore the country?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yuan calmly crossed her arms and instead of answering, asked, "That's strange, Dugu Jue. Do you think only men are fit to be emperors, and women are inherently incapable?"

Her words were casual, but the implied meaning made Dugu Jue suddenly tremble. "You mean you want to..."

Just then, another commotion came from the cell. Chu Yuan, eager to watch the excitement, immediately stood on tiptoe and covered Dugu Jue's lips. "Yes, yes, I just thought, what's the big deal? Shh, be quiet!"

Disloyalty, rebellion, and declaring oneself empress—these unscrupulous ideas could cause a huge uproar at any time, but in her eyes, watching the spectacle was more important.

Dugu Jue didn't know whether to praise her for being wild or arrogant!

There was no other way for me.

In particular, the woman's soft, warm fingertips pressed against his lips, and her exquisite figure, which leaned over him, exuded a faint, pleasant fragrance, tormenting his mind and making him confused and unable to think clearly.

"Miss Chen... Miss Chen, there's tea here. I've tasted it and it's not poisoned. Would you like a cup?"

After the quiet silence came the stammering, eager voice of Dugu Ran trying to curry favor.

Shen Youan retorted with a few words, "No, I'm not thirsty, thank you."

Why hasn't her aunt come to save her yet?

If she spends too much time with someone who's a bit dim-witted, won't she also become a bit dim-witted?

Chu Yuan, who was outside the door, had already figured it out. So, the insecure little prince Dugu Ran had secretly fallen for her after discovering that her little niece was a girl?

Isn't this hilarious?

The Dugu family has three and a half sons: Dugu Ling/Dugu Jue, Dugu Ran, and Dugu Yue. She has already won over the first one and a half. As for the latter two, one likes Shen You'an who is a girl, and the other likes Shen You'an who is a boy. Is this retribution for Dugu Tianxiong forcing her whole family to their deaths?

While thinking and waiting, Dugu Ran did not make any further moves after being rebuked.

Even more elm-like than elm wood!

Chu Yuan, "..."

Unable to resist glancing sideways at Dugu Jue, who shared the same genes, she remarked, "It seems that your Dugu family isn't very good at this kind of thing!"

They are either overly dull and taciturn, like Dugu Ling and Dugu Ran; or overly crazy, like Dugu Jue and Dugu Yue.

Neither of these are appealing approaches.

Especially now, the opportunity is so good. Ji Yun has suffered hardship since childhood, and her heart is at its most vulnerable and sensitive. If Dugu Ran were just a little sweeter and quicker to embrace her, wouldn't she make a good impression?

Chu Yuan was undoubtedly pleased with this situation.

Because this would undoubtedly drag another heir of the Dugu clan onto their ship of restoring the kingdom, so how could she not complete her mission of restoring the kingdom?

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