Unable to make a sound or slip away, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, his whole body drenched in cold sweat.

What's even more terrifying is that he still can't figure out why Ye Qingxue brought him along.

As for Ye Qingxue herself.

Watching Yan Shizheng sneak into the cell and do what he did, her fists hardened, but she endured it all.

But now, seeing what Yan Shizheng did to Lan Yi, her fists hardened again; she truly couldn't hold back any longer. However—

The moment Yan Shizheng's finger pressed against Lan Yi's lips, Lan Yi suddenly opened her mouth and bit his finger.

Bite with all your might.

He bit down until his teeth ached, until Yan Shizheng bled instantly.

Almost instinctively, Yan Shizheng slapped her hard across the face, so hard that Lan Yi's teeth almost fell out, her mouth bled, and her head was buzzing before Yan Shizheng finally pulled his finger away.

It hurt, it really hurt; two of his fingers were almost bitten off, and they were already bleeding.

"It seems Miss Lan won't shed a tear until she sees the coffin! Men, get a few jailers to serve her!" Yan Shizheng's eyes were filled with bloodlust and wickedness.

He had already bribed the jailer, and while he was inside "persuading the Lan family to confess," he wouldn't let anyone in.

That's why he dared to be so reckless.

After glaring fiercely at Lan Yi, Yan Shizheng turned and left, heading straight to General Lan and his wife's prison cell to tell them what Lan Yi was going through.

General Lan and his wife were in the same cell next door.

Both of them were bound by iron chains and covered in injuries. Their condition was no better than Lan Yi's, and in fact, even worse.

Yan Shizheng deliberately spoke in front of General Lan and his wife about the torture Lan Yi was currently suffering, and exaggerated it.

As he had hoped, he saw the rage and breakdown on the parents' faces.

Yan Shizheng laughed heartily and approached General Lan, saying, "So, General Lan, are you going to confess now? I've already written down the charges for you."

General Lan stared blankly at the indictment Yan Shizheng handed over, which detailed how he had helped Prince Jing set fire to the prison and break out, and how he had colluded with Ye Cunsi to form a mountain bandit gang in an attempt to rebel and threaten the emperor.

It also describes how Prince Jing's men helped him abduct Princess Huaiming. Princess Huaiming was a gift from Prince Jing to him.

He even wrote details of how he insulted Princess Huaiming and eventually killed her, as if he had actually done these evil deeds.

"As long as General Lan confesses, I will immediately order your daughter to be released; otherwise, she will become a defiled woman who will be ridden by thousands and slept with by thousands."

General Lan slowly opened his eyes, his eyeballs almost popping out. Madam Lan cried beside him, her cries heart-wrenching and devastating.

Yan Shizheng, on the other hand, laughed heartily.

"General Lan, please make a decision quickly. Miss Lan is a beauty of unparalleled grace. I am worried that men will not be able to resist her when they see her."

"Husband...husband..." Madam Lan called out to him, her voice filled with sorrow, but there was no more.

She probably knew that no matter what choice she made, it wouldn't be right.

After what seemed like an eternity, General Lan finally asked in a hoarse voice, "What if I don't confess? What if I refuse to admit to these crimes? What are you planning to do then?"

Yan Shizheng never expected that the Lan family would be so stubborn.

After a moment of stunned silence, he grinned maliciously and took out the porcelain bottle that Ji Mingwei had given him.

"It's alright. Your relatives and servants of the Lan family have already testified against you, and they have all signed and sealed the indictment. I will send General Lan and his wife to the Yellow Springs. Before dawn, the whole city will know that you committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

After saying that, Yan Shizheng asked again, still unwilling to give up: "Now, will General Lan confess? If he does, you will die, but your entire clan will be spared. They will only be exiled."

"Hahaha!" General Lan threw his head back and laughed, his laughter both sorrowful and ironic. He said, "What do the Lan family have to fear from death!"

Yan Shizheng narrowed his eyes.

He stepped back, intending to ask the jailer to pour him a cup of tea, then sprinkled poison into it. After sending the couple to their deaths, he hid the poison on their bodies and, as planned, told the public that they had committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

The task can then be completed.

What a waste of his energy all night, talking so much with them. If he had known they were so stubborn, he should have just poisoned them from the start.

"Sir, tea." A jailer brought tea.

Yan Shizheng took it and said, "I need to have a good talk with General Lan. Maybe he will confess. Let him and his wife have some tea to soothe their throats. You may leave now."

The jailer withdrew, and Yan Shizheng sprinkled poison into the tea, put away the porcelain bottle, and walked towards General Lan.

Ye Qingxue took a deep breath and finally walked out from around the corner, followed by Prince Yu, Ning Hongxi, and Lü An.

Yan Shizheng heard footsteps: "I didn't tell you to leave—"

He turned his head, saw the person in front of him, his voice stopped abruptly, and his eyes were filled with astonishment.

Ye Qingxue's face remained expressionless as she plunged the dagger directly into his abdomen.

The medicine bowl in Yan Shizheng's hand fell to the ground, but Dong Bai caught it steadily.