Zi Qiao was searching around when she suddenly heard this voice. She immediately found Wei Shuwan's cell and hurried over: "Miss!"

"Are you alright, young lady? Did they torture you?" Zi Qiao asked between sobs, the two of them holding hands through the iron bars.

Wei Shuwan shook her head vigorously: "No, no torture was used."

Zi Qiao nodded with satisfaction. Wei Shuwan then asked, "How did you get in?" She looked behind her and found that there were no jailers following Zi Qiao.

Zi Qiao answered softly, "It was arranged by Lord Sheng. They let me in as soon as they opened the door."

"I see."

"Miss, did you send me here last night because you already had a plan in mind?" Zi Qiao asked expectantly.

Wei Shuwan sighed softly, "I do have concerns, but the other party may not be willing to help."

"You mean the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan?" Ziqiao guessed immediately.

Wei Shuwan lowered her eyelids in tacit agreement, and Zi Qiao immediately said, "This servant understands, this servant will go to the Prince of Xiaoqiao's mansion to beg him right away! No matter how slim the chance is, this servant will try her best!"

Just as Zi Qiao was about to leave with high hopes, Wei Shuwan grabbed her hand tightly. Zi Qiao asked suspiciously, "Does Miss have anything else to say?"

"What if he refuses?"

"Then this servant will remain kneeling in front of the Prince's mansion!"

Wei Shuwan shook her head with a smile: "If he refuses, it won't matter if you kneel until you die."

"Then...what should we do?"

Wei Shuwan lowered her head slightly before saying, "Then I'm afraid we'll have to play the villain."

Zi Qiao was taken aback at first, not understanding what it meant to be a villain, but then she comforted her, "We're at a life-or-death situation. What's wrong with being a villain or even a bad person? Everyone looks out for themselves, and this time it concerns the entire Wei family!"

Wei Shuwan had already recognized this point, which is why she made this decision. If it were only for her own sake, she might not have been ashamed to do it.

She breathed a sigh of relief and instructed, "If the young prince refuses to lend a hand, tell him that I don't mind using my last resort in a life-or-death struggle!"

Zi Qiao looked up in surprise, saw her young lady's determined gaze, bit her lip and agreed, then turned and left.

She had been following the girl closely, so she understood what the girl meant by the final bargaining chip.

That was a threat that would take Xiao Qiaochuan King down with him.

Wei Shuwan leaned against the iron bars, letting her body slide down little by little until she finally collapsed to the ground.

Li Qingchen had saved her three times, and regardless of the reason, he had done her a great favor. But now, in order for the Wei family to survive this calamity, she had no choice but to treat the evidence against him that she held as a lifeline and a bargaining chip.

The lives of the Wei family members are tied to his grand scheme of rebellion; if they live, they live together; if they die…

Wei Shuwan silently swallowed a bitter pill. She knew that if Li Qingchen ultimately refused to help the Wei family, she wouldn't actually expose his actions. She simply wanted to fight for the Wei family's last chance of survival.

...

Jingchen Pavilion, the residence of Prince Qiaochuan in the eastern part of Shengjing City.

A few beams of morning light shone through the latticed window, falling on Li Qingchen and gilding his tall, imposing figure with a holy golden glow. Yet his handsome face was unusually taut, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, and his dark depths revealed no emotion.

There was another man in the room, about the same height as him, but perhaps three to five years older.

This person is Li Zizhuo, the half-brother of Li Qingchen. Although he was born out of wedlock, he was the eldest son of the Prince of Qiaochuan.

Li Zizhuo had sharp eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a high nose bridge; his facial features appeared more distinct and striking than Li Qingchen's. He was handsome, but perhaps a little too much so.

Although Li Qingchen's father was from Qiaochuan, his mother was from Daye. He perfectly combined the advantages of both, possessing an ethereal beauty without being overly delicate. On the other hand, Li Zizhuo's mother was from Qiaochuan, whose bloodline was purer than Li Qingchen's, making him easily distinguishable from people of Daye.

This was Li Zizhuo's first time in Shengjing, and also his first time visiting his younger brother's residence. After walking around the house with his hands behind his back, he stopped beside Li Qingchen.

He clicked his tongue and said, "Whenever Father mentions you, he always says that you endured humiliation and hardship by staying in Shengjing for the sake of Qiaochuan, which made me always think that being a hostage was not easy for you, living in a cage and wearing coarse clothes. But seeing you today, I, as your older brother, am truly ashamed of myself!"

This place is clearly better than the mansion he lived in after his marriage in Qiaochuan.

Li Zizhuo raised his hand and placed it on Li Qingchen's right shoulder, his tone full of envy: "It seems you're doing very well in Shengjing, you've found your place!"

Li Qingchen turned his head and glanced at him indifferently, his tone flat and without any fluctuation, completely aloof and cold as if he were talking to a stranger: "As the son of a prince, you are not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict. If anyone sees you sneaking here, it will be a capital offense."

These words made Li Zizhuo laugh. After laughing for a while, he said, "The household registration and place of residence I used along the way were all under other people's names. Although they were fake, they were still stamped with the official seal. No one could find any clues by checking them! Moreover, apart from you and your loyal servant, no one else in Shengjing City has seen my face."

“If anything really happens to me, Father will only assume it was you who did it.” As he said the last sentence, Li Zizhuo brought his mouth close to Li Qingchen’s ear, his words laced with provocation.

Disgust flashed in Li Qingchen's eyes. He took a step forward, shook off Li Zizhuo's hand, and his tone became stern: "Even if Father King tacitly approved your entry into the capital, does that mean he also tacitly approved your collusion with mountain bandits and causing trouble everywhere?!"

Li Zizhuo was slightly taken aback, then pretended to be confused and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

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