Chapter 243 He lied to me too.
Shen Qingci had no idea what Chu Jichen had said or done. She was even less aware that he had already arranged for her to be found out about her pregnancy a month from now.
Chu Jichen was secretly and methodically arranging matters between Liu Wenyuan and Emperor Yongming in the palace, while Shen Qingci was preparing to focus intently on keeping a close eye on Huo Yunzhan.
She wasn't the only one eyeing Huo Yunzhan.
The next day, Shen Qingci received the latest news about the Liu family from Yuanbao.
"Your Highness," Yuanbao's voice was filled with the excitement of watching a good show, "Liu Ruolan heard that Huo Yunzhan has been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison and is even scheduled to be executed in six days. She is making a scene in the mansion, demanding to see Huo Yunzhan!"
Upon hearing this, Wan Qing asked with some curiosity, "Liu Ruolan was stabbed in the abdomen by His Majesty, bleeding and fainting. Has she recovered now?"
Yuanbao shook his head: "He hasn't fully recovered yet. But he's awake and can be helped to get out of bed and walk around. But he's still very weak."
Wan Qing scoffed, her eyes filled with disdain: "The Liu family has fallen to this state. His Majesty's troops surrounding the Liu family haven't been withdrawn yet! No one can get into or out of the Liu family! And she's still making a fuss about seeing Huo Yunzhan!"
"Both of them are barely able to save themselves!"
Shen Qingci, however, seemed to be deep in thought.
She was rather curious about what Liu Ruolan was going to do and what she would say when she met Huo Yunzhan.
It wouldn't be impossible for her to get Liu Ruolan into the imperial prison.
If the three of them were to get together again, that would be quite interesting.
It's a pity that the Huo Yunzhan in prison now is a fake.
Shen Qingci pondered for a moment, then looked up at Yuanbao: "Could I... go to the Liu family and see Liu Ruolan?"
Upon hearing this, Yuanbao immediately nodded, his voice filled with a sense of entitlement: "If the Princess wants to go, of course she can!"
That night, Yuanbao, along with Shen Qingci, quietly sneaked into the Prime Minister's residence, which was already surrounded by the Imperial Guards.
The two of them, familiar with the place, arrived at Liu Ruolan's courtyard.
Shen Qingci did not let Yuanbao follow her; she went alone and pushed open the half-closed door.
The candles inside had long since burned out, leaving only the cold moonlight outside the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor through the window frame.
Liu Ruolan was sitting alone on a soft couch by the window, staring blankly out the window, lost in thought.
Hearing the noise, she turned her head sharply. When she saw that the person was Shen Qingci, her eyes, which had long lost all their former luster, were instantly filled with vigilance and resentment!
"What are you doing here?!" she demanded hoarsely. "Did you come to see me make a fool of myself?!"
Shen Qingci smiled, walked forward slowly, and sat down at the table.
"Yes." She looked at her, her voice flat, yet each word was like a knife, "This princess is here to see you make a fool of yourself."
Looking at Liu Ruolan's face, contorted with anger, her smile deepened: "However, rest assured. I have not come here today to kick someone when they are down."
“This princess,” a calculating glint flashed in her eyes, “is here to help you see Huo Yunzhan.”
Liu Ruolan's heart skipped a beat!
Shen Qingci... what is she up to now?!
She forcibly suppressed her surprise and doubt, her face showing a hint of bewilderment, her voice full of sarcasm: "Why would I go see him?"
“I heard,” she said, her eyes filled with undisguised schadenfreude, “that Huo Yunzhan… is about to be beheaded. That’s wonderful!”
She looked at Shen Qingci, her voice carrying just the right amount of grievance and resentment: "You hated me before because of Huo Yunzhan, but you hated the wrong person."
"Huo Yunzhan, he lied to you, and he lied to me!"
"I had no idea! I had no idea that my own husband was actually that beast Huo Yunzhan in disguise!"
"Later...after I slept with him countless times, I finally discovered this secret! But...but what could I do now? I could only play along!"
"I'm a victim too!" Her voice suddenly rose, filled with hysteria. "I was forced into this situation!"
"Why don't you go after Huo Yunzhan? Why are you keeping an eye on me instead?!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci burst out laughing.
The laughter was crisp and melodious, yet it was filled with endless mockery and chilling coldness.
“Sure enough,” she looked at her, her eyes as if she were looking at a clown, “People only remember clearly the things they were bullied. But they seem to have forgotten how they bullied others.”
"Huo Yunzhan deceived you, making you share a bed with him without your knowledge. You are angry and resentful towards him. Shouldn't you also go after him, expose what he did, and seek justice for yourself?"
"Why," her voice suddenly turned sharp, filled with a deadly pressure, "do you repeatedly target me?"
“What did I do wrong this time?” she asked, looking at her and emphasizing each word.
Liu Ruolan's eyes instantly darted away!
"It's...it's Huo Yunzhan!" she screamed in protest. "It's him! He deliberately misled me! He made me think that it was you...you were trying to seduce my husband!"
"Is that so?" Shen Qingci asked with a half-smile.
"Yes!" Liu Ruolan's voice was full of certainty. "So you should go find him!"
Shen Qingci tilted her head: "I went to look for it."
"Huo Yunzhan..." A cruel smile curved her lips, "Isn't he about to die?"
"So you've already taken your revenge?" Liu Ruolan's eyes were filled with confusion and wariness. "Then why are you here?"
Shen Qingci laughed, a bright and harmless laugh, but her eyes flashed with a terrifying cold light.
"I got my revenge."
"Isn't this because I heard you say that you were also deceived by Huo Yunzhan, so I specially came to take you to the Heavenly Prison to see him and give you a chance to take revenge?"
Liu Ruolan's brows furrowed tightly: "What...do you mean?"
Shen Qingci did not answer, but simply clapped her hands lightly.
A dark figure, like a ghost, appeared silently behind Liu Ruolan!
Yuanbao held a handkerchief that was already soaked in sleeping potion. Without any mercy, he pressed it hard against Liu Ruolan's mouth and nose!
Liu Ruolan stared wide-eyed in horror!
She tried to struggle and call for help, but the pungent smell of the medicine instantly invaded her mouth and nose, making it impossible for her to make a sound!
Her consciousness was as if it had been violently dragged into an endless abyss of darkness by an invisible hand!
In the blink of an eye, her body went limp, and she completely...fell unconscious.
Yuanbao reached out and caught the person, his face full of disgust.
Without even glancing at her, he tossed the soft body in his arms to the waiting guards behind him as if it were a piece of trash.
The guard reached out and caught the person, showing no mercy, and hoisted her onto his shoulder.
Yuanbao then took Shen Qingci and quietly left the Prime Minister's residence, heading straight for... the Heavenly Prison.
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