The surroundings were filthy, dark, and damp; anyone would feel disgusted to be in such a place.
But at this moment, the two embraced tightly, like two fish in the desert sharing a life of mutual support, enjoying each other's company despite being in dire straits.
Chang Lili could sense that Meng Yuxiu was different from usual, and she could also sense his sadness.
How long have they known each other? It seems like a long time, yet it also seems like only a few months. But Chang Lili feels that the person in front of her is someone she can entrust her life to.
If she could get out alive, she would naturally agree. As time passed, she sensed that the trouble she was facing this time was different from the past, and that the odds were against her.
A bittersweet feeling welled up inside her. She opened her mouth, but felt something stuck in her throat, and couldn't speak.
After a long while, she nestled against Meng Yuxiu's warm chest and managed a smile, her voice slightly hoarse as she said, "Now that we've pledged our lives to each other, my mother-in-law will be your mother-in-law."
Meng Yuxiu's sneer rang out: "Haven't I always treated my mother-in-law as my own?"
Chang Lili was stunned for a long time before struggling to push Meng Yuxiu away and asking with a flushed face, "Have you been having designs on me all along? Tell me! When!"
Meng Yuxiu smiled but remained silent, a suspicious blush creeping onto his face. Under Chang Lili's persistent gaze, he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Confucius said, 'It cannot be spoken.'"
After saying that, he sat down and poured himself a drink.
Chang Lili sat down and said slyly, "It seems that they really had been plotting something for a long time. It's really impossible to guard against them!"
Meng Yuxiu was somewhat unconvinced: "I am also a general, haven't you ever thought about that?"
"What have you been thinking about?" Chang Lili asked innocently.
This question left Meng Yuxiu speechless; he looked away, unable to say anything.
The joyful atmosphere quickly dissipated, and Chang Lili's smile became serene and calm. She said sadly, "Now that my mother-in-law is your mother-in-law, you must take good care of her for me."
Meng Yuxiu suddenly looked up, frowned at her for a while, then turned his head and drank a glass of wine. He said unhappily, "I'm just someone who knows how to fight. You can't handle taking care of people. You should take good care of her yourself after you leave."
Chang Lili understood what he meant, and smiled as she grasped his large hand with her slender little hand; his palm was soft and slightly cool.
"Meng Yuxiu, I don't know how to thank you. If I have the chance, I can only repay you with my body." Her smile was bright but sorrowful.
Pain flashed in Meng Yuxiu's eyes. He grabbed her hand and said gently but firmly, "Don't worry, I will definitely get you out of here. Trust me."
Chang Lili nodded.
It was a slightly secluded palace within the palace complex. Compared to the surrounding palaces, it was somewhat shabby, but still quite exquisite.
A faint fragrance lingered in the hall. A cool and aloof man sat in the hall, holding a book and reading quietly, seemingly oblivious to the world around him and focused solely on his studies.
He didn't even notice when someone came in.
A woman with broad, yet still pretty, brought in tea and gently placed it beside him.
The man, engrossed in his book, suddenly spoke up: "How is it?"
Lanlan was taken aback. She hadn't planned to reveal the information she had gathered, but now she couldn't hide it anymore.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Xiao Lingshou knew that something must have happened, so he put the book aside and asked attentively, "What did you find out?"
Lanlan said reluctantly, "The eldest princess went to ask the emperor to execute Chang Lili, and the emperor agreed. Chang Lili will be secretly executed tomorrow."
Xiao Lingshou's face, which always seemed to be covered by a thin layer of ice, seemed to have the sound of ice cracking.
"What?" He frowned slightly, and anxiety showed in his usually calm eyes.
Lanlan had a bad feeling, and sure enough, she heard Xiao Lingshou's voice tinged with anxiety: "I'm going to see Father Emperor."
Before he could finish speaking, he had already stood up. Lanlan quickly grabbed him and said, "Your Highness, you can't go. Have you forgotten what the Empress instructed you to do?"
"Human life is at stake; now is not the time to think about these things." Xiao Lingshou said, then shook off her hand.
Lanlan's heart sank to the bottom. Xiao Lingshou was an extremely intelligent person, who could be said to be neither elated by external gains nor saddened by personal losses, and he had a clear understanding of the situation.
He doesn't care about anything, he doesn't care about anything, so why would he lose his composure and disregard the situation for a woman?
She was filled with mixed feelings, but when she saw Xiao Lingshou, who was about to step out of the palace gate, turn back, she was accompanied by the dignified and elegant Empress with a cold and stern face.
"Where are you going?" the Queen asked coldly.
Lanlan hurriedly stepped forward to greet the Empress, smiling as she said, "Your Majesty, His Highness is tired from studying and wants to go for a walk."
The Empress snorted coldly and said, "You don't need to defend him. Do you think I don't know what he did?"
Xiao Lingshou said calmly, "I will not interfere with what Mother does, and I hope Mother will not restrict me."
The Empress smiled. In the past, her smile in public was a flawless, dignified smile befitting an empress. But now, her smile was cold.
The two are indeed mother and son; their smiles are probably hereditary.
"You've taken a fancy to that wild girl?" she asked.
Xiao Lingshou's brows twitched slightly, and he said insincerely, "Mother is overthinking it. She just thinks that Father's actions were too hasty, as if he is trying to cover up my crimes. I don't need his charity. Whether I did it or not, I know in my heart."
"Is that so? Then why did you send someone to deliver a message to Meng Yuxiu?" the Empress asked slowly.
Xiao Lingshou knew there was nothing left to say, and gave Lan Lan a slightly cold look.
"You don't need to take your anger out on her. Even if she didn't tell me, I could still find out," the Empress said indifferently.
Seeing the Empress turn to walk out of the palace, Xiao Lingshou followed a few steps with some unease, hesitating to speak: "Mother..."
"Don't worry," the Empress said with her back to him, as if she had already guessed his thoughts. "She's lucky that Meng Yuxiu treats her like a treasure, so naturally I will only fawn over her as well."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingshou breathed a sigh of relief, but then laughed self-deprecatingly.
"For so many years, my son and I have been trampled underfoot. You were sent to observe mourning for three years, and I have been enduring this in the palace for three years. Consort Lan has always been above me, and even after you came back, she did not restrain herself in the slightest." The Empress said, her voice filled with grief and uncontrollable anger.
Xiao Lingshou sat down absentmindedly. He knew his mother's suffering, but he disliked her actions over the years.
"Now she has nothing left to fight against us, and I will no longer be at their mercy," the Queen said resolutely.
Over the years, Xiao Lingshou has advised him many times that doing certain things often backfires.
After spending three years in the imperial mausoleum, he had completely transformed into this indifferent person. Watching the empress's departing figure, he said nothing.
"Don't act rashly. That girl is tough; she won't die," the Empress said as her last words.
Xiao Lingshou felt bitter. Despite wearing a large, heavy robe and holding a prestigious title, he was nothing more than a caged bird.
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