Upon hearing his name called, the man abruptly looked up at Zhou Jingzhi.
“So what if it’s me? Kill me or torture me, it’s all up to you!” Chen Li said.
Zhou Jingzhi sneered: "Admit it, all of this was orchestrated by Zhou Jing'an. What exactly are you plotting?"
He squinted at Chen Li, his gaze cold and menacing, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, coiling around its prey, waiting for it to suffocate.
Upon hearing Zhou Jingzhi's question, Chen Li burst into laughter. After a moment, he said, "I left the Chen Prince's residence long ago. This matter has nothing to do with His Highness Prince Chen. Stop trying to smear him."
"Is that so? I'm curious just how stubborn you are." With that, Zhou Jingzhi ordered his guards to lock them all up in prison.
As Chen Li was being led away, he gave Linglong a deep look, his eyes carrying a hint of threat.
Linglong's face suddenly turned pale. Jian Yang took her hand as if to comfort her.
In the cell, Chen Li was put in solitary confinement.
His hands and feet were tied to a pillar, and he was suspended in mid-air in a "big" shape. Various instruments of torture were placed in front of him, and Zhou Jingzhi sat not far away without saying a word.
"Use torture." After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Jingzhi finally spoke.
The guard picked up a whip, dipped it in salt water, and began to lash Chen Li repeatedly, while he gritted his teeth and remained silent.
The whip was covered with barbs, and each lash would scrape off a piece of flesh from his body. Before long, Chen Li's body was covered with wounds, and his clothes were soaked in blood.
"Will you talk or not?" Zhou Jingzhi asked coldly.
Chen Li didn't speak, but spat out a mouthful of blood and spat at Zhou Jingzhi, his eyes full of provocation.
"Continue." Zhou Jingzhi glanced at him indifferently, not taking his earlier behavior to heart.
The guard picked up a red-hot branding iron and branded Chen Li's body with it, each strike landing on the wounds inflicted by the whip.
At first, he gritted his teeth and persevered, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, but eventually he fainted.
Zhou Jingzhi sneered, gave a wink to the guards, and a basin of salt water was splashed on him. Chen Li jolted awake.
By this time, he had been tortured beyond recognition, and his lower lip was bitten raw and bloody.
Seeing that he still refused to speak, Zhou Jingzhi simply stopped asking, instructed the guards to take good care of him, and then left the cell.
Meanwhile, Jian Yang took Linglong to Weiyang Palace.
Looking at everything familiar in the palace, Jian Yang felt a pang of nostalgia, as if her days as empress in the palace were a thing of the past.
“Miss Jian, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hurt you and the Emperor for my own selfish desires,” Linglong said, her eyes lowered.
Jian Yang smiled and reached out to hook her arm around Linglong's shoulder.
"Everyone looks out for themselves, right? At least you chose to do good in the end. Don't think too much about it. We'll send you away from here first thing tomorrow morning."
If it were Jian Yang, she might have made the same choice, after all, her life is the most important thing. However, she would never recklessly harm someone for her own safety; that's her principle.
After saying that, Jian Yang left Weiyang Palace. At this time, she had not yet returned to the position of Empress, and it was really inappropriate for her to stay there. After thinking for a while, she walked towards the Emperor's bedroom.
Zhou Jingzhi had not yet returned, so Jian Yang greeted Eunuch Zhang and rested in the side hall.
The next morning, the guards rushed to the Imperial Study.
"What?" Zhou Jingzhi frowned after hearing the guard's words.
Last night they interrogated Chen Li all night. Although they used torture, they were careful not to kill him. But no matter how severely they tortured him, they couldn't get him to talk.
It wasn't until late at night that the guards stopped, seeing that he was on the verge of death. Before they knew it, Chen Li had bitten his tongue and committed suicide.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty and beg for punishment," the guard said, kneeling on one knee.
Zhou Jingzhi shook his head, gesturing for him to get up. Chen Li was utterly loyal to Zhou Jing'an; getting nothing out of him only proved that Zhou Jing'an was behind it.
However, they have not yet found out where Zhou Jing'an is now.
Jian Yang spent the whole night thinking about sending Linglong away today and didn't sleep well. Now, she came to Zhou Jingzhi with dark circles under her eyes.
"What happened?" Jian Yang asked, noticing Zhou Jingzhi's pale face.
After listening to Zhou Jingzhi recount those events, Jian Yang's expression also turned grave.
"So it seems that Zhou Jing'an has been planning all along, even though he has only left the capital. We have only discovered one part of the plan, and now the clues have been cut off." Jian Yang was a little flustered.
Zhou Jing'an is a complete madman who would do anything for the throne. If he were to resort to any means necessary, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Thinking of this, Jian Yang asked again, "Have you found his whereabouts yet?"
Zhou Jingzhi shook his head. Ever since Zhou Jing'an fled the capital last time, the people he sent out to search for him either failed to return or could not be found.
There must be something wrong here, but for now, all we can do is continue to send people to investigate.
Jian Yang sighed and called Linglong in. He had promised to let her leave after everything was over, and now it was time to keep his promise.
Seeing Zhou Jingzhi's gloomy face, Linglong felt even more guilty. If she had realized all this sooner, she might have been able to help them.
"Alright, stop standing there, let's quickly discuss how to leave." Jian Yang pulled Linglong to sit down in a chair.
“This was my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to seize the Empress’s position, and I shouldn’t have hurt Miss Jian…” Linglong said to Jian Yang with deep regret.
Jian Yang shook her head. The current result wasn't too bad, all thanks to Linglong choosing them at the crucial moment.
Although it was called a discussion, it was actually only Jian Yang who was talking. She thought about it all night and decided to have Zhou Jingzhi give Linglong a sum of money and send some guards to escort her away from the capital to Jiangnan.
Zhou Jingzhi had no objections. He called Eunuch Zhang to fetch several thousand taels of silver notes, and then, from who knows where, he found a house deed and a land deed, which he handed to Linglong together.
Throughout the process, he remained silent. Unlike Jian Yang, Zhou Jingzhi had no good feelings towards Linglong.
The thought that this woman not only coveted the Empress's position but also plotted to kill Jian Yang filled him with displeasure, and he wished she would leave the capital as soon as possible.
Seeing this, Linglong knelt on the ground and bowed to Zhou Jingzhi and Jian Yang. She was very glad that she hadn't hurt Jian Yang because of a momentary lapse in judgment.
Linglong left, escorted by secret guards, and soon arrived safely in Jiangnan.
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