torture
Shangguan Zeyu was ruthlessly imprisoned in the imperial prison.
He didn't enjoy any of the benefits that his title of "Prince Duan" brought him; on the contrary, he was dragged down by it.
That was practically every kind of punishment imaginable, without exception.
Shangguan Zeyu was tied to the ten wooden stakes, his head tilted to the side, covered in wounds and unconscious.
Seeing this, the jailer who was punishing him waved to a soldier and said, "Go and report to the master that the man has already fainted."
After the soldier took his orders and ran off, the jailer sighed deeply, "Being a prince isn't so good! You serve the country and its people, but in the end, you still can't escape death! Alas!!"
Shangguan Zeyu forced a faint, bitter smile from the corner of his mouth, which was buried in his shoulder, and then pressed his lips together even tighter.
The soldier returned in less than fifteen minutes, bringing with him an incomparably distinguished "sir".
He was dressed in brocade robes and wore a golden hair crown. His face was fair and radiant, without a single flaw, just like a figure sculpted by a skilled craftsman.
His eye sockets were deep and unfathomable, his nose looked as if it had been sculpted, and his lips were so red that they seemed to have been stained with blood.
He raised a brow, his thick eyebrows sweeping towards his temples, and parted his red lips slightly to reveal a hint of snow-white teeth, saying lazily, "Still alive?"
The jailer rushed forward and knelt at his feet: "This servant greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor! Your Majesty, Prince Duan has fainted."
"He fainted?" The Emperor seemed surprised, yet also amused. "How could he have fainted? He's the 'Guardian General of the Great Zhou'!!!"
The jailer and the others kneeling on the ground were so frightened that they didn't dare to lift their heads or even breathe.
With his hands behind his back, the Emperor glanced around seemingly casually before slowly walking towards Shangguan Zeyu. He stopped just two steps away from Shangguan Zeyu.
He seemed not to believe that Shangguan Zeyu had really fainted. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Shangguan Zeyu for a long time before taking another step and walking towards Shangguan Zeyu, stopping and starting with each step.
Just as he was about to burst into a smug grin, Shangguan Zeyu suddenly opened his eyes and, catching him completely off guard, spat a mouthful of blood onto his face.
"Shangguan Kangde! How have you been?!" Shangguan Zeyu had a wound on the corner of his mouth, with dark red bloodstains still clinging to it.
Shangguan Kangde was stunned when he was suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. It took him a long time to slowly come back to his senses before he glared at him furiously.
"Shangguan Zeyu!! How dare you?!"
"Hahaha, how dare you? Why wouldn't you dare?" Shangguan Zeyu's eyes were filled with contempt and disdain.
Shangguan Kangde was instantly enraged by his gaze. He stretched out his right hand like lightning and gripped Shangguan Zeyu's neck tightly. Like a bloodthirsty beast, he bared his gleaming white teeth and said ruthlessly.
"You're forcing me to kill you."
The contempt, disdain, and disdain in Shangguan Zeyu's eyes surged towards him like a flood, instantly engulfing him. He clutched his chest in anguish, retreating backward repeatedly.
"Hahaha, feeling guilty?" Shangguan Zeyu laughed coldly, glancing at him with disdain.
Shangguan Kangde's authority was damaged. Enraged, he kicked away the jailer kneeling beside him before taking a step towards Shangguan Zeyu, and said angrily.
"You intend to betray your own country, don't you know you're wrong?"
"Wrong?" The coldness in Shangguan Zeyu's eyes instantly shot towards him like a thousand sharp arrows. "Where did I go wrong? I have devoted myself to the Great Zhou and died for it! I did not go wrong, you are the one who is wrong!!" He then revealed a faint sneer.
Shangguan Kangde swallowed hard before saying, "Stop trying to sweet-talk me! Others may be bewitched by you, but I, the Emperor of Great Zhou, will never be bewitched by you!!"
Shangguan Zeyu remained silent, let out a cold laugh, and spat hard onto the ground.
Shangguan Kangde was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but just before he was about to explode, he quickly put on a gentle and self-possessed demeanor as a wise ruler.
“My dear brother, I don’t blame you for looking down on my intentions, but I will still do it. My dear brother, do you know that the crime you committed deserves death? It is only because of our deep brotherly affection that I have spared your life and let you suffer a little. Do you still want to trample on my kindness?”
Shangguan Zeyu laughed dismissively, then glanced at him with disdain: "Brotherly love? Kindness? Do you have any?"
Shangguan Kangde truly couldn't stand Shangguan Zeyu's contemptuous glance at him. In a fit of anger, he stepped forward and shouted excitedly, "You are not allowed to look at me like that!!"
Shangguan Zeyu remained motionless in his previous position. Shangguan Kangde, his face contorted with rage, glared at Shangguan Zeyu, gritting his teeth as he said, "If you glare at me again, I'll gouge your eyes out!!!"
Shangguan Zeyu couldn't help but let out a cold smile again: "If the emperor commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. Your Majesty, please proceed."
"You really think I wouldn't dare?!" Shangguan Kangde was so excited that he involuntarily took another step forward, his eyes wide as if they could bleed.
Shangguan Zeyu was not afraid of his threatening gaze. He met his eyes directly, as if silently saying, "You just want to take my life, why do you have to make it sound so righteous?"
But Shangguan Kangde slowly suppressed his anger and smiled slightly: "After all, he has fought in battle and is determined to die rather than submit." Then he found an oiled cowhide whip and lashed it hard at Shangguan Zeyu.
The whips that lashed Shangguan Zeyu's body were like thorny brambles; with each lash, flesh was mangled and bloody. After only a few lashes, not a single patch of intact skin remained on Shangguan Zeyu's upper body.
Blood flowed continuously from the wound like a trickle.
One of the imperial physicians who came with Shangguan Kangde said, "Your Majesty, Prince Duan may be in mortal danger."
Shangguan Kangde glanced at him sideways and said with a sinister smile, "So, why did I bring you here?"
The imperial physician was so frightened that he immediately knelt on both knees and did not dare to raise his head.
With an evil smile, Shangguan Kangde lashed out at Shangguan Zeyu several more times before stopping. Then, as if there was something dirty on the whip stained with Shangguan Zeyu's blood, he hurriedly threw it at his feet with utter disgust.
"He must not die!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Just like when he arrived, Shangguan Kangde leisurely and comfortably took each step out.
Such a major event has occurred in the capital, and the people are already discussing it extensively. Even though the imperial court has issued an order forbidding discussion, it cannot silence the people's voices.
Because of this incident, Furonglou's business became increasingly booming. Women, children, and the elderly alike flocked there whenever they had free time, hoping to hear some news they didn't know.
On this day, the old storyteller who specialized in telling this story slowly stroked his white beard that reached the base of his neck and walked out from one side of the third floor.
The third floor was already packed with people. As soon as they saw him appear, they bombarded him with questions one after another.
"Will Prince Duan really be beheaded?"
"Is there any evidence to prove that Prince Duan committed treason?"
"Prince Duan and the Emperor are brothers. Will the Emperor protect Prince Duan?"
"Prince Su has recalled the border troops to the capital. What about the frontier? If the enemy invades, will there be enough troops to resist?"
...
The old storyteller stood in front of his three-foot table, calmly glanced at the eager and thirsty crowd, picked up the wooden clapper placed on the right corner of the table, and slammed it down. The crowd instantly fell silent.
"Um, please don't ask any more questions. There are too many, and this old man doesn't have the energy! I'll only tell you what I know. As for the rest, you can think about it and guess for yourselves."
"Now, quiet down, stop whispering... Speaking of this Prince Duan, Shangguan Zeyu, he was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison and suffered inhuman torture. He barely escaped with his life. However, Prince Duan has not admitted to colluding with the enemy, which shows that he has been wronged. The day when he is exonerated is just around the corner."
"Princess Xiao Yiqing, the wife of Prince Duan, has also been arrested. No one knows where she's being held, or whether she's been punished. However, it's strange that Prince Duan's concubine, whom he's only been married to for less than a year, has disappeared. It's said that this Concubine Liu is a cunning woman; as soon as she saw Prince Duan in trouble, she ran away with his money, abandoning her family, the Liu family. As a result, the Liu family residence is now heavily guarded, and no one inside can get out..."
The old storyteller was speaking with great enthusiasm, and soon the story was coming to an end. But there was still one question that the people were most concerned about: Is the border heavily guarded? What if the enemy invades?
The old storyteller seemed to have suddenly lost his hearing, becoming absorbed in his own world, and slowly left.
The crowd was in an uproar, discussing the matter, but in the end, they all reached a consensus: the border was about to fall! Something terrible was about to happen!
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