On the other side of the battlefield, the Crown Prince was engaged in a fierce battle with Prince Ning. Prince Ning's swordsmanship was sharp and deadly, each move carrying a fatal threat. Although the Crown Prince was wounded, he stubbornly resisted Prince Ning's attacks. His eyes were filled with unwavering conviction; he believed he would surely defeat Prince Ning.
Seeing the Crown Prince's predicament, Lin Qian was filled with anxiety. She quickened her pace and rushed towards him. She had only one thought in her mind: to help the Crown Prince defeat Prince Ning and protect the peace of the country.
Just then, one of Prince Ning's men spotted Lin Qian. He brandished his broadsword and slashed at her. Lin Qian dodged to the side, and with a swift movement, swung her sword, piercing the man's chest. The man screamed and collapsed to the ground.
Lin Qian continued charging forward, her eyes fixed on Prince Ning. She knew that only by defeating Prince Ning could this war end.
The Crown Prince was filled with gratitude upon seeing Lin Qian's arrival. He fought even harder against Prince Ning, hoping to end the battle as soon as possible.
With the combined efforts of Lin Qian and the Crown Prince, Prince Ning gradually found himself at a disadvantage. A hint of panic began to appear in his eyes; he hadn't expected Lin Qian's appearance to cause such a dramatic change in the situation.
"You ants, how dare you defy me!" Prince Ning roared angrily, but a hint of fear was already in his voice.
Lin Qian and the Crown Prince ignored Ning Wang's roars and continued their attack, giving Ning Wang no chance to catch his breath.
Finally, Prince Ning revealed an opening, and the Crown Prince seized the opportunity to stab Prince Ning in the shoulder with his sword. Prince Ning screamed in pain, and the sword fell to the ground.
Upon seeing this, Lin Qian rushed forward and pressed her sword against Prince Ning's throat.
"Prince Ning, your end is near!" Lin Qian's voice was cold and resolute.
Prince Ning's eyes were filled with despair and resentment, but he was powerless to resist.
The battle finally ended in victory for the Crown Prince and Lin Qian, and cheers erupted on the battlefield. The Crown Prince and Lin Qian sat wearily on the ground, smiles of relief on their faces.
Night fell over the prison, a chilling atmosphere permeating every corner. Prince Ning, dressed in prison clothes, his hair disheveled, still revealed his former majesty and resentment in his eyes. He was roughly shoved into his cell by the jailers, the clanging of chains particularly jarring in the silence.
"I want to see Lin Qian!" Prince Ning's voice echoed in the prison cell, tinged with despair and anger.
The jailer scoffed, spitting a glob of phlegm on the ground. "See Lin Qian? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? A prisoner like you wants to see the future Prime Minister's daughter? Keep dreaming!"
Prince Ning abruptly stood up, grabbing the iron bars of the prison door, his knuckles white. "How dare you! I..."
"This king? Bah! What kind of king are you! It's the crown prince's world now, you better behave yourself and don't upset us grandpas!" The jailer kicked the cell door, making a jarring clang.
Prince Ning slumped back down, slowly sitting back on the cold ground. He had once been so noble and glorious, but now he was a prisoner, subjected to humiliation. He closed his eyes, and the image of Lin Qian floated into his mind. That woman, once his pawn, had become his greatest mistake.
"Lin Qian..." he murmured to himself, his voice filled with bitterness and resentment. He wanted to see her, wanted to ask her, why? Why did she betray him?
A few days later, Lin Qian arrived.
Dressed in plain white, she stood outside the cell, looking down at him. Her gaze was calm and still, without a trace of emotion, as if she were looking at a stranger.
"What are you doing here?" Prince Ning's voice was hoarse, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.
Lin Qian said calmly, "I came to see you."
"Look at me? Did you come here to laugh at me?" Prince Ning laughed self-deprecatingly.
"No." Lin Qian's tone remained calm. "I just came to see what the once arrogant Prince Ning looks like now."
Prince Ning's heart sank, and a surge of anger welled up within him. "Lin Qian, you..."
Prince Ning stared intently at me, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, like a drowning man grasping at his last straw. "Have you come back too? Why can't you help me like you did in the last life? Didn't you love me so much? How could you change so quickly?"
Seeing his frenzied state, I felt a mix of emotions. I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice calm: "Prince Ning, I am not the original owner of this body. That foolish girl who loved you so much that she was willing to give everything for you is dead."
He froze, as if listening to gibberish, then burst into maniacal laughter: "Hahahaha, dead? How could that be! You're lying to me!" The laughter echoed in the cold, dark prison, sending chills down my spine.
I frowned, a hint of disgust flashing in my eyes: "Prince Ning, don't you understand yet? The filth you've done has disappointed and saddened so many people. Lin Qian, who once loved you, has been destroyed by your own hands."
His laughter abruptly stopped, his eyes became empty, like a rag doll: "Destroyed... Yes, I destroyed everything with my own hands..." He slumped to the ground, like a pile of mud.
Looking at him like this, I felt no emotion whatsoever. The deeper the original owner's love for him, the more disgusted I felt towards him now. I turned away coldly, ready to leave this suffocating place.
"Wait!" he suddenly called out to me, his voice hoarse. "Can...can you tell me how she died?"
I stopped in my tracks, without turning back. "She died for you. When the heart dies, the body dies too."
He fell silent. The cell was eerily quiet, broken only by the squeaking of rats. After a long while, he slowly spoke, "If... if I could do it all over again, I definitely wouldn't..."
I sneered, interrupting his confession. "Won't what? Won't use her? Won't betray her? Won't drive her to her death? Too bad, there's no going back in this world."
Lin Qian looked at Prince Ning without a trace of pity: "Prince Ning, you brought all this upon yourself."
Prince Ning suddenly raised his head, a hint of madness in his eyes: "Lin Qian, even if I was wrong, you should still save me! I'll do anything as long as you get me out of here!"
Lin Qian sneered: "Save you? Do you think that's possible?"
Prince Ning struggled desperately, the iron chains rattling: "Lin Qian, you can't do this to me! I was an emperor in my past life, I can't die in this prison like this!"
The dark, damp cell reeked of decay. A faint candlelight flickered in the wind, illuminating Prince Ning's disheveled figure.
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