Chapter 26 In distress, yet the body honestly resists.
However, the relief lasted only a moment.
Gao Xuan has already given chase, and the emperor's remaining guards will arrive in the blink of an eye.
She had to weave a perfect lie before them, making everyone believe that it was all just a conspiracy by the White Sun Society.
Her thoughts raced, and she quickly laid out a game of chess in her mind, calculating each move precisely and designing each expression perfectly.
She was about to step forward to meet the group of panicked guards, her face already showing just the right amount of panic and helplessness. Her lips parted slightly, and the cry of "His Majesty has been assassinated" was about to spill out.
But in that instant, a gust of wind suddenly rose behind them!
That was no ordinary sound of wind; it was an eerie, almost imperceptible attack that seemed to blend into the night, launched suddenly from the most hidden corner!
Her heart sank suddenly, and in a flash she realized that the White Sun Society's actions were far more meticulous and cautious than she had anticipated.
They didn't all evacuate; they left a backup plan, lurking in the shadows, calmly observing everything to ensure the plan would succeed.
All her plans and calculations now seemed so passive in the face of the opponent's precise and ruthless finishing blow.
Before she could even turn around, a wet handkerchief soaked in a sedative was tightly covered over her mouth and nose from behind.
The drug was extremely potent; its pungent odor forcefully assaulted her throat, relentlessly burning away her remaining consciousness.
She struggled with her last ounce of strength, her nails digging fiercely backward, only to touch the cold, slippery fabric; she tried to cry out for help, but only broken and desperate sobs escaped her throat, swallowed up entirely by the handkerchief soaked in conspiracy.
Just as her vision was about to completely blur, she watched as the torches of the Imperial Guards approached the alleyway, their footsteps hurried and chaotic, as if they were about to rush into the dark corner at any moment!
Hope is within reach.
But she was suddenly dragged into deeper darkness by an irresistible force, her body suddenly lightened, and she was roughly thrown onto his shoulder like cargo.
All her struggles were in vain. Her consciousness was being rapidly pulled away, and she could only helplessly feel the villain carrying her, turning nimbly, and disappearing into the deep, intricate alleyways in the opposite direction of the firelight.
...
Fangru struggled to wake up from a daze, the back of her neck still feeling sore, numb and dull from the drug.
She struggled to open her eyes, and it took her a moment for her vision to gradually become clear.
What comes into view is an ordinary house with a few old farm tools hanging on the mud walls, firewood piled in the corner, and the only light source is an oil lamp on the table with a dim yellow glow.
She and Zhou Ling were sitting on two elmwood chairs in the center of the room, their arms tied behind their backs.
Her heart sank.
Baiyang Society was indeed cunning, choosing such an inconspicuous house as their temporary base.
The capital must be under martial law by now, and the Imperial Guards and the Luanyi Guards are probably conducting a massive search, but finding them accurately among these thousands of ordinary residences is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Waiting for rescue suddenly seemed hopeless.
However, what made her more uneasy than the predicament before her was the man beside her.
Zhou Ling was sitting not far from her.
His face bore some scratches, and his casual clothes were dusty and slightly disheveled. Yet, even in such a state, his straight back and his sharp, star-like eyes still exuded an unmistakable imperial majesty as he coldly surveyed the cell and the three men standing before them.
Fang subconsciously avoided his gaze.
The moment he abruptly stopped at the alleyway outside Zuixianlou, and the look in his eyes that seemed to see through everything, now echoed vividly in her mind.
If he truly realizes that the trap is related to her, or even believes that she personally led him here... then after escaping, she will face an even more terrifying and irreversible catastrophe than Bai Yanghui.
She must keep this secret at all costs and not let the slightest flaw slip out.
Every nerve was taut, like a fully drawn bowstring, awaiting any possible test.
Just as his thoughts were racing, the rough wooden chair beside him made a slight creaking sound.
Fangru almost instinctively held her breath and cautiously glanced at the scene out of the corner of her eye.
Zhou Ling adjusted her posture.
Despite his hands being bound behind his back, his movements showed no sign of distress; instead, they exuded the composure characteristic of someone in a superior position.
He raised his eyes, his gaze landing squarely on the three White Sun Society leaders who had just stepped into the room. His voice was deep and steady, instantly breaking the stagnant air in the room:
"What is your purpose in going to such lengths to 'invite' me here?"
Upon hearing this, the leader's gaze, like that of a venomous snake, darted back and forth between Zhou Ling and Fang Ru before finally settling on Zhou Ling's face, a smile spreading across his lips—a smile that was a mixture of mockery and malice.
"Heh, we brothers are just very curious. Why would a king of a country be in the inner palace instead of the chaotic Drunken Immortal Pavilion? Could it be..." He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping over Fangru with ill intent, "...that even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman, and some stunning beauty has distracted him from his duties?"
In an instant, all eyes were focused on Fangru, making her feel like she had a thorn in her side.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling didn't even blink. He merely glanced at Fang Ru briefly, almost indifferently, before letting out a sneer filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.
"she?"
With just one word, all imagination was shattered.
"It doesn't meet my standards."
Fangru's heart clenched, as if she had been pricked by an icy thorn in those words.
But almost at the same moment, a clearer thought overcame that slight embarrassment: he was protecting her!
In this den of wolves, the emperor's "concern" is tantamount to a death warrant.
The more contemptuous and disgusted he showed, the safer she felt.
This moment of understanding, however, made the strings in her heart even tighter.
She had to accept the role he had thrown her, without making the slightest mistake.
She immediately followed suit, her shoulders slightly hunched in, her whole body adopting a fearful, cowering posture. Her voice was as thin as a whisper, with just the right amount of trembling: "This humble woman...this humble woman's family has committed a crime, and has long been disliked by His Majesty. Today is merely a coincidence...I beg you heroes to see the truth, I have absolutely no connection with him..."
She portrayed that humility and fear to the fullest extent, and even managed to bring a few tears to the corners of her eyes.
Her flawless performance seemed to have an effect, as the probing look in the leader's eyes lessened slightly.
However, another burly henchman, seemingly still seething with anger from the earlier confrontation, and seeing Fangru appear so weak and vulnerable, scanned her with his murky eyes, finally settling on the string of warm-colored Buddhist prayer beads on her slender wrist, which appeared to be the only thing this "daughter of a disgraced official" might have worth.
"Hmph, what bad luck!" He spat, took a step forward, and roughly grabbed Fangru's wrist with such force that he almost crushed her bones. He then yanked her hard with his other hand!
With a soft "click," the Buddhist prayer beads that had accompanied her through countless reincarnations broke off and fell into the filthy hands of the henchman.
"This thing looks nice, let me see what kind of treasure it is!"
The color drained from Fangru's face instantly, and all her pretense crumbled at that moment!
That was no ordinary ornament; it was the foundation upon which she survived countless desperate situations and reversed her fate!
"Give it back to me!" she screamed, losing all reason. Like a mother animal whose cubs had been taken away, she lunged forward, chair and all, desperately trying to snatch her life back from those rough hands!
The henchman was taken aback by her sudden burst of power and became enraged. He raised his fan-like hand high and slapped her hard with a whooshing sound!
"stop."
Zhou Ling's icy voice rang out at that moment, not loud, but like cold iron falling to the ground, carrying an air of majesty that could freeze the air.
The slap that was about to fall froze in mid-air.
All eyes were once again focused on him.
He didn't even glance at Fangru, but stared blankly at the leader, his tone calm yet each word carrying immense weight: "Is it the style of the heroes of the White Sun Society to vent your anger on an insignificant woman and an inanimate object? If you had any sincerity in negotiating, you should understand that a living, unharmed hostage is far more valuable than a corpse or a cripple. Do I really need to teach you this simple truth?"
The leader's eyes flickered violently. Zhou Ling's words precisely hit his most practical consideration: the importance of a complete and negotiable bargaining chip far outweighed any momentary venting of anger.
He abruptly raised his hand and sternly stopped his men: "Enough!"
He suspiciously snatched the string of prayer beads, weighed them in his hand a few times, and examined the material carefully. It did not seem to have any hidden secrets. In the end, his doubts dissipated, and he simply took it as a woman's ordinary obsession.
He tossed the string of prayer beads aside with disgust, landing them on top of a dusty wooden box in the corner.
“Your Majesty is right,” he turned around, forcing a fake smile, “Then let’s talk about… the real terms.”
Fang let out a silent sigh of relief, her back soaked with cold sweat, her body trembling slightly uncontrollably.
She glanced quickly at the Buddhist beads lying in the dust, as if she had just escaped a disaster, then quickly looked away and looked at Zhou Ling, who stood to the side with a calm and expressionless face, as if he had just said something very ordinary.
Was his earlier intervention to maintain the image of an emperor who "cherishes his people" and remained calm, or... did a ripple of emotion for her ultimately remain beneath that cold exterior?
The thought had barely crossed Fangru's mind when she forcibly suppressed it. Now was not the time to speculate on the Emperor's intentions.
Just then, the leader stepped forward, completely breaking the brief stalemate.
He stopped in front of Zhou Ling, his gaze carrying an appraising quality as if scrutinizing merchandise, his forced respect unable to conceal his inherent arrogance:
“Your Majesty,” he drawled, “we are acting on the orders of our leader, Li Hui, to show you a way out. If you are willing to admit that you are not the true Son of Heaven, and to write a self-reproach edict detailing your past misdeeds and announcing them to the world… our leader is benevolent and may be merciful enough to spare your life.”
Fangru was tied to the chair with her hands behind her back. She flinched slightly, lowered her head even further, and her loose hair covered her profile, revealing only a slender neck that looked fragile.
Her body trembled slightly, perfectly portraying a terrified young woman confined to her chambers.
However, beneath those lowered eyelashes, his gaze was cold and sharp, capturing every breath and every exchange of glances in the room.
She sneered silently to herself. Bai Yanghui's scheme was truly cunning. They wanted to destroy Zhou Ling's legitimate status as emperor while simultaneously seizing the moral high ground of "doing everything in his power." It seemed that their so-called "way out" would ultimately be nothing more than a slightly more "dignified" death.
Zhou Ling did not get angry upon hearing this.
He merely raised his chin slightly. Even though he was in a cage and his clothes were covered in dust, the arrogant and domineering air between his brows did not diminish in the slightest. On the contrary, the adversity made him even sharper.
He didn't immediately refute, his gaze, like a cold blade, slowly swept over the three, finally settling on the leader's face, a cold smile curving his lips:
"A way out? You are digging your own graves." His voice was low, yet strangely penetrating. "Three hundred years ago, King Cheng usurped the throne, and his fierce general Zhang Qi personally strangled the last emperor of the previous dynasty. Do you know what became of Zhang Qi?"
The dungeon fell silent for a moment, except for the crackling of the burning torches.
The three looked at each other, but did not answer.
Before they could react, Zhou Ling continued, "King Cheng had only been on the throne for three days when he had Zhang Qi torn apart by five horses for the crime of 'regicide and rebellion,' and his head was hung at the city gate. He used the blood of a meritorious official to clear his name and demonstrate to the world the 'legitimacy' of the new regime."
He leaned forward slightly, the candlelight flickering in his deep eyes: "Two hundred years ago, the Duke of Jingguo staged a coup, and his deputy general Zhao Mang stormed into the palace and killed the ailing Emperor Hui. How did the Duke of Jingguo repay this meritorious official?"
His gaze swept over the three men before him, whose faces were gradually turning pale, and he said, word by word, "On the day of the coronation ceremony, Zhao Mang's entire family was executed on the grounds of 'disturbing the imperial procession and committing heinous crimes.' The annals of history are iron. Do you think, after Li Hui sits on the throne, he needs you three 'loyal' regicides, or does he need... your three heads to appease the people and demonstrate his 'helplessness' and 'benevolence'?"
The dungeon was deathly silent; even breathing could be heard clearly.
The smugness on the three men's faces had vanished without a trace, leaving only suspicion and a growing sense of fear.
Every word Zhou Ling spoke was like a heavy hammer, striking at the deepest fears in their hearts.
The bloody lessons of history seem to be unfolding right before our eyes!
One of them, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, whispered to his companion in a dry voice, "But...but the leader orders us to...immediately..."
The other man glared at him, his voice trembling, almost screaming: "So you're going to do it now? You'll get the 'first kill'?! Do you want to be Zhang Qi or Zhao Mang?!"
The person who made the suggestion instantly turned ashen-faced, staggered back half a step, and fell silent.
The leader, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead, avoided Zhou Ling's all-seeing gaze with a flustered look. He abruptly waved his hand, as if trying to dispel the suffocating pressure: "Enough! This matter... this matter is of great importance, how can it be treated lightly! First, keep them under strict guard, and then after they leave the city, transfer them to the main altar for the sect leader to decide personally!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling did not utter another word. He simply leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, and seemed to have everything under control.
That composure, grounded in historical wisdom, stood in stark contrast to the panic of the people opposite them.
Fangru took in all of this, and her heart was filled with turmoil.
He quoted classical texts and, with just a few words, precisely exploited the weaknesses of human nature, temporarily averting a fatal disaster.
This ability to turn the tide in dire straits with wisdom and courage made her feel a chilling sense of awe, as well as an indescribable sense of admiration, in addition to her relief at escaping death.
Afterwards, Zhou Ling and Fang Ru were roughly taken away from the room and imprisoned in a dark woodshed filled with miscellaneous items.
The heavy sound of the door being locked echoed from outside, isolating the inside from the outside.
The woodshed was completely dark, with the only light source being a few faint rays of moonlight leaking through the crack in the door, barely outlining their blurry contours.
The air was filled with the smell of dust and hay, and the silence was amplified infinitely.
Suddenly, Zhou Ling's deep voice rang out in the darkness, carrying a hint of scrutiny: "I'm curious, why are they imprisoning you as well? Aren't you a member of the White Sun Society?"
These words were like an ice pick, instantly piercing Fangru's heart!
He must have become suspicious because of her leading the way to the alley entrance. The deeper reason was his deep-seated suspicion of Gu Zhou, the minister he had sent to infiltrate the Baiyang Society, but who was ultimately labeled a traitor and discarded like trash by him!
Zhou Ling was convinced that Gu Zhou was a member of the Baiyang Society, so when she looked at her now, she naturally viewed her through the same lens, wondering if she was also one of the hidden agents.
Fear and grief for Gu Zhou intertwined, ironically giving rise to a remarkable quick wit.
Fangru immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her voice rising abruptly, filled with grievance and panic, preemptively blocking all his doubts: "This humble woman is innocent, how could she be associated with such a traitor! Your Majesty's words are unreasonable! If you are struck by lightning, do you blame the passersby for not having an umbrella? This humble woman has clearly suffered this undeserved calamity because of your involvement!"
"Oh?" Zhou Ling raised his voice slightly at the end, and asked slowly, "I didn't know that the Baiyang Society's actions had become so inefficient. They are carrying out such a momentous task as assassinating the Emperor, yet they still have the leisure to steal a 'trivial' passerby... Could it be that there is something about you that they are so determined to silence?"
His probing words were like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, sending a chill down Fangru's spine. She realized that he had not dispelled her doubts at all, but instead steered the question in a more dangerous direction: why did she "have to" be silenced?
Suppressing her shock, she quickly adjusted her strategy, her tone becoming increasingly agitated, even tinged with a hint of tears from being unjustly accused, perfectly portraying a terrified woman unable to defend herself: "Your Majesty! You are a powerful figure who attracts enmity everywhere! They dislike you, and by extension, they dislike me, who happens to be in the alley next door! Either... or they have a guilty conscience, afraid that I saw their faces, remembered their figures and accents, and then reported them to the authorities, ruining their plans with portraits! That's why they're trying to silence me, an innocent bystander!"
She deliberately attributed the "silencing" to the most obvious and reasonable identity of the "eyewitness," attempting to divert Zhou Ling's attention from a deeper conspiracy.
"According to you," Zhou Ling's voice was devoid of emotion, "should I issue an edict of self-reproach and apologize to you, this 'fish in the mud'?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not." Fangru said she dared not, but her tone was firm. "I only ask that Your Majesty be more discerning when you travel incognito in the future, and not to implicate innocent people by going alone."
From the darkness came Zhou Ling's very soft sneer, filled with a knowing mockery: "I remember clearly, at the Xuanji Banquet just now, who was it that earnestly pleaded with me to withdraw the Ming Guard, saying that they disliked the guards following them too ostentatiously? How come now it's my fault?"
Fangru was speechless for a moment, not expecting him to bring up old grievances at this moment. She stammered for a while before trying to argue, "I...I was...But you are the emperor, I can withdraw as I please. So who has the final say, me or you?"
"So," Zhou Ling's voice was slow and deliberate, yet carried a heavy weight, "that I was too easily swayed and deserved this calamity?"
Fangru steeled her resolve and retorted defiantly, "Your Majesty is wise!"
These sharp, almost childish accusations went back and forth several times. Strangely, Fangru found that her tense, almost snapping mind had quietly relaxed a little in this bickering full of sullenness.
The overwhelming fear and heavy calculations were temporarily set aside, replaced by a strange, almost absurd, "active" emotion, as if they were not imprisoned, but merely engaged in an exceptionally sharp daily argument.
Only when a strong drowsiness, accompanied by the exhaustion of surviving the ordeal, overwhelmed her did she finally give up, curl up on the haystack, and stop talking.
But beneath her was a cold, hard wooden board that hurt her terribly.
The scattered hay provided no warmth whatsoever; instead, it rustled incessantly, tormenting her already tense nerves.
She curled up, tossing and turning, each time she was just about to fall asleep, she would be jolted awake by the cold air or discomfort from the ground.
Reason told her she needed to rest to conserve her strength, but her body honestly resisted this inhuman torment, teetering on the brink of collapse, and she couldn't help but let out a very soft, frustrated sigh.
Just as she was trembling silently once again from the cold and stiffness, the sound of fabric rustling came from the darkness.
Zhou Ling had silently moved to her side without her noticing.
He didn't speak, but leaned against the cold wall, then reached out, not to touch her, but to pat his thigh with an unquestionable gesture.
Fangru was stunned in a daze, unable to understand his intention for a moment.
"Tomorrow may not be peaceful. Do you want to wear yourself out?" His voice remained cold, even tinged with impatience, but he didn't retract his movements. It was a gesture somewhere between command and charity.
Fangru's consciousness was blurred by exhaustion and cold; the instinct for survival overwhelmed all reason, restraint, and the spirit she had just displayed during their argument.
She hesitated for a moment, but her body ultimately yielded honestly to the longing for warmth and security.
She carefully moved over, very slowly, and rested her cold neck and exhausted head on his strong, warm thighs.
In that instant, it felt as if an electric current surged through the point of contact.
The warmth of his body seeped through the thin fabric, dispelling the chill from her back. His masculine, powerful muscles were clearly defined, creating a striking contrast with her slender, delicate neck.
She froze for a moment, but couldn't resist the fatal comfort and warmth.
His body temperature and his crisp scent enveloped her like an invisible net.
Zhou Ling didn't move or speak again. It was as if this was just a rational action that didn't need to be taken seriously.
Fangru shuddered uncontrollably beneath him, whether from the warmth or from the sudden, indefinable intimacy in the darkness.
All her sharp defenses crumbled, and extreme exhaustion finally overwhelmed her.
She fell into a deep sleep amidst a complex mix of feelings of security and excitement.
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