Shen Huaixu slowly woke up from his drowsiness, feeling as if his throat had been burned by flames, so dry that it was almost smoking.
The unhealed wounds on his body felt like they were being gently poked by countless fine needles, causing a dull ache, all of which reminded him that he was still in danger.
He squinted slightly, trying to adjust to the pitch-black environment, but it was so dark that he couldn't see anything around him.
Shen Huaixu subconsciously called out softly, "Shen Jintang?"
His voice was low and hoarse, with a slight tremor, and you could hear the unease in it.
"Be quiet."
Shen Jintang's voice suddenly came from the side, carrying an undeniable chill.
Upon hearing Shen Jintang's voice, for some reason, Shen Huaixu instantly breathed a sigh of relief and his body relaxed slightly.
He wanted to ask something more, but he instantly realized the meaning of Shen Jintang's words, so he swallowed his questions back.
Time passed slowly in the darkness, each second seeming to drag on endlessly.
The chirping of insects outside the cave gradually rose, starting as just a few faint sounds, as if testing something, but then becoming more and more frequent and louder, as if playing an eerie melody for the dark night.
After calming down, he discovered many details he hadn't noticed before, and even some things he couldn't understand before now made sense.
Shen Huaixu shifted his body restlessly, looking in the direction where Shen Jintang had just spoken, his brows furrowing slightly.
The chirping of insects grew louder and louder, as if urging him to do something.
"hiss--"
Suddenly, Shen Huaixu stood up abruptly. The movement was too sudden and aggravated the wound on his shoulder. He couldn't help but gasp and let out a low groan.
Shen Jintang, who had been resting with her eyes closed to the side, frowned and turned her head slightly when she heard the noise. She asked in a somewhat impatient tone, "What are you doing?"
Shen Jintang slowly took out a tinderbox from his pocket, his movements quick and practiced.
With a gentle flick of her wrist, the tinderbox was instantly lit, its faint flame dancing in the darkness like a glimmer of hope.
She placed the tinderbox aside, and the firelight illuminated her face, half of it in darkness and half in light. The interplay of light and shadow made her face appear exceptionally mysterious.
Shen Huaixu's emotions suddenly erupted at this moment, and he said excitedly, "From the first day I arrived in Yanzhou, you had it all planned out, didn't you?"
The voice was much louder than usual, carrying a hint of questioning and anger.
"You weren't demoted, and you're not here for disaster relief. What is your purpose?"
He recalled everything that had happened in the past few days: the relief supplies had been siphoned off at every level, yet Shen Jintang turned a blind eye, allowing those corrupt officials to act with impunity, as if he were feeding the appetites of the officials in Yanzhou.
Upon arriving in Yanzhou, she ruthlessly killed an official. On the surface, it was to intimidate them and show that they were on her side, but in reality, she was clearly declaring to the officials in Yanzhou that she would fight them to the death.
With Shen Jintang's intelligence, she couldn't possibly be unaware of what hypocrisy and settling scores later are.
But she insisted on forcing the officials of Yanzhou to rebel, or rather, her initial goal was to drive these officials into a corner.
What exactly made her so resolute?
What exactly is she planning?
Shen Huaixu's mind was full of questions, but Shen Jintang simply stretched out a finger, gently placed it on her lips, and made a soft "shh" sound.
The candlelight flickered on her face, reflecting the complex emotions in her eyes.
There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, yet they also possessed a mysterious quality that made people want to explore them.
"What I do is none of your business. I've done everything you wanted to do, haven't I?"
Shen Jintang's tone was as calm as a stagnant pool, without a ripple.
When Shen Huaixu wanted to save the people, she went to calm their hearts, prepare food and supplies, and save as many people as possible; when he wanted to build fortifications along the Yellow River, she provided the blueprints and helped the project to proceed smoothly.
In Shen Jintang's view, she had done everything she could and fulfilled her obligations.
"But you're using me."
Shen Huaixu stared intently at Shen Jintang, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.
Shen Jintang exploited his sincere desire to save the people from suffering, used his isolation of Yanzhou's news, forced the officials of Yanzhou to rebel, and made him unknowingly become an accomplice of the tyrant, turning him into a pawn in her hands.
"These people deserved to die, didn't they?"
Shen Jintang's eyes were as clear as ice, and her words were even colder, devoid of any warmth.
Shen Huaixu was speechless for a moment. He could not refute Shen Jintang's words because, to some extent, those officials did indeed deserve their punishment.
“But even if they have committed crimes, they should be handed over to the imperial court for punishment. It is not your place to resort to private torture.”
Shen Huaixu spoke with difficulty, trying to defend himself and hold on to the last line of defense in his heart.
"Lennancial punishment?"
Shen Jintang suddenly laughed. Her laughter was cold and grating, as if mocking Shen Huaixu's naivety.
"You speak with such righteous indignation, Minister Shen. Have you never resorted to private torture before?"
She pressed on relentlessly, mercilessly exposing Shen Huaixu's pretense: "When you were helping Grand Tutor Shen deal with his dirty business, didn't you treat human life like dirt? Haven't you ever taken a life yourself?"
Every word was like a sharp arrow, piercing straight into Shen Huaixu's heart, leaving him nowhere to hide.
“I…” Shen Huaixu didn’t know what to say.
He did indeed do those things, and he certainly has no right to accuse Shen Jintang.
Shen Jintang, however, showed no mercy. Her words were like a sharp knife, peeling away Shen Huaixu's disguise layer by layer.
"What's the difference between what you're doing and what I'm doing now? The only difference is that the people you killed were defenseless, while I'm going to kill government officials."
She looked down at Shen Huaixu, her eyes filled with indifference and disdain.
Shen Jintang slowly stood up and walked step by step to Shen Huaixu. She looked down at him as if she were looking at an insignificant ant.
"I thought I was good enough to you, otherwise you would never have had the chance to stand in front of me and accuse me." Her voice was low and cold, like a whisper from hell.
Shen Jintang's fingers lightly brushed across Shen Huaixu's cheek, and the icy touch made Shen Huaixu shiver instantly.
His body stiffened slightly, his eyes widened, and his voice was hoarse, as if he was unwilling but had nowhere to vent his frustration.
"Shen Jintang!"
He let out a low growl, but it was like a trapped beast struggling in the dark, only able to utter a powerless roar.
"Shut up! Are you trying to call the pursuers?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a rustling sound came from outside the cave, as if something was quietly approaching.
The two fell silent immediately; the air seemed to freeze, and even their breathing became cautious.
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