I want her
Imperial Prison.
They went down ten feet underground, sealed off a vertical shaft, and were plunged into complete darkness.
The cell was cramped, hot, and stinking; the air was so thick you could wring out sticky mucus.
Lin Huaiyin crouched in the corner, pricked up her ears, gripped her bird-head shoes tightly, and listened for the sound to locate the source—
"Smack!"
"squeak!"
Hit the mouse.
Lin Huaiyin swung her shoe and smashed it.
She couldn't see anything, so she relied entirely on her senses. She felt the pungent smell of blood, the creaking sounds disappear, and the bones crack and break. The disgusting thing went from round to flat and hard until it completely merged into the pile of straw. Only then did she collapse weakly and put her bird-head shoes back on.
In a fierce battle, the victor takes all. Lin Huaiyin escaped being devoured. She straightened her hairpins and tidied her clothes. A cold wind suddenly rose in the corridor, and the cold sweat on her forehead turned into sharp thorns that pierced her scalp in an instant, making her scalp tingle.
The shaft was opened; it was the jailer bringing food.
As usual, she felt around the corner of the wall, wanting to tie another knot to mark the ninetieth day of her innocent imprisonment. However, as soon as her fingertips touched the rotten straw, Lin Huaiyin froze.
Amidst the noise of the corridor, a calm and composed gait echoed, tap, tap, tap, stepping on the heart.
There's no mistake, those are the footsteps of her husband—the current Grand Secretary Shen Congyun.
Three years ago, Lin Huaiyin was kidnapped by the White Lotus Sect rebels and trapped in their den. When she was desperate, she first heard these footsteps.
With a calm and composed pace, alternating between tension and relaxation, he moved from afar to near, traversing the clash of weapons and chaotic shouts of battle, as if strolling leisurely in a garden, exuding a sense of oppression that would make even gods, Buddhas, ghosts, and monsters bow their heads in silence.
Before the owner of the footsteps had even shown himself, the traitors scattered like birds and beasts. Lin Huaiyin felt inexplicably at ease. But when she saw that incomparably handsome man's face again and heard his clear voice in her ear, saying, "Miss Lin, I have offended you," and the warmth of his fingertips probed into her clothes, she immediately snapped.
The thief drugged her, and he had no other way to cure her.
Afterwards, Shen Congyun offered this explanation.
Lin Huaiyin was thus rescued from the den of thieves by Shen Congyun, and then he went all the way to the end, marrying her from the General's mansion and making her his chief minister's wife.
For the past three years, she has regarded Shen Congyun as her savior. Their fortunes are intertwined, and her entire life's luck depends on him.
This moment is just like that moment back then.
Falling into the same miserable state, the same footsteps sounded again.
But Lin Huaiyin no longer felt any flutter in her heart. Her heart was burning, her stomach was on fire, and she felt extremely nauseous. She wanted to stomp on Shen Congyun's legs so that he would never be able to take another step.
During her ninety days in the imperial prison, Lin Huaiyin managed to learn from the prison guards that her father had been convicted of treason, and that her entire Lin clan—her father, brothers, mother, young nephews, and countless blood relatives and in-laws—more than a thousand people, had been dragged to the Meridian Gate and beheaded, their bodies dumped in a mass grave.
Lin Huaiyin was devastated by the tragic deaths of her family. She knew that her father could not possibly have rebelled. The Lin family had been a military family for a century, in charge of the Imperial Guards, and was always loyal. How could he possibly rebel?
It must be a setup, a conspiracy!
She refused to believe it. She wanted to clear her name, find the mastermind behind the frame-up of her father, and avenge her family!
But she was trapped in a cage, unable to escape, and in dire straits.
Lin Huaiyin handed over all her hairpins and jewelry, begging the jailer to help her collect the remains of her family members.
The jailer hesitated and dared not agree.
She pleaded and begged repeatedly.
The jailer said he felt sorry for her and would go take a look, but when he came back he told her that the bones had long been eaten by wild dogs, rotted and stinking, and could not be identified.
Upon hearing the news, Lin Huaiyin vomited blood and nearly died on the spot. The jailer panicked and confessed that Shen Congyun had instructed him to deliver the message in order to torture and drive her insane. However, she could not die and had to wait for Shen Congyun to take care of her personally.
The person who sentenced Lin to treason, personally supervised the execution, and watched her entire family beheaded was none other than Shen Congyun.
Shen Congyun had already written a letter of divorce, abandoning her.
The reason why the outcome was delayed was that he was busy confronting the court officials, forcefully violating the law, and marrying Princess Pingyang as the son-in-law of the Grand Secretary.
The jailer, fearing Shen Congyun, frantically tried to rescue Lin Huaiyin, and in his panic, he revealed everything.
The moment Lin Huaiyin heard the truth, her mind went blank.
She was powerless to think about why Shen Congyun was so cruel, why he suddenly turned his knife on her people, and when he had become involved with Princess Pingyang.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her lips, telling herself to be strong, to live on, and to find out the truth at all costs, so as to avenge the Lin family.
The wind in the corridor grew stronger and stronger.
The footsteps grew closer.
Lin Huaiyin walked step by step toward the iron fence.
——
"Lord Shen, this way please."
The jailer led the way with great enthusiasm, and the court officials dressed in purple, red, scarlet and green official robes of various colors stretched as far as the eye could see.
Shen Congyun, dressed in a snow-white fox fur coat, walked at the front.
To his left and right, prison guards held up torches, like the sun burning in hell, and in a flash, they blinded Lin Huaiyin.
The moment she closed her eyes, she noticed a delicate nose peeking out from beside Shen Congyun, and standing side by side with a beautiful woman.
woman?
Princess Pingyang?
Lin Huaiyin trembled with excitement, thinking that Shen Congyun had finally come to confront her and would reveal the whole truth.
Gripping the iron bars tightly, she stared directly at Shen Congyun, her eyes blazing with fury.
However, Shen Congyun did not stop. He looked straight ahead, as if he had not seen her at all, and walked straight past with his usual calm steps, tap, tap, tap.
Lin Huaiyin was dumbfounded.
The ministers, dressed in purple-red and scarlet-green official robes, walked away in a grand procession.
No one stopped, no one glanced at them.
The torches burned past her, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, crackling and popping, as she strode forward until Shen Congyun, at the very front, stopped in front of the iron bars of the next cell. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on a man in prison clothes reflected in the firelight.
Nobody paid any attention to Lin Huaiyin.
Shen Congyun ignored her, and even the military officers who were on good terms with the Lin family and whom Lin Huaiyin called uncles and elders did not glance at her.
As expected, the Lin family was convicted and executed, and their members immediately scattered like monkeys after the tree fell.
Lin Huaiyin understood. Ignoring the others, she chased after the fence on the right, her gaze passing over the white-clad male prisoner sitting alone in the middle, and finally saw Shen Congyun's face clearly.
At this moment, his face was as cold as ice, and his eyes were like cold stars, reminding Lin Huaiyin of the scene when he ordered the maid to be beaten to death.
He came not just for her.
Lin Huaiyin's gaze shifted to the white-clad male prisoner, and she quickly realized that Shen Congyun had come to kill this man, and she had to deal with him before it was her turn.
She silently gripped the iron bars, wondering who the male prisoner in white was, and whether he, like her, had been framed and was imprisoned here to die.
Click.
The jailer inserts the key.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle.
Untie the chains and drag it away.
The prison door was opened, and torches were brought forward one by one, inserted into the four corners of the cell. The sudden burst of light stung Lin Huaiyin's eyes, forcing her to cover them.
Between their fingers, the firelight flickered, and shadowy figures crashed into the wall like ghosts, but the white-clad male prisoner remained motionless.
"He's really composed," Lin Huaiyin thought. "A person like him committing a crime must be no small matter. No wonder Shen Congyun led all the civil and military officials to deal with him."
Lin Huaiyin didn't recognize him and didn't know when he had been imprisoned in the next cell. She was only certain that he had been there before her. In the past three months, she had killed a lot of rats, yet she was completely unaware of his existence.
He's so calm and collected even when trapped in the abyss; he's a truly terrifying man.
If we had the opportunity to join forces, we would be more than happy to do so.
Lin Huaiyin kept a close eye on the prisoner in white, looking for an opportunity.
In the corridor, Shen Congyun lowered his head, parted his thin lips slightly, and called out, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Your Highness the Crown Prince?
Lin Huaiyin was shocked, as if struck by lightning.
It's actually His Highness the Crown Prince?
His Highness the Crown Prince was imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, dressed in prison clothes.
Did he commit a crime?
He was second only to the emperor, had been regent for many years, and his subjects were loyal to him. The emperor was on his deathbed, and the throne was already in his grasp. What could he possibly do wrong?
Treason? Lin Huaiyin immediately realized—what else could it be but treason?
Beyond the two fences, Chen Congyun looked down from his high perch, his voice calm and even.
"Your Highness, your crimes of harming concubines, slaughtering imperial heirs, and murdering the emperor and father are heinous and abhorrent to both gods and men. You should be executed as soon as possible to appease the spirit of His Majesty in heaven. However, Princess Pingyang is your own sister, and you cannot bear to see the Xiao imperial family's bloodline die out."
Therefore, she defied all opposition and chose a Crown Princess for you. If you can leave behind an heir, Her Highness the Princess will raise him to adulthood and allow him to inherit the throne.
Shen Congyun finished pronouncing the verdict calmly and slowly, glancing at the prince in his white prison uniform. In his cold eyes, a hint of barely suppressed cunning flashed.
Only one last step remains.
Princess Pingyang would have done everything she could to ensure the Crown Prince's favor with the Crown Princess.
Of course, the Crown Princess will not get pregnant; Princess Pingyang will be the only member of the royal family.
The Empress's rise is unstoppable.
Neighboring countries, border regions, counties, the imperial court, and the palace—all have been under his careful management for many years. With Shen Congyun's influence, his words are worth a thousand words, and the court officials dare not utter a word.
He wanted to personally send the beloved Princess Pingyang to the throne, and then bury the disgusting Lin woman.
He will live happily ever after with the little phoenix he has loved for fifteen years, and together they will rule the world.
As long as the Crown Prince visits the Crown Princess.
Once the momentum begins, it cannot be stopped; once it ends, it cannot be restrained.
Your Highness, there is no way out.
The former emperor has been reduced to a prisoner, and the noble and dignified Crown Prince is forced to perform the rites of marriage in front of everyone. His dignity and prestige have been completely shattered.
That was a truly excellent ending.
Those who obstruct Pingyang deserve such an end.
With victory assured, Shen Congyun stood calmly, his face displaying a habitual indifference.
He gently raised his hand—the Crown Princess entered the prison cell, knelt before the white-robed Crown Prince, and removed her hairpins and loosened her hair.
Several eunuchs unfurled a piece of red brocade embroidered with mandarin ducks and hung it around the four walls of the prison cell as a temporary curtain.
The crimson brocade was just a narrow band, not touching the top or the ground, purely for decoration. Lin Huaiyin glanced at it casually and saw that the Crown Prince was still sitting upright, and the Crown Princess's black hair was spread out on the ground, completely visible. The court officials in the corridor did not show any intention of avoiding it.
This concerns the royal bloodline; they should be here to bear witness.
In the corridor, Shen Congyun's slightly apologetic voice drifted over: "The shaft is narrow, and the bed cannot fit. Your Highness is incompetent and can only make do. But rest assured, afterwards, we will carefully escort the Crown Princess back to the East Palace to ensure the purity of the royal bloodline."
Before the words were finished, the sound of gentle ripples reached their ears, like fingers kneading flower petals and brushing across the water's surface. The Crown Princess was undressing and removing her silk robes.
Looking at the scene before her, Lin Huaiyin felt a little dazed, the words echoing in her ears repeatedly: "Afterwards, we will carefully escort the Crown Princess back to the East Palace to ensure the purity of the royal bloodline."
"We will carefully escort Her Highness the Crown Princess back to the Eastern Palace."
"—Return to the East Palace—"
right!
This is it!
A way to escape from the imperial prison!
An indescribable excitement surged within Lin Huaiyin. She gripped the iron bars tightly, oblivious to the rust piercing her palms, and shouted loudly to His Highness the Crown Prince—
“How about I become your Crown Princess? I am seventeen years old. Although I have been married for two years without children, it is because my husband is impotent. I think you are better than him and can make me pregnant in one go.”
Lin Huaiyin hadn't finished speaking.
These words didn't really land; they spread back and forth in the aisle, quickly becoming echoes that reverberated back and tumbled in everyone's ears.
Lin Huaiyin looked at His Highness the Crown Prince, hoping for a response, but a hissing sound kept exploding in her ears. The purple-red and crimson-green figures that had previously ignored her now stared at her with wide eyes, gasping for breath.
Shen Congyun's face turned red, and he trembled slightly. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, were almost clenched until they bled.
"Hehe." His Highness the Crown Prince chuckled softly.
Shen Congyun's icy eyes, which hadn't glanced at Lin Huaiyin since entering the prison, finally landed on her.
If he was usually indifferent and aloof towards Lin Huaiyin, at this moment, Shen Congyun wanted to tear her apart and grind her bones to dust.
His woman actually told him in public that he was impotent.
Unfortunately, they had been married for two years without having any children.
The courtiers' gazes fell on him, making Shen Congyun so angry he wanted to kill someone.
In full view of everyone, this despicable woman offered herself to another man, none other than the crown prince, whom he hated most in his life.
He had divorced the woman he didn't want, and he absolutely couldn't let another man touch her.
Absolutely impossible.
Shen Congyun was furious. He glared fiercely at Lin Huaiyin, his face turning ashen.
He knew Lin Huaiyin couldn't stand his gaze; if he gave her a sidelong glance, she would go weak in the knees and wag her tail like a dog.
His piercing gaze instantly enveloped Lin Huaiyin. After three years together, Lin Huaiyin deeply admired Shen Congyun and harbored a profound fear of him. If he got angry, she would want to kneel down.
But things are different now. The hatred of her clan's annihilation has reshaped her spine, suppressing all weakness. Her heart is filled with soaring resentment. She grips the fence tightly, as if she were choking Shen Congyun's neck. Her eyes are like daggers, her gaze fiercely piercing him. She is not afraid of him.
Shen Congyun hadn't expected her to do this. His dog, which he had raised for three years, was baring its teeth at him. He couldn't believe it, his nails digging into his palms, and his brows furrowed suddenly.
"Hehehe." His Highness the Crown Prince laughed again.
"I want her. Miss Lin is the rightful Crown Princess." His voice was calm and composed.
The court officials' minds went blank—what, Miss Lin the Third? She was the daughter of the disgraced official Lin, and Lord Shen's divorced wife!
It's one thing for a woman to go crazy, but for His Highness the Crown Prince to openly demand a subject's wife is like he's going to start another fight with Lord Shen!
The court officials were trembling with fear, their eyes lowered, none daring to look at Shen Congyun, and even more so fearful of the Crown Prince. Yet they could not resist the Crown Prince's domineering presence, which had been etched into their hearts for many years as regent and the ruler who had subdued the mountains and rivers.
The dragon has nine sons, and even the son of a traitor is still a true dragon in blood. Why bother joining this damned spectacle! The court officials were filled with regret, their legs throbbing with blood, and they wanted to flee this place of trouble.
Panic and confusion ensued, and their formation instantly collapsed.
Lin Huaiyin was unfazed by the gazes of the court officials, but was delighted that the Crown Prince was so perceptive. She raised an eyebrow and looked over, only to see the Crown Prince tilting his head and looking at her with a smile in his eyes, looking completely at ease and suicidal.
He paid no heed to the fear and anger of those around him. When their eyes met, he looked at Lin Huaiyin with a smile on his face and his shoulders swaying freely. In a daze, it seemed as if he were the master of this place, without the slightest trace of the desolation of a dragon trapped in shallow waters.
This composure was so overt that it made Shen Congyun grit his teeth in hatred.
Lin Huaiyin was something he loathed and didn't want. But even if it was something he didn't want, it wasn't up to others to touch. He had already planned that after sending the Crown Prince away, he would burn that vile woman to the ground, and from then on, no one was allowed to mention her. In the Great Xing Empire, and by his side, there had never been a lowly maid named Lin Huaiyin.
But the Crown Prince specifically requested her.
If he refuses, Princess Pingyang's benevolence will be tarnished. But if he agrees, wouldn't it make him a laughingstock throughout the empire under the watchful eyes of everyone?
Who will ever forget that Shen Congyun's woman was touched by the deposed crown prince?
They've fallen to this state, and they still have the nerve to be disgusting.
At this moment, Shen Congyun finally understood why Princess Pingyang said, "The person I hate most in this life is my imperial brother."
The snow-white fox fur coat could not contain Shen Congyun's rage.
He was the chief minister, while the other party was the Crown Prince who was in charge of the country. The Crown Prince had suppressed him his whole life, making him feel like he was walking on thin ice, not daring to breathe loudly. He never expected that on his deathbed, the Crown Prince would still ride on his face and play him like a puppet.
He hated it so much that he wished he could grind the crown prince to dust.
But time is of the essence, and everything must give way to Pingyang's ascension to the throne.
The current victory is far less significant than the Crown Prince's deep-rooted influence. If he seizes an opportunity to retaliate, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Shen Congyun dared not hesitate. He composed himself, swallowed his anger, and sent out a single glance that sent chills down the spines of the jailers.
Are you really going to open the door?
The jailer was incredulous, fearing that Shen Congyun might change his mind, so he dragged his feet on inserting the key and pulling the chain.
He was too slow, which greatly displeased Lin Huaiyin. She quickly pulled on the iron chain and untied it by circling around it.
Seeing her so impatient, Shen Congyun gritted his teeth in anger, wishing he could bite her neck until it bled.
But he had to be patient.
With a cough, the Crown Princess, kneeling before the Crown Prince, fastened her hairpins and jewelry, covered her face, and fled, her black hair billowing like a banner.
"Squeak—"
Lin Huaiyin's prison door was wide open.
Ignoring everything else, she ran towards the Crown Prince. In the short distance between them, she ran past Shen Congyun, but she didn't notice that Shen Congyun quietly lifted his foot.
Running too fast, unable to stop, Lin Huaiyin's feet left the ground and she was thrown into the air the instant of the collision. But at that very moment, the Crown Prince walked out of the prison cell, stretched out his long arm, and Lin Huaiyin was embraced by him.
The Crown Prince swept her into his arms and gave Shen Congyun a teasing smile: "What, Shen Qing, are you so interested in watching us consummate our marriage? My Yin Yin is so beautiful and charming, I'm afraid that once she becomes a subject of the court, she will never forget her."
Upon hearing this, the court officials were filled with unbearable suffering, wishing they could gouge out their own eyes and smash their ears.
The Crown Prince is terrifying, but he will die eventually. But who would dare to look at Shen Congyun's woman? They would probably hold a grudge against him for life!
Shen Congyun watched the Crown Prince turn away triumphantly, and trembled with anger.
His woman, the woman he threw away, could not possibly be allowed to seduce another man, let alone be watched by the entire court, much less be remembered for a lifetime!
Isn't this a slap in the face to Shen Congyun? When they meet in court in the future, how will he know if the hearts of the court officials are filled with filth?
He still wants to marry Pingyang. Does he also want to let his ministers fantasize about his intimate affairs with Pingyang?
His rage was uncontrollable; the snow-white fox fur coat made Shen Congyun's face flush red, his veins bulging, and his pupils reflecting the burning torch, scarlet and bewitching.
Lin Huaiyin is a despicable and shameless woman. Even on her deathbed, she still tries to seduce other women!
Shen Congyun was filled with hatred, wishing he could set the two adulterers on fire and burn them to death.
But he couldn't act rashly; Princess Pingyang was still waiting for good news.
The crown prince must consummate the marriage; they need a buffer period.
As for whether there will be any offspring, and when the Crown Princess will die, it all depends on whether he and Princess Pingyang have a firm grasp on the situation. Otherwise, if they rashly honor the Empress, the court officials might turn their attention to those declining members of the imperial family, and if things really get out of hand, it will be very troublesome.
After much deliberation, Shen Congyun was at a loss, and the word "endure" weighed heavily on his shoulders.
The woman was someone he didn't want. If the Crown Prince wanted to take her, so be it. But the court officials had better be able to watch than not live!
Shen Congyun gritted his teeth and stormed off.
As soon as the signal was given, no one—court officials, eunuchs, or jailers—dared to linger. They all followed Shen Congyun and fled in a panic, afraid that if they were too late, they might hear something they shouldn't and offend the aggrieved chief minister, Shen.
In a short while, the crowd dispersed, and the prison cell fell silent, leaving only the Crown Prince and Lin Huaiyin.
"Bang!"
The Crown Prince, taking Lin Huaiyin by surprise, flicked her forehead.
Ouch. Lin Huaiyin's forehead was red, and her brain was buzzing; she had been caught off guard by the knock.
The prince set her down against the wall, picked out some straw that could barely be called clean, spread it out neatly, and then sat cross-legged facing her.
"I've done it." The Crown Prince said in a flippant tone, his smile smug. He sprawled out on the ground and said, "This Crown Prince is clueless about such matters. Yin Yin, you can do it yourself."
Lin Huaiyin was filled with passion just now; she was willing to risk everything to get out of the imperial prison.
Now that only she and the Crown Prince remained, she calmed down, glanced at the Crown Prince, and felt that she was being somewhat absurd.
But for her father, brothers, mother, and the Lin family, this was the only solution she could think of.
A century-old marshal's mansion, filled with unwavering loyalty, ended in the execution of the entire family, their corpses lying scattered in the wilderness.
Lin Huaiyin felt an overwhelming pang of sorrow, her whole body trembling. Before she could react, the Crown Prince, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly spread his legs, hooking and pulling them back. She was thrown into his arms against her will.
A hand pressed down on her back, immobilizing Lin Huaiyin. She pressed her right ear against the prince's chest and heard a voice piercing through her flesh and bone, saying, "I can't get out, but you can, my child. I can at least extend your life by three months."
Three months.
Lin Huaiyin felt a chill run down her spine. Three months was enough time to do a lot. She could find out why Shen Congyun had sentenced the Lin family to death, and who was plotting a rebellion. She could even go to pay respects to her family members and collect their remains.
"I'll do it."
Lin Huaiyin did not hesitate.
"But I haven't gotten pregnant even after being married for over two years—"
"How can Shen Congyun be compared to me?" The Crown Prince lazily rested his head on his arm.
An arrogant man.
Lin Huaiyin rolled her eyes and got up to take off her clothes.
She didn't care whether she could get pregnant or not. As long as she could get out and find out the truth about the Lin family's massacre, she would never let it go, even if it took a month, a day, or an hour!
She wants to go out.
She needed to see clearly who was stirring up trouble and plotting against the Lin family.
Hatred twisted Lin Huaiyin, and the violence in her heart poured out like a tidal wave, manifesting itself on the Crown Prince as a form of torture.
Lin Huaiyin had never known that this kind of thing could be so incredibly pleasurable. Overwhelmed with ecstasy, she collapsed limply onto the Crown Prince, her legs weak, her mind perfectly clear—
She grasped at a straw.
She gained temporary freedom.
She wants to go out!
Lin Huaiyin quickly got up and faced the wall to put on her clothes. There was a rustling sound behind her. The Crown Prince seemed to be moving as well, but his steps were slow and hesitant, as if he couldn't lift his legs or take a step. It was strange.
Before long, Lin Huaiyin finished tidying her appearance and turned around. A pair of sparrow-head shoes were quietly placed in front of her.
Your Highness, will you pick up my shoes? These are blood-stained, rat-flecked shoes; doesn't he find them disgusting?
Lin Huaiyin was stunned for a moment, her heart skipped a beat, she lifted her skirt and put on her shoes, the Crown Prince supported her arm, and then took out the hairpins and rings scattered on the ground and put them back in their original positions one by one.
The two stood facing each other. The prince's prison clothes were wrinkled and dusty, while Lin Huaiyin was graceful and beautiful with a rosy complexion.
What exactly is Your Highness doing? Lin Huaiyin didn't quite understand and wanted to ask, but then she heard footsteps in the distance.
"You must live."
The Crown Prince pinched Lin Huaiyin's earlobe, pulled her close to his lips, and whispered an address and a code.
The eunuch arrived as instructed and entered the cell.
Lin Huaiyin remained silent, unable to press the Crown Prince for his intentions, but she saw him quietly tuck a jade hairpin into his sleeve.
"Your Highness, what are you doing with that hairpin?" Lin Huaiyin asked in surprise, but could not speak. She could only wait for the eunuch to examine her body.
After confirming that the marriage had been consummated, the eunuch respectfully addressed her as "Crown Princess," removed the red cloth, and proceeded to roll her up and carry her away according to custom, in order to protect the imperial seed within her.
However, Lin Huaiyin did not allow any explanation. She snatched a torch and ran away.
She ran.
The stench fueled their journey, and dead rats paved their way through countless cells. The cold wind grew stronger and stronger. In the unreachable distance, a tiny point of light hung high. Lin Huaiyin threw away her torch, lifted her skirt, and ran. The point of light rapidly expanded, from an ellipse to a circle.
The shaft is right above our heads.
Dark clouds could not completely obscure the light of day.
The fresh, icy breath of midwinter rushed in fiercely, the hairpins fluttered and the jade pendants jingled. Lin Huaiyin opened her arms and gasped for breath, her chest and lungs aching. The iron ladder was covered in frost. She raised her arms to grab it and was about to climb when she met a pair of cold eyes.
Sinking from the clouds.
He was staring at her from the opposite cell with crimson eyes that looked like those of a cannibalistic demon.
He's done so many bad things, what right does he have to be so furious?
Lin Huaiyin met his gaze without flinching.
Their eyes met, and memories flooded back. Lin Huaiyin suddenly remembered that before she met Shen Congyun, she was also a valiant and spirited daughter of a military family. She was skilled in riding horses, shooting arrows, and strategizing military formations, and she was never inferior to her brothers. How come after only two years of marriage, she had become timid and spineless, and all she did when she got home was ask for money or beg her father and brothers for favors?
No.
wrong.
Silver, defense maps, and letters sent to southern Xinjiang.
These things all left her hands and entered Shen Congyun's hands.
Lin Huaiyin's hands trembled and her teeth chattered. She suddenly realized that from the very beginning, it was Shen Congyun who deliberately approached her. She didn't care about losing her virginity to him at all. She had already thanked him for saving her life. It was him who insisted on pestering her. It was him!
The cold wind blows back, clothes flutter wildly, freedom is on the shaft.
She gave up her only chance, the three months of freedom she gained in exchange for the Crown Prince. It was just above her; all she had to do was climb out.
But Lin Huaiyin didn't want to go up.
She released the iron ladder, took two steps back, pulled out the torch from the wall, and before the jailers and eunuchs could catch up, she quickly slipped into the cell, closed the door, and locked it.
“沉、从、云”.
Lin Huaiyin gritted her teeth and spat out each word one by one.
"You slut."
Across the torchlight, Shen Congyun stared coldly.
He had expected Lin Huaiyin to cry and whine, pitifully begging for mercy at his feet, but to his surprise, she was radiant and beautiful, with red marks on her neck that looked menacing, and her face flushed with the rosy glow of a man's touch. Her whole body showed no shame or humiliation whatsoever.
That shameless wretch, who sleeps with anyone, should be nailed to the well's edge and sliced to pieces.
Shen Congyun exuded a chilling aura, his knuckles turning bluish-white as he pinched his fingers inside his sleeves.
Lin Huaiyin took a step closer, her torch flashing as she pointed it directly at Shen Congyun: "It's you!"
The torches suddenly blazed fiercely, and the prison guards outside the gate were terrified, frantically running to retrieve the key.
Lin Huaiyin stared intently at Shen Congyun, her eyes burning, tears silently streaming down her face. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse, like that of a raven.
"It's you! It's you! I've been married to you for two years, and Yu Li died, Xie Ao died, and my fourth sister also died."
My dowry, and all of the Lin family's assets, are yours.
My eldest brother's camp was attacked by the White Lotus Sect, my second brother was accused of defecting to the enemy on the battlefield, and now even my father has been falsely accused of treason!
"It's you! Shen Congyun, you're the one who orchestrated all of this!"
"So what if it is?"
Shen Congyun sneered. The foolish wretch had seen through the truth and was nearly driven mad. He probably couldn't be allowed to live.
He was too lazy to act anymore; the shame and anger he felt from being forced by the Crown Prince earlier transformed into a raging fire that poured out:
"The Lin family's military headquarters, which has been known for two hundred years as the comrade-in-arms of the founding emperor, the right-hand man of His Majesty, and the support of the crown prince, is nothing more than a plaything in the palm of my hand, Chen Congyun."
To be honest, the Lin family and the Imperial Guards were indeed an impregnable fortress, truly unbreakable. If it weren't for you, the most favored Third Miss Lin, I truly wouldn't have found a weakness. You should know that every cut that ripped the Lin family apart was made with your help, Third Miss Lin.”
The resounding voice revealed the cruelest truth, like a thunderbolt shattering Lin Huaiyin.
"You're shameless!"
She chased after him with a torch.
"You're despicable!"
With a wave of his hand, Shen Congyun's rhinoceros horn ring left a trail of afterimages.
The bodyguard understood, immediately raised his crossbow, and a hidden arrow pierced the air—
"call out!"
Lin Huaiyin dodged to the side, but stumbled.
"Whoosh!"
She was too exhausted to dodge, and the arrow pierced her bone with a thud.
Pain spread throughout his body, and blood rushed to his throat.
Once the attack was launched, there was no turning back. Without Shen Congyun's order, the guards continued their assault, raining down arrows that instantly turned Lin Huaiyin into a pincushion.
Pierced by a thousand arrows, she was in pain, unable to stand or hold on, her body tilted to the side, the torch fell to the ground, and the strong wind surging into the shaft quickly ignited the straw, burning her skirt.
The sea of fire raged.
Lin Huaiyin was unable to move and was burned to a crisp.
Shen Congyun took a detour and observed the fire through the door.
The guards then shot and killed the arriving jailers and eunuchs, throwing them into the fire.
Just a door away, it's like experiencing two completely different worlds.
Fearing she would die without understanding, Shen Congyun finally found an opportunity to show off, revealing in detail, step by step, his years of planning with Princess Pingyang.
Every step was taken through Lin Huaiyin's hands, using Lin Huaiyin's name.
Their hands were covered in blood, and Lin Huaiyin was also smeared with blood.
In the depths of hell, they reserved a place for Lin Huaiyin, this perfect stepping stone.
Lin Huaiyin rolled in the sea of fire, and she finally learned the truth.
It was all a conspiracy and a scheme.
Shen Congyun and Princess Pingyang schemed and plotted to exploit her.
The despairing truth, like a raging fire, shattered Lin Huaiyin's body. She opened her eyes wide in agony, tears of blood streaming down her face, while the sound around her grew infinitely loud and infinitely distant.
Father, mother, elder brother, younger sister, nephew, maidservant—each face, passing through the sea of fire, was etched into bloodshot eyes.
Shen Congyun talked on and on, recounting his pure and passionate love for Princess Pingyang.
Lin Huaiyin's heart cracked inch by inch, burned, turned into carbon, and crumbled into dust, which spread to every corner of the prison.
Unwilling regret, a lament echoing in the mournful wind.
If there is an afterlife, if we could start over—
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