Chapter 77 Li Heyun
Water is the source of life, but it can also be a boat that can be carried or capsized.
Yang Qing was a little confused as to why Li Shangxuan was so fond of water, whether in his past life or now.
Maybe it's because thugs have a lot of tricks up their sleeves.
Another half month passed, and before the harsh winter had passed, the prisoners from the Prince Ning's mansion were escorted to the capital.
Li Heyun, Princess Ning, and Princess Yunan—these arrogant people have all become prisoners. Yang Qing felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
But her pleasure was only in her mind; it was the second wife who truly expressed the word "pleasure" to the fullest, proclaiming everywhere that "the net of justice is vast, and nothing escapes its reach" and "the cycle of heaven and earth brings swift retribution."
People in the capital knew about her feud with the Prince of Ning's mansion, so they didn't think much of it.
Yangqing still sent someone to tell the Second Madam to keep a low profile.
Intending to rebel is a capital offense, punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan. Li Heyun is now facing certain death.
Li Shangxuan was very pleased with himself and came to take credit again, "Didn't I do a good job? This time it's finally what you wanted, right?"
Yang Qing immediately retorted, "What do you mean by 'as I wish'? He clearly brought this upon himself. Even if I had no grudge against him, he would still be punished for such a serious crime, with his property confiscated and his head beheaded. Stop trying to glorify yourself."
Li Shangxuan didn't care what she meant; all he wanted was to claim credit and get her to willingly give him some benefits.
Although it is already the spring equinox, the wind still carries a hint of chill.
His tone was tender, as he hooked his finger around her sash and smiled, "Do you want to see him thrown into jail looking pathetic?"
Yang Qing's eyes immediately lit up, and her expression became enthusiastic: "Can I go?"
This Li Heyun made her suffer so much. If she hadn't been lucky enough to meet Li Shangxuan on the way, she would have been kidnapped and enslaved by him.
If someone with his twisted nature were to fall into his hands, he would definitely find ways to humiliate them.
Seeing him in trouble now, Yang Qing is by no means the kind of person who repays evil with kindness. If she could kick him while he's down, that would be even better.
Seeing that the fish had taken the bait, Li Shangxuan's eyes softened even more. He changed his grip on her clothes to caressing her hair, his words full of implications: "The Dali Temple's prison is not a place anyone can just walk into, Ah Xun."
Yang Qing was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth. In some ways, Li Shangxuan wasn't much better than Li Heyun. They really were a family, rotten to the core.
Seeing that Yang Qing didn't move, Li Shangxuan wasn't annoyed. He simply pulled her into his arms, stroked the back of her neck, and whispered, "You really don't want to go?"
Yang Qing really wanted to go, but she also thought Li Shangxuan was really annoying. It was just a matter of him saying a few words, but he always acted like that. She hated him so much.
Their eyes met, his smugness and mockery evident in them. Yang Qing took a breath, quickly leaned in and lightly touched his cheek with her lips, blinking her eyes. "Please, my wise and mighty Crown Prince, please have mercy and let me go see what that scoundrel looks like. Is that alright now?"
Li Shangxuan's eyes darkened, but the corners of his lips remained upturned, yet there was an air of impending doom.
He said slowly, "There's no such thing as an easy thing in this world. Does the Crown Princess think I'm a beggar? That I can be dismissed so easily?"
Yang Qing was even more displeased that he was so ungrateful. She snorted and tried to get out of his arms, but he held her waist and she couldn't break free.
She was both ashamed and angry, and couldn't help but curse, "What exactly do you want to do? I won't go see it, okay? Let me go."
What would people think if they saw this in broad daylight?
Although no one dared to laugh at her to her face, it wouldn't be good for others to know.
Li Shangxuan added, "Giving up halfway is not a good habit."
Yang Qing blushed again. He had said these words to her many times since she was a child. Yang Qing was a person with little determination. She learned the zither from her father, Master Chi, but after getting the basics down, she didn't want to learn anymore. She was only mediocre at everything and was far from being truly proficient.
Li Shangxuan leaned close to her ear, his warm breath hitting her ear directly. Yang Qing wanted to dodge, but being held in his arms, she had very little room to maneuver and couldn't escape at all.
She blushed and scolded, "Are you crazy? It's broad daylight!"
Li Shangxuan truly took shamelessness to the extreme: "What's wrong? Didn't we often do this last time too?"
Yang Qing blushed even more.
In my past life, it certainly happened, but it was definitely not frequent.
But back then, Li Shangxuan was an emperor who would behead people, but he isn't now. Why should she be afraid of him?
Yang Qing mustered her courage and refused, "I don't want to. If you're really hungry, just have someone go to the imperial kitchen and find something to eat."
Li Shangxuan said, "I want to eat this. Be a good girl and feed it to me. Tonight I will take you to see Li Heyun."
Yang Qing said petulantly, "I'm not a cook, how can I obediently feed you? I don't want to, let go of me, I'm really going to get angry!"
Li Shangxuan put his arm around her shoulder. Her spring clothes were light and thin. He couldn't tell if it was because she had taken off her heavy winter clothes or because she had lost weight. She looked much lighter.
He said no more, only calling her name, "Ah Xun".
He had observed that very few people called her by that nickname; even her parents were used to calling her "Yang Qing" directly.
This made him like calling her by her nickname even more, as if it were a unique term of endearment between the two of them.
“Ah Xun”.
Yang Qing really didn't know how a person could change so much. Even though he was domineering in his previous life, she could still occasionally see the tips of his ears turn red. But now, he was practically no different from a hooligan. No, he was a hooligan.
He called out "Ah Xun" again, his tone very gentle, and nuzzled her nose against hers, saying, "I really want to eat."
Yang Qing wasn't completely fooled: "You ate all last night."
A smile played in Li Shangxuan's eyes: "It was so dark last night, I couldn't see clearly. Let me take a good look, okay?"
Even if the lights are not turned off, the light from a candle cannot compare to that of sunlight.
Yang Qing hesitated for a long time before saying, "After that, you are not allowed to push your luck. You must let me go see Li Heyun... no, it would be better to find someone to whip him a few times and let me watch from the side."
Li Shangxuan did not hesitate: "Alright. A promise is a promise."
Yang Qing wasn't actually that shy; the two of them had done this kind of intimate thing countless times, but she still felt uncomfortable under his earnest gaze.
She took off her clothes to reveal her undergarments, and she clearly saw Li Shangxuan's eyes darken slightly.
The other person didn't move for a long time, and with no clothes covering her body, she couldn't help but shrink back and urged, "Hurry up."
Li Shangxuan: "Don't rush, hold it for me to eat."
Yang Qing was furious: "You just like this! You just told me not to push my luck!"
Li Shangxuan had no choice but to give up, and said sullenly, "Why are you getting more and more fierce..."
*****
Li Shangxuan kept his word. As night fell, he had her change into some light clothing and took her into the Dali Temple prison.
The Dali Temple is in charge of punishments. Yang Qing didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that this place was gloomy. She had been to the government office next door before. It was just a turn away from the door, but it felt completely different.
This chilling feeling became even more pronounced after he was imprisoned.
There were no windows here, and a strange smell permeated the air—dust, rotting straw, and blood mixed together, making one feel extremely uncomfortable.
Yang Qing couldn't help but shrink her shoulders and cover her mouth and nose with her sleeve.
The fierce-looking jailer led the way with a torch. It was unclear whether there were any people in the cells on either side. The only sound was the squeaking of rats. How could we be sure that the strange noises were coming from rats?
Yang Qing saw a fat rat dart past with his own eyes; it was about the same size as the lazy cat that now only knows how to sunbathe when it was first brought to his side.
She immediately moved closer to Li Shangxuan.
Soon, by the firelight, she saw pairs of eyes locked in the cell, silently staring at her like wild beasts lurking in the darkness.
The Dali Temple and the Jingzhao Yin are quite different. The Jingzhao Yin imprisoned many of the criminals who were petty thieves and street thugs. They were not good people, but they could not be called major villains either. They were usually released after ten days or half a month, and at most a year or two.
However, the Dali Temple imprisoned not only notorious bandits and vicious criminals, but also people like the Prince of Ning, who had committed heinous crimes such as plotting rebellion.
This place is home to not only corrupt officials but also ordinary people who have committed murder. In short, once you enter this place, you'll either die or be severely injured.
Yang Qing didn't consider herself particularly timid, but upon arriving here, she couldn't help but hold her breath and fall silent.
After finally arriving at the cell where Li Heyun was being held, the jailer took out a key and opened the door. Huo Lu muttered under his breath, "The treatment is pretty good; they can even have a single room."
He was the unlucky guy who was summoned by Li Shangxuan to be whipped; sometimes being too favored by one's superiors isn't a good thing.
After the jailers withdrew, Yang Qing began to examine him closely. His former gentle and refined demeanor had been torn off, and the hypocrite had become a beast. The noble young man was now wearing bracelets and shackles, his hair was disheveled, and his once fair complexion was gone. He was utterly dejected and wretched.
Yang Qing certainly wouldn't pity him; she was too disgusted to even think about it.
If she hadn't been clever and brave back then, and had actually been kidnapped by his men and taken to his territory, she probably would have ended up the same way.
She is a woman, and what she will likely face is even more humiliation.
Li Heyun seemed to be in good spirits, and even smiled when she saw her, though this smile was quite different from the polite and refined manner she displayed during their last meeting.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you to come all this way to see me, Miss Chi."
Yang Qing stared coldly at her. Li Heyun made a gesture of raising her hand, and Huo Lu, who was next to her, was immediately startled and gripped the sword hanging at his waist warily.
He was clearly overly cautious. Although Li Heyun had practiced martial arts, his hands and feet were bound. Even top masters could not break free of the chains of the Dali Temple, let alone a young master like him who only practiced martial arts to strengthen his body.
Li Heyun took out a flower from somewhere and handed it directly to Yang Qing.
Yang Qing certainly wouldn't answer; who knew what crazy thing he might do next.
The flower had long since withered beyond recognition; it might have contained some kind of poison, and the slightest touch would kill it.
It's perfectly normal for a bad person like Li Heyun to want to take someone down with him when he's about to die.
Seeing that she not only didn't accept it, but even took two steps back, Li Heyun didn't show any unusual expression. He smiled and said gently, "Miss Chi is still so formal."
Yang Qing glanced at Li Shangxuan, thinking, "Wasn't it agreed that someone would whip him a few times so I could enjoy his miserable state? Why hasn't he made a sound since I arrived?"
Li Shangxuan didn't understand her expression and nodded slightly to her.
Yang Qing was speechless. Other couples were in perfect harmony, even the Second Madam and Master Chi could tell what the other was going to do with just a glance. But Li Shangxuan was incredibly stupid. He even curled the corners of his lips.
If Huo Lu hadn't been there, she definitely would have hit him.
Never mind, she had a question in her mind anyway.
Yang Qing said with a straight face, "What did I do to offend you that you have to pick a fight with me?"
Li Heyun was stunned for a moment before laughing and saying, "Now that things have come to this, it's no harm in telling you. Li Hebi likes you, and Li Shangxuan likes you too. Isn't it normal for me to want to take away what they both like?"
Yang Qing remained silent for a moment. What kind of nonsense is this?
Sure enough, a bad guy is a bad guy; even his thoughts are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Yang Qing said angrily, "You're the one who's a monster, a black-hearted and wicked monster."
She wanted to kick him, but seeing his dirty and disheveled appearance, she quickly withdrew her leg.
He was filthy and smelly. If she kicked him, her shoes would probably be ruined. Yang Qing didn't want to waste them like that.
Since the emperor has already pronounced the sentence, Li Heyun, along with the detestable Prince Ning's mansion and Princess Yunan, won't live much longer, so why should she tarnish her own reputation?
So, even though she had paid a price for this opportunity, she didn't want to do anything anymore. She just felt that the place was stinking and that it was better to leave as soon as possible. She leaned towards Li Shangxuan and tugged at his sleeve, "Let's go."
Li Shangxuan was quite puzzled. Yang Qing had been muttering for a long time that she was going to teach Li Heyun a lesson, so why did she want to leave after seeing him?
Huo Lu, with his excellent hearing, blurted out, "Weren't you supposed to come and give him a few lashes? I've already prepared the whip, why are you leaving?"
Yang Qing said, "It's too dirty here. If you want to smoke, wait until I leave. I feel like throwing up my dinner."
Upon hearing this, Li Heyun's expression changed drastically. Her composure vanished, and as she watched the hem of Yangqing's skirt as she left, her voice suddenly became sharp, "Even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. Thank you, Yangqing, for still remembering our past kindness."
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