Chapter 2 Traitor: "Your heart is not sincere."
Silence spread, and the entire dungeon was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Shi Wan was initially delighted to see the man's knife tip change direction, but the next moment, a glance out of the corner of her eye caught the undisguised astonishment on the face of the guard behind her.
She swallowed back the words she was about to say.
An eerie silence will undoubtedly breed unease in people's hearts.
Shi Wan's breathing became erratic for a moment, and she was somewhat at a loss.
We are currently in a chaotic era, with various forces vying for power and the world situation being complex and volatile.
In layman's terms, it can be roughly divided into two parts.
The south was ruled by the so-called legitimate Yuan Dynasty, which was granted by Heaven, and was called the Southern Yuan. The north had been plundered by foreign tribes for more than five years, and the people suffered greatly until the Jingbei Army swept through the country more than half a year ago, finally giving them a moment of respite.
It can be said that Jiang Xu and the Jingbei Army he commanded were the actual rulers of a large area in the north.
Could it be that the name of the Prince of Jingbei has intimidated the other side?
Before Shi Wan could think any further, the man's slightly hoarse voice rang out, "You said you were going to be sent to the Jingbei Prince's residence, do you have any evidence?"
Shi Wan's mind stirred slightly, and she quickly said, "I have a jade token on me that can prove that what I said is true. With your abilities, you will be able to check it at that time."
Jiang Xu remained silent, his gaze growing increasingly profound. "Where is the jade tablet?"
Shi Wan pursed her lips, "It's inside my clothes at the chest." After saying that, the man in front of her had no concept of gender difference and picked out the jade pendant in the blink of an eye.
Shi Wan cursed inwardly, feeling both relieved that she hadn't abandoned the thing earlier and somewhat powerless.
Her expression grew even more pitiful, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the near-death experience; her chest heaved rapidly. Her gaze shifted slightly, landing on the jade pendant.
The ordinary white jade pendant, held loosely in the man's hand, appeared exceptionally small and of particularly poor quality.
As they went uphill, a faint scar ran across the man's wheat-colored neck, almost blending into his skin.
Something flashed through her mind so quickly that she didn't have time to grasp it.
The jade plaque is engraved with delicate small regular script, with a white background and gold edges, and the two characters "Wan'er" are written neatly.
I've heard she's a rare beauty.
Is this the person standing before me?
He raised an eyebrow slightly, "I was unaware that my reputation had been ruined to the point of being compared to a demon."
For a moment, Shi Wan's mind went blank. She subconsciously looked back, only to find the scabbard had already lifted her chin again, its icy temperature freezing all her little thoughts.
Startled and frightened, her voice wavered, "It was my daughter's fault for being blind and offending you.
“But my daughter is definitely not a traitor.” Shi Wan simply included herself in the insult. “My daughter is stupid and clumsy. If she were really a traitor, she would have been exposed as soon as she went there, and she wouldn’t have survived until you sent people to arrest her.”
"Is that so?" Jiang Xu turned the tip of his knife, aiming it at Shi Wan's heart. "Your heart is not sincere."
Before the last word was even finished, a flash of cold light appeared, and the tip of the knife pierced straight through, swiftly penetrating Shi Wan's heart.
Before she could even react, her body instinctively dodged, her adrenaline surged, and she managed to deflect the incision by two inches.
But it was only two inches long.
Fish on a cutting board are destined to be slaughtered at will.
With her eyes wide open, a wave of pain washed over her, and Shi Wan's body trembled involuntarily. Tiny tremors surged from her toes to her eyelashes, eventually condensing into a single tear on her wildly fluttering, slender eyelashes.
It fell gently, dripping onto the tip of the knife.
That tear seemed to be some kind of signal, prompting Jiang Xu to glance at it curiously.
He has seen many people cry, and he is most annoyed by people crying in front of him.
She can only blame her bad luck; she was sent by that scoundrel Mao Maochong, the Grand Marshal of Youzhou.
but......
That's really stupid.
After putting on airs for so long, not only did he fail to utter any useful information, but he also naively thought he could get away unscathed.
Jiang Xu stared at the blood seeping from the tip of the knife, his tone devoid of any apology, "Consider this apologetic for your reckless words."
Shi Wan felt a splitting pain in her chest. Before she could even catch her breath, a guard suddenly splashed a bucket of cold water on her face. In an instant, most of the mud that had been smeared on her face was washed away, gradually revealing her original appearance.
With bright eyes and white teeth, a few strands of messy hair covered her cheeks, and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, showing a hint of anger and timidity.
Due to blood loss, her fair skin appeared even more frail and delicate, a sight that evoked pity in me.
Fortunately, Jiang Xu has always been a cold-hearted and indifferent person.
Unaffected in the slightest, he even smiled slightly, saying, "As the old saying goes, it's better to kill the innocent than to let the guilty go free."
If someone unaware of the inside story were to see it, they would probably remark that the smile was as warm and gentle as a spring breeze.
The more Jiang Xu laughed, the more terrified Shi Wan became.
Shi Wan's vision blurred slightly. Driven by her survival instinct, her pleas for mercy came like beads from a broken string, scattering one after another, falling to the ground, and rolling to Jiang Xu's ears. "You're joking... Today, all the mistakes are my fault." The disparity in strength was too great, and she had no choice but to bow her head. Her desire to live was too strong, and suddenly the words that were stuck in Shi Wan's throat didn't seem so difficult to say anymore.
"Now that I have apologized, may I beg you to spare my life?"
Her tone was extremely humble, "I just want you to let me out, just leave me anywhere on the ground outside."
Jiang Xu remained silent, his dark eyes fixed on her. Just as Shi Wan's heart was about to plummet to freezing point, he finally spoke leisurely, "I accepted the jade token, which means I have accepted you. Since I have already accepted you, why should I release you?" He added meaningfully, "It is already late. You are a weak woman. If you leave this door, your life or death will be uncertain."
How could Shi Wan not understand the implications?
Even if she is released, she will most likely die anyway.
But if I stay here, I'll probably die even faster.
After all, there aren't any lunatics like that outside, who would stab someone before even exchanging a couple of words.
The saying "to hold a grudge and seek revenge" is indeed true.
She suppressed the hatred in her heart, meekly lowered her head, and when she opened her mouth, an uncontrollable bloody smell instantly surged in her throat, "Cough..." After pausing for two breaths, Shi Wan asked cautiously, "Then what do you mean, Your Excellency?"
"Stay by my side."
The sentence was spoken in a neutral tone, but coming from the other person, it sounded like a handout.
At this moment, Shi Wan's thoughts were even more confused, but she could still clearly hear the intention of charity in Jiang Xu's words, and upon closer inspection, she could also detect a hint of impatience.
It was a blatant display of impatience with her ungrateful behavior.
Overwhelmed with grief, Shi Wan could no longer hold on and fainted after her vision went black.
The woman's eyes were tightly closed, lifeless. Yet, despite this, every movement was like that of a fairy in a painting; her exposed, delicate hands were dazzlingly white, catching Jiang Xu's eye and causing him to pause slightly.
"He certainly has a fiery temper." Thinking of that face that he found somewhat agreeable, he hesitated for a moment, then casually said, "Find a doctor to take a look at him."
"No need to be too meticulous, just wake them up."
Lest the news reach Youzhou before the person dies here.
That's really unlucky.
......
*
In mid-March, the temperature in Jichuan rose somewhat.
After several days of intermittent rain, the gray sky finally showed some signs of clearing.
Just past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the courtyard, washed clean by the rain, now mostly sprouted new buds from the flowers that had been drooping just half a month ago. Warm sunlight streamed down, filtering through the straight-lattice windows, turning the dappled light into vertical stripes that cast long, thin shadows on the ground.
Inside the room, Shi Wan was awakened by excruciating pain.
The golden halo shone on her pale face, revealing her utter terror.
Her thoughts were in such a mess that for a moment she couldn't even distinguish between dreams and reality.
Fortunately, the excruciating pain in her chest served as a subtle reminder of everything that had happened to Shi Wan that night.
Since being chosen by Mother Wu three months ago, Shi Wan has been experiencing occasional chest pains and recurring dreams whenever she falls asleep.
This time, however, the dream progressed much further.
The whispers amplified infinitely in my ears, each word piercing my heart.
Shi Wan was startled, her body twitched involuntarily twice, and she suddenly looked up, feeling dizzy.
The pain in her chest intensified, making it almost impossible for her to maintain a calm demeanor.
Outside the window, the sunlight grew stronger.
Shi Wan had been traveling at night for several days in a row. Now, seeing the light for the first time, a few tears welled up in her eyes, and her cherry lips were bitten until they turned slightly white. After a few breaths, she forced herself to face the glaring light outside the window.
The light grew brighter and brighter. Shi Wan blinked, and a figure suddenly appeared in front of the Ruyi pattern on the door.
The door creaked open, and a maid carrying a wooden tray strolled in. Her eyes met Shi Wan's suddenly, and a moment of stunned silence crossed her face. She stared intently at Shi Wan's face for a long while before finally managing to utter, "You...you're awake?"
The maid, named Yu'er, looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. Realizing her lapse in decorum, she coughed twice to clear Shi Wan's mind, "You were brought here at dawn today, and I've been taking care of you ever since." Seemingly having never seen such a beautiful woman before, Yu'er couldn't help but steal a few more glances at her, and kindly reminded her, "From now on, we'll be working together."
Yu'er hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Sister, you're so beautiful, why did you decide to become a maid?"
Maid?
Shi Wan was quietly observing everything around her when she heard this, and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as he survived, everything else can be discussed later.
Whether they were singers or maids, they could at least have food to eat.
Seeing that Yu'er's gaze kept lingering on her face, she smiled slightly and asked in a drawn-out tone, "King Jing... is a great general who has conquered all directions and has superb martial arts. To be able to serve in the courtyard under the King is an excellent job these days."
Seeing the beauty smile, Yu'er immediately blurted out, "Ah, that's right. There's a war going on outside every day. Under the King, at least we don't have to live in fear of losing our lives every day."
Shi Wan: "...Indeed."
With Yu'er's help, Shi Wan's confused thoughts gradually cleared up.
When the Jingbei army attacked Jichuan, the Jichuan prefect fled with his wife and family first. Now, several days later, order has been initially established in the city, and the Jingbei King and his entourage moved in this morning.
The prefect's mansion was built to be spacious and magnificent. Although the servants' quarters were not large, they were fully equipped, with one room for each person.
After exchanging names, Shi Wan realized that Yu'er happened to live next door, which made her feel a little more at ease.
She had anticipated the worst-case scenario, so she quickly accepted it.
But the relaxed atmosphere didn't last long before a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door again. Pushing open the door, it was the guard Shi Wan had seen in prison, his face serious, saying that the king was looking for her.
A note from the author:
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A demon's whisper: Are you there? [Glasses]
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