Chapter 1: Prison of Heaven "After one day of absence, Master Wen has learned to throw himself into my arms...
Snowy night, sky prison.
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, declares that the Wen family has colluded with the enemy, a crime unforgivable. All officials in the palace are ordered to be executed tomorrow. Mr. Wen, please accept my order—" The old eunuch finished his chant and pointed a finger towards the prison cell. "Go, bring out the Wen family's youngest son and torture him."
The young man kneeling at the end of the crowd was dragged out forcibly. His face was as white as snow, and he looked like a weak willow in the wind, but his round eyes were frighteningly bright.
"Whose people are you? His Majesty, or the Princess?"
Having not had water for half a day, his voice was inevitably hoarse, but he spoke at a steady pace, with eyes as bright as flowing spring water, his thin lips slightly parted, and in just a dozen words, he inexplicably revealed a sense of temptation.
The old eunuch's gaze lingered for a moment on his face, which was covered in dust but still handsome. He did not answer, but signaled his men to start the torture.
The thorny whip fell on the back, bringing out horrific blood and sounds. The pain was unbearable for ordinary people, let alone a sickly person like Wen Zheliu.
The blood drained from his already pale cheeks. Wen Zheliu was forced to kneel on the ground by the strong man, but he didn't stop talking.
"Eunuch Sanxi, who on earth is behind you?"
"You are a dying man, yet you talk too much." Chen Sanxi listened to his repeated questions with impatience, "You have always been at odds with Princess Pingyang, and Your Majesty is only giving her face."
There was a fishy and sweet taste in the throat, and I could smell the cold smile of the willow.
It was indeed the work of his old enemy He Jiuyue. He had just sarcastically said to her at the palace banquet yesterday, "The Grand Marshal shouldn't be so frivolous," and she couldn't tolerate him like that.
But what he said was wrong?
He Jiuyue is a princess, and she inherited the military power from her deceased mother, the eldest princess. At the age of nineteen, she was promoted to the rank of Grand Marshal, holding the tiger talisman and commanding all the troops in the world. The current emperor has no children, and she is in a high position and has great power, so she should share the worries of His Majesty.
It was clear that before the war, she kept a distance from him and would blush when she accidentally touched his fingertips. Why was it that after he returned, she hugged him left and right and stayed in Zuifeng Tower every day?
Before this, she practiced hard during the day and came to Wen Mansion at night. She was the best student in the class, and as a tutor, he made up for the knowledge he had missed in the Imperial College. He leaned on the bed and coughed, asking her why she was so tired. She turned her head and handed him a handkerchief, saying that she wanted to serve her country.
"I will not rest until Xiyue is eliminated."
It was the hottest time of the year, and he was so frightened that he felt a chill in his bones and was shivering. She hated the people of Xiyue to the core, but fortunately, she didn't know that he had the blood of the Xiyue royal family flowing in his bones.
He first came into contact with her only because he was following the orders of his father, the royal family of Xiyue, to establish a good relationship with her. However, his handsome face was so bright and eye-catching that even though there were many jealous people, he still attracted their attention.
Only she turned a blind eye to it, always keeping a lukewarm distance from him, and just treated him as a tutor.
He coughed for three quarters of an hour on the couch, and she sat beside him motionless with the book in her hand. He became angry and snatched the bamboo scroll from her hand.
"He Jiyue, look at me, I don't believe your eyes are empty!"
She really looked over and met his round, reproachful eyes. Her face immediately turned red all the way to her neck. Her hands, which could normally carry a thousand-pound sword, could not even pull a scroll back from the palm of a long-ill person.
"...break the willow tree and respect yourself."
She was the one who said she had self-respect, but she was also the one who crossed the line.
At the palace banquet yesterday, she pinched his jaw until it hurt, and called him with a smile: "Beauty, mouth."
It's also his fault for meddling in other people's business, but after being undercover in Da Cang for eighteen years, how could he have developed improper thoughts about Princess Da Cang that were more than just a friend?
She didn't even consider him as her close friend of many years, but just a lowly servant.
Hot tears rolled down the corners of his eyes, washed away the dust on his face, and fell to the ground, like flakes of white snow falling in the dark night sky.
The sound of footsteps shook the earth, and the remaining snow fell from the branches of the osmanthus tree in the princess's mansion.
"Princess, great news!" The red-dressed woman rushed into the inner courtyard and happened to see He Jiuyue slowly pulling the servant's black hair. Her voice rose three degrees, "Oh my, it's only been half a day since we last saw each other, and you're playing again?"
The handsome man in blue, who was holding a serving tray with his head down, uttered a sweet "Ah" and shrank into the arms of the woman in gorgeous clothes who was playing with his hair: "Princess, my heart is so anxious, please come and listen~"
He Jiuyue had thick eyebrows as black as ink. Although he had a pair of affectionate peach blossom eyes, his lips were always pursed, revealing his cold and unapproachable nature.
She dodged the handsome man's advances without leaving a trace, crumpled the note in her palm into a ball, threw it into the brazier and burned it to ashes, then raised her peach blossom eyes to melt the ice hidden in her brows.
"Chen Jin, a night of spring is worth a thousand gold. Why can't we talk about it later? Can't you see that this princess is doting on someone?"
"I don't mean to disturb your pleasure, but this matter is truly gratifying. Didn't your old enemy Wen Zheliu steal your limelight at the palace banquet yesterday? He's been imprisoned today!"
Seeing Xiaoqing's eyes full of inquiry, He Jiyue slowly stroked his hair and pretended not to know: "What happened to him?"
Chen Jin's eyebrows danced with joy. "His mother, the Prime Minister, has colluded with the enemy. The Emperor has just issued an edict to execute the entire Wen family tomorrow! That's great! No one will tell you what to do. Come, let's go to the Drunken Wind Tower... What are you going to do with your cloak?"
"You go by yourself. I need to go to the palace."
He Jiuyue climbed onto the horse, his face still stained with the makeup of a handsome man, but his movements showed no sign of being slow and indulging in wine and meat. Chen Jin was dazed for a moment, He Jiuyue's posture was like that of a heroic general who was strict with himself and never indulged himself.
"Why are you entering the palace now? Don't you want this beauty anymore?" Chen Jin didn't show it on his face.
"I'm going to look for a beautiful woman."
He Jiuyue turned around suddenly and smiled brilliantly, revealing her sharp fangs: "Wen Zheliu was so beautiful, it's a pity that she died!"
"Princess, wait a moment!" Chen Jin led another horse from the stable and quickly caught up with He Jiuyue. After confirming that they had left the Princess's Mansion and that there were no more spies of the Emperor around, he whispered in her ear, "I am the only one here. Princess, there is no need to be so restrained."
"Sorry, I'm used to it." He Jiuyue suppressed his charming expression, frowned, and waved his hand, "Let's go to the Sky Prison."
"Yes." Chen Jin was about to follow, but when he lowered his eyes and saw the tiger talisman casually held in He Jiuyue's hand, his eyes widened.
"Why did you bring the Tiger Tally with you? Emperor Jingming is alienated from you and even broke up with you because of this Tiger Tally, isn't it? With 50,000 Red Armored Soldiers stationed outside the capital, she doesn't dare to touch you. If you hand over the Tiger Tally, you... I'm afraid you won't be able to return!"
"Don't worry, I'm just putting on a show." He Jiuyue waved his whip high, "I'm always taking risks. You know I'm always like that."
The sound of horse hooves faded away, but the sound of whipping continued in the torture chamber.
Seeing Wen Zheliu's flesh and blood flying away, with only his last breath left, Wen Xiang gritted her teeth and endured it again and again, but in the end she could not bear it anymore. Although Wen Zheliu was not her own flesh and blood, she had raised him for eighteen years. How could she bear to see him beaten to death like this?
"If you want to fight, then fight me. I was confused for a moment and colluded with the enemy. Zheliu was young and knew nothing about it. This colluding with the enemy has nothing to do with Zheliu!"
Chen Sanxi sneered, "The emperor specifically requested Wen Zheliu, so why would Prime Minister Wen step forward?"
Not only did she speak up, but the Wen family's husband, who had remained silent since being imprisoned, also opened his arms and limped in front of the executioner's whip: "Zheliu's old illness from when he was imprisoned has relapsed. If you keep beating him like this, he will die!"
Chen Sanxi shrugged: "You and your husband are so united, that's fine, then let's fight together."
"Let go of my mother and my brother!"
Unlike his mother and father who had no martial arts skills, Wen Liu, the eldest son of the Wen family, practiced martial arts since he was young and was very strong. He suddenly jumped up, snatched the guard's spear, and put it across Chen Sanxi's neck, roaring like a tiger: "If anyone moves, I will kill him!"
Coercion is indeed more effective than begging. Chen Sanxi, who was lying down just now, was so scared that his face turned pale and he immediately called his subordinates while trembling.
"No one, don't move!"
When the Wen family's wife saw their eldest son restraining Chen Sanxi, they hurried to help Wen Zheliu, saying, "Zheliu, run!"
Wen Zheliu heard a buzzing in his ears, as if covered with dust. He coughed intermittently and choked on blood before he could hear what they were saying.
But the prison was packed with guards. He was already weak and had never practiced martial arts. His hands and feet had no strength at all. How could he run? Moreover, the Prime Minister's Mansion had been raided, and most of the lines of communication with Xiyue were cut off. Where could he run to?
His body's reaction was greater than his doubts, and the desire to survive prompted Wen Zheliu to stand up and move out.
His legs went weak and he bumped headfirst into the leader of the group who had just come in through the narrow gap in the door.
The man's clothes were slightly damp and as cold as ice and snow, but the muscles underneath were warm and strong. Just a moment's contact through the clothes made people feel at ease.
Her voice was familiar and carefree: "After not seeing you for just one day, has Master Wen learned to throw himself into my arms?"
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