54 She wants to live
"Let me out!"
When Qi Gu woke up, everything was pitch black. Her eyes were covered with a strip of cloth, her mouth was also tied with a strip of cloth, her hands were tied behind her back to the chair, and her feet were also tied firmly to the chair legs with ropes.
The only part of her body she could move was her neck, so she tried her best to tilt her head and rub off the cloth strip that Song Shi had tied to her mouth with her shoulder. She kept rubbing and rubbing until her neck ached and the skin on both sides of her mouth was peeling off. Finally, the cloth strips on her eyes and mouth fell off one after the other.
Qi Gu was covered in sweat. She looked around and realized that she was locked in a dilapidated house with the door tightly locked. This must be Song Shi's hiding place in the capital.
She now only hopes that Fulian can find her soon. She was indeed too loud to Fulian before, and now the retribution has come so quickly.
Qi Gu, carrying a heavy chair behind her, went to the door and banged it against the wooden door, shouting, "Help! Is anyone outside?! Help!"
"Help! Is anyone outside?!"
She shouted until her throat was hoarse, but there was no sound outside. Song Shi was able to hide here because no one could possibly pass by nearby. After all the commotion, Qi Gu collapsed into a chair, exhausted.
Damn Song Shi, what is he trying to do by capturing her? He doesn't seem to have any grudge against her. No, wait, Qi Gu thought of Chen Zhan. The only connection between her and Song Shi was Chen Zhan. Could it be that he came to the capital this time to rescue Chen Zhan?
However, ever since Sima Hong escorted Chen Zhan back to the capital, she had heard nothing more from him. Her status was already awkward, and Chen Zhan's identity could not be made public, so she didn't ask any further questions.
So why did Song Shi think that capturing her would save Chen Zhan? Did she intend to use herself to persuade Empress Xie to release Qi Gu?
With the newly born princess and the still spirited but defeated and self-immolated son of the Prince of Yan, what was Song Shi really thinking? Did he truly believe that his mother would release Chen Zhan because of this?
Thinking of this, Qi Gu shuddered, not because of the cold, but because if Song Shizhen really had this idea, then Chen Zhan wouldn't survive, and she would also be doomed. Her mother wouldn't be controlled by others. In the palace coup in her previous life, Sima Hong ordered the arrows to be fired without blinking an eye. It must have been a decision made jointly with her mother after discussing it.
Thinking of this, Qi Gu was no longer tired or sleepy. She couldn't let herself fall into that situation where she could only wait for someone to choose, save, or abandon her. She had to live. She still had her father, and their "experiment" had to continue!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The loud impacts shook the wooden door, sending dust and sawdust flying. But the heavy lock on the door, like a giant venomous snake, seemed to be condemning the door, its forked tongue proclaiming four words: "No Entry!"
Her wrists and ankles were bloody and mangled from the intense friction between her body and the chair, but Qi Gu felt no pain whatsoever. Compared to this pain, death was far more terrifying.
As long as she escapes, she won't become a pawn to be sacrificed or abandoned at will. No matter what Song Shi wants to do with her, as long as he can't find her, she can survive.
"Let me out!"
Is anyone there?
"Someone come here!"
"Help!"
"Huff huff huff!!" Qi Gu gasped for breath, her hands and feet bound behind her back. She used the chair behind her to bang on the door and shouted for a long time, exhausting herself.
This can't go on. Song Shi will be back soon, and when he returns, she will suffer a terrible death.
Qi Gu rested for only a short while before standing up again. The house had been uninhabited for many years and smelled musty. There was nothing inside, and even rats would shake their heads if they came.
Suddenly! The dark oil lamp stand on the table caught her attention.
Just as she was trying to figure out how to smash the oil lamp stand off the table, the door behind her suddenly opened, letting in light. Standing in the doorway was Song Shi!
Qi Gu silently watched Song Shi at the door and quietly backed away.
Song Shi glanced at Qi Gu's face. The blindfold and gag he had tied around her mouth when he left were gone. She was covered in dust and dirt, and her big eyes stared at him warily, like a frightened weasel.
She's cunning, clever, and despicable! If it weren't for her, our master wouldn't have been captured. Back then, the Prince of Yan was bewitched by Zhao Ji, and now, our young master is also bewitched by this woman. Truly, beauty is a curse!
During the Song Dynasty, the responsibility for Chen Zhan's capture by Sima Hong was attributed to Qi Gu.
Unexpectedly, the woman in front of him was actually the daughter of the Empress of the Great Jin Dynasty. It was truly a stroke of luck. After arriving in the capital, he immediately began to secretly follow Qi Gu, and finally found an opportunity to make a move against her.
Back then, the Empress of the Great Jin Dynasty was once a prisoner of the Yan Kingdom. Now, her daughter has also fallen into his hands. It's truly fate.
Back then, the Jin emperor was willing to abandon even his wife and daughter, truly a despicable villain. I wonder if the empress can bear to part with her own daughter.
In his opinion, it was probably something he couldn't bear to part with. Qi Le had once told him that when the Prince of Yan was chasing Chu Pei, who was just a bandit at the time, Chu Pei abandoned his wife and two children on the carriage in order to save his own life.
Such a despicable person, Heaven has no eyes, actually let him become the final victor and gain this world. Song Shi gritted his teeth and thought, it is really unfair. What right does such a despicable person, who is disloyal, unjust and unkind, have to be the ruler of the world?
If they don't let the young master go, then he will expose all the shameful things he has done, including the fact that the empress was once a prisoner. The empress of a country was once a prisoner. He also heard that Chu Pei, that despicable villain, now favors a concubine surnamed Guo who has given birth to a son and a daughter.
He refused to believe that this treacherous couple, if they didn't care about their daughter, could also care about their own reputation. How could Empress Zhang allow the world to know that she had once been a prisoner, or even that her mortal enemy, Consort Guo, would know?
Song Shi was engrossed in his perfect plan. Today, he had already delivered the secret letter to the residence of Empress Zhang's younger sister. Soon, my lord, I will be able to rescue you.
As for the person in front of you, it's no use trying to make things worse.
"I need to use the restroom! I need water and food!" Qi Gu thought. Song Shi must have captured her to make an exchange. Since that's the case, he won't let her die. She has to find a way to escape!
Looking at Qi Gu, who had been wary just moments before, Song Shi now spoke with righteous indignation, "Do you still consider yourself a noble princess?"
"Go to the outhouse? Hold it in! Are you thirsty or hungry?" Song Shi walked up to Qi Gu and placed his hands on her shoulders.
The chair behind Qi Gu fell to the ground, and she stumbled and sat down. Song gave a vicious sneer, "Bear with it!"
"Don't think I don't know. You want to use me to exchange for Chen Zhan. My death will do you no good!" Qi Guyu threatened, determined to fight to the death.
Song Shi, however, was not afraid. "You dare to bargain with me? You'd better pray that your despicable parents are willing to exchange their master for you. Otherwise, I'll kill you right now!"
"If you kill me, your master won't survive either!"
Song Shi, however, seemed confident and said, "Don't worry, even if you're useless, I still have a way to rescue my master. It's just a pity for you, poor village princess. First, you were thrown off the carriage by your own father, and then abandoned by your own mother. You've been wandering among the common people for seven or eight years, and now you're about to die after only a few days of enjoying happiness. Hahaha!" Song Shi seemed to be very happy to see Qi Gu suffer misfortune.
"You! What other ideas do you have?" Qi Gu asked weakly, but still asked casually.
“Of course, it’s because Empress Zhang once served in the Yan Kingdom…” Song Shi stopped speaking and turned his gaze to Qi Gu, “At this point, you should be worried about your own life.”
Qi Gu thought, it's a pity that I almost got him to tell me, but what does this have to do with the Empress Dowager?
Regardless, she needed to find a way to escape before considering anything else, so she asked again, "Can you let me go to the outhouse?"
"cannot."
"I want to drink water!!"
"No!"
"How about a cornbread?"
"no."
Qi Gu finally stopped talking, and Song Shi thought she had given up. But after a while, Qi Gu's voice rang out again with the same question, "I need to use the restroom."
"cannot."
"I want to drink water!!"
"No!"
"How about a cornbread?"
"no."
After this back and forth countless times, Song Shi finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "Shut up, you're too noisy."
Qi Gu seemed to only know these three sentences, and started a new round of "I need to go to the toilet" and "I need to drink water and eat something" tirelessly.
Song Shi finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up to look at Qi Gu.
Qi Gu finally changed her tune, "So you gave me permission?"
Song Shi walked up to Qi Gu with a sinister look on his face and pulled the strip of cloth that had been used to gag her from her neck.
Qi Gu's mouth was tied back up, "Waaah!!" But she could only watch helplessly as Song Shi turned and left.
This time, Song Shi returned very quickly. Before Qi Gu could even think of a way to get the candlesticks from the square table, he was back, carrying an oil paper package containing millet cakes.
He stood in front of Qi Gu, and by then the daylight outside had already dimmed, casting his shadow over her.
Song Shi, in a show of great compassion, said, "Forget about the outhouse. I can give you some cakes, but don't waste your breath. Can you do that?"
Qi Gu nodded, and Song Shi removed the gag from her mouth again. She thought Song Shi would loosen his grip on her hands briefly, but Song Shi had no such intention.
He broke the cake into small pieces and fed them to Qi Gu, like feeding a small animal—a weasel with gleaming eyes.
Looking at the pancake in front of her, Qi Gu was starving. She had to eat for the sake of her escape plan. She glanced at the pancake Song Shi handed her, then lowered her head and, holding it in his hand, deliberately chewed it voraciously, eating in a very unrefined manner.
After finishing a millet cake, Qi Gu said, "I want to drink water."
Song Shi said with disdain, "I have never seen such a vulgar princess or lady before."
"When you become a prisoner like me, you might not even be as good as me." Qi Gu then seized the opportunity to add, "I need some water!"
This time, Song Shi did not refuse. He took out a water pouch from behind his back and fed it to Qi Gu.
But he only fed him a few mouthfuls before taking the water chestnut back. Qi Gu frowned as she looked at him, and Song Shi said, "I'm doing this for your own good, so you won't drink too much water and then have to go to the toilet."
"What good will it do you if I suffocate!" Qi Gu said viciously. Actually, what she really wanted was to go to the outhouse, where the chances of escaping would be the highest!
"There's no benefit to it, I just do it because I'm happy."
"You..." In the end, Aunt Qi still couldn't go to the toilet smoothly!
Meanwhile, at the residence of Marquis Guangshun, Marquis Quzhou held the secret letter that had been shot by an arrow by an unknown person.
Yuan Kuai stood to the side, looking at the contents of the arrow with a grave expression.
If the princess's abduction is related to Chen Zhan, then this is no small matter.
Marquis Quzhou said, "No, I must go to the palace to find my elder sister." This matter is now too complicated, and if this person is affiliated with the Yan state, there might be other conspiracies behind it.
Marquis Qu Zhou hurriedly came out of his mansion and was about to board his carriage when he saw a dashing young man in a white robe strolling towards him under the moonlight.
It's Sima Hong. What's he doing here? Marquis Qu Zhou looked at Sima Hong warily. Could it be that he knows something?
"Lord Quzhou, don't worry. I have no ill intentions towards your family or Aunt Qi. I'm here to help you and Aunt Qi."
Marquis Quzhou was puzzled: "Lord Sima, as far as I know, you and our manor have always been quite close. I don't know why you sent people to spy on our manor, but I have no intention of making enemies with the Sima family. I also ask Lord Sima to withdraw your people." Marquis Quzhou had experienced the chaos of the times, and once he raised his aura, it was still somewhat frightening.
The person before him was Sima Hong, whose expression remained unreadable. “Lord Quzhou, please calm down. I did not deliberately inquire about your residence. I only learned by chance who abducted Qi Gu. Moreover, this matter concerns Chen Zhan, so I feel I have an inescapable responsibility.”
[Author's Note]
Qi Gu: This time I will not trust anyone again, I will save myself!
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