Chapter Sixty
Zhou Yanqing suppressed his hatred, turned around, took her hand, and gently rubbed it to calm his breathing. The fear of almost losing her that day kept flashing through his mind.
After a long while, he suppressed his anger and said softly, "Don't worry, he'll confess in a little while."
Si Yanmo didn't know what to say for a moment. Hearing the pig-like screams from the other side, she couldn't bear it, so she pulled him away a little further away.
"Why won't you let me ask about the Third Prince? I want to know..."
"You want to know if King Qi and Zhou Junsong conspired together, right?"
Si Yanmo nodded.
"Silly girl, you're underestimating these people." Zhou Yanqing raised her hand and rubbed her head.
Under the shade of the trees, the dappled sunlight made her face look even more beautiful, making his heart flutter.
“They’re no pushovers. If they find out you still doubt Zhou Junsong, they’ll drag him down with them. Whatever the truth is, just enough to make you wary.”
All's fair in war, that's the principle.
Si Yanmo suddenly realized that her thoughts had been seen through by the spy, and she became worried. "Then now..."
"Don't worry, there's no one they can't get to talk." Zhou Yanqing looked confidently toward the altar.
He believed that an answer would be available soon.
The most painful thing is to be so consciously aware of the process of being subjected to slow slicing.
That kind of pain is also the most bizarre. It doesn't hurt when the incision is made, but after a while you can feel a fine pain, and then it gets more and more painful and clearer.
The pain in one place hadn't even subsided when it started flaring up in another.
You will gradually become numb, but as long as you add a little external force, or burn the fragrance of orchids from Lanyu, all the nerves in your body will be activated, every sense will be amplified, and you can even clearly feel the knife cutting into your body.
Unable to live or die, even the toughest mouth can be pried open.
Zhou Yanqing's premonition was right. In less than a quarter of an hour, the spy could no longer hold on. Almost all of his limbs were in good condition, and he fainted several times from the pain. However, he was forcibly woken up by these people. After several times of pain, he almost lost his senses.
"Your Highness, I was wrong, I'll tell you, I'll tell you..."
He gritted his teeth, cold sweat from the pain dripping down his wisps of hair onto the blood-stained blade.
Zhou Yanqing raised his hand, and a group of soldiers automatically retreated to both sides. The leader, who was holding a dagger, was still somewhat disappointed. He reluctantly made way and muttered, "This is boring. I thought he was tough enough."
As Zhou Yanqing led Si Yanmo over, the spy hurriedly spoke, fearing that if he was even a second late, he would have to endure the agony of being slowly sliced to death again.
"King Qi only said... only said that I should capture Mo Li alive... he would find someone to take over... the rest... I know nothing about..."
Every word this person spoke was accompanied by a grimace of pain.
"Is that all?" Zhou Yanqing's eyes sharpened.
The spy nodded frantically, but the person in front of him didn't react.
Clearly, this was not the answer he wanted.
He hurriedly added, "I'm telling the truth! I really don't know anything..."
It seems he hasn't learned his lesson yet. Zhou Yanqing waved his hand and said, "Continue."
"Wait!" Now he really panicked. If it happened again, he would really be in excruciating pain!
“I communicate with Prince Qi via carrier pigeons, and each time I can only give limited information. I really don’t know anything else, but! I… I’ve heard that there are people in Nandu looking for Mo Li. Prince Qi must be trying to seize the initiative.”
“Nandu?” Zhou Yanqing frowned.
At this moment, Si Yanmo remembered what Zhong Zihe had said earlier and leaned close to his ear, whispering, "Indeed, there are two groups of people looking for me. One group should be the Third Prince's people, and the other group is unclear, but they are also members of the royal family."
Zhou Yanqing's pupils contracted, both angry and worried. "Why didn't you tell me all this?"
"I...I thought this had nothing to do with you, so...I didn't say anything." Si Yanmo met his worried gaze and felt inexplicably guilty.
“It has nothing to do with me? You are my…” He wanted to say his wife, but stopped himself and changed it to “Witch Doctor”.
"You are my shaman, and they all want to capture you. You say it has nothing to do with me? What will I do if something happens to you?"
Si Yanmo never expected that she had only had her fortune told a few times in Nandu, so why were Prince Qi and the royal family now targeting her?
"I thought they just wanted to recruit me. I figured I was already your shaman, they couldn't just take me away, could they? Little did I know, they really would..."
Zhou Yanqing sighed deeply. How could this fool think of the world so simply?
"Do you know that for them, if they can't have it, they won't give it to me? They'll kill you!"
His roar was accompanied by a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, and his eyes were red-rimmed; his usually cold gaze was now filled with panic.
This was a scene that the soldiers around him had never witnessed in all the years they had followed him. They didn't even dare to look for long, fearing that if His Highness the King of Qin reacted in the next second, they would be in trouble.
Si Yanmo looked at the puppy in front of her, who seemed worried that she would be abandoned, and felt a little lost.
Previously, her arguments with Zhou Yanqing were limited to disagreements, but this time it was different. It wasn't just a simple disagreement, but a concern mixed with anger.
She had only ever seen this kind of emotion in her parents; this was the first time she had ever seen a stranger show such an expression.
She knew he wasn't really angry, but facing this emotion for the first time, she didn't know how to respond; it seemed like anything she said would be wrong.
"I understand..." She could only weakly reach out and tug at the man's sleeve, her voice soft and somewhat helpless, "I was wrong, I'll tell you next time, okay?"
When she was little and didn't know any better, she was scolded like this a few times, and she would just obediently lower her head and admit her mistake. I don't know if that still works now.
Zhou Yanqing lowered her head and looked at the small hand tugging at her sleeve. Instantly, all her anger vanished, replaced by the daggers brought by Ye Shenge.
He coughed lightly, suppressing his inner impulse, and softened his voice, "You must tell me next time."
His calloused hand touched the back of her hand, conveying helplessness, tenderness, and restraint.
Just then, a chicken from the training ground wandered over and cackled twice, making the two realize that there was a group of bachelors watching the spectacle nearby.
The sunlight turned into a blush, filtering through their ears.
Si Yanmo blushed and tried to pull her hand away, but the man grabbed it and pretended to be serious in her ear, "Princess Qin, there might be spies here. Do you want Prince Qi to think that you and I are not getting along and arrest you? He's a decrepit old man."
She was intimidated and abandoned the idea, letting him hold her hand.
Seeing this, someone raised the corners of their lips smugly, pulled her away, and turned back to instruct, "Chen Wu, ask everything that needs to be asked."
What Si Yanmo didn't know was that there were no spies left. The military camp had already been cleared out. Even if there were, the scene at Wufeng Pass would have been reenacted when the spy confessed.
Zhou Yanqing looked at their clasped hands with satisfaction, her heart overflowing with sweetness.
I should find more excuses like this in the future...
Back in the tent, Si Yanmo became anxious. "If what you say is true, then what exactly is our situation now?"
For a moment, she didn't know who was in more danger, herself or Zhou Yanqing.
She was initially said to be the one who saved Zhou Yanqing, but now it seems like she's the one who won't live past a year.
Zhou Yanqing didn't answer, but poured her a cup of mung bean water that the deputy general had brought, saying, "It's too hot outside, this will help you cool down."
Si Yanmo was also thirsty, so she took the drink and took a big gulp.
Then he asked, "Who do you think the third group is?"
"I don't know." Si Yanmo shook her head.
She did not see the existence of this third group of people in her destiny. In her previous life, amidst the conflicts between Zhou Junsong and the other princes, she couldn't think of anyone who would care about her.
"But it's probably some concubine or prince."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqing also lowered her head and began to ponder: The eldest prince is at the border and cannot pay attention to these things, the second prince is long dead, the fourth and fifth are girls, the sixth prince? The Empress Dowager who raised the ninth prince? Or the tenth prince who is still in swaddling clothes?
But no matter who it is, Si Yanmo's situation is much more dangerous than his right now.
Many in the royal family knew his identity, especially those in the harem. They wanted him dead even more than the Prince of Qi, since no one wanted their child to have such a big threat by their side in the future.
If any of them knew of Si Yanmo's existence, they would either try to win her over like Zhou Junsong, or they would eliminate her as soon as possible.
“Amo, we…” He looked up, meeting his boss Yanmo’s confused gaze, his eyes filled with deep affection and reluctance, “Let’s get a divorce.”
Zhou Yanqing had no idea how she managed to utter those words.
He had only recently realized his feelings for Si Yanmo, and he was still thinking about making this silly girl fall in love with him, wanting to go to the opera with her, and working together to transform Qin into the place she wanted.
But... he absolutely could not let the woman he loved be caught up in such a bloody battle because of him.
Si Yanmo was taken aback at first, but then she remained calm and even smiled, "Okay."
"What did you say?"
Zhou Yanqing's eyes widened, feeling a strange mix of emotions, like a puppy bringing a bone to its owner, expecting the owner not to accept it, but the owner immediately starting to gnaw on it.
He hadn't expected Si Yanmo to agree so readily. He felt both happy that she would be safe and sound, and also aggrieved that she could leave him so without any regrets.
He almost lost his voice, “Okay…then I…I will send you away as soon as possible.”
"Don't rush, help me choose my next lord first!" Si Yanmo said with great interest. "You know, the people of Qi are good at business, so the King of Qi should be able to give me a lot of salary, right?"
She actually has the mind to pay attention to this?!
Zhou Yanqing's heart was filled with even more complex emotions, a subtle pain rising within her. She retorted with some dissatisfaction, "No way!"
"That old bastard Qi Yuanheng is the most vicious. His world is all about coercion, not bribery!"
Upon hearing this, Si Yanmo changed her tone, "Then... what about the third group we were talking about? Whether it's that prince or the empress, they should be very generous, right?"
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