In the dimly lit prison cell, Chi Yan walked at a leisurely pace.
Chi Jingyu raised his head, his face pale, his eyes mocking: "Lord Chi is quite the star now."
Chi Yan lowered her eyes to examine him, her tone indifferent: "Are you particularly unwilling to accept this?"
Chi Jingyu's jaw tightened, inadvertently revealing a hint of emotion: "The winner is king, the loser is a bandit."
He pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince, thinking he had everything under control, but the Crown Prince did not trust him and even gave up the throne.
He became a prisoner because he chose the wrong side, and it cannot be ruled out that Chi Yan was deliberately retaliating against him.
Chi Yan gave a very slight twitch of his lips. Half of his face was hidden in shadow, and the flickering light in his eyes made them appear somewhat obscure and difficult to decipher.
"Chi Jingyu, you've lived two lifetimes and still ended up in my hands. How does that feel?"
Chi Jingyu's pupils contracted sharply, a disbelieving thought flashing through her mind. She looked up at him and said, "You..."
Chi Yan chuckled lightly, his gaze on him subtle yet cold: "Don't worry, I won't let you die too easily."
*
After Yan Mingyi ascended the throne, there were still many dissenting voices in the first year. Some students even wrote a joint letter to protest, believing that ruling the country as a woman was a step backward.
Chi Yan handled this matter. He's a man who acts with a lot of unbridled behavior. When he's in a good mood, he's gentler in his methods, but when he's in a bad mood, well, he's on his own.
Therefore, opinions about him varied, from the imperial court to the common people.
He singled out a few troublemakers as a warning to others, and the unrest was quickly suppressed with swift and decisive action, since no one would gamble with their career.
But after another two years, the voices of opposition faded considerably, because the changes Yan Mingyi brought to Daqing were obvious to all.
The most significant change was the unprecedented rise in women's status. With the establishment of schools for both boys and girls, women were able to live independently and even enter government service.
Shen Tangning was the first female official in this dynasty. She was appointed as Shanggong, a low-ranking official with considerable power. She was responsible for conveying the emperor's decrees and occasionally reviewing memorials. She was considered a close advisor to the emperor and even had the right to attend court and participate in political discussions.
People no longer called her "Young Madam Chi" but "Lady Shen".
Chi Yan sometimes jokingly said that she was busier than herself, which was not wrong. At first, she lacked helpers and had to do many things herself, so she finished her shifts very late.
Chi Yan would come to pick her up earlier than her, but today he seemed to be busy with something. Shen Tangning didn't see him when she came out of the palace and planned to go to the imperial prison to check on him.
Now that Chi Yan has gone to the cabinet, he has not resigned from his post in the Imperial Ceremonial Office, and going in and out of the imperial prison is a daily routine for him.
Shen Tangning was sitting in the carriage when the carriage suddenly shook violently. She lost her balance and bumped her head against the carriage wall, immediately gasping for breath.
Before they could even ask what was going on, a scream came from outside, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a glint of cold light, and a fierce female voice with a hint of shrillness—
"Go to hell!"
Shen Tangning reacted quickly, raising the soft pillow as a shield. A tearing sound rang out, and the soft pillow was ripped open, revealing the white wadding inside.
The soft fluff fluttered down, and she took the opportunity to grab whatever she could and smash it, including a jade ruyi, which made her wince in pain.
Fortunately, it worked well. The person staggered, and Shen Tangning seized the opportunity to kick her knee, knocking her off the carriage.
"Take it down!"
Her voice was icy, and immediately several guards appeared and firmly pinned the person on the ground.
Shen Tangning straightened his clothes before slowly helping himself down from the carriage. A guard stepped forward and asked, "Sir, are you alright?"
Her current status is special, and she is always accompanied by bodyguards when she goes out. However, seeing that the other party was a weak woman, she was careless and let her guard down for a moment.
She raised her hand, tilted her head to look at the woman on the ground, her expression unreadable:
"Miss Pei, are you trying to assassinate me?"
The person on the ground was Pei Mingzhu. She was struggling violently, her eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Shen Tangning as if filled with boundless resentment.
"You caused the death of the Fourth Prince, you deserve to die!"
A flicker of realization crossed Shen Tangning's eyes, and she lowered them with amusement: "You like him?"
Pei Mingzhu gasped for breath, the veins on her neck bulging. Shen Tangning said lightly, "But he doesn't like you. He only ever used you from beginning to end."
She already knew perfectly well why Pei Mingzhu had any connection with the Fourth Prince. Pei Mingzhu grew up in Luocheng, where the Fourth Prince happened to be.
I just didn't expect her to be so patient, taking so long to make a move.
The more you kill someone, the more you destroy their spirit. Pei Mingzhu lost control of her emotions again and struggled to get up, but was held firmly in place by someone who looked at her with such hatred that he wanted to tear off two pieces of her flesh!
Shen Tangning lost interest and raised her chin: "Send him to the imperial prison."
When Chi Yan arrived at the scene after receiving the news, the matter had already been resolved, and the coachman was shamefully apologizing: "Sir, I didn't expect her to be so strong..."
Shen Tangning didn't take it to heart: "This isn't your fault."
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