Zhao Jian's long sword pressed two inches closer, leaving a bloody mark on Xie Lanyan's neck. Song Shuhao couldn't understand their language, but she knew that the Emperor of Dayuan wanted to see her. She also heard the guards beside her calling Xie Lanyan "Madam Xie." Had she actually become a concubine in the Dayuan King's harem?
Song Shuhao felt that even if she had seen it with her own eyes, it was unimaginable. Was she really not dreaming? It wasn't a dream after all, but it still seemed too bizarre. Although she didn't like Zhao Jian, she could sense that he wouldn't harm her. She didn't know if he would do anything excessive, but if it was the King of Dayuan, he was an even more untrustworthy person than Zhao Jian.
"If she dies here, do you think you can get away with it? I will definitely give the Emperor a proper explanation for this matter." Zhao Jian said in a deep voice. He thought threatening Xie Lanyan would work, but he didn't expect her to say such things... But she has always been a ruthless person, so he can't let Song Shuhao fall into Ji Heng's hands.
Looking at Song Shuhao, who was bound in shackles, Xie Lanyan inexplicably recalled her past life. In the palace, she waited for Zhao Jian to one day seize the throne of Da Qi and make her empress. At that time, Empress Dowager Feng bestowed a marriage upon Zhao Jian, and he took Song Shuhao as his wife; she hadn't cared at all.
Unexpectedly, by the time she realized it, Prosecutor Zhao had fallen in love with Song Shuhao. How could she possibly bear it? But it was too late; it was already the fourth year of Song Shuhao's marriage to Prosecutor Zhao. Prosecutor Zhao truly cared for her, which is why he allowed her to remain so oblivious and naive.
But why should she have to endure being by Zhang Yu's side, while Song Shuhao can be favored by Prosecutor Zhao? She made Song Shuhao aware of her existence, exposing Prosecutor Zhao's ambition to usurp the throne. Even if she was stubborn, Song Shuhao was truly provoked, and her marital bliss with Prosecutor Zhao came to an end.
Later, she had someone persuade Song Shuhao to rescue Zhang Yu, helping Song Shuhao blend in with the soldiers. Song Shuhao may have known her intentions, or she may not, but ultimately she took the sword for Zhang Yu. Zhao Jian went mad. She watched coldly, vaguely sensing that if Song Shuhao were allowed to live any longer, the position of Empress might not be hers.
She wouldn't remain indifferent. After Prince Anping and Zhao Jian successfully seized the throne and imprisoned Zhang Yu, she arranged for Empress Dowager Feng to see Song Shuhao one last time. Empress Dowager Feng indeed told Song Shuhao to do everything in her power to rescue Zhang Yu from the water prison. But what could she do alone?
There's always someone who needs to lend a hand.
Perhaps because she had given up on Zhao Jian, she told Song Shuhao that Zhang Yu was being tortured and abused in the water dungeon, and revealed that Zhao Jian had the token and key to enter and exit the water dungeon with him. Song Shuhao then took action.
There was no way to save Zhang Yu. She had gone to see him once, and he was almost dead, barely clinging to life... But she really hadn't expected that Zhang Yu would have made such a plan so early on.
From the beginning, he intended to wait for Prince Ning to return to Lin'an and seize the throne from Zhao Liang and Zhao Jian, while he himself had no will to live. Perhaps this was also to provoke Prince Ning, after all, Prince Ning truly respected and loved him. This man was far too ruthless, both to himself and to others.
She was unaware of all this at the time, her mind was preoccupied with other things... So many eyes witnessed it, and no matter what, Song Shuhao could never have reached the position of Empress.
However, Prosecutor Zhao still couldn't bring himself to kill her. Even though Song Shuhao repeatedly went to save Zhang Yu, betrayed him, and said such scathing things to him, even though he was truly furious, Prosecutor Zhao still couldn't bear to part with her.
Xie Lanyan squinted at Song Shuhao, who was not far away. Thinking that Song Shuhao might have won Zhang Yu's heart again, she couldn't understand where Song Shuhao's abilities came from. Was it really true that everyone's fate was predetermined? Was it true that if something wasn't meant to be, no amount of effort would change its course? She didn't believe in fate!
"Lord Zhao." Xie Lanyan could feel blood seeping from her neck, but her tone remained calm, showing no trace of panic. "Don't you remember that sentence? Should I remind you?"
Before he could speak, Xie Lanyan began to speak slowly.
"Prosecutor Zhao, if there is an afterlife, let's not meet again."
When Song Shuhao heard Xie Lanyan say some strange things, and heard the words "afterlife," her heart skipped a beat. She didn't know why Xie Lanyan would say such a thing. Zhao Jian's reaction... was even stranger.
She felt she hadn't misread the situation. The instant Xie Lanyan uttered those inexplicable words, Zhao Jian trembled, almost dropping his longsword. In fact, his first instinct was to look at her, and in his eyes, all emotion seemed to be instantly swallowed by sorrow.
That was a reaction she couldn't understand, and didn't know how to interpret.
However, Zhao Jian quickly regained his composure. His eyes no longer held any sadness, but were deep and unfathomable, like a still lake. Zhao Jian threw Xie Lanyan to the ground, still gripping his longsword in one hand, while using the other to slam her head against the ground. The resounding thuds of her head hitting the earth sent chills down one's spine.
Xie Lanyan's head was quickly broken open, and blood seeped out, flowing onto the perfectly smooth bluestone slab, appearing dark in the night. Xie Lanyan was pinned down and had no way to resist. Song Shuhao trembled as she watched, but her mind was too slow to react to this sudden turn of events.
The others seemed stunned as well, and after they came to their senses, guards rushed forward to rescue them. But as they got closer, Zhao Jian got up from the ground, abandoned Xie Lanyan, and the long sword in his hand flashed with a cold light, devouring the flesh of everyone who came near him.
Song Shuhao could only watch, unable to do anything. Zhao Jian seemed quite skilled; those who approached him fell one by one, though he too was injured. In the end, even the two guards holding her tried to subdue him, but they couldn't do anything to him.
She saw Zhao Jian's sharp gaze sweep over the people on the ground before settling on her. Song Shu looked at him, and instinctively wanted to back away because of the coldness in his eyes. But the shackles on her feet were too heavy, and she couldn't take a step. Even the slightest movement caused the shackles to rattle and clang.
Zhao Jian walked towards her, sword in hand. Bright red blood slid down the blade to the tip, dripping onto the ground one drop after another. As Zhao Jian walked, blood droplets left a trail, like a long string of dark flowers blooming on the ground.
"go back."
Zhao Jian reached out and pushed Song Shuhao around, letting her into the room. At that moment, she had a slight doubt that if she didn't listen to Zhao Jian, the long sword in his hand would be thrust at her... because as Zhao Jian got closer, she could see that this man had gone mad with bloodlust.
Song Shuhao returned to the room, where the maid who had been pushed to the ground by the guards was now standing respectfully beside her. She sat down by the bed, her head throbbing from all the events that had transpired, barely able to process them, and she couldn't understand how things had turned out this way.
But what exactly did Xie Lanyan mean by those words? Why did Inspector Zhao react so strongly to Xie Lanyan's words, and why did he look at her after hearing them? It couldn't possibly be something she had said. Song Shuhao couldn't understand it at all.
Zhao Jian treated Xie Lanyan as if he hated her intensely, showing her absolutely no pity. If Xie Lanyan had truly become a concubine of the King of Dayuan, how could Zhao Jian have acted so casually? Yet he seemed completely unconcerned.
Song Shuhao sat blankly on the edge of the bed. She saw the maid wiping the bloodstains on the floor with a damp cloth and realized that they were left by Inspector Zhao when he came in and went out. She glanced at the door and saw that there seemed to be a lot of people standing outside. She could vaguely hear Inspector Zhao's voice, who was probably instructing people to keep an eye on her.
Suddenly... it seems like it's become even harder to escape.
...
Song Shuhao saw Zhao Jian again the next morning. It seemed that everything that happened the night before had been dealt with; he was perfectly fine, and the King of Dayuan didn't seem to care at all.
Inspector Zhao had breakfast prepared and brought to her room, treating her even more gently than before. But this gentleness only made her more uneasy.
The shackles on her body were not removed all night, and by now they had worn her wrists and ankles raw, and the wounds continued to be rubbed, so the pain could not be relieved for a long time.
"It's time for breakfast." Zhao Jian walked to the bedside and said softly to Song Shuhao. The maid had already helped Song Shuhao wash and dress. After Zhao Jian finished speaking, he reached out and helped her to sit up.
Song Shuhao didn't know what to do except temporarily comply with Prosecutor Zhao. She had no other choice but to stand up as Prosecutor Zhao did. But her knees suddenly went weak, and she almost couldn't stand.
"What's wrong?" Prosecutor Zhao asked, looking at her.
Song Shuhao took a deep breath, not looking at Zhao Jian, but lowering her head and speaking very softly, "My ankle is injured, and I can't stand steadily." As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Jian squatted down and lifted her skirt, seemingly wanting to check her ankle injury.
His sudden movement startled Song Shuhao. The next moment, she heard the sound of the shackles on her feet being unlocked. The pain from the chafing on her ankles subsided somewhat. Then, Zhao Jian stood up and unlocked the shackles on her hands as well.
Zhao Jian said, "That's it then. Don't even think about running away."
Author's Note: I scrapped it halfway through and rewrote it all QAQ
mwah.
Chapter 92 Return
Song Shuhao did not run away. On the third day after she regained consciousness, which was two days after she saw Xie Lanyan and Zhao Jian acting strangely, Zhang Yu had already led his troops to attack the city.
Although she was trapped in the room, with people watching her every move and not even allowed to leave the yard, the atmosphere of war was still different from that of no war.
Zhao Jian didn't tell her about this, but for the first two days, he would appear at least three times a day, and later only once a day, making it hard for anyone not to notice anything.