Qu Surou and Huan Juntian became prisoners, both bound with ropes sealed by magic and taken to a prison cart. Huan Juntian's collarbone was pierced, adding insult to injury, leaving him on the verge of death.
To demonstrate his victory, Huan Changming had the two men tied to a prison cart and displayed to the public all the way back to the capital.
His actions also served as a warning to those who harbored rebellious intentions: if they dared to act rashly, Huan Juntian would be their fate.
Behind the prison van lies a completely different scene.
A magnificent carriage moved slowly forward, proclaiming the noble status of the young emperor inside, a world apart from the prisoners in the jail cart.
Inside the carriage, Huan Changming leaned against the soft couch covered with brocade, holding a thin rope in his left hand. The rope extended all the way to the carriage window, where Lu Pianpian, her hands and feet bound, stared at the scene outside with bloodshot eyes.
He could only see his senior sister's back, but he couldn't see his junior brother at all.
He had no idea whether Huan Juntian was dead or alive, whether he was conscious or unconscious.
"Want to see Qu Surou and Huan Juntian?" Huan Changming asked with great interest.
Lu Pianpian pinched her palm with her fingertips, using the pain to suppress the barely suppressed resentment she felt towards Huan Changming in her eyes. She nodded forcefully.
Huan Changming pulled the rope back, and Lu Pianpian's body uncontrollably fell to the side of him.
He put his arm around Lu Pianpian's shoulder and said affectionately, "Then you should know how to please me before I let you see them."
Lu Pianpian paused, then suddenly sat up from Huan Changming's arms and kissed him on the lips without blinking, like an obedient puppet. This kiss was devoid of any of her own emotions.
Huan Changming didn't care whether Lu Pianpian's kiss was affectionate or not; what he cared about was whether Lu Pianpian listened to him, obeyed him, and became obedient and compliant.
He then ran his fingertip across Lu Pianpian's lips with satisfaction. "Go ahead, but whatever you do, don't even think about taking them away. You can't bear the consequences..."
Lu Pianpian nodded blankly. Huan Changming tied the extra end of the rope to Lu Pianpian's wrists and ankles, and then carefully pulled down Lu Pianpian's cuffs and hem to hide the rope for her. "Mu Lingzi."
Mu Lingzi was waiting by the carriage when she saw Huan Changming hiding Lu Pianpian's rope. She cursed him under her breath for burying his head in the sand, then lifted the curtain and said with a forced smile, "Immortal Lord Lu, let's go."
When Lu Pianpian got off the carriage, Mu Lingzi helped her up, but Lu Pianpian disgustedly shook off her hand after they got back to flat ground.
Knowing that Lu Pianpian disliked her, and having been rebuffed, Mu Lingzi touched her nose and followed closely behind Lu Pianpian to prevent him from escaping.
Lu Pianpian couldn't take long strides, but in order to keep up with the speed of the prison van, he could only take quick, short steps and chased after it for a while before catching up with Qu Surou's prison van.
He gripped the iron pillars surrounding him and shouted to the person inside with their head bowed, "Senior Sister! Senior Sister, are you alright?"
Qu Surou suddenly looked up and saw Lu Pianpian. Tears welled up instantly. "I'm fine, I'm alright... How are you? Has Huan Changming bullied you?"
She was usually radiant and cheerful, and this was the first time Lu Pianpian had ever seen her cry. Her heart ached, and she quickly said, "No! I'm fine! Senior Sister, don't cry. I'll definitely find a way to save you. Don't worry..."
"Pianpian, don't worry about me, go check on Huan San first!" Qu Surou sobbed, "He's been poisoned, and his ungrateful sister Huan Mi stabbed him in the back. I can't save him, you have to go see him quickly..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Pianpian's heart skipped a beat, and she suppressed her urge to immediately visit her junior brother.
He couldn't appear flustered in front of his senior sister, otherwise she would only become more worried and flustered.
He tried to keep his tone calm, "Okay... I'll go see my junior brother right away. Senior sister, don't worry, no matter what happens, I'll be there for you. I'll protect you."
Qu Surou nodded through her tears, climbed out of the prison cart, and sat at the front with her bound upper body arched up, watching Lu Pianpian walk step by step toward Huan Juntian's prison cart.
"Junior brother..."
Lu Pianpian struggled to lift her foot and follow Huan Juntian's prison cart. Huan Juntian lay inside the cart, not answering her calls.
He rushed forward hastily, nearly falling to the ground, but luckily grabbed a pillar on the cage, stumbled, and regained his footing. "Junior brother! Junior brother! I'm your senior brother! Please answer me, please answer me!"
Huan Juntian's face was as white as paper, his lips an unnatural purple, and iron spikes were driven into his collarbones, the wounds from which were pierced were horrifying to look at. The wound from Huan Mi's stab was hastily bandaged with a strip of cloth, the blood on it still not completely dry.
Lu Pianpian's heart ached as she watched, her eyes reddening. She struggled to reach her hand through the gap in the pillar to touch her junior brother, hoping to wake him up. However, the knot on his wrist got stuck in the gap, making her hand just a hair's breadth away from her junior brother's face.
"Junior brother, junior brother..."
Lu Pianpian called out in a hoarse voice, but Huan Juntian seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep and could not hear her at all.
But Lu Pianpian was afraid that her junior brother would never wake up again once he fell asleep.
He loosened his grip on the pillar and stumbled toward the most luxurious carriage at the back. Forgetting that his feet were still bound, the ropes pulled him back as he took his first step, causing him to fall to the ground.
The horse pulling the carriage was coming towards him, and its hooves were about to trample him when the young emperor suddenly flew out of the magnificent carriage, landed in front of him, and pressed down on the horse's head with one hand.
The coachman stopped the carriage, quickly ran down, knelt down, and begged for forgiveness, "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Huan Changming gave Mu Lingzi a cold look as she rushed over from behind. Mu Lingzi sensed the danger in his eyes and hurriedly clarified, "It was Lu Pianpian who wouldn't let me touch him!"
Lu Pianpian struggled to sit up from the ground, grabbing Huan Changming's clothes. "I'll do anything you want, as long as you save my junior brother and spare my senior sister and junior brother's lives, I won't resist you no matter what you do to me..."
Huan Changming raised his hand, and the entire team stopped.
He lowered his gaze, looking down at Lu Pianpian. After noticing the redness in her eyes from crying, he narrowed his eyes and said, "If Qu Surou no longer disobeys me, I might spare her life. But as long as Huan Juntian lives, my throne will remain unstable..."
"Qu Surou can live, but Huan Juntian cannot!"
Both her senior sister and junior brother were equally important to Lu Pianpian, and she could not bear to give up the lives of either of them. "Huan Changming, I beg you... I beg you to have mercy, I beg you to show mercy. You may take my life, but I only beg you to spare my junior brother and senior sister!"
"My junior brother is seriously injured. If you don't save him, he will really die... I beg you, I beg you!"
Lu Pianpian desperately grabbed Huan Changming's clothes and begged for mercy, seeing Huan Changming as her only lifeline when she had nowhere else to turn.
Normally, Huan Changming would have felt immense pleasure and satisfaction from this. But now, faced with Lu Pianpian's plea for mercy, he felt not a trace of joy, but rather extreme annoyance.
He roughly knew the source of his irritation, because Lu Pianpian was begging him for mercy on behalf of others.
"Last time, you pushed me into the sea for Huan Juntian. Will you kill me again for Huan Juntian this time?" The young emperor knelt before Nan Feng, condescendingly half-squatting on the ground, looking directly at the person pleading before him. "Answer me."
He wanted to find the answer in Lu Pianpian's eyes.
Lu Pianpian shook her head repeatedly, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string. "No...no, as long as you save my junior brother, as long as you let him live, I promise...I promise I will never do anything to hurt you again!"
"Your Majesty," Jing Yi hurried over from the carriage behind and bowed to Huan Changming, saying, "Lu Pianpian has repeatedly disobeyed Your Majesty and even tried to kill you. His words are absolutely unreliable! In my humble opinion, he, like Huan Juntian, should be beheaded and his head displayed to the public!"
Huan Changming looked at the tears streaming down Lu Pianpian's face and asked in a cryptic tone, "Is he right?"
“You can kill me…you can take my life! Whether it’s beheading me or tearing me apart, as long as you spare them!” Lu Pianpian’s voice was hoarse. He was afraid that Huan Changming would not believe him, so he got up from the ground and was about to kneel down to Huan Changming when Huan Changming grabbed him.
"Lu Pianpian, are you going to kneel down for them?"
Huan Changming's expression darkened. He knew that Lu Pianpian had never truly submitted to him. He had received countless kneelings since his ascension to the throne, but none from Lu Pianpian. He had even threatened her about this, but she remained unmoved. Now, for the sake of her fellow disciples, Lu Pianpian was willing to break all boundaries, even kneeling before him.
"I'd give you my life, what does kneeling mean..." Lu Pianpian's eyes were bloodshot, making his face look even paler. His vision suddenly blurred, but he still managed to pull Huan Changming's clothes closer. "I'll kneel down and apologize for everything I did to you before. I only beg you to spare their lives, please..."
A sudden, metallic taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his chin and clothes. His eyes closed, and he lost consciousness.
Huan Changming was stunned for a moment, then picked up Lu Pianpian and carried her back to the carriage. He called out in a deep voice, "Imperial Physician!"
Mu Lingzi hurriedly went to call the accompanying imperial physician. Jing Yi was still standing outside the carriage. Through the wide-open carriage window, he saw Huan Changming holding Lu Pianpian with an anxious expression. He took a deep breath and returned to his own carriage without saying a word.
The imperial physician took Lu Pianpian's pulse and received a similar answer as he had on previous occasions in the palace.
Heart energy depletion and insufficient Qi and blood. Heart disease cannot be aggravated or stimulated.
The implication is that this condition should be treated like a precious treasure, otherwise, the coughing up of blood may never be cured.
Huan Changming sat on the soft couch, with Lu Pianpian's head resting on his lap.
He gently wiped away the tear stains on Lu Pianpian's cheeks with his fingers, even removing the remaining tears clinging to her eyelashes. His movements were so tender, as if he were handling something he had carefully cherished.
Unfortunately, the precious thing in his arms couldn't even sleep soundly, and kept clutching a piece of his clothes in her hand, as if she was afraid that he would take the lives of Qu Surou and Huan Juntian.
It's true that Huan Changming wants to kill Huan Juntian. Huan Juntian is only clinging to life for now, but that's just a means for Huan Changming to suppress any dissent in the court and among the people. Once he's done with it, he can get rid of Huan Juntian as soon as possible and secure his position as Prince of Li.
But if he really lets Huan Juntian die, what kind of expression will Lu Pianpian have then?
Huan Changming gently pressed his calloused fingertips against the corners of Lu Pianpian's reddened eyes, knowing she would cry even more miserably than before.
She might not only cry, but she might also pick up a sword and stab him mercilessly.
Thinking of this, Huan Changming felt a surge of hatred and pressed harder on Lu Pianpian's eyelids, which elicited an uncomfortable groan from her. He quickly withdrew his fingers and did not extend them again.
Huan Changming stared at Lu Pianpian's sickly face, a malice flashing in his eyes, "Sometimes, I really want to strangle you and end it all..."
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and placed a light kiss on Lu Pianpian's forehead.
But I can't bring myself to do it.
The group traveled to a post station a hundred miles from the capital. After nightfall, Huan Changming ordered the group to rest there for the night and continue their journey the next day.
Jingyi watched as Huan Changming personally carried Lu Pianpian back to her room, and then asked Mu Lingzi to call the imperial physician to examine Lu Pianpian.
Jing Yi walked into the cell where the prisoners were being held without changing his expression. Huan Mi huddled in the corner, looking as if she had been rolled in dust all over her body, completely devoid of her former noble and elegant appearance.
Hearing the voice, Huan Mi cautiously raised her head and saw that it was Jing Yi, whom she had been longing for. She quickly ran over and said, "Brother Jing Yi, I knew you wouldn't abandon me!"
She ran to Jingyi, looked up at him with eyes full of adoration, and said, "I listened to you and secretly stabbed my brother on the battlefield... Even if he doesn't die, he will hate me to the bone. Brother Jingyi, now Mi'er can only rely on you!"
Jingyi reached out and patted Huan Mi's head. "Mi'er is so obedient. You did a really good job."
Jingyi rarely showed a kind face to Huan Mi, let alone gently stroked Huan Mi's head.
The young girl blushed slightly at the sudden intimacy from her beloved and said, "Brother Jingyi, you mustn't let Mi'er down. I've already given up everything for you..."
"I know." Jing Yi gently embraced Huan Mi, his eyes filled with a chilling killing intent where Huan Mi couldn't see. "So, what your brother Jing Yi wants to tell you is... don't fall in love with someone who doesn't love you at all, because no matter what you do for him, the person in his eyes will never be you..."
With a soft thud, the cold dagger pierced the fragile flesh.
Jing Yi released the person in his arms. Huan Mi, clutching her bleeding stomach wound, fell to the ground, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Jing Yi, "Why..."
Jing Yi took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the blood left by Huan Mi on the dagger. "Because only a fool would give blindly. A smart person should try every means to take him back from you."
Huan Mi never understood this principle until his death.
Her eyes widened in terror, staring intently at her unrequited lover with an eternal sense of bewilderment.
"Let's find a place to bury him."
Jingyi walked out of the room and gave instructions to the soldiers. He then saw Huan Changming walking quickly out of the room, heading towards the place where Huan Juntian and Qu Surou were being held.
"What happened?" he asked the soldiers outside.
"Reporting to Lord Jing, I heard that it's the female prisoners causing trouble."
Jingyi subconsciously wanted to go and help Huan Changming solve his problems, but he suddenly stopped halfway through.
He recalled what he had just said to Huan Mi, but then he found himself going back to his old ways.
After a moment's thought, he turned and went to Huan Changming's room, where he caught a glimpse of Lu Pianpian through the half-open door.
Lu Pianpian leaned against the bed railing, her eyes glazed over as she looked toward the door, her voice hoarse as she asked, "What do you want to do?"
When Jing Yi was discovered, he was immediately flustered. In his haste, he pushed open the door and was forced to meet Lu Pianpian's gaze.
Seeing Lu Pianpian's sickly appearance, unlike her former spirited self, he felt more confident. "It seems you are not worried about the safety of Miss Qu and Huan Juntian at all. Are you feeling at ease lying on His Majesty's bed?"
Lu Pianpian couldn't help but clench the blanket beneath him. If he could, he would rather be locked in a cage with his senior and junior brothers than share a bed with Huan Changming.