Chapter 10: Entering Prison

  In the fragrant hall of elegant orchids, a woman with bright eyes and white teeth dressed leisurely in her clothes, and put on a warm cloak outside.

  With only a loud "bang", the door was suddenly kicked open by someone with great force. Chu Li's handsome face sank, his expression cold and unyielding like a rainy day in June without any hint of warmth. The enraged imperial prince exuded an aura of violent menace as he slowly stepped towards the woman in white clothes on the bed, his entire being like a ghost from the underworld, eerie and chilling.

  Qing Xia glanced at him lightly, the corners of her mouth soft and calm. A gust of cold wind blew in through the open door, causing the lights in the room to flicker, the mosquito net on the bed fluttered about like butterfly wings, gently brushing against Qing Xia's pale face.

  Outside the gate, a group of trembling slaves knelt on the ground. Xiangju led a group of maidservants and eunuchs from the Lanting Palace, kneeling in an orderly manner outside the palace hall. The cold wind howled and the fine rain drifted down, ruthlessly soaking through the thin clothes of the slaves.

  Qing Xia didn't respond, the clever woman had already anticipated everything and was quietly waiting for the aftermath of the storm. She slightly turned her head, looked at Chu Li who was in a rage with an indifferent gaze, and calmly said a sentence that shocked everyone: "You, bring the door with you."

  The man in anger was suddenly shocked by these simple words. The slaves outside were even more like they had seen a ghost, staring at this concubine who had already lost her mind in the rumors.

  Chu Li's face grew increasingly dark, her anger reaching a boiling point. She gritted her teeth and said in a low voice: "You're someone's wife, yet you secretly keep another man's belongings in the palace. You're promiscuous and don't follow the proper path of a woman! Later, you made a big scene at the Orchid Pavilion, breaking Consort Dan's arm bones. You pretended to be crazy to try to get away with it. I won't settle accounts with you for these things for now, but how dare you have such an attitude towards me? What a huge nerve!"

  Qing Xia slowly stood up, her phoenix eyes gleaming with a glassy color in the lamplight. She slightly straightened her expression, her face cold and detached, accompanied by a faintly mocking cold hum as she said: "Your Highness, if your memory is not bad, you should recall that I just told you earlier to be more courteous towards me from now on, otherwise don't blame me for not giving you any face."

  Chu Li's face turned red with rage, his eyebrows raised in anger, and he shouted loudly: "How dare you?"

  "You've already done it, yet you still ask if I dare? Isn't that a bit redundant?" Qing Xia followed closely behind, her voice cold as she said: "Dan Fei merely broke a small wrist bone and will recover after a month of rest. The imperial physicians can easily treat this, but the Crown Prince insisted on summoning famous doctors from all over to come to the palace for treatment. On one hand, it's to show the Crown Prince's benevolent heart, but on the other hand, it's to publicly declare Zhuang Qing Xia's grave disrespect. The Crown Princess passed away, and the country mourned for half a month. Now that the mourning period is over, Zhuang Qing Xia, this infamous wanton woman who has spread her reputation far and wide, should be caught in the net of the law and punished. Since the Crown Prince had already set up this trap long ago, why bother rushing to fabricate other crimes for Qing Xia?"

  Chu Li was stunned at that moment, his angry expression gradually faded away, and he slightly lowered his eyes, asking in a suspicious tone: "You had guessed it all along?"

  Qing Xia tightened his cloak and smiled: "Either way is death, bullying you before dying is also good."

  A woman in a snow-white satin cloak stood under the candlelight, her eyebrows no longer bearing the weakness and sorrow that Chu Li remembered. She was calm and composed, her face fearless, like a superior lotus flower, with an extraordinary elegance and refinement. Chu Li slowly exhaled, his eyes narrowing slightly, like a lazy cat, flashing with a strange light. He smiled suddenly and said in a low voice, "Zhuang Qingxia, I've been wrong about you all along. Who knows, after today, one day I might regret it."

  "How would you know whether it's a regret or not if you've never tried?"

  "Haha!" Chu Li, who had been furious just a moment before, suddenly burst out laughing and said in a loud voice: "You're indeed the daughter of Zhuang Taifu, you haven't disappointed me! Guards, take Lan Fei away and throw her into the heavenly prison of the Temple of Heaven. Three days later, behead her at the market!"

  The crowd of servants outside the door suddenly made a commotion, Xiang Ju's maid knelt at the front, upon hearing this she fainted.

  The black-armored guards swarmed in like wolves, the leader knelt down to pay respects to Chu Li, then stretched out his rough hands from martial arts practice and grabbed Qing Xia.

  The previously strong-willed woman did not show any resistance at this moment, and her snow-white wrist was suddenly grasped by a group of soldiers, with a faint blue tint on her skin. Chu Li's eyes glanced over, without saying anything, but his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

  "Wait!" Just as they were about to leave, Qing Xia suddenly called out, and Chu Li raised an eyebrow, signaling the guards to let her finish. Qing Xia's slender figure was even more striking in the dark night, dressed in a thin white robe that fluttered in the wind. Her long black hair, still damp from her recent bath, cascaded down her back, with loose strands blowing gently in the breeze. Water droplets slowly fell from her hair, glistening in the darkness.

  Qing Xia turned around, her starry eyes fixed intently on Chu Li's, and said in a low voice: "In my hometown, once a man is married, he must take responsibility for his wife's happiness and safety for the rest of his life. No matter what your reasons are, I am your wife after all. Don't you feel ashamed to be plotting against me with such cunning and deceit?"

  The rain at night was icy and gloomy, the slender figure of Qing Xia disappeared into the end of the palace corridor. Chu Li stood in the dark night, behind him, a large number of slaves knelt down, a flash of lightning suddenly cut through the night sky, illuminating a patch of white light. The bright yellow brocade robe on Chu Li's body was dazzlingly bright. For an instant, the flames were brilliant, and the piercing brightness made people who had been walking in the dark feel uncomfortable. Qing Xia slightly narrowed her eyes and covered her face with her hand to block out the abnormal light from the front, just then, a shrill scream suddenly rang out in everyone's ears, like a thunderbolt exploding on flat ground, shocking everyone's hearts.

  Qing Xia put down his palm, focused his eyes and looked over. He saw an old man with a red beard and green shirt standing in the middle of the house. Four high fire basins were lit up in the four corners, and all kinds of torture instruments were on display, showing off the name of this place. Qing Xia looked down at the old man's feet and saw a big man covered in blood, curled up under the old man's body. His face was no longer visible due to the excessive bleeding, and his external blood vessels were jumping rapidly. The muscles in his limbs seemed to be infested with dense, crawling creatures that kept rising and falling, making him look both disgusting and eerie.

  The old man with the red beard stood in front of the man, and upon seeing Qing Xia and the others, he seemed extremely delighted. With a flattering smile on his face, he called out to the guard who had brought Qing Xia: "General Bian, come quickly and take a look at this piece of human skin I've just cut off!"

  Qing Xia heard this and couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly. He saw that the faintly transparent object in Hong Hu's hand was actually the skin of the man on the ground. Hong Hu proudly shook the piece of human skin, holding it up, and Qing Xia saw that the skin had been peeled off from head to toe without any difference, even the hair and beard had been plucked out.

  "It took me three whole days and nights to shape this up, and this little guy is quite handsome. He was caught by General Cheng from the Qin-Chu border a while ago, trying to disguise himself as a hunter to sneak into our Great Chu. What a joke! I could tell at a glance that he's a spy. Heh heh, once I've interrogated him thoroughly, please ask Commander Bian to help me convey the message." Old Man Red Beard was half-bowing, his flattering smile almost making one vomit, but when talking about the man on the ground, there wasn't a hint of sympathy, as if he were talking about spending three days building a flower arrangement.

  "Don't go too far," said the middle-aged man known as Bian Tong, in a deep voice: "Lately, those sea barbarians from Da Qi have been restless, and outside there are all sorts of people. Be careful not to kick over the iron plate and provoke the Qin people, or you'll be in for it."

  "I understand!" The old man hastily replied in a low voice: "I have it in my heart, Your Highness is wise and powerful. Under your leadership, those few sea barbarians are nothing to be feared. Even if it's the Qin state, it will eventually become a treasure of our great Chu."

  Bian Tongling seemed to be extremely impatient and unwilling to listen to the old man's flattering words, hastily saying: "This is Lan Fei Niangniang, ordered by Your Highness to be imprisoned here, to be executed at Caishi Market three days later. Be careful to guard her, do not use torture casually. Is that clear?"

  That old man seemed to have only just noticed Qing Xia standing behind Tong Jun, and upon hearing that she was the prince's consort who would be executed in three days' time, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

  "Shen Yitian, I'm reminding you again, if anything goes wrong within these three days, I guarantee you'll die a worse death than this traitor. If you don't believe me, you can try it out!" General Tong's gaze was icy cold as he swept his eyes over Shen Yitian's body. He then bowed to Qing Xia with respect and said in a deep voice, "This humble official will send the princess off here, please take care of yourself, princess. I bid farewell."

  The heavy iron chain clanged shut, Qing Xia stood in the stinky prison cell, looking around and smiling bitterly: Zhuang Qing Xia, what kind of mess have you left for me?