At his words, Wang Jin respectfully replied:
"By your command!"
Torture awaits; boundless love knows no bounds
Those two brief words sounded like a death-dealing curse in General Li's ears.
He knew that eunuchs had countless methods of tormenting people—terrifying punishments such as "Can't Catch a Breath," "Sudden Roar," and "Dead Pig's Sorrow." Once subjected to them, living would be far worse than dying.
At that thought,
General Li was seized by panic, his face turning pale.
Seeing the change in his expression, Xiao Minghuang continued:
"Even if you refuse to speak, I already know who sent you."
"The Second Prince sent your accomplice—the Divine Sea Realm assassin from daytime—to kill me, but he failed."
"The moment your accomplice made his move, you witnessed everything. Killing intent rose in your heart as well, but I happened to notice it. That was why I lured you into the jar tonight!"
"Was I correct?"
Hearing this, General Li's heart jolted. Though some details in her analysis differed slightly, the general facts were entirely correct.
At first, someone from the capital had approached him with a token, claiming to be a trusted subordinate of King Wu'an. That person had come to assassinate Ninth Princess Xiao Minghuang.
As for him, he had actually been a spy planted in Beiyang City for many years. His true identity was as one of the Second Prince's men.
Thus, the two hit it off at once. He helped the assassin obtain a Beast Taming Token from the Beast Taming Sect and assisted him in triggering a Beast Tide, intending to assassinate Xiao Minghuang amid the chaos.
This plan killed two birds with one stone. First, they could kill Xiao Minghuang; second, they could frame the Beast Taming Sect and wash their hands clean of the matter.
But unexpectedly, the assassination that should have succeeded had failed.
General Li shot Xiao Minghuang a resentful glare, then closed his eyes and said nothing.
Seeing that he refused to speak, Xiao Minghuang's patience finally ran out. She said indifferently:
"Eunuch Wang, I leave this man to you. Before dawn, I want every truth out of his mouth."
At those words, a trace of cruelty flashed through Wang Jin's eyes. Ever since advancing to the Divine Sea Realm, he had not personally handled such dirty work in a long time. He had nearly forgotten what it felt like to inflict severe torture on others. Today, he could use this man to reminisce about his youth!
"Boy, come with this servant!"
As soon as his words fell,
Wang Jin swept his sleeve and carried General Li away.
With the villain captured, Lin Zhengquan also led the guards away after pleading forgiveness.
The pavilion returned to silence.
Lin Wanqiu stepped forward, sighed softly, and said helplessly:
"Your Highness, that move of yours truly scared me half to death."
Leaning against a waist pillow, Xiao Minghuang stroked Ye Ruoshui's little head and smiled softly.
"What are you panicking for? Everything was within my expectations."
Ye Ruoshui wriggled, lifted her little face, and asked innocently:
"Your Highness, what were you and Sister Lin secretly doing?"
Before Xiao Minghuang could answer, Lin Wanqiu cut in:
"Ruoshui, you should have a proper talk with Her Highness. She was already so badly injured, yet she still used her own safety as bait to lure that assassin into a sneak attack. Nothing happened this time, but what if Her Highness had truly been hurt? What if something happened to her? What then?"
Hearing Lin Wanqiu's words, Ye Ruoshui furrowed her little brows as well, a trace of reproach appearing in her beautiful large eyes.
But faced with Xiao Minghuang's innocent and gentle expression, she ultimately could not bear to say anything accusatory. She merely said stiffly:
"Your Highness, don't do that again."
Xiao Minghuang immediately obediently replied:
"Big sister knows she was wrong."
At once, Ye Ruoshui beamed. She spread her arms and burrowed into Xiao Minghuang's embrace, burying her little face against Xiao Minghuang's chest and rubbing against her repeatedly.
"Ruoshui likes Your Highness the most!"
Xiao Minghuang did not know why Ye Ruoshui had suddenly confessed her feelings. Perhaps Xiao Minghuang's sudden injury during the day had frightened the little girl.
She gently stroked the little girl's back and comforted her softly:
"Big sister likes Ruoshui the most too. I won't leave Ruoshui. Don't worry."
Seeing this scene, Lin Wanqiu, standing to the side, unusually felt no jealousy at all.
In the past, if she had seen Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui being so intimate, her heart would certainly have been filled with sourness and jealousy.
Yet in this moment, she felt only a sense of warmth.
As though
a mischievous little sister was truly acting spoiled before her gentle older sister.
Lin Wanqiu could not bear to ruin the harmonious scene. She made no sound and merely sat quietly to one side.
After spending this period of time together, she had gained a deeper understanding of Xiao Minghuang.
She knew that Her Highness truly treated both her and Ye Ruoshui equally.
It was a kind of great love, unconstrained by who came first or any other factor.
As long as someone was acknowledged by Her Highness, that person would receive her most sincere tenderness.
At this moment,
on the bed,
Xiao Minghuang suddenly spread her arms and smiled sweetly at Lin Wanqiu.
"Wanqiu?"
Hearing that gentle voice, Lin Wanqiu froze for a moment, then looked over.
She saw Xiao Minghuang holding out one arm, her face full of a tender smile, as though welcoming her back into a harbor sheltered from the wind.
At the sight, Lin Wanqiu immediately felt her eyes redden and her nose sting.
Her Highness... is truly too gentle... I'm going to cry to death!
Lin Wanqiu ultimately could not resist. Half-willing and half-reluctant, she curled into Xiao Minghuang's embrace.
Noticing her arrival, Ye Ruoshui actually shifted her body aside on her own initiative, making room for her.
Ruoshui has truly accepted me...
Lin Wanqiu sighed inwardly. Feeling Xiao Minghuang's soft, warm, fragrant embrace, the satisfaction in her heart was simply beyond words.
To get along well with Ye Ruoshui, she had truly paid far too much.
Holding the two beauties, Xiao Minghuang followed the motion and lay down on the bed. She used spiritual power to remove their outer garments, leaving them in only thin, translucent inner robes, then covered them with a brocade quilt. The three nestled close together.
In the dead of night, all was silent.
The three could hear only each other's heartbeats.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Yet at this moment, their hearts were filled with peace, without the slightest trace of romantic desire.
After the daytime assassination attempt, all three were mentally exhausted.
Especially Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu.
When Xiao Minghuang had been assassinated during the day, they had truly felt as though heaven and earth were spinning.
Lin Wanqiu was, after all, the eldest daughter of Beiyang City. Having endured hardships since childhood, she possessed a steadfast nature and could still maintain some rationality.
If something had truly happened to Xiao Minghuang, she might have pulled herself together after her grief, cultivated diligently, and one day, after growing stronger, avenged Xiao Minghuang's blood with blood.
But Ye Ruoshui was different. She had lost her parents in childhood, and Xiao Minghuang had taken her in. To her, Xiao Minghuang was everything.
If Xiao Minghuang died, she would be unable to go on living either.
Now that the assassin lurking in the shadows had finally been dragged out, Ye Ruoshui could at last completely set her mind at ease.
Before they knew it,
the sound of the wind lulled them to sleep.
Who was the mastermind behind it all?
The next morning.
Sunlight broke through the dawn, and all things began to stir.
Xiao Minghuang slowly opened her eyes, her thoughts clear.
Beside her, Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu rested against her shoulders, peaceful smiles blooming on their little faces as though they were having beautiful dreams.
Xiao Minghuang gently slipped free from Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu's embrace, softly tucked the quilt around them, and quietly got out of bed.
She walked outside, closed the door behind her, and saw Eunuch Wang standing by the courtyard gate in a guard's posture, eyes closed as he stood there.
Xiao Minghuang moved toward him.
Before she even reached him, Wang Jin sensed her presence. He opened his eyes, cupped his hands, and said:
"Your Highness!"
Xiao Minghuang nodded. Last night, she had ordered Wang Jin to interrogate General Li. After an entire night, given the methods of this Grand Eunuch, he had surely extracted everything that could be extracted.
"Did the interrogation of General Li yield any—"
Wang Jin bent slightly at the waist and respectfully said:
"Your Highness is blessed with peerless intelligence and miraculous foresight. General Li was indeed one of the Second Prince's men. He had hidden in Beiyang City for many years and worked his way up to the position of Guard Captain of the City Lord's Manor, deceiving everyone."
"Good. Lead the way. I want to question him personally."
"This way, Your Highness."
Wang Jin gestured toward a direction.
Xiao Minghuang stepped forward and set off first.
Not long after,
the two arrived inside a secret chamber.
Within the concealed room, General Li was tightly bound to an iron pillar. Bloodstains covered his body, restraining talismans that sealed spiritual power were plastered all over him, and an iron chain as thick as an arm bound him tightly, leaving him unable to move even a fraction.
As though hearing their footsteps, General Li suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils were filled with pain and despair as he shouted:
"Please! Kill me! Kill me!"
Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang's beautiful brows furrowed slightly. She glanced at Wang Jin, who immediately bowed and said respectfully:
"This thief's mouth was rather stubborn. Left with no choice, this old servant used some methods that I do not ordinarily employ."
"But please rest assured, Your Highness. He has not lost his mind. He will not forget a single thing he knows."
During yesterday's Beast Tide, Wang Jin had failed to protect Xiao Minghuang adequately, and he had also accidentally killed the assassin with a single palm strike. It could be said that he had failed in his duty twice in succession.
Now, interrogating General Li was his chance to atone for his mistakes through merit. How could he possibly not give it his all?
Xiao Minghuang understood this and did not pursue the matter closely. Her brows relaxed as she said softly:
"When Eunuch Wang handles matters, I am naturally at ease."
Hearing this, Wang Jin secretly let out a breath. The stone hanging over his heart lowered slightly, and he became even more respectful.
"Thank Your Highness for your praise. It is this old servant's honor to serve Your Highness!"
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