Her mind was in a daze, and her head throbbed.
In a hazy state, she seemed to faintly hear someone tiptoeing around, the gurgling sound of some liquid being poured out, and the creaking of the wooden door opening and closing.
Bai Zheng slowly opened her eyes and looked around, her eyes still a bit dazed.
It was already night. There were no candles lit in the room. Only the moonlight from outside filtered through the cracks in the window, allowing her to barely make out the nearby objects.
After a moment, her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness in the room.
She reached out and touched the back of her head, which still ached and had a small swelling. Then she looked at her hand. Fortunately, there was no blood.
Remembering what had happened before she fainted, she let out a deep sigh.
She had actually fallen into a trap!
Bai Zheng curled the corner of her lips, smiling self - deprecatingly.
This time, they had become smarter. Knowing that she was a suspicious person, they had set a series of traps for her.
First, there was that lady who insisted on dragging her to the kitchen to teach her how to make desserts. In comparison, Sheng Qinrong, who later appeared to rescue her, seemed much more reasonable and trustworthy, which made her let down her guard.
Now, it was a case of the victor being the king and the loser being the bandit. Being locked up here, Bai Zheng had no choice but to admit defeat.
Fortunately, Sheng Qinrong clearly didn't want to kill her right away, so the force she used wasn't too heavy.
Moreover, she wasn't even tied up.
She stretched her limbs, stood up, and carefully examined her surroundings, somewhat confused about the real intention of the person who had attacked her.
Her hand gently brushed over every corner, along the wall, by the window...
Suddenly, she stopped, her face changing slightly.
Rubbing her index finger and thumb together, she felt a sticky sensation.
This was...
Oil?!
Her face paled instantly.
Remembering the faint gurgling sound of liquid being poured out before she woke up, a vague figure in her mind gradually became clear - so they had been pouring oil at that time!
At this moment, Bai Zheng's dulled sense of smell began to gradually recover.
A strong smell of oil assailed her nostrils.
By the moonlight, Bai Zheng took a closer look. The floor of the room was already covered with slightly glistening oil, stretching all the way to the window and the door.
Empty pots were thrown aside. Bai Zheng recognized them at a glance. They were the sesame oil that the Minister of Works had presented when she and Feng Linyuan entered the mansion today. The oil had been recited over by a high - ranking monk and offered in front of the Buddha.
No good! They were going to set the place on fire to burn her to death!
Bai Zheng's face changed drastically. She immediately turned around and tried to push the door. As expected, the door was already locked. Not giving up, she started pushing each window forcefully.
"Stop pushing. Why bother?" A cold, mocking voice came from outside the house.
Bai Zheng was startled all over. She stopped what she was doing and looked towards the door.
The moonlight outside was so bright that it shone through the oil - paper - covered door, casting a graceful figure.
"You're finally awake. I've been waiting for you for a long time." There was a hint of nonchalant reproach in the voice.
Bai Zheng squinted her eyes slightly.
She was already all too familiar with this voice.
Wasn't it her dear elder sister, Bai Sheng?
"Elder sister, are you here to save me?" After a long while, Bai Zheng slowly spoke to the shadow on the door.
"Giggle..." The other person laughed merrily, as if she had heard a really funny joke.
"My dear younger sister, has your head been smashed by Sheng Qinrong? Elder sister wishes you were dead as soon as possible. How could I save you?
I even wish I could cut your flesh piece by piece, pick your bones out one by one, and make you watch yourself being completely devastated. I want you to struggle, to suffer, unable to live or die..."
Bai Sheng gritted her teeth, and her cold voice seemed to come from hell.
Bai Zheng remained expressionless, but her hands didn't stop. She just moved more lightly, trying not to let the person outside hear.
But she still asked, "Elder sister hates me so much?"
"Yes, I hate you. I want you dead right now!" Bai Sheng admitted readily.
Bai Zheng was quick - witted, but there was a hint of confusion in her voice as she said, "Actually, I've always been very confused. What on earth did I do to offend elder sister that you hate me so much?"
"What did you do to offend me? How dare you ask!" As if extremely angered by Bai Zheng's question, Bai Sheng's voice suddenly rose.
"Dier was ruined and died miserably. Father had a glorious life but ended up in a desolate old age. The hundred - year glory of our General's Mansion was destroyed by you in one fell swoop. Now we have nothing to rely on. And I! I..."
Bai Sheng's voice was extremely excited. She gasped for breath, her eyes filled with tears. "My child didn't even get to come into this world and take a look at me before you killed him! You murderer, give my child back his life..."
Bai Zheng never expected that Bai Sheng would so straightforwardly confess to her about her miscarriage.
But thinking about it, since she was already a dead woman in the other's eyes, there was really nothing to hide.
But Bai Zheng still pretended to be surprised and asked, "Elder sister's child? Elder sister, don't talk nonsense. You haven't even gotten married. Where did you get a child?"
"Don't play dumb with me." Bai Sheng replied coldly, her voice as cold as ice. "My child is dead, and you shouldn't live either. Go down and apologize to him properly!"
"Elder sister! We're direct cousins. Grandpa once said that we should love each other..." Bai Zheng quickly pretended to be scared and shouted anxiously.
"Love each other? Hehe, do you deserve it!
Do you know why I've been waiting here for you to wake up? I could have just stabbed you to death when Sheng Qinrong knocked you out.
But that would be too good for you. You've committed so many sins. How could I let you die so easily?
I want to wait for you to wake up, watch yourself being locked in this room with nowhere to escape, watch the fire slowly approaching, the thick smoke billowing. You'll struggle and try your best, but it will be in vain.
Your hair, your clothes, your skin, and your flesh will be slowly burned until there's nothing left of your body... Hahaha! That must be really painful, really painful!"
Bai Sheng laughed recklessly, and her laughter penetrated the door and clearly reached Bai Zheng's ears.
Even though Bai Zheng had a strong mental fortitude, she still felt a chill run down her spine.
This woman was probably crazy.
By now, she had quickly checked the whole room, but despairingly found that every part of the room was tightly locked by Bai Sheng, and there was absolutely no chance of escape.
Bai Zheng stopped what she was doing, and her mind raced.
Now, she could only hope that Feng Linyuan would notice her disappearance soon and come to rescue her.
All she could do was try to stall for time, keep Bai Sheng here, and delay the fire for as long as possible...