Her long, sharp nails scratched bright red bloodstains on Huo Wei's hand. Huo Wei remained expressionless, his fierce black eyes fixed menacingly.
Suddenly, Murong Min burst into a hearty laugh. He got up and walked over. "The Crown Prince is indeed like I was in my youth, capable of maximizing a person's usefulness," he said.
Huo Wei replied calmly, "Father, please allow your son to personally carry out the torture." Then he turned to the imperial guards behind him. "Someone, bring me a whip!"
The thick, shiny black whip was placed in Huo Wei's hand. His hand trembled slightly as he tightened his grip. In a deep voice, he said, "Father, please return to your throne. I'm afraid blood might splash on you later."
After Murong Min turned around and walked away, Huo Wei took the whip and walked to Dugu Luanyue's side. He raised his arm.
She lay weakly on the ground, looking like a butterfly with broken wings.
The bloodshot veins in Dugu Luanyue's eyes grew more prominent. She couldn't understand why Huo Wei had suddenly changed. Why was he using a whip on her, trying to force her to reveal the secrets of the Southern Chu court? Did he really hate her that much?
"Why?" she asked in a trembling voice.
Huo Wei's temples throbbed, and the whip in his hand shook slightly. "I only hope Her Majesty the Queen can say something useful," he replied.
Dugu Luanyue would never betray her country. Even if Huo Wei were to beat her to death, she would never utter a single word.
Suddenly, she smiled. The loose strands of hair on her forehead swayed weakly. "Do it. I won't say a thing," she said.
The whip cracked down on her back. The imperial guards' whips were specially made. Once they landed on the skin, they would tear it open.
The veins on Huo Wei's forehead bulged, and his face flushed red. He lashed out again. "Speak!" he roared.
Murong Min watched indifferently. This didn't look like a display of affection at all. It was more like the way one would treat an enemy.
Huo Wei was truly ruthless.
He cast a cold glance at Zhao Chuyan. "If I find out that you've been lying, I'll have you whipped too," he threatened.
Zhao Chuyan's face stiffened. She thought both the father and son were heartless. How cruel they were!
Yu Zan knelt on one side, trembling. She didn't dare to say a word.
Huo Wei threw the whip on the ground. "The Queen has fainted," he said.
Murong Min looked at the blood on the ground with disgust. "Drag her out. Have the maids come in and change the carpet," he ordered.
Huo Wei said, "Father, your son will take the Queen to the prison for further interrogation. This maid beside the Queen is also from Southern Chu. Your son will take her to the prison as well."
Yu Zan suddenly straightened her body. "I don't want to go to the prison! Lady Zhao, please save me! You promised to help me!" she cried.
Huo Wei frowned tightly. The killing intent in his fierce eyes landed on Yu Zan. "Someone, take her away!" he commanded.
The Imperial Prison of the Northern Yan.
Huo Wei had replaced the guards in the prison with his own trusted men.
After bringing Dugu Luanyue to the prison, he summoned Aunt Mei Jiang, who was locked in the death row. He gave her an order.
"Swap the clothes of the Queen and Yu Zan. You change first," he said.
Aunt Mei Jiang didn't dare to delay. She immediately went to change, but her hands kept shaking. She was also injured, so her movements were a bit slow.
Huo Wei looked behind him and said in a deep voice, "Time is running out. Murong Min will send someone to check soon. We can't afford to be slow. You go and change Yu Zan's clothes. I'll change hers."
Tears welled up in Aunt Mei Jiang's eyes. Her throat was dry and sore. "Please be gentle, Your Highness. Her Majesty the Queen is already injured," she pleaded.
Yu Zan shouted shrilly on one side. "I knew it! I knew it! The Crown Prince was just acting earlier!
It was all for the Emperor's sake. Otherwise, Her Majesty the Queen would have had to drink the poisoned wine! Someone, someone! The Crown Prince and the Queen are having an affair!"
Huo Wei's eyes flashed with a cold light. He picked up a stone from the cell and threw it at Yu Zan. The stone hit her on the head, and she fainted.
When Huo Wei turned back to change Dugu Luanyue's clothes, his breathing became unsteady. The blood - soaked skin made his heart ache as if it were being crushed by a boulder.
Apart from the whip marks, there were also some large and small bruises on her body. Presumably, it was that old man Murong Min who did it.
After taking too many hallucinogenic golden pills, people often lose their senses and become violent.
After Huo Wei and Aunt Mei Jiang swapped the clothes of the two women, Aunt Mei Jiang carefully let down Yu Zan's hair and inserted a few of Dugu Luanyue's gold hairpins.
At this time, the people beside Murong Min had already arrived at the death row. They pretended to ask a few questions.
They mainly wanted to see if Huo Wei had secretly released the Queen. Obviously, His Highness the Crown Prince had personally whipped the prisoner, putting in much more effort than before.
Yu Zan lowered her head. Her disheveled black hair covered her face, and there was also a lot of blood on it.
The dim light in the cell only showed that her figure was exactly the same as the Queen's. After a few words, those people left.
Huo Wei stood in front of Yu Zan. He added salt water to the whip and lashed it down one after another.
Yu Zan, who was originally unconscious, was awakened by the pain. After a few whips, she fainted again.
Huo Wei used all his strength. Each whip was bone - deep, different from the few whips he had given Dugu Luanyue before, which only landed on the skin.
Huo Wei took out a medicine bottle from his bosom and gave it to Aunt Mei Jiang. "Apply this medicine to her," he said.
He looked down at Dugu Luanyue. She was lying pale and haggard in the pile of dry grass, unable to say a word.
Just as he was about to leave, Aunt Mei Jiang suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, this old servant knows that you are deliberately saving Her Majesty. You don't really want to beat her or attack Southern Chu.
But now, Your Highness is hiding Her Majesty in the death row and pretending to whip Yu Zan. This is not a long - term solution.
May this old servant beg Your Highness for a favor and let us return to Southern Chu quietly?"
Huo Wei's tall figure stood in the dim light of the death row. His face was swallowed by the darkness, looking blurry and distant. His voice was low and cold.
"Do you think Murong Min will let her escape so easily? Moreover, I saved her, but I didn't say I would let her go."
A few days later, Huo Wei first went to see Grand Tutor Wei. The defense arrangements in the imperial city and the palace began to change quietly.
There was also news from Meng Tan. Shen Guilan had indeed gone to find He Zhizhou.
Huo Wei asked, "Have you captured him?"
Meng Tan replied, "We didn't dare to act rashly, but the target has been locked. Should we make a move? It's just... just..."
Huo Wei held the teacup and blew the tea leaves. Hearing the hesitation, he raised his black eyes. "Just what? What did you find?" he asked.
Meng Tan said doubtfully, "It seems to this subordinate that Military Advisor Shen is not so submissive to He Zhizhou.
Our spies found that He Zhizhou even beat Military Advisor Shen up. There seemed to be a great conflict between them.
After that, Military Advisor Shen returned to the former Yuzhang Prince's Mansion alone. He didn't continue to follow He Zhizhou, nor did he return to the Eastern Palace."
Huo Wei turned the jade finger - ring in his hand, rubbing it slowly with his fingertips. Doubts filled his mind.
He knew that Murong Min's suspicion was the greatest threat. And the doubts in his own mind couldn't be completely resolved in a few days.
If Murong Min suddenly became suspicious of the blood relationship, he would have no chance of turning things around.
Now that Dugu Luanyue had lost her power, he couldn't afford to have any more problems.
"Meng Tan, go and tell the Wei family that they have to act earlier," Huo Wei said. His black eyes looked at the silver - white cloud - patterned armor hanging on the clothes rack.