The Imperial Prison.
"Has the Emperor left?"
"Yes, just now... Look at how he was... Tut-tut-tut."
"The Emperor really beat him hard..."
"Wasn't it hard? That was the Emperor's favorite concubine!"
"He deserved it. He even had ideas about the Noble Consort De."
"Yes, he deserved it."
Chang Lin half-opened his eyes.
He could no longer feel his legs at all. The pain had gradually changed from a burning sensation at first to an unbearable one, and now his whole body was numb. He didn't know how much time had passed. It seemed like a very long time, but also seemed like only a short while.
He had completely lost the concept of time. In his impression, there was only Sikong Ting's angry roars and interrogations and the whip falling again and again.
His whole body was covered with cuts and bruises, especially his legs, which should have been directly broken. The whip with thorns, carrying broken flesh and blood, was fiercely whipped high into the air and then fell again. Sikong Ting roared and asked him, "Who instigated you! Tell me!"
He gritted his teeth and watched as the whip was swung in the air. The blood and broken flesh were thrown onto the earthen wall of the prison due to inertia. His eyes were dim as he said, "There's no one else. It was just me..."
Another whip fell. "Bold! Still not telling the truth!"
That whip directly struck Chang Lin's face. The intense pain and impact made him faint instantly.
When he woke up again, Sikong Ting had already left.
Now his whole body was covered in blood and flesh. If it weren't for his two hands still hanging, he could hardly be recognized as a human being.
He gasped for breath with difficulty. The air he inhaled seemed to carry thousands of fragments, which ravaged his lungs in his chest and then slowly exhaled from his mouth and nose with the smell of blood.
In the dark imperial prison, it was damp and cold. The only bit of light was a torch in front of his cell. The torch spat out tongues of fire, as if it were the infernal fire leading to death.
Chang Lin tilted his head and placed it on his right hanging arm. He stubbornly opened his eyes in the darkness. He seemed to be looking at something in the darkness, but also seemed to be looking at nothing. In the silence, there came the ticking sound, sometimes dense and sometimes monotonous.
He knew that it was his blood.
His life seemed to be quickly fading away with that drop by drop of red liquid.
He knew that even if Sikong Ting didn't beat him to death, what awaited him would surely be the fate of death.
Because Sikong Ting would never let him go.
So he didn't reveal the Noble Consort Shu. When he was arrested, he had already burned all the things related to the Noble Consort Shu in his room. Sadly, there were many things related to the Noble Consort Shu in his room, but the things truly belonging to her were very few. If he really had to say something, almost all of them were the letters he had written to her but hadn't had a chance to send yet.
He threw all the letters into the brazier and then set them on fire. He knelt and sat beside the brazier in silence, watching the flames burn brightly and more and more vigorously.
Suddenly, a half-burned piece of paper was blown out by the flames and slowly fluttered in front of Chang Lin.
It was that poem.
Chang Lin only glanced at it, and a huge grief came over him. He trembled as he picked up the piece of paper, rubbed it with his fingers countless times, and put it into the inner pocket of his clothes.
It should have been soaked in blood by now, right?
Chang Lin thought. He wanted to smile bitterly, but didn't even have the mood to twitch the corner of his mouth.
"Tap-tap-tap..."
In the silence, someone walked down the stairs.
Chang Lin stared blankly at the floor in a daze.
The footsteps of the newcomer got closer and closer and finally stopped in front of Chang Lin's cell.
Chang Lin slowly raised his eyes, and what came into view was a familiar face.
It was the general of the brave cavalry who led the team to arrest him.
Liu Zhen had a gloomy face, which looked eerie and terrifying in the place facing away from the firelight.
"Heh..." Chang Lin endured the pain and moved his body slightly. He said in a hoarse voice, "Is the Emperor going to kill me?"
Liu Zhen pursed his lips into a straight line, and his face was terribly gloomy.
"Cough... Or are you here to kill me?" Chang Lin coughed a few times. A few mouthfuls of blood got stuck in his throat and were mercilessly spat out by him.
Liu Zhen was silent for a while. Suppressing his voice, he asked, "Did the Noble Consort Shu ask you to do this?"
Chang Lin widened his eyes. His dying body suddenly trembled violently. The chains rattled due to his movement. He glared angrily at Liu Zhen, and his voice was trembling and angry. "What are you guessing blindly? Didn't I say that it was just what I wanted to do?"
Liu Zhen pursed his lips tightly. His eagle-like eyes stared closely at Chang Lin, full of inquiry and sharpness.
"The Noble Consort Shu sent me here." Liu Zhen suddenly spoke, but his voice was extremely cold and stiff.
Chang Lin's movement stopped.
"What did you say?"
"The Noble Consort Shu asked me to take you away." Liu Zhen said in a deep voice.
Chang Lin stared at him, as if confirming the authenticity of these words.
"What's your name?" Chang Lin said.
"Liu Zhen." Liu Zhen said.
Chang Lin murmured his name and said, "Liu Zhen... Are you from Lord Liu's family? What's your relationship with Wanyan?"
Liu Zhen was silent for a moment and said, "She's my cousin."
"Oh..." Chang Lin let out a bitter smile. That's good. She still remembered him.
He couldn't tell what kind of mood he was in. Maybe because he knew he was about to die, he suddenly became more open-minded about such things. Thinking about how much effort he had made to get her to look at him back then, now he just felt how powerless he was.
He had lived a ridiculous life. What had he finally gained?
"You can't take me away..." Chang Lin said, and then vomited out a few mouthfuls of blood. "Tell Yan'er to protect herself well. Zixuan won't be able to accompany her anymore."
Such a sad sentence was said by Chang Lin extremely calmly, as if he was discussing what to eat tomorrow.
"I know it was her who asked you to do it." Liu Zhen said. His voice was cold and merciless. "Although she asked me to take you away, I don't plan to do so."
Chang Lin's eyes moved, but he didn't say a word.
"I'll convey your words to her, but I, Liu Zhen, have been loyal to the Emperor all my life, not to the Liu family." He said in a deep voice, paused for a moment, and then said, "Chang Lin, take care of yourself."
After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave, but was stopped by Chang Lin.
"You said... you can help me convey a message, right?"
Chang Lin had his back to him and didn't say a word.
"Cough... Then help me tell her that I don't regret loving her in this life. After I die, let her protect herself well and don't do such impulsive things anymore..." His voice became softer and softer, and he was almost out of strength.
Liu Zhen waited for a long time, but Chang Lin fainted due to blood loss while talking. He turned around and looked at him with a complicated look in his eyes. He stood still on the spot for a while and then turned around and walked out of the imperial prison.
The Kunning Palace.
Sikong Ting hugged Qin Huaiqiu in his arms and refused to let go no matter what.
After the two finally opened their hearts to each other, Sikong Ting almost wanted to pour out all the sweet words in the world to him. Qin Huaiqiu shrank in Sikong Ting's arms. His face was blushing with shame, but his heart was as happy as if he had eaten honey.
"Qiu'er, does your body still feel uncomfortable?" Sikong Ting asked while kissing his cheek. The warm breath he exhaled all covered his skin.
"I'm much better. I don't feel uncomfortable anymore. I think I can even get out of bed and walk." Qin Huaiqiu's words were the truth. Although he had just come back from the gate of hell, he had been in good health since childhood and recovered quickly. Moreover, he was a restless person, so he wanted to get out of bed and take a stroll.
Sikong Ting didn't agree. He pressed Qin Huaiqiu down and said, "You're not being good. The imperial physician told you to lie down well. Don't always think about getting out of bed."
"I'll grow hair." Qin Huaiqiu pouted. He had been lying in bed for a whole day, and his buttocks were almost flattened.
Sikong Ting kissed his face and said, "Do you want to get out of bed so much? Could it be that you want to go find someone?"
Qin Huaiqiu was hit on his mind. He pouted and didn't say a word.
Sikong Ting put one arm around Qin Huaiqiu's waist and played with his fingers with the other. He asked softly, "Do you have any clues about the matter of your poisoning?"
Qin Huaiqiu was stunned for a moment and instead of answering, he asked, "Didn't the Emperor interrogate Chang Lin?"
"He refused to say anything." Sikong Ting put his chin on Qin Huaiqiu's shoulder. His voice was muffled. "But Liu Yun has already confessed to me. Did you suspect the Noble Consort Shu before?"
Qin Huaiqiu nodded and said, "Chang Lin has an unusual relationship with the Noble Consort Shu. It's really impossible for this matter to be done by Chang Lin alone." He raised his head and looked at Sikong Ting. "If there's sufficient evidence to prove that it was the Noble Consort Shu, what will the Emperor do?"
"She wanted to kill you." Sikong Ting said in a deep voice. "I want to execute her."
"But her father is Liu Cheng, the Minister of Rites." Qin Huaiqiu said. "Liu Cheng has many followers in the court and is a loyal subject to the Emperor. It's not appropriate for the Emperor to do so."
Sikong Ting let out a muffled "hmm" and said in a low voice, "Then lock her up in the Cold Palace. Chang Lin is very stubborn. He won't say anything about his collusion with the people of Loulan or his conspiracy with the Noble Consort Shu. Currently, Liu Yun can only prove that the Noble Consort Shu met him a few times, but with just this, I can still convict him."
Qin Huaiqiu sighed and relaxed his body, leaning on Sikong Ting's chest. "Does the Emperor know who Chang Lin is?"
Sikong Ting was stunned for a moment and shook his head.
Qin Huaiqiu looked away. His sight was scattered, as if he was seeing something far away. "He's the son of Chang Gaotai. His original name was Chang Zixuan."
Sikong Ting's movement paused. After a long while, he let out a sigh of regret and didn't say anything else.
Yes, what else could he say? So what if he was the son of a genius? In the end, it was just a sigh.
"What does the Emperor plan to do with him?"
Sikong Ting said, "At noon tomorrow, he will be executed by lingchi."
Qin Huaiqiu was silent for a while. He actively grabbed Sikong Ting's hand and said, "Can you leave him a whole body?"
Sikong Ting looked at him and agreed. "I'll listen to you."
"Does the Emperor have any other things to do today?" Qin Huaiqiu blinked at him.
Sikong Ting immediately understood. He said sullenly, "Qiu'er is going to drive me away again?"
"No, no." Qin Huaiqiu denied. He didn't want to drive him away at all now. Just after they had confirmed their feelings for each other, they even felt that the time they were together was not enough. It was just that, "I want to see the Noble Consort Shu."
Sikong Ting looked at him and said, "Does Qiu'er know something?"
Qin Huaiqiu nodded and said, "Qin Lan has investigated some things. Before Liu Wanyan married you, she and Chang Zixuan were actually in love with each other."
"Oh?" Sikong Ting's voice was indifferent.
Qin Huaiqiu smiled and joked, "Why, aren't you happy?"
"What do I have to be unhappy about?" Sikong Ting snorted and gritted his teeth. "Her matters have nothing to do with me."
He lowered his head and looked at Qin Huaiqiu. "Does Qiu'er still want to ask me to fulfill them?"
Qin Huaiqiu sighed and said, "Am I such a generous person? I just think she's very pitiful."
Sikong Ting paused.
"A person who doesn't know what she wants from beginning to end makes one mistake after another. It's sad, lamentable, but also the most pitiful." Qin Huaiqiu sighed.
Sikong Ting hugged Qin Huaiqiu tightly with both hands. Qin Huaiqiu felt the change in his mood, so he patted his arm and said softly, "What's wrong?"
"I didn't know what I wanted at first either." Sikong Ting's voice was muffled. He reached out his hand and turned Qin Huaiqiu's face around. He pinched his chin and looked into his eyes.
The affection in his eyes was soul-stirring. Qin Huaiqiu was suddenly stunned.
"But I know now." Sikong Ting said. He rubbed Qin Huaiqiu's lips with his fingertips and suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"What is it?" Qin Huaiqiu asked. His eyes were as bright as stars.
Sikong Ting smiled and said the most touching love words, "What I want is you. The lively and lovely you, the valiant and heroic you, the angry you... I want all of you. I like you and love you, so I want everything about you."
Qin Huaiqiu was stunned. He looked at Sikong Ting. The sincere appearance of the man in front of him touched him. He slowly turned his body sideways and held Sikong Ting's face with both hands.
His fingertips slowly slid down from Sikong Ting's eyebrows and eyes, outlined his straight nose and tough cheekbones, and finally stopped on his thin lips.
Sikong Ting smiled. His smile seemed to make the sun and the moon lose their luster. He looked at him and said softly, "What's Qiu'er's answer?"
Qin Huaiqiu's heart was like it was filled with honey. His nose felt sour. He lowered his head and gently kissed his lips.
He did it with piety and reverence.
My monarch, my true love.
Sikong Ting, how fortunate I am to have met you.
How fortunate I am that after going through life and death, when I wake up, you're still by my side.
Qin Huaiqiu's eyes glistened with tears. He said softly, "Me too."