Led by the jailer, Yun Xi arrived at the dungeon where Yun Ni was imprisoned.
Almost all the prisoners in the dungeon were hardened criminals sentenced to death. Since no sunlight ever reached this place all year round, it was dark, damp and airless all around. As soon as Yun Xi stepped in, she smelled the stench emanating from inside, which almost made her vomit.
"It's so scary here, miss."
Yu Zhu clung tightly to Yun Xi's back. She covered her nose and mouth with one hand and grabbed Yun Xi's sleeve with the other. With a look of fear in her eyes, she sized up the dark dungeon in front of her. From time to time, there came moans of pain, as if from hell, making one's hair stand on end.
Forcing herself to endure the discomfort in her heart, Yun Xi calmly patted Yu Zhu's hand. Looking at the dying and numb - faced death row inmates in the cells, she couldn't say a word.
If the death row in the Prefecture of the Capital was already so terrifying, what would the imperial prison, which was rumored to be a purgatory on earth, look like?!
Just thinking that her father was suffering such hellish torture at this moment, Yun Xi felt her heart tighten and ache faintly.
She constantly reminded herself that she must speed up!
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally stopped in front of Yun Ni's cell. The jailer pointed to a relatively clean cell and said to Yun Xi:
"Princess, this is the place."
Following the jailer's finger, Yun Xi turned her eyes to search for Yun Ni's figure in the cell. The next moment, her eyes widened in shock, hardly believing what she saw.
"Is, is this the second miss?!"
Yu Zhu covered her mouth in astonishment and stared intently at the disheveled and unfocused - eyed woman in the cell.
If it weren't for the jailer's confident tone, Yu Zhu could hardly imagine that the person sitting stupidly on the straw mat, looking like an idiot, was actually Yun Ni!
"Princess, take your time to talk. I'll come and call you when the time is up."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble."
Yun Xi concealed her shock and motioned for Yu Zhu to tip the jailer.
The jailer thanked them repeatedly. Immediately, he took out the key from his body, unlocked the cell door, waited for Yun Xi and her maid to enter, and then locked it again.
"Miss, watch out for the filth on the ground."
Looking around the environment inside the cell, Yu Zhu pointed to the seemingly rotten food on the ground and gently pulled Yun Xi's hand, leading her to stand in a relatively clean corner of the cell.
Yun Xi stood still, her eyes fixed intently on Yun Ni, who had remained silent since they entered. She said calmly:
"Yun Ni, don't you have anything to say?"
As soon as Yun Xi's voice fell, she saw Yun Ni's shoulders tremble slightly. Then, there was a death - like silence again.
"Second miss, please say something! Miss has gone to a lot of trouble to see you. Master has been framed for instigating you to poison the crown prince and is now imprisoned in the imperial prison. His life or death is uncertain! Don't you want to defend yourself?"
Seeing that Yun Ni remained silent, Yu Zhu couldn't help but feel anxious. She tried to persuade her earnestly from the side.
Because she knew how much trouble Yun Xi had gone through to see Yun Ni, and she remembered that Liang Sheng had only given Yun Xi one hour for the visit. If she missed this opportunity, there might never be another chance!
Yu Zhu's words didn't arouse the slightest reaction from Yun Ni. She hung her head, her messy black hair covering her face, motionless like a puppet.
It was as if as long as she tried hard to hide her presence, others wouldn't notice her.
Time passed bit by bit, like a spirit slipping through one's fingers, impossible to catch.
Looking at Yun Ni like this, Yun Xi's bright black eyes gradually became sharp, gathering a surging anger.
Suddenly, Yun Xi rushed forward quickly, grabbed Yun Ni's collar, forced her to look up, and then slapped her hard on both cheeks.
Everything happened so suddenly that both Yun Ni and Yu Zhu were caught off guard. They stared blankly at Yun Xi's angry face.
"Coward!"
Yun Xi roared coldly, her eyes full of contempt.
"Aren't you always arrogant and self - important? Where has your arrogance gone? How come when you encounter a setback, you're like a defeated chicken waiting to be slaughtered?!"
"So it turns out that the second miss of the prime minister's mansion is just a coward who is tough on the outside but weak on the inside and only dares to act tough within the family! No wonder others can play you like a fool!"
Others were stepping on her head, yet she just knew how to shrink into her shell and didn't even know how to fight back.
She was not only hard to sympathize with, but also made people angry at her indecisiveness and sorrowful for her misfortune!
After being slapped twice by Yun Xi and scolded so harshly, Yun Ni immediately flew into a rage and shook off Yun Xi's hand:
"What right do you have to say that about me? Do you think I wanted to end up like this? If the crown prince didn't only have you in his heart, why would I have taken such a desperate risk and tried to win his heart through improper means?!"
"You are the legitimate eldest daughter of the prime minister's mansion, the revered Princess Yongning! What am I? An illegitimate daughter with a crazy and low - born mother! I had to live in your shadow, being humble and submissive!"
Listening to Yun Ni's words, which still only focused on herself and showed no sign of repentance, Yun Xi's face turned as cold as ice. She stared coldly at Yun Ni:
"One can't choose one's birth, but you always blame others for everything and never reflect on your own mistakes! It's precisely because of your selfishness that you have harmed the crown prince, our father, and even put the whole family in danger!"
Yun Xi pressed on step by step, her words hitting home. Yun Ni couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
Yun Ni averted her gaze and unconsciously covered her ears with both hands, but Yun Xi forcefully pulled them down, forcing her to listen. She said word by word:
"What right do I have to say that about you? It's because I'm your older sister. Even though I think you deserve what you've got and don't care about your life or death, I still have to save you!
"Because Brother Qi earnestly pleaded with me! And because Father is still in the imperial prison!"
So, from the very beginning, they rose and fell together. Whether they liked it or not, they couldn't change this fact!
Yun Xi's scolding left Yun Ni stunned on the spot. The next moment, all of Yun Ni's pretense collapsed instantly! She covered her face with both hands and began to sob.
"I regret it! I know I was wrong! But I don't want to die! I'm so young. I still have so much time ahead of me, yet I have to stay in this dark and hopeless cell... As long as you can save me, I'm willing to do anything!"
Yun Ni was filled with fear. She sobbed incoherently, as if grasping at the last straw. She hugged Yun Xi's legs and knelt down.
"Sister, please save me! I promise I'll never go against you again! If you tell me to go east, I won't dare to go west! Please save me! I don't want to stay in this place anymore!"
Yun Ni looked at Yun Xi with tears streaming down her face, holding onto her tightly. Yu Zhu couldn't help but sigh.
This was the first time the second miss had voluntarily called her miss "sister", but unexpectedly, it was under such circumstances!
Looking down at Yun Ni's terrified face, Yun Xi couldn't help but raise her head and take a deep breath. When she lowered her head again, her eyes were filled with determination.
She helped Yun Ni up and carefully wiped the tears and dirt from Yun Ni's face with the corner of her sleeve.
"I can save you, but tell me exactly what happened when you went to the temple fair that day!"