Gu Hanxun left the dungeon.
The heart - rending screams from inside could still be faintly heard.
Shadow followed behind him. Once outside, Gu Hanxun told him to guard the dungeon and wait for someone.
After a while, the person arrived. It was the commander of the imperial guards.
They exchanged a few polite words and then parted ways.
Not long after Shadow left, when passing by the wall of the Fanhua Palace, he heard a voice.
"Lord Shadow."
It was Qi Yue.
"Deputy Envoy Qi?"
Qi Yue walked out from behind the tree. She held her sword in both hands, and her expression was hard to read.
"What are you doing here?"
"Lord Shadow, don't you think our master has changed?"
Shadow looked around.
Then he said, "Deputy Envoy Qi, you've been serving the master for many years. You're considered an old hand. How could you say such inappropriate words?"
Qi Yue said, "I haven't even said where the master has changed, but you say my words are inappropriate. I suppose, Lord Shadow, you know exactly what I want to say in your heart. You must think the same way."
Shadow frowned and asked, "Deputy Envoy Qi, there are some things that we servants shouldn't interfere with."
"The master has changed, Lord Shadow. I used to think that the Second Prince was the hope of our Cangwu Kingdom. He would be the kindest master in the whole kingdom, full of benevolence. But in the past three months, since the Second Princess disappeared, have you seen what the Second Prince has done? Which one of his actions is worthy of our original intention of following him?"
Shadow didn't say a word.
Qi Yue continued, "I'm not saying this because I've had second thoughts. I'm just worried. If the Second Prince, who has become the king today, can treat the people around him like this, will he use the same means against us in the future?"
Facing Qi Yue's questioning, Shadow thought for a long time.
Finally, he laughed. This laugh made Qi Yue feel a chill run down her spine.
"Deputy Envoy Qi?"
"Lord Shadow, why are you laughing?"
"Deputy Envoy Qi, over the years, you should know how the Queen treated the master. He should have been more outstanding than he is now. But because Gu Xingran was the eldest son and the son of Qin Anxin, for the sake of that good - for - nothing, Qin Anxin found someone to cripple the master's legs. Even for the Changkong Academy, the master wasn't qualified to enter. Later, when Gu Xingran died, Qin Anxin blamed it on the master. At the sacrificial ceremony, how she insulted the master, Deputy Envoy Qi, you should have seen it too."
"Lord Shadow—"
"Deputy Envoy Qi, if our master endured all these grievances without fighting back, then what kind of spineless master do you think we've been following?"
Qi Yue took a deep breath.
Then she sighed and said, "Actually, that's not what I care about. You should be able to sense my loyalty to the master."
Shadow lowered his eyes.
Qi Yue added, "Shadow, do you know what the common people in Cangwu Kingdom are saying now?"
Shadow frowned.
Qi Yue continued, "They say that the master was enraged for the sake of a beauty. They say that the Queen was jealous of the Second Princess's beauty. At the Flower - Hunting Festival, the Second Princess rushed towards the Queen, so the Queen held a grudge. Before the festival ended, the Queen sent people to kidnap the Second Princess."
Seeing that Shadow was listening attentively, Qi Yue went on, "Then, the master did his best. He even crawled to the Fanhua Palace to beg the Queen to release the Second Princess, but the Queen refused. They say the master was forced to stage a mutiny for the woman in his heart."
Shadow asked, "So?"
Qi Yue smiled.
"Shadow, you're not stupid, and neither am I. We're the people around the master. We've searched for so long but still haven't found the Second Princess. However, this wasn't the reason for the master to stage a mutiny. He just took the disappearance of the Second Princess as an excuse to start a rebellion."
Shadow sneered.
"Deputy Envoy Qi, I never knew you were so good at speculating about the master's intentions."
"I know you're mocking me, but I'm telling the truth, Lord Shadow. You should know that from the very beginning, the master only used Ningning. From the moment she appeared in the palace, she was just a pawn of the master. The master wouldn't stage a rebellion for her."
"So what?"
"Shadow, open your eyes and see how the master is treating Qin Anxin now. I'm afraid that one day, he'll treat us the same way."
Shadow said, "Deputy Envoy Qi, if I remember correctly, we all thought that the Second Princess left on her own. It was you who said that she might have been kidnapped by the Queen. That's why our master did so many crazy things. Deputy Envoy Qi, you knew that the master was in a bad state of mind at that time, but you deliberately led him down this path. The outcome of Qin Anxin was probably within your expectations, right?"
Qi Yue didn't say a word.
"Deputy Envoy Qi, I can guess what you're thinking. The master is much smarter than us. He knows exactly what kind of person you are. You'd better restrain your edge and stop saying such things. Otherwise, I don't know what the master will do to me, but if you keep going like this, the master will never forgive you."
Qi Yue took a step back.
She said angrily, "Yes, I deliberately pointed the finger at Qin Anxin. That's because my father had nothing to do with the death of the First Prince, but she took her anger out on my whole family. She exiled my whole family and wanted to brand my face. At the Flower - Hunting Festival, she even mocked me more than once. Qin Anxin did so many evil things. She deserves this outcome."
Shadow glanced at Qi Yue.
Then he said, "I'm more and more confused about you, Deputy Envoy Qi."
"What do you mean?"
"Since this is the result you wanted, why are you saying such things now?"
Qi Yue said, "I'm just afraid. I'm afraid that one day, the master will treat us the same way."
Shadow replied, "The master won't. As long as we don't do anything to let the master down, he won't treat us like this. Qi Yue, your heart is not pure. You'd better think clearly about which side you're on before you make a decision."
Qi Yue quickly knelt down.
"Lord Shadow, I was wrong."
"You don't need to kneel to me. My position is not worthy of such a grand courtesy from you."
"I was possessed by a ghost tonight. I thought too much. I hope you can be magnanimous and don't take it to heart."
Shadow smiled.
Without looking back, he said, "Don't worry. I won't tell the master about tonight's incident. But you'd better rein in your thoughts. Don't let the master find out. The master is a suspicious person. If he senses that you have second thoughts, I don't need to tell you what will happen to you, right?"
Qi Yue buried her head very low.
Here, the heart - rending screams from the dungeon of the Fanhua Palace could still be heard.