In the dim basement, inside the cell.
"Da da da!"
Crisp footsteps appeared in the cell, echoing all around.
The entire dungeon was silent. Apart from the crisp and loud footsteps, there was no other sound.
The silence all around was so oppressive that it made one breathless.
The dungeon wasn't large, its dark, smooth stone walls shimmering with water droplets. The flickering lights were a thrilling sight.
The dungeon was dark and gloomy, with no one in sight.
The only place in the entire dungeon where there was movement and sound was in the cell at the deepest part of the dungeon.
A disheveled figure lay in the dungeon, listless.
His luxurious clothes were tattered and he was lying on the wet straw, with disheveled hair and a unkempt face, without a trace of vitality.
Until the sound of footsteps was heard not far away, the embarrassed figure on the ground raised his head with difficulty, with a bit of fear in his dim eyes, and he was terrified, as if waiting for the judgment of fate.
As the footsteps approached, he became more and more uneasy and his expression became more and more frightened.
“Tick!”
A drop of rain slid down from the dungeon and dripped onto Wang Qin's dry face. He licked his lips and raised his head.
A figure appeared outside the cell door.
However, it was not the person Wang Qin had imagined.
The person who appeared in his sight was a woman!
A very beautiful woman!
Wang Qin seemed to be in a daze, his brain short-circuited for a moment, and he stared blankly at the woman in front of him.
Very beautiful!
Breathtakingly beautiful!
The beauty made his brain forget to think and forget his current situation.
As the son of the Xunyang governor, Wang Qin had seen many women, many of them stunningly beautiful. But the one who truly captivated him was the princess in the capital, whom he had only caught a glimpse of.
At this moment, the woman who appeared in his sight was no worse than the eldest princess!
She was wearing a snow-white long dress and a mink coat, and she appeared in his sight as pure and flawless as a fairy, cold and beautiful.
Very beautiful!
Also very indifferent!
It's like an ice cube in the cold winter, so cold that it makes people tremble.
The next second, Wang Qin shuddered, his back felt numb and his whole body was cold as if he had fallen into an abyss.
He had seen the woman in front of him before.
Just a while ago, in the secret room in the back mountain.
This woman...
He and his second uncle were hunted down.
She is not dead?
After realizing this, Wang Qin's face showed horror.
Since Prince Lin was not dead, she, who was trapped in the secret room in the back mountain with Prince Lin, was naturally safe and sound.
That……
Why is she here?!
After a brief moment of amazement, Wang Qin felt a deep fear in his heart.
He knew very well that the woman in front of him was dangerous.
Extremely high martial arts skills!
What does she want to do?!
Wang Qin struggled to get up, but he felt completely powerless. He hadn't eaten in days, and he was so hungry he felt dizzy and weak, his back drooping, and he couldn't muster any strength.
He just struggled to stand up, but fell back down, gasping for breath.
“Snap!”
The cell door opened.
Wang Qin looked up in horror, watching the stunningly beautiful woman slowly step into the cell. He struggled and took a few steps back.
“You, who are you?!”
"You, what do you want to do?!"
The words sounded harsh but were actually weak, lacking in any power.
Wang Qin at this moment was no longer the son of the high-ranking Xunyang prefect. During the days of imprisonment, his arrogance had long been worn away.
This dark and damp basement tortured him and made him mentally exhausted.
At the door.
Zhiyuan stepped into the cell and looked coldly at Wang Qin inside. Her expression was devoid of any emotion as she stared at him for a long moment before she said expressionlessly, "You deserve to die."
Wang Qin's whole body trembled suddenly, and he looked up in horror, only to see that the woman in white had a dagger and a scimitar in her hand.
A ray of cold light flashed from the scimitar dagger, and also flashed into the fear in Wang Qin's heart.
She, she wants to kill herself?!
When this thought came to his mind, Wang Qin completely collapsed.
"Heroine, please spare my life..."
Wang Qin fell to the ground, wailing like a dead dog, "I have no grudge against you... You have a grudge against my second uncle. If you want revenge, you should go find my second uncle, don't involve me..."
"Please let me go..."
After experiencing the torture of life and death, Wang Qin had long lost all his courage. Now, he just wanted to survive.
Even if it's very frustrating to survive.
But, he has to live.
As long as you are alive, there is hope.
Once you die, there's nothing left.
Zhiyuan remained indifferent to Wang Qin's plea for mercy, unmoved at all, and said coldly: "You deserve to die too!"
"Everyone in the Wang family deserves to die!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhiyuan flicked his sleeves and the dagger and scimitar in his hand flew out.
Next second.
"ah!"
A sharp scream was heard.
The dagger instantly pierced through Wang Qin's palm and stabbed his right hand into the ground.
Blood gushed out and Wang Qin lay on the ground, screaming in pain, his pale face full of ferocious fear.
The screams were as brutal as a pig being slaughtered, and he fainted on the spot.
Zhiyuan stood there, watching the scene indifferently.
Motionless.
There seemed to be some hesitation in his eyes.
The murderous intent lingered, then eventually disappeared.
She said nothing, gradually looked away, and turned around slowly.
He turned around, but stopped again.
Not far ahead, Lin Jiangnian appeared in the dungeon at some point, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, watching the scene with interest.
He glanced behind the kite and landed on her again.
"Why not just kill him?"
Zhiyuan didn't say anything.
"Since you want revenge, wouldn't it be better to just kill him and end the Wang family's lineage?"
Lin Jiangnian looked at her and chuckled, "Why don't you kill her?"
Wang Qin is the only heir of the current generation of the Wang family. If he dies, the Wang family will indeed be extinct.
He learned that Zhiyuan came here alone and guessed her purpose. He thought Wang Qin was dead, but he didn't expect that she didn't kill Wang Qin?
Zhiyuan said calmly, "He can't die yet."
"Why?"
Zhiyuan looked up at him and said, "Because he is the only heir of the Wang family, he still has some value to be used..."
Lin Jiangnian was very interested: "How do you say that?"
"If you keep him, Wang Shiquan's only son will be in your hands. He will definitely be wary and won't dare to completely break off relations. If Wang Qin dies..."
After a pause, she said expressionlessly, "Wang Shiquan has no worries anymore. If he loses his mind, he will fight you and me to the death. The loss will outweigh the gain!"
Lin Jiangnian listened to Zhiyuan's explanation, staring at her delicate and pretty face. After a while, he sighed, "I still underestimated you."
Indeed, now is not the time to kill Wang Qin, and Lin Jiangnian has no plans to do so now.
As Zhiyuan said, as long as Wang Qin was still alive, he would be a huge constraint for Wang Shiquan. Given Wang Shiquan's love for his only son, as long as there was a possibility that Wang Qin could survive, he would not dare to completely break off relations with Lin Jiangnian.
He cannot afford the outcome of a complete destruction of both the fish and the net.
But once Wang Qin died, Wang Shiquan would have no worries. It is hard to say what irrational things a father who suffers the pain of losing his son would do.
"You could have killed him."
Lin Jiangnian glanced behind her and shook his head slightly: "Whether he's dead or alive, it won't have much impact... Even if I completely break off relations with Wang Shiquan, it's not a bad idea."
For Lin Jiangnian, killing Wang Qin and completely angering Wang Shiquan is not a good choice, but it is not impossible.
If Zhiyuan really wanted to kill Wang Qin, Lin Jiangnian wouldn't stop him. Whether Wang Shiquan had completely broken off relations with him or not wasn't important, and Lin Jiangnian didn't care.
Zhiyuan lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Lin Jiangnian walked slowly forward and stood in front of her: "If you don't plan to kill him, why did you come here?"
Zhiyuan still didn't answer the question, but was silent for a while and then suddenly spoke.
"When do we start?"
"tonight."
"tonight?"
Zhiyuan was startled and subconsciously looked up at him.
"That's right."
Lin Jiangnian nodded: "Tonight."
"Now?"
"Now."
Lin Jiang laughed young: "The person I'm waiting for has arrived, and it's time for the show to begin."
Zhiyuan was silent, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes.
"don’t worry."
Lin Jiangnian seemed to see her worry, shook his head gently, and helped her comb her hair. Zhiyuan subconsciously took a step back, but Lin Jiangnian grabbed her hand.
Zhiyuan pulled lightly, but failed to pull it out.
However, she didn't seem to intend to pull away. She just resisted symbolically and then stopped moving, allowing Lin Jiangnian to hold her.
Lower your head and stare quietly.
"After waiting for so long, it's time to put an end to this matter once and for all."
Lin Jiangnian glanced at her and chuckled, "Let's go."
Zhiyuan looked at him: "Where are you going?"
"Come and see this great show!"
Lin Jiangnian paused and said, "Don't you want to go to the governor's mansion and see it with your own eyes?"
“…”
Night falls.
Xunyang City, the prefectural government office.
"No news yet?"
Wang Shiquan sat in the lobby with a gloomy face and a furrowed brow.
Outside the hall, several guards were kneeling on one knee, looking exhausted and tired.
The atmosphere around was depressing.
After searching for several days, the prefectural governor sent many guards and soldiers to conduct a blanket search in Xunyang City. Although they did find many forces hidden in Xunyang City.
But there is still no news about Wang Qin.
Looking for a needle in a haystack!
Nothing was caught.
Wang Shiquan's face became increasingly ugly. He knew very well that Wang Qin must still be in Xunyang City.
But how to find it is a problem.
Every day Wang Qin can’t find the person is in danger.
just in case……
Wang Shiquan didn't dare to think about it any further.
No matter how dissolute, useless and hopeless he is, he is still his only son after all.
"If anything happens to Qin'er, all of you must bring your heads to see me!"
Wang Shiquan's eyes were gloomy.
At this moment, he was less elegant and more violent and indifferent.
"Of course we have to look for Qin'er, but we have to be on guard against Linzhou!"
Wang Changjin's voice came from the side.
He said in a low voice, "There's a lot of movement in Linzhou. If Lin Hengzhong really sends his troops north, regardless of the charge of rebellion, we'll probably have a tough battle."
Wang Shiquan's face was gloomy. "I've already met with the governor. If Lin Hengzhong sends his troops, he won't sit idly by."
Wang Changjin's brows were still furrowed. "What I'm worried about is, what if he can't stop Lin Hengzhong's troops?"
After hearing this, Wang Shiquan fell silent.
Without saying a word.
No one can guarantee this matter.
After all, Yanzhou is located in the inland of the dynasty. There are not many soldiers and horses stationed in Yanzhou, and there are many children of eunuchs in the Yanzhou army. Most of them have never been on the battlefield and can only talk about it on paper. When it comes to combat effectiveness, no one can guarantee it.
Linzhou, on the other hand, sits on the imperial border and has extensive combat experience through years of training. Lin Hengzhong's soldiers are mostly elite troops who served in the Southern Frontier, each one a veteran of countless battles. If Lin Hengzhong were determined to mobilize his forces, could these troops in Yanzhou truly withstand him?
I'm afraid they already have the answer in their hearts.
The only thing that comforted them was that if Lin Hengzhong really mobilized his troops, he would inevitably become the public enemy of the dynasty. The court would definitely not sit idly by and watch. Even if Lin Hengzhong could capture Yanzhou, he would soon be surrounded and destroyed by reinforcements from all directions.
But this is the ideal state.
No one can guarantee what will happen at that time.
"No matter what, we have to give it a try."
Wang Changjin said in a deep voice: "The time has come to decide the fate of our Wang family!"
Wang Shiquan glanced at him and asked, "What about Qin'er?"
Wang Changjin was silent for a moment. "If he were alive, everything would be fine. But if something unexpected happened..."
"Help him get revenge."
Wang Shiquan's expression changed instantly: "You mean, give up Qin'er?"
Wang Changjin said calmly: "If that time really comes, you will have no choice."
Wang Shiquan's expression turned fierce, and he angrily said, "Qin'er is your nephew!"
"I know!"
Wang Changjin remained calm: "I love Qin'er too, but what can you and I do now?"
"Don't forget, you are not only Qin'er's father, but also the governor of Xunyang County. You are responsible for your people!"
Wang Shiquan sneered, his smile tinged with sarcasm: "Responsible?"
"If you hadn't caused this disaster, would we be in this situation now?"
"You should never, ever provoke the Prince of Lin!"
"Can you and I really afford to kill him?!"
Faced with Wang Shiquan's questioning, Wang Changjin remained silent for a long time.
"It's meaningless to say all this now. What you need to do is find a way to stabilize the situation!"
Wang Changjin said in a deep voice, "Qin'er will be fine, at least not now... As long as our Wang family is still around, they won't dare to touch Qin'er."
The lobby fell into silence for a long time.
Not long after, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall.
"Sir, there is a clue about the young master!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Shiquan and Wang Changjin both stood up excitedly: "Where is he? Where is Qin'er?!"
"Sir, I have found the girl Piaoxiang, the courtesan of Liuxiang Tower, who disappeared with the young master that day, in the city. She is outside."
Wang Shiquan's eyes fixed: "Bring her in quickly!"
A disheveled figure was brought into the lobby by the guards.
It was the Piaoxiang girl from Liuxiang Tower. At this moment, the courtesan looked embarrassed, her eyes were full of fear, and her whole body was trembling, as if she had suffered a great shock.
Wang Shiquan stared at the woman in the hall and said in a stern tone, "Where is Qin'er? Tell me quickly!"
“…”