After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

Three thousand elite troops captured Liangzhou City in the blink of an eye.

At least several dozen shi of ironware and chainmail were found in Zhao Qu's residence. These alone were enough to support an entire private army. It was unimaginable what would happen if he had succeeded.

Jiang Wenhai was held in solitary confinement in a cell.

Although he looked a bit disheveled, thankfully he wasn't seriously injured.

"Grandfather, are you alright?" As soon as the chaos in the city was quelled, Shen Lingyi headed straight for the dungeon.

"I'm fine. That Zhao fellow is wary of my reputation, how could he easily take my life? It's you who were too reckless this time," Jiang Wenhai said after confirming that his granddaughter was alright. "By the way, is His Majesty well?"

"I am well, Lord Jiang, there is no need to worry."

Seeing that he still trembled as he stood up to bow even in this state, Pei Heng couldn't bear it. "It is thanks to you, sir, that that fellow relaxed his guard. You are the greatest hero of this mission, so there is no need for such formalities."

When the emperor personally helped Jiang Wenhai up, his eyelids twitched, and he finally understood what it meant to be flattered.

After Jiang Wenhai was taken away to treat his injuries, Shen Lingyi felt relieved and had time to express her gratitude for being saved at the city wall earlier. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my sister and me."

"I'm not doing this for your sister." The cold voice startled her, and she realized that Pei Heng was rushing towards her.

The arrow severed the rope, and she and Shen Tingjiao fell together. It happened so fast that even Xu Yanqing, who was closest, couldn't react immediately. When he came to his senses, his first choice was to save Shen Tingjiao, not her.

Shen Lingyi could actually understand that Xu Yanqing had always liked her sister.

She had known all along that, apart from her parents and Shaoyao, no one in this world truly cared for her, but she still felt a little sad.

Shen Tingjiao was almost scared out of her wits at that time, and so was she.

As a sheltered young lady, Shen Lingyi had never dared to kill a chicken since she was a child. She always talked a big game, but in reality, she didn't have the guts to actually do it. She had heard about her maternal grandfather being arrested, when his mansion was surrounded by soldiers, and when he was hung on the city wall...

She was terrified; there wasn't a moment when she wasn't afraid.

The difference lies in the fact that Shen Tingjiao would place her hopes on Xu Yanqing, expecting him to come and save her, while Shen Lingyi would not. Instead of groveling and begging Zhao Qu for mercy, she would rather jump off the city wall.

Even dying with that little bit of pride is better than begging for mercy.

"Don't cry."

Pei Heng looked at the little girl who was almost crying herself into a mess, looking wronged and pitiful, and sighed softly, "I will kill him to vent your anger and that of your grandfather."

Shen Lingyi had never heard anyone coax her like this before. She was stunned. "What?"

"If you're still not satisfied, I'll call your older sister over too, and she'll give you a piece of her mind."

Seeing her staring blankly at him, her watery eyes unmoving, Pei Heng found it amusing. "What's wrong? All you can do when you're wronged is cry? Don't you know how to get revenge? If it weren't for your older sister's stupidity, this plan wouldn't have gone wrong."

Shen Lingyi sensed the man's murderous intent and looked completely bewildered.

Even after learning of her tragic fate, she never thought of letting Shen Tingjiao die. So far, all she has been thinking about is taking back what belongs to Shen Tingjiao and changing the fate of the people she cares about. That's enough for Shen Lingyi, but Shen Tingjiao doesn't seem to think so.

"Your eldest sister clearly doesn't care about your family's lives. She only cares about protecting herself and has never thought about whether you can live or die. Showing mercy to this kind of person is being cruel to yourself."

Have you ever hunted a venomous snake? When you kill a snake, you must kill it to avoid being bitten in return.

It was clear that he genuinely wanted to teach Shen Lingyi well, and after listening to the man's words, the latter understood a great deal.

If she had controlled Shen Tingjiao from the beginning, none of the subsequent events would have happened.

After Xiao Sha wiped out the rebels in the city, he came to report the news. Shen Lingyi immediately hid after he entered. Pei Heng could still see the fluffy snowballs on her waist sticking out, like moving rabbit ears.

"Your Majesty, the rebel forces in the city have all been wiped out."

"What about Prince Wei?"

The two discussed how to deal with the rebels. Pei Heng wanted to use Zhao Qu as bait to wipe out the rebels in other places. Shen Lingyi stood behind the wall and could feel the impending bloodshed just by listening to the conversation.

Unable to get a word in edgewise, she got so bored that she started playing with the two snowballs.

As they were playing, the magatama hidden on their person accidentally fell to the ground.

Shen Lingyi hurriedly looked up, but fortunately Pei Heng's attention was not on them at the moment, so she quickly picked it up.

call…

We almost got exposed.

Shen Lingyi was secretly pleased with her quick reaction, but she couldn't see that Pei Heng, who had his back to her, had a slight smile on his lips.

He recognized her back on the ship. Shen Lingyi might not have noticed, but she had a red mole under her collarbone. Pei Heng wasn't stupid; the moment he saw it, he understood everything.

Why did he repeatedly feel that Shen Lingyi was familiar? Why did he subconsciously show her leniency?

Actually, the answer was already written when the two first met.

This infamous Miss Shen is none other than the "goddess" who once blindfolded him and covered her face to prevent him from seeing her.

Pei Heng, who had just learned the truth, was also curious.

It would be better for Shen Lingyi to recognize him sooner. Given her current situation, all she needs to do is enter the palace, and everyone who despises or looks down on her will instantly change their attitude. Yet, she insists on keeping it a secret.

However, he later learned more about the situation and guessed that perhaps it wasn't that she didn't want to, but that she couldn't.

after all,

With such a biased grandmother around, how could she possibly let Shen Lingyi have her way?

Pei Heng stroked the raised and recessed patterns on the thumb ring: "Now that the unrest in the city has been quelled, there's no need to rush anything else. We'll wait until Prince Wei arrives with his troops. Zhao Qu has held Liangzhou for many years, and his clan's influence must have spread far and wide. If we can't wipe them out in one fell swoop, the people of Liangzhou will suffer."

Xiao Sha left quickly; he had a lot of things to do.

They were the only ones left in the dungeon. When Pei Heng didn't speak, Shen Lingyi didn't know what to say either. This place was used by Zhao Qu to imprison disobedient officials, and she didn't know how many people had died here. She tightened her cloak with her slender white fingers, and her body swayed slightly.

Pei Heng reached out his hand, but seeing that she hesitated to take it, he raised an eyebrow. "You know it's cold, so why don't you come over? What are you hiding for? It's not like you're ashamed to be seen."

Shen Lingyi stepped out, sniffed with her nose red from the cold, and before she even said a word, she already looked pitiful.

Just as Pei Heng was starting to feel a headache, he heard hurried footsteps outside. A moment later, Xu Yanqing appeared, wearing a snow-white fox fur coat, his face showing concern for Shen Lingyi.

"Shen Lingyi, are you alright? I'm sorry I'm late..."