Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Deep within the damp Zhaoyu prison, the air was filled with the smells of rust, mildew, and a faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood.

A dim oil lamp flickered at the end of the corridor, barely illuminating one of the relatively clean cells.

Chu Shaoyuan sat against the cold stone wall, his prison uniform covered in large patches of dark red blood, a shocking sight. At first glance, the injuries looked horrific, but upon closer inspection, the bloodstains were mostly splattered or congealed on the surface of the fabric. Although his face was pale, his breathing was still relatively steady, and there was a hint of sharp restraint hidden deep in his eyes.

Chu Shaoyuan was Xie Jue's brother-in-law after all, and there was no intention from above to kill him. Therefore, Chu Shaoyuan only suffered some superficial injuries and his bones were unharmed.

Chu Shaoyuan was a man of principle; he did not confess or plead guilty.

Of course, this is also because he's not stupid; if he confessed, he'd die even faster.

Moreover, Chu Shaoyuan was still waiting for Xie Jue to save him.

For Xie Yihua's sake, Xie Jue would never stand idly by and watch him die here.

If only he could get out...

He will treat Xie Yihua well.

Chu Shaoyuan thought silently.

The heavy iron chains rattled as the prison guards opened the cell door.

Fei Ying waved her hand, and the jailer bowed and withdrew.

Upon seeing Fei Ying, Chu Shaoyuan immediately struggled to get up, but the movement aggravated his wounds. He groaned, his voice filled with urgent hope: "Commander Fei... does Brother Xie have something to say? Is it... is it possible for me to leave?"

Fei Ying's gaze lingered for a moment on Chu Shaoyuan's blood-stained prison uniform. Without answering his question, she slowly replied, "Your wife has offended Princess Chenjia. This time, I'm afraid Lord Xie won't save you."

Chu Shaoyuan was taken aback, his brows furrowing: "What do you mean by that, Lord Fei? Yi Hua, she..."

"She offended someone she shouldn't have." Fei Ying interrupted him, her voice carrying a subtle, unfathomable quality. "Princess Chenjia."

"Chenjia...Princess?" Chu Shaoyuan pondered these four words, his eyes filled with confusion and doubt.

The character "宸" (Chen).

He knew all too well the significance of this title; it was not something an ordinary clan woman could obtain!

When did such a distinguished figure appear in the capital? He had never heard of him before!

"Forgive my ignorance, but who is this Princess Chenjia...?"

Fei Ying parted her thin lips slightly, and the answer she uttered was concise yet thunderous: "The adopted daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and Lord Xie's fiancée."

Chu Shaoyuan was slightly surprised. The adopted daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?

Xie Jue's fiancée?

She...she became Princess Chenjia?!

Xie Jue is really... lucky.

However, considering it was Xie Jue, Chu Shaoyuan had nothing to say. Xie Jue was the kind of person who would naturally marry a princess. Emperor Jingyuan valued him highly and wanted to marry his most noble daughter to him, which was only natural.

Logically speaking, now that the adopted daughter of the Duke of Dingguo has become Princess Chenjia, Xie Yihua should be even more careful to please her. How could he possibly offend her!

Chu Shaoyuan couldn't help but suspect that Fei Ying was trying to sow discord between him and Xie Jue: "Misunderstanding! This must be a huge misunderstanding! How could Yi Hua... how could she offend the princess?! This is absolutely impossible!!"

Fei Ying shook her head, thinking about Xie Yihua's affairs, and realized it was fortunate that she was Xie Jue's sister.

Emperor Jingyuan valued him so much, but because he harbored murderous intent towards Jiang Sese, he wanted to exhume and mutilate the woman Emperor Jingyuan cared about most, and even to destroy the illustrious reputation that Emperor Jingyuan had pursued and valued most throughout his life.

To kill someone without shedding blood, one must destroy their spirit; why then resort to weapons?

The words Xie Ping said when he came to see him that day sent chills down Fei Ying's spine.

Whether it was digging up Consort Chen's grave or uncovering Emperor Jingyuan's dark secrets, Fei Ying wished she had never been born with these ears...

Fortunately, Jiang Sese is alright.

Fortunately, everything is peaceful.

Fei Ying looked at Chu Shaoyuan's completely unaware appearance, slightly curled her lips, her smile faint, carrying a hint of sympathy or mockery that was hard to tell.

"It seems Prince Chu has been kept in the dark. Alright, I'll play the good guy this time. Princess Chenjia is Jiang Sese, the cousin of the second branch of the Xie family. Do you understand, Prince Chu?"