Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

Long Yuanming gritted his teeth and continued walking forward.

He didn't know how long he had been walking.

He felt that the stench had seeped into his bones, and even his lungs were filled with a fishy smell.

For a moment, he suddenly felt like crying.

It's not that I hate anyone, nor am I afraid; I just want to cry.

He, Long Yuanming, was born a prince.

Surrounded by stars, treated with the utmost respect and privilege.

The mother was favored, while the crown prince was weak.

He had been convinced since childhood that the dragon throne would be his sooner or later.

He studied under a great Confucian scholar, learning how to be an emperor.

He was so close to that spot, just one step away.

But now, he's like a rat, crawling in sewage.

He raised his hand and wiped the filth from his face; his tears were mixed with the mud, making it impossible to distinguish anything.

He looked at the glimmer of light ahead, as if he had grasped the last chance for survival.

He planned to go to South Vietnam.

The princess of Nanyue is choosing a husband.

Long Yuanming is handsome and has untapped assets.

Once you reach Nanyue, with these resources, you might be able to close a deal.

With the help of the troops from Nanyue, they fought their way back to Daliang and reclaimed the throne.

Thinking this, he suddenly felt a surge of strength return to his body.

He slid forward with all his might and finally reached the outlet.

Outside was a shallow beach, overgrown with aquatic plants.

He grabbed a handful of grass roots and climbed up using both his hands and feet.

As soon as he got ashore, he collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

His chest heaved violently, as if he were about to expel his heart and lungs.

He looked at the gray sky and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Xiao Fang! You won't catch me today!"

"Next time we meet, we'll fight to the death!"

Before he could finish speaking, a lazy voice rang out.

"Brother Xiao, did you hear that? He said he's going to fight you to the death."

Long Yuanming froze.

He could never forget that voice, even in death.

It was Lu Zhao, who had twice raided the Prince Yi's mansion.

He suddenly sat up and saw several people standing in the grass not far away.

Xiao Fang stood in the middle, looking down at him.

Long Yuanming's face turned deathly pale, and his lips twitched.

Just as he was about to utter some harsh words, Xiao Fang tilted his head and raised his chin at Lin Hui.

Lin Hui walked over, and Xiao Fang reached into his pocket and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a small bronze mirror.

Xiao Fang didn't say anything, but simply held the mirror up in front of Long Yuanming.

A face was reflected in the mirror.

His face was covered in filth, a mixture of black and yellow, as if he had just been pulled out of a cesspool.

His hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, his eyes were sunken, and his lips were purple.

The man's eyes were filled with terror and despair, like those of a skinned wild dog.

Long Yuanming stared at himself in the mirror, his pupils dilating inch by inch.

He suddenly let out a very low moan, as if someone had grabbed his throat.

Xiao Fang casually tossed the bronze mirror to Lin Hui.

"Take it away."

Lu Zhao pinched his nose and stepped forward, looking disgusted.

"There's no way to do it here."

You two go to the stream over there and fetch some water, give him a good rinse, then take off his clothes and change him into something clean.

Otherwise, whoever I assign this task to will hold a grudge against me for life.

The two spoiled brats immediately went to fetch water.

Xiao Fang had already mounted his horse and uttered a single sentence.

"Don't let him run away. Take all the silver and weapons off him."

If he doesn't cooperate, use all the methods you learned in the Inspectorate on him.

Lu Zhao chuckled.

"Don't worry, I'm an expert at this."

When Long Yuanming was being washed, he gritted his teeth and refused to move.

The cold water was poured over him, and he shivered all over, his lips turning purple.

Someone threw him a thin cloak torn from his armor, and he was dragged away wearing only that cloak.

The dungeon of the Prince of Jin's residence.

"You can't kill me."

His voice trembled, but he still forced himself to stay strong.

"My father hasn't issued a decree to kill me; I am a prince. If you dare to kill me, it is a capital offense."

Lu Zhao stood by the brazier, holding a branding iron in his hand, slowly poking at the embers.

"Why would I kill you?"

He said with a smile.

"Capturing you would be a great achievement, and we need to bring you back to the capital safely."

Long Yuanming had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Lu Zhao speak again.

"But before you return to the capital, you need to explain what you've been hiding."

Long Yuanming's face darkened.

"Don't even think about it."

Lu Zhao didn't ask a second time.

He stood up and pulled the branding iron out of the fire.

Before Long Yuanming could react, the red-hot iron was already pressed against the tenderest flesh below his neck.

A bloodcurdling scream shattered the morning light.

Lin Hui turned her face away and muttered a curse under her breath.

Lu Zhao didn't look at him, but threw the branding iron back into the fire and took out a few more things.

He didn't say another word to Long Yuanming from beginning to end.

Long Yuanming screamed in agony, and then began to beg for mercy.

Lu Zhao pretended not to hear.

When he pulled out the sixth fingernail, Long Yuanming finally couldn't take it anymore.

He cried and shouted that he was willing to tell the whole story.

Lu Zhao did not stop.

He pulled out the rest of his fingernails, then changed to pliers and continued slowly.

Lin Hui stood to the side, unable to help but frown.

"Aren't you afraid of killing yourself?"

Lu Zhao wiped his hands.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

The kind of person he is, he won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin.

If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll catch his breath and start causing trouble again, and we'll be the ones in trouble then.

Finally, Long Yuanming lay paralyzed in the mud like a snake whose bones had been removed.

He rattled off a string of addresses, some for hiding gold, some for hiding silver, some for hiding weapons—he didn't dare leave any out.

Lu Zhao then stopped.

Long Yuanming was truly terrified, terrified to the point of being utterly horrified.

Lu Zhao always has a smile on his face, but his methods are truly ruthless.

Two hours have passed since the interrogation began, and he has only asked one question.

What followed was relentless torture, making one truly understand what it means to be worse than dead!

Looking into Long Yuanming's eyes, Lu Zhao judged from experience that he was not lying.

There was no more hatred or arrogance in those eyes, only a grayness remained.

"This time they're really confessing."

Lu Zhao handed the paper filled with addresses to Lin Hui.

Lin Hui glanced at it a few times and nodded.

"Let's go, leave it to Xiao Fang."

After reading the list, Xiao Fang remained silent for a long time.

Long Yuanming had more to hide than he had imagined.

"The Emperor is unaware of these places."

Xiao Fang folded the paper.

"We'll keep them all for future use in the northern requisition."

Lu Zhao was not surprised at all.

"Is that even a question? If the imperial court didn't know, why should they give it to them?"

What we risked our lives for, naturally belongs to us.

Xiao Fang nodded.

"But we can't make it public; we have to send our own people to these places."

Lu Zhao immediately selected a hundred纨绔 (playboys) and divided them into five groups to collect the items according to the addresses on the list.

After daybreak, Xiao Fang's army, escorting the Prince of Jin's family and the 30% of the spoils that were openly seized, left the city.

At the city gate, only one squad of Dragon City Guards remained to guard the area.

After Xiao Fang had walked far away, Lu Zhao turned back for a glance.

"This place will become our granary for the northern expedition."

Lin Hui mounted his horse and casually remarked.

"It's not too late to return it to the court after we've destroyed the Northern Barbarians."

Lu Zhao scoffed.

"What do you mean 'repay'? The imperial court owes the Zhenbei Army military supplies; why don't you talk about repaying them?"

Xiao Fang walked in front, a slight smile playing on his lips.

But he wasn't after the grain or money; he was satisfied with the speed of his actions.

He couldn't wait to go back after just leaving his wife.