Denghuangtai

Pei Qingyan looked at him, and just as she finished speaking, a gust of wind blew through the railing, making her voice sound a little shaky, but every word hit Yun Zheng's ears clearly, like a heavy hammer striking his heart.

Yun Zheng's pupils suddenly contracted, completely unexpected that Pei Qingyan would say such a thing, and the fierce aura around him froze.

He gripped the railing tightly, a blazing fire flashing in his eyes. "What did you say?"

Pei Qingyan chuckled softly, "Grand Marshal, please don't misunderstand. What I mean is, I want you to send someone to protect me."

"And if I don't?" Yun Zheng's eyes flashed with even more ferocity, his expression turning sinister, a chilling edge creeping into his voice. "Why should I protect your life?"

"Fine, if you don't want to, then forget it." Pei Qingyan shrugged casually, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Anyway, once I'm dead, there will be no way to verify the Pei clan's affairs, and your Yun family's goal will be impossible to achieve. As for whether my troops fighting the Xiongnu in the north will continue to obey orders..."

She deliberately drew out her words, a mischievous gleam in her eyes, and said in a cheeky tone, "I wouldn't know."

After saying that, she turned her head away and didn't look at Yun Zheng again. Yun Zheng stared at her profile.

The two men, one standing and one sitting, were locked in a silent contest across the bars, neither willing to back down. The prison was eerily quiet, save for the howling wind carrying a chill; the deathly stillness combined with this noise only amplified the place's sinister and terrifying atmosphere.

"it is good."

After a long silence, Yun Zheng finally managed to squeeze out his voice, his eyes still filled with coldness, "Just three days. After three days, whether you live or die is none of my business."

Pei Qingyan raised his index finger and gently shook it at Yun Zheng, a smile playing on his lips. "Three days is not enough. I only recognize concrete evidence. Without irrefutable proof, I would rather die than confess. So, if you want to pin the stigma on the Pei family, Grand Minister Pei will have to work harder."

"Pei Qingyan." Yun Zheng gritted his teeth, veins throbbing on his forehead. "You're really something."

"I'm doing all this for the sake of your Yun family. But as I said before, if I die, none of this matters."

Pei Qingyan spoke casually, but halfway through her sentence, her brows furrowed suddenly, and her body swayed slightly. She gritted her teeth, pretending to be nonchalant, and continued, "If that were really the case, do you think your dear aunt would be furious at Jianzhang Palace?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Zheng suddenly glared at Pei Qingyan, his dark eyes filled with coldness, and a fierce intent, tinged with blood, overflowed uncontrollably.

Pei Qingyan was not to be outdone, staring at Yun Zheng with no fear in his eyes.

After a long pause, Yun Zheng sneered, each word seemingly pulled from an ice cellar: "As you wish, until the Pei family is convicted, I will temporarily spare your life."

Pei Qingyan looked at him with a smile, her tone smug, "Thank you, Lord Sikong."

"No need." Yun Zheng's voice was icy, his brows furrowed, but a faint smile played on his lips. "The day Pei Shi is convicted will be the day you die. I will come to collect it myself then."

"Oh." Pei Qingyan nodded, not taking his words to heart at all. She smiled slightly, revealing two rows of white teeth. "The Imperial Prison is filled with yin energy and is not suitable for a noble person like the Grand Minister to stay for long. Please leave as soon as possible. I will not see you off."

"You'd better still be this sharp-tongued in three days."

Yun Zheng left after saying those words, turning around and leaving without looking back.

He had barely left when Pei Qingyan's last breath came. She leaned against the haystack, coughing violently, and blood gushed from her throat.

Pei Qingyan raised her hand to wipe away the blood from the corner of her lips, a hint of a smile appearing in her misty eyes. In any case, she had secured another lifeline for herself, and could finally get a good night's sleep.

As one side gains and the other loses, while Pei Qingyan can sleep peacefully, Empress Dowager Yun is not in such a good mood.

There are no secrets in the capital. News of Pei Qingyan's near-fatal death quickly reached Jianzhang Palace. Empress Dowager Yun, disregarding the night, hurriedly summoned Yun Zheng back to the palace.

"Have you found out who did it?"

Yun Zheng's face was grim and his expression solemn. "The jailer who did the deed has disappeared. Before entering the palace, I heard that a body was found in the moat. The age and characteristics match those of the missing jailer. I have already sent someone to identify the body."

"Hmm." Empress Dowager Yun's expression was calm, but there was an unyielding dark cloud between her brows. "The fact that the murderer made his move at this juncture doesn't necessarily mean he wanted to kill Pei Qingyan. Perhaps he wanted to sabotage our plans. You must investigate thoroughly and find out who is behind this."

"Yes," Yun Zheng replied, cupping his hands in greeting.

"How are the preparations for the interrogation going?"

"Reporting to Aunt," Yun Zheng said calmly, "to prevent this criminal from being unable to withstand the methods of the Court of Justice, she has been given three days to rest. After three days, the Court of Justice will personally conduct the interrogation."

"Before the interrogation, put the person in a prison cart and drive around Chang'an City so that the whole city can see the fate of those who treason and collude with the enemy." Resentment welled up in Empress Dowager Yun's eyes. Although it was not yet three days later, just thinking about Pei Qingyan's miserable state at that time and the people's curses and insults against the Pei family made her feel extremely happy.

"Pei Xuan, Pei Xuan, you wouldn't let my younger brother off the hook for even the smallest mistake, and you took his life. Now times have changed, so watch from heaven as your beloved daughter is despised and cursed by thousands."

Empress Dowager Yun grew increasingly delighted with the thought. She only regretted that time was moving too slowly and wished she could immediately arrive in three days to see how Pei's last bit of pride was broken.

"General Pei, please forgive me."

Three days later, Li Ji reappeared in the imperial prison.

He bowed slightly to Pei Qingyan, who sat calmly on the haystack, and then gestured to the people behind him. Two jailers carrying wooden shackles walked up to Pei Qingyan.

"What does Li Tingwei mean by this?"

"The Empress Dowager has decreed that those imprisoned before trial shall be paraded through the streets as a warning to others." After saying this, Li Ji gave a wink to the jailer, "Make your move."

The jailer was quick and efficient; in just a few breaths, Pei Qingyan was already shackled and bound in heavy chains.

Two jailers lifted her from the haystack, one on each side, and roughly pushed her out.

"Why."

Li Ji stopped the two, saying, "General Pei is someone who has made great contributions to the Great Zhao Dynasty. Let's save her some face. General Pei, please."

"Thank you." Pei Qingyan nodded. Although she was shackled, she stood tall with her back straight, exuding a fierce aura honed on the battlefield, and walked proudly from the prison cell to the gate of the imperial prison.

Outside the gate, Yun Zheng stood there, dressed in a dark cloak embroidered with gold. On either side, a dozen or so imperial guards in full armor and wielding swords were already in a state of high alert.

The leading lieutenant general, with a cold face, stepped forward and escorted Pei Qingyan toward the prison cart.

On the surface, Pei Qingyan was being escorted by him, staggering and looking disheveled. But secretly, the general secretly slipped a key into Pei Qingyan's hand when no one was around.

"Today, the Empress Dowager is determined to humiliate you, General. Do not be soft-hearted. When we reach the East Market, we will cover your escape. Exit through the North Gate and leave Chang'an."

The general spoke rapidly, and in one sentence, he had just finished locking Pei Qingyan in the prison cart.

A loud gong rang out, breaking the morning's tranquility. The crowd mounted their horses and escorted the prison cart southward.

The Imperial Prison was located in the northeast corner of Chang'an City. Walking south, you would reach Shangguan Back Street, where the East Market was situated. Every day, people from within the city would gather here to shop, making it one of the most bustling and prosperous places in Chang'an.

As Pei Qingyan was escorted into the back street, he caused a commotion. Fearing the swords of the Imperial Guards, the common people, though curious, only dared to gather around from a distance.

"What happened?"

Some people in the crowd, unaware of the situation, craned their necks to peer curiously into the prison van.

"That's General Pei's daughter, the young General Pei."

"What general?" A man carrying a basket of eggs spat in the crowd and threw it forcefully at Pei Qingyan's face. He said viciously, "That's a scumbag, a scumbag who caused the Great Zhao to lose its cities. Come on, smash her, smash her to death."

The man seemed to regard the eggs in the bamboo basket as if they had fallen from the sky, generously distributing them to the surrounding people. Some waved their hands, refusing to take the eggs from him. Others, however, took them and, imitating the man, tossed them at Pei Qingyan.

A dozen or so eggs rained down on the prison cart like arrows, landing on it and on Pei Qingyan. The egg yolk was sticky and emitted a foul stench. The unfortunate imperial guards standing guard beside the cart also suffered the same fate, unable to stop gagging at the smell.

As Yun Zheng watched this farce unfold, his face grew increasingly grim, and the cold, murderous intent emanating from him was impossible to conceal.

"Grand Commander, what do you think of this..." Li Ji asked Yun Zheng for instructions while keeping an eye on the stinky eggs flying towards him. He wanted to suggest that if all else failed, they should try another route. They couldn't risk their own lives just to humiliate Pei Qingyan, could they?

Before he could finish speaking, a dozen masked men in black suddenly appeared before him, carrying knives and blocking the road, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

"Someone is trying to break into the prison!"