After discussing the Tong Zhou Hui for a while, Chu Xianping left.
He had basically stopped going to the Xuanjing Bureau and had officially become a member of the idle army, but Wei Changtian had already given Chen Bo a heads-up, and the latter didn’t dare to raise any objections, except for a hint of puzzlement.
Alone in the secret room, Wei Changtian sat for a while, then walked out through the underground tunnel.
From noble mtl dot come
The night was deep, with a bright moon overhead, and the fine, unblemished blue bricks beneath his feet.
Wei Changtian had originally planned to go to sleep, but hesitated and turned back into the dark door, walking through the tunnel until he stopped in front of another secret room.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
He lightly tapped on the door, and after a moment, he heard the sound of the lock being opened.
“Sir…”
Ning Yuqiao, looking exhausted, forced a smile and stepped aside to let Wei Changtian in.
She stood at the door, her eyes downcast, and asked softly, “When did you return, sir?”
“I’ve been back for two days.”
Wei Changtian glanced at her and casually asked, “How’s your adjustment to living in this secret room, Your Highness?”
“It’s fine.”
Ning Yuqiao shook her head, looking somewhat weak.
“…”
Wei Changtian didn’t ask further, and instead walked out of the secret room again.
“Follow me.”
……
The moonlight filtered through the curtains, and the wind was still, with birds perched on the branches.
In the bedroom, Wei Changtian and Ning Yuqiao sat facing each other at the table, with the open window revealing a starry night sky.
Even prisoners in jail have humanitarian breaks, not to mention Ning Yu Ke, who wasn’t a detainee.
Staying cooped up in a dark room all the time would only lead to more trouble if something went wrong, so Wei Chang Tian took advantage of the late night to bring her out for some fresh air.
“Princess, I didn’t let you out earlier because I was concerned for your safety. I hope you understand.”
Wei Chang Tian poured Ning Yu Ke a cup of tea and said in a low tone, “But these days shouldn’t last too long. Once the outside rumors die down, we can discuss what to do with you afterwards.”
“Yes, I’ll follow your instructions, Master.”
Ning Yu Ke held the teacup with both hands, gazing greedily at the night sky outside the window for a while before turning back to speak softly:
“Master, this is the second time you’ve saved me…”
It wasn’t as if he didn’t know he’d created some kind of karma.
Wei Chang Tian rolled his eyes inwardly and shook his head, “To be honest, I don’t know if I should’ve saved you.”
Ning Yu Ke’s hands holding the teacup trembled slightly, “Do you regret it, Master?”
“I don’t regret it.”
Wei Chang Tian waved his hand, “Since it’s already done, there’s no use saying anything. I’ll just see it through to the end.”
“I’ve never done anything good before, so maybe this is my chance to accumulate some merits.”
“……”
Ning Yu Ke looked at Wei Chang Tian, momentarily speechless.
She remained silent for a long time before asking softly, “Master, were those assassins sent by the Emperor?”
“Yes.”
Wei Chang Tian didn’t expect Ning Yu Ke to guess the true culprit behind the scenes and took a sip of tea.
“Princess, you must know what this means.”
“I know you want revenge, but… forget it, you decide for yourself.”
Don’t advise others to be kind if you haven’t suffered yourself.
Wei Chang Tian ultimately didn’t say much.
Ning Yu Ke bit her lip, slowly lowering her head, as if talking to Wei Chang Tian, yet also seeming to be muttering to herself.
“Master, I just can’t understand…”
“Even if Father was wrong, why did the Emperor have to kill Yu Zhu and Yu Ling… they didn’t know anything…”
“That day at lunch, they were still telling me about the wonders of Liangzhou, saying they wanted to go to Liangzhou to see the snow…”
“But why did everything change overnight…”
“Why…”
The soft, intermittent sobbing echoed in the room, and Wei Chang Tian quietly listened to Ning Yu Ke’s outpouring until she suddenly raised her head, gazing at him with difficulty, and asked:
“Master Wei, can I see the Emperor… can you help me?”
“See the Emperor?”
Wei Chang Tian furrowed his brow, looking askance, “Princess, do you want to confront the Emperor about why he killed your entire family?”
“I…”
Ning Yu Ke froze, only then realizing how childish her previous words were.
On the other hand, Wei Chang Tian didn’t wait for her response and continued, “Princess, if you can’t even understand this, I don’t think you have any chance of revenge. You might as well give up now.”
“It’ll save me the trouble later.”
“……”
These words were undeniably harsh, and Ning Yu Ke’s body swayed slightly. However, her subsequent reaction was somewhat unexpected by Wei Chang Tian.
“Master, then what do you think I should do?”
“Are you asking me?”
Wei Changtian chuckled and said, “The princess should tell me what cards she has first.”
“Although the king is dead, his subordinates’ power should still be lingering. Does the princess know who they are? Can she gather them under her command?”
“Or perhaps the king’s friends from before? Can the princess establish connections with them?”
“Oh, the king should have known some of the emperor’s secrets or imperial whispers. Does the princess know about these things?”
“At the very least, the king’s palace has accumulated wealth and treasures over the years. The princess should be aware of that, right?”
“So, princess, what do you have now?”
“……”
Wei Changtian’s words were not spoken quickly, but with each question, Ning Yuqiao’s face grew paler.
It wasn’t until Wei Changtian finished asking all his questions that she finally reacted—
She had nothing left, not even her identity as a princess.
Apart from the enemies still searching for her in the dark, to ordinary people, Princess Rongan was already a cold, lifeless corpse.
“I, I still have myself……”
Ning Yuqiao struggled to lift her head, her voice trembling as she said, “As long as I can avenge myself, I’ll do anything……
Anything……
Wei Changtian let out a disdainful laugh.
No matter how obedient Ning Yuqiao had been before, he had always been clear that this Princess Rongan did not have a submissive bone in her body.
Wei Changtian had no intention of manipulating Ning Yuqiao; he just wanted her to understand the harsh reality.
“Princess, you do have some charm.”
With a flick of his lips, Wei Changtian said coldly, “But forgive me for being blunt, with your kind of quality, you’re not unique in the pleasure quarters. As long as you’re willing to spend some silver…”
Wei Changtian didn’t finish his sentence, as he had already achieved his goal based on Ning Yuqiao’s reaction.
The words “quality,” “goods,” and “pleasure quarters” were like sharp needles that pierced Ning Yuqiao’s last shred of dignity.
As a princess who had been pampered since childhood, she had never thought that someone would compare her to a courtesan……
But was Wei Changtian wrong?
At this moment, Ning Yuqiao finally understood her situation.
Even without enemies pursuing her, she would likely end up in the pleasure quarters, struggling to survive, let alone avenge herself.
“Princess, I may have spoken too harshly earlier. You’re not entirely useless, after all…”
Wei Changtian glanced out the window at the quiet night scene before turning back to face the dispirited Ning Yuqiao.
“If you’re willing, princess, you can help me with tasks from now on.”