Shen Lingyun gave a soft laugh.
Due to that bet, Xiao Tianchi had temporarily taken a step back. However, he had only granted her limited freedom. In the end, she still couldn't escape this cage. The two young girls in front of her were said to be protecting her, but in fact, they were also monitoring her.
She simply couldn't break free from his control.
With the jade token given by Xiao Tianchi, the guards at the prison gate didn't stop Shen Lingyun. Instead, they knelt down and bowed to her.
She led Biwu into the prison, and the two martial - arts - skilled maids quietly followed behind her.
The imperial prison in the palace held many prisoners, including some concubines from the era when Xiao Tianye was on the throne, as well as some ministers. All of them were faces that Shen Lingyun had seen before.
They had been imprisoned in this prison for several days. Their clothes were dirty and tattered, their hair was extremely messy, and their cheeks were deeply sunken. They had been tortured beyond recognition.
In contrast, Shen Lingyun, who had suddenly appeared, was dressed neatly and cleanly, her hair was perfectly arranged, and with her cold and peerless face, she was like a Goddess of Mercy who had accidentally strayed into the underworld.
Just like a stone falling into still water, the once - silent prison suddenly boiled over.
The concubines who recognized her rushed to the prison gates, reaching out their hands towards Shen Lingyun and crying out, "Your Majesty, the Empress, please, save us!"
There were also those who angrily cursed at Shen Lingyun, "Shen Lingyun, you shameless slut! For the position of the empress, you've stooped to be with Prince Mu, a traitor. You'll be punished by heaven!"
Shen Lingyun recognized this concubine. She was Concubine Shu, Xiao Tianye's concubine. Before, she had attached herself to Noble Consort Feng and was the most obsequious dog under Feng's command. She often showed off in front of Shen Lingyun.
Shen Lingyun originally didn't want to pay attention to her, but Concubine Shu then cursed again, "Bah! You act like a chaste woman, but you've actually been having an affair with Prince Mu! You've made His Majesty wear the cuckold for so long. His Majesty was kind enough to banish you to the cold palace! You and your son Xiao Jingcheng have always been arrogant. The Crown Prince's current fate is all retribution!"
Shen Lingyun stopped in her tracks and looked coldly at Concubine Shu in the cage.
Ziyan understood her intention and stepped forward. She reached through the bars and grabbed Concubine Shu by the neck, saying coldly, "How dare you speak rudely to our mistress! Someone, pull out her tongue!"
After Shen Lingyun entered the prison, the jailer had been leading the way in front. Hearing this, he immediately stepped forward to open the cage and grabbed Concubine Shu's arms.
Even though she was caught, Concubine Shu still wasn't afraid and continued to curse, "What? Are you angry? I've hit the nail on the head... Ah!"
Before she could finish her words, Ziyan slapped her hard.
Ziyan knew martial arts, and each slap was for real. In a short while, Concubine Shu's face was swollen high, and her mouth was full of blood.
The slaps had sobered her up. She trembled and rushed to the bars, crying and begging for mercy from Shen Lingyun.
"I'm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken rudely to you. I swear, I'll never do it again. Please, spare me..."
Shen Lingyun still didn't say a word. She lowered her eyes and looked at Concubine Shu coldly, which made Concubine Shu even more nervous.
She was most afraid of Shen Lingyun like this. She looked cold, as if she had no emotions, but in fact, she was extremely ruthless.
Before, with Noble Consort Feng backing her up, she wasn't afraid of Shen Lingyun. But now she was a prisoner, while Shen Lingyun was still the same. It was obvious to anyone who the real winner was, yet she had still provoked her here.
Ziyan and the jailer let go of their hands. Concubine Shu trembled and lay on the ground, kowtowing hard to Shen Lingyun and crying, "Empress, I really know I was wrong."
"Zixi," Shen Lingyun called out. The maid with a tear mole at the corner of her eye stepped forward. "Your servant is here."
"You told me just now that you're good at using poison insects. Do you have a kind of poisonous insect that, after being taken, will slowly eat away at the internal organs and make the person die in excruciating pain?"
Zixi couldn't help but look at Shen Lingyun.
It was really surprising to hear such cruel words coming from this jade - like beauty's mouth.
"Of course there is. Your servant has a kind of poisonous insect. After being taken, it will lodge itself in the host's body. If the antidote isn't obtained within a month, the poisonous insect will eat away at the host's internal organs and torture the host to death."
Shen Lingyun said, "Force her to take it."
After hearing this, Concubine Shu's body trembled violently. She looked at Shen Lingyun in horror and said, "No... no..."
Zixi replied, "Yes," and walked into the prison cell. She took out a porcelain bottle, pinched Concubine Shu's chin, and forced the wriggling insect in the bottle into her mouth.
Concubine Shu's limbs were held firmly by others, and she couldn't struggle at all. She was forced to swallow the little insect. After being released, she rushed to the ground, digging at her throat and retching. She even vomited out her bile, but it was still of no use.
Looking at Concubine Shu like this, Shen Lingyun said coldly, "Shu Keyu, you attached yourself to Feng Wenyi and worked for her like a dog. But you were pregnant three times, and each time you couldn't keep the fetus in your womb. Have you ever thought about why?"
Concubine Shu's face changed slightly. Due to the severe pain in her abdomen, she couldn't speak and could only curl up on the ground, making "whimpering" sounds.
"You're really pitiful," Shen Lingyun said. "You were used by Feng Wenyi, but you couldn't even give birth to a child. A dog that is loyal to its master can still get some meat to eat, but you... you're not even as good as a dog."
She ignored Concubine Shu and turned around to continue walking forward.
Shen Lingyun's punishment of Concubine Shu severely shocked the other prisoners in the prison. The prison, which had been noisy just now, suddenly became quiet. Everyone looked at Shen Lingyun in fear and watched her slowly walk towards the last cell in the prison.
Even the jade - faced Goddess of Mercy would get angry when her bottom line was touched.
After a while, Shen Lingyun arrived outside the cell where Bu Hua was imprisoned.
Bu Hua's hands were hung high with iron chains, and a rag was stuffed in his mouth. He was also extremely thin. It was obvious that he had suffered a lot at Xiao Tianchi's hands.
The prison was airtight. The commotion caused by Concubine Shu just now had already spread to every corner.
Bu Hua looked up and saw the seemingly spotless woman in front of him. His expression was obviously a bit flustered.
Shen Lingyun motioned for the jailer to step forward and remove the rag from his mouth. After his mouth was freed, Bu Hua weakly called out, "Empress... Your Majesty..."
Shen Lingyun didn't say a word and just quietly looked at Bu Hua.
At first, Bu Hua could meet Shen Lingyun's gaze, but slowly, he shifted his eyes nervously.
"Captain Bu, do you know what's going on outside now?" Shen Lingyun asked.
Bu Hua had been captured the moment Xiao Tianchi launched the military coup. His hand and foot tendons had been severed, and he had been given a drug that made him weak. He had witnessed the great change of the Dacheng Dynasty with his own eyes.
He had always thought that after he was locked up, Xiao Tianchi would come to interrogate him. But he waited and waited, and what he finally waited for was Shen Lingyun.
"Prince Mu launched a rebellion. Now... now... cough, cough, now he has ascended the throne and become the emperor."
His mouth had been sealed for a long time, and his tongue was already numb. The words he said were also stuttering.
Shen Lingyun nodded and said,
"Since Captain Bu knows his current situation, he should not hide anything from me. Please recall carefully every move of the Crown Prince in the south of the Yangtze River. I want to know all the details, including how the Crown Prince was chased and killed and how he disappeared."