Outside the palace.
It was the second day after Dongfang Yi was abducted from the harem by Ye. After a long night, dawn finally broke.
In the morning, Dongfang Yi was awakened by the commotion outside the room. She also heard two guards whispering something just outside the door.
Shortly afterward, Ye walked in. His eyes were fixed intently on the woman in front of him.
His breath was a bit ragged, as if he had run all the way here, and his expression was not as calm as it had been the previous night.
"What's going on outside?" Dongfang Yi asked.
But the man in front of her didn't say a word. Instead, he reached out and tightly grasped her chin.
The sudden pain made her cry out. The force of his grip was so strong that she felt as if she might be torn apart.
"He Lianqi is really something!" Ye said in a deep voice.
There was an uncontrollable rage in his eyes.
After hearing this, Dongfang Yi's suspicion became even more certain. At least she knew that something had happened outside that had driven Ye crazy, and it was He Lianqi who had done it.
Thinking of this, a smile involuntarily curved her lips. Then, regardless of the pain, she sneered at the man in front of her.
"I've already told you not to mess with me!"
On the other hand, inside the palace.
Let's rewind to last night. After He Lianqi met with Donghua in the palace, he left the palace at the fastest speed.
All the way, he searched everywhere. In a corner of the capital street, he found a hairpin surrounded by blood.
He Lianqi recognized the hairpin at a glance. Dongfang Yi rarely wore complicated hairstyles. She often just used a single hairpin to tie up all her hair, and this was the one she used every day.
He took a deep look at the hairpin, then casually picked it up and put it in his bosom.
Then he started to follow the trail of blood, but the bloodstains finally disappeared on a certain street.
It was late at night at that time. There were hundreds of households and shops on this street. If he rushed in to search for people openly at this moment, it would surely cause panic among the people.
So he lowered his eyes and seemed to be in deep thought. After a while, he looked up and stared deeply at the street, then turned around and used his light - footed skills to rush back towards the palace.
At least he knew that the person who had abducted Dongfang Yi wouldn't dare to do anything to her, because he must still want to make some kind of deal with him.
So wait for me, Dong'er.
When he returned to the Qianqing Palace, Ru Yi was already waiting inside. After seeing him, Ru Yi respectfully bowed and began to report, "Your Majesty, all the troops ambushed by the Southern Neighboring Country have been captured, but... the eldest prince, Shun, has escaped!"
After hearing this, He Lianqi slightly narrowed his eyes and then asked, "Where is their leader being held?"
"In the water dungeon!" Ru Yi replied.
After hearing this, He Lianqi strode towards the water dungeon. He was determined to find out the whereabouts of Shun today.
As the night grew deeper, the moon was covered by dark clouds. The whole night became eerie, as if it was a sign that this was not an ordinary night.
When He Lianqi arrived at the water dungeon, he saw a man in black armor lying face - down in the cold water dungeon, his limbs shackled by iron chains, making it impossible for him to move or escape.
When the man heard the noise, he suddenly raised his head, revealing a pair of bright blue eyes.
He stared at the incoming person sinisterly, then let out a few wild laughs and shouted, "You incompetent little emperor of Dongsheng! I, General Sima, don't care at all!"
"How dare you!" Ru Yi scolded from the side.
But He Lianqi just let out a cold snort. Then his eyes narrowed even more dangerously as he asked, "Tell me, where has the eldest prince, Shun, gone?"
But General Sima just sneered disdainfully, as if he had heard some incredible joke.
"Why should I tell you? You little emperor of Dongsheng don't deserve my submission!"
After saying that, he spat at them.
He Lianqi didn't refute his words. He just tightened his lips and then waved his hand and ordered, "Bring them in!"
Shortly afterward, several men in the same black armor were escorted in.
One of them, as soon as he entered the water dungeon, exclaimed at the man soaking in the pool, "General Sima!!!"
When General Sima saw this, his expression changed for a moment. Then he asked the man in front of him, "What do you want to do?"
"If you confess the truth, all your soldiers outside will be spared. I'm willing to send you back to the Southern Neighboring Country."
"But if you hesitate, I'll kill one person every moment until you confess."
He Lianqi said one sentence after another, his tone filled with a chilling sense of danger.
His words were very clear. There were only two paths for General Sima, but the ultimate result was to confess.
He Lianqi knew very well about the psychology of generals. They fought side by side with their soldiers on the battlefield and accompanied each other day and night. The brotherhood among them couldn't be simply described in a few words.
So he came up with this plan to extract a confession.
It seemed that everyone had forgotten that he was originally a ruthless demon. He only showed a moment of tenderness when facing Dongfang Yi.
"You're despicable!!!" General Sima roared angrily, his eyes filled with bloodshot eyes.
"The lives of those people are in your hands," He Lianqi added.
"General, don't worry about us! We can't betray His Highness..."
One of the soldiers suddenly shouted loudly. He was the man who had shouted "General" as soon as he entered the water dungeon.
But before he could finish his words, Ru Yi thrust his sword through his chest. Instantly, blood spurted everywhere, and the scene looked extremely bloody.
"Left Envoy—!" General Sima roared.
The man who had been killed was his most loyal attendant. The two of them had been comrades - in - arms for ten years, but now he was killed with a single sword right in front of him.
"Will you confess?!" He Lianqi asked again. His expression was not affected by the bloody scene at all.
General Sima lowered his head in great pain, making it impossible to see his old face.
As time passed by second by second, another quarter of an hour passed. He Lianqi waved his hand and motioned to Ru Yi beside him, "Kill!"
But at this moment, General Sima raised his head. His eyes were already full of bloodshot eyes. He stared fixedly at the man in front of him and said, "Don't kill anymore! I'll talk!"
Only then did Ru Yi lower his raised hand.
"East Capital Road, Wutong Street, Yue Lai Inn," he said in a deep voice.
His tone was filled with a sense of death. This was the moment when he betrayed his master, and it was also his last protection for his subordinates.
He Lianqi waved his hand again, signaling Ru Yi to go quickly to verify the information.
And the man in the pool said in a deep voice again, "Little emperor of Dongsheng, don't forget what you promised me!"