CH 61

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I’ll take you to meet Qin Qin (Discovering the truth)

In the dim and chilly semi-basement dungeon, the frail woman’s body trembled uncontrollably. She bent down and grabbed the detestable man in front of her, raising her voice to ask, “Where did you see Ah Qin? Where is she?”

“Ah Qin?” Murong Xiao’s hair was disheveled, and he lay on the ground like a worm, exuding a creepy atmosphere in the gloomy prison cell. “She took the Five Poisons Pill personally prepared by me. No one has a chance to survive.”

“…That bitch dared to hit me and even broke my leg!” Murong Xiao gritted his teeth as if he wanted to crush them. “She, and that female shadow guard who uses needles, they should all die!”

“Did you poison Ah Qin?”

Murong Yan gripped the man’s neck tightly, her five fingers clenched tightly. “Where is she? Where is she now?!”

“Do you think I did it on my own?” Murong Xiao’s previously scattered eyes focused, not caring about the suffocation in his chest. He looked at the panicked woman in front of him and tilted his head. “She voluntarily took the poison for the antidote to save you. It has nothing to do with me.”

His smile was wide, emitting pure malice.

“The deadline has passed. She’s already dead. Don’t you know?”

“No, it’s impossible!”

“You…you’re lying, you’re lying!” Letting go of her grip, Murong Yan supported her weakened body with her umbrella. “Where is she? Where is Ah Qin?”

Murong Xiao looked up, his face filled with pleasure as if he was enjoying the sight of the woman’s despair. “Why would you ask me, sister? You should go and ask those who dare to lie to you.”

“As the New Year is approaching, the graveyard in the Shadow Guard Camp shouldn’t be too lonely.”

The venomous snake on the ground slithered its tongue, sticky and eerie.

Feeling dizzy and disoriented, Murong Yan leaned against her forehead and felt cold all over her body. She turned around and rushed out of the dungeon, ignoring the bewildered guards outside, leaning on her umbrella and stumbling.

She had been unconscious for a month, and she should have been suspicious.

Why did the maids always gossip and murmur whenever her coma was mentioned?

Why did her brother always dodge the details of her rescue from the Hidden Moon Tower?

Why did the royal doctor hesitate to speak when examining her pulse, even though her condition was stable?

There were many more subtle details that she had overlooked.

Murong Yan looked down at her nails.

All the small but obvious clues pointed to one thing.

Ah Qin had returned.

But why hadn’t Ah Qin come to see her now that she had regained consciousness?

Where is Ah Qin now?

Is everything really as the Crown Prince said?

Staggering, Murong Yan got on the carriage and said, “Shadow Guard Camp. Go to the Shadow Guard Camp, quickly!” She almost couldn’t catch her breath and urgently instructed the coachman.

Murong Yan clenched her lips and hugged herself tightly, as if this could soothe herself, who was about to break down. Tiger’s soft fur rubbed against the woman who was obviously not well.

When they arrived at the Shadow Guard Camp, Murong Yan couldn’t wait for the driver to set up the ladder properly. She jumped out of the carriage in a hurry and fell into the snow. Her umbrella fell from her hand, but she stood up despite everything and forced herself into the Shadow Guard Camp.

“Song Shu Qing! Song Shu Qing!” Murong Yan called out as she saw Xu Jun wielding his sword outside. She rushed towards him and grabbed his sleeve, demanding, “Where is Song Shu Qing? Let her come out.”

“Princess!” Xu Jun recognized her and quickly put away his sword, afraid of hurting the noblewoman. “Okay, I will immediately summon Senior Sister Song,” he nervously said while signaling to his colleague to run out of the camp.

“Princess, Senior Sister Song is still at the hospital, and it may take some time,” Xu Jun informed, noticing the people around him trembling. “It’s cold outside. How about I take you inside the corridor first? You have just recovered. Don’t catch a cold.”

Murong Yan remained silent, bowing her head.

Standing in the light snow, she appeared not to have heard Xu Jun’s words. After a while, she suddenly asked, “Is Song Shu Qing injured? Is it serious? Why wasn’t I informed so I could comfort her?”

Xu Jun scratched his head and clarified, “No, no, Senior Sister Song is not injured. She’s fine. Don’t worry, Princess.”

“If she’s not injured, why is she at the hospital?” Without pausing, Murong Yan threw out the next question.

“Well, she…” Xu Jun was caught off guard by the cunning question and stammered, unable to answer.

After successfully deceiving Xu Jun, Murong Yan looked up and stared directly at the young shadow guard. “You also know what happened to Ah Qin, don’t you?” she asked.

Xu Jun was stunned and awkwardly denied, “I…I don’t know.”

She let out a light laugh.

“Just like Ah Qin, you cannot lie.”

However, Murong Yan’s eyes held no amusement. She gripped Xu Jun’s sleeve tightly and whispered, “Are you all lying to me, one by one? Is that the truth?”

“Where is Ah Qin?” Tiger, who was standing beside them, snarled at Xu Jun and circled around them.

The poor young shadow guard was flustered and sweating profusely.

As a pillar of the new generation of shadow guards, Xu Jun knew where Ming Qin was, but anyone who had the chance to encounter the princess had been strictly warned not to mention Ming Qin in front of her, and he was no exception.

“I…I really don’t know.” Xu Jun spoke, but his lie was unconvincing.

“Even you disobey my orders?” Murong Yan spoke coldly, feeling both angry and helpless. “Why doesn’t anyone listen to me?”

The woman took a deep breath, and in an instant, she pulled out the shadow guard’s curved blade from Xu Jun’s waist and pushed him away. Her fox fur cloak slipped off, revealing a red outfit in the swirling snow.

The sharp blade was not aimed at anyone else, but against the wielder’s own slender white neck.

With a cold sneer, the icy weapon glinted silver, ready to draw blood at any moment.

“Princess! Princess! Don’t act impulsively!” Xu Jun exclaimed, regretting his own distraction.

The other shadow guards around her were also panicked and approached cautiously, but dared not get too close.

Beside them, the beast was confused by the situation before it. The people surrounding it did not show any hostility, but its beloved master held a weapon, threatening her own life. Tiger let out a playful purr, but the woman remained indifferent. “Where is Ah Qin?” She swept her sharp gaze around the area.

Several inexperienced shadow guards’ faces darkened upon hearing the question, unable to hide their sadness. They lowered their heads guiltily when they met the eyes of the princess.

The woman noticed all of their reactions, and her heart grew colder with each passing moment.

“Princess, please put down the blade,” Xu Jun said, his voice hoarse and his face pale as he tried to persuade her.

“Where is Ah Qin?” She pressed the blade against her skin, drawing a thin line of blood that dripped onto the snow-covered ground. “Whether she’s dead or alive, where is Ah Qin?”

Her voice was hoarse and desperate.

“Princess Chongwen.”

A familiar voice sounded, and Song Shu Qing rushed in from outside the camp.

The others saw her and all breathed a sigh of relief, making way for her.

Murong Yan’s hair was disheveled, a few strands of scattered white hair covering her eyes, “Song Shu Qing, where is Ah Qin?”

The newly arrived shadow guard glanced at Xu Jun and saw him nod slightly before sighing, “I cannot tell you…” Before the woman in front of her could speak, Song Shu Qing said, “This is Qin Qin’s wish.”

“Why… why… why doesn’t Ah Qin want to see me.”

Murong Yan not only had no intention of putting down the blade but instead tightly grasped the handle, “Is Ah Qin really going to die? Or has she already died?”

Her voice was hoarse, her tone choked up.

Song Shu Qing said, “Qin Qin hopes that you, Princess, can let her go. She hopes that you can live in peace and happiness without worrying about her.” She stiffly raised the corners of her mouth, but it was extremely bitter.

“Safe and happy?” Murong Yan repeated the words of the woman in front of her. She couldn’t help but laugh, her shoulders shaking, and her empty hand covering her face. “How can I be safe and happy without Ah Qin? How can I not worry about her?”

“Princess…” Song Shu Qing attempted to speak again, but was interrupted by Murong Yan.

“Song Shu Qing, you understand me, don’t you?” She raised her head, her eyes filled with tears but also with determination. “If Ah Qin is alive, I want to be by her side, and if Ah Qin is dead, I want to be buried with her.”

A few drops of blood fell onto the snow again.

“So, please let me see Ah Qin… I’m begging you, okay?”

A transparent water mark, unlike blood, snaked down Murong Yan’s hand and entered her sleeve.

Looking at the woman who had let down her guard for the first time, Song Shu Qing felt only sadness and her thoughts were a mess.

Why did these two people have to go through all of this?

The bitterness in her heart had nowhere to vent, causing her chest to ache and her eyes to become hot.

Oh well.

She had known this day would come.

After all, the princess was so smart, and she was so bad at lying.

As for you, Qin Qin, I never promised to keep your secret, did I?

“Okay,” sighed Song Shu Qing.

“I’ll take you to see Qin Qin.”