Yun Xiao really wanted to curse, she considered herself a person of cultivation, but this kind of action was really too pathetic.
Shangguan Yao, Shangguan Yao, could you be any more pathetic?
She gazed gloomily at the person inside, and said unhurriedly, "Murong?"
This single utterance made the person inside tremble uncontrollably, feeling as if this woman had come to claim his life. As his thought formed, a silver light shot out, as fast as a shooting star, piercing through the air and through the bars, heading straight for him.
Song Yuan had no time to think, he flashed his body and dodged. Unexpectedly, the silver light, after passing through, made a detour and stabbed again. The cold glint was piercing, and although it was a short, small weapon, it was full of dominance and its chilling aura was terrifying.
Song Yuan quickly dodged again, but his speed was a little slow, and the sharp blade penetrated his left waist. With a "clang" he retreated, leaning against the wall to steady himself, his face deathly pale as he looked over.
He saw that the icy aura surrounding Young Master Leng Yue completely ignored him. With a shift of his body, he had already moved towards Shangguan Yao, his silver needle appearing and pressing against Shangguan Yao's jaw.
"Tell me, is Murong not in your hands?"
Shangguan Yao's expression stiffened. He hadn't expected this man to be so agile and to have guessed it. At that moment, he even forgot about the silver needle pressed against his chin and blurted out, "No, he is in our hands?"
But Yun Xiao narrowed her eyes. His answer was too quick, which instead made her suspicious. Could it be that Murong was not in his hands at all? Then whose hands was he in?
After Shangguan Yao spoke, he immediately noticed the silver needle Yun Xiao had placed at his chin. At this moment, Song Yuan and Xiao Tingzi and others standing in the corridor had their faces turn pale with fright. The young eunuchs all fell to their knees with a "plop."
Song Yuan struggled to rush over, "Let go of the Emperor!"
Yun Xiao looked at him with cold contempt. It was true that this man was loyal, but he was loyal to the wrong person.
"Song Yuan, you're truly laughable. You know this man."
"How dare you."
Shangguan Yao shouted. He knew what Yun Xiao wanted to say – that he was a fake emperor. He absolutely would not allow her to say it: "Try saying another word, and see if I don't destroy you."
"How about this, let's try it. What if I perish together with you? I'm not afraid of death, are you? Someone who values power and position so much, can you be as desperate as me?"
Yun Xiao's silver needle pressed further in, and blood slowly overflowed, dripping onto the ground.
The prison cell was dead silent. Shangguan Yao wanted to move, but he knew he couldn't achieve victory in one move. Then this Leng Yue might succeed.
Just as he said, he couldn't afford to gamble. He didn't want to die. The throne he had finally seized, how could he die just like this?
"I promise you, I will give you the person."
"Good. I'll give you two days. If I don't see the person in two days, I will bloodbath this entire palace."
Yun Xiao suddenly retracted her hand, her ferocity filling the air. She was merely employing a delaying tactic, using the two days to find the person.
Shangguan Yao reached up to cover his neck, stepping back, a terrifying madness flashing in his eyes as he stared intently at the person opposite him.
He saw the corner of the other's lips curl into a seductive, evil smile, like a demon from hell come to claim a life. He had no doubt that if he didn't hand over the person in two days, she would truly bloodbath the palace.
And he himself couldn't do anything to her, because he was trapped by the Jade Dragon Talisman. What was worse, this man was not afraid of death.
Shangguan Yao couldn't say a word. When death had descended upon him, he had panicked, a panic he had never felt before, his legs even going weak.
So he was afraid of death, and that's why he couldn't afford to gamble.
The reason Leng Yue won was because he wasn't afraid of death.
He would take two people with him to the grave, and one of them was himself.
"Leng Yue, you're insane."
Song Yuan finally reacted. The few young eunuchs in the corridor started crying even harder. Shangguan Yao, already annoyed, kicked out.
"What are you roaring about?"
A deathly silence fell. No one dared to speak. Yun Xiao deftly pulled the sharp weapon from Song Yuan's waist, then looked up with a sinister smile, "Lord Song, wake up. Stop being so foolish, being deceived and still acting loyal. He's a fake."
After saying that, she wiped the blood from the knife onto Song Yuan's white robe and then turned to leave. Her receding figure was as enchanting as a poisonous flower, leaving behind a distant shout, "Only two days."
After she had gone far away, Shangguan Yao felt a weakness all over his body. "I want to kill him."
But what about the Jade Dragon Talisman? If he didn't kill him, his hatred would never be dispelled. To directly stab the Emperor with silver needles – he was probably the most pathetic Emperor in history, so scared that his legs went soft...
Shangguan Yao not only failed to trick Yun Xiao out of the Jade Dragon Talisman, but he also frightened himself and got injured. In his anger, he fell ill.
Although Song Yuan returned to his mansion to recuperate, Leng Yue's words continued to echo in his mind.
"Lord Song, stop being so foolish, being deceived and still acting loyal. He's a fake."
Song Yuan thought about it repeatedly, but he couldn't understand the meaning of these words, or perhaps he understood but dared not believe it.
In the morning, the window panes were covered with a layer of white frost, obscuring his vision. He couldn't see the situation clearly. Finally, he closed his eyes and slowly pondered.
It seemed that once his injuries healed, he would have to go to the palace to ask Young Master Leng Yue what he meant by those words. Yes, that was it.
The palace remained very quiet, without the slightest stir, yet it was the calm before the storm.
Shangguan Yao's heart was taut. He was extremely anxious, but helpless. Finally, he sent someone to fetch Ye Qingtian into the palace.
In the imperial bedchamber, only father and son were present. Everyone else had been dismissed.
Shangguan Yao lay on the bed, dressed in a white sleeping gown, with a white cloth tied around his head and his neck bandaged with white cloth. He looked quite pathetic, his face so pale that the red blood vessels were faintly visible. The paleness made his pupils appear very dark, like cold stars in the midnight sky, as he stared fixedly at Ye Qingtian.
Although he was indeed sick, having his head bandaged and his wounds dressed was actually a psychological tactic.
He knew that Ye Qingtian doted on him, which was why he had resorted to this.
Now, to find out where that person was, only his biological father, Ye Qingtian, could be of any use.
"Lord Ye, you really can't help me?"
When Shangguan Yao spoke, Ye Qingtian was slightly taken aback. He had always loved this son deeply, as he was the only child of the Ye family. However, due to his greed, he had embarked on such a path of no return.
To be honest, his hatred for the Empress Dowager probably began around that time, but he had never known it.
"Jing Yi."
Ye Qingtian moved his lips and softly called out his name. Ever since he became Emperor, a vast distance had separated them. This was the first time he had spoken to him so sincerely, but he couldn't bring himself to call him Yao. In his heart, he was still Jing Yi.
"The Empress Dowager refuses to hand over the person. I've sent people to surround Chang Xin Palace and questioned everyone in the palace, but no one knows where she hid the person. But it's definitely in the palace. Could it be that the Empress Dowager has hidden the person in another palace?"
Ye Qingtian pondered intently. He had asked Lan Ji, and it was true that the person had been handed over to the Empress Dowager that night. However, she wasn't very clear about what happened afterward, because the Empress Dowager had ordered someone to hand her over. No one knew where she was.