C27 (1/2)
The royal ancestral hall.
Xiu'er was locked in a sinister cell under the Ancestral Temple. In this stone room that was barely enough to fit a bed, there was only a small window the size of two palms that could see the outside. Furthermore, it was almost two people's height from the ground, and barely any light could be seen through. Perhaps it was because of this, but the entire stone prison was emitting a bone-chilling cold.
Xiu'er had never thought that the inner palace would have such a sinister place. She could not figure out why the current Her Majesty would personally lock her up here.
Every day, Huo Yanrann would personally deliver the water and rice. She would completely throw off the emperor's airs, and just sit on the small bed in the stone prison, while silently looking at the Xiu'er. No matter what Xiu'er asked, she did not answer. The only gratifying thing was, although she only came to deliver food once a day, the quality and quantity of the food was still rather good. Even if the food was cold, it would still be edible.
After ten days, Huo Yanrann finally opened her mouth and asked: ”Xiu'er, where are you from? Are your parents still alive? ”
Xiu'er put down the bowl in her hands and replied softly, ”Reporting to Your Majesty, Xiu'er is from Fengwu Province and was adopted by his parents since she was young. She does not know who his parents are. After that, my adoptive parents both died due to accidents. Before they passed away, they told me that they picked me up by the Red River and even mentioned the name Peacock Ridge. Before entering the Phoenix City Pass, I once went to the Peacock Ridge alone, but didn't manage to find anything. ”
”Peacock Ridge?” Huo Yanrann frowned, she thought for a moment, then asked: ”Since young, how much do you remember?”
Xiu'er shook her head gently, ”Xiu'er had a serious illness before. I don't remember the many things that happened in the past few years.”
Huo Yanrann's voice turned cold, ”Give me the address of your homeland, and the name of your adoptive parents. I want to verify whether what you just said is true or false!”
Xiu'er raised her head abruptly and looked straight at Huo Yanrann, ”Your Majesty, my adoptive parents have passed away and there are only a few people left in the village. Are you really going to disturb them?”
Huo Yanrann sneered: ”I am only sending people to ask, not to kill people and slaughter villages to dig and dig graves. If what you say is true, then what's so scary about it? If you don't want to say it, does it mean that you are guilty of lying? ”
”Why are you asking me so many questions?” Xiu'er asked back unwillingly.
The corner of Huo Yanrann's mouth rose slightly, ”Tell me what I want to know, and I will naturally tell you what you want to know.”
This was the first time Xiu'er had lost respect for the Her Majesty in front of him.
Huo Yanrann didn't mind Xiu'er's attitude and said softly, ”Even if you didn't say anything, do you think a dignified Emperor of the Fire Phoenix Empire like me wouldn't be able to find out the secret of a common girl? However, this process might be more troublesome and cruel. Why don't you just say it, and then you won't have any trouble, and I won't have any trouble, right? ”
Xiu'er gritted her teeth as she looked at the smiling Huo Yanrann in front of her. After a long while, she lowered her head and spat out a string of name. Huo Yanrann stood up and left with a smile, leaving behind a Xiu'er who was curled up in a daze at the corner of her bed.
From that day onwards, Huo Yanrann still brought food to the Xiu'er every day, but she once again returned to her previous ice-cold state. She didn't speak to Xiu'er, and Xiu'er didn't speak to her either. The two of them met once a day in silence.
One month later, Huo Yanrann suddenly pulled the Xiu'er out of the Ancestral Temple's dungeon and threw her into the carriage parked at the entrance. The carriage was covered in black cloth and the people outside could not be seen. Xiu'er could only judge from the approximate time and direction that she had been sent out of the palace.
The carriage finally stopped after shaking inside the narrow carriage for more than two hours. The carriage door suddenly opened and two female riders rushed in and pushed Xiu'er off the carriage, then passed the carriage to two fierce-looking women dressed in prison clothes.
The two prison wardens smiled at the two female knights. ”This is the little girl?”
The female knight disdainfully replied, ”Don't think that this is just a little girl that's easy to bully. His Majesty said that she doesn't care about other things, but no matter what, the rope around her hands and feet cannot be used, nor can she be in contact with others. You can't even say a word, do you understand?”
”Yes, yes, yes, don't worry, don't worry!” The two female prison guards smiled at the female riders and agreed with their heads bowed. When the female knights left, the face of the female prison warden changed, as she dragged Xiu'er into the cold prison behind her like a fiendish demon.
From this moment onwards, Xiu'er was imprisoned in a separate cell. Every day, a fat, deaf and mute grandma would deliver food to her. Her meals could no longer compare to the ones she had in the Ancestral Temple dungeon. Moreover, as the weather grew warmer, the food that was delivered sometimes had a sour smell to it. When she was sent to this cell, the female prison warden had already told her that she would be beheaded in three months.
Phoenix City Pass.
Kong Sheng took the teacup offered to him by the guard and drank all of the tea inside in one gulp. With the tea that was slightly burning his throat, the bitter and astringent taste of the tea entered his stomach. However, after drinking a cup of strong tea, he more or less dispelled some of the alcohol in his mouth, making him feel slightly better.
After working busily for an entire month, he finally sent away all of the two hundred thousand plus strong army that Huo Yanrann had brought with him when she first entered personally into battle. It would be hard on him, but she had to thank that guy and take care of him later. She also had to hand over some money in the name of the ”starting fee”. The other party's words were equally polite, all sorts of words like ”honored”, ”difficult”, and ”the empire is our responsibility” already made Kong Sheng's ears twitch, since he did not disturb the other party from accepting the gift money, so it was considered as his kind words.