It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

All of this is like a fleeting dream.

Looking at this scene, Su Wanyu's brows twisted into a knot unconsciously, her heart was surging, and her thoughts drifted back to her gentle but unfortunately deceased mother many years ago.

At this moment, the hatred and resentment of many years seemed to have found an outlet, because someone would eventually take her place, uncover the old scars, and give her belated justice.

The banquet was over and night fell. Su Wanyu, carefully supported by a group of palace maids and eunuchs, slowly walked into the deep passage of the dungeon.

Before this, Emperor Xuan had reminded her with concern that the dungeon was filled with gloomy energy and was not suitable for women, and advised her not to enter.

But this exhortation did not shake her firm determination. In the end, the emperor could not overcome her insistence and had to send more guards to ensure her safety.

Inside the dungeon, the dim light could hardly dispel the dullness of the surroundings. Dampness and coldness intertwined, and the air was filled with a stench of corruption, like the smell of dead rats, rushing straight to the nose.

The maid Siqi beside her was quick-witted and took out a delicate handkerchief, sprinkled some fragrance on it, and hurriedly handed it to the princess to cover her nose.

However, Su Wanyu took the handkerchief but just held it in her hand without using it.

The suffering of imprisonment she had experienced during those years was probably even worse than the dungeon before her.

Her footsteps were on the slippery ground, and every step seemed to be walking across the river of memories. Past experiences came to her mind as if from another world, both strange and familiar.

Siqi held her tightly and reminded her softly, "Princess, the road is slippery here, please be careful with your steps."

Su Wanyu gently placed her hand on her wrist and said in a relaxed tone, "It's okay, this road is still smooth."

After saying this, Siqi leaned forward and carefully led the team forward.

Walking to the deepest part of the dungeon, it is a place where serious criminals are detained. There are layers of iron bars, and even if you have wings, it is difficult to escape.

The joint plan between her and Emperor Xuan completely blocked all possibilities of Qin Nianxi's escape.

"You came."

Behind the iron bars, Qin Nianxi sat on the ground with disheveled hair, her eyes flickering in the dark as she looked gloomily at Wanyu who was approaching step by step.

There was obvious swelling at the corners of her lips, and the mottled blood had already coagulated. Every word she spoke seemed to tear at the wound, causing her brows to frown in pain.

Facing this former rival, Su Wanyu walked forward steadily, her long skirt trailing the ground, the golden edges gleaming faintly: "You are about to be torn apart by five horses. I think tonight should be the last time I see what you look like with my own eyes."

Qin Nianxi turned her head, with a strange light flashing in her eyes: "Tell me, why do you want to hurt me?"

Her voice was mixed with pain and confusion.

Su Wanyu's lips curled up into a faint smile, and her tone was calm and firm: "Concubine, it is obvious that you harmed Pei Jingliu and entered the palace under her name. How can you say that I harmed you?"

Qin Nianxi stood up suddenly, eyes wide open: "If it wasn't for you, how could Pei Chian betray me?"

Facing the question, Su Wanyu raised her eyelids and spoke at a steady pace, as if recalling the past: "You have been in the palace for many years, and finally became the imperial concubine. Have you never heard of that sentence?"

Qin Nianxi widened her eyes and asked, "What?"

"The most untrustworthy thing in the world is a man's heart."

Su Wanyu said slowly, "You spent half your life fighting in the palace, but in the end you trusted a man who is a generation younger than you. Isn't this reaping what you sow?"

Qin Nianxi stood still for a moment when she heard this, with a trace of trance flashing across her face.

At the beginning, she was fully capable of keeping her mouth shut and not revealing any secrets to Pei Chi'an.

If she chose to remain silent, the secret might disappear forever with her.

But her greed for Pei Chi'an's youth and gentleness exposed all her vulnerabilities while she longed for uninterrupted trust.

She thought that honesty could earn her the same loyalty, but she didn't expect people's hearts to be complicated, and she ended up making a wrong move.

"Tiffany, you know that beauty fades easily, but kindness fades even more easily. How could you not understand this truth?"

Su Wanyu asked coldly with sarcasm in her words.

Qin Nianxi stood there in a daze for a long time, and suddenly sneered, that laughter was full of desolation carved by time.

Then, Su Wanyu's expression darkened, and her voice became more serious than ever before: "How did my mother die?"

Qin Nianxi raised her head, her eyes flickering: "You came here just for this?"

Facing direct questioning, Su Wanyu did not evade the question: "Yes, tell me, was it you who pushed her off the building?"

Qin Nianxi had a scornful smile on her lips: "Does she still need me to push hard? I just touched her lightly, and she couldn't wait to jump down by herself."

Su Wanyu frowned, obviously shocked by such an answer: "What method did you use?"

Qin Nianxi's eyes swept over her lightly, with a hint of amusement: "I told her that as long as she jumped off the palace building, she could return to the place she had been thinking about day and night."

"Come to think of it, you and your brother should really thank me. When she found out she was pregnant with you, she had already prepared the abortion pills. It was me who stopped her at the last moment, and that's how you came to be."

Hearing this, Su Wanyu's face was full of disbelief: "She doesn't want us?"

Qin Nianxi turned her back and lowered her head in deep thought. When she mentioned the late Song Yuling, a bitter smile appeared on her lips: "Your father killed her family and her lover. Do you think she will still be willing to give birth to offspring for him?"

"Only a fool would develop feelings for an enemy and give birth to children for him. She has a strong character. She wants to leave here even if she dies. She wants to break free from your restraints even if she dies. It was me who stopped her from committing suicide. I just want to watch her struggle in the deep palace. Why can she be freed so easily?"

Recalling the past, Qin Nianxi's voice gradually became full of emotion: "A fallen woman, who suffered all kinds of torture from Prince Consort Gu, had scars all over her body, and every inch of her skin was covered with marks of pain, but she still survived tenaciously and even won the status of a princess."

"However, she should have been like me, conforming to the trend of this conservative society, willing to be an unappreciated concubine, competing for favors with other women. But she refused to do so. Even with a knife hanging over her neck, she would not yield. It was she, she who betrayed me first!"

Su Wanyu listened to this confusing narrative and felt that everything was like a cloud of fog, difficult to distinguish: "So, it was you who harmed her?"

Qin Nianxi responded sharply: "She harmed herself. If she could be like me earlier, maybe she could sit on the position of concubine now."

"She chose to flee, so I naturally couldn't show her mercy. The emperor is also a person who is easily deceived. When I told him that Song Yuling still had feelings for Prince Consort Gu and would rather give up the fetus in her belly to follow him, he actually believed it."

"He grabbed Song Yuling's neck tightly, asking her over and over again whether she still cared about the child. Since she no longer cared, he didn't care either. As long as she dared to leave, he would attack you and your brother."