This villain has become a ghost

Entering the prison, a chilling atmosphere hit me. The cells were dark and damp, with only the faint light of torches illuminating the narrow corridors. Water dripped from the walls, and the slippery floor made walking difficult. The thick walls between the cells provided excellent soundproofing, making the cries of the prisoners barely audible from outside.

Qiu Shuangwan followed Yue Liuyun closely, secretly glancing at both sides of the aisle.

Each cell varied in size, but was extremely cramped, barely enough for a bed and a few basic necessities. Prisoners, clad in ragged clothing, lay on cold straw, their faces gaunt and their eyes filled with endless despair. They were chained to the wall, their hands and feet shackled with heavy shackles, limiting their range of movement.

"Ah--" Qiu Shuangwan was frightened by the sudden scene, and quickly covered her mouth. Her stomach was churning and her pupils were shaking.

The atmosphere at the execution site was even more terrifying. Blood splattered all around the execution ground, and the ground was littered with broken limbs and body parts, a horrifying sight. The air was filled with the stench of blood, making one nauseated.

"If you are afraid, cover your eyes and follow me slowly." Yue Liuyun said softly.

Yue Liuyun was already immune to this kind of scene. She often dreamed that Nangong Mingzhu was either being bullied or killing people. Furthermore, since she had blood on her hands, she didn't feel the same physical nausea as before.

But Qiu Shuangwan is different. If she suddenly sees these, she will definitely feel uncomfortable.

He tried his best to suppress the fear in his heart and took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil.

They continued on, passing the execution grounds and arriving at the deepest part of the Sky Prison. The cells here were more solid, and the prisoners were even more special. They were all once prominent figures, powerful officials, or knights of unparalleled martial arts, but now, for various reasons, they had become prisoners.

Finally, they came to a cell.

This cell was larger than the others, and its decor was simple and warm, clean and tidy, even providing everything needed for food, clothing, shelter and transportation. A woman in white, holding a string of Buddhist beads, silently chanted towards the light coming from the window.

Qiu Shuangwan was shocked and muttered softly, "Is this treatment really like being in prison?"

Yue Liuyun heard his words, smiled slightly, and said to him: "I asked them not to execute her, and even took special care of her. I hope... you won't be angry for now."

"Why should I be angry?" Qiu Shuangwan just finished asking when he suddenly remembered, oh, yes, Nangong Wanqing also sent people to kill him! Yue Liuyun was afraid that he would be dissatisfied because of this.

"Nangong Wanqing." Yue Liuyun called softly.

The figure in the cell shuddered slightly, and Nangong Wanqing slowly turned her head. Her eyes, calm and composed, revealed a deep sense of fatigue, especially when she saw the emperor. But when she saw Qiu Shuangwan, a glint of light and a subtle sadness flashed in them.

At this moment, the entire cell was silent, with only three people and one soul standing facing each other.

Nangong Wanqing looked at Yue Liuyun, her charming eyes now particularly calm, completely different from her murderous and decisive look back then. She slowly said, "You have finally come to interrogate me. Whatever you want to know, I will tell you everything."

Qiu Shuangwan was shocked.

According to the normal routine and steps, shouldn't he turn his head away arrogantly, and then resolutely say something like "I won't tell you even if you kill me", "You dog emperor, you can kill me or chop me up as you please"?

Isn’t this eldest princess so flexible?

Yue Liuyun opened the cell door with his key, walked in, and gently closed it. He thought for a moment and said, "I remember that time when you were discussing state affairs with me in the court, you said, 'If you want to manifest virtue throughout the world, you must first govern your country; if you want to govern your country, you must first govern your family; if you want to govern your family, you must first cultivate yourself.'"

Qiu Shuangwan was confused and didn't understand what she was saying, but the eldest princess' pupils shrank slightly.

Yue Liuyun stared at her and said slowly, "...This statement comes from The Book of Rites: The Great Learning."

Qiu Shuangwan: “!!!”

How could the princess possibly know that? Could it be...

Nangong Wanqing's eyes were filled with shock. She stumbled for a moment, then suddenly smiled bitterly and said, "So, you're also a time traveler... I originally thought Qiu Shuangwan was the only one. I never expected..."

It turned out that Yue Liuyun hid herself well. Apart from Shen Yue, no one noticed her OOC. Nangong Wanqing was even worse. If it weren't for what she said in the court, almost no one would have discovered her true identity.

Qiu Shuangwan remained in shock, and suddenly asked out of nowhere, "Are you a man or a woman?"

Nangong Wanqing: “?”

What kind of weird topic is this?

Yue Liuyun felt that he was embarrassed and held his forehead with his hand, saying, "Let's talk business first. Tell me...what's going on with you."

Nangong Wanqing clenched the Buddhist beads in her hand and closed her eyes, as if recalling a distant memory. She said in a low and bitter voice, "I am different from you. You are a compromise between destiny and the system, blessed by both. But I... I am just a failed experiment."

A failed experiment?

Hearing this word, Yue Liuyun frowned, and a bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart.

Nangong Wanqing continued, "You should have all done experiments before. There will be a pre-experiment before the experiment begins, and I... was that pre-experiment."

Yue Liuyun revealed the secret: "So, we are actually also conducting an experiment, but we need to get the experimental results, and you don't."

Nangong Mingzhu restrained his distracted expression, stared at Yue Liuyun, and carefully thought about the meaning of what she said.

Nangong Wanqing's voice was hoarse, her long feathery eyelashes trembled, and her expression was somewhat sad. She said: "Do you know how long I have been in this world?"

"...a full twenty-five years." She said in a hoarse voice.

"I'm just an ordinary company employee. I traveled through time and space and was transported to the body of the princess when she was still a baby. Twenty-five years have passed since then..."

In the cell, Nangong Wanqing's voice was desolate and sad, with endless fatigue and weariness.

"At the beginning, I just wanted to survive, but... but it was too difficult, really too difficult..." Nangong Wanqing's face was pale, and her voice was slightly choked as she recalled those painful years.

She originally thought that with her adult wisdom and status as the eldest princess, she would have no problem surviving, but she was still too naive. This era, this world, and this palace were places where people were eaten without leaving any bones, which could drive people crazy.

"As soon as I could remember, my biological father, the late Emperor Nangong Chunyi, wanted to kill me. My biological mother, Empress Zhou, wanted to kill me. Concubine Xiao wanted to kill me. The other concubines also wanted to kill me... I didn't understand why they wanted to kill me at that time."