Transmigrated into a vicious female supporting role, reborn as a hostage to the paranoid male protag

On a cold winter night, the biting wind blows like an ice knife, and the bone-chilling cold is pervasive, making people unable to help but wrap themselves tightly.

The night is like thick ink, wantonly permeating everything in the world. Everything is silent, only the sound of the wind whistling in the ears.

At the back door of the Jingzhao government office, the guard on duty was exhausted by the cold night and was trying to keep his eyelids drooping, feeling drowsy.

In this dead silence, two dark figures, like ghosts, lightly crossed the snow-covered wall.

The first person had a nimble figure and walked steadily but silently. It was Chu Xingchen. He was wearing a black brocade robe with exquisite mink fur trimmed at the collar and cuffs, which not only kept out the cold but also highlighted his extraordinary temperament.

Under the jade crown on Chu Xingchen's head was a cold and resolute face, with sharp light flashing in his narrow eyes, his thin lips tightly pursed, and his expression focused and alert.

The coroner following closely behind was wearing a simple dark cotton coat, with a slightly hunched figure and a cautious look on his face. He walked hurriedly but tried not to make any noise, like a frightened hare, cautiously following Chu Xingchen's footsteps.

After landing, the two cleverly avoided the patrolling yamen runners and sneaked all the way to the agreed rockery. There, an ordinary-looking yamen runner had been waiting for a long time.

The bailiff had a square face and nondescript features, the kind you'd lose in a crowd. He wore the coarse uniform of a Jingzhao Prefecture bailiff and looked nervous, peeking out from time to time and rubbing the hem of his shirt nervously.

Seeing Chu Xingchen, he hurried forward, knelt on one knee, bowed his head and saluted, saying softly, "Your Highness." Then, he quickly took out two sets of yamen runner uniforms from behind him and handed them to him with both hands, "Your Highness, please change into them quickly. It will be the attendant's shift change soon, and it will be my turn soon."

Chu Xingchen nodded slightly, took the uniform, and quickly put it on, his movements quick and decisive. The coroner also hurriedly followed suit. After changing clothes, the bailiff led the two of them towards the Jingzhao Prefecture jail.

Several of the men who were supposed to be on duty today were close associates of Lord Li. However, because they could hold their liquor well, Lord Li had temporarily reassigned them to attend the banquet. Therefore, most of the guards on duty today were new faces. Despite this, the guards around the cells remained vigilant, surrounding the prison like an iron barrel.

The yamen runner calmly stepped forward and respectfully handed over the three men's tokens. The leading guard took them with a sharp look, carefully inspected them, and after confirming they were correct, waved his hand, signaling them to pass.

Entering the prison, two attendants were on duty. They slumped listlessly on tables and chairs, complaining about how Master Li had taken his trusted aides away for wine and women, leaving them to guard the corpse in the prison. They drank tea, boredom dispelling their sleepiness.

"Brother Zhang," the yamen runner had a smile on his face and his eyes narrowed into slits. When he saw the two of them, he walked up quickly to greet them, and at the same time carefully took out a bag of roast chicken and a small can of good wine from his arms.

The yamen runner said softly, "Brother Zhang, today is a good day for me to move into our ancestral home. I have always thought about how much Brother Zhang has taken care of me since I was a child, and I have no way to repay him, so I wanted to invite Brother Zhang and Brother Wang to try some of the wine and meat." As he spoke, he smiled and put his arm around the two men's shoulders, offering them the wine and meat with both hands, his attitude humble and sincere.

The yamen runner's originally tense expression relaxed a little, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he said with a smile: "You are a good man!" He reached out to take the wine and meat, "In this case, your brother Wang and I will respectfully obey your orders!" After that, he and the yamen runner Wang smiled at each other, and the two of them tacitly poured wine while the other opened the package of the roast chicken, and they couldn't wait to start drinking wine and eating meat in big bowls, their eyes full of greed and enjoyment, and they didn't take Chu Xingchen and the other two seriously at all.

Seeing the opportunity ripe, the yamen runner exchanged a quick glance with Chu Xingchen, and the three of them walked together, tacitly understanding, deeper into the prison. As Chu Xingchen walked, he silently counted down in his mind: three, two, one. In an instant, without warning, the two yamen runners, still eating and drinking, collapsed onto the round table, their wine glasses tumbling and spilling all over the floor.

Chu Xingchen's lips curled up slightly, forming an almost imperceptible arc. A fleeting sense of certainty and coldness flashed in his eyes, and he murmured softly, "That's easy."

His tone was so gentle, as if he was just narrating an insignificant household matter, yet it was filled with unquestionable decisiveness.

The three of them hurriedly yet cautiously quickened their pace, heading towards the unknown secret hidden deep within the cell, like the mouth of a giant beast. Their figures were gradually swallowed up by the dark corridor, and only the soft sound of their footsteps echoed in the silent air, as if disturbing the vengeful spirits sleeping in the cell, emitting a faint sense of foreboding.

As soon as he entered the inner prison, a stench of decay and death hit him. Corpses covered in white cloths lay scattered across the ground. Chu Xingchen's face was solemn, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He carefully examined each body, not missing a single detail.

Finally, on a female corpse, he caught a glimpse of the jewelry that was so familiar to him. It was a precious item that he had personally decorated his sister with out of deep affection for her.

It should have been worn on my sister, shining brightly, but now it appeared so abruptly on this cold, lifeless female corpse.

"Mr. Wu," Chu Xingchen took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart. He said in a low and powerful voice, "Please check carefully. I want to see whether these people were burned to death."

His gaze was deep and distant, as if he was lost in endless contemplation, or as if he was searching for a faint, uncertain ray of hope in the darkness.

"Autopsies," Chu Xingchen paused, looked around, his eyes revealing determination, "Examine the several bodies nearby." His voice echoed in the empty inner prison with unquestionable majesty.

Chu Xingchen's gaze returned to the charred corpse before him. He unconsciously clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. His eyes were filled with struggle and pain. "You must be blessed by fate. This can't be you."

"There must be some clue, some suspicious area."

"Sister, you must be alive. This shouldn't be you, and it can't be you." His voice trembled slightly, and the fear and worry hidden in his eyes could no longer be concealed, spreading like a surging tide.

Chu Xingchen stared at the charred corpse intently, his deep eyes dimmed, as if endless darkness swallowed him in an instant. It was an abyss where despair and hope were intertwined, and he was on the edge of this abyss, persistently searching for that glimmer of possible life.