Ping Zhao Lu

Imperial Prison

The crisscrossing corridors were like a huge spider web, cold and dark.

The oil lamps on both sides of the wall flickered, like ghost lights in the darkness, barely adding a little light to this creepy prison.

The bloody smell in the air was so strong that it made people sick, as if they could smell death with every breath.

The wailing sounds coming from all directions from time to time were like the cries of evil spirits in hell, echoing endlessly in the narrow aisles, making people feel terrified.

At the end of the rightmost corridor corner, an extremely dark torture chamber came into view.

The candlelight in the room was dim, and the bean-sized flame trembled in the wind, as if it would go out at any time.

A man was tied tightly to a cross with iron chains. Under the dim candlelight, his face, which was originally as hard as iron and unyielding, now showed a look of fear.

He stared ahead with wide eyes in horror, his body trembling slightly.

In front of him stood a tall man in a dark purple brocade robe, like a ghost in the night.

He held a pair of pliers tightly in his hand and slowly reached towards the blazing fire beside him.

As the pliers moved, a red-hot iron was taken out of the fire.

The branding iron emitted a terrifying light and scorching heat, as if it was going to melt everything around it.

The man tied to the rack saw this scene and swallowed involuntarily in fear.

At this moment, his acupoints had been blocked, his whole body was weak, and he couldn't struggle to escape at all.

Shang Jiu's lips curled up slightly, his smile unclear, and his eyes without any emotion were fixed on the tough guy in front of him.

He slowly brought the iron closer and closer to the man's chest...

Along with the man's desperate whimper, there was a sizzling sound from his chest, followed by a pungent burnt smell.

Hot steam came out from the burned area, mixing with the bloody smell in the room, constantly stimulating the man's tense nerves.

"Say or not."

Shang Jiu had a blank expression on his face. He casually threw the pliers in his hand aside with a calm tone, as if he didn't care what answer the other party gave.

The man gritted his teeth, but he was too weak to speak, so he turned his head away angrily in protest.

"Did not say?"

Shang Jiu raised his eyebrows and answered for him.

Then he turned around and pulled out a sharp dagger from the wall.

He played with the knife in his hand.

"It doesn't matter. I have plenty of time to play with you."

*

Yingliu Lake, a summer resort.

Xu Zhouye was leaning alone in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, quietly, holding a plate of feed in his hand, and occasionally sprinkling some into the lake.

The lake water is as clear as a mirror, and you can see the sand and aquatic plants at the bottom of the water at a glance.

Those colorful koi fish swam happily. When they saw food falling, they rushed to the surface of the water and opened their little mouths to grab the delicious food.

Looking at the lively, cute and carefree appearance of these fish, Xu Zhouye's mood also unconsciously became cheerful, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

Time passed quietly, and I didn't know how long it had been when I suddenly heard a very light sound of footsteps behind me.

The sound was as light as a feather falling to the ground, but it still caught Xu Zhouye's attention.

He subconsciously turned his head, however, when he saw who was coming, the joy on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by an expression without any worldly desires.

Chu Yunzheng looked at Xu Zhouye's sudden change of expression, and his own expression also became gloomy. He snorted coldly and said, "Why, did you think it was the emperor who came?"

When Xu Zhouye heard this, he turned around and responded unhappily, "Why is the prince here?"

"This time when I came to Beijing, I naturally stayed in the palace. What's so strange about appearing here?" Chu Yunzheng had a dissatisfied look on his face. As he spoke, he shook his sleeves vigorously, and then sat down beside him.

To be honest, if it weren't for the Queen Mother's upcoming birthday, he would have been unwilling to return to the capital, a place of trouble.

Xu Zhouye didn't say anything, just remained silent.

His gaze returned to the fish swimming and jumping happily in the lake, and he seemed to focus all his attention on them.

For a moment, the entire pavilion in the middle of the lake fell into an awkward and oppressive silence, and neither of them spoke again.

After a long, long time, Xu Zhouye finally stood up, gently patted the non-existent dust on his clothes, and then turned around and prepared to leave.

Chu Yunzheng saw that he was about to leave and didn't want to stop him.

He originally wanted to enjoy the cool breeze here.

Xu Zhouye had a blank expression on his face. Just as he was about to pass by him, he didn't look at the road, perhaps because his mind was not on the road at all.

Xu Zhouye was not paying attention and his right foot tripped on the stone bench placed beside him.

In an instant, his body lost balance, and he stumbled and rushed straight towards Chu Yunzheng.

Chu Yunzheng only felt a flash before his eyes, and then a warm body crashed into his arms.

He froze in place for a moment, his hands raised subconsciously, but he didn't know whether to support or put them down.

This sudden situation made him a little overwhelmed.

However, fate always seems to play tricks on people.

In this short moment, Chu Yunxiao happened to pass by on the opposite bank not far away. He was just going to take a casual glance, but he didn't expect to see the whole scene.

Xu Zhouye looked quite embarrassed at this moment, but he did not notice the emperor who suddenly stood on the other side of the lake pavilion.

He quickly stood up and whispered an apology to Chu Yunzheng with a little embarrassment.

Then, as if to hide his embarrassment, he hurriedly straightened his sleeves and quickly regained his usual calm and composed appearance.

He walked away without looking back, as if nothing that had just happened had happened.

On the other side, Chu Yunxiao, who witnessed the whole process, had an increasingly darker light flashing in his deep eyes.

*

This little episode did not affect Xu Zhouye's mood.

As soon as he returned to Fengluan Palace, he went straight to the small kitchen.

The kitchen servants were dismissed.

Prepare to go it alone.

I saw that he had his sleeves tied up and his long hair hanging down behind him.

He picked up the kitchen knife and cut the cleaned pine nuts into sections.

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped green onion and stir-fry until fragrant, then add scallion and stir-fry until soft.

Then add dried scallops, tofu and appropriate amount of water and stir-fry evenly.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for one-third of a quarter, add salt and chicken powder to season, and stir well.

Soon, the fresh seafood tube tofu was out of the oven.

Xu Zhouye looked at the bowl of delicious tofu soup with satisfaction and felt complacent.

Then, he fried a few home-cooked dishes with great enthusiasm.

After a busy period, Xu Zhouye carefully put each dish into the food box.

He closed the lid, unbuttoned his rolled-up sleeves, straightened his clothes, picked up the food box, called Qinghe and Su Ming, and went to the East Palace together.

*

East Palace

"Your Highness, please be patient."

Shian lowered his voice and soothed.

"hiss……"

Chu Heyuan took a breath of cold air.

Seeing this, Shi'an couldn't help but stop.

In the past, when I was injured, I would just grit my teeth and get through it without paying attention to the pain.

The person in front of me is the delicate and precious Crown Prince.

Not only is it delicate, but it is also afraid of pain.

For a moment, Shi'an was at a loss.

"I'm fine, you continue." Chu Heyuan endured the severe pain, bit his lips tightly, and signaled Shi'an with a firm look to hurry up.

"If it hurts too much, Your Highness can bite my hand." Shi'an stretched out his arm in front of Chu Heyuan.

Chu Heyuan shook his head, his voice trembling slightly: "No, just move faster."

Seeing this, Shi'an no longer hesitated. After taking a deep breath, he continued to apply medicine to Chu Heyuan.

His fingers gently touched the hideous wound, and every time he touched it, Chu Heyuan couldn't help but let out a low moan, but he never cried out again.

Finally, after some difficult operations, Shi'an successfully applied medicine to Chu Heyuan and carefully wrapped him with bandages.

After a while, this thrilling dressing change process finally ended.

At this time, Chu Heyuan was already sweating profusely from the pain, and the sweat slid down his forehead and soaked the hair at his temples.

His lips, which were bitten tightly, became red and swollen due to excessive force.

Shi'an felt so distressed that he quickly took out a white handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Then he turned around and started picking up the medicine bottles, cloth strips and other debris scattered on the ground.

"How...how is your back injury?" Chu Heyuan suddenly spoke, breaking the brief silence in the room.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Thanks also to the imperial physician you invited for me. After last night's diagnosis and treatment and medication, the pain is no longer as unbearable as it was last night." Shi'an answered in a bright tone with a relaxed smile on his face.

Although the pain in his body had not completely healed, he did not want to make Chu Heyuan too worried.

Hearing Shi'an say this, Chu Heyuan's heart finally settled down a little. He nodded slightly to show that he was relieved.

However, at this moment, a loud shout came from outside the door: "Your Highness, the Queen is here!" This sudden news made Chu Heyuan stunned.

After a moment, Chu Heyuan quickly came to his senses. He first looked down at his slightly messy clothes, then calmly reached out to tidy them up.

Then, he turned to look at Shi'an beside him. Shi'an understood what he meant and quickly stepped forward, carefully helping Chu Heyuan get off the bed.