Holding the script, I want to give up.

"If you want to control me, take off the bell."

Shangguan Zitong put her hands on her hips and said angrily.

"I can't either."

Mu Rongyi simply stopped pretending, casually sprawled out, and lay lazily on the soft couch.

"I really don't like this. Could you please have some mercy and remove it?"

"You'll get used to it. Alright, I've achieved my goal. I'm going back to Dongchuan now. See you again someday."

"...You...you...Mu Rongyi Ke, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Shangguan Zitong was about to explode with anger.

"What can you do to me? Here, take this zither."

After Mu Rongyi finished speaking, she pointed in the direction of the zither, then stood up and used her internal energy to fly away.

"Hmph, you dog, who cares?"

Shangguan Zitong was furious and smashed the zither to pieces to vent her anger.

“Princess, should I go and bring him back? You seem to be in a bad mood.”

Yibo woke up a day later, unaware of what had happened. When he arrived, he saw the courtesan had left on her own, but the princess was furious.

"No need, I'll give you a break. I'm going out to have some fun. The world is vast, having fun is the most important thing."

Shangguan Zitong thought that he must be in a bad situation too, since he had been drugged by Mu Rongyi.

Shangguan Zitong took Youzhi and Youxi out of the palace to play. Youzhi and Youxi were very excited, after all, they rarely went out to play with the princess.

Shangguan Zitong walked very slowly because her ankle was really hurting. Youzhi and Youxi had been playing so much at the market that they forgot all about it. Seeing this, she didn't want to disturb the beautiful atmosphere, so she found a quiet spot to sit down and rest for a while.

"Youzhi, look! This is really delicious. Let's bring some for the princess."

Youxi ate the pastries in her hand while packing them up.

"Youxi, this flower wreath is so pretty, let's put one on the princess too."

Looking at the pale pink flower wreath in her hand, Youzhi inexplicably felt that it matched Shangguan Zitong very well.

"Youxi, where is the princess?"

Youzhi suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Isn't it in the back?"

Youxi turned around in confusion.

"Oh no, the princess has disappeared."

Youzhi was like an ant on a hot pan, running around in a panic. Youxi also panicked. If the princess really disappeared, it would be a crime punishable by death.

"Don't worry, Youxi, you stay here and call people to help search. Also, have the gatekeepers close the city gates and prevent pedestrians from entering or leaving. I'll go back to the palace to report to His Majesty."

Youzhi calmly analyzed the situation.

"Okay, hurry up. I'll go to the city gate first."

Youzhi and Youxi parted ways.

Youxi first went to the gatekeeper to explain the situation, and then drew a portrait of the princess for everyone to identify and find.

As soon as Youzhi entered the palace, she encountered His Highness the Crown Prince. She quickly knelt down, bowed, and recounted what had happened.

The crown prince hurriedly summoned people to begin the search.

The scene was quite spectacular, comparable to modern searches for missing persons.

......

Inside the carriage, Shangguan Zitong had been given a muscle-relaxing drug, leaving her weak all over. Her hands were tied behind her back, tightly bound in a knot. A rag was stuffed into her mouth, which she spat out in disgust once she regained consciousness.

Damn it, I was just sitting there taking a short nap with my eyes closed, and now I'm all tied up? Why are the ropes so tight? Are they afraid I'll run away? And why did they just stuff a rag in my mouth? Ugh, thankfully I can spit it out. Damn it, why is this carriage shaking so much? Is it in such a hurry to be reborn? Shangguan Zitong thought to herself.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped. Shangguan Zitong seemed to see a glimmer of hope and tried to call for help, but her throat had been drugged with some unknown substance, and she couldn't speak!

Damn it, when people are down on their luck, they can even choke to death while drinking water, let alone when she's down on her luck. Seriously, is this some kind of awful situation? Everything's just going wrong.

"Stop the carriage and check what's inside."

The guards were conducting a routine inspection.

"It's because the lady and the young master had a fight and she went back to her parents' home. The young master ordered us servants to wait until the lady calmed down before coming to fetch her back to the manor."

As the servant spoke, he pulled back the carriage curtain, revealing a corner of it, and indeed there was a beautiful woman sitting inside.

"Is what he said true? It's not a peaceful night, so all pedestrians are prohibited from entering or leaving. You should wait a little longer."

The officers and soldiers felt that these matters were not under their jurisdiction, so they thought they should finish asking questions as soon as possible, change shifts, and go home to sleep.

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble. It's true, my husband and I haven't seen each other for several months. Could you please make an exception?"

The woman inside the carriage casually tossed a heavy bag of silver coins to the soldier who had asked the question.

The officers and soldiers, blinded by greed, let them pass without hesitation.

"..."

Damn it, when I get back, I'm going to report you, you disobeying orders and skimming off the top!

Shangguan Zitong wanted to make some noise, but the carriage was too soundproof, and even if he crashed to his death there, it would be of no use.

No one would discover that she was hidden in the secret compartment of the carriage. And so, the carriage made its way through countless obstacles, its destination unknown.

Damn it, what's the point of carrying so much money? Money really does make the world go round. I'm going to save up some money for my future.

After the robbers arrived at their destination, they pulled Shangguan Zitong out of the hidden compartment. Shangguan Zitong, who was suddenly exposed to the sunlight, was a little uncomfortable, so she turned her head and squinted her eyes to look around at her surroundings.

The woman walked up to Shangguan Zitong and forced a pill into her mouth, which she was compelled to swallow.

She gagged, trying to vomit.

"Don't bother, this medicine is to help you speak. Be quiet and just swallow it."

The woman squatted down, pinched Shangguan Zitong's chin, and admired him.

Shangguan Zitong stopped gagging and just stared at her quietly. He wanted to see what his future target of revenge looked like.

"She does resemble him somewhat."

The woman stood up and whispered something to her subordinates. Shangguan Zitong held her breath and listened intently, but unfortunately, she couldn't hear anything.

After the woman finished speaking, she walked over again and said, "He looks too much like him, I don't like him. So die, lock him in the dungeon, and execute him immediately."

The men in black walked towards Shangguan Zitong. Terrified, her mind went blank, and all she could think about was survival. She struggled frantically.

"You're a complete madman. Aren't you afraid my father will come looking for you and have you torn to pieces?...

Before Shangguan Zitong could finish yelling, something was stuffed into her mouth again. This time, she couldn't spit it out because her mouth was bound with bandages.

"Ha! I'm not afraid, just hurry up."

The woman gave orders to the group.

After dragging her into a cage in the dungeon, the group untied her. They then chained her neck, hands, and feet with iron chains to prevent her escape. After locking the cage, they placed it in a hidden tank and filled it with water. Having done all this, the group thought she had no chance of escape and left. Slowly, the water rose to her kneecaps.

Help! Someone please save me! I'm so young, I really don't want to die!

Good heavens, this is ridiculous! It's terrifying!

"Ah Li, save me."

"Ah Li, help...help me."

"Ah... Tanuki, save... me."

No one responded.

When Shangguan Zitong saw that the water had reached her chest, she struggled to swim upwards but was pulled back to where she was by the chains. Her will to live had been completely lost, so she gave up struggling, closed her eyes, and was determined to die.

Self-rescue? How can she rescue herself when she's tied up like this? Rescue her from others? The system isn't here, so who could arrive here and find her in such a short time? The fact that they led her through so many detours without avoiding her means she can't escape, and no one else can save her.

Ah Li, I'm sorry, I really tried my best. Sister Liu, I'm sorry, I have to go first. Will I look terrible when I die? Shangguan Zitong had already silently prepared her will in her heart.

......