Jade of Another World

The Crown Prince rushed back to his residence from the palace, his mind preoccupied with Lin Ning, eagerly anticipating their union. But upon entering the residence and heading straight for the room he had been looking at, he found it empty; Lin Ning was nowhere to be seen.

The crown prince's eyes widened instantly, his face turning extremely ugly. His heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong. He had thought everything was under his control, but now Lin Ning had disappeared. What was he to do?

However, he dared not openly send people to search for Lin Ning, since Lin Ning had been tricked into coming to the mansion by Lin Wan using such despicable means. If this matter were to spread, his reputation would be ruined, and he would not only be unable to compete for the throne, but would also become a laughing stock in the entire capital.

Therefore, the Crown Prince could only suppress his anxiety and anger, and quietly summoned his trusted subordinates, ordering them in a low voice: "You lot, quickly go and find Lin Ning's whereabouts for me. Remember, you must search quietly and not alert anyone else. If even a whisper of this leaks out, I will hold you all responsible!"

The trusted confidants quickly responded and split up to search. Some went to check every secluded corner of the mansion, while others went outside to inquire around the Crown Prince's residence. However, after searching for a long time, they still couldn't find any trace of Lin Ning. The Crown Prince paced back and forth in his room, becoming increasingly agitated and uneasy. His brows were furrowed into a knot, and he hoped to find Lin Ning as soon as possible to smooth things over. But the longer he waited, the more uncertain he became. He didn't know where Lin Ning had gone or whether she would expose the shameful things he had done.

The Crown Prince was eagerly anticipating winning Lin Ning's heart, but the people he sent out searched again and again, turning the Crown Prince's residence upside down, and even searching every place that could be found around the Crown Prince's residence, but they still couldn't find any trace of Lin Ning.

The Crown Prince's face grew increasingly grim, his eyes blazing with fury. Any lingering hope he had held was now completely replaced by rage. He paced back and forth in the room, gritting his teeth as he thought, "How did this perfectly good plan go so wrong? Who took Lin Ning away? Could it be that someone is deliberately working against me?"

The Crown Prince grew increasingly angry as he thought about it, and then, a thought suddenly struck him: Lin Wan. It was Lin Wan who had come up with the idea, and she was the one who arranged for Lin Ning to be lured to the manor. Now that Lin Ning was missing, the responsibility naturally fell on Lin Wan.

The Crown Prince stormed towards Lin Wan's residence. Upon entering, he saw Lin Wan sitting there, seemingly waiting for good news. Without a word, he grabbed Lin Wan by the collar, threw her to the ground, and roared, "This is all your doing! I entrusted this matter to you, and what did you do? Now Lin Ning is missing! Tell me, where did she go? What are we going to do now?"

Lin Wan was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that her face turned deathly pale. She stammered, trying to explain, "Your Highness, I... I don't know how this happened. Everything was arranged perfectly..."

But the Crown Prince wouldn't listen. He kicked Lin Wan, cursing as he kicked, "You good-for-nothing! I must have been blind to believe your nonsense!"

Lin Wan screamed in pain as she was beaten, and her body was soon covered with bruises and wounds. But the Crown Prince still did not stop until he was exhausted and stopped panting heavily.

Then, the Crown Prince said fiercely, "From today onwards, you will stay in this room and not step out without my permission!"

After saying this, the Crown Prince ordered his servants to lock the room, leaving Lin Wan alone curled up in a corner, covered in wounds, terrified and crying uncontrollably. She never imagined that her attempt to please the Crown Prince would result in such a beating and imprisonment. Her hatred for the Crown Prince deepened, and she became even more curious about who had rescued Lin Ning. However, she was now in dire straits herself and could only silently endure the pain and despair in this cold room.

Lin Wan huddled in the corner of the room where she was imprisoned, the pain in her body a constant companion. Every wound seemed to mock her foolish cleverness and pathetic state. Her eyes were filled with pain and despair, her mind a jumbled mess, utterly unable to figure out what to do.

The horrific experiences of imprisonment and torture replayed in her mind like a nightmare. The helplessness, fear, and deep-seated humiliation of those times seemed to engulf her once more, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably. She knew all too well that if she remained imprisoned here, her days would likely be filled with endless torment. She was all too familiar with the Crown Prince's unpredictable temper, and this time she had thoroughly angered him, not knowing what even more terrible punishment awaited her.

Therefore, a strong will to survive ignited within her; no matter what, she had to find a way to escape from here. Lin Wan endured the pain in her body, struggled to her feet, and began to search the room. She first went to the door and pulled hard on the tightly locked door, but no matter how hard she tried, the door remained firmly locked from the outside.

Next, she turned her gaze to the window, but unfortunately, it was also nailed shut, leaving only a narrow crack through which a little light could get in. Lin Wan was not giving up and felt around the edge of the window with her hand, trying to find a place that could be opened or loosened, but after a while, she still found nothing.

She paced anxiously around the room, when suddenly her eyes lit up. She remembered a small pair of scissors she had hidden under the bed, which she used for sewing. Lin Wan quickly lay down on the floor and reached under the bed, searching with great effort until she finally found the scissors. Holding the scissors as if they were a lifeline, she wondered if she could use them to pry open the lock or break the nails on the window.

Lin Wan cautiously walked to the door and tried to pry open the bolt, but she had little experience and after a long time, not only could she not open it, she also bent the tip of the scissors. She was anxious and angry, tears welling up in her eyes, but thinking of the terrible consequences of staying here any longer, she gritted her teeth, took the somewhat damaged scissors, and went to the window to start prying open the tenons and mortises.

Her hands were raw and red, even bleeding, but she paid no heed. Only one thought occupied her mind: she had to escape, escape this horrible place, escape the Crown Prince's residence. However, her previous efforts to become the Crown Princess seemed utterly futile in the face of repeated imprisonment. The fear of torture and death made her abandon her final struggle. She only wanted to escape this hellhole. But if she was heading in the wrong direction, all her efforts would be in vain.

Lin Wan was frantically trying to escape this place of imprisonment, but fortunately, there were spies planted by the Liu family in the Crown Prince's residence. At this moment, under the cover of night, she secretly sent a signal to her spy.

The informant, who was already gathering information nearby, quickly took advantage of a shift change among the patrolling guards to sneak out of the courtyard where Lin Wan was being held. One of them was agile and quickly scaled the wall, throwing a rope towards the room where Lin Wan was. Seeing this, Lin Wan grabbed the rope and, with the informant's help, struggled to climb over the wall. She then slowly slid down the other side of the wall, finally escaping the courtyard where she was being held captive.

Lin Wan dared not delay for a moment. Crouching low, she cautiously made her way towards the outer wall of the Crown Prince's residence. As long as she could climb over the wall, she would find a way to escape this dangerous place. But just as she was hurrying along, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. Startled, she quickly hid behind a bush nearby and peeked out. To her surprise, it was the Crown Prince and his personal guards returning to the residence.

Lin Wan was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe, her body trembling uncontrollably. She knew that if the Crown Prince discovered she had escaped, it would be all over. Her eyes frantically searched for a place to hide, when suddenly she saw a rockery not far away with a cave on it. Without thinking twice, she rushed towards the cave before the Crown Prince and his entourage got close and dove inside.

After entering the cave, Lin Wan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but before she could catch her breath, her foot suddenly went weak, as if she had stepped on something. Then she heard a series of creaking sounds from a mechanism. She knew something was wrong and tried to turn around and run away, but it was too late. The ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed, and she fell downwards without warning, landing heavily in a dark room with a "thud".

Lin Wan felt pain all over her body and was dizzy. It took her a long time to recover. She struggled to her feet and looked around. The room was dimly lit, with only a few corners emitting faint light. There were some old boxes and miscellaneous items around. She had no idea where she was or how to get out. She was both shocked and scared, and filled with regret. She should have known better than to hide behind the artificial hill. But it was too late now, and she could only grit her teeth and try to find a way out.

Lin Wan was terrified in the dimly lit and somewhat eerie room, but she knew she couldn't just sit there and wait to die. She quickly reached up and touched her ears; thankfully, the pair of luminous pearl earrings were still there.

She carefully removed the luminous pearl earrings and, using the soft yet bright light, began to search the dark room, trying to find an exit. The floor of the dark room was damp, making strange creaking sounds underfoot, as if something terrifying might emerge at any moment. Lin Wan's heart pounded, and her hands trembled slightly, but she still forced herself to suppress her fear and moved forward step by step.

She first walked to a wall and felt around it with her hands, looking for any mechanisms or hidden doors. But the wall was cold and rough, and she found nothing unusual after touching it for a long time. Next, she went around to a pile of clutter and gently pushed aside the dusty boxes and old objects, hoping to find clues to the exit behind them, but she still found nothing.

Just as Lin Wan was feeling disheartened and thought she might be trapped here to die, her gaze inadvertently swept to a corner of the dark room. That corner seemed darker than the rest, and there was something vaguely moving inside.

Lin Wan's heart skipped a beat. After hesitating for a moment, she mustered her courage and walked towards that corner. When she got closer, she saw something in the light of her luminous pearl earrings and her eyes widened in surprise. In the corner, there was a person chained up, with disheveled hair and dirty clothes, looking extremely disheveled. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the Crown Princess.

Lin Wan never expected to find the Crown Princess here. She was stunned for a while before she came to her senses and quickly stepped forward, softly calling out, "Crown Princess, what are you doing here?"

Peng Yingchun slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with exhaustion and despair. When she saw Lin Wan, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she said weakly, "You... how did you get here? Sigh, I was captured and brought here. It's been so long, and I don't even know where I am."

Lin Wan was filled with doubts upon hearing this. She couldn't understand how the Crown Princess could be imprisoned in this dark room of the Crown Prince's residence. Wasn't she kidnapped by villains? And wasn't the Crown Prince seriously injured while chasing the villains? What kind of secret was hidden behind this?

But the most important thing right now is to find a way to escape from here. She frowned, looked at the chains on Peng Yingchun's body, thought for a moment, and began to think about how to untie the chains and escape from this dark room.

Lin Wan stared wide-eyed at Peng Yingchun, who was chained up and looked utterly disheveled. In that instant, she completely gave up on the position of Crown Princess that she had always longed for.

Once, her heart was filled with nothing but the desire to become the incomparably noble Crown Princess. She believed that as long as she became the Crown Princess, she would enjoy endless wealth and glory, and she could hold her head high in the Crown Prince's residence and even the entire capital, making everyone look at her with newfound respect. For this goal, she racked her brains, schemed and plotted, and even resorted to all sorts of insidious means. But now, seeing Peng Yingchun's miserable state, she suddenly realized that even if she really became the Crown Princess, what good would it do?