Jade of Another World

After being imprisoned in that cold, damp dungeon, the deposed crown prince initially raged in defiance, desperately seeking an opportunity to turn the tables. But when he heard that Lin Wan had also escaped, he gradually realized that he had utterly failed and there was no possibility of a comeback. The loyal people who had once surrounded him had long since vanished, and now he was left only with four cold walls and endless loneliness.

He began to reflect on his life, from the boundless glory he enjoyed when he was first named Crown Prince, to his subsequent downfall after losing to Nangong Jin, and now, his imprisonment. He understood that his power was gone, and there was no chance of a comeback. However, regret was futile. In this prison, amidst reminiscing about the past and despairing about the future, he chose to end his life, becoming yet another tragic loser in the power struggles of the court.

Lin Ning and Liu Si rushed with Lin Wan to Liu Si's estate. Along the way, Lin Wan clung tightly to Lin Ning, her body still trembling slightly, clearly not yet recovered from the fear of her previous imprisonment. Liu Si, meanwhile, frequently looked back to make sure no one was following them.

Upon arriving at the estate, Liu Si settled Lin Wan in a quiet side room and instructed the maids to prepare hot water and meals so that Lin Wan could rest and recuperate. Lin Ning took meticulous care of her, her heart filled with tenderness and guilt as she looked at her sister's pale face and frail body.

After making the arrangements, Liu Si dared not linger and immediately spurred his horse back to the site of the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony. He knew that undercurrents were swirling behind today's ceremony. Although he had rescued Lin Wan, the situation remained unclear, and he needed to return to observe the movements of all parties in order to deal with any possible changes. He arrived near the ceremony site, tethered his horse in a secluded spot, and then mingled into the bustling crowd. He keenly scanned his surroundings, paying attention to everyone's expressions and actions, especially the reactions of the royal family members and court officials.

Meanwhile, after leaving the manor, Lin Ning went straight to the Peng residence. Peng Yingchun was already anxiously waiting for news at the manor. Upon seeing Lin Ning arrive, she hurried forward to greet him. A relieved smile appeared on Lin Ning's face as he said, "Yingchun, Wan'er has been rescued and is resting at the manor now."

Upon hearing this, Peng Yingchun's eyes lit up with surprise and excitement. She took Lin Ning's hand and said, "That's wonderful! I knew you would succeed. Wan'er... is she injured?"

Lin Ning gently shook her head and said, "She was a little frightened and her body is a bit weak, but it's nothing serious. She'll recover after some rest."

Peng Yingchun breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned and said, "This prince is too despicable, committing such an evil deed. Although he has been rescued tonight, we cannot let this go. We must find a way to make him receive the punishment he deserves."

Lin Ning nodded slightly, her eyes filled with determination: "You're right, this matter won't end so easily. But for now, let's let Wan'er focus on recovering, and discuss other matters later."

The two discussed the matter further at the Peng residence. Lin Ning recounted some details of the rescue operation to Peng Yingchun, who was filled with admiration for Liu Si's wisdom and courage. As evening approached, Lin Ning took her leave and returned to her residence. She knew that the conflicts between the court and various factions had only just begun, and many challenges awaited them in the future. She had to face them bravely and protect her family and friends.

Consort Xi was imprisoned in that cold palace, her resentment and bitterness buried deep in her heart. The emperor, in the end, still remembered the years of companionship she had shared with him, and only ordered her to be confined to her quarters as punishment, thinking that she should reflect on her actions in this confined space, which was a way of showing her some mercy.

Consort Xi had no time to think about her own situation. Her heart was filled with worry for her deposed son, who was the apple of her eye and her only hope and support in this deep palace. She was restless every day in the palace, constantly worrying about what kind of torture her son would suffer in prison and whether he could bear the huge fall from the clouds to the bottom.

Finally, unable to contain her anxiety any longer, she secretly sent her most trusted personal maid to the prison to visit the deposed crown prince. The maid obeyed, carefully avoiding everyone's attention, and headed towards the prison where the deposed crown prince was imprisoned. Along the way, the maid was filled with trepidation; she knew that if this were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable, but she dared not disobey the Imperial Concubine's orders.

When the palace maid finally arrived at the dark and damp prison and saw the deposed crown prince, she was horrified by the sight before her. The prince's face was ashen, his eyes staring blankly ahead, blood gushing from his wrist, staining the ground beneath him. It turned out that after the deposed prince's previous demotion, the failure of his plans, and his imprisonment, he had fallen into utter despair. He felt his life was meaningless and there was no hope of redemption. In his despair, he had chosen such a drastic way to end his suffering.

Upon seeing this, the palace maid rushed forward, trying to rouse the deposed crown prince, but he was already lifeless, his body growing cold. Terrified, the maid collapsed to the ground, only regaining her senses after a long while. She then stumbled back to Consort Xi's palace, weeping, to deliver the devastating news.

Upon hearing this, Consort Xi was struck dumb, collapsing into her chair. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she murmured, "Impossible, my son, how could you be so heartless as to abandon your mother..." Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam; she never imagined that her beloved son would leave her like this.

Ignoring the order to stay at home, she frantically tried to rush to the prison to see her son one last time, but she was stopped by the guards as soon as she reached the palace gate. Consort Xi cried and begged the guards to let her pass, but the guards dared not disobey the imperial decree and could only stand guard at the gate, watching Consort Xi struggle in utter despair. At that moment, she felt as if the sky had fallen, all her support had collapsed, and it seemed that the rest of her life would be spent in endless pain and regret.

Consort Xi was unable to face the devastating news of her son's death. She seemed to have lost her mind and rushed towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony without regard for anything else. Her hair was disheveled, her makeup was ruined by tears, and her former elegance and grace were gone, leaving only grief and despair.

When she rushed into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the ministers inside were all astonished and quickly made way for her. Consort Xi went straight to the Emperor, knelt down with a thud, and then burst into loud sobs. Her cries were so mournful and poignant that they echoed throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony, filling everyone who heard them with pity.

The Emperor, who had been attending to state affairs, felt a sense of foreboding upon seeing Consort Xi in such a state. When he heard her crying out the news of the deposed Crown Prince's death, the Emperor felt a buzzing in his head and froze completely. He never imagined that his once spirited eldest son, who carried so many expectations, would leave him like this.

The emperor's eyes gradually reddened, and his hands trembled slightly involuntarily. He looked at the Consort Xi, who was breaking down in tears. In the past, even if she made a mistake, he could still say a few words of punishment. But now, faced with the ultimate pain of a parent outliving their child, he could no longer utter those words.

After a long silence, the emperor slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and heavy: "Issue my decree that the Crown Prince be given a grand funeral, and all ceremonies shall be conducted to the highest standards." Upon hearing this decree, the ministers all accepted the order and went to prepare for the related matters.

The emperor's mind was filled with images of the deposed crown prince as a child—his chubby-cheeked, clever face, his earnest expression when he first learned to read and write, and his spirited demeanor while riding a horse and shooting arrows. Each and every detail was as clear as if it had happened just yesterday. He had once been the emperor's first son. When he was born, the emperor was overjoyed, feeling that he had a worthy successor. He placed great hopes on him, carefully nurturing him and watching him grow up, gradually revealing his extraordinary talents. At that time, he was truly the emperor's proudest son.

But who could have imagined that the power struggles within the palace were so cruel? One wrong step leads to another, ultimately resulting in such a tragic end. This imperial power, seemingly supreme and able to control the fate of all people, is like a bloodless knife behind the scenes, severing kinship, obliterating humanity, and causing one tragedy after another to unfold within the palace.

The emperor silently turned away from everyone, not wanting them to see the tears streaming down his face. He knew that everything was beyond repair, and the pain within the deep palace could only be buried deep in his heart with the passage of time, becoming an unspeakable scar. The emperor aged ten years in an instant. His body lost its former radiance.

Nangong Jin had finally thwarted the deposed crown prince's plot and successfully ascended to the position of crown prince. The entire palace and even the capital should have been immersed in a festive and lively atmosphere. The streets and alleys should have been decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, the palace servants should have prepared various congratulatory gifts, and the ministers should have been planning to enter the palace to offer their congratulations and celebrate this grand event.

However, no one expected that the deposed crown prince would choose such a resolute way to end his life. This sudden bad news instantly cast a shadow over the palace. The festive red silk that was supposed to be hung up had not yet had time to flutter on the palace walls, and the joyous sound of gongs and drums had not yet been sounded, all of which were completely overshadowed by the deposed crown prince's funeral.

The palace instantly transformed into a solemn and sorrowful place, the vermilion walls seemingly tinged with a somber hue. The eunuchs and maids hurried about, no longer to prepare for a celebratory banquet, but to arrange the mourning hall and gather the necessary items for the funeral. The ministers, who had entered the palace with anticipation, now wore somber expressions, changed into mourning clothes, and proceeded to the place where the deposed crown prince's body lay in state to pay their respects.

Standing in his palace, Nangong Jin gazed at the chaotic yet sorrowful scene outside, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Although he and the deposed crown prince were rivals in the power struggle, he couldn't help but feel a deep sadness at this outcome. The transfer of power in the palace was inherently cruel, but he never imagined it would end in such a heartbreaking way, casting a shadow over his succession.

The emperor was overcome with grief, barely eating for days, and his entire body seemed to have become hunched over. He often sat in the empty palace, reminiscing about his memories with his eldest son, the sorrow in his eyes moving anyone who saw it. This moment, which should have been a time of celebration for Nangong Jin, had to be postponed. Everyone was drawn into the somber atmosphere of the funeral, the entire palace mourning the lost life and sighing at the cruelty and helplessness behind the power struggles of the court.

After experiencing the pain of losing her son, Consort Xi fell into extreme grief and obsession. She blamed the emperor's ruthlessness and Nangong Jin's relentless pressure on her son's death, believing that the two of them were responsible for this irreversible tragedy.

In her eyes, the emperor, as her father, easily deposed her son from the position of crown prince because of his supreme imperial power, showing no regard for their years of father-son relationship. All the favor she had received seemed to be a mirage. In the face of power and political maneuvering, her son was like a pawn that could be discarded at will, ruthlessly driven to the bottom, without even a chance to turn things around.

As for Nangong Jin, in Consort Xi's eyes, he was a scheming, ambitious man plotting to seize the Crown Prince's position. He meticulously planned and gradually pressured his son, causing him to suffer defeat after defeat in the power struggle, ultimately leading him to despair and choose that drastic path. Consort Xi completely forgot that it was her son who first harbored ambitions for power, and simply insisted that Nangong Jin was the culprit.

She often muttered to herself or cried out to the air in her palace: "It's all because of the emperor's indifference, how could he be so cruel to his own flesh and blood. And Nangong Jin, if it weren't for his relentless pressure, how could my son have come to this, how could he have left me in such despair..." Every word was filled with resentment, and every sentence seemed to be torn from the deepest part of her heart.

She even secretly vowed that she would pay the price, even if it meant sacrificing her own life, to make the emperor and Nangong Jin pay, to make them taste the pain of losing a loved one. It seemed that only in this way could she comfort the spirit of her deceased son in heaven, and only in this way could she slightly soothe the excruciating pain in her heart. But she never imagined that in this vortex of court power, everyone was caught in the middle, and that this tragedy was actually the result of a complex interplay of factors.

Consort Xi was immersed in grief over the loss of her son and resentment towards the Emperor and Nangong Jin. Her already narrow-mindedness grew even more vicious. For some reason, she suddenly thought of Lin Wan and felt that all the troubles seemed to be inextricably linked to Lin Wan. In a fit of madness, she arranged for someone to kill Lin Wan and make her be buried with the Crown Prince, as if only in this way could she slightly alleviate the endless pain and hatred in her heart.

She summoned a few loyal confidants, her eyes flashing with ruthlessness, and ordered in a low voice, "Go, you must find that Lin Wan and get rid of her without anyone noticing, so she can go to the underworld to keep my poor son company." The confidants obeyed and hurriedly left the palace, searching everywhere for Lin Wan's whereabouts based on the clues provided by Consort Xi.

However, they searched the entire Crown Prince's residence but couldn't find Lin Wan. It turned out that Lin Wan had already run away. She was currently being carefully placed by Lin Ning and Liu Si at Liu Si's estate, a secluded place carefully guarded by people arranged by Liu Si, making it difficult for outsiders to know about her.

The messengers, left with no other option, returned to the palace to report to Consort Xi, informing her that the search had yielded no results. Upon hearing this, Consort Xi trembled with rage. Her eyes, already swollen from crying, were now bloodshot, making her look exceptionally ferocious. She gritted her teeth and roared, "Useless! A bunch of useless trash! They can't even find a lowly woman!"

In her obsessive mind, Lin Wan's escape seemed to be the death knell that led her son to his doom. She felt that if Lin Wan hadn't run away, her son wouldn't have been so desperate, and might not have chosen that path. Therefore, she became even more determined to make Lin Wan pay the price. She secretly plotted that no matter what, even if she had to dig three feet into the ground, she would never let Lin Wan go. She would make her pay for her crime in blood, and she would use any means necessary to achieve this goal. Even if Lin Wan died for her son, it wouldn't be enough to quell the hatred in her heart.