She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

"Has Your Excellency ever heard the nursery rhymes of Youzhou?"

The cold, damp prison was filled with the musty smell, the stench of decay, and a lingering, faint odor of blood.

In the corner of the cell, moss, which never sees the sun, clings to the wall like a stubborn disease, casting mottled shadows under the dim oil lamp light, making the atmosphere even more oppressive and gloomy.

Gu Zhong was firmly chained up, and the once powerful Duke of Dingguo now looked old and frail.

Of course he remembered that in the dead of night, a childish yet hollow voice would always echo in his ears.

That year, while escorting military equipment through Yangzhou, they traveled day and night to save time. Passing through a dilapidated town, they encountered a group of emaciated children at the town's entrance, barely clothed and clapping their hands, singing in indistinct childish voices: "Golden spears broken, iron armor cold, white bones piled into mountains of gold..."

He found it grating and annoying, and assumed it was just collateral damage caused by the invasion of the border barbarians. What did the wailing of these lowly people have to do with him?

Who would have thought that behind this nursery rhyme lay such a hell on earth, and such a bloody truth?

"What, has the Duke remembered?" Jiang Jin'an spoke again, his voice even colder. "Was that nursery rhyme pleasant to hear?"

"Don't say anymore..." Gu Zhong closed his eyes.

Jiang Jin'an did not stop, "The golden spears are broken, the iron armor is cold, and white bones are piled up into a golden mountain..."

Gu Zhong lunged at Jiang Jin'an, but was pulled by the iron chain and stumbled to the ground.

He dug his fingers into the cracks between the blue bricks, "Back then, the Ministry of Revenue embezzled rations and salaries, causing a shortage of supplies for the Northern Army. If I didn't trade with the Northern caravans..."

"Jin'an!" Gu Zhong suddenly grabbed the hem of his robe, tears streaming down his face. "For your aunt's sake, for our past relationship, I only beg that you spare the lives of those two brothers! There's a copy of 'The Records of Mountains and Rivers' in Changfeng Study, tucked inside..."

Before Gu Zhong could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the prison.

Lin Yu rushed in, soaking wet, with a soaked peach blossom note lying in his palm.

Jiang Jin'an took the peach blossom note, looked up at Lin Yu, and asked in his eyes.

Lin Yu lowered his voice and said quickly, "It was given to me by Chief Clerk Cheng. He said he found it in the Ministry of Personnel's files."

Jiang Jin'an unfolded the peach blossom paper and carefully examined the handwriting by the dim candlelight. His originally calm expression gradually turned into one of amusement.

……

Shen Jingshu leaned against the carved window frame, watching the rain scatter the crabapple blossoms in the courtyard. The crimson petals, soaked in the puddles, looked like ruined brocade, adding a touch of desolation.

Her throat suddenly tightened, as oppressively as the gloomy weather, making it hard to breathe. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the delicate patterns on her cuffs, her gaze vacant as she stared out the window, her thoughts drifting aimlessly.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of black boots came from under the eaves. Looking up, Jiang Jin'an came walking in the rain, his clothes covered in mud and water, the gold thread gleaming coldly under the lamp.

The chill lingered on his brow, radiating a murderous aura, but the moment he looked up and met her gaze, the corners of his eyes softened involuntarily, the ice melting away to reveal a hint of warmth.

"Why aren't the lamps lit?" He took off his cloak and casually draped it over the screen.

Shen Jingshu pushed the warm ginger soup over, smelled the faint scent of blood on him, and frowned slightly: "Is the imperial prison using torture again?"

Jiang Jin'an paused, took the ginger soup that she pushed towards her. These hands, which had held instruments of torture and were stained with countless amounts of blood during the day, deliberately avoided her fingertips when taking the ginger soup. "The old fox said that there are important items hidden in Gu Changfeng's study."

He explained in a low voice, tilted his head back and drank the hot soup in one gulp. His Adam's apple bobbed in the candlelight, and the spicy warmth slid down his throat into his stomach, dispelling some of the chill.

“Someone will always speak up for him.” He put down his empty bowl, his tone calm.

Shen Jingshu looked at the bloodstains on his chin that hadn't been wiped clean, then took a handkerchief and soaked it in warm water.

The rainlight filtering through the window screen cast a half-light, half-shadow on his profile, and the shadow cast by his brow bone concealed the weariness in his eyes. She reached out to wipe his face, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"Don't move." His voice was hoarse, carrying the chill of torture he had endured in the imperial prison.

Shen Jingshu then realized that his palm was burning hot. She looked up and met his deep, pool-like eyes, where the reflection of her stray hairs damp with rain and mist clung to her temples.

The steam from the ginger soup wafted between the two of them, creating a hazy mist.

Jiang Jin'an suddenly leaned forward, instantly shortening the distance between them. The scent of agarwood and rust permeating the prison filled the air, causing Shen Jingshu's heart to skip a beat.

Her back touched the cold edge of the rosewood table, leaving her with nowhere to retreat. She could only watch helplessly as his handsome face grew larger and larger before her eyes, watching his thick eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyelids.

"You..." Shen Jingshu was flustered and wanted to say something, but her throat felt blocked, and her voice was dry and hoarse. Before she could speak, a warm sensation suddenly landed on her lips.

This kiss was completely different from the restrained and gentle kisses of the past; it came without warning.

Carrying the unique dampness of a rainy night, mixed with the lingering spiciness of ginger soup on his lips and teeth, his kiss was domineering and forceful. In the midst of the kiss, he easily pried open her tightly closed teeth, wantonly plundering and conquering.

Shen Jingshu subconsciously clenched his collar, crumpling the brocade on his chest.

A sudden clap of thunder sounded outside the window, and through the rain, Lin Yu's deliberately raised voice announced, "Young Master, the Duke has finished writing!"

Jiang Jin'an seemed not to hear her, stepping back slightly, chuckling softly as he touched her forehead, his fingertips tracing her rosy lips, "The taste of sweet apricots."

Shen Jingshu was both embarrassed and angry, her ears turning bright red. She tried to push him away, but he held her firmly in his arms, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her onto his lap.

He rested his chin against her shoulder, his warm breath brushing against her ear: "Don't move, let me lean on you for a while."

Shen Jingshu then noticed that his body was unusually hot, and his black undergarment was already soaked with cold sweat, sticking stickily to his body.

Just as she was about to call Yaoqin to fetch the medicine, her wrist was gripped tightly by him again. "It's alright."

Before the words were finished, Wuchen's cold voice came from outside the screen: "Young Master, the carriage from Prince Qi's residence has gone to the Ministry of Justice."

Jiang Jin'an's tenderness vanished instantly, his fingers tracing the jade bracelet on her wrist: "Tonight..."

Shen Jingshu suddenly grabbed his collar and bit his lips hard.

Gu Zhong's confession was a ruse; his true intention was to lure Prince Qi into a trap.

As the taste of blood spread between her lips and teeth, her eyes reddened, as if stained with rouge, and she stared intently at him, "Jiang Jin'an, if you dare to hide anything from me again..."

He lowered his head and gently licked the blood from her lips. The kiss, tinged with the taste of rust, was tender enough to make one's heart tremble: "Wait for me to come back tonight. I'll tell you everything you want to know."