In the Ministry of Justice’s dungeon, the lamplight was dim at this moment. There were rustling sounds of rats scurrying about, and the noise of some creature gnawing at food. Strange cries and weeping echoed from time to time. In a corner, Princess Yongning sat hugging her knees, pressed tightly against the bars on Shen Yurun’s side, as if this would give her some semblance of life.
These past three days, she had begged and threatened. She’d removed the bracelet from her wrist and given it to the jailers, hoping they could pass a message to Prince Cheng or Consort Liu. The jailers took her bracelet, turned, and left without another word. Princess Yongning was so enraged she cursed them furiously. After cursing for half the day, her voice grew hoarse and she was exhausted of strength.
The final meal before execution was always especially lavish. Previously, Princess Yongning had constantly railed about how terrible the food here was, but when the last day truly arrived and the fine dishes were laid out before her, Princess Yongning seemed provoked, refusing to eat a single bite no matter what. It was as if eating these would cause her immediate death, and delaying even a moment meant not having to face the hopeless end.
In contrast to her was Shen Yurun. These past few days, Shen Yurun hadn’t said a word. He listened to Princess Yongning’s accusations without comforting her or devising strategies. When tonight’s final meal was delivered, Shen Yurun still had the mood to savor it slowly, pouring himself a cup of wine, completely ignoring Princess Yongning’s terror.
Princess Yongning’s heart was as dead as ashes. If Prince Cheng and Consort Liu truly wanted to save her, they wouldn’t have failed to send her word all this time. Three consecutive days without any news could only mean they had abandoned Princess Yongning.
Tomorrow would be the execution. Princess Yongning couldn’t help but curl up even tighter.
Suddenly, footsteps and a jailer’s voice came from outside. Princess Yongning paid no attention—every day new people came in and death row prisoners went out. The Ministry of Justice’s prison never lacked occupants. After a while, the jailer’s voice disappeared, but those footsteps continued, unhurried and deliberate. In the prison, they were exceptionally clear and distinct, reaching Princess Yongning’s ears.
Princess Yongning couldn’t help but listen carefully.
Those footsteps were approaching her and Shen Yurun’s cell. Princess Yongning’s heart leaped, and new hope suddenly surfaced. What if this person was sent by Consort Liu and Prince Cheng? It must be! He must have come to tell her that Prince Cheng and Consort Liu had made all the preparations and would soon rescue her, telling her not to worry!
The footsteps grew closer and closer. Princess Yongning had already rushed impatiently to the iron bars, wanting to see clearly who was coming.
She saw the edge of a clean skirt.
A woman? Princess Yongning looked up in confusion. Shen Yurun, hidden deep in the cell, leaning against the wall in darkness, also raised his eyes and glanced this way.
The lamplight gradually illuminated the person’s face—snow-white skin and flower-like features, elegant brows and apricot eyes, clean and radiant. The young woman smiled down at her. Princess Yongning froze for a moment, almost crying out—Xue Fangfei!
This outfit and appearance truly resembled Xue Fangfei of years past! Back then, when she first met Shen Yurun and secretly gave him her heart, she learned Shen Yurun already had a wife. Disdainful, she found an excuse and met Xue Fangfei at a banquet.
Though she had long known of Xue Fangfei’s fame, Princess Yongning thought she was merely a married woman, a girl from the rural countryside whose father was just a minor official. No matter how great the rumors outside, they were just exaggerations spreading falsehoods. But when she truly saw that radiant and captivating woman, envy surged madly in her heart.
Princess Yongning stubbornly wanted to possess Shen Yurun. Besides truly liking him, who knew whether part of it was because Shen Yurun was Xue Fangfei’s husband, making Princess Yongning want him even more.
In the end, she was jealous of Xue Fangfei.
Her heart shook with confusion as the woman before her slowly crouched down, facing her through the iron bars, saying, “Princess Your Highness.”
Princess Yongning suddenly saw her features clearly. She wasn’t Xue Fangfei—she was Second Miss Jiang from the Jiang family, Jiang Li.
“Jiang Li?!” Princess Yongning said angrily, “Why would you come here?” Prince Cheng and Consort Liu couldn’t possibly have sent Jiang Li to deliver a message. Jiang Li’s appearance here certainly wasn’t to save her.
“I came specially just to say a few words to Your Highness,” Jiang Li tilted her head to look at her. This gesture from her was especially ethereal and charming. She also didn’t seem to be facing a princess on the verge of collapse, but rather an old friend she hadn’t seen in ages. With a smile, gentle and soft, she said, “Your Highness’s current residence here is actually thanks to me.”
Princess Yongning startled: “What are you saying?”
“The affair between Your Highness and Minister Shen became public because you had a falling out with Young Master Li. Your Highness was relentless toward Young Master Li because he supposedly caused the death of your child.” Jiang Li said softly, “But in this matter, Your Highness wrongly accused Young Master Li. You were never pregnant at all. Everything was because I used a false pregnancy pill to make you think you were with child. To cover it up, you hastily married into the Li family, which led to your current predicament. So,” she smiled brightly, “don’t you think all of this is related to me?”
“You…” Princess Yongning’s expression changed from surprise to shock, then from shock to fury. She suddenly lunged forward, reaching out to claw at Jiang Li’s face. Jiang Li stepped back. Through the iron bars, Princess Yongning couldn’t reach her. She could only shriek futilely, “You wretched woman! I’ll kill you!”
Shen Yurun turned his head to look this way. He couldn’t hear clearly what Jiang Li was saying to Princess Yongning to make her so enraged. He just stared at Jiang Li, staring fixedly.
“Although the child was fake, what you did to the Xue family back then was real,” Jiang Li said calmly. “So even if you tell others, no one will believe your words. Tomorrow morning, you’ll still be taken to the execution ground to pay the price you should pay.”
Princess Yongning gasped for breath like a wild beast. She stared at Jiang Li as if wanting to tear her apart. She asked, “Why are you doing this?”
“Princess Yongning,” Jiang Li stared into her eyes, “the reason I’m doing this is because you made me do it.”
“Me?”
“You said…” Jiang Li’s voice was soft and gentle, but in the darkness, it gradually took on a terrifying color. She said, “I’m a minor official’s daughter. Crushing me to death is as simple as crushing an ant. In your next life, remember to be reborn into a noble family.”
Princess Yongning was first confused, then struck as if by lightning.
Those words from that day, long blurred, suddenly appeared with crystal clarity in her mind.
“This palace and Shen Lang are deeply in love, but unfortunately there’s you. This palace naturally cannot tolerate you. If you were the daughter of a powerful family, this palace might need to go through some trouble. Unfortunately, your father is just a minor county magistrate. Among all the provinces and counties in Yanjing, your Xue family is nothing but grass and weeds. In your next life, before reincarnating, remember to think carefully and be reborn into a noble family.”
“Remember this—even if you’re stunningly beautiful and unparalleled in talent, you’re ultimately just a minor official’s daughter. Crushing you to death—is as simple as crushing an ant!”
“You, you, you…” Princess Yongning couldn’t help but step back. “Are you human or ghost? Are you Xue Fangfei?!”
The three words “Xue Fangfei” finally touched Shen Yurun, hidden in the darkness. He slowly crawled over, looking at Jiang Li through the iron bars.
Jiang Li didn’t look at him, only at Princess Yongning. She suddenly curved her lips and said softly, “Who’s to say I’m not?”
So arrogant, so frank, so brave an admission.
“Impossible, impossible…” Princess Yongning shook her head desperately, backing away. She thought this was all a dream, perhaps just her hallucination. It was because she feared Xue Fangfei’s revenge that she imagined this scene, or perhaps Jiang Li was simply trying to frighten her to avenge Jiang Youyao.
But how was it possible? Princess Yongning knew full well that when Xue Fangfei died, only she and two matrons were present. Those two matrons had long been silenced. Apart from her, no one else in the world knew of her conversation with Xue Fangfei before her death. Yet Jiang Li recited it word for word. If she was trying to frighten her, how would she know all this?
This was simply impossible! Princess Yongning ran to the depths of the cell, as if terrified to the extreme, refusing to make eye contact with Jiang Li.
Jiang Li glanced at Princess Yongning. This woman who had ruined her previous life was now so wretched, trembling with fear. A single sentence could make her like a startled bird. This Princess Yongning suddenly made her feel bored—even revenge had lost its appeal.
Jiang Li stood up and walked toward the exit. A hand grabbed the corner of her skirt.
Shen Yurun looked up at her. He asked softly, “Is it Fangfei?”
Those familiar features—his gaze held shock, hope, fear, and anxiety all mixed together in complex emotions. As if, as long as Jiang Li said “yes,” he would have endless things to say to her. And if Jiang Li said “no,” he would feel disappointment and grievance greater than the sky.
But Jiang Li only lowered her head, yanked hard, and her skirt broke free from Shen Yurun’s hand. Without even glancing at him, she walked out.
The affection between husband and wife had been severed long ago when she was still Xue Fangfei. Now that the debt of life had been settled, there was no more relationship. She didn’t care to look, didn’t care to listen, and even less cared to answer. Whether he repented, remained stubbornly deluded, apologized, or kowtowed and wept—she had not the slightest interest in any of it.
What did it matter whether she was Xue Fangfei or not? In any case, with Shen Yurun, there was no longer any relationship.
Jiang Li walked out of the cell. The rain outside still hadn’t stopped. The jailer smiled at her ingratiatingly. Tong’er and Bai Xue hadn’t expected her to come out so quickly. The three walked toward the carriage.
When they reached the carriage, Jiang Li paused.
The coachman had been replaced. The face revealed was Zhao Ke’s. Zhao Ke said, “The master requests Second Miss to come to the Duke’s Manor.”
Bai Xue and Tong’er looked at each other. Jiang Li had already boarded the carriage with practiced ease, saying, “Let’s go.”
She had finished this task. Princess Yongning and Shen Yurun were settled. According to her previous agreement with Ji Heng, he should now come to take her life. Jiang Li didn’t feel anything was wrong. There were no free benefits in this world. As for revenge, without Ji Heng, if she had done it alone, it wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as it had. Paying a price was only proper.
She had nothing to say.