Shen Qingzhu, dressed in tight-fitting attire, stood right beside Bai Qingyan, her expression cold and stern as she looked at the Grand Shaman’s disciple.

Yang Wuce also stood to the side, signaling the jailers to move the brazier closer to Bai Qingyan.

The ones who had come to interrogate this Grand Shaman’s disciple were soldiers under Yang Wuce’s command. They claimed to have learned some methods from the interrogation department of the Zhao Family Army in the past. Although their methods weren’t as cruel as those of the Zhao Family Army, their techniques were even more mentally wearing. Any prisoner who fell into their hands during questioning would inevitably confess.

Just now, Bai Qingyan hadn’t wanted Bai Qingyu and Bai Jinzhi to worry, so she had let the two of them escort her back to her quarters. Only after they left did she come to this dungeon together with Shen Qingzhu.

“Bring a chair for the Tianfeng Kingdom Grand Shaman’s disciple,” Bai Qingyan said, gently stroking her silver-carved plum blossom hand warmer, her expression indifferent and composed.

Soon, the Tianfeng Kingdom Grand Shaman’s disciple was pulled up and pressed down onto a chair. He struggled to grip the armrests with his bloodied hands to prevent himself from sliding off, but the moment he exerted force, his hands that no longer had fingernails sent piercing pain through him.

“I have met the Great Zhou Emperor…” the Grand Shaman’s disciple slightly nodded toward Bai Qingyan.

“Today is New Year’s Eve. I don’t know if Tianfeng Kingdom has the custom of celebrating the New Year, but we in Great Zhou eat dumplings during the New Year!” Bai Qingyan glanced back at Wei Zhong.

The little eunuch Wei Zhong took the dumplings from the black lacquered gold-decorated food box and placed them before the Grand Shaman’s disciple, still steaming hot.

The Grand Shaman’s disciple, who hadn’t eaten for a long time, felt his throat constrict with hunger. But when he thought about what he had just heard the Great Zhou jailers say—that these were dumplings made with filling from their Tianfeng Kingdom’s giant elephants—the Grand Shaman’s disciple couldn’t bring himself to eat…

Giant elephants were sacred objects of their Tianfeng Kingdom, symbols of the Tianfeng Kingdom!

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s kind intention, but… giant elephants are sacred symbols in our Tianfeng Kingdom. Consuming giant elephants is a sin that even the gods cannot forgive in our Tianfeng Kingdom!” The Tianfeng Kingdom disciple raised his head to look at Bai Qingyan, his voice hoarse. “Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”

Bai Qingyan nodded and said with a smile, “Although I didn’t know that giant elephants were symbols of Tianfeng Kingdom, since giant elephants fought alongside you, I understand that giant elephants are your intimate companions, so… these are vegetarian dumplings specially made for you. If your hands can no longer move, having someone feed you is also fine.”

The jailer was also quite perceptive, quickly using chopsticks to break a dumpling in half, letting the Grand Shaman’s disciple see clearly that the filling inside was vegetarian, before bringing half to the Grand Shaman’s disciple’s mouth.

“Regarding the jade cicada, I knew about it long ago…” Bai Qingyan saw that the Grand Shaman’s disciple had eaten the dumpling, then spoke unhurriedly. “Li Zhijie told me everything. This is precisely why your Tianfeng Kingdom insisted on having Li Zhijie. After all, there’s already one jade cicada in our Great Zhou. As long as I seize the jade cicada in Sa’er Khan’s hands, perhaps I can also try time reversal.”

The Grand Shaman’s disciple paused in his chewing, looking up at Bai Qingyan and saying: “This jade cicada belongs to the Tianfeng Kingdom royal family. Apart from those with Tianfeng Kingdom royal bloodline, no one can use it…”

“You’re not being honest with those words.” Bai Qingyan chuckled softly, staring fixedly at the Grand Shaman’s disciple. “No one has ever been able to deceive me with lies. Today I came only to ask you—you said that Sa’er Khan is unwilling to engage in confrontation with the Great Zhou and the Yan Kingdom because the heavenly gods have chosen a master for this land? Then… do you know who this master is?”

The Grand Shaman’s disciple’s expression grew tense. He looked at Bai Qingyan and said: “It’s either Your Majesty of Great Zhou, or the Ninth Prince of Yan Kingdom, or… your child, perhaps the Yan Kingdom Ninth Prince’s child, or perhaps your future child together.”

In his heart, the Grand Shaman’s disciple believed it should be the child of the Great Zhou Emperor and the Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince. He chose to tell Bai Qingyan this because he hoped Bai Qingyan would truly have a child with the Great Yan Ninth Prince. As long as the master chosen by the gods for this land was born, their Tianfeng Kingdom could kill this land’s master and occupy the masterless territory.

“So, since Sa’er Khan knows this, yet doesn’t dare to simultaneously move to kill both me and the Great Yan Ninth Prince, does he believe that starting a war in winter when your elephant army doesn’t have the advantage, offending both Zhou and Yan kingdoms, wouldn’t be profitable?” Bai Qingyan asked.

The Grand Shaman’s disciple’s eyes flickered. The reason they didn’t plan to kill the Great Zhou Emperor and Great Yan Ninth Prince was because the master chosen by the gods for this continent had not yet appeared. Killing the Great Zhou Emperor or the Great Yan Ninth Prince wouldn’t count as killing this land’s master.

“Yes…” the Grand Shaman’s disciple replied.

“I said before, no one can deceive me with lies in my presence.” Bai Qingyan leaned forward slightly. “However, even if you don’t tell the truth, I will release you today!”

The Grand Shaman’s disciple suddenly raised his head.

“Go back and tell Sa’er Khan that if he honestly takes his elephant army and rolls back beyond the snowy mountains, that would be fine!” Bai Qingyan’s voice was calm, yet somehow carried a murderous intent that made one’s spine run cold. “But if he still harbors delusions and wants to covet our land and enslave our people, the corpses of your Tianfeng Kingdom’s elephant army will all become food for our Zhou army! We don’t have as many taboos about giant elephants as you Tianfeng Kingdom people do.”

The Grand Shaman’s disciple’s throat constricted as he remained silent.

Bai Qingyan slowly stood up, straightening her sleeves: “After finishing the dumplings, Great Zhou won’t keep you. Quickly deliver my words to Sa’er Khan!”

After speaking, Bai Qingyan left with Shen Qingzhu and Wei Zhong.

Just as the group walked out of the prison, as Shen Qingzhu was helping Bai Qingyan board the carriage, they heard Bai Qingyan say to Wei Zhong: “In a moment, send a capable person to follow this Tianfeng Kingdom Grand Shaman’s disciple. He must have a way to find Sa’er Khan.”

“Yes!” Wei Zhong responded.

Only then did Bai Qingyan take Shen Qingzhu’s hand and bend down to enter the carriage.

·

Empress Dowager Yan personally prepared the New Year’s Eve dinner in the kitchen, waiting for Murong Li and Murong Yan to celebrate New Year’s Eve together. However, she heard that Murong Yan and Murong Li had gone to inspect the camp, so she could only sit under the lamplight quietly, waiting.

Looking at the swaying red lanterns outside the window lattice, she thought of the hurtful words her son Murong Li had later told her he said to Murong Yan, and she felt guilty in her heart. After all… if Murong Yan truly wanted the imperial throne, he could have rightfully claimed it long ago when Murong Yu left the imperial edict for him to inherit the throne.

Empress Dowager Yan also wanted to use this opportunity to apologize to her brother-in-law and also bring up the marriage between Murong Yan and Consort Meng. Only when Murong Yan and Consort Meng were married and his thoughts remained in Yan Kingdom would she not fear that Murong Yan would constantly think about the Great Zhou Emperor and the child in the Great Zhou Emperor’s womb.

Seeing that the food was getting cold and the uncle and nephew still hadn’t returned, Empress Dowager Yan clutched her handkerchief, constantly looking outside.

Empress Dowager Yan’s maid selected several pieces of charcoal that were burning bright red from the charcoal basin, placed them in the foot warmer under Empress Dowager Yan’s feet, and added several more pieces of charcoal to the gold-gilded auspicious beast bronze brazier, covering it with the lid…