Qin Yining’s heart pounded wildly. Being carried like livestock didn’t feel good at all. Most importantly, even though she couldn’t understand what A’na Ri had ordered, the current situation clearly indicated trouble.

During her struggles, she unexpectedly met A’na Ri’s gaze, and Qin Yining’s struggling movements involuntarily stopped.

Those were the eyes one uses to look at a dead person.

It seemed that tonight, she would find it difficult to escape death.

A’na Ri had already hated her to the bone. Si Qin had created the false impression before A’na Ri that she had attracted Si Qin’s attention. A’na Ri wasn’t just jealous—there was also the humiliation of having her Prince Consort stolen despite being the Khan.

And today, when Tianji Zi met her, she immediately said that she and A’na Ri had similar fate patterns. After she left, who knew what else Tianji Zi had said to A’na Ri—that might be the fundamental cause of the current situation.

Tianji Zi wanted her dead?

Why?

Wasn’t she Pang Xiao’s person? Why wouldn’t she help her, but instead try to harm her?

If Tianji Zi could harm her now, and if Pang Xiao didn’t know Tianji Zi’s true nature and blindly trusted her, might he become the next victim?

Qin Yining was both angry and anxious now. She wanted to struggle but couldn’t overpower them, wanted to call for help but had rags stuffed in her mouth, wanted to leave some clues for Pang Xiao but was helpless. She could only be carried along like a bundle.

With the Khan leading the way, the guards all quietly opened convenient passages. Soon, A’na Ri led the group out of the imperial palace.

Outside the palace, they found that the streets, which had no curfew, now had few people.

Qin Yining was thrown onto a horse’s back, lying horizontally across the front of the saddle. Her hands were bound behind her back, leaving her unable to struggle or even maintain balance to keep from falling off the horse.

The man who had just bound her immediately leaped onto the horse and pressed down on her back, preventing her from sliding down.

A’na Ri led the group, carrying Qin Yining toward a secluded street.

Turning left and right through various paths, they soon arrived outside a spacious courtyard gate.

Qin Yining was lifted down from the horse’s back again, carried into the courtyard by two people, and thrown to the ground in the main hall.

A’na Ri approached with hands behind her back. Upon entering, she threw off her red cloak, wearing only the chestnut-colored narrow-sleeved brocade robe underneath. She took up a whip and lashed Qin Yining several times.

A’na Ri showed no mercy, using full force. Her whip had barbs, and each lash tore through the thick outer robe and scraped bloody marks on the flesh beneath.

Qin Yining trembled with pain, cold sweat streaming down. But with her hands and feet bound, she couldn’t escape and could only curl up her body as much as possible, hiding her face against her knees.

A’na Ri whipped her as if venting anger, cursing in Tatar: “Wretch! How dare you seduce the Prince Consort! I’ll kill you! Kill you!”

Even though Qin Yining couldn’t understand what A’na Ri was saying, she now completely understood. It seemed her earlier guess was correct—A’na Ri had indeed been provoked and had brought her out in the middle of the night to kill her privately.

A’na Ri whipped her several more times until her skin was torn and flesh exposed before throwing down the whip and standing with hands on her hips, breathing heavily. She mocked in Great Zhou language: “How is it? This Khan personally serves you with circulation therapy—are you comfortable?”

With her mouth gagged, Qin Yining couldn’t say a word and could only glare at A’na Ri.

A’na Ri seemed extremely satisfied with her current state. She squatted beside her, grabbed her hair, and brought her face close: “You should know this is Tatar territory, this Khan’s domain. If this Khan says you live, you can live. If this Khan wants you dead, no one dares let you live!

“I heard you seduced the Prince Consort—very pleased with yourself, aren’t you?

“I heard you even want this Khan’s throne?

“Even if you die here today, it will be silent and unnoticed—no one will know! Aren’t you very capable, very noble?

“Here’s what we’ll do: kowtow to this Khan. If this Khan is satisfied, perhaps I’ll spare your life. How about it?”

After speaking, A’na Ri covered her mouth and laughed, laughing more and more heartily, as if all the depression accumulated over these many days had been swept away.

But Qin Yining still maintained the same curled-up position from when she was being whipped. Her face was stained with blood from her own body, making her eyes appear even brighter and sharper, as if they could see through people’s hearts and understand everything.

Kowtow?

Even if she died, she would never lose her dignity!

Humiliating her meant humiliating her father and husband. She was alone in Tatar territory—if she did anything disgraceful, people would only say such and such about Great Zhou women.

Since she had already fallen into A’na Ri’s hands, from the moment she was kidnapped to Tatar territory, Qin Yining had prepared herself mentally to lose her life.

Now, watching A’na Ri triumphantly declare victory before her, she could only sigh. She had no intention of kowtowing and begging for mercy to satisfy A’na Ri.

Seeing Qin Yining remain unmoved, A’na Ri angrily grabbed her hair and lifted her up.

“You won’t beg for mercy?”

Though Qin Yining’s mouth was gagged, her eyes seemed to speak, silently conveying her contempt for A’na Ri.

A’na Ri seemed provoked by this gesture, saying through gritted teeth: “You’re not afraid of death? Oh, this Khan understands now—you’re the daughter of Qin Huaiyuan and the wife of Prince Zhongshun. People like you think highly of yourselves, look lightly upon life and death, and care least about living or dying. You won’t beg this Khan for mercy, will you!”

Qin Yining slightly narrowed her eyes, as if saying: You’re quite clever.

A’na Ri sneered coldly and suddenly had an inspiration: “You’re not afraid of death, but are you afraid of being violated?”

Qin Yining’s pupils contracted sharply.

A’na Ri seemed like a child who had discovered a new toy. She pointed at the eight burly men behind her: “We don’t have many women with such delicate skin and tender flesh in Tatar territory. Each of my subordinates here is a warrior, and they haven’t had a taste of something fresh yet. Kowtow to me, and I won’t bestow you upon them—I’ll give you a quick death and preserve your whole corpse. How about it?”

Qin Yining’s eyes seemed to ignite two flames, bright as if they would burn through and melt A’na Ri. She couldn’t believe that A’na Ri, as a woman herself, would use such filthy means to humiliate her!

A’na Ri felt inexplicably irritated under her gaze: “Will you submit or not? If you apologize to this Khan, this Khan will give you a whole corpse! Otherwise, I’ll bestow you upon these eight men and let them take turns playing with you!”

Qin Yining smiled mockingly and simply closed her eyes, refusing to look at her.

Her completely contemptuous attitude made A’na Ri’s anger attack her heart. She threw her aside and pointed at the men behind her: “She’s yours now. Play as you like—if you play her to death, it’s her bad luck. This Khan won’t blame you.”

“Yes!”

Those eight men had already been stirred to desire. To be able to taste such an exquisite beauty, even with eight people together, made their hearts surge with excitement.

Qin Yining lay powerlessly on the ground, watching helplessly as the eight men approached her step by step.