night.
Dai Viet Royal Palace.
Chengqian palace bedroom.
The hall was brightly lit with candles. Emperor Hong De was sitting behind a desk in the hall, his eyes dark and violent under the candlelight.
Miao Ping waited beside him and almost didn't dare to say a word.
It has been several days since Yuan Yao and his gang fled Changjing.
The pursuing troops sent out by the imperial court failed one after another.
Regardless of whether they were the Imperial Guards or the Royal Secret Guards, no one who came into contact with that rabble would survive.
At the same time, doubts among the public became more and more serious, and countless literary figures took the lead in criticizing the court verbally and writtenly.
Under pressure, the emperor had no choice but to issue an order to remove the wanted notice posted on the city gate, and publicly announced that the matter of that year would be re-investigated thoroughly.
In other words, Yuan Yao is no longer a wanted criminal.
The court's actions against him could only be carried out secretly and not in the light.
Yuan Yao is the leader of the younger generation of the Yuan family. At the age of twelve, he followed his father to guard the border and kill the enemy. Not only was he highly skilled in martial arts and brave, he was also good at arranging troops. At the age of fifteen, he began to lead the army alone. On the battlefield, he was full of ingenuity. The Yuan Jiajun under his banner will win every battle.
The general's talent has yet to be surpassed by anyone.
Therefore, unless Yuan Yao died, the emperor would not be able to sleep peacefully.
"Four adults, five children, the elite soldiers I have trained for many years have been unable to defeat these people." Emperor Hong De said in a soft and indifferent tone, walked out from behind the desk, and put his hands behind his back.
Miao Ping quickly bowed and followed, "Your Majesty, Haishi has arrived..."
He hesitated to speak.
It's time for the emperor to go to bed at this time.
This is also a rule set by the emperor himself. In order to keep the dragon body strong, the emperor has paid great attention to health preservation in recent years.
Emperor Hong De did not look back, "Go to the water prison."
Miao Ping's heart trembled, "Yes."
The Royal Water Prison is located in the palace, located in the secret guard camp in the northwest. It is another secret place different from the prison of the Zongren Mansion.
When the emperor wanted to interrogate serious criminals in person but did not want to go through the clan's residence, he would lock them up here.
Arriving at the backyard of the secret guard camp, he opened the heavily chained iron door, and there was a long, dark corridor behind the door.
There are lanterns hanging on both sides of the corridor, which are not very bright.
As soon as you step into the corridor, you can smell the thick moisture in the air, mixed with the rotten musty smell accumulated over the years in the underground dungeon, making it pungent and unpleasant.
After passing through the corridor, the place suddenly became spacious.
This is the royal secret water prison.
Several cells were occupied by prisoners.
In the farthest room, a beautiful female prisoner was wearing only a white tunic, her hands were tied to a cross, and half of her body was soaked in dirty, rancid water.
The white clothes were also stained with blood and were too stained to be seen.
At this moment, the woman's head was leaning against the wooden frame, her head slightly raised. Under the dim light, her face was so white that it looked almost bloodless, and even her lips showed a kind of dying gray.
Hearing the familiar footsteps approaching, the woman's eyelashes in her closed eyes trembled, and she struggled to open her eyes.
Looking at the bright yellow light appearing outside the iron fence, she pulled up her lips and smiled.
"Brother, are you coming to interrogate me again?" Her voice was dry and hoarse, like the sound of a tearing throat after being extremely thirsty. "Is it day or night outside now? It's daytime, brother, it's night. Not available."
Being locked up in a dark water prison for so long, she could no longer tell whether it was day or night.
Emperor Hong De stood outside the iron fence, with his hands behind his back, his deep and sharp eyes locked on the woman's face.
He looked at her with cold and indifferent eyes, completely lacking the pampering he showed when he was outside. "It's been so many days, and you still refuse to explain?"
Princess Changle smiled bitterly, her smile weak and aggrieved, "My sister has said it many times, it's just that the emperor doesn't believe it."
"You don't know why Yuan Yao appeared in your house. You said that you were plotted by them and you were forced to help them escape... How do you teach me to believe these words?"
Emperor Hong De's tone was smooth and smooth, as if he was not angry at all, "Since you were young, I have always loved you and indulged you a lot, even if the ministers in the court were arrogant and willful and acted violently and domineeringly, I have also blocked everything for you, and I have never criticized you harshly for this. Is this how you repay me, helping an outsider insert a knife into my heart?"
Changle's eyes turned red and she laughed miserably again. The words she just said had taken up most of her energy. Her tone became visibly weak and her breathing became short. "Brother, if you don't believe me, just kill me. I've always said I am grateful to the Emperor for being so fond of me, because I know that I have a backer, so I don’t restrain myself in my actions. Over the years, I have indeed caused a lot of trouble to the Emperor. Today, I am willing to die to prove my innocence. It’s not in vain for the emperor’s love and care for you for so many years.”
After speaking, it seemed that she was exhausted, and Princess Changle closed her eyes again.
In the hot summer, that thin body was soaked in the water, shivering uncontrollably.
It can easily make people feel pity and intolerance.
Emperor Hong De watched quietly, then opened his lips after a moment, "The beating was still gentle."
Miao Ping followed behind, turning his eyes away and not daring to express his anger.
Princess Changle is still useful to the emperor and will not be killed easily.
But the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped.
This princess, who seems to outsiders to be so pampered, still has a long way to go.
But who told her not to appreciate praise?
"Come here." Emperor Hong De spoke again, his eyes always falling on the dying woman's face with her eyes closed tightly, so as not to miss any flaws, "Let's check all the activities of Princess Changle since fifteen years ago and the people she has been in contact with. People, let me see if you are really loyal to me and if you are really as innocent as you say!"
The woman seemed to have passed out.
The pale, almost transparent face showed no subtle changes.
Seeing this, Emperor Hong De narrowed his eyes and left with a puff of sleeves.
After the sound of footsteps disappeared, the dying woman in the water prison once again struggled to open her eyes.
Looking at the direction the man was leaving, there was deep and rolling hatred in his eyes.
Strong and turbulent, bone-gnawing.
The late emperor died and Emperor Hongde succeeded to the throne. At that time, she was still in the belly of her mother's concubine, the late emperor's posthumous child.
Because of this, the mother and concubine were spared the fate of being buried.
After she was born, she and her mother and concubine were walking on thin ice in the harem, relying on each other for life. She thought that she could get through the days peacefully.
At that time, her mother-in-law often told her that when she reaches the age of marriage, if she can find a husband, she will be settled in this life.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. When she was six years old, her mother-in-law died suddenly.
Later, she was taken away by Miao Ping, and Emperor Hongde issued an order to grant her the title of Changle.
Since then, she has received a lot of favor and pampering from the emperor, and her reputation is even greater than that of Emperor Hong De's own daughter. Everyone says that she is the first princess of Dai Viet.
She had thought he was, too. And feel happy and grateful for this.
Until she was fifteen years old, a neighboring country came to pay tribute, and she was sent to the couch of a minister from a neighboring country.
