The Regent Keeps Flirting With Me - Chapter 19

The guard stationed in front of the dungeon entrance, who had been on the verge of nodding off, suddenly straightened up upon seeing Zhou Jin arrive. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he shakily bowed and saluted: “Greetings, Regent. Your Highness, why are you visiting the dungeon so late?”

Zhou Jin’s expression was icy as she stood at the dungeon entrance. The aura surrounding her was as cold as a Shura returned from hell. She pressed closer, her eyes radiating a threatening glare.

“When and why this King comes does not require your report.”

That single sentence was enough for the guard to wisely step aside, not daring to breathe loudly. After watching this formidable figure walk inside, he finally began to mutter: “The Regent is coming to the dungeon so late? She can’t possibly be planning to release someone…”

The other guard tapped him on the head: “If she simply wanted to release someone, who would dare disobey a single command from the Regent? Why would she come sneaking around in the middle of the night?”

“That’s true.”

The guards stopped talking. Because there was a god-like figure inside, they dared not slacken their vigilance again. They all became alert, looking around, immediately restoring a semblance of order.

The rain had stopped, however, and the scattered moonlight filtering down from the heavens shone white on the ground. The surroundings were silent, making the night appear even more terrifying.

Inside the dungeon at this moment, besides Zhou Jin and the guards on watch, were those convicted criminals. Seeing Zhou Jin arrive, every single one of them clung to their cell doors, pleading desperately for Zhou Jin to let them out.

They begged, they claimed innocence, they admitted their mistakes, they sought forgiveness…

Zhou Jin grew tired of listening. Frowning, she shifted her gaze towards them. When the prisoners saw such an icy stare, they were actually rendered speechless. The dungeon instantly quieted down, with only the sound of the hair ornaments on Zhou Jin’s bunyao colliding against each other audible.

…

“Aaaaahhhhh!!” A scream of agony emanated from the heavy doors of the underworld-like place. In the stillness of the night, it sounded terrifying. The guards all shivered, exchanging glances, all knowing what was happening inside.

This was Zhou Jin inflicting torture.

If their guess was correct, she should be interrogating Tao Feng.

But they couldn’t figure out what kind of person Tao Feng was; his mouth was as hard as a rock. He screamed for a long time but still didn’t compromise with Zhou Jin.

“Who just went in…”

A cold voice drifted over. The guard looked up and met Shen Lingyan’s eyes, still tinged with sleepiness.

“Your Majesty… Y-You came too…” The guard genuinely wanted to hide it, but the incessant screams coming from the dungeon made Shen Lingyan understand. She pushed past the door guards, instructed Yun Zhu to wait at the entrance, and walked in alone.

The dungeon was dark and fetid, and the smell of blood grew thicker with every step Shen Lingyan took. This caused her to instinctively wrinkle her brows and cover her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

“Speak… who ordered you…” Zhou Jin’s voice echoed from a distance, sounding abrupt in the gloomy dungeon.

After walking for what felt like an age, guided by the guard watching the cells nearby, Shen Lingyan arrived at the one holding Tao Feng. The moment she stopped, she wanted to turn around and vomit.

Zhou Jin noticed Shen Lingyan’s arrival and quickly put down the torture implement, about to walk over and pat her shoulder. But she ultimately paused to carefully wipe her hands before pulling Shen Lingyan over with a smiling face.

“Why are you here…” Gone was the coldness from before. Instead, she spoke as if she had missed Shen Lingyan for a long time and was now chatting affectionately upon seeing her.

It was just that the setting was absolutely wrong.

The dungeon was inherently sinister, and coupled with the feeble cries of injustice from the people inside, Shen Lingyan truly felt like she was standing in hell. She felt a momentary softening of heart, yet she recalled that perhaps these people… truly were worse than animals.

Balancing the thought, Shen Lingyan no longer felt so distressed. She lightly leaned on Zhou Jin’s arm for support, staring at the large pool of blood on the ground, still feeling dizzy and nauseous: “Why… why are you interrogating Tao Feng in the middle of the night?”

Zhou Jin noticed her discomfort and reached out to cover Shen Lingyan’s eyes, gently explaining in her ear: “Interrogation is secondary. A-Jin just wants to punish this person. Pushing me into the water, and then Your Majesty jumping in to save me—these individual actions are enough to cost him his head.”

Shen Lingyan nodded, her eyelashes lightly brushing Zhou Jin’s palm, which startled Zhou Jin into withdrawing her hand. The flicker of panic on her face lasted only a moment before being replaced by a cheerful smile. She wrapped her arm around Shen Lingyan’s, and the two turned their backs and walked towards the exit. Behind them, the guard picked up the torture tool and continued, the screams persisting.

On the way back, the prisoners watched Zhou Jin and Shen Lingyan motionless. This time, they dared not utter a single word, fearing that one wrong sound would displease the King of Hell before them. Shen Lingyan was not in a good mood either, so she kept a cold face until she walked out of the dungeon, where she took deep breaths, her eyes red-rimmed.

“Tao Feng… what did you do to him…” Shen Lingyan finally managed to catch her breath and ask. Unfortunately, as soon as she saw the dungeon door, Shen Lingyan could recall the pool of fresh blood.

“I merely chopped off a leg,” Zhou Jin said very calmly, completely masking how furious she had been just moments ago.

Tao Feng had publicly humiliated Shen Lingyan, which caused Shen Lingyan to feel so devastated, leading to her crying so intensely today.

As Zhou Jin thought about Shen Lingyan crying like that today, she felt a pang in her heart. She was a person who could kill without batting an eye; in her previous life, her heart should have been tempered long ago. Why was she so distressed over the tears of a useless female emperor now?

Zhou Jin suddenly recalled the day Shen Lingyan jumped down to save her without a second thought. It was because of that day that Zhou Jin knew the answer.

“The lives of people like him are worthless. Once I finish the interrogation, he can be executed,” Zhou Jin maintained her indifferent tone, but Shen Lingyan was a little afraid. She hadn’t been able to recover her mood from the earlier shadows. Zhou Jin didn’t press her, consciously keeping a distance from Shen Lingyan. After seeing Yun Zhu support her, she followed beside them.

“Born as an emperor, one’s nature should not be weak. Your decision-making is excellent, and I must learn from it. We will set off for Liangzhou tomorrow. This time, I will not be merciful towards those corrupt officials.”

Hearing this, Zhou Jin’s heart suddenly relaxed. She looked at Shen Lingyan, who was staring ahead with determination. It was as if her heart, which had been cold for many years, was gradually warming up, just like the resolution in Shen Lingyan’s eyes. If the path ahead was thorny, she would clear the way.

As for the country of Yongning, if Shen Lingyan truly desired it, Zhou Jin could give it up. But the silly, innocent Empress still needed training.

Setting off for Liangzhou tomorrow would be a good opportunity. Zhou Jin thought to herself.