The Regent Keeps Flirting With Me - Chapter 29

After a day of jarring travel, they arrived at the main hall of Liangzhou’s Prefect. The rain had long stopped, the sky was clear, and the scent of earth lingered in the air.

Shen Lingyan felt the ropes around her finally loosen. Just as she was about to stretch her limbs, she realized that where the ropes had tightly bound her wounds, it was now swollen and unbearably painful, making it impossible to move. While she was still recovering from the pain, she heard a sickeningly greasy male voice from above: “What is your name?”

Shen Lingyan struggled to lift her head and saw a fat, big-headed official in a splendid robe that barely contained him, sitting in a Grand Tutor’s chair with an air of profound wisdom.

Now, Shen Lingyan was kneeling on the ground. Many big and sturdy men stood nearby, holding clubs, poised to beat her to death with a flurry of blows if she refused to confess.

Shen Lingyan knew he wouldn’t dare, so she wasn’t afraid. Straightening her body, she endured the piercing pain and proclaimed loudly: “My name is Shen Lingyan, the current Female Emperor.”

She revealed her identity openly and frankly. Although the two words “Female Emperor” did cause Li Xiuxian to pause for a moment, he immediately burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha… That’s hilarious. If you are Her Majesty the Female Emperor, then wouldn’t this official be the Jade Emperor? Looks like another mad one. Lock her up first…” Li Xiuxian laughed enough, then started giving orders. His subordinates obeyed without question. After they had their fill of laughter, they came to grab Shen Lingyan’s arms to lead her away.

But before they could even touch Shen Lingyan, the door to the main hall was violently kicked open. Everyone thought it was an army of a million, but they found it was just a woman.

And a very good-looking woman at that.

“Who are you!” Li Xiuxian looked at the woman in the bridal attire before him, utterly terrified. Why did this bridal dress look so familiar?

“No one important, just here to join my sister in jail. Come on, take us both down.” Zhou Jin lay casually into Shen Lingyan’s arms, her face full of innocent simplicity, which even Shen Lingyan found hard to bear.

The men exchanged bewildered glances, then simultaneously seized the two of them, trying to drag them down roughly. Shen Lingyan couldn’t stand being dragged across the ground while injured, so she stood up, looked at them with utter disdain, and spat out two words: “Lead the way.”

Since Shen Lingyan had stood up, there was no reason for Zhou Jin to continue being dragged on the ground. She also stood up, dusted off her hands, and took Shen Lingyan’s arm as they walked. To an outsider, it might look like they were on a vacation.

“Hurry up!” Upon arriving at the dungeon, the men urged Shen Lingyan and Zhou Jin. Because the dungeon was already small, and there wasn’t a single empty cell, out of fear of causing trouble, they merely locked Shen Lingyan, Zhou Jin, and a frail-looking woman together. Only after locking the cell did, they walk away humming an unknown tune.

The heavy dungeon door was closed again, and the little bit of sunlight that had streamed in was gone. The woman, who had been locked in this cell for who knows how long, let out a mournful sigh: “I wonder when I’ll see sunlight like that again…”

Shen Lingyan: ????? What’s with the strong Empresses in the Palace vibe?

“Judging by your appearances and clothing, were both of you also forced here by that old scoundrel?” The woman turned to Shen Lingyan to talk. She was lying on the straw, eyes closed, seemingly half-dead, yet somehow managed to notice Shen Lingyan’s good looks. The fatigue-ridden face under Wei Kangsheng’s soot-and-ash disguise actually showed a hint of stunning beauty.

“Forced?” Shen Lingyan vaguely sensed something was amiss. True, this woman looked utterly defenseless; how could she have committed a serious crime like murder or arson to be locked in a cell?

The woman gave a knowing look, sat up again, and explained to them word by word: “Some days ago, Li Xiuxian forcibly took women from the populace. Those who refused were locked up here. What? You two aren’t here because of that?”

Shen Lingyan shook her head blankly, nestled in Zhou Jin’s arms like an innocent child. Zhou Jin, meanwhile, stroked her head and looked at the woman with a detached expression. She told the woman about the Zhang family’s situation. The woman looked at them as if they were fools: “No way, you actually believe they will help testify? If their testimony fails, wouldn’t they be utterly suppressed and lose their lives?”

“If they had simply tipped us off first, regardless of the future outcome, they wouldn’t have lost anything.” Shen Lingyan now understood, and she added with a dark expression.

Zhou Jin’s eyes sparkled with pleasant surprise. She vigorously rubbed Shen Lingyan’s head and said approvingly, “You finally figured it out?”

“You knew all along?”

The two exchanged silent glances, which made the woman watching from the side laugh. She stood up, pulled the two down to sit, acting as casually as if the jail were her own home.

“My name is Su Zhaozhao. I’m considered the top courtesan at Chunxing Yuan, but I only perform, I don’t sell my body. And I certainly wouldn’t lower myself to be played with by that Li Xiuxian.” Su Zhaozhao generously admitted her identity. Her eyes couldn’t hide a myriad of charms. Shen Lingyan subconsciously looked at Zhou Jin, only to find Zhou Jin staring intently at Su Zhaozhao.

“Why are you looking at her?” Shen Lingyan didn’t realize the jealousy in her tone. Zhou Jin looked over with a puzzled expression: “I was only looking at the mole beneath her right earlobe. That position is rarely seen.”

Shen Lingyan looked over as well, as instructed, and indeed saw a mole there, in a position she had never encountered before.

Su Zhaozhao said carelessly: “Oh, that’s not a mole, it’s a small scar. Li Xiuxian forcefully pierced it for me back then. Almost everyone he has persecuted has this mark.”

This was undoubtedly a huge piece of evidence laid before them. Shen Lingyan was so agitated she immediately wanted to bang on the door to get out, but Zhou Jin held her back.

“With what status will you expose him now? We might as well wait a few days,” Zhou Jin said leisurely, though there was a spark of anger in her eyes too—this Li Xiuxian was truly inhuman.

Shen Lingyan instantly deflated. She slumped onto the straw, looking at the dead rats around her, feeling both disgusted and disappointed. To think she, the dignified Female Emperor, was locked up here.

“Who exactly are you two? Judging by your clothes, you don’t look like female knights roaming the martial world, or young ladies from noble families? If not, you shouldn’t be getting involved in this murky business. You know, Li Xiuxian is someone even the current Emperor protects,” Su Zhaozhao’s words were laced with heavy sarcasm, unaware that the actual Female Emperor was standing right there. She had only heard from the streets that the court frequently allocated funds, seemingly holding this Prefect in high regard.

“I did not!” In her urgency, Shen Lingyan accidentally revealed her identity. Su Zhaozhao’s eyes widened. She stood up anxiously and scrutinized Shen Lingyan, catching a glimpse of the embroidered phoenix on the lining of her long skirt.

“Really… Are you really Her Majesty the Female Emperor?” Su Zhaozhao was utterly dumbfounded. She was just looking for someone to chat with in jail, and she runs into the current Emperor?

“Then this one?” Su Zhaozhao’s stunned gaze shifted to Zhou Jin. She had already guessed almost correctly. Who else could she be but the Regent?