The Regent Keeps Flirting With Me - Chapter 31

Shen Lingyan was only just getting used to life in the imperial court, and her learning ability had greatly improved as she strived to reclaim her throne. Now, faced with the current situation, she had no choice but to bury herself in deep thought.

The people of the entire city might be intimidated by the official’s authority and dare not come forward to testify, but now with a resolute person like Su Zhaozhao, it was clear that the girls of the Chunxing were a breakthrough point. Even if their testimonies changed, the scar under her earlobe would not.

However, if they were to use the girls of the Chunxing as a breakthrough, it would be essential to question Su Zhaozhao.

“Zhaozhao…”

Thus, under Zhou Jin’s mournful gaze, Shen Lingyan and Su Zhaozhao talked until midnight, barely touching the dinner the jailer brought in.

Only after Su Zhaozhao leaned against the corner of the wall and fell asleep did Shen Lingyan find time to look at Zhou Jin.

Zhou Jin’s face was so dark that her expression was unreadable. She hid herself in another corner of the wall, separated from Shen Lingyan by a vast distance, sulking by herself.

“I discussed it with Miss Zhaozhao, and we feel that catching them by surprise is the best approach. On the day the palace people arrive, we’ll have Zhaozhao secretly disguise herself and go out first, and then take the girls from the Chunxing directly to the Governor’s main hall…” Shen Lingyan was talking excitedly on her side, but when she looked up, she found that Zhou Jin had moved to another corner and was still squatting.

“Uh… what’s wrong?” The slow-to-react Shen Lingyan finally realized that the atmosphere was wrong. She lowered her voice to ask Zhou Jin, but the other person ignored her and even let out a cold snort, like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Is it because I was talking to Su Zhaozhao just now?” Shen Lingyan racked her brains, finally asking the question with great uncertainty. Before Zhou Jin could answer, she was about to dismiss the thought—how could it be? That was too absurd. But the next sentence from Zhou Jin stunned Shen Lingyan.

“You’ve only met this afternoon, and you’re already calling her Zhaozhao?” The undisguised jealousy in her words made Shen Lingyan look at her in disbelief, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Finally, after a long stare, Shen Lingyan admitted defeat. She compromised by moving closer, linking her arm through Zhou Jin’s, and pointing towards the sky outside.

“It’s a full moon again.” Today was the day of the sacrifice, the fifteenth day of the lunar month with a full moon. If all went well, the moon would still be very round tomorrow, the sixteenth. This distraction certainly shifted Zhou Jin’s attention. Neither of them was sleepy; they just stared at the moon in a daze.

No one knew what the other was thinking, but in this smelly prison cell, the bright full moon outside the tiny broken window had become the most beautiful scenery.

The arrival of the palace people was much quicker than Shen Lingyan and Zhou Jin had anticipated. A magnificent procession of soldiers stood neatly in front of Li Xiuxian’s Governor’s main hall before dawn. When the junior guards went to report, Li Xiuxian was almost scared into rolling off his bed.

He couldn’t bother with the warm and soft beauty he had forcibly taken by his side. He hastily threw on his official robes and ran to the courtyard, kneeling down in fear and trembling.

“I heard that the Lord Governor recently imprisoned two women?” Yun zhu spoke first.

Li Xiuxian knew he couldn’t hide it, so he cried and nodded profusely, admitting the truth.

“Governor Li Xiuxian, being short-sighted, dared to lock up the current Empress and the Regent Prince together in the dungeon. This is disrespect to the Imperial Family and disrespect to the Son of Heaven, and must be severely punished!!” The speaker was Dai Junwu. His voice was loud, and he, too, was in official robes, but his stout figure made him appear as tall as a giant, causing the kneeling Li Xiuxian to tremble even more in fear.

He was also the one who led the troops. It was precisely because of Dai Junwu that they were able to rush to Liangzhou so quickly. The officials related to this matter were still on the way; only Dai Junwu was deeply concerned about Shen Lingyan’s safety.

Yun zhu hadn’t slept all night, and now she was still invigorated by anger toward this governor. Capturing the Empress was already a monumental matter, and he actually locked them both in the dungeon! This dungeon’s fate wouldn’t be settled unless the sky was overturned.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuxian, who had calculated everything, never expected that the woman was actually the Empress. After hearing Dai Junwu’s words, he fainted, eyes rolling back. Yun zhu had no intention of letting him off the hook and coldly ordered: “The Rod Penalty. When he wakes up, send him to the dungeon.”

With that, she followed Dai Junwu to the dungeon to rescue the two distinguished individuals.

When they arrived at the dungeon entrance, since Li Xiuxian had not been seen and no order had been received from him to release the prisoners, the guards absolutely refused to let Dai Junwu in. Fortunately, the massive crowd of soldiers followed closely behind. The jailers guarding the dungeon changed their expressions and instantly hummingly stepped aside.

Yun zhu was also meticulous. She ordered her men to capture the jailers. Seeing this, Dai Junwu backed her up: “If the Empress says or hears even one word about you bullying her, then your entire nine generations will be executed.”

Yun zhu wouldn’t dare to speak of executing nine generations, but Dai Junwu did. The straightforward man always sought revenge for grievances. Even without the proper channels for the execution of nine generations, Dai Junwu could quietly carry it out manually with his own hands and a few subordinates.

After capturing these jailers, Dai Junwu didn’t want to delay any longer. He led the soldiers and Yun zhu rushing into the dungeon. Along the way, Yun zhu noticed something strange: why were all the people in these dungeons still asleep and couldn’t be woken up? Could they have been fed some kind of drug, causing them to sleep so soundly!? What about the Empress? Was she also drugged?

Dai Junwu was also apprehensive and could only hasten his steps forward. When they reached the end of the dungeon, they finally saw the three people sitting there.

Among them, Shen Lingyan, in her prisoner’s clothes, stood up in surprise. Dai Junwu instantly knelt down and shouted loudly: “Your humble servant is late to the rescue!”

When Dai Junwu knelt, Zhou Jin, Su Zhaozhao, and the other soldiers all followed suit. The area of the prison cell itself was not large, and the cell and the dungeon corridor were now completely packed, creating a unique and formidable atmosphere.

Shen Lingyan had also just recovered from the shock. First, she told them to rise, then she walked to the corner and pulled up Zhou Jin, who was still bowing… So they bowed to Zhou Jin once more.

After the complicated formalities, Yun zhu rushed up with red eyes to check if Shen Lingyan was injured. When she saw the places stained with blood, Yun zhu couldn’t hold back her tears, which fell like pearls.

Shen Lingyan held a different significance to Yunzhu. She had been assigned to be a palace maid by Shen Lingyan’s side since childhood. Although the young Shen Lingyan was somewhat arrogant, she possessed the kind and pure heart she did now. Even though Yun zhu was a palace maid, Shen Lingyan never insulted her.

After so many years together, Yun zhu had personally witnessed how Shen Lingyan went from being the first female Empress upon her ascension to slowly having her power hollowed out by the Regent Prince, and then to the difficult struggle to reclaim it now. Even cats and dogs have feelings, let alone people who have been together for so many years. Most of the time, Yun zhu only saw Shen Lingyan as her exalted elder sister. Although she had to respect and revere her at all times, it was not to the point of subservience.

Shen Lingyan raised her hand and gently wiped away the tear drops on Yun zhu’s cheek. Seeing the bracelet of excellent quality jade that other palace maids had just put on her wrist, she thought for a moment, then took it off and put it on Yun zhu’s hand.

“Your Majesty…” Yun zhu only whispered, neither refusing nor saying much.

The remaining palace maids were responsible for grooming Zhou Jin and Shen Lingyan. Even Su Zhaozhao was given a touch of makeup.

“Your Majesty must be starving. The food in this prison is spoiled and absolutely inedible!” Yun zhu, who had just cried, bustled around like a worried mother, bringing over several plates of exquisite pastries. As the palace maids were doing her makeup and dressing her, Yun zhu served by her side, picking up a pastry and feeding it to Shen Lingyan.

After the tidying up, the three people were completely transformed. Shen Lingyan was also given pain-relieving ointment when changing clothes, and now she was very comfortable and the pain was greatly eased, taking effect quickly.

Shen Lingyan had already told Yun zhu and Dai Junwu her plan and instructed a few things: “Yun zhu, you go with her, and be sure to watch the time!”

It wasn’t that Shen Lingyan didn’t want to trust others, but after the incident with the Zhang family, no one dared to act rashly anymore. Therefore, Su Zhaozhao and Yun zhu secretly disguised themselves as palace maids and slipped out of the dungeon, heading straight for the Chunxing.

Subsequently, Shen Lingyan and Zhou Jin walked out of the dungeon with a refreshed look, their shimmering waist tokens making it impossible to overlook them.

“The Governor’s main hall, lead the way.” Shen Lingyan held her head high, the imperial aura fully displayed. Zhou Jin was naturally pleased to see Shen Lingyan like this and followed behind with a slight smile.

They didn’t take a sedan chair, nor did they take a carriage. They just walked out in such a grand procession, giving the impression of making a scene. Only Shen Lingyan knew that the following events were paramount.