The dungeon, devoid of light, was illuminated by torches on the walls, casting a dim yellow light.

The dried bloodstains on the torture instruments looked even more gruesome and eerie in the firelight.

The jailer led Shen Yanzhi to the last cell. He bowed and said, “Prince, Duke Qin and his son are inside.”

Shen Yanzhi raised his hand slightly, and the jailer silently withdrew.

The straw on the floor of the cell was relatively clean, but the place was musty and filled with a foul smell, having not seen sunlight for years.

Duke Qin and his son were dressed in white prison clothes, sitting against the wall.

Shen Yanzhi stood silently outside the cell for a while, but they ignored him.

Shen Yanzhi spoke, breaking the silence. “Uncle.”

Duke Qin seemed to be resting with his eyes closed and did not respond.

Qin Jian, the eldest son of the Qin family, sneered, “Shen Yanzhi, you are rising rapidly. Why are you here in this filthy place?”

Shen Yanzhi tightened his lips to hide a trace of bitterness. “Mingtai, I am here for A-Zheng…”

Mingtai was Qin Jian’s courtesy name.

Shen Yanzhi didn’t mention Qin Zheng before, and Qin Jian was calm.

But as soon as Qin Zheng was mentioned, Qin Jian’s face was full of scorn. “For A-Zheng? Don’t joke! Our A-Zheng cannot bear your deep affection, nor can she bear the title of being the reason you betrayed the country.”

“In the Battle of Qinxiangguan, because of a letter of treason written by Shen Yanzhi, fifty thousand soldiers of the Great Chu were brutally killed by the rebels there!

General Luo Xian, who led the troops, had been stationed in the northern border since he was thirteen.

He returned alive from the battlefield outside Yanmen Pass, only to die at the hands of his own people!”

Qin Jian’s voice was filled with indignation as he continued, “If there were still men of the Luo family who could wield swords and spears, could the rebels have breached the gates of Bianjing?

How many souls are lost in the Battle of Qinxiangguan?

How many innocent people have died in Bianjing these days?

Shen Yanzhi, the glory of your Shen family is paved with thousands of lives, with the blood debts of countless people.

Don’t use A-Zheng as an excuse!

Our A-Zheng cannot bear the burden of being associated with a criminal like you!”

With each word Qin Jian spoke, Shen Yanzhi’s face grew paler.

He closed his eyes and said hoarsely, “The Battle of Qinxiangguan was not my intention…”

But the grave mistake had already been made.

His throat felt dry, and he did not offer further explanation, looking at Duke Qin sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. “Uncle.”

Duke Qin, a civil official, sat in the cell with a straight back, his refined face showing a hint of determination usually seen in military commanders.

“What Jian said is what I wanted to say. Shen Yanzhi, A-Zheng is a lady of the Chu family and has never set foot in your Shen family.

Reputation is as precious as gold.

If you have even a shred of respect for her, you should not have said what you just did.”

Shen Yanzhi clenched his fist under his wide sleeves, his five fingers already digging into his palm, a taste of rust on his tongue.

He tried to keep his voice calm. “I came to see you today for other reasons.”

“The emperor has begun to cleanse the court. Uncle, the Chu kingdom has fallen. You… should submit to the new dynasty.” He found it difficult to say these words.

Duke Qin looked at his nephew’s restrained and sorrowful expression, seeming to understand something, but his attitude remained firm.

“My Qin family has been loyal to the Chu dynasty for generations. I cannot serve two masters. The clean reputation left by my ancestors cannot be tarnished by me. Shen Yanzhi, go back.”

Although Shen Yanzhi had anticipated Duke Qin’s answer, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is a cruel and incompetent king, a crown prince without virtue, worth your loyalty, uncle?”

Duke Qin only said, “Eating the ruler’s salary and serving the ruler’s affairs, bearing the ruler’s worries.”

Shen Yanzhi closed his eyes and said slowly, “What if the price is death by execution?”

---

Two Yan Mountains.

Qin Zheng placed the back of her jade-white hand on the prince’s forehead, feeling his temperature.

She breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn’t developed a fever yet.

Half an hour ago, the doctor had come and dressed the prince’s wound with crushed herbs, giving him a bowl of medicinal broth.

He instructed Qin Zheng to take care of him carefully and to find a way to cool him down quickly if he developed a fever.

Afraid that he would develop a high fever, Qin Zheng had the people in the village prepare a tub and hot water in advance.

She also prepared a jar of strong alcohol.

Alcohol could quickly reduce fever.

Diluting it in warm water and using it to wipe the body was much more effective than using warm water alone.

A warm water bath could also quickly reduce fever, but it couldn’t be prolonged.

While waiting for the crown prince’s medicine to take effect, Magpie noticed that Qin Zheng was feeling down and decided to talk to her about some village matters to distract her.

From Magpie, Qin Zheng learned that Qi Yun Village was divided into East Village and West Village.

Lin Yao was in charge of the East Village, while the West Village was led by the sworn brother of the former village head.

The reason for this division was mainly due to the differing philosophies of Lin Yao and his second-in-command.

Lin Yao disliked the actions of the people under his second-in-command, who would plunder and kill indiscriminately, whether they were merchants or poor people, not sparing even the elderly, weak, women, and children.

The second-in-command believed that Lin Yao’s actions showed weakness and believed that he had intentions to replace Lin Yao.

When Lin Yao’s sister fell into the hands of river bandits, it seemed that the people from the West Village were involved.

However, Magpie didn’t finish explaining what exactly the West Village had done, as the crown prince’s medicine started to take effect.

He began to feel hot, sweating profusely.

Qin Zheng hurriedly used a cloth dipped in water to wipe him, but his temperature, especially under his neck and armpits, remained high.

Qin Zheng then directly placed the wet cloth on those areas.

As time passed, the crown prince’s body temperature continued to rise, his originally pale face turning crimson.

Simply wiping him with warm water was no longer effective.

Qin Zheng asked Magpie to prepare a warm water bath and called for a man from the village to help put the crown prince into the tub.

The crown prince had a wound on his chest, so Qin Zheng made sure the warm water only covered his waist and abdomen, not wetting his chest.

She continued to wipe the upper half of his body with warm water mixed with strong alcohol.

With this dual approach, she finally managed to lower his body temperature.

He remained unconscious, and Qin Zheng asked the man from the village to help change him into clean clothes before putting him back in bed.

Worried about any potential complications, Qin Zheng was about to ask the senior doctor to come and check on him when the senior doctor arrived at their door.

The senior doctor said as he entered the yard, “After all, it’s a person’s life. I figured his medicine would cause a fever around this time, so I came to take a look.”

Qin Zheng quickly led him inside, saying, “It’s fortunate that you came. My husband just had a fever, but it has already subsided now.”

The senior doctor seemed somewhat incredulous. “When did the fever start? I haven’t seen a fever subside so quickly.”

Qin Zheng, worried that the crown prince’s fever had subsided too quickly, replied nervously, “The fever started an hour ago.”

Sitting by the bed, the senior doctor noticed that the crown prince’s previously pale face had improved slightly, which surprised him.

He took the crown prince’s pulse and, after a moment, showed a surprised expression. “With injuries like this, surviving is already incredible! It’s as if Lord Hades himself didn’t dare to claim his life!”

After checking the pulse several times and confirming his diagnosis, the senior doctor advised Qin Zheng, “With the fever gone, his life is basically saved. Care for him meticulously, and he should recover in about a month.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Qin Zheng saw the senior doctor off and felt relieved knowing that the crown prince’s life was saved.

---

Lunch was brought to the courtyard by Magpie.

Since the crown prince hadn’t woken up yet, they only brought a portion for Qin Zheng—two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, which looked quite sumptuous.

Qin Zheng was delighted to see that one of the meat dishes was cured pork ribs and eagerly took a piece, nearly knocking her teeth out.

The cured pork ribs were tough and dry, requiring considerable effort to chew. If she chewed lightly, the meat wouldn’t budge; if she chewed harder, it would be so tough that she could floss with it.

After struggling through the cured pork ribs, Qin Zheng decided she’d never crave them again.

The other meat dish was twice-cooked pork made with pork belly, but the pieces were as thick as a thumb.

Seeing the shiny, thick fat, Qin Zheng lost her appetite for meat altogether and ended up just eating a bowl of rice with some greens.

When Magpie came to clear the dishes, she noticed that both meat dishes were barely touched and found it strange.

She glanced at Qin Zheng’s slim waist, automatically assuming that Qin Zheng avoided eating meat to maintain her figure.

A conflicted and admiring expression appeared on Magpie’s face, torn between wanting to look good and the admiration for Qin Zheng’s willpower in abstaining from meat even in such circumstances.

Qin Zheng was oblivious to these strange thoughts but noticed the girl looking at her with a peculiar and somewhat admiring gaze, leaving her puzzled.

Thinking that the crown prince would need nourishment when he woke up, Qin Zheng considered the village’s simple food might not suit his delicate palate.

She asked, “Miss Magpie, is the kitchen in this courtyard usable?”

“It’s usable, but this courtyard was empty before, so the kitchen utensils might be rusty,” Magpie scratched her head. “If Madame Cheng wants to use the kitchen, you can go to the main kitchen for now, and I’ll tidy up the kitchen in the courtyard later.”

Qin Zheng knew they would be staying here for a month and couldn’t rely on the villagers to cook and bring food to them every day.

It would be too imposing.

Having a usable kitchen in the courtyard would be convenient for preparing medicine for the crown prince and cooking for herself.

She said, “I’ll tidy up the kitchen myself. I want to make a soup for my husband in the main kitchen.

Would you, Miss Magpie, be willing to show me the way?”

Magpie felt a bit embarrassed by Qin Zheng’s repeated use of “Miss Magpie.” “Madame Cheng can just call me Magpie.”

The paths in the village were winding, and without a guide, Qin Zheng feared she would get lost.

As they walked down a stone staircase, Magpie saw a familiar figure below the stairs and exclaimed with joy, “Miss Lin!”

Qin Zheng followed Magpie’s gaze and saw the girl she had seen on the boat that night.

She wore a crimson dress, her black hair braided into thin plaits and tied up high with colorful hair ties.

Her wheat-colored skin softened her features, giving her a spirited look.

That night on the boat, the lighting was dim, and Qin Zheng was in a hurry to escape, so she only glanced at the girl briefly.

Now, upon closer inspection, she found the girl quite striking.

Next moment, the girl walked straight to a burly man who was eating, grabbed the back of his collar, lifted him, and threw him to the ground.

The man lay there, sprawled and helpless.

Other men dining there stood up, but none dared to speak or intervene.

The man’s face turned pale when he saw Lin Zhao. Before he could get up, Lin Zhao stomped on his chest, causing him to spit out blood and crack the floor tiles beneath him.

“Beg for mercy… Miss Lin, spare me…” the man pleaded incoherently.

With a cold sneer, Lin Zhao bent down slightly and whipped the man’s meaty face with a rolled-up whip.

The man’s face immediately bore a bloody mark.

Qin Zheng swallowed nervously.

This girl was so fierce! No wonder when she saw her on the boat, her hands and feet were shackled, and the river bandits still weren’t at ease, planning to lock her in a cage. Her combat skills were formidable.