Chapter 58: Imprisonment

Luo Yunqiao abruptly stood up and urged, "Stay right here and do not move around. If I do not return, go to my grandmother's quarters; she will definitely protect you."

She had long suspected Madam Luo's intentions. Now, a sudden fire breaking out the moment she arrived at the estate clearly showed it was premeditated.

Thus, her own survival was far from guaranteed.

"Elder sister, can you please not go?" The young woman suddenly grabbed Luo Yunqiao's hand, her eyes shimmering with emotion, her words trailing off as she hesitated to speak.

Though curiosity flickered in her heart, Luo Yunqiao patted the woman's hand and smiled, "Rest easy here. Your elder sister has great fortune and heavy karma; I will definitely return."

With that, she resolutely stepped out the door.

The fierce fire quickly spread through the room meant for Luo Yunqiao, becoming nearly impossible to extinguish.

The estate's servants and attendants were nowhere to be found, leaving only Jinxin and Yinxin desperately trying to put out the flames.

Seeing Luo Yunqiao approach, they were just about to run over and speak when a squad of men in black suddenly burst forth from outside, making a beeline for Luo Yunqiao and forcibly abducting her.

Pitch black enveloped her vision.

Luo Yunqiao shifted her body, only to discover that her hands and feet had already been bound.

Before she could utter a sound, illumination suddenly broke before her eyes. "Oh! Awake?"

Following the voice, she saw that the woman before her bore a six or seven-tenths resemblance to Luo Zhao. Without needing to ask, she knew the woman's identity.

"If Imperial Noble Consort Duan wished to see me, a simple message would have sufficed. Why bother having me tied up and brought here? Surely, just because I am to marry the Prince of Yan, we cannot even speak civilly?" She let out a cold huff.

She had long known that although Madam Luo feigned repentance on the surface, deep down she still harbored a grudge, considering her an unsightly daughter. Yet, she had never expected Madam Luo to join forces with Consort Duan in an attempt to drive her to her death.

Consort Duan chuckled lightly. "You truly are a clever child. Earlier, I thought you were merely from some rustic countryside and would eventually be casually married off to some wild woodcutter, so I had no desire to see you. Who could have imagined you possessed such capability—not only eliminating Yunzhen, but even seducing the Prince of Yan? It seems I underestimated you."

"If someone like you were willing to marry Jinglin, you would naturally be able to help him consolidate the imperial throne. It is a pity that you are unwilling and insist on setting yourself against us..."

A dagger still gleamed in her hand.

Luo Yunqiao had forged an unyielding spirit during her days at Zhaojue Temple, and she was not afraid of death at this moment.

"Imperial Aunt should not be questioning me; she should instead ask my father why he chose to use me as a chess piece in his grand scheme. Had it not been for that, how would I have ever become entangled with the Prince of Yan?" She sneered, attempting to sow discord.

Consort Duan had not reached her present position solely by relying on the Marquis of Jing'an's estate; she owed much more to her own ruthlessness.

She chuckled, lightly tapping the flat of the dagger against Luo Yunqiao's face. "There is no need for you to try and drive a wedge between us here. Naturally, I am well aware of this chess game; you are simply the variable within it. However, Jinglin has already gathered a formidable army, awaiting only the day of your grand wedding with the Prince of Yan to force the throne. If you are willing to be obedient, I will spare your life after Jinglin ascends the throne, taking into account our familial ties. Otherwise..."

"You intend to imprison me?!" Luo Yunqiao finally grasped the full scope of the plot.

Feigning calmness, she pressed on, "Imperial Aunt! There are only a few days left until the grand wedding. If the Prince of Yan cannot find me on that day, do you think he will simply let the matter rest? By then..."

"By then, someone will naturally take your place in the bridal sedan chair," Consort Duan interrupted coldly. "Surely you don't genuinely believe Princess Changle will survive until then?"

"You... what do you mean?" Though a suspicion had already formed in Luo Yunqiao's mind, she dared not confirm it.

Seeing Consort Duan merely smile without answering, Luo Yunqiao began to lose her composure and pressed further, "That woman we encountered along the road—was she arranged by you?"

She had originally wondered why that woman had tried to stop her from leaving the estate, intending to interrogate her thoroughly upon her return. Now, it seemed that would no longer be necessary.

"Naturally." Consort Duan's brows and eyes carried a trace of complacency. "It took me a great deal of effort to find someone so suitable, so naturally I must squeeze every ounce of utility out of her to avoid disappointing Heaven's grace toward me. As for you, just stay here and carefully consider whom you ought to support in the future."

Luo Yunqiao pressed her thin lips together.

If, on the day of the wedding, Xiao Muyuan realized at first glance that the person in the bridal sedan chair was not her, they could pass that woman off as Princess Changle. Conversely, if he failed to notice, they could use her to dissuade Xiao Muyuan from dispatching his troops. Either way, Xiao Muyuan might not come to save her at all.

She had to save herself.

For the next several days, however, Luo Yunqiao remained trapped in that gloomy room, guarded day and night, losing all count of the passing days.

Then, on this particular day, a commotion erupted outside.

Standing by the door, she hammered on it frantically, but no one paid her any heed.

Just as she was about to give up, the door was suddenly flung open.

"Luo Yunqiao!" Consort Duan lunged toward her, pressing the dagger against her throat. "You actually colluded with the Prince of Yan all along and harmed my Jinglin! Today, I will ensure you find no burial place!"

Before Luo Yunqiao could even react, the sounds from outside washed over her.

Calming herself, she spoke, "Presumably, the Prince of Yan has already led his troops to breach the imperial palace. Imperial Aunt, the Emperor is still alive, and the Third Prince has forced the palace. If you fail, you will not survive; even if the Emperor abdicates, the Third Prince will still die by the Prince of Yan's blade. Why not take me with you and force the Prince of Yan to spare your life? How does that sound?"

"Bah!" Consort Duan spat dismissively.

"I will certainly take you with me, but not to buy my own life—rather, to force the Prince of Yan to withdraw his troops!" She had already formulated her plan. "Luo Yunqiao, if my son successfully ascends the throne, I naturally will not harm you. But if he fails, I will most certainly drag you down to the netherworld with us!"

Pushed along by Consort Duan, Luo Yunqiao was driven out of the palace gates, her mind racing all the while for a sliver of hope to survive.

She had not seen the outside world for days, and now, as she was shoved out into the open, a blazing sea of fire greeted her eyes.

Xiao Muyuan stood at the very front. The moment he caught sight of her, his brow furrowed deeply.

"Prince of Yan, your bride is in my hands. If you want her to live, immediately withdraw your troops and submit to my son! Otherwise, I will send her to hell first," Consort Duan shouted.

Xiao Muyuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. After a long moment, he replied coldly, "She is merely a woman. Had she not borne a resemblance to my younger sister, why would I have ever approached her? Now that my objective has been achieved, why would I care whether she lives or dies?"

"Xiao Jinglin has committed the grave crime of treason! Today, I shall bring him to justice!"

With those words, he raised his hand to signal the archers behind him to prepare.

Upon hearing those words, Luo Yunqiao's heart grew cold, but recalling what Xiao Muyuan had told her that night, she quickly steadied herself and followed the trajectory of the archers' aim—

The arrows were not pointed at Xiao Jinglin, but rather directly at the Emperor!