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The room grew eerily quiet.

The Crown Prince wasn’t sure if it was just his ears ringing, but the only sounds he could hear were his own ragged breaths and the pounding of his heart.

“As it turns out, this is how you see Zhen.”

From the darkness, the Emperor’s voice, laced with disappointment, reached him.

The Crown Prince’s heart gave a sharp jolt. He almost instinctively wanted to cry out something, but in the end, he forcibly swallowed it down.

The last trace of light within the Emperor’s eyes dimmed completely.

If the Crown Prince had only called out to him as ‘imperial father’ in that moment, the Emperor might not have been utterly disheartened.

But look at this.

This was the Crown Prince he had chosen despite all opposition.

This was the son he had painstakingly nurtured for so many years.

This was the future Emperor he had chosen for Great Yan.

“No need to eavesdrop anymore. Come in.”

He spoke wearily.

The Crown Prince froze.

Eavesdrop?

Come in?

What was his imperial father trying to do?

No—no, he was not his imperial father!

His real imperial father was in the palace!

Gu Chengfeng strode into the room, seized the Crown Prince by the front of his robes, and said, “You, let’s go!”

……

The conversation with the Crown Prince had pushed the Emperor’s regret to its very peak. At last, he had tasted what it was like to be abandoned by those closest to him, and it was far more painful than he had ever imagined.

Xuanyuan Li… If Zhen had never betrayed you back then——

But what meaning was there in pondering ‘if’?

There were only consequences and results.

The Crown Prince was taken to the woodshed, where Gu Chengfeng found some rope and tied him up.

Seated on a chair with his hands and feet completely restrained, the Crown Prince glared coldly at Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng. “What do you intend to do?”

Gu Chengfeng twirled a stick between his fingers and flashed a mischievous grin.

Cold palace.

Han shi had already retired for the night in the eastern courtyard.

Suddenly, a gyrfalcon swooped down from the rooftop, its wings slicing through the air as it crashed against her window lattice. With a sharp thud, it dropped a small bamboo tube it had been carrying in its beak before flapping its wings and soaring away into the night.

Han shi was startled awake. She immediately called for Xu Gao, who was standing guard outside the door, instructing him to check what had happened at the window.

Xu Gao pushed open the wooden lattice window, and a small bamboo tube tumbled to the ground. He walked around to the courtyard, bent down, and picked it up. "Your Highness, it’s a bamboo tube."

"What’s inside?" Han shi asked.

Xu Gao extended his arm as far as he could, holding the bamboo tube away from himself to ensure that neither the opening nor the bottom was pointed at him.

With a hesitant flick of his fingers, he plucked off the lid in one swift motion, bracing himself.

No hidden weapons shot out. Only then did he breathe a small sigh of relief.

"It’s a note, Your Highness."

Xu Gao respectfully presented the note from the bamboo tube to Han shi with both hands. After scanning its contents, Han shi slammed her fist onto the table. "Damn it! They actually captured the Crown Prince!"

Xu Gao took the note and glanced at it. The hastily scrawled characters read: ‘At the hour of choushi(1-3 am) tonight, meet at Baifeng Pavilion, or the Crown Prince dies.’

The messy, chaotic handwriting made Xu Gao’s eyelid twitch twice in unease.

"Your Highness, this may not be real." Xu Gao said cautiously.

Han shi replied calmly, "I know, which is why you must immediately go to the Crown Prince Estate and confirm the situation."

"Yes!"

Xu Gao accepted the order without hesitation.

Though Han shi was confined to the cold palace, it was she who currently wielded power over the imperial court. The guards stationed at every palace gate had long since been replaced by men from the Han Family. If she or her people wanted to leave, it would not be difficult.

To Xu Gao’s surprise, upon arriving at the Crown Prince Estate, he found that the Crown Prince was indeed missing. Furthermore, the ten embroidered-uniform guards who had accompanied him had all returned in haste to mobilize reinforcements, reporting that the Crown Prince had been abducted!

After hearing Xu Gao’s report, Han shi’s temple throbbed with anger. Blue veins stood out against her skin. "Prepare the carriage!"

……

At the hour of choushi, Han shi’s carriage arrived at the designated location, not a moment too late.

Gu Jiao and Xiao Heng were already waiting inside the pavilion.

The moment Han shi laid eyes on the Eldest Imperial Grandson and Xiao Liulang, her gaze turned icy. "So it’s you two?"

Gu Jiao spread her hands nonchalantly. "Didn’t An Hun tell you? I was the one who took the Emperor away!"

Of course, An Hun had informed her. Han shi had simply not expected that these two would abduct the Crown Prince in the same night.

She had barely knocked the Emperor unconscious and confined him when Xiao Liulang arrived right after to snatch him away.

The very next day, she had officially reinstated the Crown Prince, and that same night, Xiao Liulang had abducted the Crown Prince.

Han shi ascended the steps with Xu Gao in tow, carrying herself with graceful composure as she seated herself opposite the two. She then turned her gaze to Xiao Heng, a mocking smile curling her lips. "It has been a long time since I’ve encountered such a formidable opponent. Shangguan Qing, you have truly made me see you in a new light."

"You flatter me, imperial noble consort." Xiao Heng replied with unwavering calm. "It’s already quite late, so I’ll skip the pleasantries. The reason I invited you here tonight is to propose a deal."

Han shi’s eyes flickered as she surveyed her surroundings.

Xiao Heng smirked faintly. "There’s no need to look around, imperial noble consort. The Crown Prince is not here. And you can forget about stalling for time, hoping that your hidden expert will locate him."

Han shi narrowed her eyes. "What kind of deal do you want to make?"

Xiao Heng stated plainly, "Hand over the fake Emperor, and I will return the Crown Prince to you."

Han shi did not even pause to consider before letting out a cold laugh. "Ridiculous! Keep dreaming!"

Xiao Heng’s voice remained steady. "Are you not afraid that I will kill the Crown Prince?"

Han shi’s tone sharpened into a threat. "If you kill the Crown Prince, I will kill the Little County Princess in the imperial palace. I doubt that is an outcome either of you would want!"

A flicker of anger passed through Xiao Heng’s eyes. "Han shi! Even a four-year-old innocent child is not spared from your cruelty? You are utterly ruthless!"

Han shi sneered. "Are you only realizing now how ruthless I am? You two are still too green to play this game with me. If you don’t want anything to happen to the Little County Princess, you had best return the Crown Prince to me immediately!"

Xiao Heng and Gu Jiao never truly intended to trade the fake Emperor in the first place. But if one wanted to bring light into a pitch-black room, one first had to pry open the roof.

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow and said, “It’s not difficult for me to capture someone, but sending back the Crown Prince? You’re dreaming.”

Han shi cast a cold glance at Gu Jiao, then her expression suddenly took on a deeper meaning. “What’s so great about following the Eldest Imperial Grandson? Whatever Shangguan Yan and the Eldest Imperial Grandson can offer you, I and the Crown Prince can give you even more. Why not consider working under me? I guarantee you won’t be treated unfairly.”

Oh my, was she openly trying to poach her?

Han shi clearly had an optimistic and confident view of her situation.

Gu Jiao’s lips curved slightly as she raised a hand and lightly placed it over Xiao Heng’s, which rested on the stone table. Then, under Han shi’s utterly shocked gaze, she spoke slowly, “What I want is him. Can you give me that?”

Han shi felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Two men… actually…

“Scandalous!”

She could hardly stand to look!

Han shi turned her face away and coldly declared, “You can have the Little County Princess! That is the greatest concession I am willing to make! Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to fight you both to the bitter end!”

She knew very well that Shangguan Qing wouldn’t truly kill the Crown Prince. If he did, she would undoubtedly kill the Little County Princess in return.

But Shangguan Qing also had to understand that there was absolutely no way she would hand over the Emperor!

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…

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