Chapter 6: Ants

The darkness before her eyes suddenly faded, and the light from the torch was blinding.

Du Yan raised her head and saw a fierce-looking prison guard holding a torch and entering the cell, tearing the rag out of her mouth.

"Innocent!" Du Yan shouted, "The Du family is innocent!"

"Madam Du, stop shouting," a voice came from outside the cell, leisurely. "This is the Jingzhao Prefecture. If you are smart, you should know that no matter how much you shout, it will be in vain."

The man was accompanied by attendants holding lanterns, illuminating his green official robe, slightly upturned mustache, and the mocking smile on his lips.

It was none other than Jiwēn, the legal officer of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Seeing him, Du Yan spat, "Lackey! A lackey of the cockfighter!"

"You can curse me," Jiwēn shook his head, "but you cannot curse the Right Chancellor."

"Slap!"

The prison guard immediately stepped forward and slapped Du Yan hard.

Jiwēn then continued, "This year, I have earned a nickname, or rather, half of one. It's called 'Luqian Jiwang,' where 'Jiwang' refers to my legal net."

"Disgusting official, you are not ashamed but proud of it."

"You are a great beauty, I advise you not to test my legal net." Jiwēn touched the bloodstains on the doorpost, gently rubbing his fingers, and spoke to himself. Then he asked, "Was it the Crown Prince who sent someone to burn the evidence that Liu Ji used to curry favor with the ministers?"

Du Yan gritted her teeth, "You won't get me to confess..."

The prison guard grabbed Du Yan's hair and shouted, "Was it the Crown Prince who sent someone to destroy the evidence?!"

"Slow down, slow down," Jiwēn scolded. "You don't know how to cherish a beauty. Madam Du must be kept alive as a witness; you shouldn't torture her."

Then, he changed his tone and shouted, "Bring her in!"

The cell door was opened, and outside, there were shouts and cries.

The prison guard dragged in a woman, barely clothed and bloodied.

Du Yan looked closely and felt her heart sink.

"Liushang!"

"Beasts! You beasts! Let her go!"

"..."

Liushang had clearly suffered greatly, her voice hoarse from crying, even her moans were raspy.

Blood continued to flow, gradually pooling on the ground.

Jiwēn clicked his tongue in mock sympathy, "Madam Du, there's no need to cry for this lowly servant. She's not worth it. She has already confessed, and I know who burned the evidence. All I need is one witness to prove that the Crown Prince was behind it."

He then asked Liushang, "Speak, was the arsonist Xue Bai sent by the Crown Prince?"

Liushang's throat made a gurgling sound, and she cried hoarsely, "Yes... yes..."

"You saying so won't do. You are just a lowly servant. I need your mistress to say it."

Jiwēn smiled, turned his head, and looked at Du Yan, asking, "Is that so?"

Du Yan cried uncontrollably, shaking her head, "Don't do this!"

Jiwēn stepped forward, gently stroking her hair, and said softly, "Your useless husband, Liu Ji, has already confessed to enough crimes."

The stench from his mouth made Du Yan want to vomit, and she cried, "No."

"The entire Du family has been arrested and is being interrogated. There's no escape from the charge of treason."

"No."

"Poor thing, a great beauty who has met the wrong person. Only you can save the Du family now," Jiwēn said. "I'll ask again, did the Crown Prince send Xue Bai to destroy the evidence?"

"Please... please..."

"Do you still want to protect the Crown Prince?"

Jiwēn feigned surprise.

"Struggling? It's useless." He walked to Liushang, stepped on her head, and laughed, "In my eyes, even the Crown Prince is not to be feared. You think you can fight me? This step will show you that you are just an ant."

"No!"

Amidst Du Yan's cries, Jiwēn lifted his foot and then stomped down hard.

It was like stepping on an ant...

~~

A few ants had been hibernating in their underground nest but were innocently dug up. They had to crawl frantically on the newly turned soil and then burrow back into the ground.

Snowflakes continued to fall, gradually covering the small patch of new soil with a thin layer of snow.

Under the ground was a large jar.

Inside the jar, it was completely dark.

Qinglan's tears had soaked the front of Xue Bai's shirt.

"Stop crying, you'll consume too much oxygen and kill us both."

"We... are going to die..." Qinglan was panicking, sobbing, and crying, "I don't want to die..."

"Then stop crying and talking," Xue Bai said sternly, "conserve your breath."

"We are already..."

"Still crying?" Xue Bai said fiercely, "If I kill you, it will save half the oxygen and give me a foothold."

Qinglan gasped in fright.

Then, she felt Xue Bai's hand touch her shoulder, moving up her neck, and caressing her face.

"Don't... I'm really scared..."

She wanted to push him away but was too frightened to move, her fingers and toes numb.

When Xue Bai reached her hairpin, he pulled it out.

Her hair fell down, and Qinglan, unsure of what to do, trembled and asked, "What... are you doing?"

"Untie the rope."

Xue Bai's voice was urgent as he adjusted his breathing and inserted the hairpin into the gap between the lid and the jar's mouth.

A boot was wedged in the gap.

It was one he had casually removed from Qinglan's foot and pushed in before the soil was packed down.

The rope binding the large jar and the wooden lid was prone to slipping on the curved surface, and he had loosened it earlier, hoping to pry the lid open slightly.

After a while, Qinglan suddenly said, "I... I can fit my pinky in..."

"Untie the rope," Xue Bai said.

He began scraping the soil from the gap with the hairpin.

Compared to a coffin, the jar was much taller. If buried to the same depth, the layer of soil above the jar would be much thinner than that above a coffin.

Xue Bai was relieved that they hadn't put too much effort into turning the jar upside down.

He scraped the soil around the lid into the jar, hoping to create some space for the lid to move.

The hairpin moved with difficulty in the gap, and a few grains of soil fell on Xue Bai's face. Compared to the entire layer of soil above, these few grains were insignificant.

After scraping for a long time, Xue Bai's fingers ached, and he tried to push the lid hard.

A few grains of soil fell with a rustling sound.

"It seems to be loosening a bit?" Qinglan said in surprise, "I can feel the rope."

With this glimmer of hope, both of them became more energized, finding more comfortable ways to apply force, not minding being pressed against each other.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

More soil fell into Xue Bai's mouth and nose.

"Cover your face," Qinglan said.

In the darkness, she pushed Xue Bai away, untied her sash, and handed it to him. Then she tore her skirt and tied it over her face.

After a while, Xue Bai increased his efforts, using the hairpin to try to pry the lid open.

He applied force carefully.

The lid moved slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Untie the rope, I'll pry it open."

"Okay."

Finally, they managed to create a small gap above the lid.

"Snap."

Suddenly, the hairpin broke.

"Find it," Xue Bai inserted the broken half of the hairpin and tried to pry with his fingers.

Qinglan quickly felt for the other half, her hand moving over Xue Bai's body, and said happily, "I found a stick!"

"Don't pull it out," Xue Bai said irritably.

Qinglan tugged lightly, hesitated, and then gave up.

After feeling around for a while, she said softly, "I found it."

"We can't pry it open, let's scrape the soil."

Both of them lifted their hands and slowly scraped the soil from the gap above.

Soil fell on them and was shaken off into the bottom of the jar.

Progress was slow, and the process was long.

They remained in a half-squatting position, their legs entangled, and their upper bodies pressed together. They could only reach the gap above by reaching around each other's backs.

Each breath seemed long, and their bodies ached as if they were about to break.

Despite the cold winter, the jar became increasingly hot, and their sweat mixed together, soaking the soil below.

Gradually, the soil at the bottom became thick and compacted by their weight, making the space in the jar smaller and smaller.

The lid still wouldn't budge.

"Shake the soil."

After a long time, Xue Bai, feeling the weight of the soil on his body, gasped for breath and said.

Qinglan didn't shake the soil but lay on him, seemingly unconscious, occasionally twitching.

Xue Bai felt dizzy, his fingers weak, and in a panic, the broken half of the hairpin fell, and he couldn't find it in the darkness.

He pounded on the lid.

Soil rained down, but it no longer fell to the bottom, gradually burying their entangled legs and waists.

When the soil was about to cover their chests, Xue Bai felt as if his organs were being squeezed, feeling uncomfortable, weak, and disoriented.

The feeling of suffocation overwhelmed him, and he finally felt hopeless and wanted to give up.

Suddenly, as if regaining his memory, he saw some images in his mind... the carved railings and painted beams of Pingkang Lane, his neck being tightly gripped, struggling desperately, but only seeing a pair of terrified eyes.

It was terror.

What was the murderer afraid of?

Then came a moment of unconsciousness. He tried to recall, but only had the memories of the future Xue Bai and a strong fear of death.

Suddenly, the will to survive drove Xue Bai to make a final effort.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle..."

Soil fell like snow.

Something cold landed on Xue Bai's neck.

He shivered and pounded the lid hard.

"Bang."

It was like a weak heart suddenly beating again.

"Bang!"

With a loud noise, a tiny bit of light penetrated the darkness, like a grain of rice, incredibly precious.

"Bang!"

The tiny bit of light spread, becoming a streak of twilight.

Xue Bai felt the hand that had been squeezing his organs slowly release, making him afraid to move.

He thought of the memory of suffocation, suddenly feeling lost. He wasn't sure if he was a young man from the Tianbao era, having a very long dream before dying, or a soul from the future occupying this body.

The butterfly dream of Zhuangzi, is it or is it not?

Regardless, he had to live on.

Xue Bai panted, his nostrils flaring, and sweat dripped onto Qinglan's disheveled hair.

"Breath... breath..."

Qinglan was also panting, her eyes opening, as if waking from a deep drunkenness in the twilight.

~~

The twilight spread over the spotless corridor.

At the steps, Li Jingzhong swept the snow off his red robe, took off his muddy boots, and walked to a room in the back courtyard.

The room was simply furnished but elegantly arranged, with a light fragrance floating in the air.

A middle-aged man stood by the window, admiring the snow, his hands behind his back.

He was not wearing a headcloth, revealing a head of white hair, his back hunched.

Just his silhouette gave a sense of endless weariness.

"Your Highness," Li Jingzhong bowed and called softly.

Li Hen did not respond, muttering to himself, "The lark flies east, the swallow flies west, the Cowherd and the Weaver meet occasionally."

He sighed deeply, his breath dispersing into the twilight, filled with deep emotion and helplessness.

Li Jingzhong's eyes showed sorrow, and he said, "The people have been settled, and I have found a secluded place where they won't be disturbed."

"Make sure to take good care of her daily needs, and ensure she has enough food and clothing."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness," Li Jingzhong said. "What's important is that Your Highness takes care of your health and does not let sorrow harm you."

"Is it not sad? We are the meat on the chopping board, and they are the butchers."

Li Jingzhong bowed even lower, earnestly comforting, "Your Highness is not the meat on the chopping board but a hidden dragon."

"Ha, a hidden dragon, even the last bit of dignity..."

Li Hen choked up as he spoke.

A tear fell on the window frame, and a hand reached out, the fingers gripping the redwood tightly, turning white from the force.

"He won't even give me the last bit of dignity, forcing me to divorce my wife twice. How can the world see me?!"

"Your Highness," Li Jingzhong called softly, "please be patient... After all, it's not as bad as the disgrace of Prince Shou or the tragic fate of the three deposed princes."

Li Hen was speechless for a moment.

Li Jingzhong cleared his throat, his face showing more sorrow, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Today, the villains are blind, mistaking the hidden dragon for a snake. If the snake is not killed, when the hidden dragon rises, it will sweep away these villains!"

~~

The evening brought more snow.

Snow fell on the plum branches in the courtyard, covering Chang'an and the distant outskirts.

In a desolate field, a sudden roar echoed.

A small patch of snow and soil was pushed up.

A hand emerged, followed by a person struggling to crawl out of the ground.

Like a humble ant.

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