The black-armored guard reached out to grab King Cheng , and King Cheng stepped back and tried to hide, but unfortunately the cell was only a small area and he couldn't hide at all.
When he was captured, King Cheng hissed, "Song Tangning, do you really not want to know where Rong Yue's child is?"
"I know you will torture him, but he is my life-saving talisman. If you don't let me go, I will never tell you where he is. Moreover, I have kept him in a secret place and have him under strict guard. If anything happens to me, he will not be able to survive."
"He is Rong Yue's child, her blood. If you kill that child, Rong Yue will hate you..."
"Bang!"
Canglang slapped King Cheng in the face, causing the nonsense King Cheng to stagger and fall against the wall. Before King Cheng could stand up straight, he kicked him hard in the stomach. King Cheng screamed in pain and knelt on the ground and curled up.
"I've seen many people who are tough on the outside, but once they enter the Criminal Division, they will cry for their parents."
Canglang grabbed King Cheng and threw him directly towards the prison door . Immediately, someone came forward, tied his hands and feet and lifted him up.
Prince Cheng felt as if all his internal organs were displaced, and he was being dragged outside while sweating coldly from the pain.
When he passed by Song Tangning and saw that she didn't say a word, he could only turn his head and look across:
"Xiao Yan, I have no grudge against you, why do you have to get involved and put me to death?"
"If it's just for the connections left by the Rong family, Rong Qian'an has been dead for so many years, how many people can still care about the friendship of the past? I know that you have made many enemies in the court, and I also know that you are not safe relying on His Majesty. As long as you let me go, I can do much more than Song Tangning. I can help you..."
Xiao Yan turned his head and looked at King Cheng : "How can you help me?"
King Chen said anxiously: "As long as you want, I can help you. As long as you and I join forces, we can make your wish come true."
Xiao Yan laughed : "Really? Your Majesty's words are indeed touching."
Just as Prince Cheng relaxed a little, he heard Xiao Yan say, "Since you are so sincere, why don't you tell me where you brought Xie Yin back from that year."
King Cheng 's expression changed instantly.
Xiao Yan tilted his head : "Why, didn't the prince just say that whatever this governor wants, the prince can make it happen for me?"
"That's not what I'm talking about..."
Prince Cheng suppressed his panic. He raised Xie Yin as his child in the hope that he could use him to take over everything in the Rong family in the future, and he would be able to control his own son by force.
But how could Xiao Yan possibly tell Xie Yin's background? Once he knew Xie Yin's background, if he followed the clues and found out something he shouldn't, how would he have a chance to survive?
"Xie Yin was just someone I picked up from outside. Why should Governor Xiao care about such an insignificant person?"
"If you are unwilling to tell me something insignificant, how can I expect anything else? After all, I don't dare to believe someone like you who can deceive even the person next to him."
After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he said coldly:
"Take the person away!"
"Xiao hates you... mmmmm ..."
Canglang was quick to grab a bunch of hay and stuff it into King Cheng 's mouth. The people who were holding him quickly dragged him away, and this time no matter how he struggled, no one gave him a chance to speak.
A long drag mark was left on the ground, and the sound of the cell door opening and closing could be heard.
In this special prison that imprisoned nobles , only Xiao Yan and the other two were left .
The prison was cold and dark, so Xiao Yan did not stay and led Tang Ning out. Seeing that the little girl had been following him quietly, Xiao Yan slowed down.
"Did you believe what Xie Tianyu said?"
"No."
Tang Ning shook her head. She did believe him for a moment at first, but when she saw Xie Tianyu begging for mercy from her brother so shamelessly, she came to her senses.
Given Xie Tianyu's shamelessness and the viciousness of the woman who had an affair with him in secret, they have repeatedly killed people over the years and even refused to allow his aunt to get pregnant. Xie Tianyu still has no children. How could that woman allow the child to live?
Tang Ning followed him and whispered, "When my aunt gave birth to her child, my grandfather was still alive, and the Rong family was at its peak. Xie Tianyu wanted to rely on my grandfather to fight for the throne and compete with the Crown Prince Li. It was a huge risk to secretly replace the child. If I keep my aunt's child, it will only bring endless troubles."
There is no such thing as an absolutely secret in this world. Truth will come to light sooner or later. No matter how deep a secret is, it is likely to leak out, unless no one mentions the secret anymore and all the people who knew the secret are dead.
Almost no one survived who knew about this incident at that time, and Nanny Jiang became the biggest "accident" simply because she couldn't die.
Tang Ning pursed her lips and glanced at the dim oil lamp hanging on the wall: "Actually, I don't care whether the child is still alive or not. Even if he is not dead, I don't plan to let him see his aunt."
When you have blood relatives, you have ties, and ties mean you will be soft-hearted.
That child was the beginning of all deceptions. Even though the child was innocent, Princess Cheng 's half life was ruined by countless lies.
She would rather the child died than let her aunt, who had finally severed ties with Prince Chen's Mansion, be dragged into it again, and let the child become her weak spot after recognizing Princess Chen , or even become the second "Xie Yin".
She could give him a good life and let him live in peace away from the capital, but she was unwilling to let him appear in front of Princess Chen .
After Tang Ning finished speaking in a low voice, he looked at Xiao Yan and said, "Brother, am I too cruel to think this way?"
The prison corridor was pitch black, with only the oil lamps on the walls on both sides casting dim lights.
Xiao Yan walked half a step in front of her, and after hearing Tang Ning's words , he was indifferent and cold: "Everyone has their own closeness and distance, and their feelings will naturally be towards the people they care about. If someone they have never met before appears, they will definitely hurt the people I care about, and then I will be more cruel than you."
It is not impossible to eradicate the problem completely.
His voice was like cold jade from the mountains, tinged with a hint of chilliness.
"You don't need to criticize yourself with worldly kindness, nor do you need to live under the eyes of others. There's nothing wrong with being selfish and willful. Just live a happy life."
His father was perfect in his time and was praised by everyone. He was the best prince in everyone's eyes. He always held himself to the highest standards of virtue and never overstepped the line.
When he was in the Eastern Palace, everyone said that he would become a wise ruler. But later on, didn't he die miserably, be infamous, and be despised by everyone?
Tang Ning looked up at the broad figure of the man beside her. His expression seemed normal when he spoke, but she inexplicably felt that he was a little sad after he said that.
It was as if he was hiding resentment and sarcasm that had never been revealed to anyone, as if he was mocking himself, or accusing something, and even the air around him became oppressive.
Tang Ning suddenly reached out and grabbed Xiao Yan's wrist. The slender and slightly cool touch made Xiao Yan pause.
He turned around and saw the little girl's pink lips opening slightly : "Brother, are you sad?"
Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment and was about to say what he had to be sad about, since the dead could not be resurrected and sadness could not be eaten. But before he could say anything, he saw the little girl suddenly approach him, tiptoeing, raising her head, and reaching out her hand to touch his forehead.
"Don't be sad, I'm here."
She was petite, and stood on tiptoe to look at him very close, with the tip of her upturned nose almost touching his chin. The two of them stood very close to each other, so close that it seemed as if he could entangle his breath with hers if he just lowered his head.
Xiao Yan's throat stagnated , and when the dim light and shadow around him pressed down, his eyes suddenly became dark.
"Little Begonia."
"Um?"
"I don't want to..."
There was a sudden "clang" sound outside, and the second half of Xiao Yan's whisper was drowned out by the sudden scream.
Tang Ning seemed to be distracted by the sounds of King Cheng and his men torturing him, and didn't hear Xiao Yan's words clearly. When the other side became quiet, he turned around and looked at Xiao Yan in confusion, "Brother, what did you just say?"
Xiao Yan looked at her clean and trusting eyes and was silent for a moment: "Nothing."
He is now a eunuch, a castrator in the eyes of outsiders. If he hadn't kept her in Jiyun Lane as a brother, she would have become the target of public criticism.
Rumors would ruin the reputation she had worked so hard to restore, ruin the academy she had been looking forward to, and ruin her and the Rong family.
Xiao Yan was reluctant to let Tang Ning bear the storms outside.
He lowered his eyes to hide his thoughts, and when he raised them again, he was already clear-headed. Xiao Yan reached out and grasped the little hand that had just touched his forehead , and put it down, saying softly, "Wait outside. I'll go and interrogate King Cheng , and then I'll let you in when I give you the gift."
Tang Ning nodded obediently: "Okay."
The place where royal relatives were imprisoned was different from that of ordinary prisoners. Xiao Yan sent Tang Ning to a clean compartment outside, and asked Jinyun to accompany him outside in person, then strode back to the place where the torture was taking place in the prison.
"Girl, I'm outside. If you have any instructions, just call me." Jinyun was guarding outside the door.
Tang Ning nodded: "Okay."
After closing the partition, Tang Ning walked to the table as if nothing had happened, poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of him, then held the cup in his hands and stared in a daze at the swaying water inside.
She actually heard it clearly just now.
Xiao Yan said softly.
"I don't want to be your brother anymore."