The eldest princess stepped into the prison cell. The air was damp and cold.
On the ground, Xiao Lan lay weak and trembling as harmless snakes slithered over her body. Their fangs were not poisonous, but each bite was sharp and cruel. Xiao Lan no longer had the strength to scream—she only wept quietly, eyes shut, lips trembling as she endured.
Feng Yao looked at her for a long moment, then exhaled a tired sigh.
"Kill her," she said calmly.
Wu Ming bowed her head—but before she could respond, a soft ahem echoed from the entrance.
"My Lord…" Wu Ming and A Li spoke at the same time, their faces stiffening in shock.
"What are you doing here?" Feng Yao asked sharply. When Lang Huan tried to step forward, the shadow guards immediately blocked her path.
Xiao Lan heard Lang Huan's voice and her dull eyes suddenly lit up. "Big brother… help me, help me… they're torturing me…" Her voice broke into sobs, clinging to the last thread of hope she still believed in.
"Out of the way."
The shadow guards did not move.
Lang Huan's eyes hardened. In the next instant, her palm struck forward—the guards were thrown back, hitting the stone floor with a dull thud.
"Stop it." Feng Yao's voice cut sharply through the chaos, halting everyone's movement.
She stepped forward, placing herself between Lang Huan and the fallen guards. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were cold.
"Lang Huan, don't even think about saving Xiao Lan."
"She killed my father."
She paused, then met Lang Huan's eyes directly. "And she killed… Lang Ruhua."
Lang Huan's fists tightened. Her gaze flicked toward Xiao Lan on the ground, shaking, covered in bite marks, whispering weakly for help.
Silence filled the room.
Xiao Lan sobbed, "Big brother… she lied… please… help me…"
Lang Huan's expression shifted the moment she heard those words. Xiao Lan's crying and pleading no longer mattered in the slightest.
Without saying a word, she walked straight to Feng Yao and gently took her wrist.
"Lang Huan—" Feng Yao didn't even finish before she found herself lifted and slung over Lang Huan's shoulder like a sack of rice.
"H–hey! Put me down! Let go of me!" The eldest princess kicked and slapped at her back, her face turning red with anger and embarrassment.
"We're going back," Lang Huan said simply.
Wu Ming glanced at A Li, silently asking whether they should intervene—or pretend they saw nothing. A Li only shrugged helplessly. Better not get involved.
---
Inside their room, Lang Huan set Feng Yao down on the bed. "Tell me honestly. What really happened?"
Feng Yao pouted, she hated it every time Lang Huan raised her voice at her. "I already told you. Didn't you hear me clearly?"
Lang Huan clenched her jaw. "You… you're really unbelievable. You even seduced me to keep me from finding out what you did."
"Seduce you?" Feng Yao reached for the silk sash around her waist and tugged it loose. Her robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing the delicate pink belly band beneath. "Like this?" she whispered, biting her lower lip lightly.
Lang Huan's voice was low and cold. "That doesn't work anymore. Stop playing around and get to the point." She sat beside her, eyes fixed and unyielding.
The eldest princess ignored her words. Instead, she leaned in, sitting close beside Lang Huan. She shifted her body until her legs slid around Lang Huan's waist, pulling her closer. Her hands slipped beneath the robe, fingers tracing the warmth of her skin.
Lang Huan caught her wrist and slapped it away. Her other hand gripped the princess's thigh—firm enough to make her still. "Be honest, just answer my question."
Her frustration bled through as she raised her voice. "Why did you hide it from me? You promised you'd tell me, didn't you?" Her voice was loud enough that even A Li and Wu Ming outside could hear it through the door.
Feng Yao froze, startled by Lang Huan's reaction, she had never seen her this angry before. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes as she whispered, "I didn't tell you… because I was afraid you'd think I was cruel and vicious."
Lang Huan sighed quietly, her heart tightening at the sight. For a moment, she just looked at the eldest princess sobbing. And then, suddenly, she laughed.
"Who in Great Qi doesn't already know you're cruel?" she said, shaking her head with a helpless smile. "You lied again, didn't you? You were just scared I wouldn't believe you… and that I'd save Xiao Lan instead."
"Who is Xiao Lan to me? Who are you? How could you think I'd believe her over my own wife?" Lang Huan drew in a long breath, disappointment heavy in her chest.
Feng Yao lowered her head, guilt flickering in her tearful eyes. She sniffled softly, her sobs quieting into silence.
"Why are you so quiet now?" Lang Huan asked, trying to catch her gaze.
"You yelled at me… and you hit me," Feng Yao murmured, "My hand still hurts."
Lang Huan's expression softened instantly. Unable to bear it, she gently pulled Feng Yao onto her lap, seating her sideways across her thighs. "Does it hurt?" she asked, taking her hand. "It's not even red."
She looked at the hand tenderly and blew on it, as if her breath could ease the pain. Then she brushed away Feng Yao's tears though they kept falling, one by one. "Why are you still crying? I'm not angry anymore,"
Feng Yao sniffled, glaring at her through tear-filled eyes.
"I'm crying because of you! Who else could make me cry like this?" she burst out.
"That bitch Xiao Lan likes you—she saw me and Lang Ruhua as her rivals!" she went on, her words tumbling out between shaky breaths.
"Even Xiao Lan can tell that Lang Ruhua's been thinking about you!"
By then, the eldest princess was sobbing uncontrollably, all her pent-up resentment spilling out at once. Lang Huan was stunned, speechless. Moments ago, she should've been the one angry—but now she was the one being blamed and scolded instead.
And deep inside, she couldn't deny it: the princess was right. In the end, all of this had started because of her.
After all her emotional rambling, Feng Yao finally went quiet, still glaring at Lang Huan with fiery, tear-bright eyes.
Lang Huan only chuckled softly and said, "Tch tch… How can my wife be this beautiful? Even when she cries, she's still breathtaking."
"Hmph." Feng Yao snorted.
Lang Huan laughed again, amused by her stubbornness. She spent half the night coaxing her, but nothing seemed to work.
Only when dawn approached did Feng Yao finally smile and fall asleep in Lang Huan's arms, curled up on her lap like a caterpillar.
Lang Huan looked down at her sleeping face, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
"How come you're getting harder and harder to deal with these days," she murmured softly.
Feng Yao, half-asleep, heard her... and hid a tiny smile against her sleeve.