Release? What does he mean?
Miss Jun's gaze fell on the dagger in Lu Yunqi's hand.
"How did you come back?" He looked at her face, "Are you afraid to see me or acknowledge me because you've become like this?"
His hand lowered, and the dagger pressed against her face.
"Don't be afraid, I'll let you out." He spoke expressionlessly.
The sharp tip of the dagger seemed to have already pierced her skin; Miss Jun felt droplets of blood seeping out.
This lunatic!
"Lu Yunqi!" Miss Jun shouted angrily, "What madness is this!"
The torch flickered, causing Lu Yunqi's face to become blurry.
"Madness? My madness is you came back but hid it from me." He said, the dagger slowly moving across Miss Jun's face.
"I don't understand what you're saying!" Miss Jun said.
Lu Yunqi looked at her, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted, as if smiling.
"You don't understand? Then why did you run?" He said, "You don't understand, then why did you sing that song to me?"
He flipped the hand holding the dagger, and the back of his hand brushed against Miss Jun's face, feeling it.
"I ran because you're my enemy, Lu Yunqi, this is something we both know." Miss Jun said numbly, "As for the song, I don't understand what you mean."
Lu Yunqi looked at her, the back of his hand pressed tightly against her face.
"Is that so." He said flatly, then fell silent, only staring at her.
The expressionless gaze seemed to want to pierce her soul.
The torch flickered a few more times before burning out, leaving the room in darkness.
But Miss Jun could feel Lu Yunqi still squatting in front of her, staring at her silently.
He didn't speak, just silently watching her like this.
Silence, darkness, suffocation, like an abyss, yet gradually there was another kind of tranquility.
"Saying these things indeed holds no meaning." Miss Jun suddenly said.
The hand against her face quivered slightly, seemingly uncontrollably exerting force.
"Remove your hand." Miss Jun said.
The hand instantly withdrew from her face.
"Where is this place?" Miss Jun asked.
"Our family's dungeon." Lu Yunqi's voice sounded.
In the darkness, his face couldn't be seen, only his wooden voice could be heard.
Miss Jun responded with an "Oh."
"The one beneath my Fuyun Mansion where I keep my flowers?" She asked.
The atmosphere in the darkness seemed frozen, as if a long time passed or it was just a moment.
"Yes." Lu Yunqi's voice said, the air in the darkness flowed, as if he was nodding forcefully, "The flowers are still being tended, just as well as when you were taking care of them."
Miss Jun chuckled.
"What did I tend well?" She said, "What do I know about taking care of flowers? I only know how to eat them."
Darkness fell silent again, the person crouched closely in front of her seemed to have no breath, seemed existent yet already gone, but Miss Jun could still sense his gaze, unwavering, piercing the darkness and falling tightly on her.
"Previously, my death is my own, Princess Jiuli and Jiurong have nothing to do with it." Miss Jun said, "My life is also my own, unrelated to them. I can die, hope not to implicate them..."
She didn't finish, Lu Yunqi's hand pressed against her mouth.
"Don't say that, you clearly understand." His voice remained wooden.
Understand what?
Miss Jun bit her teeth tightly.
"Jiuling, we're husband and wife." Lu Yunqi said, "You know."
Know what?
Know that he married her to imprison her, knowing how her parents died yet deceiving her, knowing he is one of the murderers of her parents, knowing he is the emperor's man.
Miss Jun opened her mouth and bit down on his hand, fiercely biting like a little beast.
The taste of blood instantly filled her mouth and nose.
Lu Yunqi seemed unaware, allowing her to bite, while his other hand stroked Miss Jun's head gently.
"Jiuling, don't be afraid." His voice was low, "We've gone home, we're at home, don't be afraid."
At home, this is not her home, this is a cage.
Even if that house has her sister in it, she would never go in; what she wants is to save her sister, not go in herself.
Miss Jun suddenly shook her head, releasing her mouth, struggling.
"Then let me go." She shouted through gritted teeth, "Release me."
Lu Yunqi remained quiet as if a statue in the darkness.
"Jiuling, outside is too dangerous, you can't go out." He said.
Miss Jun chuckled with disdain.
"Outside too dangerous? You've got it wrong; it's clearly here that's the most dangerous." She laughed.
"Jiuling, regardless of what you say, I won't let you out again this time." Lu Yunqi said, "I won't let you get into trouble again."
Miss Jun struggled to jump up but was to no avail.
"Lu Yunqi, being trapped here is the real trouble." She shouted, "I didn't know before that I was happy to be trapped here, but now I've realized."
She screamed, tears streaming down.
"Now I've realized, are you willing to watch me trapped here to death?"
Lu Yunqi's hand touched her face, wiping away her tears.
"I just want you to live." He said.
Miss Jun raised her head forcefully and tried to headbutt his face.
Lu Yunqi's hand remained on her face, firmly stopping her from getting close.
"You'll hurt yourself." He said.
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the closeness allowed her to feel his warm breath, Miss Jun gritted her teeth and looked at him.
"You just want me to live, but how do I live? As long as I don't die, I can't live." She said word by word.
As long as she doesn't die, she can't live. These words sounded strange and contradictory, but Lu Yunqi knew what it meant.
As long as she doesn't die, her heart for revenge doesn't die. Without avenging, she can't live in peace.
"Jiuling, you're courting death." He said, "Do you think going out will allow you to take revenge?"
He shook his head.
"Do you remember how you died after going out?"
He shook his head again.
"I haven't forgotten."
Miss Jun spat at his face.
"I'm genuinely sorry for scaring you." She said coldly.
Lu Yunqi didn't wipe the spit off his face, he just held Miss Jun's head and slowly pressed her back against the door.
"Now, just like before, even with Duke of Chengguo, he won't be your help." He said woodenly, "He will instead burden you, none of you know that the emperor isn't really weak and incompetent."
As he spoke, he drew out a wide cloth.
"Duke of Chengguo has already been accused of treason, at this moment the imperial guard has caught up and surrounded him to escort him back to the capital, and then there's death."
The wide cloth wrapped around Miss Jun's shoulders, rendering her unable to move, and she was shocked into immobility by this news.
Treason?
Such a ridiculous and laughable charge, how could it convince the masses?
"Jiuling, it doesn't matter whether it convinces or not; once someone is dead, whether they are convinced is irrelevant." Lu Yunqi said, laying down against the door.
"What are you doing?" Miss Jun asked in surprise, feeling him approaching and holding her, she struggled again.
The hands on her body held her strongly, the person pressed against her side, head resting on her shoulder.
But there was no more movement beyond that.
"I'm tired, I want to sleep." Lu Yunqi said, possibly because he buried his head in her shoulder, the wooden voice sounded low and muffled, seeming full of exhaustion yet jumping with a trace of delight, "I can have a good sleep now."
This lunatic!
Miss Jun wanted to struggle but was helpless, only able to curse angrily.
But Lu Yunqi turned a deaf ear, or perhaps regarded her curses as a lullaby, soon he was genuinely asleep.
He was truly asleep, not pretending, because he was very close, Miss Jun could feel his relaxed body, unguarded in sleep, with gentle snores by her ear, just like before.
The word "before" flashed by, Miss Jun felt anger again, not wanting to recall the past, but focus on the present, what about Duke of Chengguo and the others now?
.....
.....
The hooves moved in unison, nearly a hundred soldiers spread like a folding fan, the soldiers on horseback raised their weapons aimed at Duke of Chengguo's party.
Zhu Zan spurred his horse to circle in place, gazing at them with a faint smile.
"What, are you going to execute us on the spot?" He asked.
"Duke of Chengguo, please return to the capital with us." The leading soldier disregarded Zhu Zan's taunt, speaking coldly, while looking at the simple carriage.
The green curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing Duke of Chengguo dressed in casual robes more fitting for a scholar inside.
"Whose order is this?" He asked gently.
"It's the emperor's order." The general gestured towards the capital, speaking solemnly, "Duke of Chengguo, do you intend to defy the imperial decree?"