“If the Shen family is exterminated this time, will you continue to stay by my side, Shijie?”

Xie Jin Yan curved the corners of his mouth, neither agreeing nor refusing, but instead asked this question.

His dark eyes stared at Qing Wu with great intensity.

The Crown Prince was, after all, the Crown Prince, possessing the common ailment of all imperial heirs—extreme suspicion and volatile emotions.

Xie Jin Yan had all of these traits.

So, Yu Qing Wu wasn't surprised to see his sudden change of face.

More than anything, she felt… fear, fear of the seemingly calm but turbulent look in his eyes.

Yu Qing Wu's pupils involuntarily shrank. She pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, took Xie Jin Yan's hand, and gently nestled into his embrace, responding to him in a silent, tender way.

As expected, Xie Jin Yan's expression immediately improved.

"Shijie is becoming more and more skilled at yielding."

He closed his eyes, his large hand stroking the woman's soft hair, kissing her forehead, and said with satisfaction, "Alright, let's have lunch served. I'm a little hungry."

"After lunch, I'll take you to see Qiu Shi."

"Okay." Seeing that Xie Jin Yan's expression had softened a little, Yu Qing Wu breathed a sigh of relief, then slowly broke free from his embrace and got up to walk outside.

She had only taken two steps when she heard Xie Jin Yan call out, "A'Wu."

Hearing this, Yu Qing Wu turned back and looked at him questioningly.

He hooked his lips and spoke in a gentle voice, "A'Wu, do you think I'm too suspicious and volatile?"

Xie Jin Yan sat up, a hint of a smile on his cold face.

He walked over slowly, his large hand stroking the back of her head, his thin lips gently close to her, rubbing her hair as he said, "A'Wu, I don't want to be like this either, but you used to hate me so much. Since entering the Crown Prince's residence, you haven't had a sincere smile on your face. Every day, you either speak harshly to me, or deliberately please me because you need something from me."

"And now, because the Shen family members are imprisoned, you smile more happily than ever. Even when I asked Father Emperor to make you my Crown Princess, I didn't see you so happy. Moreover, even today, you still drink the contraception soup from time to time."

"It's hard for me not to think that you're doing this so you can leave more freely in the future."

As he spoke, Xie Jin Yan's voice became more and more desolate, vaguely revealing a hint of gloom.

This was Xie Jin Yan. Even when questioning her, even when mentioning the bad things he had done, he still wore the face of a victim.

In the past, Yu Qing Wu thought that Xie Jin Yan had gradually become ruthless after he grew up, but at this moment, she suddenly realized that perhaps Xie Jin Yan had always been like this.

It was just that he used to be good at using his weak and handsome appearance to bewitch others, including her.

Just as now, he used a ridiculous and depraved image to confuse those nobles who were vying for power with him.

The most terrifying thing was that he clearly saw through her insincere flattery, but he didn't expose it.

Looking up at those phoenix eyes full of tenderness, Yu Qing Wu couldn't help but feel a little frightened.

But soon, she forced herself to calm down, a hint of faint fear floating between her brows, and responded softly, "Your Highness is overthinking it. I'm just… afraid of having children, especially in the imperial family. How many women die in childbirth?"

"My great revenge has not been avenged, so I can't afford to make any mistakes."

With a soft voice and watery eyes, Yu Qing Wu tried to make her posture as gentle as possible.

Xie Jin Yan didn't know whether to believe it or not. He didn't answer, just looked at her quietly. After a moment, he put his arms around her again and smiled, "Judging by the time, Eunuch Yu should be returning to the capital tonight. Qiu Shi's days are numbered. Your revenge can be considered half avenged. It's just a pity that Qiu Shi is still dreaming of seeing the light of day."

"Alright, let's eat."

The man's gentle voice came from her ear, and that handsome face returned to its usual expression, as if it wasn't him who had been closing in on her just now.

Yu Qing Wu didn't answer, just nodded and followed Xie Jin Yan carefully.

In recent days, she had long been accustomed to his volatile emotions. Although she would sometimes throw a temper tantrum at him, she understood the principle of serving a ruler is like walking on thin ice.

The Crown Prince was also a ruler.

During the whole meal, the two didn't say a word, and the atmosphere was particularly strange.

It wasn't until the afternoon, when she stepped into the dark and damp prison, that Yu Qing Wu took the initiative to speak.

"Your Highness, I want to say a few words to Qiu Shi alone." Seeing that they were about to reach the end of the dungeon, Yu Qing Wu stopped and looked up at Xie Jin Yan, pleading, "Could Your Highness wait outside?"

"What? Is there anything Shijie can't let me hear?" Xie Jin Yan raised his eyebrows with an unhappy tone.

That's what he said, but he still retreated, glanced at her with a smile, and said, "Alright, go."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Nodding to him, Yu Qing Wu stepped inside.

Step by step, inch by inch, with the increasingly strong smell of mildew, Qiu Shi's scarred face came into view in the deepest part of the prison. She was disheveled, her already old face even more haggard, her whole body mixed with blood and stench.

Behind her stood a group of female members of the Shen family.

Seeing Yu Qing Wu, they were all shocked, especially Qiu Shi.

Her eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the approaching woman in luxurious clothes.

This… how could this be possible? How is this little slut still alive? According to the plan, Eunuch Yu should be sending the evidence of this slut's murder to the Emperor right now. In order to silence the public, the Emperor will definitely kill this slut!

But now, not only is this little slut not dead, but she seems to be very proud?

What's going on? What's going on? Could it be that Eunuch Yu has defected?

Would Eunuch Yu be so stupid? A group of centuries-old families and a merchant's daughter—he was stupid enough to choose a merchant's daughter?

But even if he was stupid, he would never disregard his own sister's life! His own sister was in the hands of his younger brother, Qiu Hou. Did he not care?

Looking at Yu Qing Wu, who had already arrived in front of the prison cell, Qiu Shi's mind was almost blank.

"You… what are you doing here?" Staring at Yu Qing Wu angrily, she asked with a cold face.

At that time, Shen Rou, Xu Shi, Qin Yi Liu, Shen Yan Huan and others behind her also stumbled over. Judging from their appearance, they should have been well taken care of.

Especially Shen Rou, whose once beautiful face was now covered with scars. Thinking of the grievances she had suffered in recent days, Shen Rou was almost driven mad and was about to pounce on Yu Qing Wu.

It was a pity that, separated by a cage, no matter how she screamed, she couldn't hurt Yu Qing Wu in the slightest, so she had to curse hysterically.

"Slut! You slut! I'm going to kill you! Just wait, when I get out, I will definitely tear you to pieces! I will sell you to the brothel to be the cheapest prostitute!"

However, Yu Qing Wu didn't care at all. She smiled lightly and looked coldly at Qiu Shi, who was also full of anger, and asked, "Grandmother, life in prison isn't easy, is it? Do you want to get out alive? Do you want your good granddaughter to get out alive?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Shen Rou, "If you do, then promise me one thing."