Chapter 32: Interrogation

She could no longer feel the cold.

The sound of turning wheels amplified endlessly in the empty night, pressing upon one’s heart with both unsettling lightness and profound weight.

This was the opportunity she had fought hard to obtain—a gamble where danger and success stood equal. Unknown perils might still lie ahead, but at least she had finally taken the first step toward home.

Unable to resist, she lifted the curtain and saw Bai Cha’s slightly hunched back.

Thin and frail, like bamboo bent under the weight of snow in a wintry field.

Unbidden, thoughts of that person surfaced—the one whose back remained ramrod straight at all times, yet at night, curved like a drawn bow, gathering strength like a leopard poised to sprint.

Li Youqing shook her head, dispelling the distracting thoughts.

As the carriage pressed onward, her heart gradually swelled with excitement, and the corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably.

She was like a bird long caged, finally returning to the skies that belonged to her.

She had grown weary of living cautiously, constantly watching others’ expressions. This time, upon returning to the capital, she wanted to establish her own residence outside the palace and live a life of freedom.

She was the Third Princess of Daliang—not a commodity to be passed around, nor some general’s pampered concubine.

After what felt like a long journey, Li Youqing estimated they should have left the city. But when she lifted the curtain, she was startled to find they were still within the village.

“What’s going on? Do you not know the way?” she frowned, casting a displeased look at Bai Cha.

Unexpectedly, he turned around, his expression strangely unsettling.

Bai Cha slowly halted the carriage on the road and smiled at her. “General Xuan has protected you well. To this day, no one even knows your identity.”

Li Youqing replied impatiently, “Why bring this up now? Our priority is to escape.”

Seeing his hesitation, she asserted sternly, “If you take me away from here, I can give you everything General Xuan promised—no, I can give you even more!”

Bai Cha shook his head imperceptibly, cracked the whip with a shout, and urged the carriage forward again.

Still uneasy, Li Youqing kept watch on the path outside. This time, they seemed to be heading straight in one direction instead of meandering.

After a while, she looked out again and sensed something was terribly wrong.

Their stationed village should have been close to the city gates, yet this road was clearly leading away from the city, in the opposite direction.

“Bai Cha, where are you taking me?” Li Youqing cried out, a mix of shock and fury rising within her. She felt the situation slipping beyond her control.

In her panic, she shouted, “Bai Cha, if you dare deceive me, I will kill you! I will surely kill you!”

The slender figure ahead remained unmoved, whipping the horse fiercely into a gallop, his movements almost tinged with satisfaction.

The cold wind choked her throat. Li Youqing coughed, clutching her chest, and in the distance, she spotted a building flanked by two stone lions.

Beside the stone lions stood several familiar figures. Recognizing one of them, a cold sweat broke out across her body, and she felt as if she had been plunged into an icy abyss.

The tallest among them wore a black robe, his robust frame unmistakable even from afar, exuding a mountain-like presence as he spoke to his subordinate.

Hearing the approaching carriage, his chin stilled slightly, but his eyes never lifted.

Those hawk-like sharp eyes emitted an intimidating cold gleam in the night.

Standing beside him were Xiao Ziqi and a dark-faced man she had never seen before.

Li Youqing quietly lowered the carriage curtain, realizing Bai Cha had betrayed her. A hundred thoughts raced through her mind in that instant.

Now that the moment had arrived, she felt less panicked than expected.

She had merely grown weary of the harsh village life and asked Bai Cha to take her out of the city—hardly a capital offense.

If only he would listen to her explanation, the whole matter wouldn’t be serious.

Besides, Bai Cha was a woman disguised as a man. Surely he wouldn’t mistakenly think she was eloping with someone.

The carriage finally stopped. Before she could move, the curtain was rudely yanked open from outside.

A dark-skinned man pointed at her angrily, his brows furrowed: “General, look! This person bears no resemblance to the Thirteenth Young Lady in the portrait. She must be a spy sent by the enemy to sabotage us!”

Only then did Li Youqing notice the scroll portrait in Xiao Ziqi’s hand. Since they mentioned Yang Zhi, the painting must be of…

The sword that had been hanging over her head for so long was finally about to fall.

Her eyes dropped weakly, her gaze trailing upward from the mud-stained deerskin boots before her, along the man’s slender yet powerful calves.

This time, would she be thrown into the ice cave, or subjected to some even crueler punishment?

What kind of cold, merciless expression was he directing at her now?

In his eyes, human life held little value. Having deceived him, her existence became even more dispensable.

Perhaps he waited here specifically to deal with her personally?

Yet her searching gaze found nothing. The man didn’t even grant her a glance, his cold eyes fixed indifferently on the portrait.

After a long silence, his deep voice finally sounded: “In that case, imprison her in the dark prison awaiting disposition.””

Lao Ba immediately protested anxiously: “But General, this woman is undoubtedly a spy sent by the Erhai tribe! In my opinion, we should dismember her and send the pieces back to those barbarians as a warning against such useless tricks!”

Li Youqing swayed in the cold wind, barely steadying herself. Her lips parted as if she had something to say.

She wasn’t a spy, she wasn’t… All this time, when had she ever committed any wrongdoing?

But meeting his cold, hard expression, her throat seemed blocked, unable to utter a single hoarse word.

The man’s profile remained shadowed, sinister and unfeeling, never granting her even a glance.

Xiao Ziqi looked between them before scolding Lao Ba: “We haven’t even conducted an interrogation yet! How can you be sure she’s from the Erhai tribe? What if she’s from another tribe? Always rushing to kill without using your brain!”

Lao Ba recognized his impulsiveness and, seeing the General remain silent, sheepishly lowered his head.

Only then did Li Youqing hear the man who held her fate slowly declare: “I said, imprison her in the dark prison first.”

Xiao Ziqi quickly stepped forward, raising his voice: “Come with me now! Must we resort to force?”

Li Youqing slightly furrowed her brows, clenching her fists until her nails dug into her palms, finally regaining some sensation.

Multiple gazes fell upon her simultaneously. Never in her life had she felt such humiliation as she took a step forward following Xiao Ziqi.

Though no one restrained her with chains, in everyone’s eyes at this moment, she was nothing but a despicable spy.

Without even asking a single question, he had already deemed her a criminal and thrown her into a pitch-dark prison cell.

The biting cold wind cut sharply against her face, stinging with pain.

She suddenly remembered her current appearance—face smeared with soot, hair disheveled and unkempt—she must look utterly wretched.

Bai Cha was surely laughing at her inwardly, mocking how easily she had fallen into her trap…

Li Youqing, you truly are a fool!

As she brushed past that person, she could faintly catch a lingering scent of alcohol in the air.

Frowning slightly, she followed Xiao Ziqi into the government office without a word.

Bai Cha stood to the side, her heart trembling with fear over the confession she was about to make to the General.

No matter what, she didn’t want to lose this powerful patron before her. So she chose this moment as an opportunity—first to win General Xuan’s favor and trust, and then to reveal her true identity as a woman.

Yet, for some reason, her unease only grew…

Would this really make General Xuan show her mercy? Would he truly let bygones be bygones regarding her previous disguise as a man?

Once the two had completely disappeared into the government office, Bai Cha suddenly knelt on the ground, cupping her hands respectfully. “General Xuan, this humble one has another matter to confess.”

Xuan Rui glanced down at her but remained standing motionless.

Lao Ba, not understanding the situation, grumbled angrily, “Those treacherous Erhai dogs are the most cunning! This time, they sent such a beautiful young girl, disguised as the Prime Minister’s daughter, to get close to the General. Hmph! Does the General look so easily fooled? With the evidence now clear, we’ll make sure that woman suffers in prison until she spits out the truth.”

“Let’s go back,” Xuan Rui suddenly spoke, striding forward a few steps before mounting his horse and galloping away.

Bai Cha hurried after him, her heart filled with even greater anxiety.

~

Lately, everyone had been busy with disaster relief, leaving only three people on rotating shifts at the government office.

The prisoners in the jail had managed to avoid the plague, but their meals had become much worse than before.

Since she was a woman once favored by the General, Xiao Ziqi handled the situation carefully. He didn’t dare take her to the crowded, chaotic prison cells. Instead, he led her to a solitary interrogation room.

The room was enclosed by walls on all sides, with a small bed placed against the wall beneath a skylight, covered by a thin mattress.

In Xiao Ziqi’s view, the conditions here were actually quite decent. He just wasn’t sure if the General would scold him for acting on his own initiative.

But seeing the woman’s disheveled, grimy, and pitiful state, he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of compassion.

Noting that she had sat down on the edge of the bed, head bowed in silence, Xiao Ziqi took the initiative to ask, “Earlier, at the bathhouse, you eavesdropped on my conversation with Bai Cha, didn’t you?”

Li Youqing only wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. Hearing his question, she replied indifferently, “Since you already know, why bother asking?”

Xiao Ziqi couldn’t help but sigh. “What I advised her then, I now advise you: whatever your identity is, and whatever your purpose in sneaking in here, you’d better confess sooner rather than later. Spare yourself the physical torment. Otherwise, once the whip comes down, I doubt you’ll be able to endure it.”

“If I tell you, will you let me go?” Li Youqing lifted her head, thinking of the lecherous, aging Zhenbei Wang. Her eyes held a trace of mockery. “It’s just moving from one cage to another. Are any of you truly good people?!”

For so long, when had she ever done anything to harm him?

It was the Crown Prince, it was Xuan Rui, it was Zhenbei Wang… one by one, they had driven her into a corner.

“What exactly is my identity?” She suddenly couldn’t help but laugh, covering her face with both hands, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Just a princess despised by her own mother, betrayed by her elder brother, never truly cared for by anyone.

Seeing her face already showing signs of madness, Xiao Ziqi shook his head and turned to leave the interrogation room.

Li Youqing lay down laughing, curling her body, tightly wrapping her arms around herself.

So this is what true cold feels like—when you can no longer feel the cold at all.