“Song Jiuning, to Zhen, you are nothing more than a dog to be used and crushed at will. And now…”
The man flung Song Jiuning away with disgust. “You can go die.”
Song Jiuning had long been tortured to the point where all her meridians were severed. Now, it seemed she could no longer feel pain.
Nor did she have the right to cry out in pain. Everything she was suffering now was of her own making.
When Shen Yunting wanted to vie for the throne, she had donned armor and charged onto the battlefield for him, bathed in blood. To fulfill her wish, all thirteen men of the Song family had perished in battle, with not a single one surviving.
She had sacrificed the entire Song family to finally place her beloved, Shen Yunting, upon the throne.
But when she shed her battle robes for a silk dress, she was not greeted with the empress’s seal and regalia she had imagined.
With a single imperial edict from Shen Yunting, the Song family was branded as traitors colluding with the enemy. The entire clan was executed, their blood flowing like a river. Even the dogs guarding the courtyard were ground to dust, none spared.
Only she and her half-sister, Song Qingyao, were left alive.
She, Song Jiuning, had her shoulder blades pierced by finger-thick iron hooks and was hung in this sunless water prison.
For forty-nine whole days, she endured every extreme form of torture. Her skin had long since festered, revealing the stark white of her bones.
And now, Shen Yunting held Song Qingyao in his arms, looking down on her as if she were a dead dog.
Aside from her eyes, there was not a single intact part of her body.
Where was the valiant and heroic bearing of the iron-blooded female general of yesteryear?
“Hahaha! Shen Yunting, you are good, you are truly good!”
Song Jiuning was consumed by hatred, and two streams of bloody tears fell from her hollow eye sockets.
How could she have been so foolish!
Song Qingyao let out a delicate cry and hid in Shen Yunting’s embrace. “Aiyo, Sister looks so frightening. You’re scaring Qingyao to death.”
Shen Yunting tightened his hold on Song Qingyao, his gaze imperiously fixed on Song Jiuning. “What should We do? You’ve frightened Our Yaoyao! Let Us think, how should We punish you?”
Song Jiuning’s bloodthirsty eyes stared fixedly at the embracing pair.
Shen Yunting, Song Qingyao!
Even if she were to fall into the Avici Hell, she would never let them go!
She would gnaw their bones inch by inch to appease the three hundred-plus souls of the Song family!
Leaning against Shen Yunting’s chest, Song Qingyao twirled a lock of hair with her slender fingers. “Then let’s throw her into the Snake Pit. This servant has never seen a snake eat a person before. What do you say, Brother Yunting?”
Song Jiuning’s pupils shrank.
She was terrified of snakes, and Shen Yunting knew it.
Shen Yunting took her hand without any hesitation. “As you wish.”
Pain!
It was so painful that she couldn’t even faint. She could only watch, wide-eyed, as snake after snake slithered over and gnawed at her body.
Finally, Song Jiuning died.
Perhaps her resentment was too strong for even the underworld to accept her, as her soul continued to drift over the skies of Dasheng.
Shen Yunting had only been on the throne for half a year. Without the Song family’s support, border conflicts arose frequently, and among the entire court of civil and military officials, not a single person could be found to lead the troops.
Watching Shen Yunting at his wit’s end, Song Jiuning felt nothing but the sweet taste of retribution, an incomparable delight.
But she never expected that Prince Gongning, Shen Yunqi, who had been in seclusion for a long time, would suddenly re-emerge.
Shen Yunqi, courtesy name Wenjing, was the second prince and the legitimate son of the former empress. He had originally been the most promising successor to the throne.
In her support of Shen Yunting, Song Jiuning had even crossed swords with him a few times.
She had to admit, with Shen Wenjing’s capabilities, even with the Song family’s support, Shen Yunting would never have been able to secure the throne.
But for some unknown reason, Shen Wenjing had abruptly withdrawn from the war for succession and retired to the mountains.
Song Jiuning had once thought that after Shen Yunting’s position was secure, she would help him eliminate the hidden threat that was Shen Wenjing.
But now, she wished for nothing more than for Shen Wenjing to drag Shen Yunting down into the mud.
However, no one expected that the first thing Shen Wenjing did upon returning to the capital was to contact the Song family’s old subordinates and demand to clear the family’s name.
He was neither servile nor overbearing. Though he stood below in the hall, he appeared far more imposing than Shen Yunting on the throne above.
“Restore justice to the Song family, and this prince will quell the chaos at the border for you.”
Shen Yunting’s eyes were wide with fury. At this moment, he only hated himself for being too careless.
If that foolish woman Song Jiuning were still alive, how could he have fallen into such a state?
With just a gentle beckoning, Song Jiuning would have given her life for him.
Shen Yunting had no choice but to agree.
In just three months, Shen Wenjing returned in triumph.
Shen Yunting wanted to use his old tricks again, but Shen Wenjing had already allied with the high-ranking court officials who could no longer tolerate his incompetence. With almost no effort, he forced his way to Taiji Hall.
His longsword was pointed directly at Shen Yunting’s throat.
“This prince has only one question for you…”
Shen Wenjing’s voice, originally as cold as ice, suddenly paused, a barely audible tremor in it. “Where is she?”
Shen Yunting was bewildered. “Who?”
The knuckles of Shen Wenjing’s sword hand turned white as he repeated through gritted teeth, “Song Jiuning.”
Hearing this, Song Jiuning was also stunned.
A conjecture she dared not believe herself formed in her mind.
No, impossible.
Shen Yunting was startled at first, then his long eyes narrowed. “You want to know where she is? Then kneel before Zhen. Otherwise, Zhen will have her killed right now.”
That despicable man, Shen Yunting!
Back then, he had locked her in the underground palace, only announcing to the public that Song Jiuning was too ashamed to face the Song family’s betrayal and had voluntarily shaved her head to atone for her sins.
Not even her bones remained, yet he still wanted to use her.
Song Jiuning, oh, Song Jiuning, you might as well have fed your eyes to the dogs.
Shen Wenjing did not answer. Instead, the deputy general beside him anxiously tried to persuade him, “Your Highness, don’t believe him! The Yellow Springs Pavilion has been searching for half a year, they’ve practically turned all of Dasheng upside down. I’m afraid General Song has long since…”
Song Jiuning’s breath caught at his words.
The Yellow Springs Pavilion, the number one intelligence and assassin organization in the martial world, was also under Shen Wenjing’s command? With such power, he had given up the empire that was his for the taking.
Everything fell into place. His re-emergence truly seemed to be for her.
But no matter how she wracked her brain, she could not think of any connection between them.
Clang!
The longsword fell onto the stone floor, letting out a hollow ringing sound that also cut off the deputy general’s unfinished words.
Shen Wenjing had actually thrown his sword to the ground.
“She is not dead.”
Shen Wenjing’s slight tremor of a voice landed on Song Jiuning’s heart like a feather.
Even the deputy general could see the truth. How could someone like Shen Wenjing not know?
He was likely just unwilling to believe that she was truly dead.
Such a devoted gaze, such a pained tone, and it was all for her.
Shen Wenjing’s grim gaze locked onto Shen Yunting. “You had better be able to truly hand her over to this prince.”
With that, Shen Wenjing’s knees bent, and he began to kneel before Shen Yunting.
Such a noble and peerless man, for her sake, had given up the empire twice and was now even casting aside his own dignity.
Song Jiuning, suspended from the crossbeam, had no time for shock. She swooped down, trying to grab Shen Wenjing’s knees.
“Don’t kneel! He’s lying to you!”
Alas, her hands passed right through Shen Wenjing’s legs.
Song Jiuning was frantic but utterly helpless. She could only cry out Shen Wenjing’s formal name in desperation.
“Shen Yunqi, you are not allowed to kneel to him!”
Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed, and Song Jiuning instinctively covered her eyes.