The princess regretted it.

Chapter 333 Mingyue's Experience

Jin'an speculated about the choice of executioner. First, Concubine Zhang would never choose the Second Prince; she absolutely did not want him involved in such a dirty business. Qiuwen was close to her, but her constant presence in and out of Wuqiu Palace would easily arouse suspicion. The Zhang family father and son were possible, but they were outside the palace, making it inconvenient to execute. Therefore, the only possibility was Jiaoyu!

But was all this really Jiaoyu's doing? If so, could she have hidden the missing Mingyue somewhere? Jin An was lost in thought when he suddenly remembered the secret report submitted by the Imperial Guards. It clearly mentioned that Yundou had recently been in frequent contact and had a close relationship with Xiao Xizi, the eunuch who served the Third Prince.

Jin'an's heart moved. Could it be that Yundou hid Mingyue with Xiao Xizi's father-in-law? This was definitely not impossible.

The more Jin An thought about it, the more she felt that these two clues were crucial and she had to get to the bottom of them. At that moment, she raised her hands, patted them lightly, and whispered, "Ye Yi."

A moment later, a dark figure appeared quietly like a ghost, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully: "Your subordinate is here."

Jin An's eyes were stern as he spoke in a deep voice, "Immediately arrange for someone to secretly keep a close eye on Princess Jiaoyu and the eunuch Xiao Xizi who is beside the Third Prince. Remember, be extremely cautious and don't alert the enemy. Report every move they make to me in detail."

"Yes, sir." Ye Yi responded, and his figure flashed and disappeared in an instant, leaving Jin An sitting upright in the hall, his eyes deep, staring into the distance, as if trying to see through the fog in front of him.

In the dark room beneath the rockery and hot springs of Jiaoyu Palace, Mingyue, the woman Jin'an and Concubine Cen had been searching for, endured inhuman torture. Her hands were suspended high in the air, her toes barely touching the ground. Her clothes were tattered, the shreds barely covering her body. Wounds crisscrossed her body, the hideous marks left by Jiaoyu and the others' whipping.

At this moment, Mingyue's head drooped weakly and her body was motionless. If you didn't look closely, it would be difficult to notice her slightly rising and falling chest, as if she would die at any time.

Although she had temporarily saved her life, Mingyue's condition was already precarious. She was limp from hunger, unable to muster a single ounce of strength. Her cracked lips were streaked with blood, and she was on the verge of collapse. Previously, she had been tortured periodically by Princess Jiaoyu, but at least someone brought her scraps of food and water. To survive, she could only force herself to eat, swallowing each mouthful despite the nausea and humiliation.

No one knew what had happened in the past few days, but things had taken a turn for the worse. Princess Jiaoyu had suddenly vanished, and no one had ever brought her food. In this dark, darkened chamber, Mingyue felt she was treading ever closer to death, perhaps starving to death. But she refused to resign, unable to let go of her master, Concubine Cen. Every time Princess Jiaoyu came, she would mock her, scorning her for having been abandoned by Concubine Cen and reduced to a worthless servant.

But Mingyue didn't believe any of this. She knew clearly that if Concubine Cen had truly abandoned her, Princess Jiaoyu wouldn't have let her live. She suspected Princess Jiaoyu was trying to use her to coerce Concubine Cen into doing something shameful. Though trapped in a dark room, completely oblivious to the outside world, Mingyue remained convinced that Concubine Cen was doing everything in her power to rescue her. It was this unwavering faith that sustained her in this desperate struggle, her quest for survival.

She didn't scream or struggle, because she knew it was futile. She needed to quietly conserve her strength, trying to hold on longer. She hoped she could hold on until someone came to rescue her.

Jiaoyu wasn't using this method to torture Mingyue; she had truly forgotten about him. Ever since she learned her maternal grandparents' true intentions, Jiaoyu had been deeply shaken, her heart awash with anxiety and confusion. She was so restless and distraught that she had completely forgotten Mingyue, imprisoned in the dark room.

During those days, her moods were volatile, sometimes flaring up in anger, other times lapsing into long silences. Everyone in Jiaoyu Palace, including her personal maid, Xiangcao, was trembling with fear, constantly on guard, fearing they might accidentally anger the uncontrollable princess. With everyone focused solely on managing Jiaoyu's mood swings, no one considered the life in the dark room, desperately awaiting rescue, fighting a final, desperate battle against death.

Today, Jiaoyu came back from pleading with her father and rushed into the inner room. She sat on the couch with a frown on her face, wondering why her mother was banished to the cold palace.

Her father's words, "Yun Ji's own suspicion has not been cleared yet," were like a heavy hammer, echoing in her heart, making her involuntarily think of Yun Dou's arrest.

She wondered, was her mother punished simply for going out without permission? Was there something else going on? Her father's attitude made her feel vaguely that he might suspect her mother of being involved in the arson.

After all, after the arson, the entire palace was in a state of panic, and the emperor must have taken the matter extremely seriously. If mother was truly involved, even slightly, the emperor would never forgive her easily.

Or perhaps, Yundou couldn't withstand the torture? Jiaoyu's heart suddenly clenched at the thought. If Yundou said anything damaging to her mother under duress, her mother's situation would be even more dangerous. She knew that her mother's private affairs in the harem could not be exposed. If someone caught her, she could be doomed.

The more Jiaoyu thought about it, the more chills she felt down her spine. She paced back and forth in her room, her steps clumsy and heavy, a conflict brewing in her mind. If Yundou truly betrayed them and revealed everything she knew, the consequences would be unimaginable. She had to find a way to eliminate Yundou; only then could she prevent the spread of information that could harm her mother and herself.

But in reality, she knew she simply didn't have the manpower to accomplish this, and given her current status, acting rashly would undoubtedly be courting death. If her father discovered her, she would face even more severe punishment. Not only would she fail to save her mother, but she would also be implicated.

She pondered who to contact, who she could find, and how to arrange it. At this moment, her mother's earlier mention of something resonated in her mind like a thunderbolt. Her mother had mentioned that the secret line within the palace that Qiuwen had contacted had suddenly stopped responding. Could it be that those people had fallen into the hands of the emperor, under his control? If so, her situation became even more precarious.