Wu Caiwei did not know when she left, but her eerie smile was deeply imprinted in Sun Guotang's mind. He constantly felt as if something unclean was watching him, making him suspicious and unable to sleep. Within a few days, Wu Caiwei heard that Sun Guotang had gone mad.
At first, she scoffed, thinking the man was too cowardly. She had only meant to scare him a little, and he had gone mad from it. But upon reflection, she felt something was amiss. For an old fox like Sun Guotang to go mad from a few words of intimidation seemed unlikely. Perhaps it was a ploy, a desperate attempt to make her let him go.
Wu Caiwei ordered his food to be replaced with dog food. The moment he saw it, he pounced on it ravenously, without a hint of hesitation. Watching him devour the food, Wu Caiwei, standing not far away, fell into deep thought. Had the man truly gone mad? Was she overthinking things?
Still cautious, Wu Caiwei walked over to Sun Guotang with a cold smile and said meaningfully, "I don't care if you're truly mad or faking it. I'm here to avenge the original owner. As long as your head remains attached to your body, my mission is not complete. I will not let you go, regardless of your condition, nor will I lessen your punishment because you've gone mad. Don't think you can trick your way out of this."
Sun Guotang's hand, holding the food, paused for a moment. Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued to eat, even letting out excited squeals as he did, as if Wu Caiwei didn't exist. Wu Caiwei, who was constantly observing him, did not miss this subtle difference. Her suspicion was confirmed. Crossing her arms, she stood to the side and watched his performance.
After an unknown period of acting, Wu Caiwei left. As soon as she was gone, a man disguised as a jailer arrived outside Sun Guotang's cell and whispered, "My Lord Duke, what should we do now? She doesn't seem to believe us."
"I refuse to believe there's no one in this world with martial arts more potent than hers. Go and ask the eunuch if he can bribe assassins from the martial world to get rid of her. Only when she completely disappears from this world can our crisis be resolved..."
Before Sun Guotang could finish his sentence, the sound of applause echoed from within the prison cell. Both men were startled. When had a third person entered? They hadn't heard a sound. Looking up, they saw Wu Caiwei, who had apparently left, standing not far from the cell, watching them quietly with a smile that said, 'I knew it.'
"I told you not to put on a show, but you insisted on acting for me. I could smell the rotten food from afar; didn't you find it disgusting? If it were me, I'd be puking my guts out right now. It seems my intuition was correct. I suspected you'd conspire with others to escape prison. You never imagined it would be the person you've been so eager to curry favor with. Do you really think he's a confidant of the Third Prince just because he's by his side? Believe me, with a single word from me, the Third Prince will have him thrown into prison to keep you company." In her previous life, Bao Susu had died at the hands of the powerful eunuch. She hadn't expected him to remain unrepentant this time, plotting with Sun Guotang to deal with her. It was suicidal.
"Didn't you just leave? Why are you back?" the Third Prince, now Emperor, asked Wu Caiwei in surprise, thinking something had happened in the palace. He hadn't expected her fierce gaze to turn towards the Grand Eunuch following behind him.
"Originally, I intended to leave. But then I thought that if this person colludes with Sun Guotang to deal with me, and I don't go to prison, they might help Sun Guotang escape today. You clearly have no regard for the Emperor." She didn't know what benefits the prisoner's life in jail had offered him to make him side with Sun Guotang. Even the Emperor wouldn't let him off if he knew the Emperor was being plotted against. It was too naive. The Emperor was the most suspicious and insidious person in the world. If it weren't for his strong insistence, she would have left long ago and lived a carefree life with Li Shengxu.
The Emperor's face immediately darkened. He looked at the Grand Eunuch with a profound gaze, his expression calm as he asked, "Is what she says true?"
Seeing the Emperor's expression, the Grand Eunuch immediately realized something was wrong. He had thought he was acting in accordance with the Emperor's wishes, as the Emperor had complained about the couple's stories many times. He never expected the Emperor to react this way when he was actually colluding with others to act against him. At this moment, he suddenly understood that perhaps the Emperor didn't want him to act against Wu Caiwei, but rather to help the person already imprisoned escape. After all, Sun Guotang had supported the Sixth Prince, and he had unwittingly aligned himself with the Sixth Prince. He broke out in a cold sweat. In his previous life, the Third Prince had been gentle and harmless. He thought the Third Prince was still the same and had long forgotten him. Now, a monarch would not tolerate betrayal or deception. Having served as Grand Eunuch for so many years, he thought he had mastered the art, only to fall prey to his own assumptions. He had misinterpreted the Emperor's intentions and acted without his permission.
The Grand Eunuch, realizing his mistake, immediately knelt on the ground. The Emperor, without even looking at him, promised Wu Caiwei that he would punish the eunuch severely. Wu Caiwei, having received the answer she wanted, bowed to the Emperor and left. She knew the Emperor would not tolerate betrayal from anyone.
As expected, the next day when she saw the Emperor, she noticed that the person following him had changed. It was said that the Grand Eunuch had been dragged away by the Emperor yesterday. She didn't know where he was, but she could imagine he met a grim fate. After all, she had been by the Emperor's side for some time and knew some of his ways. The Emperor would not allow such a person to leave the palace. He was likely buried in some corner of the palace grounds.
After Wu Caiwei left that day, Sun Guotang never saw that Jade Bamboo again. He knew something was wrong and felt a sense of despair. Had all his efforts been in vain? Why was the other party so guarded? Even in his current state, they wouldn't let him go. This made him angry yet powerless. Was he truly destined for the executioner's block?
Meanwhile, Madam Sun, in a prison cell not far away, felt incredibly wronged. Initially, she could coexist peacefully with the other ladies. But after a while, she noticed that the food sent was getting less and less, and if she ate a little, there would be none left for her. Thus, Madam Sun joined their ranks, becoming the shrew she once despised.
However, she had come alone, without any helpers, unlike the other ladies. Therefore, she was constantly restricted and even pushed around multiple times while trying to get more food. On a few occasions, she fell to the ground, her arms and legs scraped. She had never suffered such a humiliation in her life. What was worse was that she couldn't fight for food and went hungry several times. She knew this situation was untenable. Even if she wasn't beheaded, she would starve to death. She sought her husband's help, but that only led to further disappointment.