Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

The soft yet stern female voice conveyed tension, fear, and surprise.

"Who...who's speaking?"

Lin Wantang was somewhat startled. She gripped the tinderbox in her hand tightly, using its faint light to follow the sound, and tentatively took a step.

She couldn't imagine that in this remote little place far from the capital, anyone could recognize her.

And the other party was a girl.

The voice sounds familiar...

"What are you doing here? Are you with them?"

The woman's voice spoke again, seemingly filled with immense anger, so ashamed and indignant that she was almost ready to strike.

Lin Wantang disregarded the misunderstanding and, after confirming that the other party was human and not a ghost, quickly took a few steps. As the light spread, she finally saw the other party's appearance clearly.

It turned out to be...

Princess Yong'an!

Lin Wantang's pupils constricted sharply. She quickly moved the tinderbox aside and leaned close to Yong'an: "Princess? Is it really you? What are you doing here?"

"That's what I asked you!" Yong'an had been locked up for several days, and his eyes had long since adapted to the darkness. When he saw that the person in front of him was Lin Wantang, the fear in his heart was replaced by indignation.

She remained curled up on the ground, refusing to let Lin Wantang touch her, and even tried to raise her hand to tie him up: "How dare you! You dare to collude with those villains..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Wantang grabbed the hand that was about to attack him.

Unlike the palace in the capital, Lin Wantang was caught in a predicament and couldn't care less about the duties between ruler and subject. She held Yong'an's hand tightly, then squatted down and looked directly at her: "Princess, you misunderstand. I was also imprisoned here."

After explaining for a moment, Lin Wantang put the tinderbox aside, then took Yong'an's hand and began to take her pulse: "Is the princess injured?"

"I don't trust what you say!" Yong'an wasn't having any of it, stubbornly trying to pull her hand back, and shoving Lin Wantang away as well: "Get your dirty hands off me! Stay away from me!"

Lin Wantang sighed inwardly, not wanting to make a fool of herself. She stepped back and moved aside, then pulled up a chair and sat down naturally. She looked down at Yong'an, who was still curled up against the wall.

"Princess, whether you believe it or not, I am not a malicious person, nor have I conspired with others to harm you. In our current situation, I am in the same boat as you."

Lin Wantang took a deep breath and spoke in a cold tone. As she spoke, she also looked around in the dim light. After confirming that there was no one else in the room, her doubts deepened.

"Princess, there are a few things I don't understand. I hope you can set aside past grievances and tell me everything."

Yong'an hugged himself tightly, letting out a reluctant "humph" through his nose: "Who do you think you are? What kind of tone do you use to talk to me? You dare to say that!"

"I may not be worthy, but does the Princess not want to escape this predicament? Does she want to be trapped here, at the mercy of others?" Lin Wantang's calm words carried an insidious threat: "Princess, firstly, why are you here?"

"Secondly, are you alone in this room? How long have you been locked up? Have you seen anyone else?"

Yong'an was furious upon hearing this, and gritted his teeth angrily: "How many questions are there? You..."

"Princess!" Lin Wantang's voice turned stern as she abruptly interrupted, "I don't have time to play your nonsense. Either tell me the truth, or you can wait here to die. I have no obligation to entertain you!"

Yong'an gritted her teeth and paused, though she was displeased. But she wasn't so confused as to not know her current predicament. After weighing the options, she finally said defiantly, "I ran away from the palace."

"Two concubines in the palace are pregnant, and the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace is also rumored to be expecting. The Emperor was overjoyed, and with my aunt, Princess Anyang, pleading on my behalf, my confinement was lifted. But I..."

Yong'an was concerned about Wei Wujiu, but after making several inquiries, she only heard that Wei Wujiu had angered the emperor, was suspended from his post to reflect on his actions, and was required to investigate the theft of tribute as an ordinary person and recover the lost luminous pearl within a specified period.

Yong'an thought this was a golden opportunity. As long as she could sneak out of the palace, she could accompany Wei Wujiu in investigating the case and spend time together, just like when they were childhood study companions.

That's why she didn't bring any attendants or palace servants. She disguised herself and slipped out of the palace alone. She followed the trail and eventually found Ding County. Unfortunately, Yong'an's true identity as a woman was exposed. She was drugged by a ruthless innkeeper and was locked up here when she woke up.

Yong'an didn't reveal the inside story, and tried to make up an excuse to evade the issue, but Lin Wantang frowned repeatedly, and almost guessed the reason.

Lin Wantang sighed, interrupting with a crucial question: "Princess, do the people here know your identity?"

"Of course I don't know!" Yong'an blurted out without thinking. "Do you take me for a fool? Sneaking out of the palace is already a serious crime. If everyone knew I was captured and trapped here, wouldn't my reputation be completely ruined!"

Yong'an was sent to marry a foreign prince in the northern frontier, which was not a humiliation but an honor. After her husband died, she returned to the capital and was still a prince and princess revered by thousands. However, if the news spread that she had fallen into the hands of villains because of her personal feelings for her children, even if nothing had happened, her innocence would be ruined and her reputation destroyed.

No matter how much the emperor and the princess loved her, they could only send her to the royal nunnery to spend the rest of her life in solitude and devotion.

This was only on the premise that she was able to escape in time and nothing happened; otherwise, it would have been a death sentence, and the emperor would rather have her executed than let the royal family's honor be tarnished because of her.

It's good that they're not that stupid.

Lin Wantang felt slightly relieved and asked, "Has the princess seen anyone else these past few days? Almost identical to you, she's also a girl who was imprisoned here. Have you seen her?"

"Are you deaf?" Yong'an was still annoyed, and retorted, "Can't you crawl on the ground and listen? You ask me everything, do you think I'm a walking encyclopedia?"

Lin Wantang was losing patience with her barbed words, but she still did as Yong'an said, getting up from her chair and crawling on the floor to listen carefully...

There was no sound at all.

Lin Wantang listened intently again, but it was still the same. She looked up in confusion and saw Yong'an roll his eyes at her and say, "Sometimes it can be heard from downstairs. There's a woman crying."

"It wasn't just one person crying; it was many people, sobbing and wailing, like a ghost story."

Yong'an was terrified by the noise and shrank back against the wall. "I don't know if it's a ghost. Could it be that... many people have died here, and there are many wronged souls?"

Lin Wantang slowly stood up, dusted herself off, and remained silent with a deafening impact.

"They shouldn't be ghosts." After a long while, she finally spoke coldly, "They're all living people, just like you and me, girls who were captured. If I'm not mistaken, there should be a path down here."

As she spoke, Lin Wantang picked up the tinderbox from the ground and used it to illuminate the surrounding walls, trying to find the entrance to the tunnel. Suddenly, a loud bang came from outside—