The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

A single steamed bun was hardly enough to stave off hunger, and with no bed or bedding, Qi Yitang huddled on a pile of straw and barely managed to get through the night.

When I woke up the next day, it felt like all the bones in my body had been taken apart and then haphazardly put back together; my shoulders and back ached terribly.

She was cold, sleepy, and hungry, and to make matters worse, she needed to pee.

Every person has to go to the bathroom sometimes. She could grit her teeth and endure hunger, but this was something she simply couldn't bear.

Qi Yitang struggled to stand up, moved her frozen hands and feet, then moved to the door and banged on it with her bound hands.

"Zhao Yan".

There was no movement outside the door.

Qi Yitang patted him twice more and raised her voice, "Zhao Yan, I know you're outside!"

Light footsteps came from the doorway. Qi Yitang said, "I need to use the restroom."

There was a moment of silence outside.

Thinking she couldn't hear, several people began to sneer and mutter, "Women in the palace are such a hassle, why not just take care of it right there..."

With a creak, the door was pushed open.

Zhao Yan turned to the side. "Come with me."

This is clearly an attempt to take her to relieve herself in the wild.

Given Qi Yitang's previous capricious nature, she would have started making a scene long ago, but now that things have come to this, no one is indulging her, and it's impossible for them to build her a temporary shelter, so she can only go outside with them.

After yesterday's heavy snowfall, the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow, which crunched underfoot.

Zhao Yan untied her ropes.

Despite the pain in her feet, Qi Yitang trudged along to the more distant bushes.

When she had a moment to herself, she looked around—the forest was deep and dense, and the snow reflected the bright sunlight, making her dizzy.

If she were to turn and run now, she wouldn't be able to tell which way was which, and she wouldn't even be able to find her way down the mountain. Plus, Zhao Yan was still waiting there, so she would be caught up with after only a few steps...

After weighing the options, Qi Yitang abandoned the idea of ​​escaping a second time.

After relieving herself, she had no Xuan paper, so she had to tear off a piece of the lining of her clothes to make do.

"I'm all better."

Zhao Yan was extremely surprised. When he was by the prince's side, he had seen her torment his prince quite a bit.

Because of the late emperor's favor, the daughter of a Grand Tutor was even more at ease than a prince, who was a true prince.

Later, she became a Noble Consort and then Empress, presumably even more arrogant. Zhao Yan was prepared to deal with her crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, but he didn't expect her to be so "well-behaved".

Zhao Yan took out a rope. "Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as the Prince returns safely, you can go back to the palace."

The problem is, your prince cannot be safe.

Qi Yitang reached out her hand in cooperation.

Her skin was fair and delicate, but her wrists were chafed by the hemp rope, leaving several glaring marks.

Zhao Yan paused for a moment, but still tied the rope for her with one hand.

Qi Yitang suddenly spoke up, "We've known each other for so long, and I've never asked you about your family?"

Zhao Yan: "I have no family and don't even know who my parents are."

"Is it possible that you have an older sister? What if you had an accident when you were little and lost your memory? Your family thought you were dead, but later they found out you were still alive, and your sister has been looking for you... If you see the light, maybe you and your sister can be reunited."

Zhao Yan remained silent for a long time.

A mountain breeze rustled through the treetops, whipping up a fine flurry of snow that brushed against their faces. He lowered his eyes, his voice deep yet resolute, "Your Highness is my family."

Qi Yitang: "..."

What kind of mind-altering drug did Xie Jingyu give him?

……

After relieving herself, Qi Yitang was taken back to the woodshed by Zhao Yan and given a steamed bun as usual.

This time it wasn't as hard, and it wasn't dusty. Qi Yitang was still disgusted, but her stomach was rumbling, so she had no choice but to sigh and eat it.

Outside, the kidnappers probably thought she posed no threat, so they didn't hold back their words.

"Guard Zhao, the letter has been delivered. Are you sure the Emperor will offer the Prince in exchange?"

"Yes, I will." Zhao Yan's voice was firm.

"But what if the emperor doesn't come alone, but instead has a large army lying in ambush nearby, ready to wipe us all out in one fell swoop?"

Another voice, tinged with hesitation, said, "If you ask me, we should just send them back. Didn't that woman say before that if we release them, we'll have all the gold, silver, money, luxury cars, and beautiful women we could want..."

Zhao Yan was clearly angered, his voice suddenly turning cold, "The prince treated you well before, but now that he's in trouble, you want to abandon him?"

The burly men fell silent, but they were somewhat unconvinced.

They weren't death squad members, nor were they trusted confidants like Zhao Yan; they were just doing things for money and had no reason to risk their lives.

However, considering the benefits Zhao Yan promised, the group held back.

Qi Yitang listened intently. It seemed that this group was not a united front. Zhao Yan was determined to save Xie Jingyu, but the others might not be willing to follow him to the bitter end.

But Zhao Yan was clearly still able to keep them in check, and the conversation gradually faded away.

Zhao Yan has probably left.

Qi Yitang continued to huddle in the corner.

The news reached Xie Ling, so she probably wouldn't die. But Zhao Yan was so loyal; if he knew Xie Jingyu had turned to ashes, wouldn't he be furious?

Qi Yitang leaned against the dry, hard pile of straw, feeling sleepy and exhausted. She had no strength left and her head was spinning, so she simply closed her eyes to rest.

But I remained tense and dared not relax for a moment.

In a daze, I noticed a rustling sound coming from outside the door. The footsteps were very light and had a sneaky feel to them.

"No wonder the prince and the emperor were so infatuated; this empress is truly beautiful, her skin is as smooth and delicate as tofu..."

The other person asked, "What do you mean?"

The man let out a lewd laugh, "We brothers have been single for so long, why don't we take advantage of this good opportunity and have some fun?"

Qi Yitang suddenly opened her eyes.

"You're insane! This is the emperor's woman!"

"It's precisely because she's the emperor's woman that it's even more exciting. If we can get our hands on her, wouldn't we also get to experience the life of the emperor?"

Another voice hesitated, "But what if Guard Zhao finds out..."

"By the time he gets back, we'll be all done. He can't possibly kill us, can he?"

Qi Yitang felt ice-cold all over, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Bang—" The door was kicked open in the next instant, and two burly men blocked the doorway.

Qi Yitang asked sternly, "What are you trying to do?"

The one in front licked his chapped lips, chuckled, and entered the woodshed. "What can we do? Her Majesty the Empress is delicate and precious; she must be freezing in this wretched place. We brothers will warm her up—"

At the critical moment, Qi Yitang was not so frightened that she collapsed.

The piercing fear turned into something scalding hot, and she turned and lunged toward the window.

The wooden planks of the window frame were mostly rotten. She slammed them hard, and they almost shattered into pieces. Qi Yitang nimbly climbed onto the window frame.

"Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll jump right now!"

The mountain wind howled, whipping up Qi Yitang's disheveled hair. Her hair was askew, her cheeks were covered in dust, and her figure swayed precariously in the cold wind—yet even in this state, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

The big man paused for a moment, then grinned again.

"Go ahead and jump! You were too scared when we brought you up yesterday, what are you pretending for today?"

He guessed correctly; Qi Yitang was indeed hesitant.

She wouldn't jump unless absolutely necessary.

Qi Yitang tried her best to keep her voice steady, "I'm warning you! Stay away from me, or—I won't be polite!"

But to the two of them, these threatening words sounded no different from flirting.

The burly man with a face full of scars took another step forward, leering as he reached out to undo his belt.

Another man with a mole on his cheek stood guard in the doorway. "Hurry up!"

The burly man approached, and just as he stretched out his thick arm, ready to grab Qi Yitang and pull her off the window frame—

Qi Yitang suddenly raised her hand and used the broken porcelain shards she had hidden in the carriage yesterday to stab the man's eyes.

"ah--"

Blood splattered.

Immediately afterwards, a heart-wrenching scream rang out in the dilapidated temple. The burly man covered his eyes and staggered backward, blood spurting from his ruptured eyeballs and flowing down his cheekbones, leaving several bright red streaks.

What Qi Yitang was clutching in her hand was the sharpest piece of porcelain she had found in the carriage yesterday.

She kept it secretly on her person.

After relieving herself earlier, Zhao Yan retied the rope, but it wasn't tight. She rubbed and struggled until she finally managed to free her hands.

Seeing the man rolling on the ground, letting out a series of incoherent screams, Qi Yitang felt a chill run down her spine.

She actually... really went blind in one person's eye.