Chapter 324: In the end, he still resorted to robbery

The old night had not yet passed, and the new day was already fading.

All the sounds of heaven and earth were barely audible.

In the dungeon there was no sign of day or night; only that narrow stone window could faintly reveal a glimmer of morning light.

The lingering drug on Liu Ji's body had not yet fully worn off, yet his mind could not help but repeatedly recall his conversation with that princess—

Although he had already become a prisoner, he still possessed a streak of pride, unwilling to yield easily; he simply demanded five thousand taels of silver as a bargaining chip for surrendering with his two cities' forces and his brothers.

To him, the five thousand taels were both compensation and a bottom line, and moreover the dignity he had earned for himself and his brothers.

But the princess who held sway over Yongzhou and was decisive in slaughter, after hearing him, gave no reply—she merely turned away indifferently, with no agreement, no rebuttal, not even a single extra word.

What does this mean?

What could this mean?

All night he tossed and turned; the more Liu Ji thought, the more anxious and uneasy his heart became.

Only when dawn approached did he barely realize that the other party's such silence...

Perhaps it was more like a silent humiliation.

She would not accept, would not rebuke, only used silence to refuse—clearly she looked down on his bargaining chip, deliberately suppressing his pride, humiliating him and his brothers who had followed him through life and death!

The more Liu Ji thought, the more wronged he felt; this pent-up frustration blocked his chest, keeping him restless all night and making his situation seem ever more perilous.

Now he was trapped in the dungeon, his hands and feet bound; though he seemed a captive awaiting a price, he was in fact a prisoner at others' mercy.

Once the other side completely lost patience, let alone negotiating terms, the safety of his and his brothers' lives would no longer be under his control.

Waiting passively for death has never been Liu Ji's nature.

He drew a deep breath of damp, moldy cold air, suppressed his tumultuous thoughts, endured the lingering soreness in his limbs, leaned sideways against the icy, slick stone wall, and gradually used leverage to struggle upright.

His bones felt sore, weak, and numb; every movement strained his exhausted body; he gritted his teeth to steady himself, barely managed to stand straight, his frame swayed slightly, barely maintaining his balance.

In the dim gray light, he lifted his eyes and fixed them on the small stone window high on the wall; a faint spark of hope for survival and breakout ignited in his gaze.

He quickly calculated an escape route in his mind—

The dungeon's main gate must be heavily guarded, with layered defenses, the watch strict.

Trying to escape through the door would be no different from walking into a net; any slight movement would be detected immediately, let alone breaking out—most likely he couldn't even leave the cell, would only become a laughingstock and possibly provoke deeper suspicion and harsher treatment.

But the window was different—high on the wall, out of the guards' sight, with only a wooden barrier; it was the sole weak point in the whole prison.

As long as he could pry open the barrier and break out the window, he could temporarily free himself from the dungeon's control.

As long as he escaped and returned to the Twin Cities of Hengchun, with his abilities he would not merely become meat on others' chopping block, at their mercy—

Perhaps there would be more hopeful opportunities in the future!

With that thought, Liu Ji's resolve firmed somewhat; he raised his hand, straightened his arm, exerted all his strength upward, hoping to hook the window's wooden lattice.

His stature was tall, but the stone window was extremely high; even with his fingertips fully extended, he fell short by about half a foot, unable to touch it.

Liu Ji tried to press his center of gravity against the wall, exerting his whole body to stretch his arm, but after several attempts it was ultimately futile.

Left with no choice, he could only slightly bend his knees, push off the wall, barely lunge upward half an inch, until his fingertips finally scraped the rough edge of the wooden barrier.

However, the instant his fingertips truly touched the wooden barrier, Liu Ji's heart sank instantly, the hope in his eyes suddenly cooling—

This wooden barrier was certainly no ordinary window lattice.

The wood was hard and heavy, its ends deeply embedded in the stone wall; obviously it had been built into the wall when the prison was constructed, becoming one with the high wall, extremely sturdy.

He was not quite ready to give up; he hooked his fingertips onto the barrier, pushed forward, pulled back, repeatedly trying to shake it loose.

However, no matter how he exerted force, the wooden barrier remained utterly unmoving, showing not the slightest sign of loosening.

Years of imprisonment had long since rendered this window completely unable to open; though it seemed the sole path to life, it had in fact been totally sealed shut, merely a deceitful facade.

After several attempts, his arms grew sore, weak, and numb; all to no avail.

Liu Ji slowly withdrew his hand, brows furrowed tightly, the last glimmer of hope in his heart utterly dashed.

He lowered his gaze to scan the ground, scattered with tiny pebbles, hard clods of earth, and rotted, broken straw and twigs.

Since pushing and pulling wouldn't open it, the only option was to smash it with force.

He intended to bend down, find a hard chunk of stone, and try to smash the wooden barrier hard, betting that he could shatter it, crack a gap, and forcibly break through this confinement.

However, as he bent over to search the ground for an object, a clear, cool, soft yet eerily sudden voice suddenly began to sound softly from behind him:

"Lord Liu, what are you doing?"

The voice was not loud, calm and tranquil, yet it made Liu Ji's muscles instantly tense, a chill running down his spine.

He had just been concentrating fully, probing with all his effort, his mind wholly on the prison break, yet he had not noticed anyone approaching at all.

This dungeon's thick walls easily echoed footsteps, yet the comer moved without sound, breathless—indeed it was terrifying to the extreme.

Liu Ji's heart jolted; he abruptly turned around.

Beneath the dim, hazy light, a plain-clad figure stood silently at the cell door.

It was none other than the princess who had yesterday chatted and exchanged words with him, then turned and left without a word—Du Shanü.

Though a day had not passed since they last met, she still wore simple, pure attire, her brows and eyes harmless, the corner of her mouth hinting at a faint smile, appearing gentle in temperament, yet the aura of looking down upon all beings and controlling everything that surrounded her remained undiminished.

This woman was undoubtedly beautiful, yet standing in the dark, cold dungeon, she inspired more awe than the chill covering the ground, making people dare not meet her gaze.

Liu Ji silently cursed, stood in place, his expression slightly darkened, yet he did not give himself the chance to make a useless excuse.

His recent climbing and probing of the window, his intent to escape, had been fully observed by her; with the evidence before them, any explanation would appear pale and superfluous—

Rather than spout excuses that would only embarrass himself, it would be better to own up silently—who knows, it might even spare him a few jeers.

Liu Ji's expression wavered, but Du Shanü did not truly intend to mock him; she merely took in his earlier actions, the smile in her eyes deepening a bit, then spoke softly:

"A true man conducts himself openly and aboveboard. If you genuinely wish to leave, the main gate is open—why insist on sneaking through windows and scaling walls, doing such a cramped maneuver?"

Her words, though casually spoken, laid bare Liu Ji's embarrassment.

Liu Ji, naturally proud, having his thoughts exposed, felt embarrassed; his resentment and pent-up frustration could no longer be contained, and he couldn't help muttering under his breath:

"Can I walk out the main gate? That also requires Your Highness's permission to let me go."

If the other party were willing to speak up, why would he need to be confined in prison, taking risks, climbing out through a broken window?

After all, the so-called straightforward path through the main gate was never opened for him.

Upon hearing this, Du Shanü suddenly let out a low laugh, her laughter clear and cold, especially distinct in the silent cell.

Immediately she raised her hand, fingertips twitching, and she casually flung out a heavy metal object.

Ding——

The clear, ringing metallic clang suddenly hit the ground, echoing endlessly in the spacious cell.

That object rolled among the straw and rubble, sunlight spilling down, casting a cold gleam.

Liu Ji stared intently, his pupils suddenly constricting, his face instantly filling with astonishment—

The thing on the ground was nothing else.....

It turned out to be the key to this very cell!

This, this actually is—are they really preparing to let the tiger return to the mountain?!

What the—what is this supposed to be?!

Liu Ji's heart was filled with disbelief, and just then Du Shanü's clear, cold voice rang out again, word by word reaching his ears like a thunderclap.

"Yesterday's five thousand taels you asked for, I have agreed to."

"However, the silver money to be surrendered to you must be fetched by you personally."

Du Shanü's smile was faint, her gaze calm and resolute, as she quietly watched Liu Ji's expression shift dramatically, then continued:

"As for how and where to obtain the silver, I have already made up my mind—"

The southern waterways are well-developed, with merchant ships coming and going from time to time...... you handle the business, I'll take responsibility; no matter how much silver we seize, we'll split it fifty-fifty.

?? In the end we still came to the point of robbery...... (tear-wiping. jpg)