The mother and daughter toiled in the prison for half a day, but could not pry open the mouths of these men. They were so exhausted they felt like old oxen, panting for breath.
With a look of helplessness and dejection, they left the prison. Looking up at the sky, it was as if they had an endless amount of bitterness to pour out. Why were these assassins so impervious to both kindness and harshness, stronger than iron?
Yu Meng looked at her mother's dejected expression with complex emotions. She comforted her, "Don't be discouraged, Mother. These assassins are trained. They definitely won't confess easily. So let's take our time; we'll surely make them reveal the truth."
Zhao Jiaqi, however, did not agree. She said leisurely, "If we take our time, they'll build up their endurance to withstand torture and still won't talk. So interrogation requires speed. We can't afford to drag this out."
Yu Meng was confused, her clear apricot eyes filled with suspicion. She asked, "They're just a few assassins. Why can't we afford to drag it out? We're idle anyway, so let's just interrogate them!"
"Since these assassins have already been captured, they are of no further use. After they completed their mission, their masterminds already fled. Even if we find them now, their lair will likely be empty!"
Zhao Jiaqi choked. That's right, this girl didn't even know her own paternal grandmother was still alive. It was natural that she wouldn't be told about subsequent matters.
Fine, let her think as she pleased!
"I just prefer to settle things quickly. What if those people haven't fled yet? Or what if they left behind clues?"
"That's impossible. What do assassins do? They're prepared to die. How could they possibly leave clues for you to investigate?"
Her increasingly clear eyes refuted Zhao Jiaqi's words with sound reasoning, leaving her no room for fantasy.
Her decisive response once again plunged Zhao Jiaqi into the abyss of despair, unsure of which direction to climb out.
Zhao Jiaqi was infuriated. She turned and re-entered the dungeon. Today, she refused to believe she couldn't pry open a single person's mouth.
Shi He saw the princess consort turn back and his mouth twitched. He immediately stepped forward to respectfully await orders.
As soon as he stood firm, he heard the princess consort's sinister words enter his ears.
"Shi He, interrogate them again."
Shi He paused, not understanding how the princess consort meant by "interrogate them again."
He cupped his hands and cautiously probed, "Should we use the same methods as before, bringing out the torture instruments again?"
These intimidating tools seemed to be ineffective against these assassins. They had exerted a great deal of effort just now, yet they couldn't make the man utter a single word.
Just as he was contemplating this, he saw the princess consort shake her head slightly. Her voice, like a spring breeze, was chilling enough to make one tremble all over. She said, "Bring out the other seven people and have them watch their accomplice being tortured."
"I want to turn them into human swine, make them neither human nor ghost, to be unable to live and unable to die, to live daily in pain and fear. I don't expect to get any useful information from their mouths anyway."
She smiled, her tone extremely light, but her smiling eyes did not reach their depths, causing one to feel a chill from the soles of their feet. Shi He shivered involuntarily.
His voice trembling slightly, he asked, "Princess consort, what is a 'ren zhi'? This subordinate has never heard of it."
The assassin about to be executed as a 'ren zhi' laboriously lifted his head. Bright red blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. He was also curious. What was a 'ren zhi'? In his years as an assassin, what kind of torture instruments hadn't he seen? Yet, he had never heard of what a 'ren zhi' was!
A fleeting smile flashed in Zhao Jiaqi's beautiful eyes. With a smile at the corners of her mouth, she glanced at the man on the cross, flicked the silk handkerchief in her hand, and sauntered over. She circled the assassin and slowly began to tell the story.
She was still herself, yet not like her usual self. Listening to the story from the princess consort's mouth, Shi He and Yu Meng had an illusion: the princess consort had changed. They couldn't quite pinpoint where the change lay.
If one said she was ruthless, she looked very gentle.
If one said she was gentle, the words she spoke were sinister, comparable to a pervert.
As she finished her story, sweat dripped from the assassin's forehead onto his clothes. He hadn't sweated from being beaten or cursed, but this time, he was so terrified that he was sweating. It hung on his face, feeling cold. Even his burning, pain-stricken back felt a cold wind, as if a chilling breeze was whistling through.
After Zhao Jiaqi finished speaking, she also felt tired. She casually sat down on a chair, found a comfortable position, and waved to the stunned person beside her, saying, "Don't just stand there. Prepare the execution as I said."
Shi He turned around, bowed, and was about to retreat to prepare when the princess consort's voice drifted to his ears, "This consort is thirsty. Prepare some pastries and tea."
Hearing this, Shi He was numb. He weakly replied with a "Yes" and then retreated.
After he left, Yu Meng stepped forward and squatted down, asking in a low voice, "Mother, are you alright? Don't scare me."
She spoke so casually about such a bloody matter, and even wanted to watch the execution live. Yu Meng had always thought her mother was strong enough to not fear anything, but she never imagined that in the face of such brutality, she could still eat and drink. This was something she couldn't accept.
Not to mention that she couldn't accept it, she would probably faint from seeing the execution, with their eyes gouged out, tongues ripped out, tendons severed, ears and noses removed...
*Gag*... *Gag*...
After Yu Meng spoke, before Zhao Jiaqi could reply, she covered her mouth and ran out. Just thinking of the scene was too stimulating.
In the cell, only the two of them remained.
One was bound to a cross, the other sat leisurely in a chair. Their gazes collided in mid-air, emitting crackling sparks.
She knew clearly that they were both testing each other's endurance. One was waiting for the other to dare not proceed with the torture, while the other was afraid of this punishment and would speak first.
Sparks crackled in the air. They stared at each other, neither of them flinching, neither willing to be the first to break eye contact. Whoever looked away first, lost.
After a moment, the assassin lowered his gaze. He said coldly, "Even if you wish me dead, you won't get a single piece of information from me."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Jiaqi laughed after he finished speaking.
Her laughter was filled with mockery and disdain. "Have you ever heard of 'killing the chicken to warn the monkey'?"
Suddenly, the assassin looked up at Zhao Jiaqi. If looks could kill, Zhao Jiaqi would have been riddled with holes by now.
A moment later, he said, "You are ruthless."
Zhao Jiaqi waved her handkerchief modestly. "You can't say that. Compared to you, I'm still a bit lacking!"
As she spoke, her tone shifted from a gentle spring breeze to the coldness of a winter wind, piercing through one's bones. "We are both smart people. Turning you into a 'ren zhi' is actually for your companions to see. You might not confess, but can you guarantee that the other seven won't?"
Upon hearing this, his pupils contracted. He was uncertain, not confident.
So, this was her "killing the chicken to warn the monkeys." Whether he confessed or not, she no longer cared. He was, in essence, a pawn.