Three days after Jiang Ci’s wedding, the entire Jiang family was sentenced to execution. Kneeling on the execution platform, Jiang Ci counted to 327, but the blade never fell.
She exposed the executioner's secrets in front of everyone, forcing the supervising official to hesitate. Then the regent, Pei Yan, charged into the execution grounds on a black horse and split her shackles with one blow. “I’m taking her.”
Everyone thought she was his prisoner. Only Jiang Ci knew theirs was a deal: she would help him unlock a secret, and he would give her three months to overturn the case.
Deep in the hidden passage, eunuch robes, tribute tea, and fragments of a secret imperial decree pieced together the truth behind the false treason charge. The trail of evidence led straight to Gu Mingyuan, the chief minister.
Pei Yan said, “There’s still time to back out.”
Jiang Ci slid the key into the lock. It clicked. “I survived the execution platform. What’s there to be afraid of?”
