TRBDM -Chapter 225 Locked in the Ice Cell

“He’s doing well—he’s grown taller and stronger. He said not to worry about him.”

Xie Lan repeated the words over and over: “Grown taller and stronger… that’s really good, really good.”

Being back with his biological mother truly felt different.

Before, Xie Lan had been saddened by their separation, but as soon as Wei Zhaorong told him that Xie Yu was doing well, his sadness vanished immediately.

As long as Xie Yu was fine, he was happy.

Wei Zhaorong looked at him and always felt a hint of bitterness hidden behind his smile.

“Lan’er, Yu’er has his own matters to attend to. There’s a reason he doesn’t correspond with the Marquis Residence—you shouldn’t blame him.”

“How could I ever blame Fourth Brother? As long as he’s well, it doesn’t matter whether he writes or not.”

Xie Lan spoke sincerely.

Though the pain of separation would linger for a long time, they would inevitably face this day sooner or later.

Once Xie Lan grew more mature and steady, he would be able to face the past separation calmly.

Fourth Brother had his path, and Xie Lan had his.

He wanted to earn honors in the imperial examinations, to bring glory to the Marquis Residence.

Returning to the Lan Courtyard, Xie Lan was full of energy.

Though he hadn’t attended lessons at the Dong residence these past days, he had set a strict schedule for himself.

His goal—rank first in the top tier of the exams.

The ambitions of a young boy—bright, bold, and straightforward.

“Help! Help! Who are you? Don’t kill me! I beg you, don’t kill me!”

Zhao Jingtian’s head was covered with a black cloth sack—he could see nothing.

His hands and feet were bound, and when he struggled, he flailed like a fish out of water, exposing his pale belly, panicking to the extreme.

Although the autumn sun was still strong, every time his body touched the ground, the cold was so severe it almost made him bounce back up.

So cold… unbearably cold.

The weather had been abnormal these past few days. Though it was early autumn, the days still felt like midsummer, so Zhao Jingtian was dressed lightly.

But why was it so freezing here?

He shouted for a long time with no response. After a while, he forced himself to stand up from the ground in a very awkward posture.

He dared not move recklessly, fearing he would touch something he shouldn’t.

After waiting a long time, Zhao Jingtian cautiously asked,

“Is… anyone here?”

His teeth chattered violently from the cold. There was still no answer.

The black cloth blocked his vision; he couldn’t see a thing.

Terrified, Zhao Jingtian lifted the sack. Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he froze.

This place… was an ice cell!

No wonder it was so cold.

His hands and feet were already numb from the freezing cold.

White breath escaped constantly from his mouth.

“Shh… so cold… so cold.”

His feet were bound, preventing him from walking. To generate warmth, he could only jump in place.

After a while, the numbness in his feet began to subside slightly.

He jumped around the ice cell and realized it was very large, packed everywhere with blocks of ice.

The only exit, the main door, was tightly shut. He tried to push it with his body, but it didn’t budge at all, and he ended up hurting himself instead.

“Damn it!”

Zhao Jingtian cursed in pain.

“Someone! Anyone! Let me out! Help me—”

He shouted desperately.

The ice cell was underground; his voice could not escape.

He cried out to heaven and earth, but no one answered. Fear crept in.

In just two days, he would become emperor—how could he freeze to death here?

Unwilling to give in, he endured the cold and sat down, first undoing the ropes around his feet.

Then, using his teeth and hands, he freed his bound hands.

After all that effort, he was sweating profusely even inside the ice cell.

Once free, Zhao Jingtian paced around, trying to find a way out.

But the ice cell wasn’t a secret chamber; no escape passages had been built. The only entry and exit was the large door in front of him.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, the heat-induced sweat turned into icy droplets, his outer robe sticking to his skin, making him colder and colder.

He rubbed his face, trying to warm himself.

Yet, no matter what he tried, the cold only deepened, and his entire body trembled.

Even his eyelashes were covered with a layer of frost.

Zhao Jingtian crouched on the ground, curling up as tightly as he could to minimize the heat his body gave off.

But his body gradually stiffened, no longer trembling, and his breathing became slow, very slow.

He closed his eyes unconsciously—and then snapped them open.

Where was he?

Right—he had just left the palace, hadn’t gone far, when someone put a sack over his head and dragged him away.

At first, he had struggled desperately and shouted for help, but after being kicked twice, he no longer dared to move.

Later, they threw him here.

This was an ice cellar. It seemed they intended to freeze him to death.

Zhao Jingtian wasn’t a clever man, but when life hung by a thread, his frozen brain still managed to draw a line of reasoning.

The person who wanted to kill him was Zhao Jingyan.

His third elder brother of twenty-one years.

He was doing this for the throne, which was why Zhao Jingtian suffered such a fate.

Zhao Jingyan’s methods, Zhao Jingtian knew better than anyone.

If he wanted someone dead, that person would die without question, and the methods would be cruel—various tortures applied in succession.

From this perspective, freezing Zhao Jingtian to death while leaving his body intact was already an act of mercy.

Zhao Jingtian finally understood why Consort Yu had been afraid back then.

They were no match for Zhao Jingyan; one mistake, and life was lost.

“Mother, I’m sorry.”

Zhao Jingtian was filled with regret. He should never have let ambition blind him, daringly trying to contest the throne.

“Mother, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I didn’t listen to you.”

His pale lips trembled incessantly. He was so sleepy.

He just wanted to sleep.

Sleep… yes, sleep.

Once asleep, he wouldn’t feel the cold.

Clang.

Zhao Jingtian, originally crouched, collapsed to the ground.

His posture looked as if he were asleep, seemingly in the midst of a pleasant dream.

Clang, clang, clang—

Outside came the sound of violent impact.

Thud! The sturdy door was smashed open from the outside.

Fsssh!

A fire torch was lit.

General Nanyang’s face appeared in the dim yellow glow.

“Save him!”

“Yes.”

This time, General Nanyang brought more men, all battle-hardened soldiers.

They quickly rescued Zhao Jingtian and restored the door.

From the outside, the ice cellar looked just as usual—without a careful look, no one inside could ever open the door.

General Nanyang’s team carried the unconscious, frozen Zhao Jingtian at full speed.

They arrived at a secluded residence.

Outside the door, General Nanyang signaled to those inside, and the door creaked open.

“General Nanyang, please,” Jiang Yuelin said, face solemn.

The group swiftly entered, and the door slammed shut behind them.

Zhao Jingtian was placed in an empty room where a doctor was already waiting.

“Doctor, quick! Save him!”

“Yes.”

Zhao Jingtian’s breathing had nearly stopped; there was no time to waste.

Whether he would survive depended entirely on the strength of his fate.

Jiang Yuelin and General Nanyang went to the study.

“Lord Jiang, has the palace maid been found?”

“Yes.”

The palace maid was now placed in this residence under Jiang Yuelin’s personal supervision.

“And? Did she confess?”

Jiang Yuelin nodded. “She did.”

“Was any evidence left behind?”

“Yes.”