Chapter 52: Rescuing Xiao Ziyu

"My wife..." Xiao Ziyu raised his heavy eyelids, and just as he attempted to stand, he remembered he was bound by iron chains.

Accompanied by his suppressed groan of pain, Chen Xingmiao's heart leapt into her throat once again.

"Husband, what is going on? Why would the Emperor treat you like this?"

"Someone... is pulling strings behind the scenes." Xiao Ziyu's voice was weak as he forced out the words, laden with exhaustion and resentment.

"Husband, hold on a little longer. I will definitely—"

"Who goes there!" Just as Chen Xingmiao was speaking, the voice of a prison guard suddenly echoed from behind.

It was over. They had been discovered.

A shock ran through her heart as she looked at Han Yao beside her, whose expression was equally grim.

Han Yao took a deep breath, turned around, and said slowly, "It is this Princess."

Upon hearing this, the guards were initially startled, and then turned pale with fright. The long spear in the lead guard's hand clattered to the ground as he dropped heavily to his knees, his voice trembling, "Pr... Princess Your Highness, this lowly one is blind and failed to recognize Your Highness, offending you. I beg Your Highness to spare us!"

Han Yao raised her hand slightly, her expression proud and aloof. "Rise. This Princess has come here today to inquire about something important from this prisoner. Make no noise about it."

The guards looked at each other, hesitation flashing across their faces.

Displaying troubled expressions, the head guard hesitated repeatedly before hardening his scalp and speaking, "Princess Your Highness, it is not that we dare to disobey orders, but the rules of this dungeon are extremely strict. Privately meeting prisoners... once the superiors find out, we lowly ones risk losing our heads."

Han Yao arched her delicate brows, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes. "Audacious! This Princess does not need you pointing fingers at how I do things. Let me ask you, is your head more important, or is this Princess's command more important?"

The old guard turned deathly pale, sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead. He kowtowed twice with loud thuds and said with a crying expression, "Please calm your anger, Princess. We will obey your commands."

Seeing this, the other guards also dropped to their knees, repeatedly calling out their compliance.

Han Yao nodded in satisfaction and then pulled Chen Xingmiao along.

"It is too late today. This Princess will come again tomorrow."

The two hurried away, only letting out a breath and allowing their tense bodies to gradually relax once they were completely gone.

Chen Xingmiao patted her chest, breathing heavily, the lingering traces of panic still apparent on her face.

"That scared me to death! Yaoyao, what kind of ghost plot have you written? Why has my husband been arrested out of nowhere?"

Han Yao wore a similarly weeping expression. "Goddess, I am wronged! I didn't write this plot; the main storyline is getting increasingly derailed."

Hearing this, Chen Xingmiao looked at her and, seeing that she didn't look like she was joking at all, felt a flash of surprise.

At that moment, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in her mind.

[Host dearest, were you looking for me?]

Chen Xingmiao: ...

The corners of her mouth twitched, her face full of speechlessness.

No, Xiao Liu, what kind of reaction is that? Any later and we'd be reading it tomorrow.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger.

Xiao Liu, you've finally shown up. Do you know how chaotic the plot has become now? The little villain was arrested for no reason, and Han Yao says she didn't write it. What on earth is going on here? Hurry up and check for me!

[Do not panic, Host. These are all normal phenomena. This is a side quest; success rewards one thousand points, but if it fails...]

Xiao Liu's lazy tone shifted abruptly, turning solemn.

[Xiao Ziyu dies, and the Host is erased from the storyline, disappearing forever.]

Chen Xingmiao's heart contracted violently, and she subconsciously took two steps back.

Han Yao was quick-witted and caught her with both hands.

"Goddess, what is wrong? Your expression suddenly turned so terrible."

As she spoke, she even reached out to touch Chen Xingmiao's forehead, trying to check if she had a fever.

Chen Xingmiao steadied herself and managed to squeeze out a smile. "Yaoyao, Xiao Liu says this is a side quest. If it fails, I will be erased."

"Ah? Goddess, don't scare me. Doesn't your failure mean my failure?"

Han Yao was struck with terror. She knew that only while Chen Xingmiao was around could she complete her mission and return to the real world.

If Chen Xingmiao were erased, wouldn't she be completely finished?

"Goddess, are the penalties for your side quests always this ruthless?"

Han Yao drew a sharp breath. She had always thought that achieving a perfect ending was all it took, and this was the first time she realized the severity of the situation.

"Not really. Previously, penalties were never mentioned. Who knows what is going on these past few times?" Chen Xingmiao shook her head helplessly.

"Then what should we do next?"

Han Yao asked anxiously, her hands beginning to nervously and unconsciously grip the corners of her clothes.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Xingmiao slowly spoke, "Tomorrow, we will go find Han Xu. He is the Crown Prince and the male protagonist with the protagonist halo. He will definitely be able to help us."

Upon hearing this, a spark of hope instantly ignited in the depths of Han Yao's dimmed eyes.

"Goddess, you are so smart! I didn't even think of looking for my Imperial Brother!"

The corners of Chen Xingmiao's lips curved upward slightly, revealing a confident, shallow smile. She affectionately took Han Yao's hand and began to walk forward while methodically analyzing the situation.

"Tell me, who could both see the Emperor and fabricate stories that would make the Emperor believe them? Being thrown into the dungeon is no minor charge."

Han Yao tilted her head, thinking deeply, her steps slowing down unconsciously. "Aside from imperial relatives, the only ones who can have audience with the Emperor at will are the high-ranking ministers of the court."

High-ranking ministers of the court...

Chen Xingmiao murmured inwardly, and a person suddenly popped into her head—

"It must be Xiao Zilin again. That scoundrel makes trouble every single time!"

Coming from a military background and having protected the country, if he framed the little villain with charges of endangering the nation, the Emperor would definitely believe it.

Thinking of this, Chen Xingmiao once again looked at Han Yao helplessly.

"Yaoyao, can't you write your Imperial Father a bit smarter? Stop always listening to the slander of petty villains."

Hearing this, a wave of embarrassed flush instantly spread across Han Yao's face, and she chuckled dryly while raising a hand to scratch the back of her head.

"Goddess, this really isn't my fault! The initial outline wasn't like this. Who knew it would go off the rails later?"

"Then... do you have any explanation for why you made a bastard like Xiao Zilin and the male lead brothers?" Chen Xingmiao crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as she pressed for an answer.

Han Yao sighed and explained helplessly, "In the original setup, Xiao Zilin was a character who walked the gray line between righteous and evil. Who knew that once the storyline fell into chaos, he was left with only his bastard attributes?"

After listening, Chen Xingmiao gently rubbed her chin with her right hand, her eyes narrowing as she nodded thoughtfully.

Han Yao stood aside, her eyes fixed intently on Chen Xingmiao, her expression anxious yet expectant, until she couldn't help asking, "Goddess, judging by that look on your face, do you have some sort of idea?"

Hearing this, Chen Xingmiao slowly raised her gaze. The corners of her lips curved up, and even the depths of her eyes seemed to hide a hint of mischievous cunning as she smiled brightly.

Watching her expression, Han Yao became even more baffled, habitually raising a hand to scratch her head, looking utterly clueless.

The next second, Chen Xingmiao reached out, grabbed Han Yao's wrist, and walked forward briskly in a hurry.

"Yaoyao, you haven't met the Xiao family yet, and it's been a while since I have. Let's go... and play with them."