Wang Ranxi’s procession moved grandly toward Ximing Temple to worship Buddha. Inside her carriage, Wang Ranxi clutched a small purple sandalwood rosary, chanting the six-syllable mantra. The carriage walls were plastered with yellow talismans to ward off evil spirits. Daoist priests and Buddhist monks carrying ritual implements surrounded the carriage so tightly that not even water could seep through. Wang Ranxi chanted “Om Mani Padme Hum,” her heart filled with only one desire—to reach Ximing Temple quickly and have the abbot gather all the temple’s eminent monks to perform a ritual to dispel her misfortune.
Wang Ranxi chanted with her eyes closed. When they reached a small path, she suddenly felt the carriage stop. She opened her eyes alertly and called out, “Chuntao, why have we stopped?”
Outside, Chuntao’s voice trembled, “My lady… someone… someone is blocking our way…”
Wang Ranxi was furious. Who in Chang’an city had the bear’s heart and leopard’s gall to dare block the path of her, the Madam of Jincheng Commandery? She lifted the carriage curtain, but when she saw the dazzling figure in dark crimson sitting on horseback, she was stunned.
When she regained her composure, she scolded, “Inspector Cui, why are you blocking my path?”
Cui Xun, accompanied by a group of military officers from the Investigation Bureau, replied coldly and leisurely, “There is a case that requires Madam of Jincheng Commandery to come with me.”
Wang Ranxi was shocked, then furious, “Cui Xun, you know I am the Madam of Jincheng Commandery personally conferred by His Majesty! Who do you think you are to dare arrest me?”
“Indeed, I am nobody important,” Cui Xun said coldly. “But by the Empress Dowager’s edict, the Investigation Bureau can arrest and interrogate anyone, whether nobles or commoners. If the Madam has any objections, please take them up with the Empress Dowager.”
With Cui Xun invoking the Empress Dowager, Wang Ranxi was left speechless. She argued desperately, “What crime have I committed that you must arrest me?”
Cui Xun replied impatiently, “What crime you’ve committed will be revealed once we reach the Investigation Bureau.”
Wang Ranxi gritted her teeth. The recent gruesome death of Wang Liang, who was from the same Wang clan of Taiyuan as herself, was still fresh in her mind. Entering the Investigation Bureau meant being coerced into a false confession with no return. She said, “My husband is still in the palace discussing matters with His Majesty. If you want to arrest me, you must inform my husband first. Otherwise, I refuse to comply!”
Cui Xun, unwilling to waste more words with her, waved his hand. The military officers pounced like wolves and tigers, directly grabbing for Wang Ranxi. Wang Ranxi was terrified; the monks and priests she had brought fled in all directions, while her servants resisted to the death. However, these servants were no match for the well-trained Investigation Bureau officers. In no time, they were beaten to a pulp, and Wang Ranxi was dragged from her carriage, disheveled, and stuffed into a prison cart. Wang Ranxi screamed hoarsely, “Go back to the mansion and inform the Minister! Quickly!”
Her mouth was gagged, and she was bound and thrown into the prison cart. From atop his tall horse, Cui Xun glanced coldly at the bruised and swollen servants of the Pei family. “Go back and tell your Minister Pei that I, Cui Xun, have arrested her. If he has the ability, he can come to my Investigation Bureau to claim her.”
Holding the reins, he turned his horse around and escorted the black-cloth-covered prison cart away. As the cart wheels rolled forward, Cui Xun suddenly pulled on the reins, turned around, and mockingly said to the still trembling Pei family servants, “Oh, and by the way, tell your Minister Pei that Wang Tuan’er’s corpse has been found by me.”
In the prison of the Investigation Bureau, even the air was saturated with the smell of blood. All around were the rising and falling screams of prisoners. Wang Ranxi was taken to the torture chamber, where the officers showed her no respect, practically throwing her to the ground. The intense pain made her dizzy and disoriented. Her fingers seemed to touch something—looking carefully, she saw it was a finger press, still with spots of blood, left by some poor woman.
Wang Ranxi scrambled to her feet in fear and scolded with bravado masking inner fear, “What… what are you trying to do? I am the wife of the third-rank Minister of War, the Madam of Jincheng Commandery, personally conferred by His Majesty. Don’t you dare mistreat me!”
The officers ignored her and respectfully saluted outside the torture chamber, “Inspector.”
Clad in deep crimson official robes, Cui Xun leisurely entered the torture chamber. Upon seeing him, Wang Ranxi wanted nothing more than to tear him apart, “Cui Xun, why have you brought me to the Investigation Bureau? What do you intend to do?”
“There is a case that requires the Madam’s assistance.”
“What case? Is it another case framing Prince of Hanyang?” Wang Ranxi berated him, “You have already tortured Wang Liang to death. What now? Do you want to extract a confession from me through torture as well?”
Cui Xun shook his head, “This has nothing to do with the Prince of Hanyang.”
“Then who does it concern?” Wang Ranxi sneered. “Please enlighten me, Inspector Cui. Exactly which court official do you want me to falsely accuse of treason?”
“It’s not a treason case, but rather…” Cui Xun pursed his lips, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, “a murder case.”
Wang Ranxi, her neck stiff, her once elegant appearance now dirty and disheveled, glared at Cui Xun, “What murder case? I don’t understand what you’re talking about!”
“Has the Madam forgotten about Princess Yong’an’s case?”
At the mention of Princess Yong’an, Wang Ranxi’s already tense face instantly turned pale. She stammered, “Prin… Princess Yong’an? Didn’t the Princess pass away thirty years ago? What… what does that have to do with me?”
Cui Xun calmly asked, “Madam of Jincheng Commandery, is the Princess’s death truly unrelated to you?”
“Of course it’s unrelated!” Wang Ranxi vehemently denied, “Everyone knows Princess Yong’an was killed by Zheng Yun. Don’t tell me Inspector Cui wants to say I killed the Princess? Ridiculous!”
Cui Xun reminded her, “You and Zheng Yun were childhood sweethearts, cousins with deep affection for each other.”
Wang Ranxi was taken aback, surprised that Cui Xun had investigated her relationship with Zheng Yun. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, “So… so what? We were never engaged. He killed someone; does that mean I should suffer the consequences?”
Cui Xun shook his head, “Madam is truly heartless. Poor Zheng Yun.”
Wang Ranxi was sweating profusely, then suddenly realized, “I understand now. You brought me to the Investigation Bureau to falsely accuse me of killing Princess Yong’an and drag my husband down with me. Cui Xun, you are so cruel! Such wickedness—you will face retribution!”
“Retribution?” Cui Xun seemed to find these words particularly amusing coming from Wang Ranxi’s mouth. He sneered, “If there is retribution, it should come to the Madam first.”
Wang Ranxi shouted, “Cui Xun, to catch a thief, you need evidence. You keep saying I killed Princess Yong’an—where’s your evidence? Show your evidence!”
Cui Xun merely replied coolly, “The Investigation Bureau doesn’t need evidence to handle cases.”
Wang Ranxi was stunned. She knew Cui Xun intended to extract a false confession. She cursed angrily, “Cui Xun! You won’t succeed! Let me tell you, I did not kill Princess Yong’an, and even if you beat me to death, I won’t confess!”
She continued cursing Cui Xun, “Cui Xun, you lowly male consort, disgraceful surrendered general, despicable, cruel official! Don’t think you can pervert justice just because the Empress Dowager favors you. I tell you, once you lose her favor, I will cut your flesh piece by piece! I will have you sliced into a thousand pieces!”
Her curses were vicious, but Cui Xun remained impassive. He calmly told his subordinates, “The Madam is too stubborn. Apply torture to loosen her tongue.”
The wolf-like officers closed in on Wang Ranxi, who shrank into the corner but still shouted, “Cui Xun! If you dare touch me, my husband will surely kill you!”
Cui Xun merely watched coldly as Wang Ranxi struggled continuously. Just as the finger press was fitted on Wang Ranxi’s fingers, an officer hurriedly arrived and whispered something in Cui Xun’s ear. Cui Xun frowned, then ordered everyone to stop. In an instant, he left with all his officers, and Wang Ranxi was unceremoniously thrown back into the prison cell.
Wang Ranxi was still in shock. The prison cell was bone-chillingly cold, with only faint light visible. The floor was damp and reeked of rotting flesh. Wang Ranxi, accustomed to a life of luxury, had never endured such suffering. She knelt and vomited until her head spun, then weakly leaned against the wall.
Pei Guanyue would come to save her, wouldn’t he? Though their marriage was merely for appearances, he still needed her status as the legitimate daughter of the Wang clan from Taiyuan. Besides, having his wife arrested by the Investigation Bureau was a great humiliation for him, so he certainly wouldn’t abandon her.
So, if she could endure the torture, there was still hope.
Wang Ranxi gritted her teeth. The cruel punishments for female prisoners at the Investigation Bureau, besides finger pressing, included “Phoenix Spreading Wings,” “Jade Maiden Climbing the Ladder,” and “Immortal Offering Fruit”—each an extremely brutal torture. She wasn’t sure if she could withstand them, but she knew that if she confessed, everything would be over. Therefore, she absolutely could not confess.
Wang Ranxi thought hazily, her ears filled with the sound of whips striking flesh and prisoners’ agonized screams, her nose filled with the smell of her vomit and the blood from neighboring cells. Covering her ears, terrified, she eventually fell into a deep sleep.
She didn’t know how long she had slept when she suddenly heard a soft call, “Young lady.”
Young lady? She had been married for thirty years; who would still call her “young lady”?
Wang Ranxi drowsily opened her eyes. What greeted her sight was a bloody face.
Wang Ranxi screamed in terror, shrinking her body as much as possible, “You! Who are you?”
“Young lady, don’t recognize me?” The person pushed aside dry, withered hair, revealing an honest, simple face behind it. “I am Wang Tuan’er.”
“Wang… Wang Tuan’er…” Wang Ranxi’s teeth chattered. “Aren’t… aren’t you dead?”
“Yes, I am dead,” Wang Tuan’er smiled, showing her teeth. “Killed by the young lady, stabbed by stab, with a dagger.”
Wang Ranxi was terrified, her face ashen, “You… you’re a ghost?”
Wang Tuan’er nodded, and Wang Ranxi could see both her eyes were streaming blood, “I am a ghost.”
Wang Ranxi trembled like a sieve, “What… what are you doing here?”
“Naturally, I’ve come to find the young lady for revenge.”
“Revenge… revenge…” Wang Ranxi was so frightened that she crawled around on the ground, finally reaching the corner—the corner where she had vomited earlier, filthy and foul-smelling. Wang Ranxi paid no heed to this; she just hugged her head and screamed desperately, “Help! There’s a ghost! A ghost!”
But outside the cell, the jailers continued chatting and laughing, without so much as a glance in her direction, as if they couldn’t see Wang Tuan’er at all.
This scene was identical to when Li Ying’s ghost had appeared in her carriage. She called out in despair, but the living people around her couldn’t hear or see anything, leaving her alone to face this terrifying ghost.
Wang Ranxi was so scared that tears and mucus streamed down her face, “Tuan’er, I’ve wronged you! I will light eternal lamps for you, I will pray for your soul. Please spare me, spare me…”
“Young lady, I never thought of betraying you. Why did you kill me?” Wang Tuan’er accused. “You even discarded my body in the wilderness. It was so cold there, with so many evil spirits. They devoured my corpse entirely. Look!”
Wang Tuan’er rolled up her sleeves, revealing two arms covered with bowl-sized gnawed wounds. The wounds had skin peeled back, exposing dark red flesh and white bone. The bones were crawling with white maggots. Wang Ranxi let out a “Wa” and vomited again.
When she had nothing left to vomit except yellow fluid, Wang Tuan’er calmly said, “Young lady, a life for a life. Give me back my life!”
She reached out to strangle Wang Ranxi’s neck. The ghost was so close that Wang Ranxi could even see the bloody holes gnawed into her face. Wang Ranxi was driven to the brink of madness. She crawled to the cell door, desperately beating on the wooden bars, “Help! Save me! Save me!”
But still, no one paid her any attention. Wang Ranxi could even feel Wang Tuan’er’s icy fingers gripping her neck. She was frightened to the point of her soul leaving her body. When she spotted the hem of deep crimson official robes, she grabbed at it like a drowning person clutching at straws, reaching through the wooden bars and crying, “Cui Xun! No, Inspector Cui! Get me out! Get me out! I’ll confess to everything! Save me! Save me!”