On the fifth day after Princess Yongning was demoted to commoner status, another major incident occurred in Yanjing City.
Magistrate Xue Huaiyuan, who had been framed and imprisoned in the previous Tongxiang case—or rather, the former Minister of Works of Northern Yan, Lord Xue Lingyun—early one morning went to Chang’an Gate and beat the drum to proclaim his grievance by striking the stone lions.
The stone lions before Chang’an Gate had been silent for many years, yet in just half a year’s time, they’d been awakened twice in succession. And the plaintiffs in both cases seemed to be the same person.
This time wasn’t like the last. Because the previous Tongxiang case had been of great importance, and during the court deliberations, people had learned that this pitiful magistrate was once a high minister of Northern Yan, Emperor Hongxiao took it very seriously and personally received him.
Very soon, the grievance Xue Huaiyuan wanted to file also came out. Xue Huaiyuan was suing the current princess—no, the now-commoner Yongning—and the former Assistant Director of the Secretariat Shen Yurong. These two had carried on a secret affair a year ago, conspiring to murder and eliminate heirs, falsely accusing Xue Fangfei of adultery, when in reality it was for their own selfish desires. This was the first charge.
Xue Huaiyuan also sued the current Prefect of Jingzhao, colluding with Princess Yongning to brutally harm his son Xue Zhao, Xue Fangfei’s younger brother, having Xue Zhao murdered and made to appear as if killed by bandits, destroying evidence. This was the second charge.
These two accusations immediately stirred up tremendous waves in Yanjing City. One should know that back then, the matter of Champion Scholar’s wife Xue Fangfei’s adultery had caused an uproar throughout Yanjing City—everyone knew of it. Now Xue Huaiyuan came forward to clarify the circumstances of the case. The common people of Yanjing City began discussing it with great interest.
If it were false, that was one thing, but if it were true, these two people, Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong, could truly be called heartless, ruthless, and utterly inhuman. Though the matter hadn’t yet come to light, the common people believed that nine times out of ten, this was true. Setting aside those just watching the excitement, at least the scene in the Golden Palace previously had already confirmed that Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning had an illicit relationship. If Shen Yurong truly was as devoted to his deceased wife as he appeared on the surface, how could he be together with Princess Yongning? This could only prove this person was duplicitous from the start. Since this was so, that he could do such things to his own wife was no longer surprising.
On another front, people immediately recalled that when the Tongxiang case had caused a great stir in Yanjing City, there had been rumors circulating for a time that Feng Yutang, who had framed Xue Huaiyuan, had been following Princess Yongning’s orders all along. Only at that time the imperial family had ordered silence, forbidding random talk. Moreover, without solid evidence, and Princess Yongning having no reason to travel thousands of miles to make things difficult for a magistrate she’d never had dealings with, it now seemed this matter contained great significance.
Xue Huaiyuan was Xue Fangfei’s father, and Xue Zhao was Xue Fangfei’s younger brother. The Xue family had suffered misfortunes one after another. If not for Second Miss Jiang learning of this matter on her return to Xiangyang and lending Xue Huaiyuan a helping hand, of the three people currently in the Xue family, probably not one would have remained—there would be no Xue family left in the world. In just a year and a half, the Xue family had been so unfortunate that if one said no one was causing trouble behind the scenes, no one would believe it. Without even mentioning the outcome of the case, the moment Xue Huaiyuan’s accusations came out, the people of Yanjing City suddenly understood. Once the relationships of interest became clear, matters became almost明白清晰.
This was clearly Scholar Shen wanting to climb up to become a princess consort, but helplessly his original wife was both beautiful and virtuous, with no faults that could justify divorcing her. So he simply went all out, directly killing his original wife and the child in her womb, not even sparing his original wife’s elderly father and brother—truly ruthless to the extreme.
People couldn’t help but recall that talented woman who had once been stunningly beautiful throughout the capital—Xue Fangfei.
Thinking about it now, that beautiful and gentle Madam Shen, with her learning and character, had been second to none in Yanjing City. The ladies who’d interacted with her all felt refreshed as if bathed in spring breezes. Scholar Shen, having such an excellent wife, didn’t want her and went to please Princess Yongning—clearly he was very greedy for power and influence. Not only that, but even one day as husband and wife creates a hundred days of affection, yet he could actually strike a fatal blow against his own wife—what kind of heartless nature must that require?
For a time, everywhere in Yanjing City were voices cursing Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong as adulterous dogs. Yet who knew whether those now cursing enthusiastically had also once vigorously cursed Xue Fangfei back then.
Because this case was of great importance, if the charges were established, it would be plotting against an official’s family. The saying “imperial offspring who break the law are punished the same as commoners”—though useless most of the time—was very effective when it came to kicking someone when they’re down. Princess Yongning was no longer a princess, and Shen Yurong was no longer a court minister. Emperor Hongxiao naturally didn’t mind “severely punishing” them once more. Public sentiment was a very subtle thing. The common people’s current condemnation and disgust toward Princess Yongning would naturally transfer partially to Prince Cheng, which was extremely disadvantageous for Prince Cheng’s future uprising.
And Emperor Hongxiao could precisely use this to win more hearts, letting Northern Yan’s common people see clearly that he was a just and enlightened emperor.
Both publicly and privately, Emperor Hongxiao would show no leniency toward Princess Yongning in this case. Even if Consort Liu came crying to plead, or Prince Cheng hinted obliquely while inquiring, Emperor Hongxiao only had Eunuch Su go out to deal with them—he saw none of them.
The case was jointly tried by the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate.
When Xiao Deyin learned this news, she was also very astonished. These past days, she’d been staying at the manor without going out. When she heard Princess Yongning and the Li family had fallen out, she was very happy. When she heard Princess Yongning had been demoted to commoner status, she was even happier. But it wasn’t foolproof. Fortune turns—now Princess Yongning was down and out, but if one day she made a comeback, she herself would still be in danger.
Just at this moment, Xue Huaiyuan’s accusation was like timely rain, watering Xiao Deyin’s heart back to life. If Xue Huaiyuan succeeded in his accusation, according to Northern Yan’s laws, Princess Yongning would have only one path—death. This way, what she’d done back then would remain unknown, and Princess Yongning couldn’t possibly silence her. She could truly rest easy.
Xiao Deyin just hadn’t expected that Xue Huaiyuan, who had long been rumored to be a useless madman, would actually wake up. And that the one coming forward was Xue Huaiyuan himself—she’d originally thought this matter would still require Jiang Li to come forward. Who knew Jiang Li hadn’t made a sound at all.
But it didn’t matter. Xue Huaiyuan didn’t know her anyway. Whether it was Xue Huaiyuan or Jiang Li who filed the accusation, she would serve as witness testimony, and on Princess Yongning’s road to hell, give her another push to make her go faster.
Xiao Deyin smiled as she plucked the guqin before her. The gloom of recent days was swept away completely.
……
While Yanjing City was thrown into chaos by Xue Huaiyuan’s drumbeat of grievance, the Princess Manor was also sealed. At night, guards posted at the Princess Manor entrance dozed off. The manor’s gold, silver, and treasures had all been inventoried, and servants and attendants had all been sent away—this was just an empty manor. The previously lively and magnificent Princess Manor had become deserted overnight—it couldn’t help but evoke sighs.
Only the officials responsible for confiscating the Princess Manor’s assets felt no sentimentality whatsoever. It was truly because the treasures in the Princess Manor were staggering. Logically speaking, though Princess Yongning was a princess, naturally she wouldn’t have less silver than others. But to even exceed a first-rank minister’s family wealth was somewhat thought-provoking. If a princess was already like this, what about Prince Cheng? What about those behind Prince Cheng? Did this mean Prince Cheng’s silver might be even more than what was in the national treasury?
Some looked at the wealth with greedy eyes, while others regarded wealth as dirt. For instance, Wen Ji and Zhao Ke, currently perched on the eaves of the Princess Manor, had been waiting for the guards at the entrance to get drunk.
Though they could complete certain tasks even if the guards didn’t get drunk, it would be more troublesome. Being able to easily resolve matters without being discovered was naturally something only clever people from their Duke’s manor could accomplish.
On the eaves all around were some black-clothed figures—all people from the Duke’s manor, waiting here to provide support. Zhao Ke said: “They’re coming.”
At the same time, the two guards at the entrance made a “thud” sound, toppled over against the doorframe, hugging wine jars and snoring loudly in sleep.
One couldn’t blame these guards for neglecting their duties. It was truly because this Princess Manor had already been emptied. Since it was empty, no one would come again anyway.
Zhao Ke and Wen Ji exchanged glances, swiftly moved along the eaves, and when they reached the inner courtyard, they flipped down and landed on the ground. There, Ji Heng was already standing waiting for them.
He finally no longer wore magnificent clothing. His night-traveling clothes looked simple and efficient, yet because of his face, appeared not so ordinary. He walked to the innermost room—a tearoom with only a low table. Even the teapot and teacups had been taken away. Nothing remained.
Ji Heng walked a circuit around the room, reaching out to stroke the walls one by one. When his hand reached one spot, he paused. Pressing inward forcefully, there came a soft “click”—that brick receded inward. Immediately after, the entire wall began to slowly move, turning to reveal a door.
Ji Heng was first to enter. Wen Ji and Zhao Ke followed closely behind.
It was a long secret passage. All along the way were torches for illumination. The torch holders were extremely ornate—it was practically like an underground palace. Inside was also the faint sound of water. It wasn’t until they reached the end of this secret passage that the space opened up dramatically, and the entire secret chamber appeared before their eyes.
This was a private prison. Because there were iron bars forming cells everywhere, just looking at it felt like arriving at the Ministry of Justice’s prison. Only even the Ministry of Justice’s prison might not be as cruel as what lay before them. Blood stains were everywhere on the ground, along with putrid odors. Some shadowy figures behind the iron bars didn’t move at all—clearly they’d been dead a long time. Yet no one had cleared them out. They were just left here to slowly become pools of rotten mud. Even their closest relatives, if they saw them, probably couldn’t recognize them.
On the walls were bloody hooks. Heated branding irons lay scattered on the ground. In the water dungeon, rats squeaked and scurried about, clutching lumps of bloody, mangled flesh and gnawing with relish. Salt-water whips, spiked wooden horses, poison-laced silver needles—everything was present. Even Wen Ji and Zhao Ke, experienced guards who’d seen much, couldn’t help feeling disgusted at the sight before them. They were guards who’d normally seen such things, so it was acceptable. But Princess Yongning was a princess. By the looks of it, ordinarily she had no deep hatreds with anyone, yet she used such methods to torture them.
“Look for Jiang Youyao.” Ji Heng said. “If she’s conscious, fish her out and dump her at the Jiang family entrance. If she’s already unconscious, feed her one of Situ’s pills—don’t let her die.”
Zhao Ke and Wen Ji received their orders. Finding Jiang Youyao among so many dead and half-dead people wasn’t an easy task. Everyone here was filthy and reeking. For a time, it was truly hard to distinguish between them. Zhao Ke and Wen Ji went to search for her, while Ji Heng walked slowly through the prison.
They’d all slightly altered their faces, so they needn’t fear being recognized at a glance. However, among these people locked behind iron bars, aside from the dead and those who’d fainted, the remaining living people had either been tortured until they lost their wits and danced about singing inside, or they hadn’t yet lost their wits but had lost all vitality. Even as Ji Heng passed by, they only stared blankly without a word, like fools who didn’t know how to call for help.
Having spent so long in such an environment, plus Princess Yongning’s torture, these people had probably long since given up hope. If they hoped for anything, it was probably hoping someone would come give them a blade to end this unbearable suffering sooner.
Ji Heng walked carelessly along the prison. Amid this hellish scene, his expression remained composed, as if he were still walking through a nighttime banquet, completely unaffected.
Until he reached one particular cell.
That person seemed to have heard sounds long ago and crawled out bit by bit from the depths. The word “crawled” was used because from deep inside the cell to the iron bars, there were two clear trails of blood. Something had happened to his knees—the blood had already congealed. His entire body knelt on the ground, looking as if he’d been fished from a pool of blood, his features indistinguishable.
Yet this person was the only one in the Princess Manor’s private prison who showed movement, looking like a living person. Though his appearance was terrifying, this person’s eyes were very clear and stubborn. His hands grasped the bars. Even his hands were covered in wounds. Through the bars he wanted to grab Ji Heng’s boots, but as if afraid his hands had blood and filth, he stopped his motion before Ji Heng’s boots.
Ji Heng looked down and met this person’s gaze directly.
This person’s face was covered entirely in scars and blood—nothing could be seen clearly. But these eyes hadn’t been stained with a single speck of dirt. He even tried hard to squeeze out a smile toward Ji Heng, though this smile was quite terrifying in the gloomy private prison.
Wen Ji had already found Jiang Youyao on the other side. Zhao Ke had just walked over and saw Ji Heng stop before an unfamiliar prisoner. Zhao Ke asked: “My lord, this person…?”
That person struggled to open his mouth, wanting to speak, but whether because he’d been force-fed muteness drugs or because his throat temporarily couldn’t make sounds, no sound came out. But one could still make out from his mouth that what he said was roughly four words.
He said: Please, save me.
“Take him back.” Ji Heng said. “See if Situ can treat him.”
“Eh?” Zhao Ke found this strange. Ji Heng had never been someone with a kind heart, much less someone who’d intervene when seeing injustice. The people in this private prison were all Princess Yongning’s enemies and had no connection whatsoever with Ji Heng. Coming here today was merely at Second Miss Jiang’s request to find Jiang Youyao. As for the others—it wasn’t that the Duke’s manor people lacked compassion, but truly because even if these people were rescued, most would be useless. For these people, the best release was death.
“Once healed, he can keep you company.” Ji Heng said.
Zhao Ke said: “…My lord, this person’s legs are probably ruined.”
As fellow martial artists, Zhao Ke could see at a glance that this person’s legs had probably been broken long ago. Too much time had passed—they couldn’t possibly be healed. Even if rescued, he probably couldn’t serve as a guard at the Duke’s manor.
“It doesn’t matter.” Ji Heng said. “As long as he’s useful.”
That person covered in blood and filth, hearing this, immediately showed a grateful expression. Right now, to discern his expression, one could only do so through his eyes. Fortunately, his eyes were naturally expressive. Watching and watching, Zhao Ke suddenly felt this person’s gaze was somewhat familiar, bearing some resemblance to Second Miss Jiang. Gentle yet composed, in the dim, filthy private prison, like the sun illuminating this corner of hell.
“He looks different from the others.” Zhao Ke said. “Don’t know how he offended Princess Yongning to end up in such a state.”
“Go back and investigate his background.” After Ji Heng finished speaking, he looked toward the other side. Wen Ji was coming over from behind. Wen Ji said: “Master, Jiang Youyao has been found. However, she appears mentally unclear and currently won’t do. Following Master’s instructions, we fed her Miss Situ’s medicine. She won’t die within several days.”
Zhao Ke said to Wen Ji: “Lend a hand. Master wants this person rescued.”
Hearing this, Wen Ji’s face also showed a trace of surprise, but he still said nothing and fished this person out from the cell. Only when fishing him out did they discover that one corner of this person’s garment was actually white. He wasn’t wearing red-brown clothing, but rather pure white robes—all soaked through with blood covering his entire body.
Yet he still hadn’t died?
It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen people with firm willpower, but to not die after losing so much blood was truly astonishing. Ji Heng glanced at this person, pondered briefly, and said: “Princess Yongning’s doing. She deliberately left him alive to torture him slowly.”
Zhao Ke and Wen Ji understood. Princess Yongning feared this person would die too easily, so she deliberately had people send medicine to sustain his last breath, keeping him from losing his life so she could torture him slowly.
“But he looks quite conscious,” Zhao Ke said. “Not easy. Ordinary people tortured for so long would have gone mad already, or become dead at heart. He still has vitality. Just that he can’t speak or move now. Tsk, if his legs weren’t ruined, he’d look like good material.”
That person’s eyes dimmed slightly upon hearing this, though the look quickly disappeared. Ji Heng saw it and looked thoughtful.
“Don’t know how he offended Princess Yongning,” Zhao Ke muttered quietly while hoisting this bloody person onto his back. This person had probably been starved thin as paper—Zhao Ke carrying him didn’t feel heavy. He added: “What a pity.”
The three left the Princess Manor’s private prison. When leaving, Ji Heng and Zhao Ke went first. After the two departed, Wen Ji crouched outside the tearoom before the private prison entrance and lit a smoke-bamboo.
With a tremendous “boom” particularly loud in the deep night of Yanjing City, the two drunken guards at the entrance were startled awake. They leaped up shouting “What happened?” and rushed toward the tearoom.
Wen Ji’s figure melted into the night.
……
On another front, at the Duke’s manor, Zhao Ke, having received Ji Heng’s orders, rushed back at top speed. He set down the bloody person from his shoulder outside Situ Jiuyue’s medicine-refining room and called out loudly: “Miss Situ, Miss Situ!”
The door opened with a “crack.” Situ Jiuyue appeared at the entrance, impatiently saying: “What is it?”
“Master rescued someone from outside. Don’t know if they can be healed. If Miss Situ has time, please help take a look.” Zhao Ke wiped his sweat. After leaving the Princess Manor, Ji Heng hadn’t returned to the Duke’s manor—he’d probably gone to handle his own affairs. Zhao Ke didn’t dare ask. However, he didn’t dare neglect the person on his back either. This was someone Ji Heng had personally ordered rescued—they couldn’t just dispose of him casually.
“Ji Heng rescuing someone?” Situ Jiuyue’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. “What joke are you telling?”
“It’s true.” Zhao Ke feared Situ Jiuyue would refuse to help. This Miss Situ was extremely willful—if something displeased her, she’d probably dare disobey even an imperial command. Only Ji Heng’s words would she reluctantly listen to somewhat. Zhao Ke said: “Miss Jiuyue, this person is very seriously injured. Master doesn’t know if he can be saved. But this person is quite interesting. You should look first, then decide whether to save him or not.”
“I told you I’m not a physician.” Situ Jiuyue was displeased, but still stepped aside at the doorway, indicating Zhao Ke should carry him in.
The four words “quite interesting” attracted her. Where were there so many interesting people in the world? If one encountered them, naturally they should be saved, because that too was an interesting matter.
Zhao Ke carried the person in and laid him flat on a small bed in the medicine-refining room that could barely fit one person sleeping. Situ Jiuyue stepped forward to look. That person actually still had consciousness, just couldn’t move. He smiled slightly at her.
Situ Jiuyue was startled.
In her life she’d seen many faces—the gratitude and fear she’d seen as a physician, and the disgust and hatred she’d encountered as a poison doctor. Whether being saved or destroyed, none had been so calm. When facing matters of extreme importance concerning themselves, people couldn’t remain composed no matter what.
But this person could actually smile at her—calmly, composedly, even with what could be called a warm smile. It made one think of March sunshine—precious and beautiful.
“Who is he?” Situ Jiuyue asked.
“Don’t know. Master told us to investigate this person’s background,” Zhao Ke didn’t hide anything from Situ Jiuyue. “He was discovered in Princess Yongning’s private prison.”
“Princess Yongning?” Situ Jiuyue raised an eyebrow. “Her again? Ji Heng went to help Jiang Li, didn’t he?”
Zhao Ke scratched his head, smiling awkwardly. What could he say about his master’s affairs? Just smile and that would be fine.
Situ Jiuyue reached out to lift this person’s clothing. His garments had almost fused with his flesh. When lifting them, they made the sound of separation.
The person on the bed trembled—apparently in extreme pain—yet still endured it.
Zhao Ke sucked in a cold breath.
This person’s entire body was covered in scars, without a single intact spot. Probably Princess Yongning had used every applicable torture on him.
“Miss Situ,” Zhao Ke felt pity just looking. He asked: “This person is quite seriously injured… I see his legs seem broken. Can they still heal?”
Situ Jiuyue glanced at the person’s knees and said: “Impossible.”